An Act of Violence 

An elderly woman is robbed and murdered in her apartment. Next target, Quincy. Sam takes trace evidence at the lab before Quince goes to hospital, so that Monahan can track the vicious killers. Quincy struggles with anger from the mugging.

Director:

Michael Braverman

Writers:

Michael Braverman, Glen A. Larson (created by)

Stars:

Jack Klugman, Garry Walberg, John S. Ragin

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Klugman	...	Dr. R. Quincy, M.E.
Garry Walberg	...	Lt. Frank Monahan
John S. Ragin	...	Dr. Robert Asten
Val Bisoglio	...	Danny Tovo
Robert Ito	...	Sam Fujiyama
Joseph Roman	...	Sgt. Brill
Edward Grover	...	Dr. Schoenbeck (as Ed Grover)
Anita Gillette	...	Dr. Emily Hanover
Alan Stock	...	Hector Wing
Danna Hansen	...	Nurse
Brad Gorman	...	Fox
Guy Sartee	...	Garfield
Leoda Richards	...	Vivian Chalmers
James Cord	...	Attendant
Jimmy Joyce	...	Man

Storyline

An old lady is attacked and killed in her own apartment. Quincy is horrified that someone could so callously attack an old woman and is determined to find evidence that will convict the killer. Later, after an evening visit to her apartment looking for more evidence Quincy himself is attacked and mugged, leaving him scared to go out in the dark and making him jump at every sound.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Final appearance of Val Bisoglio as 'Danny'.

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Goofs

At the end Quincy confronts the guy who mugged him. The two are left alone together in a room and Quincy attacks the thug. Dr. Hanover, Quincy's wife, convinces Lt. Monahan not to intervene, hoping that Quincy's anger will be a cathartic therapy and help him get over his depression. However, no Police Officer could allow such a thing to happen as it would likely result in a charge of police brutality and even make prosecution impossible.

User Reviews

Wow...a GOOD episode from season eight!

Perhaps my reason for liking this episode of "Quincy" is because I have been assaulted and can feel for what the characters went through in this show. All I know is that it felt rather satisfying seeing "An Act of Violence".

The show begins with two dirt-bags assaulting an old lady and robbing her. She was so badly kicked and beaten that she died. Unfortunately, Quincy and the police don't yet have enough evidence to know who committed this horrible crime. So, on the way home from a long day's work, Quincy stops by the dead woman's apartment to look about the place. As he's leaving, the same two scum-bags attack him--beating him half to death in the process. What follows is Quincy dealing with not just the physical but emotional effects of the crime, as he knows now what it's like to be a victim and to feel afraid.

I think what made this episode work well was that the show was rather unflinching--at least for 1983. The attack on Quincy looks pretty brutal and the makeup they did on Jack Klugman was great--and really looked real. Additionally, the show rarely really talks about the emotional toll of crime but here it is explored rather well. Also, while unrealistic, it was very satisfying to watch the confrontation scene between Quincy and one of his attackers late in the show. A final VERY important plus in this one is that unlike most of the later "Quincy" shows, this one was VERY forensically-oriented. Several of the techniques they used in the show were really exciting to see--and it made the show look more like the "Quincy" of old.

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 1983 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Winona Motel, 5131 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1