User Reviews

Meet McGraw – 1954

This is an episode of, "Four Star Playhouse", which ran for 130 episodes between 1952 and 1956.

Frank Lovejoy is a private investigator who has just hit town from Chicago. He meets the client, Lila Lamont, in the hotel bar. Miss Lamont is played by, Audrey Totter.

"What's the job?" Lovejoy asks. Totter smiles and hands him a fistful of cash. "I need protection from my husband. I am divorcing him and he is not happy." Totter tells Lovejoy. Lovejoy realizes that Totter's soon to be ex is a rather famous mobster.

He shoves the money back at Totter and says he wishes to keep breathing. "People who annoy your husband develop problems in that area." Lovejoy finishes his drink and heads for his room. On his way to the front desk, he is bumped into by, Ellen Corby. She apologizes and moves on.

The desk clerk, Percy Helton ,gives Lovejoy his key and the bus schedule to Chicago. Lovejoy now discovers his wallet has been lifted. It must have been Corby. Oh, well. Up to his room he goes where he finds an unwanted visitor. A rather large, Peter Whitney "insists' he come with him to another room. Lovejoy decides to play along.

Whitney knocks on a door which is answered by Corby of all people. Also in the room is gunsel, Paul Picerni. Whitney and Picerni "suggest" that Lovejoy reconsider his decision about not working for Totter.

Totter now enters the room tells the boys to behave themselves. She also has Corby return Lovejoy's wallet. Picerni, Corby and Whitney are all former employees of Totter's husband. Lovejoy again tells Totter he has no intention of working for her. He is catching a bus back to Chicago.

Totter offers Lovejoy a ride to the station in her car, which Lovejoy accepts. After the pair jump in the car, Totter snuggles up to Lovejoy. The two engage in a spot of tongue wrestling.

This activity is interrupted by several shots through the car window. Lovejoy exits said car in a hurry saying he knew Totter was going to get him in trouble. Totter steps on the gas and takes off.

Now, a Police detective, Steve Darrell, steps up and has a few words with Lovejoy. "What are you doing getting mixed up with her for?" Lovejoy tells the cop about the job offer. Darrell tells him Totter does not need protection from hubby. He is cooling his heels in an out of town jail.

"What gives with the job offer?" Lovejoy thinks to himself. He decides to have a talk with Totter about the matter. No giving away the end this time. Suffice it to say there is a couple of rather unexpected twists and turns. And of course some gun-play is involved.

Three years later Lovejoy would play McGraw again in the short run series, MEET MCGRAW. This series ran for 42 episodes in 1957-58.

The director here was Frank (The Big Tip-Off) McDonald. The d of p was master lensman, George Diskant. His work include the noir, RIFFRAFF, THEY LIVE BY NIGHT, PORT OF NEW YORK, BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN, THE RACKET and BEWARE MY LOVELY. (b/w)

I have no recollection of this series probably because it aired too late in the evening and my parents had strict bedtime and "television off" rules when I was a child. But thanks to Internet Archive I am able to watch some of the episodes. This episode does not feature one of the four stars but rather has Frank Lovejoy as a private detective named McGraw. The femme fatale Lila Lamont wants to hire McGraw to protector from her husband who she says wants to kill her. McGraw is interested until he learns who her husband is - a notorious gangster. McGraw decides to check out of his somewhat seedy hotel and return to Chicago when he becomes the victim of a pickpocket artist - a scene wonderfully played by Ellen Corby. Now with no money he goes to his room and a big lug tells him he needs to meet someone. That someone turns out to be an oily hanger on of Lila Lamont's. At first the ending seems predictable but it then takes a bit of an unexpected twist which made it refreshing. Frank Lovejoy is such a solid performer. I've recently become interested in Old Time Radio and his "Night Beat" show is wonderful. He had such a clear and distinctive voice that was perfect for radio. The supporting cast was stellar and it's interesting to note that two of them - Paul Picerni and Ellen Corby - were later on two big hit television series. This episode was later spun off into the series "The Adventures of McGraw." The episode I saw included the commercials (Singer sewing machine and Parker pens) which was a plus. The commercial were so short that one would have thought that this was airing on PBS. Next time I watch one of these I'm going to get a stopwatch - now it seems as though a one hour episode has at least 15 minutes of commercials; this half hour episode had less than three minutes (or so it seemed) of commercials.