Reed and Malloy, in addition to their normal patrol, are delivering Christmas presents to the poor. The highlight of the episode for me is when our officers purchase an extra gift, a yellow dump truck, for Mrs Ward's son. When she sees the gift her reaction is pure gold and brings tears. Mrs Ward is played by the very pretty Mittie Lawrence who won the 1959 Miss Bronze California contest. She enjoyed an acting career until about 1972.
Adam-12 (TV Series)
Log 122: Christmas - The Yellow Dump Truck (1968)
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First Christmas Episode
Jimmy_the_Gent45 May 2022
Malloy and Reed are delivering Christmas presents to poor families who cannot afford them.
One of the best of Season 1. One of the kids wants a yellow dump truck. Malloy tells Reed he shouldn't get too involved or he will be heartbroken much of the time. He lets him buy the toy truck anyway. The boy's mother is very grateful but her car with the toys gets stolen. Comedy is supplied by an obnoxious drunk arrested for drunk driving. He keeps trying to sing Christmas carols. He is played by 1940s actor and singer Dick Foran. The car thief is caught with the toys but the officers are worried that the toys will be held as evidence. See what happens. I noticed that the car thief had one bloodshot eye.
One of the best of Season 1. One of the kids wants a yellow dump truck. Malloy tells Reed he shouldn't get too involved or he will be heartbroken much of the time. He lets him buy the toy truck anyway. The boy's mother is very grateful but her car with the toys gets stolen. Comedy is supplied by an obnoxious drunk arrested for drunk driving. He keeps trying to sing Christmas carols. He is played by 1940s actor and singer Dick Foran. The car thief is caught with the toys but the officers are worried that the toys will be held as evidence. See what happens. I noticed that the car thief had one bloodshot eye.
"Good-bye Yellow Dump Truck" (Elton John, Except His Words Were "Yellow Brick Road")
chashans30 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's Christmas Eve, 1968 and the Los Angeles Police are out delivering donated toys to needing families. Malloy and Reed encounter a little boy who is determined to see a toy yellow dump truck under the Christmas Tree the next day.
We get to hear Malloy warning Reed about the faults of getting too involved with the people whom he encounters during the course of performing his duties. Malloy knows that Reed wants to go and buy the little boy that yellow dump truck (knowing that there isn't one in the bag of donated toys they're delivering.) As Reed begins to slowly come around to understanding and accepting Malloy's advice, Malloy does a 180 and heads to the nearest toy store. It's nice knowing that Malloy's heart grew three sizes that day.
For most of the episode, M & R fret about the whereabouts of a stolen car. The car belongs to the Mother of the little boy who wants that dump truck. Even worse, the toy dump truck that M & R purchased for the kid is now in the trunk of that stolen car. It's interesting to watch as Malloy reprimands first Reed and then himself for going right on ahead and getting too involved with people they've encountered during the course of performing their duties.
A problem that pops up on numerous episodes of Adam-12 through-out it's 7 year run, is the treatment of drunk drivers as a source for comedy. From a viewpoint some 55 years after this episode aired (I'm reviewing this in 2023) drunk driving is never something to find funny. In this, a Christmas themed episode, Malloy, Reed and a whole gaggle of Police Officers at the Station, all have a great chuckle at the behavior of the drunk driver whom M & R have brought in. This idiot had nearly smashed into Adam-12 while weaving down a suburban street in his car. He then drove across a lawn and crashed into a bush. Now, while waiting to take a test to measure the level of his intoxication, the drunk wants all the Officers and other drunks present, to join him in a chorus of "Jingle Bells". It's frankly incredible to believe that drunks and drunk driving could ever have been used as comic relief in any television series. Ever. Yet alone, a television series about law and order. The ordeal of this segment knocks this episode of Adam-12 down a few notches. Thus the "6" rating I've given it.
Another negative in this Christmas episode is the reuse of a scenario which had appeared already this season in a previous episode. And we're only 12 or so episodes in at this point. AND this is only the first season of the show. This reuse involves a husband and wife having a domestic dispute. As Reed puts it, "On Christmas Eve?" Even the same actor and actress from the previous episode again play the parts of the husband and wife. It may have helped had the episode's writer had Malloy and Reed as well as the fighting couple acknowledge that they had all met before. That doesn't happen, therefore resulting in this particular segment seeming as if it's simply a repeat we're watching. And at Christmas time, too.
As things wrap up, the stolen car is located and the donated toys are still in it. Malloy, Reed and the blood-shot-eyed criminal who stole the car, successfully convince the Detective in charge of Car Thefts that the toys were not involved in the criminal's decision to steal the car. After an unnecessarily long moment of considering the situation - with Reed practically begging while stamping his little feet in antsy frustration - the Detective lets the Officers take off with the toys. Including that yellow dump truck.
And as tiny Officer Wells will one day be known to say, "God bless us, everyone."
We get to hear Malloy warning Reed about the faults of getting too involved with the people whom he encounters during the course of performing his duties. Malloy knows that Reed wants to go and buy the little boy that yellow dump truck (knowing that there isn't one in the bag of donated toys they're delivering.) As Reed begins to slowly come around to understanding and accepting Malloy's advice, Malloy does a 180 and heads to the nearest toy store. It's nice knowing that Malloy's heart grew three sizes that day.
For most of the episode, M & R fret about the whereabouts of a stolen car. The car belongs to the Mother of the little boy who wants that dump truck. Even worse, the toy dump truck that M & R purchased for the kid is now in the trunk of that stolen car. It's interesting to watch as Malloy reprimands first Reed and then himself for going right on ahead and getting too involved with people they've encountered during the course of performing their duties.
A problem that pops up on numerous episodes of Adam-12 through-out it's 7 year run, is the treatment of drunk drivers as a source for comedy. From a viewpoint some 55 years after this episode aired (I'm reviewing this in 2023) drunk driving is never something to find funny. In this, a Christmas themed episode, Malloy, Reed and a whole gaggle of Police Officers at the Station, all have a great chuckle at the behavior of the drunk driver whom M & R have brought in. This idiot had nearly smashed into Adam-12 while weaving down a suburban street in his car. He then drove across a lawn and crashed into a bush. Now, while waiting to take a test to measure the level of his intoxication, the drunk wants all the Officers and other drunks present, to join him in a chorus of "Jingle Bells". It's frankly incredible to believe that drunks and drunk driving could ever have been used as comic relief in any television series. Ever. Yet alone, a television series about law and order. The ordeal of this segment knocks this episode of Adam-12 down a few notches. Thus the "6" rating I've given it.
Another negative in this Christmas episode is the reuse of a scenario which had appeared already this season in a previous episode. And we're only 12 or so episodes in at this point. AND this is only the first season of the show. This reuse involves a husband and wife having a domestic dispute. As Reed puts it, "On Christmas Eve?" Even the same actor and actress from the previous episode again play the parts of the husband and wife. It may have helped had the episode's writer had Malloy and Reed as well as the fighting couple acknowledge that they had all met before. That doesn't happen, therefore resulting in this particular segment seeming as if it's simply a repeat we're watching. And at Christmas time, too.
As things wrap up, the stolen car is located and the donated toys are still in it. Malloy, Reed and the blood-shot-eyed criminal who stole the car, successfully convince the Detective in charge of Car Thefts that the toys were not involved in the criminal's decision to steal the car. After an unnecessarily long moment of considering the situation - with Reed practically begging while stamping his little feet in antsy frustration - the Detective lets the Officers take off with the toys. Including that yellow dump truck.
And as tiny Officer Wells will one day be known to say, "God bless us, everyone."
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