You may not know Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, but you probably know Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.
While it's true both duos have played disco-era undercover detectives Dave Starsky and Ken Hutchinson, only one pair was lucky enough to enlighten the Wildcat's readership about the new movie, "Starsky & Hutch."
"We didn't really worry about having to stay totally true to the original show," Stiller said.
The original series, which ran from 1975-79, starred Glaser and Soul as two mismatched plain-clothes detectives out to rid the streets of hobos and filth alike.
Many pointed to the onscreen spark Glaser and Soul provided as a major factor in the show's success.
"I think the reason why that TV series was such a phenomenon is that David Soul and Paul Michael Glazer had this great give-and-take and natural chemistry," Wilson said.
As both Glaser and Soul were said to be buddies away from television, Wilson said he hopes the friendship he and Stiller have will translate just as well.
"You told me that you wanted to do it because of the three-way kiss scene," Stiller said.
"Well, there's also that. That's what I looked for in the ÎStarsky & Hutch' script." Wilson said.
"So you basically look for any sex scene with multiple partners in a script? That's kind of what attracts you to a role?" Stiller asked Wilson.
"That's why I signed up for ÎZoolander.' The orgy scene with the goat and the dwarf." Wilson said.
The movie, opening tomorrow, sees the pair teamed up for the first time as they try to bust white-collar drug dealer Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn). They get a little pimpadelic help from street informant Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg) along the way.
"Snoop was great to work with. I think that days when I looked at the clock sheet and could see that Snoop was working, you could sort of count on that being a fun day and having a more sort of ÎCheech and Chong' element," Wilson said.
The setting of "Bay City" in the freewheeling '70s was an easier time for undercover dicks. A time when police brutality and sex with multiple partners was as common as a new Bee Gees single.
"Starsky & Hutch were very quick to rough up a thug," Wilson said. "And it (the '70s) was kind of a looser attitude towards relationships and towards the way men and women interacted."
"The Înot politically correct attitude' those guys had back then," Stiller said. "You could just be a cop, be a tough guy, and not worry about offending anybody. And that was just kind of who they were."
Despite the lack of beat downs and casual sex today, both Stiller and Wilson admitted to being intrigued by real-life law enforcement.
Not that their job is any less dangerous.
"I did take driving classes, and I got to do a couple of little peel-outs and power slides," Stiller said. "Owen was not that comfortable with me driving, though."
"That was the most dangerous stunt I did ÷ riding in the car with Ben," Wilson said.
It should be noted that Wilson's fears of the '70s-styled Stiller were not limited to automobile injury.
"It was a little nightmarish to have to see Ben wearing those tight jeans everyday," Wilson said.