One of the best of the early cop shows made even better since it starred George Raft. He’s the N.Y.P.D.’s Lt. Kirby.
Typical episode: “The Killer.” A public stenographer is strangled after typing letters dictated by a gangster. Her body is dumped in an alley to make it look like a car accident. Lt. Kirby goes to the gangster’s headquarters. It’s a garage run by Fred Schultz (Nestor Paiva). He says a car was stolen the night before. It’s the one seen driving away from the alley.
Lt. Kirby gets a list of phone numbers called by Schultz. Two are received by Jorgenson (Lawrence Dobkin), a guy with no police record. He says he has a record of the calls but since he has twenty-seven rental units he can’t remember everybody. Living with him is Terry, a deaf-mute since the war. When Kirby leaves, Schultz and a gunman come out of another room. The three are all pals and in it together. A good action filled finale.
The show packs a lot into a half-hour and is worth hunting up, especially if you’re a George Raft fan. Lawrence Dobkin was the uncredited narrator of “Naked City” (1958-1963). Nestor Paiva was an expert in dialects and played every type of foreigner imaginable for over forty years.
Nestor Paiva
“The Trucking Story” A teamster known for handing out money to some local characters is killed when a crate falls on him. A peddler who sells pencils and shoelaces is suspicious and goes to see Lt. Kirby. He thinks the foreman, Robson (John Doucette) is responsible for what he calls murder. Kirby goes undercover on the docks.
It’s only a few hours before the company owner wants Kirby gone. Two union workers tell Robson he can’t get rid of him. What’s everyone afraid of? The owner pulls a gun on Kirby. It leads to a fast paced climax.
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