"Hawk" was Burt Reynolds' first television show where he played the protagonist. He was cast as a New York City Police Detective from a family of steel working Indians. In "Do Not Fold, Mutilate, or Spindle," our heroic Native American cop is searching for an elevator strangler played by none other than Gene Hackman! For the record, this was the first time that Reynolds and Hackman co-starred until later in "The Lucky Lady" (1975) with Liza Minnelli. Hackman is a displaced elevator worker, a man replaced by automation. Later, when Houston Worth (Gene Hackman) goes to the hospital, he winds up stabbing an intern when the doctor notices a bloody bandage on Worth's hand removed it to find a bite mark. When he isn't strangling women in an elevator or stabbing a doctors, Worth harasses a young lady over the telephone, Jane 'Scooter' Charleton (Elianne Nadeau) that rides a motor scooter and often poses for painters. Eventually, Hawk corners Houston in a back alley and wounds him before the police arrive to take the hammer wielding felon into custody. Sam Wannamaker does a good job of directing this police procedural with John Marley as a newspaper vendor who helps Hawk capture the murderer. The entire show takes place at night, and reliance is placed on the use of computers—early, huge, and bulky computers with punch cards. Talk about a treat! Hackman is excellent. Reynolds spends the entire show dressed in a smart-looking trench coat and he sticks his .38 in his waistband.
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