"Quincy M.E." Snake Eyes: Part 1 (1977)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Joel Oliansky

Writers:

Michael Sloan (teleplay) and
Joel Oliansky (teleplay) ...

TV Series:

"Quincy M.E." (1976)

Original Air Date:

4 February 1977 (Season 2, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Coroner | Murder | Cult Favorite | Courtroom | Amateur Detective

Cast

Jack Klugman	...	Dr. R. Quincy, M.E.
John S. Ragin	...	Dr. Robert Asten (credit only)
Garry Walberg	...	Lt. Frank Monahan (credit only)
Val Bisoglio	...	Danny Tovo
Robert Ito	...	Sam Fujiyama (credit only)
Joseph Roman	...	Sgt. Brill (credit only)
Frank Converse	...	Dr. Larry Pines
Buddy Hackett	...	Ronnie Fletcher
Val Avery	...	Rawley Dinehart
Milt Kamen	...	Assistant Manager Leo Burke
Joey Forman	...	Harv Bracken
Lynette Mettey	...	Lee
Van Johnson	...	Al Ringerman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Caine	...	Security Guard
Sharon Cintron	...	Stormy
John Clavin	...	Hansen
Vince Howard	...	Hardee, the Pilot
Sammy Jackson	...	News Announcer
Michael Keenan	...	Man
Lev Mailer
Jodie Mann	...	Nurse
Frank Maxwell	...	Dr. Michaels
William Mims	...	DeGroot
Michele Roman	...	Angie

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal TV

Top quality classic Quincy.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Quincy M.E.: Snake Eyes: Part 1 is set in Las Vegas where LA coroner Quincy (Jack Klugman) is attending & pathologist convention, all goes well & once it's over he settles down to enjoy the rest of his stay there with his woman friend Lee (Lynette Mettey). However Quincy's enjoyment is rudely interrupted when he gets a call from the assistant manager of the hotel he is staying in, it turns out that there is some sort of disease sweeping through the hotel & dozens of guests are infected. Quincy does his best to help but people start to die, the hotel manager Al Ringerman (Val Johnson) wants it kept quiet to avoid bad publicity while Quincy wants it kept quiet so the other guests don't panic leave the hotel & spread a potentially fatal disease across America so they come to a compromise. Can Quincy discover the cause & find a cure while there's still people left alive to save?

Episode 1 from season 2 this Quincy story was directed by Joel Oliansky & is a terrific way to kick off the second season. A two part story this first part is classic Quincy, as usual whenever he is on holiday or trying to enjoy himself away from the lab a medical emergency occurs & he has to deal with it as well as contend with the usual bureaucracy & uncooperative officials who only look out for themselves. This is also a departure from the murder mystery stories that littered the first season proving the show could tackle a wide variety of issues & story lines. What I like about this one is that it's not political or one of those horrible episodes with a moral & gives Quincy a good mystery to solve, a race against time & some dead bodies as well. It moves along at a nice pace, the character's are good & even at this point you feel like you've known Quincy all your life. There is also a subplot about a gangster gambling all his money away in a casino & a stand-up comedian who spouts some really bad jokes.

This one looks alright, it does look dated at times & some of those hair-dos & suits are just plain frightening. The acting is good from all involved & Danny gets a bigger role than usual in this one. One of the few episodes not to feature either Lt. Monahan, Sgt. Brill, Sam or Dr. Asten.

Snake Eyes: Part 1 is a great Quincy episode & sets things up nicely for Part 2, a must for fans & I'm sure a wider audience would enjoy this too. Perfect afternoon viewing.