"The Barbara Stanwyck Show" The Assassin (1961)

Director:

David Lowell Rich

Writers:

A.I. Bezzerides (teleplay)
Lawrence Resner (story) ...
(more)

TV Series:

"The Barbara Stanwyck Show" (1960)

Original Air Date:

15 May 1961 (Season 1, Episode 32)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Bookkeeper | Embezzlement | Police Detective | Anthology | Character Name In Title

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Herself - Hostess / Louise Forest
Leon Ames	...	Damon Carlisle
Peter Falk	...	Joe
Dub Taylor	...	George B. Glimes
Lawrence Tierney	...	Detective

Directed by
David Lowell Rich

Writing credits
A.I. Bezzerides		(teleplay)
Lawrence Resner		(story) and
A.I. Bezzerides		(story)

Produced by
Louis F. Edelman	....	executive producer
William H. Wright	....	producer

Cinematography by
Hal Mohr		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bruce Schoengarth

Casting by
Harvey Clermont

Art Direction by
Rolland M. Brooks
Charles F. Pyke

Set Decoration by
Ken Swartz

Makeup Department
Harry Maret	....	makeup artist (as Harry Maret Jr.)
Merle Reeves	....	hair stylist (as Merle Reeves Gainor)

Production Management
Argyle Nelson	....	production supervisor (as W. Argyle Nelson)
James Paisley	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vernon Keays	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ted Cooper	....	property master

Sound Department
Jack A. Finlay	....	sound editor (as Jack Finlay)
Glen Glenn	....	sound recordist
Leon M. Leon	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Neva Rames	....	costumer
Werlé	....	gowns: Miss Stanwyck

Editorial Department
Bill Heath	....	editorial supervisor

Music Department
Earle Hagen	....	composer: theme music
Jack Hunsaker	....	music editor

Other crew
Eleanor H. Donahoe	....	script supervisor (as Eleanor Donahoe)

Directed by
Arthur Hiller
Don Taylor

Production Companies

• Desilu Productions (as Desilu)
• Edelman / Barwyck / Wright Productions

Distributors

• E1 Entertainment Distribution (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• E1 Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1961) (USA) (TV)

Runtime:

30 min

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Desilu Productions

Change of pace for the series

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Barbara Stanwyck plays an efficient secretary working for a small investment company. When one of her bosses dies, the other one goes through the books and discovers that she has been embezzling money from the business for years and years. He promises not to turn her over to the police if she can pay back the money she stole. Barbara gets desperate and is thinking of suicide, when she is interrupted - by a professional assassin who has been "engaged" to kill her. The title and the story of this episode may sound sinister, but the music score quickly tells you that its intentions are different: this is the first purely comedic episode of "The Barbara Stanwyck" show that I've seen so far (keep in mind that I've been watching the second, not the first, DVD set, though). It's more amusing and offbeat than laugh-out-loud funny, but Stanwyck shows that she can handle the comedy, and Peter Falk fans will not want to miss his early performance here as the rather inept killer. The scene where she, alone, disarms him and then knocks him out cold is a pleasant shock - remember, this was made in 1961! **1/2 out of 4.