I may have seen too many of these shows. I knew immediately the husband had killed her, and that he and the nurse had set Kathy up as a witness, but it didn't matter because they revealed it a short time later anyway. That aside, it was still a clever story and the bonus was the good acting. I love Tommy Lee Jones (Dr Jim Melford) and it was a treat to see him so young. Love Larry Hagman (Dr Frank Rickers) too and he was at his evil best here. Bill Balance (Bill Edwards) was excellent as the radio personality, Leslie Ackerman (Kathy Barnes) did a fine job as the setup witness and Marcia Rodd (Nurse Marion Hollister) was great as Larry's evil accomplice. Overall an enjoyable episode.
3 Reviews
Major Nelson....say it isn't so!
planktonrules19 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Shortly after the show begins, a woman is discovered dead and the clues point towards her lover. However, he didn't do it...and the doctor (Larry Hagman) who did do it is using an injured girl in a wheelchair to convict the innocent man. But when she might prove to be a liability, the killer decides to make the girl his next victim.
This is a decent episode and I particularly liked the strange method Barnaby uses to find the missing witness.
This is a decent episode and I particularly liked the strange method Barnaby uses to find the missing witness.
LISTEN TO THE DOCTOR... OR ELSE!
tcchelsey2 May 2023
I remember this episode when it came out, and still very entertaining. Excellent writing and acting.
FATAL WITNESS reminds me of a COLUMBO mystery in a way, with yet another one of those "I'm smarter than you'll ever be..." villains. Fun to watch unravel.
Popular teen actress Leslie Ackerman is quite good, playing Kathy Barnes, a wheelchair bound girl who is listening to the radio --just as she witnesses what appears to be her neighbor being murdered. Guess who's on the radio?
None other than Larry Hagman plays a well known doctor, and has a hand in this mess. There are a host of familiar faces, including a very young Tommy Lee Jones as another doctor. Also movie Tarzan Denny Miller (now fully dressed) plays Simms. Hagman makes a smooth bad guy here and is pretty darn clever, until Barnaby starts chipping away.
Written by popular tv writer Calvin Clements who was cranking out a lot of stories for cop shows at the time. By the way, Leslie Ackerman soon after appeared with Cindy Williams in the cult film, THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL! Watch for it.
For all us travellers, this was partly filmed at the beautiful lake near Thousand Oaks, California, about 40 miles from LA. Recommended. SEASON 4 EPISODE 9 remastered color CBS dvd box set.
FATAL WITNESS reminds me of a COLUMBO mystery in a way, with yet another one of those "I'm smarter than you'll ever be..." villains. Fun to watch unravel.
Popular teen actress Leslie Ackerman is quite good, playing Kathy Barnes, a wheelchair bound girl who is listening to the radio --just as she witnesses what appears to be her neighbor being murdered. Guess who's on the radio?
None other than Larry Hagman plays a well known doctor, and has a hand in this mess. There are a host of familiar faces, including a very young Tommy Lee Jones as another doctor. Also movie Tarzan Denny Miller (now fully dressed) plays Simms. Hagman makes a smooth bad guy here and is pretty darn clever, until Barnaby starts chipping away.
Written by popular tv writer Calvin Clements who was cranking out a lot of stories for cop shows at the time. By the way, Leslie Ackerman soon after appeared with Cindy Williams in the cult film, THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL! Watch for it.
For all us travellers, this was partly filmed at the beautiful lake near Thousand Oaks, California, about 40 miles from LA. Recommended. SEASON 4 EPISODE 9 remastered color CBS dvd box set.
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