Synopsis
Includes:
Ironside: Light at the End of the Journey (1967)
Ironside: An Inside Job (1967)
Ironside: The Fourteenth Runner (1967)
Ironside: The Monster of Comus Towers (1967)
Ironside: Let My Brother Go (1967)
Ironside: Eat, Drink and Be Buried (1967)
Ironside: The Man Who Believed (1967)
Ironside: A Very Cool Hot Car (1967)
Ironside: The Past Is Prologue (1967)
Ironside: The Leaf in the Forest (1967)
Ironside: Message From Beyond (1967)
Ironside: Dead Man's Tale (1967)
Ironside: The Taker (1967)
Ironside (1967)
Ironside: Girl in the Night (1967)
Ironside: Tagged for Murder (1967)
Ironside: The Challenge (1968)
Ironside: Force of Arms (1968)
Ironside: Return of the Hero (1968)
Ironside: Due Process of the Law (1968)
Ironside: Perfect Crime (1968)
Ironside: The Lonely Hostage (1968)
Ironside: The Kill a Cop (1968)
Ironside: Memory of an Ice Cream Stick (1968)
Ironside: All in a Day's Work (1968)
Ironside: Something for Nothing (1968)
Ironside: Barbara Who (1968)
Ironside: Officer Bobby (1968)
Ironside: Trip to Hashbury (1968)
Ironside: Light at the End of the Journey
Recently blinded in an accident, Norma Wales (Katherine Crawford) finds herself the wrong person at the wrong place--namely a murder scene. Inasmuch as the killer believes that Norma witnessed his crime, Ironside (Raymond Burr) decides to use her as bait to trap the miscreant. In the process, Ironside also endeavors to help the terrified woman readjust to her new world of darkness. Watch for future Brady Bunch patriarch Robert Reed in an unusual characterization. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: An Inside Job
Two escaped killers, Carter (John Saxon) and Bains (Don Stroud), burst into Ironside's office apartment, holding the Chief (Raymond Burr) and his policewoman assistant Eve (Barbara Anderson). The captives' only hope for survival rests with Ironside, who agrees to help the desperate fugitives formulate a foolproof escape plan. This nailbiting episode takes place entirely within the walls of Ironside's police-building headquarters (hence its title). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Fourteenth Runner
An international incident quickly develops when a celebrated Soviet track star disappears during an American athletic event. It's possible that the man was kidnapped, and equally possible that he has defected for love of a woman. Investigating the case, Ironside (Raymond Burr) must work hand and glove with the Soviet officials--all the while keeping secret the fact that the missing man was actually a counterintelligence agent for the U.S. TV's future "Lou Grant", Ed Asner, is seen as Marlon Davis, while Lee Miller, Raymond Burr's longtime stand-in, appears as a bartender. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Monster of Comus Towers
A baffling robbery at the Comus Towers art museum becomes a personal matter for Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) when his close friend, the museum owner, is murdered. Inasmuch as the crime took place in a high-rise building, it would seem that a "human fly" was the culprit. At least, that's what the police believe--but Ironside is becoming more and more certain that the robbery was an inside job, and that the criminal is still on the premises. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Let My Brother Go
Ironside (Raymond Burr) is counting upon African American pro-football hero Charles "Bat" Masterson (Ivan Dixon) to help keep a group of inner-city kids on the straight and narrow. But Masterson is preoccupied with keeping his parolee brother Joe (Don Marshall) out of trouble--and is even willing to take a manslaughter rap for Joe's sake. It falls to Ironside to figure a way to save Masterson from his own tragically misguided sense of family loyalty. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Eat, Drink and Be Buried
Advice columnist Francesca Kirby (Lee Grant) is being plagued by death threats and attempts on her life, prompting Francesca's old friend Ironside (Raymond Burr) to offer his protection. It turns out that there are several people in San Francisco who'd probably prefer to see Francesca dead, among them her two-timing husband Mitch (Farley Granger) and her own sister Doris (Maria Lennard). Quincy Jones, who composed the Ironside theme music, appears in a key supporting role; also, Raymond Burr's longtime stand-in Lee Miller shows up in a speaking part. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Man Who Believed
Ironside (Raymond Burr) has trouble believing that Samantha Dain (Marcia Strassman), a famous folksinger who sent him a cheer-up note during his convalescence, has committed suicide by leaping from a tall building. Suspecting that Samantha was murdered, Ironside conducts his own investigation--and unearths a sordid tale of drug addiction, depression and despair. In a true "sign of the times" moment, one sequence takes place in a discotheque called "The Psychedelic Daffodil", clearly inspired by the popular LA nightspot The Daisy. Actor-librettist George Furth, who later who the book for the Broadway musical "Company", appears as Ray Harrison. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: A Very Cool Hot Car
When it becomes apparent that newly appointed police lieutenant William Adams (Bernie Hamilton) is unable to handle a crime wave wherein dozens of cars are stolen but few are recovered, Ironside (Raymond Burr) must face the grim likelihood that there is a corrupt cop on the force. Convinced that Lt. Adams is blameless, Mark (Don Mitchell) goes undercover at a scrapyard. Following the trail of clues, Mark figures out that the real culprits are a gang of unusually wealthy hippies! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Past Is Prologue
Once again, Ironside (Raymond Burr) comes to the aid of an old friend, in this case an outwardly solid citizen who faces extradition to New York on a murder charge. Although Wally Stowe (Victor Jory) is a fugitive from justice who has been living under an assumed identity for nearly two decades, Ironside is convinced that Stowe was wrongly convicted of the killing--and he intends to scour the length and breadth of Manhattan Island to prove his point. Featured in the cast as Stowe's son Tom is a young Harrison Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Leaf in the Forest
A serial killer is on the loose in San Francisco, and five victims--all women--have already been claimed. Ironside (Raymond Burr) suspects that the most recent killing was not committed by the same maniac who bumped off the previous four victims, but by a different person who was using the murder spree to cover his tracks. The episode's climax finds youthful policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson) donning old-age makeup to flush out the villain. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Message From Beyond
With the series' premise (a wheelchair-bound detective) already established in a two-hour TV pilot film, Ironside launches its first season with a minimum of exposition and a maximum of fast action. Now living in his third-floor office at police headquarters, former San Francisco police chief Robert T. Ironside (Raymond Burr) doggedly disregards his semi-invalid status and continues to solve crimes with an elite three-person staff, consisting of Det. Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway), policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson) and Ironside's bodyguard-general factotum Mark Sanger (Don Mitchell). In this episode, Ironside and company try to solve a racetrack robbery that occurred virtually under their noses. With only one firm clue (a crashed car) to go on, Ironside detemines that the robbery was an inside job...but who was the inside man? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Dead Man's Tale
Ironside (Raymond Burr) stage-manages an elaborate ruse to bring mob kingpin John Trask (a pre-Hawaii 5-0 Jack Lord) to justice. Hiding the fact that a gangster who'd planned to turn state's evidence has been murdered, Ironside leads Trask to believe that the dead witness is still alive and really to spill everything. The rest of the episode is a tense waiting game, with Ironside hoping that Trask's nervousness will lead who to take the proverbial "one false step". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Taker
Circumstantial evidence suggests that a murdered cop was supplementing his income as a blackmailer. Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), an old friend of the dead man, is determined to prove otherwise. In the course of his investigation, Ironside reopens an unsolved homicide case in which the deceased officer's girlfriend Adrienne May (Jan Shepard) was a key player. Featured in the cast is Robert Alda, the father of future M*A*S*H star Alan Alda. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside
In this 2-hour "NBC World Premiere" pilot film for the TV series Ironside, we learn how San Francisco chief-of-detectives Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr) came to be confined to a wheelchair. Felled by a sniper's bullet, Ironside is retained by the force as a special officer for the Frisco police force. With the help of Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) and officer Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson), the irascible Ironside is assigned to find out who his assailant was. Appearing in cameo roles are Wally Cox, Lilla Skala, and an unbilled, pre-Laugh In Tiny Tim.The Ironside pilot premiered on March 28, 1967; the series itself ran from 1967 through 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Girl in the Night
In her first Ironside guest appearance, Susan Saint James is cast as Las Vegas nightclub singer Elaine Moreau, with whom Ed Brown (Don Galloway) has fallen in love. Attacked and knocked unconscious after his first date with Elaine, Ed awakens to find that the girl has completely disappeared. Probing into the incident, Ironside (Raymond Burr) uncovers several unsavory facts about Elaine's checkered past, thereby preparing the viewer for the episode's melancholy climax. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Tagged for Murder
The death of an ex-serviceman appears to be accidental, but Ironside (Raymond Burr) suspects murder when he finds six GI dog-tag numbers scratched in the dead man's watch case. It turns out that five former soldiers are desperately trying to cover up their complicity in a robbery which occurred several years before. Ironside's assistant Ed risks his job--and his life--to bring the criminals to justice. Martial arts icon Bruce Lee appears as a karate instructor in this episode, which is climaxed by a heart-pounding showdown in San Francisco's huge cable-car barn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Challenge
Ironside (Raymond Burr) launches an investigation when his psychologist friend Paul Bragen (Noah Keen) is murdered. It seems that the dead man possessed a large collection of rare artworks, created by several artists whom he had been consulting. A passing remark provides a vital clue as to the murderer's identity, whereupon Ironside enters the rarefied world of fine art to capture the elusive (and in this case, fiendishly clever) culprit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Force of Arms
There may be blood in the streets when the chief of staff of the "Second Force", a paramilitary vigilante group ostensibly set up to fight crime, is murdered. Despite his distaste for the group's racist rantings, Ironside dedicates himself to solving the man's murder before the vigilantes begin exacting vengeance against their supposed enemies. In the course of events, the Chief uncovers the group's true motives--and they are not pure in any way, shape or form. TV talk show host Les Crane appears as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Return of the Hero
Although he does not believe that decorated Vietnam veteran David Larkin (Gary Collins) is guilty of murder, Ironside (Raymond Burr) is duty-bound to turn over evidence that secures the man's conviction in court. To save Larkin from the gas chamber, Ironside launches his own investigation, only to be hampered by the interference of Larkin's so-called "buddies"--not to mention the fact that all of the witnesses are being systematically bumped off. This is the final episode of Ironside's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Due Process of the Law
When his girlfriend is murdered in Golden Gate Park, Mark (Don Mitchell) is bound and determined to take the law in his own hands to catch the killer. As a result, Mark is himself held for murder when the chief suspect turns up dead. In his efforts to clear, Mark, Ironside (Raymond Burr) instills in his hotheaded associate a new and daunting respect for "due process." Former Dobie Gillis star Dwayne Hickman turns up in a supporting role, as does future Kung Fu and Kill Bill leading man David Carradine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Perfect Crime
Ironside (Raymond Burr) is invited to conduct a criminology seminar at a college where a sniper is lurking somewhere on campus. It turns out that the sniper is one of the seminar students, who anonymously issues a challenge to Ironside to identify him before he commits the "perfect crime." Clearly inspired by the "Texas Tower" slayings of 1966, the events in this episode are also disturbingly similar to the sporadic outbursts of campus carnage in the late 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Lonely Hostage
After stealing $150,000 from a bank and shooting another officer, rogue cop Fred Hickman (Robert Lansing) offers to give himself up to Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr). Instead, he takes both the Chief and Mark (Don Galloway) hostage, forcing them to accompany him as he attempts to escape. Ironside realizes that his only hope of surviving the ordeal is to convince Hickman's loyal wife Jane (Kathie Browne) that her husband is now irredeemable. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: The Kill a Cop
Vicious, cop-hating Frank Vincent (Pernell Roberts) threatens dire consequences when he is arrested on a drunk driving charge by Ed Brown (Don Galloway) and two other officers (one of whom is played by director-stuntman Hal Needham, the other by Bing Russell, father of film star Kurt Russell)). Later, both of his colleagues turn up dead, convincing Ed that Vincent is the killer; unfortunately, he has no proof, and is told to leave Vincent alone. Ultimately suspended from the force, Ed literally puts his life on the line to expose Vincent as a murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Memory of an Ice Cream Stick
Ironside (Raymond Burr) and Mark (Don Mitchell) have a bitter falling out over Mark's friendship with ex-convict Sam Noble (Mel Scott). While the Chief is convinced that Noble is a murderer, Mark can only remember the man's kindness to him during his troubled childhood. Things come to a head when, out of loyalty to Noble, Mark quits Ironside's team cold--a move he may regret in more ways than one. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: All in a Day's Work
Policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson) is faced with a profound personal crisis when she shoots and kills an armed robber in self-defense. It turns out that the victim was only 17 years old, regarded as a "model kid" by friends and loved ones alike. Tortured by guilt and self-doubt, Eve must rely upon Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) to determine if her instincts were correct when she pulled the trigger. This episode was cowritten by famed crime novelist Evan Hunter, whose screenwriting credits include the landmark "J.D." drama The Blackboard Jungle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Something for Nothing
Nightclub singer Tommy Cusack (James Farentino) is also a chronic gambler, indebted to a mob loan shark to the tune of $32,000. When Ironside (Raymond Burr) asks Tommy to turn state's evidence against the mobster, the bad guy make a counter-offer that may be impossible to refuse. Featured as Cusack's wife and singing partner Verna is Susan Saint. James, who joins James Farentino in a lively rendition of "Downtown". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Barbara Who
The title character in this episode is a female amnesia victim, played by the versatile Vera Miles. While searching for "Barbara"'s true identity, Ironside (Raymond Burr) discovers that somebody is trying to kill the woman. He also realizes that he is falling in love with "Barbara"--and that, despite his inherent professionalism, he is afraid of what he'll find out once her real name is verified. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Officer Bobby
After an explosion at SF International Airport, Ironside discovers that someone has abandoned a baby in his van. Subsequent events suggest that the child's mother was the intended victim of the bombing, prompting Ironside (Raymond Burr) to use the baby as bait in hopes of locating the mom and persuading her to reveal all the facts of the case. In an amusing plot development, the cantankerous Chief proves to be an ideal babysitter! Two sets of 11-month-old twins were cast as "Officer Bobby" in this episode, which was coscripted by "Michael Shayne" creator Brett Halliday. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ironside: Trip to Hashbury
What would a late-1960s detective series be without the obligatory "flower child" episode? After Detective Ed Brown (Don Galloway) busts a Haight-Ashbury drug house, he is accused of beating a hippie to death. To clear Ed's name, Ironside (Raymond Burr) follows a trail of clues to a group of outwardly clean-cut students in a private school--and runs up against a vast and sinister conspiracy of silence, involving not only "the kids" but also a few grownups. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
