A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise) (4 Mar. 1982)

Frank investigates a murder case at a bank where a robber shot the clerk and then another staff member, Sally, shot the robber. The autopsy, however, shows differently.

Directors:

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker,

Writers:

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker,

Stars:

Leslie Nielsen, Alan North, Rex Hamilton

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Leslie Nielsen	...	Det. Frank Drebin
Alan North	...	Capt. Ed Hocken
Rex Hamilton	...	Abraham Lincoln
Lorne Greene	...	Stabbed Man
Ed Williams	...	Mr. Olson
William Duell	...	Johnny
Barbara Tarbuck	...	Mrs. Twice
Terry Wills	...	Jim
Terrence Beasor	...	Dr. Zubatsky
Russell Shannon	...	Ralph Twice
Jimmy Briscoe	...	Cop
Kathryn Leigh Scott	...	Sally

Storyline

Frank investigates a murder case at a bank where a robber shot the clerk and then another staff member, Sally, shot the robber. The autopsy, however, shows differently.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | crash into trash can | wig | reference to paul newman | cashing check | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1982 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Schwimmer's TV debut.

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Quotes

Sally Decker: Well, when I first heard the shot, and as I turned, Jim fell.
Capt. Ed Hocken: He's the teller, Frank.
Det. Frank Drebin: Jim Fell's the teller?
Sally Decker: No, Jim Johnson.
Det. Frank Drebin: Who's Jim Fell?
Capt. Ed Hocken: He's the auditor, Frank.
Sally Decker: He had the flu, so Jim
[pauses]
Sally Decker: filled in.
Det. Frank Drebin: Phil who?
[...]

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Connections

Spoofs The Elephant Man (1980)

User Reviews

Gut busting pilot episode.

It really is a crying shame that the 'Police Squad' TV series was so short lived. But at least it led to the creation of the successful "Naked Gun" film series several years later. Leslie Nielsen is absolutely perfect as deadpan detective Frank Drebin, in this pilot that has Frank investigating the double murder at a bank. (Given that the name of the place is Acme, this must be where Wile E. Coyote gets the money to pay for his gadgets.) Anyway, the perpetrator is the seemingly ditzy Sally Decker (foxy Kathryn Leigh Scott), who needed a substantial amount of money to pay off the debt to her orthodontist. Among other things, Drebin realizes the evidence collected by ballistics isn't verifying the story that Sally told, interviews the widow (Barbara Tarbuck) of the supposed hold up man, and goes to his standard source on the street for info, all knowing Johnny (William Duell). Priceless verbal and visual gags punctuate the good natured mayhem, in the manner formulated by the talented Zucker / Abrahams / Zucker team in "The Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Airplane!". One of the best moments has Frank and Sally shooting it out while just a few feet apart. It's also a total hoot when Frank is interrogating a dentist, ripping one wig after another off of Sally's head, and in addition to the standard chalk outline on the bank floor, there's an Egyptian hieroglyphic. A breathless verbal exchange between Frank, his boss Ed Hocken (Alan North), and Sally makes great use of wordplay. The opening sequence began a standard practice in the series of having a special guest star, in this case Lorne Greene, pop up just long enough to get killed violently. All in all, this is quite hilarious and extremely snappy, and has a brilliant wrap up by parodying any and all TV show that's ever ended an episode with a freeze frame. Just try not to laugh as Nielsen and North stand there blinking while trying - not THAT hard

• to maintain their facial expressions. Eight out of 10.