That's an offbeat episode in the series. No criminal elements here, no gunfire nor hoodlums of any kind. But instead a complex story which reminded me SECRET CONVERSATION and ANDERSON TAPES, both talking of wire and tapre recording surveillance, a decade before the Watergate file. I had some difficulties to follow every detail, and I would say I did not make it entirely. But that remains in the highlight category of the entire show.
3 Reviews
A citizen has a right to spend his time in a sewer doesn't he
kapelusznik1812 June 2014
****SPOILERS*** One of the more confusing "Naked City" episode that has to do with wire tapping, ten years before Watergate, as well as stock manipulation with poor Jack Klugman playing the sad sack Sam Braden getting screwed from all sides by his ungrateful wife Lily, Norma Crane, and business partner Charles Avis, Philip Abbott, and the person he hired to do his dirty work electrician Joe Corley, Fred J. Scoally, all with in 50 minutes length of the "Naked City" episode. It's Lily who's been hanging out with rich well bred and politically connected David Clark Fairpoint, John Bargrey, who's financing a Broadway play that she's pushing. It's Sam who's been having his phones wiretapped to get evidence against Lily in a future divorce case he's planning to use against her unless she, the guy is absolutely crazy about her, come back to him.
Fairpoint, who's broke and on the balls of his a**,is in deep with a group of big time Wall Street stock manipulators who's using information that they've been feeding him to make himself a killing in the market. This has both the stock men an Sam have his penthouse apartment bugged to find out every move, in bed and out, that he makes. When the big boss or Stock manipulator Mr. Williams played by House Jameson, who was in the original "Naked City" movie in 1948, exposed Fairpoint underhanded actions he panics. In Fairpoint later attempting to de-bug his apartment he slips and drops from his 18th floor patio to his death on the street below. It's now Sam who's on his way to get back to Lily who's in for a surprise at the very time when things, with Fairpoint out of the way, turn right for him.
***SPOILERS***While having his daily bubble-bath Sam's partner Charlie Avis make his move on him in order to get in good with Lily, whom he's secretly in love with, then in him taking over his electronic company. What Charlie didn't know is that the police were monitoring his every move but that didn't help Sam at all. He was already history by the time the police broke into his apartment to keep Charlie from murdering Lily, the object of his obsessions, for rejecting his advances with her both husband Sam and lover Fairpoint now out of the way.
Fairpoint, who's broke and on the balls of his a**,is in deep with a group of big time Wall Street stock manipulators who's using information that they've been feeding him to make himself a killing in the market. This has both the stock men an Sam have his penthouse apartment bugged to find out every move, in bed and out, that he makes. When the big boss or Stock manipulator Mr. Williams played by House Jameson, who was in the original "Naked City" movie in 1948, exposed Fairpoint underhanded actions he panics. In Fairpoint later attempting to de-bug his apartment he slips and drops from his 18th floor patio to his death on the street below. It's now Sam who's on his way to get back to Lily who's in for a surprise at the very time when things, with Fairpoint out of the way, turn right for him.
***SPOILERS***While having his daily bubble-bath Sam's partner Charlie Avis make his move on him in order to get in good with Lily, whom he's secretly in love with, then in him taking over his electronic company. What Charlie didn't know is that the police were monitoring his every move but that didn't help Sam at all. He was already history by the time the police broke into his apartment to keep Charlie from murdering Lily, the object of his obsessions, for rejecting his advances with her both husband Sam and lover Fairpoint now out of the way.
Preposterous melodrama -ugh!!
lor_11 March 2024
Watching "Naked City" chronologically, this segment is by far the worst to date (as of 1/2-way through Season 2). Culprit is Jay Dratler, writer who contributed to such classics as "Laura" and "Call Northside 777". He really stunk up the place this time.
Burke puts the pieces together gradually of a complex mystery story, unusual for a series where generally we have a criminal (or sometimes several) and watch them commit a crime and then get tracked down and caught. Direct and simple.
This time the convoluted plot and its MacGuffins make no sense for quite a while, infuriating McMahon. I was infuriated too, as Dratler's plot twists are ridiculous, matched by terrible dialogue that is quotable only for its idiocy. Nadir is a murder in a bathtub that is telegraphed (by director Laslo Benedek, whose work I usually admire) and so poorly done I almost turned off the show.
Jack Klugman is solid as the main character while Norma Crane as his wife is saddled with an unplayable, laughably phony role. It all turns out to be about industrial espionage and bugging, with a silly "eerie" sound effect played occasionally to make the wiretapping seem like exotic B-movie science-fiction.
By the way, the meaningless episode title earned my personal Razzie award this year.
Burke puts the pieces together gradually of a complex mystery story, unusual for a series where generally we have a criminal (or sometimes several) and watch them commit a crime and then get tracked down and caught. Direct and simple.
This time the convoluted plot and its MacGuffins make no sense for quite a while, infuriating McMahon. I was infuriated too, as Dratler's plot twists are ridiculous, matched by terrible dialogue that is quotable only for its idiocy. Nadir is a murder in a bathtub that is telegraphed (by director Laslo Benedek, whose work I usually admire) and so poorly done I almost turned off the show.
Jack Klugman is solid as the main character while Norma Crane as his wife is saddled with an unplayable, laughably phony role. It all turns out to be about industrial espionage and bugging, with a silly "eerie" sound effect played occasionally to make the wiretapping seem like exotic B-movie science-fiction.
By the way, the meaningless episode title earned my personal Razzie award this year.
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