"Adam-12" Log 144: Bank Robbery (TV Episode 1970) Poster

(TV Series)

(1970)

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7/10
"You're Under Arrest!"
StrictlyConfidential15 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
(*Charlie Jensen quote*) - "Hey. This is the first time in my life where I'm glad to see the cops."

To begin their shift, Officers Reed and Malloy are beat up by big bruiser, Claude Terry.

Charlie Jensen's apartment is burglarized and narcotics are found stashed in a cookie jar.

In the meantime, John Lewis reports that parts of his car have been stolen. And Jerry Young dies from an overdose of Seconal.

At the end of their day Adam-12 catches a pair of bank robbers, red-handed.
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7/10
A Reality Robbery
chashans19 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's unfortunate that the opening segment of this episode is played for laughs. The scene is extremely violent with Officers Malloy and Reed being thrown all over a former pro-wrestler's living room. Had the scene been written, directed and acted straight, it could have made for a very powerful and tense moment for the series.

Instead, easy-break props are used and actors Martin Milner and Kent McCord pull some very silly faces while attempting to take down the big brute. Eventually an actress joins the scene as the big brute's wife. This character comes across as simply fake, behaving unlike how any real human being would. Kent McCord's stunt double is obvious. Very surprisingly, Martin Milner performs most of his own stunts. It's a shame Officer Ed Wells wasn't included in this scene. His presence would have completed the "Three Stooges" mentality with which this segment was presented.

Actor Jed Allen shows up in the first of his numerous appearances on Adam-12. He always seems to play a Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky sort who first comes off as a really swell guy and then descends into utter contemptuous creep-hood. Allen is excellent as these characters.

During the course of the episode, Reed attempts to lure Malloy into yet another blind-date arranged by his wife. Malloy wants none of it as Mrs. Reed's previous hook-ups for Malloy were not of even the least bit of interest to him. (Although he was looking to be getting quite cozy with "Ruth" in the "A Rare Occassion" episode.) However, Malloy's interest is indeed piqued when Reed mentions that his wife's latest Man-Lure is the current Miss Hollywood Runner-Up. Actor Martin Milner does a good job with his non-verbal response to this bit of information, as Malloy's eyes widen and light-up with sudden curiousity.

Later, the partners are waved down by a citizen who has happened upon some of his own recently stolen property. It's a bit odd that while Malloy and Reed are shown spending a little bit of time on an exploratory investigation and stake-out, we are only later given a verbal substantiation that the criminal in this case was caught. M & R are shown abandoning the citizen and his stolen property so as to tend to more important matters. A second Police Unit is sent to finish this case.

The more important matter is a bank robbery which features two extremely stupid criminals. (Though, aren't they all?) They've decided to park their get-away vehicle in a small parking lot which has only one way in and out. Adam-12 arrives just in time to block that one way out. The concluding moment of this segment offers the partners and the audience a bit of a surprise. Perhaps while Mrs. Reed's friend had been Miss Hollywood Runner-Up, this newly hardened criminal Malloy has just unmasked could certainly pass as the Miss Hollywood winner herself!

Oh... Sadly, we never do get to see Miss Runner-Up.
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5/10
Less "ham" please.
cmoroni-2311529 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Not one of Adam's 12's best. Perhaps there was an "end of the season" lack-luster attitude among the actors, writers and director.

There are a few moments that warrant my "5-star rating."

The usual stellar performances from Milner and McCord (who appears to have a cold) are compromised here by early campy, hammed up fighting scenes (with character Claude Terry) that seem to emulate "Big Time Wrestling." Stunt men are obvious and the break-away (balsa wood) furniture, including the fake baby grand piano, are simply not up to par with Adam 12's otherwise usual level of standards.

Next, there's Charles Jensen's (Jed Allen) apartment, which is clearly a Dragnet re-hash set. Jed Allen wearing a nice suit while speaking in measured tones just doesn't seem to mesh well with this "skid row" apartment layout. It's not believable.

Lastly, one of the bank robbers who turns out to be a girl (once her ski mask is removed) is captured inside an AMC Ambassador 2-hardtop. The oddity here is how she rises from inside the car; her body movements defy logic if you're to believe the front seat is still inside that car. I found it strange that someone decided to remove the front seat.

Yes indeed, this episode is not one of Adam 12's best.
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