The Jack Is High (19 Nov. 1964)

Just outside of Reno,Nevada five men with diversely different backgrounds ambush an armored car truck and make away with $3,000,000 in cash.The men make their getaway to Los Angeles using a... See full summary »

Director:

Ralph Senensky

Writer:

William Wood (teleplay)

Stars:

Edd Byrnes, Pat O'Brien, Henry Jones

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Edd Byrnes	...	Bill Colbert
Pat O'Brien	...	Inspector Dan Zarilla
Henry Jones	...	Prof. Raymond Shipley
Larry Storch	...	Perry Shields
Harry Bellaver	...	Fred Brennan
William Bramley	...	Roy David 'Biff' Mueller
Michael Macready	...	Det. Joe Swerbul
William Boyett	...	Highway Patrolman Caulfield
Cece Whitney	...	Tigra (as Ce Ce Whitney)
Ken Mayer	...	Sheriff
Jay Douglas	...	Nugent
Indus Arthur	...	Lois Brennan
Sigrid Valdis	...	Ruby
Joe Finnigan	...	Theater Manager
Owen Bush	...	Driver

Storyline

Just outside of Reno,Nevada five men with diversely different backgrounds ambush an armored car truck and make away with $3,000,000 in cash.The men make their getaway to Los Angeles using a gas tanker truck in which the money and three of the men are hidden inside of.The trip is full of uncertainty as they fight amongst themselves while unknown to them a veteran police inspector is cleverly piecing clues together.

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Plot Keywords:

tanker truck | secret compartment | police checkpoint

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roncom Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathé)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During rehearsal for the armored-truck robbery scene, a jeep carrying a camera crane was driving up a hill ahead of the truck when the jeep's brakes failed. It started rolling back down the hill, slammed into something at the bottom of the hill and the driver was thrown out of the vehicle. He died in the hospital a few days later.

User Reviews

The Jack Is High

This is a tense and exciting entry of the Kraft suspense anthology. The plot is simple and familiar: a bunch of social outcasts, malcontents, guys who never got the breaks, pull off a night-time robbery and head with the loot in a gas truck to Los Angeles. There's nary a dull moment in this one, and the characters are well developed, especially for a television show.

The mastermind, a college English professor, is enigmatic, one senses he's a loner, a man who's never had his time in the sun and wants it now, before it's too late. His opposite number, the one real pro in the bunch, a demolitions expert with a criminal record, despises the professor even as he follows his lead. These two not only don't hit it off, they're stuck inside the truck the whole time, with the demo man fuming over being cooped up for so long. Also involved are an ex-marine with a bad temper, dishonorably discharged; a comedian who wants to own his own nightclub; and a humble older working man who wants the money primarily to send his gifted daughter to college.

Things are touch and go for these guys from the start. One of them dropped a card at the crime scene that left a clue for the police to find; fortunately for them, it's a lead that goes nowhere. The police aren't the brightest guys in the world but they know what they have to do, and they do it well. As to the criminals, they have a lot of luck on their side. The suspense in this episode is as high as the jack. By the last ten minutes or so I was rooting for the bad guys to make it, if only because they were so human, so flawed, like most of us, and even when not likable fairly easy to understand as types. The acting was above average all-round, with only Edd Byrnes seeming a bit too young and good looking for his bitter former Marine. Henry Jones is superb as the professor; supercilious, smug. too sure of himself for his own good.

The ending of this episode was, for me, a jaw-dropper. I didn't see it coming, and neither, in all likelihood, will you.A first rate crime story, I highly recommend it for those who like such things. For what it is, it's near flawless.