This is the first "Barnaby Jones" I've watched right through in many, many years. It was quite easy to follow (compared with that other contemporary Quinn Martin production "Cannon") and the story was pretty good too. Good to see dependable Patrick O'Neal as the villain, Charles Aidman in his seventies stock role of picked-on weakling, and Joan Van Ark as femme fatale, about the time she was also appearing in "Mash" as Hawkeye Pierce's occasional squeeze and starring regularly in "Temperatures Rising", one of the better seventies comedies. Disappointing to see so little of Cheryl Miller (previously of "Daktari") in a bit part as a murder victim
4 Reviews
Chuck Norris rides a bike through this episode as an extra. See if you can spot him.
tjstetscallahan28 November 2022
If you're in L. A. in the 70's and in need of some detecting, there's only one place to call - The Jones Agency. I love how Barnaby has them outsmarted from early on. Other detectives can be entertaining to watch as they muddle through, having trouble paying bills, getting hit in the back of the head, kidnapped and facing false arrest charges - not Barnaby. Mr Jones learned his profession long ago. Experience aside, BJ has a keen talent for spotting human nature at it's worst. Wrong doers have no chance, once Barnaby Jones is on the case. *Note: Chuck Norris rides a bike through this episode as an extra. See if you can spot him.
THE CHALLENGE, AND WHAT A CHALLENGE!
tcchelsey22 March 2023
Prolific writer Larry Brody wrote this episode,
who did a total of 4 episodes for the series, and this is one of the best.
Barnaby is up against a fellow PI in this violent tale, the likes of Patrick O'Neal who will stop at nothing. The man is a blackmailer who soon turns to murder in one easy lesson. O'Neal was terrific in this type of role, the well dressed, well mannered hitman.
Walter Grauman, one of the series top directors, delivers some nightmare scenes as O'Neal tosses a man off a building and strangles a young lady. This actually may have been a proposed CANNON episode as it's too violent for Barnaby, but that's the way it went.
Joan Van Ark appears here, frequently cast by Quinn Martin. You just wonder if and when she's going to get silenced. Look for Priscilla Pointer (the mother of Amy Irving) in a smaller role who goes through the Q AND A routine with Barnaby.
Pointer was long a stage actress before turning to tv, and it was a few more years before she made her movie debut.
For all of us on locations buffs, some of the rural scenes look to have been filmed around Griffith Park, the place to have a shootout and car chase.
Also the crew went out to Koreatown, and there are shots of the beautiful Ambassador Towers, which is still there after all these years.
Larry Brody, to his credit, wrote a ton of shows for tv and is really over the top in this one.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 3 remastered CBS dvd box set.
Barnaby is up against a fellow PI in this violent tale, the likes of Patrick O'Neal who will stop at nothing. The man is a blackmailer who soon turns to murder in one easy lesson. O'Neal was terrific in this type of role, the well dressed, well mannered hitman.
Walter Grauman, one of the series top directors, delivers some nightmare scenes as O'Neal tosses a man off a building and strangles a young lady. This actually may have been a proposed CANNON episode as it's too violent for Barnaby, but that's the way it went.
Joan Van Ark appears here, frequently cast by Quinn Martin. You just wonder if and when she's going to get silenced. Look for Priscilla Pointer (the mother of Amy Irving) in a smaller role who goes through the Q AND A routine with Barnaby.
Pointer was long a stage actress before turning to tv, and it was a few more years before she made her movie debut.
For all of us on locations buffs, some of the rural scenes look to have been filmed around Griffith Park, the place to have a shootout and car chase.
Also the crew went out to Koreatown, and there are shots of the beautiful Ambassador Towers, which is still there after all these years.
Larry Brody, to his credit, wrote a ton of shows for tv and is really over the top in this one.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 3 remastered CBS dvd box set.
The second I saw Patrick O'Neal was in the show, I knew he was the baddie...or at least one of them!
planktonrules13 July 2021
"The Challenge" starts of VERY badly with a way overused and illogical cliche. A man has been blackmailed and now he's had enough and will not pay any more. So, instead of going to the police, he meets with the crook and informs him he's not paying more AND he's planning on going to the police...which is completely illogical. To make it worse, he tells the crook this when they are alone AND on top of a huge building. So, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out what's going to happen next!! It's a shame, as what follows is pretty clever....this opening scene...NOT!
Soon after the man's apparent suicide, Barnaby Jones is called onto the case by his widow. She informs Barnaby that she loved her husband, but he was far from perfect and had been cheating on her. She knew it, yet, oddly, the other private dick she hired (Patrick O'Neal) said the husband was not cheating. Now we KNOW that this is the same man who killed the guy in the opening scene, so he obviously discovered the husband was cheating and blackmailed the man to keep silent. Can Barnaby figure out that his new associate is a scheming murderer? And, more importantly, can he catch the guy before he kills again?
Apart from the VERY stupid beginning, this was a very good episode. But I just couldn't get past that bad writing....as no one informs an evil criminal that they're calling the police on them...particularly in a case like this! Still, the acting was very good and the episode still worth seeing.
Soon after the man's apparent suicide, Barnaby Jones is called onto the case by his widow. She informs Barnaby that she loved her husband, but he was far from perfect and had been cheating on her. She knew it, yet, oddly, the other private dick she hired (Patrick O'Neal) said the husband was not cheating. Now we KNOW that this is the same man who killed the guy in the opening scene, so he obviously discovered the husband was cheating and blackmailed the man to keep silent. Can Barnaby figure out that his new associate is a scheming murderer? And, more importantly, can he catch the guy before he kills again?
Apart from the VERY stupid beginning, this was a very good episode. But I just couldn't get past that bad writing....as no one informs an evil criminal that they're calling the police on them...particularly in a case like this! Still, the acting was very good and the episode still worth seeing.
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