Barnaby Jones (TV Series) A Simple Case of Terror (1977) User Reviews

You've got a friend in me.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 27 July 2021]

One evening, Tom is walking by the warehouse and sees his friend having a fight with some stranger. Tom goes over to help and ends up thinking he just killed the guy. What really happened is that the friend was fighting and stabbed the guy to death...just as Tom arrived. But his 'friend' realizes Tom has had a traumatic brain injury and convinces him that TOM stabbed the guy to death! Later, the killers mob friends insist that Tom is a liability. After all, what if he pieces things together and realizes he didn't kill the man? Hopefully Barnaby can catch up to Tom before it's too late.

This is a pretty average episode of "Barnaby Jones"...with a decent plot and interesting story. Nothing brilliant but also nothing to complain about either.

Barnaby Heads to Long Beach Pike in Tense Satisfying Tale

[glennstenb · 7/10 · 27 August 2023]

"A Simple Case of Terror" is an above average installment of the Barnaby Jones adventures. The story is taut and not implausible, the main guest characters are unusually conflicted about their behaviors, and the crime boss, if you will, has a certain distinctive quality as played by Michael V. Gazzo. What's more, there is an unusual dollop of mixed emotions for the viewer engendered by the perpetrators of the unfortunate misdeeds.

The biggest treat, however, is that the culminating scene was filmed among the remnants of the old Nu Pike amusement park in Long Beach, CA., just before the concerted dismantling of the structures was accomplished and the urban renewal projects began which would completely transform the downtown area. Not only are many of the dormant rides eerily on display, but the then fairly new Long Beach City Hall is also fleetingly seen, as is the circular Long Beach Arena in its old beige and white paint job. For viewers who fondly remember the old and dearly departed downtown Long Beach this episode will hold even more intrinsic value than merely the satisfying unfolding story alone.

JR GOES UNDERCOVER, BIG TIME!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 16 February 2024]

This was the first official "big case" for JR, and it was about time for the junior detective to strut his stuff. Of course, we all had faith in JR, a street saavy kid and fairly cool guy in his own right.

This is familiar story, still very good, all about a young man called Tom (played by Peter Coffield), with debilitating mental issues who is talked into thinking he actually killed someone. It's all cleverly linked to a group of master thieves, headed by none other than Michael V. Gazzo. Gazzo is best remembered for playing Frankie in THE GODFATHER, PART II, and so many other over the top gangsta's.

Good support from Renne Jarrett (as Peggy), who also appeared on THE EDGE OF NIGHT and had her own series in the early 70s, called NANCY. Peter Coffield is missed, a popular actor in the 70s, appearing in the W. E. B. Tv series, who passed after a long illness in 1983.

Yes, I agree with the last reviewer. We all get a final glimpse of the ever famous Pike Amusement Park at Long Beach, a beachfront landmark for decades, which would be razed for a new chapter of businesses. And the abandoned setting is kind of creepy. The park was also frequently seen on episodes of CANNON and MANNIX.

Well written by Calvin Clements, Jr., later producer for DALLAS and MATT HOUSTON.

SEASON 5 EPISODE 15 remastered CBS/Paramount box set.