THE CHRYSLER THEATER – Deadlock – 1967
Bob Hope Presents, THE CHRYSLER THEATER, was an anthology series that ran for 114 episodes between 1963 and 1967. The series featured drama, comedy, crime and musical episodes. It was one of the last series to feature the anthology format. This particular episode is the 102nd.
It is the middle of the night in the big city. The burg is going through an oppressive heat wave. Two Police detectives, Donald May and Ron Rondell enter a seedy bar looking for a suspect. The man, Dick Dial, goes for his gun, but is put down first by several rounds from Detective May. May looks the guy over and calls in the morgue boys.
Outside the bar, a crowd is gathering, in the crowd is a woman, Lee Grant. She had been heading to the bar to meet her husband, Dial. She has a look as they bring out his stiff and then fades back into the night.
Several hours later at the squad room, Detectives Jack Kelly and Tige Andrews are complaining about the heat while sitting in front of a big fan. The door to the squad room opens, and in walks Lee Grant. She asks if she could speak to the Detective involved in the earlier shooting. Kelly tells Grant that May will be back later, and is there anything he can help her with.
Grant responds by pulling a .38 out of her purse and pointing it at the two Detectives. She has them pull their guns and lock them in a desk drawer, after which she takes the key. "We are all going to behave ourselves, right? I have business with the other Detective. We will just wait till he comes in." Grant says.
Grant then calmly pulls out a small glass bottle filled with a yellowish liquid. She tells the Detectives the bottle contains nitroglycerin. "You boys make any moves towards me and the whole building goes!" Detective Kelly does not believe this, but cannot take a chance. He tells his fellow Detective, Andrews, to play it cool.
Now another Detective, Percy Rodrigues enters the squad room with prisoner Brooke Bundy in tow. Bundy had stabbed a man in a barroom argument. Grant again pulls her pistol and disarms Rodrigues. She puts his pistol in her purse. Kelly fills the Detective in on the events up to then, including the contents of the glass bottle.
Miss Bundy thinks seeing the cops under the gun, is quite funny, and offers to help Grant. Grant, tells her to shut up and join the others. Now there is another interruption as a woman enters and says hello to everyone. The woman, Dorothy Rice, then blurts out that she is there to pick up her husband, Detective Donald May.
Needless to say this bit of information makes Grant very happy. Grant smiles and informs woman that she intends to kill her husband. "He killed my husband, I will kill yours."
Several minutes later, Detective May enters with a prisoner of his own, Deanna Lund. He smiles at his wife and then sees Grant standing there with her .38. Detective Kelly waves at May to make no sudden moves and explains who Grant is. May looks at Grant with a puzzled look, then at his prisoner Lund. May tells Grant that Lund is the dead man's wife. They had arrested her at the address they found in the dead man's wallet.
It suddenly hits Grant that her loving husband had a bit on the side. She starts screaming as she begins blasting at Lund, hitting everything but the woman. With the pistol, now empty, Grant goes to grab the nitro bottle. Before she can grab it off the desk, she is tackled by several of the Detectives. She is cuffed and hustled off to a cell.
Later on that night, Kelly gets a call from the Police lab boys. The bottle did indeed hold nitro.
A really good tension filled episode of a mostly forgotten series. The episode screenplay was by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) and was taken from the McBain novel of the same name.
The director of this little gem was Leo Penn. Actor turned director, Penn, helmed hundreds of TV episodes after acting work dried up. He is also the father of actors, Sean and Christopher Penn.
One time Oscar nominated cinematographer, John F Warren handled the lense work.
Miss Grant, the four time nominated, and one time Oscar winner, is excellent here. Most will recall Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick from the 1957 to 62 western series, MAVERICK.
Bob Hope Presents, THE CHRYSLER THEATER, was an anthology series that ran for 114 episodes between 1963 and 1967. The series featured drama, comedy, crime and musical episodes. It was one of the last series to feature the anthology format. This particular episode is the 102nd.
It is the middle of the night in the big city. The burg is going through an oppressive heat wave. Two Police detectives, Donald May and Ron Rondell enter a seedy bar looking for a suspect. The man, Dick Dial, goes for his gun, but is put down first by several rounds from Detective May. May looks the guy over and calls in the morgue boys.
Outside the bar, a crowd is gathering, in the crowd is a woman, Lee Grant. She had been heading to the bar to meet her husband, Dial. She has a look as they bring out his stiff and then fades back into the night.
Several hours later at the squad room, Detectives Jack Kelly and Tige Andrews are complaining about the heat while sitting in front of a big fan. The door to the squad room opens, and in walks Lee Grant. She asks if she could speak to the Detective involved in the earlier shooting. Kelly tells Grant that May will be back later, and is there anything he can help her with.
Grant responds by pulling a .38 out of her purse and pointing it at the two Detectives. She has them pull their guns and lock them in a desk drawer, after which she takes the key. "We are all going to behave ourselves, right? I have business with the other Detective. We will just wait till he comes in." Grant says.
Grant then calmly pulls out a small glass bottle filled with a yellowish liquid. She tells the Detectives the bottle contains nitroglycerin. "You boys make any moves towards me and the whole building goes!" Detective Kelly does not believe this, but cannot take a chance. He tells his fellow Detective, Andrews, to play it cool.
Now another Detective, Percy Rodrigues enters the squad room with prisoner Brooke Bundy in tow. Bundy had stabbed a man in a barroom argument. Grant again pulls her pistol and disarms Rodrigues. She puts his pistol in her purse. Kelly fills the Detective in on the events up to then, including the contents of the glass bottle.
Miss Bundy thinks seeing the cops under the gun, is quite funny, and offers to help Grant. Grant, tells her to shut up and join the others. Now there is another interruption as a woman enters and says hello to everyone. The woman, Dorothy Rice, then blurts out that she is there to pick up her husband, Detective Donald May.
Needless to say this bit of information makes Grant very happy. Grant smiles and informs woman that she intends to kill her husband. "He killed my husband, I will kill yours."
Several minutes later, Detective May enters with a prisoner of his own, Deanna Lund. He smiles at his wife and then sees Grant standing there with her .38. Detective Kelly waves at May to make no sudden moves and explains who Grant is. May looks at Grant with a puzzled look, then at his prisoner Lund. May tells Grant that Lund is the dead man's wife. They had arrested her at the address they found in the dead man's wallet.
It suddenly hits Grant that her loving husband had a bit on the side. She starts screaming as she begins blasting at Lund, hitting everything but the woman. With the pistol, now empty, Grant goes to grab the nitro bottle. Before she can grab it off the desk, she is tackled by several of the Detectives. She is cuffed and hustled off to a cell.
Later on that night, Kelly gets a call from the Police lab boys. The bottle did indeed hold nitro.
A really good tension filled episode of a mostly forgotten series. The episode screenplay was by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) and was taken from the McBain novel of the same name.
The director of this little gem was Leo Penn. Actor turned director, Penn, helmed hundreds of TV episodes after acting work dried up. He is also the father of actors, Sean and Christopher Penn.
One time Oscar nominated cinematographer, John F Warren handled the lense work.
Miss Grant, the four time nominated, and one time Oscar winner, is excellent here. Most will recall Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick from the 1957 to 62 western series, MAVERICK.
