The earliest and one of the best phony venue episodes, where they convince the target that he is in another place and time. Unlike many that followed, it is actually believable, thanks primarily to a stellar turn by Fritz Weaver and some convincing work by the regulars, notably a dressed-down Barbara Bain. The last minute glitch (Rogosh finds out where he really is before he has completely revealed his plan to spread a deadly plague in Los Angeles) and its solution (locking the villain in a cell with three vials of the plague bacteria set to explode) are especially ingenious and suspenseful. Briggs' role as a stooped, ineffectual attorney leads to an astute observation by Rogosh: "You, the weakest one, you must be the leader." Top-notch example of the IMF at its sharpest.
4 Reviews
Operation Rogosh
Prismark103 March 2024
The kernel of this story has been done before and since the broadcast of this episode.
The movie 36 hours with James Garner. Based on a short story by Roald Dahl called Beware of the Dog.
I am more familiar with the movie Inside Out starring Telly Savalas. Even the Tom Cruise use the playbook in the Mission Impossible movies.
Imre Rogosh (Fritz Weaver) is a terrorist specialising in mass murder. Rogash has been spotted in California probably planning his latest terrorist outrage.
Rogosh will not break under normal interrogation. Daniel Briggs needs to find a way to make him talk. An elaborate hoax.
One way is to make Rogosh believe he has woken up several years after the event after a car accident in a prison cell in another country.
The episode is stylishly shot that conveys Rogosh's bewilderment.
The movie 36 hours with James Garner. Based on a short story by Roald Dahl called Beware of the Dog.
I am more familiar with the movie Inside Out starring Telly Savalas. Even the Tom Cruise use the playbook in the Mission Impossible movies.
Imre Rogosh (Fritz Weaver) is a terrorist specialising in mass murder. Rogash has been spotted in California probably planning his latest terrorist outrage.
Rogosh will not break under normal interrogation. Daniel Briggs needs to find a way to make him talk. An elaborate hoax.
One way is to make Rogosh believe he has woken up several years after the event after a car accident in a prison cell in another country.
The episode is stylishly shot that conveys Rogosh's bewilderment.
Trial of a Mass Murderer
profh-11 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Imre Rogosh-- known as "The Monster"-- has been responsible for thousands of deaths in various contries. Now he's in Los Angeles, and it's Dan's job to find out what he's up to and PREVENT it from happenning, before it's too late. Dan engineers a traffic accident, and when Rogosh wakes up, he's made to think he's in a castle prison back home-- it's 3 YEARS later-- and he has amnesia and can't remember anything since the accident! I normally hate "amnesia" stories, but not this one (heh)!
Cinnamon gets to really do some acting in this one, making this the first episode with evidence of why Barbara Bain won an Emmy for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. Barney gets to do a lot of talking over a sound system, imitating a news announcer-- before Willy gets to beat him up for real while Barney's posing as a student activist. Rollin plays a prosecutor (and we once again get to see what a laid-back, likable guy he is when out of range of the baddies), while Dan poses as a completely-ineffective defense counsel.
TWO plot twists complicate things. The first is when Rogosh's accomplices find out where he's being held-- and decide to KILL him to prevent him from talking. The second is when, near the end, Rogosh figures out what's really going on-- arrogantly brags they haven't gotten all the info out of him they want-- and then pegs Dan as the leader-- just before Dan DECKS him. And then they have to pull ONE more con to get him to talk before it's too late-- for HIM!
Fritz Weaver (CREEPSHOW) is "Imre Rogosh", a dangerously intelligent and clearly insane fanatic. Charles Maxwell (who played "Virgil Earp" on STAR TREK) is "Lazloff", who gets the job to assassinate his own boss. James Lanphier (THE PINK PANTHER) is "Klimi", who gives the order to kill his own boss.
An awful lot more people than usual were employed by Dan Briggs to pull this con game off. I'm sure most of them had NO idea what was really going on around them. When it was all over, all I could think to say was... "HOLY S***!" Boy, was this a good one.
Cinnamon gets to really do some acting in this one, making this the first episode with evidence of why Barbara Bain won an Emmy for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. Barney gets to do a lot of talking over a sound system, imitating a news announcer-- before Willy gets to beat him up for real while Barney's posing as a student activist. Rollin plays a prosecutor (and we once again get to see what a laid-back, likable guy he is when out of range of the baddies), while Dan poses as a completely-ineffective defense counsel.
TWO plot twists complicate things. The first is when Rogosh's accomplices find out where he's being held-- and decide to KILL him to prevent him from talking. The second is when, near the end, Rogosh figures out what's really going on-- arrogantly brags they haven't gotten all the info out of him they want-- and then pegs Dan as the leader-- just before Dan DECKS him. And then they have to pull ONE more con to get him to talk before it's too late-- for HIM!
Fritz Weaver (CREEPSHOW) is "Imre Rogosh", a dangerously intelligent and clearly insane fanatic. Charles Maxwell (who played "Virgil Earp" on STAR TREK) is "Lazloff", who gets the job to assassinate his own boss. James Lanphier (THE PINK PANTHER) is "Klimi", who gives the order to kill his own boss.
An awful lot more people than usual were employed by Dan Briggs to pull this con game off. I'm sure most of them had NO idea what was really going on around them. When it was all over, all I could think to say was... "HOLY S***!" Boy, was this a good one.
Setting the pattern for some future episodes--this one is a classic.
planktonrules20 January 2014
"Operation Rogosh" is among the best episodes of not just season one but for the entire series. And, it was so good that several later episodes used similar formulas.
An international terrorist, Imre Rogosh (Fritz Weaver) has been spotted in the United States. However, instead of taking him into custody, the Secretary has a mission for the IM Force--to make Rogosh talk and tell what he's done while in the US. This is of paramount importance because Rogosh is no ordinary spy--he's a terrorist and mass murder is not out of the question.
The mission begins with Rogosh and a colleague walking down a street in a big city. Suddenly, a car comes barreling down on them and strikes Rogosh. Before anyone can think, an ambulance rushes to the scene and spirits away the unconscious man. However, this was no accident--the car was driven by a professional and they just wanted to knock Rogosh out and take him, not kill the man.
When Rogosh awakens, he finds that a long time has passed since the accident--and that's the key. Little time has actually passed and the mission is to convince the man that time has passed--and the mission he was on failed. Or did it? The bottom line is that they hope to confuse the man enough that they actually get him to divulge the secret. See the show to find out for yourself.
In later missions, the IM Force kidnapped scum-bags and convinced them they were on submarines (when they were on land) and that a nuclear bomb detonated when they were in an underground bunker! I am sure there were other similar film-flams by the gang--all were great shows. Well worth seeing and exquisitely written--even if the idea was originally used in "36 Hours" (with James Garner).
An international terrorist, Imre Rogosh (Fritz Weaver) has been spotted in the United States. However, instead of taking him into custody, the Secretary has a mission for the IM Force--to make Rogosh talk and tell what he's done while in the US. This is of paramount importance because Rogosh is no ordinary spy--he's a terrorist and mass murder is not out of the question.
The mission begins with Rogosh and a colleague walking down a street in a big city. Suddenly, a car comes barreling down on them and strikes Rogosh. Before anyone can think, an ambulance rushes to the scene and spirits away the unconscious man. However, this was no accident--the car was driven by a professional and they just wanted to knock Rogosh out and take him, not kill the man.
When Rogosh awakens, he finds that a long time has passed since the accident--and that's the key. Little time has actually passed and the mission is to convince the man that time has passed--and the mission he was on failed. Or did it? The bottom line is that they hope to confuse the man enough that they actually get him to divulge the secret. See the show to find out for yourself.
In later missions, the IM Force kidnapped scum-bags and convinced them they were on submarines (when they were on land) and that a nuclear bomb detonated when they were in an underground bunker! I am sure there were other similar film-flams by the gang--all were great shows. Well worth seeing and exquisitely written--even if the idea was originally used in "36 Hours" (with James Garner).
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