Wow, even what are in my book "lame" Adam 12 episodes turn out really good in the end. In this one two idiots are fighting over a boat they bought together. Now these two losers have two hot wives, one would think that their attentions would go elsewhere but no its over a stupid little boat. And these guys will not freaking stop, man when the cops come to my door the last thing I want is for them to come back, but these two wont stop. Pete warns them after the second time that if he comes back one of them is going to jail, and this is where the guys drop the ball. The two are fighting on the floor of the garage when the cops come back a third time in 24 hours, they should have arrested them both for disorderly conduct, but I'm not a cop so I may be wrong but I know a lot of cops and thats what would have gone down. Instead, they take them both down to file arrest charges against one another, both drop their complaints and they are let go. The ending is what makes it interesting, I'll let you watch it but think Manslaughter. Weaker Adam 12 episode, no gun play, or drugs, or stolen car chases, or child neglect, or riots, or whatever, just two guys over a boat, but still a shocker in the end. Malloy and Reed dropped the ball but its still good TV 8 of 10 episode, 10 of 10 show.
Adam-12 (TV Series)
Log 92: Tell Him He Pushed Back a Little Too Hard (1969)
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A Boat Full Of Trouble For Malloy And Reed
chashans31 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Malloy and Reed have to work with two neighboring couples throughout this episode. Call after call have the partners returning to the same address due to another "partnership" which has devolved into outright hatred. The husbands of these two couples have bought a boat together and a former friendship has turned to dire ugliness.
This episode reminds me of another episode of another Classic TV show in which two best pal neighbors buy a boat together. There also, the partnership went keel up. This was the sit-com, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and the 3rd season episode, "Ballad of the Betty Lou". Main character Rob Petrie and his neighbor, Jerry Halper, have been friends for years. That friendship was long developed. The episode, which aired some five and a half years prior to this Adam-12 episode, shows the quick decline in that friendship once the boat comes into their lives. Both Rob and Jerry even sport the same Boat Captain's Cap that the Miles character in this Adam-12 episode wears. The Miles character reminds me of Jerry, and the neighbor Sidney character reminds me of Rob Petrie. There's a little extra coincidence ("non" really) that the Sidney character is portrayed by future sit-com "Bewitched" star, Dick Sargent. Sargent played the part of Darrin Mk II in that series. He's terrific here as the mousey Sidney who is sick of being pushed around by his ex-friend, and it would seem, the world.
Thankfully, and obviously understandably, the relationship between Rob Petrie and Jerry Halper does not descend into the utter catastrophic horror that befalls the two Adam-12 guest characters. It is a bit beyond the expected as to how the writer concludes this episode-long story. It all starts out seeming rather humorous. The Miles character seems simply a bit "over the top" in his initial reactions to the deeds done by his neighbor regarding the boat. Plus, the character's wife, Agnes, comes across as just a bit befuddled at her husband's behavior. Later there's a "funny" revelation when the bad-sighted Sidney smashes the back window of his neighbor's Station Wagon automobile, but it turns out that he actually smashed the window of his own nearly-identical car. You can almost hear the "silly sit-com musical beat" when Sidney's wife admonishes his idiocy and he squints his eyes in puzzled reaction.
Then too, there's Malloy's humorous exasperated reactions throughout the first two-thirds of the episode. A funny moment has Malloy standing at the entrance of Sidney's garage (where the boat is being stored) rolling his eyes in humorous disgust. Then he motions each man to "come closer" for a nice heart-to-heart-to-heart conversation. Reed, meanwhile, stands around watching, along with the two wives. All grinning with hearty disdain at the nutty behavior of the two silly nitwits. Later, there's another, very unnecessary scene back at the Station House, involving Detective Jerry Miller. Malloy has to stand waiting while the Detective has a frustrating conversation via telephone with his three-year old daughter. So another "light-hearted moment" following those other light-hearted moments. Although, yes, there was a bit of violence thrown in when Miles and Sidney have a bit of a scuffle on the floor of Sidney's garage.
And then the boom-mast falls. Big time. Major time. Complete astonishing "What the- ?" time. One last police call to Sidney's garage has Malloy yelling full-force at Miles' way-past-befuddled, now completely horrified wife. The destroyed friendship has now led to four utterly destroyed lives. A very shocking final outcome to what had seemed, at it's basic root, to be a story about a couple of silly acting neighbors. Perhaps this was the point of the script and of the production. Adam-12 creator, Jack Webb, always wanted his shows, including "Dragnet", "Adam-12" and "Emergency!", to have true impact - reactionary impact - on the viewing audience. Here, that audience has been entertained by seeming goofy behavior for some 20 minutes. Then BAM! Look at how goofy behavior can sometimes ultimately end up! A lesson taught to the audience and a lesson learned? Maybe. Maybe that sudden horrific turn of events did lodge into the minds of viewers back in 1969. Maybe it still does with every viewing ever since. Don't let those molehills and fishing-boats become mountains and Titanics.
Oh, there's just one more thing. (And no, it's not in regards to learning to distinguish the difference between a boat and a ship while sailing upon Troubled Waters. Honestly, it Tisn't.) In a late-in-the-series episode of Adam-12, Officer Jim Reed wants partner Pete Malloy to go into a partnership together. Reed wants the two to purchase a boat together! They even take a look at a nice boat that has a lower cabin and everything. Very nice. This one has a good outcome though. The boat is sold before they can put a down-payment on it. You have to wonder though. Would Reed have ended up killing Malloy because of something gone wrong with the boat? Or would Malloy have killed Reed? Maybe Michael Caine would have shown up one day and ended it all with a real Shock To The System. Sorry about that.
This episode reminds me of another episode of another Classic TV show in which two best pal neighbors buy a boat together. There also, the partnership went keel up. This was the sit-com, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and the 3rd season episode, "Ballad of the Betty Lou". Main character Rob Petrie and his neighbor, Jerry Halper, have been friends for years. That friendship was long developed. The episode, which aired some five and a half years prior to this Adam-12 episode, shows the quick decline in that friendship once the boat comes into their lives. Both Rob and Jerry even sport the same Boat Captain's Cap that the Miles character in this Adam-12 episode wears. The Miles character reminds me of Jerry, and the neighbor Sidney character reminds me of Rob Petrie. There's a little extra coincidence ("non" really) that the Sidney character is portrayed by future sit-com "Bewitched" star, Dick Sargent. Sargent played the part of Darrin Mk II in that series. He's terrific here as the mousey Sidney who is sick of being pushed around by his ex-friend, and it would seem, the world.
Thankfully, and obviously understandably, the relationship between Rob Petrie and Jerry Halper does not descend into the utter catastrophic horror that befalls the two Adam-12 guest characters. It is a bit beyond the expected as to how the writer concludes this episode-long story. It all starts out seeming rather humorous. The Miles character seems simply a bit "over the top" in his initial reactions to the deeds done by his neighbor regarding the boat. Plus, the character's wife, Agnes, comes across as just a bit befuddled at her husband's behavior. Later there's a "funny" revelation when the bad-sighted Sidney smashes the back window of his neighbor's Station Wagon automobile, but it turns out that he actually smashed the window of his own nearly-identical car. You can almost hear the "silly sit-com musical beat" when Sidney's wife admonishes his idiocy and he squints his eyes in puzzled reaction.
Then too, there's Malloy's humorous exasperated reactions throughout the first two-thirds of the episode. A funny moment has Malloy standing at the entrance of Sidney's garage (where the boat is being stored) rolling his eyes in humorous disgust. Then he motions each man to "come closer" for a nice heart-to-heart-to-heart conversation. Reed, meanwhile, stands around watching, along with the two wives. All grinning with hearty disdain at the nutty behavior of the two silly nitwits. Later, there's another, very unnecessary scene back at the Station House, involving Detective Jerry Miller. Malloy has to stand waiting while the Detective has a frustrating conversation via telephone with his three-year old daughter. So another "light-hearted moment" following those other light-hearted moments. Although, yes, there was a bit of violence thrown in when Miles and Sidney have a bit of a scuffle on the floor of Sidney's garage.
And then the boom-mast falls. Big time. Major time. Complete astonishing "What the- ?" time. One last police call to Sidney's garage has Malloy yelling full-force at Miles' way-past-befuddled, now completely horrified wife. The destroyed friendship has now led to four utterly destroyed lives. A very shocking final outcome to what had seemed, at it's basic root, to be a story about a couple of silly acting neighbors. Perhaps this was the point of the script and of the production. Adam-12 creator, Jack Webb, always wanted his shows, including "Dragnet", "Adam-12" and "Emergency!", to have true impact - reactionary impact - on the viewing audience. Here, that audience has been entertained by seeming goofy behavior for some 20 minutes. Then BAM! Look at how goofy behavior can sometimes ultimately end up! A lesson taught to the audience and a lesson learned? Maybe. Maybe that sudden horrific turn of events did lodge into the minds of viewers back in 1969. Maybe it still does with every viewing ever since. Don't let those molehills and fishing-boats become mountains and Titanics.
Oh, there's just one more thing. (And no, it's not in regards to learning to distinguish the difference between a boat and a ship while sailing upon Troubled Waters. Honestly, it Tisn't.) In a late-in-the-series episode of Adam-12, Officer Jim Reed wants partner Pete Malloy to go into a partnership together. Reed wants the two to purchase a boat together! They even take a look at a nice boat that has a lower cabin and everything. Very nice. This one has a good outcome though. The boat is sold before they can put a down-payment on it. You have to wonder though. Would Reed have ended up killing Malloy because of something gone wrong with the boat? Or would Malloy have killed Reed? Maybe Michael Caine would have shown up one day and ended it all with a real Shock To The System. Sorry about that.
Plain episode interrupted by spots of excitement
ronnybee211216 September 2020
As a previous reviewer noted,this episode is not particularly memorable or exciting,and it is not exactly a cliff-hanger.
Car chases,
shootouts,fístfights? Sorry Charlie,none to be seen here...
On the other hand,the police occasionally do have boring days,so this is not implausible,but it is boring to watch in spots. Only the high production values of the show and the seasoned cast save this from being a dud.
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