Inquisition 

Lieutenant Scanlon investigates an anonymous letter that identifies a member of the precinct as a homosexual. An angry shopper destroys to an elevator's MUZAK machine.

Director:

Noam Pitlik

Writers:

Tony Sheehan (teleplay by), Jim Tisdale (story by)

Stars:

Hal Linden, Max Gail, Ron Glass

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Hal Linden	...	Capt. Barney Miller
Max Gail	...	Det. Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz
Ron Glass	...	Det. Ron Harris
Steve Landesberg	...	Det. Sgt. Arthur Dietrich
Ron Carey	...	Officer Carl Levitt
Dino Natali	...	Officer Zatelli
Norman Bartold	...	Jack Corwin
Peter Jurasik	...	George Alsop
David Darlow	...	Burglar
George Murdock	...	Lt. Ben Scanlon

Storyline

Lieutenant Scanlon pays an unwelcome visit to the 12th precinct to investigate the origins of an anonymous letter sent by an officer who admits to being a homosexual. Barney doesn't see the issue, but homophobic Scanlon is itching to weed out the author of the letter, and decides to question each officer of the 12th precinct in hopes finding out who it is. During the investigation Barney finds out, in confidence, that it is Officer Zetelli but refuses to tell Scanlon. Meanwhile, a frustrated office worker is arrested when he destroys the MUSAK system in his office because he believes that it is delivering subliminal messages.

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Plot Keywords:

homosexual | muzak | anonymous letter | letter | gay policeman | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

When this episode airs in repeats, the name of the Muzak Corporation is masked out. The actors lips move, but the sound is cut. It is still easy to tell what the line is due to context. While it has come to be a generic term for inoffensive music (as "Kleenex" has for facial tissues), the Muzak Corporation is a real corporation extant as of 2020.

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Connections

Referenced in Barney Miller: The Child Stealers (1980)

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Soundtracks

Romeo and Juliet: Fantasy Overture
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (as Peter Il'yich Tchaikovsky)
Courtesy of Extreme Music

User Reviews

Sixth season opener

"Inquisition" marked the sixth season opener, featuring George Murdock in his fifth of 12 appearances as Lt. Ben Scanlon from Internal Affairs, this time investigating an anonymous unsigned confession from someone at the 12th Precinct, revealing himself to be homosexual. Scanlon interviews the entire squad room, hoping to discover if the incident is "widespread, or just some isolated pervert!" Barney is made aware of just who the culprit is, but insists that he remain anonymous (Scanlon: "I want to hear that from him!"). David Darlow (second of two) plays a burglar who struck at an adult bookstore, railing against 'filthy' merchandise he can't hock. Peter Jurasik (second of two) plays George Alsop, campaigning against department store elevator music, which he insists are planting subliminal messages intended for mind control. Norman Bartold (second of five) plays Jack Corwin, from Automated Moods Inc., casually humming "The Sound of Music" as he goes about his business, deciding not to press charges against Alsop because his company wants to keep a lid on their 'subliminal' practices. Dino Natali makes his third of five appearances as Officer Zatelli.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1979 (USA)

Filming Locations:

ABC Television Center - 4151 Prospect Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four D Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1