User Reviews

Following a robbery, a guy matching the description is apprehended. Friday is puzzled that instead of denying the crime, the guy seems happy he was caught and does everything he can to incriminate himself. This is especially puzzling since some of the details the man gives are wrong--making him doubt that the man is guilty of anything other than making a false police report. Eventually, it's clearly determined he couldn't have admitted the crime and the man is simply mentally ill. Ultimately, the real perpetrator, a man very similar looking to the ill man, is captured.

This is an awfully sad story. You really feel sorry for the guy and it's obvious he needs help. Fortuantely, it ends well. If you do watch it, look for Frances Bavier in her pre-"Andy Griffith Show" days.

Season 3 Episode 39 Review - The Big False Make Aired 5-27-54 The episode title explains the plot, a woman mistook one man for another involving a robbery of her grocery store. The fact is he was working at the time of the crime as validated by a person hiring him and observing his work, plus a neighbor verified his labor, too.

The grocery-owner mistakenly identifying the suspect was justified, as we learn at the episode's end, they resembled each other, almost frightfully. The suspect wanted recognition for his crime to gain notoriety among his peers and not be considered dumb.

The lady hiring him could see he was not too bright, but he did do nice work, once told exactly what was expected. Friday, Smith are leery of his initial confession to the crime, it was too good to be true. The facts of the case were muddled with his explanation, before they learned he could not be in two places at the same time.

The case was unsolved until ten months after the robbery; the actual criminal confessed to the crime. The real criminal did time for his robberies and the original suspect was institutionalized in a state facility for the mentally dysfunctional. The episode is worth a watch for the finale, because the man's reason for saying he did the crime; satisfaction comes when the real robbery is caught.