I remember that. Wasn’t that staring Walter Mathau???
The whole thing was taped (on a small reel-to-reel tape deck).
Seems to me the AG and SOS along with the Gov, could take pretty quick and effective action to put an end to the whole thing.
I agree…why does it take so long for them to take action??
The cops in the city near me have done a number of things over the years that were not up to par up to and including botched murder investigations and evidence tampering to cover up the botching.
That raises questions about where is the local prosecutor in all of this? The police chief being married to the DA probably had something to do with it…
You got me going. Had to look it up. “The Crooked Road” Season 4, 10/26/58. Mathau was one of the cops.
http://www.tv.com/shows/alfred-hitchcock-presents/the-crooked-road-42828/cast/
I use to LOVE the Alfred Hitchcock Presents show. And I loved most of his movies too.
I only have basic cable…so the channels I have are limited. My sister-in-law has almost all the channels…and several of them show nothing but old shows…I’ll bet one of them shows that show. I’d love to see them again. We have one channel that does some of the old shows…I watch the rifleman every Saturday morning.
Nothing reinforces negative opinions about cops then the movies and TV shows. There are a plethora of " award winning " movies, trom The Departed to the French Connection or even TV’s Barney Fife in Andy of Mayberry that show police at their worst just for an easy, provocative story line. If all this stuff were common place, I would be the first vote out police protection and return to the wild west days. Matt Dillon looks pretty good !
The Andy Griffith Show showed Sheriff Andy in the best of ways. And Barney Fife was just one of many buffoons on the show. As I recall, all of the regulars except Andy and Opie were goofy.
The portrayal of Andy Grifith as an unarmed father figure to all who can talk his way out of any situation with impeccable logic alone is just as falsified as the ineptitude of Barney. I have to say that all the characters on the Andy Griffith show portray small town police inaccurately. Humor has no bounds which I totally agree with, as long as people recognize that for what it is; entertainment. Andy Griffith still, does not portray police in a flattering light because of his own realistic incompetence, no matter how nice a guy he is. Andy is just as incompetent as Barney at police work. I still like the wholesomeness of the show in general and will always be a Don Knotts fan over Andy Griffith. He was the only real person who made everyone feel normal for making mistakes. Andy to me, was falsified and synthetic. But, it was a great show growing up.
Lest we all forget Roscooooooo P. Coltrain
I enjoyed the show when I was young and haven’t watched it since then. I enjoyed the Marx Brothers when I was young but don’t now. People change over time, but I don’t think poorly of these actors. Anyway, everyone in a situation comedy is a caraciture. I see no reason to take any of it seriously.
I would disagree. I thought Andy was a great role model for life in a small rural community. Strange that he usually didn’t find a need for violence but he did on rare dangerous occasions, strap his gun on, give Barney ammo and head out with a serious look on his face-doing what he needed to do even though facing danger. In a small town, lots of police have hardly ever drawn their weapon around here, and fewer still ever having used it, except for a rabid or dangerous animal once in a while. If it wasn’t for the annual qualifying at the range, the weapons would rust up.
The dukes was a product of its time. Can’t imagine anyone making that show today. I didn’t bother seeing the movie that came out a few years ago.
I think the Dukes lost it when the original stars were replaced (didn’t they replace the boys and even Daisy over a contract dispute or something or did I dream that?). Just not the same. It never was a great favorite of mine anyway. Much prefered Cannon and Barnaby Jones.
Andy Griffith mostly played the straight man role against a cast of zany characters. Nothing wrong with the straight man role, some of the funniest people in showbiz were straight men. Jack Benny, Ted Knight in Caddyshack and Herbert Lom, who played against Peter Sellers in “The Pink Panther”.
I think Don Knotts still holds the record for most Emmys (5) from the Andy Griffith show.
I don’t consider Jack Benny a straight man. His comedy was quiet. He was a master at using pauses, posture, and facial expressions. I think of George burns as a straight man for Gracie Allen, or Desi Arnaz for Lucille Ball. And don’t bring up Bud Abbot either. He definitely was not a straight man.
Who’s on First??
To return to the earlier theme of police who are…corrupt…or who simply don’t act ethically, I want to start off by saying that I really do respect those who work in law enforcement. But…that being said…it has been my observation that law enforcement folks seem to defend/protect their less-honorable co-workers more than people in other lines of work. The proverbial, “Blue Wall”, really does exist.
I am not trying to play, “Can You Top This?”, but one police department in the next county (Edison, NJ) is absolutely infested with cops who have done the wrong thing, and–because they have gotten away with the less onerous things time and time again–they don’t stop until they finally pull, “the big one” and get caught for that offense.
In that one town of less than 100k people, the incidents over the past 5 years or so have included the following events that I can recall specifically. (Unfortunately, there are others whose exact details escape me at the moment):
An Edison cop who was working a private security detail at a local supermarket was suspected of stealing from that market. When the store assigned a store detective to specifically monitor the cop, he was found to be in possession of DVDs, shampoo, and a few other items that cost–in total–less than $30. This, from a guy who was making over $110k per yr. He finally resigned after it was clear that he would be convicted.
Another Edison cop (off-duty) was found sitting–naked–in his car, ogling women and exposing himself. He finally resigned also.
An Edison cop who attempted to torch the home of his superior officer, after being disciplined for multiple “minor” offenses. Subsequently, he was also arrested on drug charges.
An Edison cop who was photographed swilling beer while sitting in his patrol car.
Just this week, one of Edison’s finest allegedly returned to the scene of a domestic disturbance, after escorting the husband from the premises, and pressured the woman to have sex with him.
And, the winner from that department was the Edison cop who pulled a bank robbery while on his way to work! No, I am not making that up.
In each case, these guys had been less than scrupulous for many years, but the Blue Wall of Silence (plus a PBA that will apparently defend ANY actions by their members) allowed them to stay around, taking advantage of the public for many years.
Because it became obvious that the Edison PD’s Internal Affairs Bureau was being…less than diligent…with their bad apples, that office is now supervised by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Will that improve things? Maybe yes, maybe no. See below for the possible reasons for the, “no”:
In my own county, we had a County Prosecutor (our name for D.A.) who…cheated the guy with whom he co-owned a couple of gas stations…and literally extorted money, real estate, and other possessions from people who were accused of crimes. Being the County’s Prosecutor, he had his own police force, and they did his bidding, and his Chief of Detectives actually shared in the bounty of real estate that they extorted from people. Some convictions of his were later overturned when it was proven that he had manufactured evidence and otherwise, “railroaded”, people whose property he wanted for himself.
If you saw his story dramatized in a movie, you would probably say, “oh, this is just a ridiculous exaggeration”, but…after the FBI finally began to close in on him for his many crimes, he fled NJ, and–in fact–jumped bail, thus causing his elderly mother to lose her home that she had posted for his bail. Yes, his elderly mother lost her home and everything else she owned, and, her son–who was an attorney–obviously knew that this would happen when he jumped bail, so he must have truly been the biggest turd who ever lived.
Anyway, in an ending that seems like something from a Hollywood B-movie, he wound up shooting himself in his squalid $15 a night Nevada motel room as the cops finally closed in on him, following his cross-country drive.
This article doesn’t even begin to describe the corruption of that County Prosecutor, but it does at least provide some highlights:
Sounds like Edison needs a new HR manager. I’d suggest using the MMPI test first.
The only thing we had here is one guy that broke into his wifes email account and changed the pass word on her. Then a former deputy came home unexpectedly and found a current deputy with his wife in his house. He was brought up on charges because he used a choke hold to subdue the deputy when he tried to run out of his house. I guess these guys have the same problems as anyone with the shift hours and strains of the job and they do tend to be a little more macho than the average person. Robbing a bank on the way to your shift though? Really?
Some may remember a recent post about my daughter being stopped late in the evening,ordered to pull over, and under threat of a ticket was ordered to place her 10 year old son in the back seat for violation of child restraint laws. The cops were of course dead wrong about the law but the daughter was nervous and the son scared due to flashlights being aimed at their faces.
So on the news today and in the same area it’s reported the city has canned a police Lt. who was off-duty and apparently holding a grudge against his new spouse’s ex. The Lt. ordered 2 on-duty cops to arrest the guy for intoxication and he was jailed overnight. No sobriety tests were given, all charges dropped, and apparently the Lt. had a habit of following the ex-husband’s company truck around in an unmarked car. The city is now being sued and officials have clammed up.
From the jailhouse footage the arrestee looks pretty darned straight to me and he also has a clean court record except for one speeding ticket which is shown as 1-10 over posted.
In the same small city:
Uniformed city cops participating in underaged teen drinking parties.
Deputy sheriff fired for discharging a firearm and filing a false report of being attacked with a knife.
State trooper sentenced to jail for stopping a teen girl and arresting her for claimed DUI; followed by taking her to his house where he sexually assaulted her.
Another state trooper charged with domestic violence, intoxication, and interference with law officers after whaling on his girlfriend while drunk. He was given a deferred sentence (as in skated) and did it again.
Another state trooper found dead in his home although that one is still up in the air to my knowledge.
City officer fired for assault.
About 10 years ago cops on a drug raid kicked in the doors of a home one evening and got a bit rough with the family, including kids, over an alleged drug dealing issue. The problem was that law enforcement got the address wrong and raided the wrong house. They did apologize…
This is just one spot on the map and the list is by no means all-inclusive. One can see why my daughter and son were a bit nervous.
Bing–Administering an MMPI is probably a good idea, but the psychiatric screening that police candidates (supposedly) have to go through should include enough personality testing to root-out those who are pathological.
Clearly, something is broken, but, in that county, politics is the major factor in those who are unqualified being hired despite their shortcomings, and–even more so–being promoted. Whether we are talking about police, or public works employees, or even teachers, the driving force for hiring public employees in Middlesex County, NJ is…politics…pure & simple.