Fictional Finances: Sam Tyler from “Life on Mars”
At one time or another, most people wish that they could travel back to a time when life was less complicated. Police detective Sam Tyler, the slightly confused hero of “Life on Mars,” accidentally gets that very opportunity. Yet he finds that life in New York City circa 1973 makes him feel as if he’s living on another planet.
Sam Tyler is a modern-day detective who does things strictly by the book. After being struck by a speeding car in 2008, Sam wakes up in New York City in 1973. Inexplicably, he’s wearing 1970s-style clothing, has police identification in his wallet that’s valid until 1974, and he owns a muscle car.
Though some evidence indicates that the world around him is just a hallucination, Tyler sees the streets of New York in incredibly vivid detail, including a heart-stopping view of the newly-constructed World Trade Center. Sam isn’t sure if he has lost his mind, been abducted by aliens, or if he truly has gone back in time. The only thing that he knows for sure is that Gene Hunt, his boss, knows how to throw a punch.
Spending Power in 1973
According to Payscale.com , the current mid-range salary for a police detective who has 10-20 years on the force is $63,568. At age 39, Sam Tyler easily falls into this salary range in 2008, but things are a bit different in 1973. During a candid conversation, one of Sam’s co-workers reveals that he makes “300 clams a week plus change,” which comes out to approximately $15,600 annually.
Assuming that Sam makes just as much as his colleague, he does benefit from some additional job perks. As a new transfer to the 125th Precinct, the police department has put him up in a seedy apartment building, which contains all the clothes that were shipped from his last assignment. Sam also has a free-spirited neighbor who, on at least one occasion, makes him a heaping pan of lasagna.
With no expenditures for rent or clothing, at least for the time being, Sam has more disposable income than other detectives. A music enthusiast, he probably spends a few bucks on vinyl record albums, which cost between $4.98 and $6.99 on the average. Before the first OPEC oil crisis, gas cost about 40 cents per gallon, allowing Sam to freely cruise the streets in his muscle car.
Debit and Credit Cards on “Mars”
Though debit cards tied to bank accounts are quite common these days, the ATM was just starting to gain popularity in 1973. (In the Midwest, one banking chain affectionately referred to their early ATMs as “ugly tellers.”) To cash his paycheck or get a few extra dollars for the weekend, Sam has to stand in line at his bank or head over to a check-cashing place.
In 1973, credit card companies also began using magnetic strips on a wide basis. Though he probably had a MasterCard, Visa, American Express and one department store card in 2008, with his detective salary, Tyler may only qualify for one card with a smaller credit limit in the 1970s.
Sam Tyler’s Past and Future Earnings
Because no one, not even Sam Tyler himself, is exactly sure when he is, his future earnings potential is hard to gauge. If Sam really is a time traveler and returns to the modern world, he’ll find himself in the middle of an economic crisis where banks and credit card companies are failing. If he stays in 1973, Detective Tyler faces inflation and higher gas prices. Neither alternative sounds very attractive.
