Dragnet (TV Series) The Big Oskar (1958) User Reviews

Boring, Sad Story but the Police Have to Serve All

[biorngm · 5/10 · 15 March 2018]

Review - The Big Oskar Aired 10-14-58 A sad story told through a couple of eccentric and aged characters. A man doesn't like the way his daughter has lived her life these past few months, i.e. getting married to someone she has known for only a short time, the new husband then losing his job, subsequently moving in with the father. Items were reported stolen by an eccentric woman, giving a vague description of the thief driving a green car.

The man saw the opportunity to blame his new son-in-law for the theft when he conveniently shows Friday, Smith and the lady owning the stolen items. He cannot go through with the ruse and confesses to the crime, having used the car Larry, the son-in-law, drives for an afternoon appointment; noticing this lady moving things into her home, taking her box, putting it into his garage. The theft victim wants the man and her to settle the matter themselves; Friday says it doesn't work that way, arresting the man for stealing the silverware.

The lady is a victim, but wants to write about the crime details in her local shopper, as she is a frequent contributor. When she tells the police she will handle the matter from here, her motives are to scope the big newspapers on the story. The man plead guilty to the charge of petty theft, one count, Oskar Hovejg was placed on probation.

Friday, Smith talk to only two people during the episode, the thief and the victim. It is one of those cases where it is not exciting, but the police have to cover every lead when they arise. Not the highest rated episode in the series run and certainly the lowest rated from my two disc set of DVD's on early Dragnet.

This one is funny

[susanj50 · 7/10 · 29 June 2006]

A strange man, Oskar, comes in to Sargeants Friday and Smith to report that he has recovered some stolen property. He refuses to give any real information and wants the officers to come to his house. Oskar gives three pieces of stolen silverware to the officers who quickly determine that it has been stolen.

They then contact the owner who has filed a police report on the matter. They all meet at the home of Oskar and eventually the entire matter is straightened own.

The question in this matter is who is more absurd, Oskar, or the owner of the stolen goods, Mrs. Face.

If you want an episode of Dragnet which is funny this one should be watched. The interactions between the characters is quite good and the show is up to the regular standards of Dragnet.

Check the Scenery for Chew Marks

[dougdoepke · 12 May 2007]

The case is an interesting one in the way it's rather mysteriously introduced. It's hard to know what to make of Oskar, the elderly Norweigian gentleman. He has all the solemn seriousness of a man carrying some awful secret, but what could it be.

Unfortunately, the episode does not live up to the potential. Producer-director Webb, it would seem, has to make an interesting 30 minutes out of two characters who basically do nothing but talk. Apparently, his solution is to have each act the part of an extreme eccentric. In Oskar's case it works pretty well-- we accept him as a man with a very refined conscience. Amzie Strickland's Miss Face, however, is so outrageously overdone that I had to check whether this was really Dragnet-- a series that earned its reputation on consistent underplaying. But there she is hooting and hollering like the old woman from The Beverly Hillbillies. Even her tearful mode is badly overdone. In the process, Oskar's human interest gets badly overshadowed. With some restraint, this could have been a memorable entry. For me, it still is, but for the wrong reasons.

Don't watch this one....seriously, DON'T!!!

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 24 December 2013]

Although I love "Dragnet", I simply cannot recommend anyone sees this particular episode. The only folks who perhaps should is anyone who is an aspiring actor so that they can see an excellent example of someone hamming it up or, as an other reviewer says 'chewing the scenery'. It is embarrassingly bad, believe me.

The show is about a guy named Oskar who reports a theft--but does it in a very weird and circuitous way. As for Oskar, his character makes little sense and is acted, poorly, by Fay Roope. However, Mr. Roope was fortunate that Amzie Strickland (as Elma Face) was so much more horrible and overacted in such a horrible manner that you barely noticed his horrible acting!! It was just dreadful and was among the worst performances in TV history--it is THAT bad!!! Really. Do yourself a favor--just skip this one and see another. The show really is exceptional...just not this one.