"Quincy M.E." Hot Ice, Cold Hearts (TV Episode 1977) Poster

(TV Series)

(1977)

User Reviews

Review this title
5 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
6/10
Entertaining but a bit sloppy.
planktonrules2 March 2013
In "Hot Ice, Cold Hearts", Quincy decides to take his girlfriend (Lynette Mettey) to Catalina Island for the Independence Day celebrations. Naturally, murder and mayhem follows Quincy (just like Jessica Fletcher) and soon a young man is found apparently suffering from the effects of Stonefish venom--though this super-toxic fish is NOT native to these waters. The guy appears to be on the road to recovery after Quincy ministers to him. However, soon the guy dies any way! What is actually happening is that a gang of Mexican jewel thieves are injecting their enemies with the deadly venom in order to cover up their crimes.

This episode has a lot of logical problems. For example, you don't immediately die from the toxin being injected and yet neither victim manages to tell what happened to them. The most ridiculous was when the professor (Robert Alda) is scuba diving and he's injected by a diver with a hypo. Wouldn't you think he'd notice this and tell Quincy (who is waiting above in the boat)?! Duh!! There are a lot of other problems as well such as the insane discussion between Quincy and the Sheriff (Stuart Whitman) where the Sheriff begins, for no apparent reason, showing off his karate skills! Finally, the smarty-pants professor is about to go off scuba diving...ALONE. This is not only unwise but insane.

Overall, the show is a weak but entertaining episode. A bit dumb but worth seeing. And, by the way, although he's not listed in the credits, Fernando Lamas also stars in the show and I have no idea why he's not in the IMDb credits--especially since he was a major star
10 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
The cut down 45 minutes version.
poolandrews11 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Quincy M.E.: Hot Ice, Cold Hearts starts in Mexico city where thieves Alex (Andrew Prine) & Lisa (Marianna Hill) break into the national museum & steal $4 million worth of diamond jewellery. Cut to Catalina where LA coroner Quincy (Jack Klugman) & his woman Lee (Lynette Mettey) are planning to enjoy the Independence Day 4th July celebrations on his boat, unfortunately it's not long before Quincy is called into action when a man named Juan (Ron Hasson) is taken seriously ill & later dies under mysterious circumstances. Quincy thinks he has been poisoned by a Stonefish but all the local marine experts say there are no Stonefish in Catalina, after several more suspicious incidents Quincy believes Juan was murdered but no-one will take his claims seriously...

Episode 4 from season 1 this Quincy story was directed by Bruce Kessler & is more classic Quincy that should please fans of the show. I should say that Hot Ice, Cold Hearts was originally a feature length episode but was edited down at some point to make it run the same time as the episodes when Quincy became a regular series & it's this shorter 45 minute version that I will be basing my comments on although the version readily available on DVD is the longer one, it's all very confusing... The script on this one has a decent enough mystery behind it & develops the Quincy character as someone who can't let go & always fights for the truth, the diamond heist theme is pretty good as well. This one moves along at a fast pace & at times this shorter version seems to take huge strides forward in a very short space of time & I would image thats down to the editing out of 30 odd minutes of footage. I prefer it when Quincy is in the lab rather than on a holiday & I must admit I don't like his female friend Lee either, I just find her annoying & superficial. She feels almost like a token woman just because there has to be one in the cast.

This one hasn't dated too badly, it still looks OK but isn't going to win any awards for style. It's well made enough on location. The acting is alright & it was nice to see Stuart Whitman turn up as a Sheriff.

Hot Ice, Cold Hearts is a solid classic early episode of Quincy, if you don't like the show they you won't like this but if your a fan then it's a must see.
7 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Mediocre episode of season one
rayoflite2426 July 2015
Hot Ice, Cold Hearts starts off with three burglars stealing rare and exquisite diamond jewelry out of a museum. Later, they are hiding out on their boat in the waters near Avalon, a resort area in the Catalina Islands, where Quincy (Jack Klugman) and his girlfriend Lee (Lynette Mettey) are also enjoying the July 4th weekend on his boat. When one of the henchmen of the burglars is found trying to help himself to the goods, they inject him with the venom of a poisonous stonefish and throw him in the water to drown. He is quickly rescued and brought ashore where Quincy is called in to assist in reviving him. Quincy cannot fathom how the man was bitten by a poisonous fish native to Africa and also cries foul when the man later dies in the hospital of respiratory failure leading him to investigate further.

I didn't find this episode to be as strong as the ones that preceded it in terms of the plot or the guest stars. You will see many familiar faces of character actors that made the rounds appearing on many shows in the 70s, but I didn't find any of them to be that compelling here and felt their performances were more caricature. There are some especially ridiculous scenes where the sheriff is so frustrated by Quincy that he threatens him with violence and does some type of Kung Fu-like move. I also couldn't believe both of the murder attempts in the water were conducted in broad daylight with other boaters all over the place nearby and no one witnessed anything. Seriously??

One thing I did find interesting was that this episode takes place over the July 4th holiday and you see some bicentennial decorations in the background of various scenes since it was 1976. This episode aired in January 1977, so not sure if they actually filmed it right at the time of the bicentennial, but the timing seems to be about right.
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Hot Ice, Cold Hearts
Prismark102 October 2019
This episode starts off with a daring heist of some valuable jewellery in a museum in Mexico.

However when one of the crooks henchman gets greedy. He is injected with the venom of a stonefish and thrown overboard. The young man survives as thankfully Quincy and his girlfriend were holidaying in his boat in Catalina Island for the 4th of July celebrations.

There are two people also holidaying in the island who take a close interest in Quincy's activities. The local police busy with the 4th of July celebrations are not convinced about Quincy's wild theories as stonefish are not found in that part of America.

The mechanics of the plot is very sloppy. If your victim is going to survive, then poisoning them with the venom of a stonefish is not the way to go. Also throwing them into the sea in broad daylight was a mistake especially as the man even though he was infected with the poison did not drown and someone managed to call for help because he was rescued.

A mildly diverting tale that shows off its location shooting, a good roster of guest stars such as Stuart Whitman but a weak story.
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Frustrating and slow
xbatgirl-3002921 March 2022
I saw the full length version of this episode and I'd say it probably could use a good editing. It's very slow by today's standards. There's never any mystery to viewers. We know exactly who the criminals are and what they are up to, so there is no suspense ever, especially since viewers also know Quincy will also figure things out in the end. This also came out very soon after Jaws. Parts of the plot are such a direct rip off, it's hard to believe they were playing it straight and that this wasn't a parody. All we're left with is over an hour of Quincy yelling, his girlfriend constantly whining about being left behind, and a bunch of officials telling him to butt out, the same as we've seen in the previous 3 movies but with a less engaging plot. At least there are nice views around Catalina.

I watched Quincy as a kid and remember really enjoying it. I don't remember if certain aspects of the longer movies stick around for the weekly shows. I hope not, since they are already clichéd and repetitive after movie number 4. I'm already tired of his weasely boss and how all other doctors and cops are so lazy and/or incompetent. There's Quincy's constant yelling and lecturing. It does get old quickly. Again, this works in a one-off, TV movie, but I wouldn't want to sit through it weekly. Same with watching him jerk around his girlfriend and then watching her put up with it. He's right to investigate cases and all, but she doesn't need to always be there waiting, staying ready for him whenever he beckons. The whole attitude of the show is so stereotypical of certain problematic Seventies ideals, while taking itself very seriously. We know how those ideals played out in the real world.
1 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Clear your history

Recently Viewed