There were a number of Ironside episodes where Ironside was held hostage. They're always good as Ironside keeps his cool, applies psychological pressure, and then figures out a way to thwart the hostage takers. This one is no different as three bank robbers hold Ironside and the bank staff hostage while they wait for the payroll truck to arrive.
This one is different, and interesting, though, because, except for Ironside, most of the male characters come across as weak and rather feckless while overall while the women (including, amazingly, Fran!) are brave and strong and wise, especially the character played by Kathy Lloyd.
In fact, the story goes out of its way to drive home the point that the men are weak fools. Kathy Lloyd, a hostage, lectures one of the bank robbers (Rafael Campos) about how he's just going to be taken by his wife; another male hostage simpers around and nearly starts crying; And Fran puts her life at risk and comes into the bank pretending to be a bank employee and pulls it off perfectly.
It's a good episode, well recommended!
And let me point out Whit Bissell, who plays the Bank Manager, Mr. Eustis. He doesn't do anything too flashy here, but Whit is a Hollywood legend and it's fun to see him in anything. He was in pretty much every TV show from the 1950's to the 1980's and specialized in westerns and playing doctors.
He also was a sci fi/horror genre actor, so if you watch that genre, whether TV series or movies, you're going to spot Whit Bissell. He was in the classic movies Creature from the Black Lagoon, I was a Teenage Werewolf, Monster on Campus, and The Time Machine. And he was in classic TV series like Perry Mason, Science Fiction Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, The Invaders, the Time Tunnel...you can go on and on. Basically, if you're watching TV from that great era, you're going to see Whit Bissell and Dabbs Greer!
Thanks Whit!