First off, I love the opening shots of Briggs driving through Hollywood, on his way to listen to the secret mission tape. Hollywood has not changed much after all these decades. Office buildings, apartments, condos and ENDLESS parking lots! It would be interesting to know what they charged for parking back in the 60s as compared to today???? OMG.
We get a glimpse of actor Kent Smith (mostly his large portrait) who plays a senator who is believed to have been killed by an assassin backed by communist forces. Pat Hingle, best at playing tough customers, plays RJ, the late senator's right hand man, who may have also had a hand in it.
A revealing note, and spotted by another reviewer, is that Hingle's character may have also been more than just an assistant to the late senator. Of course, the censors at the time would never cross the line, but it's fascinating the way they work their way around it. Also there's no mention of his wife or any female connection.
Another interesting thing is that the suspected assassin, called Andreas, played by David Sheiner, who portrayed so many crafty villains in his time, is a rather "limp" villain, getting roughed up a lot by Rollin (Martin Landau) in his prison cell. If this guy was working for the Russians, or whatever
communist block, don't you think he would be as cold as ice? Usually, these types of characters were over the top, hardcore guys. He should have been wiping the floor with Rollin!
There are some truly dynamic twists and gags in this one; my personal favorite is the old hidden gun in the etched out large book trick. The carved out book is always a fun prop. Also check out the portrait painting scene with the invisible paints! Well written by William Read Woodfield, who did many series episodes to perfection. Woodfield was actually a renown Hollywood photographer, who took several nude photos of Marilyn Monroe, which are worth a fortune today.
Best acting AGAIN goes to Martin Landau here, thanks to director Herschel Daugherty, who handled so many classic shows, such as HAWAII FIVE O and STAR TREK. Landau was at his best playing desperate characters. Kent Smith is also in top form. He will always be remembered for the classic horror film, CAT PEOPLE, and the outstanding noir, NORA PRENTISS. At the time this episode was filmed, he appeared in the cult film, GAMES. Watch for it.
Not to be missed. SEASON 1 EPISODE 22 remastered Paramount dvd box set (2006).