THE DETECTIVES – Song of the Guilty Heart - 1961
This one is episode 76 of the 97 episode run of, THE DETECTIVES. This series starred Robert Taylor and ran between 1959 and 1962. The first two seasons ran at a half hour and the last season had a runtime of an hour. The series followed the detective squad in a big city precinct. Cast regulars included, Mark Goddard, Russell Thorson, Tige Andrews, Lee Farr and Adam West. Robert Taylor headlines as Police Captain, Matt Holbrook.
The Detective squad gets a call that there is a woman on the ledge of the tenth floor of an apartment building. Detective Tige Andrews is the first cop on the scene. He calmly asks the woman what kind of problem could make her want to jump.
The woman, Inger Stevens, is upset that everyone treats her like a leper. She had been charged with her husband's murder several months before. The jury had found her not guilty and she was released. Stevens is upset that all her old friends ignore her and no one calls. Stevens had been a nightclub singer, but no longer has the nerve to perform. She blames the Police for not looking for the real murderer of her husband.
Andrews smooth talks the woman off the edge by promising to look into the case. Andrews asks to be assigned to work on the still open file. Stevens is quickly drawn to Andrews as he seems to be the only one nice to her. Detective Captain, Robert Taylor, warns Andrews to keep his distance while working on the case.
Andrews, without even noticing it, is soon spending time with Stevens every day. His wife, Rita Lynn, is slowly getting upset over all the time Andrews spends on Stevens. Andrews does not see a problem since he really is devoted to his family.
One day Stevens gets a call from a woman. The woman, Eileen Ryan, offers to help out Stevens. Ryan's husband, Leo Penn, is going to the gas chamber in ten days on murder charges. If Stevens coughs up 10 large, Penn will say he killed Stevens' husband, then everyone will know that Stevens is really innocent. Stevens agrees to the deal as she wants her singing job as well as her life back as it was.
Penn gives up a confession about the murder. Captain Taylor smells something rotten in the cheese cupboard, and sends Detectives Mark Goddard and Adam West for a chat. Penn sticks to his story. Next, Taylor pays a visit to Penn's soon to be ex, Ryan. Ryan, a person who likes to tip a few, soon gives up about the cash for a confession ploy.
The Detectives figure that maybe Miss Stevens is really guilty, and had killed her husband. Further digging and questioning of Stevens, Ryan and Penn soon establishes that Penn actually did kill Stevens' husband. Penn had been employed as a collector\button man for an underworld bookie. Penn was attempting to collect a 20 large debt. When the man refused to pay, Penn gave him an over sized prescription of lead aspirin.
The director of this particular episode was long time television helmsman, Ted Post. After directing over 300 television episodes he finally made it to feature films. He was at the helm for Clint Eastwood's HANG 'EM HIGH and MAGNUM FORCE.
Of note here is the real life married couple, Eileen Ryan and Leo Penn. These two were the parents of actors Sean and Chris Penn.
Inger Stevens would take her own life in 1970. She was only 35.
This one is episode 76 of the 97 episode run of, THE DETECTIVES. This series starred Robert Taylor and ran between 1959 and 1962. The first two seasons ran at a half hour and the last season had a runtime of an hour. The series followed the detective squad in a big city precinct. Cast regulars included, Mark Goddard, Russell Thorson, Tige Andrews, Lee Farr and Adam West. Robert Taylor headlines as Police Captain, Matt Holbrook.
The Detective squad gets a call that there is a woman on the ledge of the tenth floor of an apartment building. Detective Tige Andrews is the first cop on the scene. He calmly asks the woman what kind of problem could make her want to jump.
The woman, Inger Stevens, is upset that everyone treats her like a leper. She had been charged with her husband's murder several months before. The jury had found her not guilty and she was released. Stevens is upset that all her old friends ignore her and no one calls. Stevens had been a nightclub singer, but no longer has the nerve to perform. She blames the Police for not looking for the real murderer of her husband.
Andrews smooth talks the woman off the edge by promising to look into the case. Andrews asks to be assigned to work on the still open file. Stevens is quickly drawn to Andrews as he seems to be the only one nice to her. Detective Captain, Robert Taylor, warns Andrews to keep his distance while working on the case.
Andrews, without even noticing it, is soon spending time with Stevens every day. His wife, Rita Lynn, is slowly getting upset over all the time Andrews spends on Stevens. Andrews does not see a problem since he really is devoted to his family.
One day Stevens gets a call from a woman. The woman, Eileen Ryan, offers to help out Stevens. Ryan's husband, Leo Penn, is going to the gas chamber in ten days on murder charges. If Stevens coughs up 10 large, Penn will say he killed Stevens' husband, then everyone will know that Stevens is really innocent. Stevens agrees to the deal as she wants her singing job as well as her life back as it was.
Penn gives up a confession about the murder. Captain Taylor smells something rotten in the cheese cupboard, and sends Detectives Mark Goddard and Adam West for a chat. Penn sticks to his story. Next, Taylor pays a visit to Penn's soon to be ex, Ryan. Ryan, a person who likes to tip a few, soon gives up about the cash for a confession ploy.
The Detectives figure that maybe Miss Stevens is really guilty, and had killed her husband. Further digging and questioning of Stevens, Ryan and Penn soon establishes that Penn actually did kill Stevens' husband. Penn had been employed as a collector\button man for an underworld bookie. Penn was attempting to collect a 20 large debt. When the man refused to pay, Penn gave him an over sized prescription of lead aspirin.
The director of this particular episode was long time television helmsman, Ted Post. After directing over 300 television episodes he finally made it to feature films. He was at the helm for Clint Eastwood's HANG 'EM HIGH and MAGNUM FORCE.
Of note here is the real life married couple, Eileen Ryan and Leo Penn. These two were the parents of actors Sean and Chris Penn.
Inger Stevens would take her own life in 1970. She was only 35.
