User reviews

"Eliot Ness" (Robert Stack) starts in New York City but goes undercover across the country in San Francisco in this episode. He pretends to be "Whitey Steele," some hood from Chicago and he's doing fine until, of course, someone gets suspicious and begins checking.

The episode is filled with suspense in the second half as Ness infiltrates a new operation designed to take over the "racing wire," a service to bookies across the country. There's also a problem with heroin involved with these hoods.

Henry Silva, one of my favorite "bad guy" actors of the era, guest stars along with Murray Hamilton, who is always good no matter what character he plays.

I couldn't really believe this one. As Eliot Ness properly points out every hood east of the Mississippi knows what he looks like, especially due to the rather public way he goes about smashing crime garnering a lot of publicity for himself. So with some reluctance Robert Stack goes undercover without any of his squad's backup in San Francisco where presumably they don't know him.

It all starts with some hoods gaining control of Murray Hamilton's racing wire service and its national connections. A new crime cartel is being formed and its head will be Eduardo Ciannelli and the racing wire service is all a front for narcotics distribution after its been imported from the Orient.

It all nearly gets undone when a really murderous hood played by Henry Silva recognizes Stack. But of course he gets out of it because of the next Untouchables episode to follow.

No way in the world Eliot Ness ever worked undercover, but a good cast that also includes Sean McClory as a San Francisco police captain makes this story entertaining.