User Reviews

Note how paularoc's Coke machine is masked, along with the Goodyear Tire signs. Even the "California" lettering on the license plates has been covered. Common for the era, Highway Patrol producers went to great length to assure no branding!

Helene Stanton played the spunky, gum-chewing, wise-cracking "Marge" in this episode. 5-stars for her. She's the mother of TV Doctor Drew Pinsky.

Psycho bad guy Joe White (aka Joe Barnaby) is played by Paul Richards, who went on to play dozens of small roles in both TV and movies. Older folks will remember him for his deep and distinctive voice w/deliberate cadence. He was voice ad talent for Michelob and Pontiac ("PAHNNNNN- tiac"). (Sadly, both he and his wife, Monica Keating died fairly young (at 50 and 61)).

Listen for Broddy as he delivers a rapid-fire zinger to White when they first meet: "...if you're here when this mountain blows you'll be wearing that cloud as a hat."

An unsung "star" here is Marge's '56 Ford Fairlane Sunliner convertible. It's featured in a handful of other Highway Patrol episodes -- so we can tell from the dual exhaust cutouts in the rear bumper it's equipped with an optional V8. It cost only $2459 new from the factory in 1956. That's like $21,147 in today's money. A sweet classic ride.

Overall, a worthwhile show, better than average, but the simplistic plot and overuse of helicopter footage keeps it from being one of my favorites.

In the name of progress, a dynamite blast with a three mile area of destruction is set to go off at a designated time. It's the Highway Patrol's job to clear the area. We then see a young woman pull into a gas station, get out of her car to look for an attendant to fill her car's tank and then hear a gunshot. A man comes running to her car - he has just shot the attendant. He grabs her and they both take off in her car. They don't get far as the car runs out of gas. When the man angrily accuses her of knowing they would run out of gas, she tells him "what did you think I stopped at the gas station for, a manicure?" They then see a copter overhead and flee to get out of its sight. And so it goes until Mathews catches up with them. Paul Richards does an excellent job of the on edge, fearful gunman but it's the young woman who is the star of the show. Played by an actress I've never heard of, she played such a refreshing character. She was not afraid and stayed calm throughout often making both cynical and snappy remarks but not to the point that the gunman would go completely over the edge. This is a suspenseful, top drawer episode. As with many episodes in this series, there are reminders of the little ways that things have changed over the past fifty plus years. When the woman first pulls up to the gas station, she waits for a few seconds and then honks the horn to get the attendant's attention so that he will come and fill her gas tank. One simply did not do it one's self. As the gas tank was filling, the attendant would wash the windows and maybe check the oil. It took longer than today's way but it was kind of nice. At the gas station, there is a big box coke machine in the background. I fondly remember those old coke dispensers. They were filled with ice and the 8 ounce bottles of coke were in slots, one opened the lid, scooted the bottle along the slot, put in a dime which released the latch and pulled out the pause that refreshes. Boy, we're those cokes good.

I like this show, and remember it from when I was jus a 7 year old tyke back in the day. Most of the time, the premiss, investigation, and solutions make perfect sense. Not with this one. There are two folks, one bad guy, and one innocent woman in an area about to be blasted for a scheduled project.

They are driving a new1956 Ford convertible and it runs out of gas in part of the isolated area. Matthews and crew are assigned the task to look out for any possible folks who might wander into the blast area. They are in a helicopter overhead and for some reason fail to notice the stranded new Ford?

Well, maybe it is easy for bad guys to escape...