THIS MAN DAWSON – Safe Haven – 1960
This is episode 17 of the 1959-60 Police series, THIS MAN DAWSON. The series ran for a total of 39 episodes. Keith Andes headlines the series about an Ex-Military Officer hired to run a big city Police Department. The city is never named. Each episode starts and finishes with William Conrad doing the narration of the night's story.
The Police receive a report about an elderly gent, Junius Matthews, dying at an old folks' home. The man's grand-daughter, Arlene Martell, is called in by Police Chief Keith Andes for a chat. Martell gives the Police all the details on the retirement home and her grandfather. The Police find that the home charges an upfront $20,000 onetime payment for lifetime care. No monthly fees etc.
This info sounds just a bit too good to be true. And it is. Two con men from out east have come up with a new hustle. They rented a large home and sank a few grand into it. They then put an ad in the papers calling for residents looking for a top home for the elderly. Soon they have 20 plus "clients" and room for another 10. Once the home is full, the pair plan on splitting with the upfront cash.
The "clients" soon discover the place is anything but nice. Anyone that complains or demands their cash back has an unfortunate heart attack or the like. Old people die, so the authorities never looked into the deaths. The Police check up on the two discovering their long criminal past. The problem is they have no hard evidence of foul play etc. They soon come up with a plan. Andes has a just retired detective, Francis McDonald, sign up to become a resident at the home. He is to gather evidence and report back. The Police give him a walkie-talkie in-order for him to make regular reports.
It does not take long before another one of the residents starts to annoy Morrow and Launer. McDonald overhears the two thugs planning to eliminate the annoyance. He gets on the talkie and Andes and his boys come a hard knocking. The two thugs are quickly collared and given a home of their own on the State's dime. The money is recovered and the home is turned into a real retirement home.
Of the episodes that I've seen, this is the weakest, story wise. But it is still a watchable bit of 1960 nostalgia.
This is episode 17 of the 1959-60 Police series, THIS MAN DAWSON. The series ran for a total of 39 episodes. Keith Andes headlines the series about an Ex-Military Officer hired to run a big city Police Department. The city is never named. Each episode starts and finishes with William Conrad doing the narration of the night's story.
The Police receive a report about an elderly gent, Junius Matthews, dying at an old folks' home. The man's grand-daughter, Arlene Martell, is called in by Police Chief Keith Andes for a chat. Martell gives the Police all the details on the retirement home and her grandfather. The Police find that the home charges an upfront $20,000 onetime payment for lifetime care. No monthly fees etc.
This info sounds just a bit too good to be true. And it is. Two con men from out east have come up with a new hustle. They rented a large home and sank a few grand into it. They then put an ad in the papers calling for residents looking for a top home for the elderly. Soon they have 20 plus "clients" and room for another 10. Once the home is full, the pair plan on splitting with the upfront cash.
The "clients" soon discover the place is anything but nice. Anyone that complains or demands their cash back has an unfortunate heart attack or the like. Old people die, so the authorities never looked into the deaths. The Police check up on the two discovering their long criminal past. The problem is they have no hard evidence of foul play etc. They soon come up with a plan. Andes has a just retired detective, Francis McDonald, sign up to become a resident at the home. He is to gather evidence and report back. The Police give him a walkie-talkie in-order for him to make regular reports.
It does not take long before another one of the residents starts to annoy Morrow and Launer. McDonald overhears the two thugs planning to eliminate the annoyance. He gets on the talkie and Andes and his boys come a hard knocking. The two thugs are quickly collared and given a home of their own on the State's dime. The money is recovered and the home is turned into a real retirement home.
Of the episodes that I've seen, this is the weakest, story wise. But it is still a watchable bit of 1960 nostalgia.