Burglary: Helpful Woman 

The police ask the press to publicize the M.O. of a woman who burglarizes elderly people in an effort to either catch her or scare her out of Los Angeles. She claims that an employment ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Webb

Writer:

Michael Donovan

Stars:

Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Nydia Westman

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jack Webb	...	Sergeant Joe Friday
Harry Morgan	...	Officer Bill Gannon
Nydia Westman	...	Martha Anderson
Julie Bennett	...	Evelyn Gentry
Ralph Moody	...	Chester Anderson
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Bessie McDermott
Dick Whittinghill	...	Himself
Art Balinger	...	Capt. Ken Green
Ed Deemer	...	Sgt. Bert Crew
Don Ross	...	Carl Freeman
Lillian Powell	...	Edna Kissinger
Dorothy Morris	...	Betty Matthews

Storyline

The police ask the press to publicize the M.O. of a woman who burglarizes elderly people in an effort to either catch her or scare her out of Los Angeles. She claims that an employment agency sent her out and when told that they never asked for help, she gains their confidence by doing things for them and steals valuables while doing it.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 1970 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mark VII Ltd.,Dragnet Productions,Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the elderly couple are looking at mug shots they point to one and identify it as the woman who burglarized them. The woman in the photo in the long shot is different from the one in the closeup shot from above.

User Reviews

Evelyn Gentry us scum.

The character 'Evelyn Gentry' in this episode is a truly horrible person. She specializes in stealing from old people and the handicapped! It takes a truly special person to do such a thing! She steals by first showing up at an person's home--saying she was sent their by an employment agency. However, when the homeowner says they did NOT contact an agency, Gentry asks to use the phone--and says she learned there was a mistake and apologizes for the inconvenience. Then, she talks to the people and gains their confidence--all the while, looking about the house for things to steal--most often cash.

After many reports of this scam, Friday and Gannon get a break--a lady (Ann Morgan Gilbert) calls to say she saw a lady fitting the m.o. and she told the lady the old handicapped man was out but would return later. She then phoned the police. Gannon posed as this man and Ms. Gentry does return later--and she's as sweet as she can be--as she steals from what she thinks is a handicapped vet! Sweet! Overall, a rather interesting episode...and boy will you hate Gentry by the time the show is complete! By the way, this is the second episode that had an appearance by Ann Morgan Guilbert--that's 'Millie' from "The Dick Van Dyke Show". She was feisty and fun in this episode.