This episode of "Dragnet" is somewhat reminiscent of another earlier one from the show ("The Big Amateur") because the leading character is a man who is posing as a government official, but he's a phony. However, unlike the basically harmless (and very, very, very efficient) Officer Dengle in the other episode, the guy in this one is quite pathetic...but also clearly a criminal.
The show begins with a Park Ranger being brought in to explain why he has stolen checks and credit cards on him. The guy (Stacy Harris--a very, very frequent guest on the show) is adamant that he's done nothing wrong and does little but spout out textbook-like talk about the environment. So instead of sounding like a real person, he talks like he's giving a lecture--which, incidentally, he says he's supposed to be doing at that moment. His story, however, doesn't check out and the more the detectives dig, the more obvious that this guy isn't Barney Regal. But who is he? And, why is he posing as a Ranger? And, why is he stealing from the people he claims to be serving.
This is a rather sad case with strong psychiatric overtones. Interesting, yes, but not as satisfying or fun to watch as "The Big Amateur". In fact, in some ways this one is a bit hard to watch. The guy is a crook but he's also a very, very sad and pathetic loser. Worth a look.
The show begins with a Park Ranger being brought in to explain why he has stolen checks and credit cards on him. The guy (Stacy Harris--a very, very frequent guest on the show) is adamant that he's done nothing wrong and does little but spout out textbook-like talk about the environment. So instead of sounding like a real person, he talks like he's giving a lecture--which, incidentally, he says he's supposed to be doing at that moment. His story, however, doesn't check out and the more the detectives dig, the more obvious that this guy isn't Barney Regal. But who is he? And, why is he posing as a Ranger? And, why is he stealing from the people he claims to be serving.
This is a rather sad case with strong psychiatric overtones. Interesting, yes, but not as satisfying or fun to watch as "The Big Amateur". In fact, in some ways this one is a bit hard to watch. The guy is a crook but he's also a very, very sad and pathetic loser. Worth a look.