Takeover 

The demand for real beer goes unabated and Charlie Zenko tries to consolidate his control of the North side of Chicago. He arranges for brew master Franz Koenig to get a visit from Eliot ... See full summary »

Director:

Bernard L. Kowalski (as Bernard Louis Kowalski)

Writers:

Eliot Ness (book), Oscar Fraley (book)

Stars:

Robert Stack, Luther Adler, Robert Loggia

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Robert Stack	...	Eliot Ness
Luther Adler	...	Charlie Zenko
Robert Loggia	...	Leo Mencken / Larry Zenko
Collin Wilcox Paxton	...	Ann Gratzner (as Collin Wilcox)
John Banner	...	Franz Koenig
Paul Picerni	...	Lee Hobson
Nicholas Georgiade	...	Enrico Rossi
Abel Fernandez	...	William Youngfellow
Mort Mills	...	Woody O'Mara
Leonard Nimoy	...	Packy
Oscar Beregi Jr.	...	Joe Kulak (as Oscar Beregi)
Chris Carter	...	Shimmy Dancer
Bruno VeSota	...	Defense Counsel (as Bruno Ve Sota)
William Bryant	...	Prosecuting Attorney
Walter Winchell	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

The demand for real beer goes unabated and Charlie Zenko tries to consolidate his control of the North side of Chicago. He arranges for brew master Franz Koenig to get a visit from Eliot Ness. At his trial however, Koenig is saved when a stranger, Leo Mencken, provides him with the alibi he needs. Soon Koenig and Mencken are partners and are using Mencken's unique way of temporarily masking the re-alcoholization of the beer they produce. Charlie Zenko is none too pleased that his competition is back on the street but has the good sense to check with New York mobster Joe Kulak who confirms that Mencken is working for him. When they finally meet, Charlie Zenko is shocked to see just who Leo Mencken really is.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1962 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desilu Productions,Langford Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The date this originally televised, on Thursday, March 1st, 1962, was one day before an NBA feat of Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points scoring (alone) & other numerous records were broken that Friday evening, March 2nd, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

User Reviews

The Northside Beer Wars

Eliot Ness and The Untouchables get involved in this episode in the Beer Wars on Chicago's North side. As is shown here it is a fact that brewers as opposed to those who made distilled whiskeys were able to keep open their plants by manufacturing what we still call near beer. The 18th amendment itself has a specific alcohol level in its language which if you go above you are in violation of the Constitution itself in those days. Years ago I remember how Jacob Ruppert anticipating Prohibition gradually shifted to near beer and soft drinks for his Knickerbocker brewing company. It was because he stayed legal and still made money that he was able to stock the New York Yankees and create a dynasty.

Now maybe Colonel Ruppert might have sold some illegal beer on the side just like John Banner does here. But he sure didn't caught and he never came to the attention of Treasury agents.

Banner is part of a war with Luther Adler leading the opposition and Robert Loggia playing both sides to come out on top. Playing a very sad role is Collin Wilcox who sees her boss killed whom she betrayed and her boyfriend Mort Mills on the other side also rubbed out and quite spectacularly.

Funny how in many Untouchables episodes and in real life how these gangster wars seem to resolve themselves, of course with some pressure from law enforcement forcing the bad guys to make moves they might not ordinarily make. Such an episode is this one from The Untouchables.