Log 54: Impersonation (Episode 16, Season 2)

Episode 42

I'm back from all of my traveling and ready to talk Adam-12! Before I get into this episode, there's some news I have to share with all of you and it's not good news. In case you haven't heard, Netflix is no longer streaming Adam-12. It all ended on July 29th. But, not to worry, you can still watch seasons 1-4 on Hulu, however all episodes of season 1 are not available. All of the seasons are available on DVD and Cozi still airs the show on weekdays. There's always YouTube, too. And I will be here every week until I cover all 174 episodes, even if it takes me 174 years.

If you want to call Netflix and tell them they screwed up by removing Adam-12 from it's streaming service, their number is 866-579-7172. Maybe if enough people complain they'll bring it back. If you do call, mention that you are also upset that Dragnet was removed from streaming on July 14th (What a sacrilege! Removing Dragnet on 7/14!).

Now, on to the next episode, which is "Impersonation". Every time I think about this title I sing it in my head to the tune of Rod Stewart's "Infatuation".

Synopsis

The owner of Rivers Gym has had $350 stolen from him. The victim claims the thief was an LAPD detective. Reed thinks it was someone posing as a detective. More experienced officers caution him against reaching a conclusion without a full investigation.

The Story

Reed and Malloy have stopped by Duke's Longhorn Cafe for some coffee. 

At least I think this is Duke's. Who's this guy in the chef's getup?

Duke's not around, though. Harv, the chef, explains that Duke is at a rodeo (pronounced "row-day-o"). Reed is happy because he has finally won a coin toss, which means that Malloy will be picking up the tab.

Reed tries to pull a fast one and order steak and eggs. He should know better, you can't get anything past Malloy.

After they order, Freddy Rivers, the owner of a local gym, walks in and tells the officers that he has been robbed.

Reed tells Rivers, "You're kidding."
 (See, Reed, this is how this policing thing works, people report crimes to you.  I know that some of the things they report may seem unbelievable, but they are not joking.)

Malloy comments that Rivers doesn't seem that upset.

Rivers isn't worried, he knows who did it and where to find him.  The thief's name is Forest and he's a detective with the LAPD.

Our boys take a trip over to Rivers' Gym to get the full story.

Rivers tells Malloy and Reed that Forest showed up at the gym the morning after a boxing match. He claimed to be on a special assignment investigating counterfeit $10's and $20's. He asked Rivers if he had the receipts from the previous night's door. Rivers hadn't been to the bank yet and still had all $350 he took in from the fight. Forest said he had to take all of the bills downtown to check them out. He encouraged Freddy to come along. But when Rivers left his office to tell everyone in the gym he was leaving, Forest and the money were gone.

Forest did show Rivers a badge and an ID card. He saw the badge very briefly and can't say for sure if it was authentic, but he swears the ID card was the real thing.

Malloy tells Rivers that detectives will be out to investigate further.  Freddy does not want to talk to any more detectives, he only wants to deal with Malloy and Reed. (I can't say that I blame him.)

Pete and Jim return to the station to write their report on the theft. After Reed completes the report, Mac reviews it and takes issue with one of the rookie officer's conclusions.

He'll buy the 487 (grand theft) , but not the 146a (impersonating a public officer). Mac asks Reed what makes him so sure someone was impersonating an officer?

"Well, you don't think it's really Forest, do you?"

Mac hopes it's not Forest, but he doesn't know that for sure. He reminds Reed that he doesn't know for sure, either. He takes the report to show to Lt. Moore. Reed is not surprised, Malloy warned him that Mac wouldn't go for the 146a. He just wonders why everyone is so quick to assume that Forest stole the money.

Malloy doesn't see it that way. He thinks Reed is the one making an assumption.

Pete and Jim are summoned into the watch commander's office to chat with Lt. Moore about the report. He thinks the description Rivers gave matches Forest "pretty well". He's going to inform the captain, the detective commander, and internal affairs about the accusation, they'll all want to interview Pete and Jim as part of their investigation.

Reed doesn't understand why they just don't have Rivers confront Forest face to face. (Rivers and Forest- was somebody thinking of going to their grandmother's house when they named these characters?)

Moore explains that Forest will get the same consideration any other citizen suspected of a crime would get; no more, no less. If Forest is guilty, some of the dirt he's in would rub off on all of the department, so they are tougher on their own. 

I'm a little confused by Lt. Moore's explanation to Reed. If Forest is going to get the same consideration as any other citizen, why not have Rivers confront him face to face? There are plenty of examples throughout the show where regular citizens accused of crimes are identified in person by their accuser. Also, which is it? Will Forest be treated like as a regular citizen, "no more, no less", or will they be tougher on him? Regardless of how confusing I find the lieutenant's explanation, Jim Reed states he "can't argue with that". 

Before they leave the office, Moore reminds them not to mention any of this to Forest or anyone else. Mac also has some words of wisdom for Reed.

"Look at it this way, if Forest is guilty and he's no longer a a police officer, he hasn't been since the moment he crossed over and became a thief. The point being, it's not a policeman we're after, it's a thief. Remember that."

There's been a lot of talk about Forest, it's probably time that we finally get to see the guy. Oh, look, here he comes now.

The man of the half hour stops to chat with Malloy in the hallway. Reed, perhaps afraid that he will let the cat of the bag about the investigation, tries to avoid Forest by tying his shoe. He ends up attracting the detective's attention, though, when he breaks his shoelace. During this brief scene it is revealed that Forest has a son who is not doing well.

"Yeah, I'm all thumbs."

OK, so what the heck is going on with Forest's son? Reed must be thinking the same thing, because he asks Malloy that very question once they are in the patrol car.

Pete explains that Forest's son injured his hip playing football. The bone never healed properly and osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone, set in about 6 months ago. It's bad and expensive stuff that has already caused Forest's son to have 2 operations. 

The plot thickens! Did his son's medical expenses drive Forest to steal the $350? Before they have a chance to discuss this possibility, the radio delivers a call of a 415 woman at Grant and Olive.

When they arrive at Grant and Olive, Mrs. Dunkit (played by the always wonderful Virginia Gregg) is smashing a car to bits. The car is registered to Mrs. Dunkit, but that "drunken bum she's married to" drives it. She intends to make a pedestrian out of him.

There is no law against busting up your own car, but Pete explains that Mrs. Dunkit is creating a nuisance and a traffic hazard by littering the street with broken glass.

He tells her to get the car out of the street and have herself "a ball" with it in the alley behind the apartment building.

Mrs. Dunkit is OK with this and also agrees to clean up any mess she has made. The men who have gathered to watch the show help her push the car out of the street.

As Reed and Malloy are walking back to the black and white, a man asks to speak with them. He's the owner of a pawn shop and wants to report a strange incident that occurred a little over an hour ago in his store. 

A detective Forest came into his store looking for a short barrel .38. The shop owner showed him one, which the detective claimed was stolen even though it was not on the police-issued stolen property list. Forest then said he had to confiscate the gun for evidence. 

As he left the store, Forest turned around and pointed the gun at the pawnbroker. He then told the store owner if he said anything about the gun he would come back and blow his head off. Although Forest was grinning when he said this, it still made the store owner nervous.

Reed believes the shop owner's story proves that someone is posing as Forest. He figures Forest already has a gun, why would he go to all of that trouble to get another one?

Pete easily blows that theory out of the water. He asks his partner to imagine if he were planning a bank robbery. Would he use his own gun? What if he had to fire it?

"Be pretty easy to trace, wouldn't it?"

Before Reed has a chance to counter Malloy's argument they are called to 17 Eagle Crest Drive, 459 (burglary) suspects are there now. 

They meet Mary Burnside on the sidewalk of Eagle Crest Drive, she's been watching the Garrisons' house while they have been on vacation. Mary called the police when she noticed a strange truck parked by the Garrison's house and a man in the upstairs window.

It's Dorothy Neumann, you may remember her as the hippie-hating Mrs. Ross from "Log 61: Runaway".
She'll show up in 2 more episodes throughout the run of the series. Interesting note, her last acting credit (according to IMdB) was on The New Adam-12 in 1991.

 Malloy asks her to wait inside while they investigate. Mary quickly skedaddles away to safety.

Pete stakes out the Garrison house from the surrounding hedges while Reed calls for backup. He spots the truck parked underneath an open second-story window. He makes sure Reed is covering him, then swipes the keys from the front seat. (That was nice of the thieves to leave them there.)

With the officers watching, the suspects climb out of the window and onto the roof of the truck. They begin hauling loot, including a television, out of the house. 

When they try to start the truck and make their getaway, they realize something the keys are gone. A friendly cop pops out of the bushes to help these two men locate their missing property.

"Looking for these?"

[Reed, did you ever call backup, where are they?]

Pete and Jim return to the station to drop off the second-story bandits and write their report. While they are at the report desk Forest stops to ask them about their latest bust, then moves on.  Mac sees the short conversation from his window and calls Pete into the office.

He informs Pete that Sgt. Fremont from IAD is at Rivers' Gym right now. Fremont's not getting anywhere with Rivers. True to his word, Rivers won't speak to the detective. Pete and Jim will have to go over there and convince Rivers to talk to Fremont.

Can you spot the grammatical error in this sign? (You will have to look away from Reed's butt to see it.)

Here's a hint, look at the sweatshirt Freddy Rivers is wearing.

Pete and Jim walk into the gym office and and an exasperated Fremont asks what took them so long.

"We were rescuing a television set."

Pete verifies that Fremont is a legitimate dick.

Now that Pete has identified Fremont, Rivers will talk to him. Pete and Jim can be on their merry way.

Their merry way takes them to 1089 DeSoto Street where they are to see the man about a 484.

1089 DeSoto Street is a garage where someone has just stolen a brand-new grease gun. While they are talking to the mechanic about the theft, Reed recognizes the plate number on a light blue sedan parked in the lot. He checks the hot sheet and discovers his suspicion about the car was correct, it's stolen. 

The mechanic explains that a man he never saw before asked him to store the vehicle for a few days. He paid in advance and he's due to pick the car up today.

Just as they are talking about the car, this guy comes around the corner. He hesitates when he sees the black and white, but soon continues right past the officers and the mechanic on his way to the light blue sedan. Without slowing his pace, he tells the mechanic he'll get "that heap" out of his way. Reed and Malloy follow him to the sedan. 

At first Clarence "Two Bits" Jones tells the officers that a friend asked him to watch the car while he was out of town. Now he has to pick up the car and the friend. When they ask who he was watching the car for, Jones suggest they go someplace and talk before they get in "big trouble". Malloy takes him to the patrol car for a private conversation while Reed finishes up with the mechanic.

"OK, friend, what do you want to talk about?"

"Two Bits" tells Malloy that he was shooting craps a few nights ago when a vice detective came in and busted up the game. The detective told Jones that he wouldn't bust him if he watched his car for a few days. Jones also remembers that the detective showed him an ID card with the name "Forest". While Jones is telling his story, the radio interrupts with a call for 1-Adam-12 to phone the station. Reed will handle the call and request backup. Malloy will continue talking with Jones.

Jones is scheduled to meet Forest in 30 minutes at an address he has in his pocket.

[I'll take that.]

After Malloy reads the note in Jones' pocket, he meets up with Reed. Backup is on their way and they'll take Jones off their hands. When Reed phoned the station he found out Freddy Rivers had just called. Reed then got in touch with Rivers. Malloy already knows what Rivers told his partner.

"Freddy saw Forest going into Duke's cafe." 

How did Malloy know that? Easy, "Two Bits" had Duke's address in his pocket. 

It's now time for the real (or fake) detective Forest to reveal himself to Malloy and Reed. As they enter the cafe, Harv asks about the Rivers case. Malloy brushes off his comment by saying they just file paperwork, someone else does the "heavy thinking". Pete takes a seat at the counter between two other men while Reed walks over to the juke box. As Reed makes his song selection, Malloy asks everyone in the cafe if it is their car parked in the yellow zone outside. He encourages the couple in the booth to go out and check if it is their car.

After the man and woman leave, Reed approaches the counter and asks the man in the suit if there's anything he'd like to hear on the jukebox.

[I'll play anything you want, as long as it is instrumental and copyright free.]

The man turns to answer, keeping his hand in his coat pocket. Malloy grabs him and Reed rushes in. 

Get him Pete!

He's not happy to see you and that is a gun in his pocket!

Reed and Malloy slap the cuffs on the fake dick (I'll let the peanut gallery come up with a name for that). Before they take him away, he has one question for the officers.

"Alright, who blew the whistle on me?"

They take Faux Forest to the station where he confesses and reveals that his real name is Wall. He works in a Turkish bath where the real Forest sometimes takes a steam. Wall noticed their resemblance, borrowed Forest's police ID from his locker and had a copy made.

Pete explains all of this to Freddy who has come to the station to identify Wall as the man who robbed him. Isn't this what Jim suggested doing at the beginning of the episode? 

Detective Forest joins Pete, Jim, and Freddy in the hall. Freddy can't get over how much Forest and Wall look like each other. Forest doesn't understand the confusion.

"I can't figure why everyone was so confused. I don't think we look alike at all."

Rivers can't believe his eyes or his ears.

The End

My Evaluation

I agree with detective Forest! I don't get it either, I don't think those two look alike at all. But, it could just be that it is hard to see Wall behind the metal work in the jail door, because in real life Forest and Wall do share a family resemblance. Forest was played by John Hudson and his brother, William Hudson, played Wall. IMdB describes them as "look-alike actor brothers" whose identities are often confused, even by B-movie buffs. I'll take their word for it, I just don't see it. 

As I pointed out before, Forest and Wall's questionable resemblance wasn't the only thing I found confusing about this episode. I just did not understand Lt. Moore's speech to Reed, maybe I am just dense this week.

Other than the confusing parts, I liked most of this episodes. Lots of capers,  most of them light and amusing, some related to the bigger case at hand and some that weren't; and it had Virginia Gregg!

So, taking all of that into consideration, I give "Log 54: Impersonation" (sung to the tune of "Infatuation") a rating of:

Do you agree? See you next week! KMA-367