"The Untouchables" The Empty Chair (1959)

Director:

John Peyser

Writers:

David Karp (written by)
Ernest Kinoy (story)

TV Series:

"The Untouchables" (1959)

Original Air Date:

15 October 1959 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Plot:

With Capone in prison, Frank Nitti tries to grab the open top spot in the empire. But Capone's bookkeeper is giving him a run for his money.

Plot Keywords:

Organized Crime | Mafia | Federal Agent | Cult Favorite | Cult TV

Cast

Robert Stack	...	Eliot Ness
Barbara Nichols	...	Brandy La France / Barbara Ritchie
Bruce Gordon	...	Frank Nitti
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Jake Guzik
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Benedict	...	'Fur' Sammons
Wally Cassell	...	Phil D'Andrea
Abel Fernandez	...	Agent William Youngfellow
Betty Garde	...	Norma Guzik
Nicholas Georgiade	...	Agent Enrico Rossi
Allen Jaffe	...	Nitti Henchman in Office (unconfirmed)
Peter Mamakos	...	Gus Raddi
Jerry Paris	...	Agent Martin Flaherty
Herman Rudin	...	Tony 'Mops' Volpe
Hugh Sanders	...	Investigating Officer in Barber Shop (unconfirmed)
Frank Wilcox	...	Beecher Asbury
Harry Wilson	...	Nitti Henchman in Office (unconfirmed)
Walter Winchell	...	Narrator (voice)

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Desilu Productions

Great Start To A Classic TV Series

Not having seen this show in over 40 years and having loved it as a young teen, I couldn't wait for the DVD to finally come out with Season One. I am sorry it's only half of the opening season, but at least it's a start.

This was great to watch, right from the beginning,because, for those like me who have forgotten or for new viewers, it gives us the background of all the major players. We get quick profiles of the men who were called "The Untouchables," beginning with the leader "Elliot Ness," a role that brought a lot of fame to actor Robert Stack.

Stack had already starred in several melodramas in the mid '50s but this TV series really made him a star. His right-hand man on the show, "Enrico Rossi," wasn't on the team right away, as I re-discovered watching this. Rossi (Nicholas Georgiade) was an assistant barber, who witnessed a brutal massacre in his shop and then had "the moxie," as Ness put it, to confront one of the thugs and be willing to testify against Frank Nitti. Ness is so impressed he hires Rossi shortly afterward on a conditional basis.

The opening episode re-unites us with Bruce Gordon as Nitti, "The Enforcer" as he was labeled. He's the chief villain since Al Capone has just been put in jail. We see Nitti try to take charge over the other three major hoods, but is stopped by the much smarter bookkeeper "Jake Guzik" (Nehemiah Persoff), who persuades Nitti and the two others - "Phil D'Andrea and Fur Sammons" - not to make the mistakes Capone made. They'll keep Capone's chair empty (hence the title of this episode) and run things smarter as a group.

Meanwhile, Ness and his boys try to figure out how to get Nitti charged in the murder. That's difficult because the other witness, the head barber, won't testify he saw anything. How can they get Nitti? If not this crime, maybe on tax evasion, or maybe they can start the crooks to mistrust each other. That's the theme for the rest of the program: how to send Nitti and his boys to jail.

It also was fun to see guest star Barbara Nichols who plays "Brandy LaFrance." If that name doesn't suit the roles Barbara played here and in many other TV programs and movies, nothing does.