M Squad (TV Series) Pete Loves Mary (1957) User Reviews

Connors, Driscoll Add Spark To Story

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 18 January 2010]

Mike Connors and Bobby Driscoll guest-star as brothers, one of them a bad guy through-and-through and the other a rough kid but one with principles. Connors plays the thug older brother "Pete Wikowlski." A decade later, Connors became a big star in the TV hit show "Mannix." Meanwhile, Driscoll, a child acting star a decade earlier, was now 20 years old at this time. He played younger brother "Steve Wikowlski." Driscoll, one of the great natural child actors of his day, did have the rosy future Connors had ahead of him. Bobby died broke, a homeless man, his body found in an abandoned New York City tenement in 1968.

"Pete Wikowski" has escaped from prison, shot and killed a man, and is on the loose somewhere in Chicago's Lincoln Park. "Steve" is helping him, but is not the killer his brother seems to be. "Det. Ballinger" has to find the older brother before he kills more.

This is a suspenseful episode and a good one and much of that is attributed to the great acting and voice of the series star, Lee Marvin.

I only wish the transfer was better. The night scenes in Lincoln Park in the climactic final five minutes were not easy to view. I'm thankful Timeless Video has offered all of these M Squad shows for purchase on DVD but it's a shame they didn't do any work on the prints. The contrast in some of these episodes, like this one, is very poor.

Where did you get the money? From someone who had it!

[kapelusznik18 · 6/10 · 30 May 2014]

***SPOILERS*** Convicted murderer Pete Wikowlski, Mike Connors, breaks out of state prison, where he serving a life sentence without parole, and heads straight for Chicago both his home and his kind of town to stay under the radar or police until the heat blows off. It in "His kind of Town" that Wikowlski, contacts his kid brother Stevie, Bobby Driscoll, the only one in his family, his mom had since disowned him, who's both willing to put up with him and keep him hidden from a state wide police manhunt.

Using Chicago's Lincoln Park as his base of operations in car jacking and sticking up people Wikowlski also has a soft spot for the park in that it's there some ten years ago he carried on a hot and heavy love affair with the now happily married and totally through with him Mary Keamey, Roberta Haynes. It was Mary's name together with his that a love sick Wikowlski etched out on a park bench in his declaring his everlasting love, that lasted until he was sent to prison, for her. It was also that bench with the "Peter loves Mary" etched into it that was the secret meeting place between Wikowlski and his kid brother Stevie was to take place.

***SPOILERS*** It's Let. Det. Frank Ballinger, Lee Marvin, and his M Squad who gets the drop on Wikowlski by getting his brother Stevie to drive him there, to the secret meeting place, where he's providing him with food clothing and an occasional bottle of whiskey to keep his both mean warm & mellow. With Wikowlski turning the tables on Ballinger and, after kidnapping him, about to gun him down it's Stevie who by then came to his senses, in knowing what a horror his big brother Peter is, who put an end to his crime spree before he himself became a victim of it.

P.S Former child star Bobby Driscoll's, who played Stevie Wikowlski, career was on the rocks at the time he was in this "M Squad" episode and it went even farther downhill the next ten years as his drinking and drug addiction ended up killing him in March 1968 at the age of 31. Bobby was found dead and decomposing in a rat infested abandoned East Village apartment building. Driscoll's body remained unclaimed and unidentified for over a month and eventually was buried at Hart Island or "Potters Field" in an unmarked but numbered grave.

A good episode!

[RodrigAndrisan · 8/10 · 21 October 2021]

Lee Marvin, had a perfect face to play villainous roles, which he had done before this series, having as partner Marlon Brando in a famous movie and many others in other films. In fact, in the first half of his acting career, he played almost exclusively negative characters. After that, starting with this series, in the second half of his career, he played almost exclusively positive characters, be it policeman, detective, pilot, sheriff, or military, being a major or a sergeant. Great actor! Interestingly, Mike Connors, without having a predestined face to play villains, here he plays one, and he does it very well. He had played bastards before. Years later, he too would become the quintessential positive Mannix.

Excellent Episode.

[gordonl56 · 9/10 · 1 October 2013]

M-SQUAD – Pete Loves Mary -1957

This is the fourth episode of the 1957 to 1960 Crime series, M-SQUAD. The series ran for 117 episodes and features Lee Marvin as the headliner. Marvin is a Lt with the elite M-Squad unit of the Chicago Police.

Convict Mike Connors kills a prison guard and escapes into the countryside. He stops a passing car and hi-jacks it. The car and the dead automobile owner are found in an alley in Chicago.

The case is handed to M-Squad and Lt Frank Ballinger. (Lee Marvin) Connors' mother, Lisa Golm and kid brother, Bobby Driscoll live in Chicago. Marvin pays a visit to both to see if Connors has shown up. The mother, Golm wants nothing to do with her son, Connors, and has disowned him. The brother, Driscoll, however, thinks his brother was framed the first time he went up the river. He will not cooperate at all with the Police.

The Police set up surveillance on Driscoll as well as tapping the family phone line. Sure enough, Connors calls and leaves a three word message, "Pete loves Mary", before hanging up. The Police of course have no idea what the message means. Marvin pays a return visit to the mother, Golm to see if she can help. Fellow detective, DeForest Kelly tails Driscoll when he leaves the apartment. Mary turns out to be the former girlfriend of Connors.

Our boy Marvin quickly pays a visit to the woman, Roberta Haynes. She is reluctant to help since she is now married and wishes to keep her past, private. She does however give Marvin the location of a park bench she and Connors would use on their dates. And it so happens that, Pete loves Mary, is carved into it.

Driscoll has managed to throw his Police tail and meets his brother at the same bench. Connors hands Driscoll a fistful of cash and tells him to rent a car and be back at the bench at 11 that night.

Marvin and the boys in blue, now aware of the likely location of Connors, cordon off the area and wait. They grab up Driscoll when he returns that evening. Marvin uses Driscoll as cover as he attempts to collar Connors. The idea goes sideways and Marvin soon ends up a hostage of Connors. Using Marvin as a shield, Driscoll and Connors drive through the Police roadblock. A short distance later, Connors has Driscoll stop the car. It is now time for a bullet to the back of Marvin's head. Driscoll suddenly realizes the Police are right, and his brother is a wild dog.

He distracts Connors for a split second which allows Marvin to get in a punch. Connors loses the pistol in the dark and he and Marvin engage in a full tilt knuckle dust-up. Driscoll recovers the pistol and holds it on his brother. The snarling Connors goes for the gun. Driscoll fires and Connors is no more. Marvin takes the pistol from Driscoll, then leads him back to the road and the just arriving Police.

Former child star, Driscoll won a special Oscar in 1949 for best juvenile performance. His two most famous roles were, TREASURE ISLAND and the superb film noir, THE WINDOW. Acting success as an adult evaded him and he died at age 31. (b/w)