A Killing in the Second House (17 Nov. 1974)

Ray Kauffman, a former homicide detective dismissed for corruption, takes photos of a rich man's wife, Janet Seymour. The husband is distraught and commits suicide. Kauffman, who is still ... See full summary »

Director:

Christian Nyby

Writers:

Abby Mann (creator), Gene R. Kearney,

Stars:

Telly Savalas, Martin Balsam, Dan Frazer

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Telly Savalas	...	Lt. Theo Kojak
Martin Balsam	...	Ray Kaufman
Dan Frazer	...	Capt. Frank McNeil
Kevin Dobson	...	Det. Bobby Crocker
George Savalas	...	Det. Stavros (as Demosthenes)
Dimitra Arliss	...	Sherry Kaufman
John Lehne	...	Tony Howard
Nedra Deen	...	Elaine Miller
Richard Eastham	...	Jack Seymour
Susan Brown	...	Janet Seymour
Evelyn Russell	...	Mrs. Tyburn
Bob Goldstein	...	Medical Examiner

Storyline

Ray Kauffman, a former homicide detective dismissed for corruption, takes photos of a rich man's wife, Janet Seymour. The husband is distraught and commits suicide. Kauffman, who is still in the house, convinces the business manager (Tony Howard) that they should fake a murderous intruder so that Janet will get the insurance. He keeps the suicide note and the gun Howard had picked up and, after Howard is arrested, plants them in his apartment. He offers to sell the suicide note to Janet, enabling Howard's freedom. Kojak has realized Kauffman is more capable of faking the murder scenario than Howard, and when another murder occurs, Kojak is sure of who is the criminal.

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Plot Keywords:

surveillance photo | ex cop | suicide by shooting one's self in the head | suicide disguised as murder | business astrology | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1974 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

User Reviews

Balsam Lives Up To His Big-Screen Rep In This Small-Screen 'Noir'

Martin Balsam, a top big-screen actor, is very good in a guest-starring role here as a sharp-thinking photographer/ex-cop with a devious mind. His character name is "Ray Kauffman." Kauffman, the good cop-gone-bad, has an even worse wife who dabbles in astrology and is as mean and cold-blooded as anyone you'll see. Dimitra Arliss, who plays, "Sherry Kauffman," would have been good in the late '40s film noirs. She's hard-looking, to boot.

What makes this film-noir-type story so interesting is that all the characters are good and the story has a bunch of twists and turns that make it fun to watch. One prime example: Nedra Deen as "Elaine Miller." She's a doozy.