Back in 1971, one of the most audacious robberies occurred in the state of Washington. A man identifying himself as 'D. B. Cooper' took a plane hostage and threatened to blow it up unless his ransom demands were not met. Well, he was paid a considerable fortune...and the guy bailed out of a 727 airliner over Southwest Washington....and was never seen again. A bit of the money was discovered but nothing more. This episode of "Barnaby Jones" is clearly inspired by this robbery two years earlier.
When the show begins, a weird city council meeting occurs. Four folks draw lots...and the loser is given the task of murdering a stranger in town! Soon after, Barnaby Jones is hired to investigate this supposed hit and run. And, when he arrives in town, he's met by a lot of unfriendliness despite Barnaby acting like the nicest of visitors. In addition to this, Barnaby also notices that several folks in town have come into some sudden wealth. How does this all fit in with the D. B. Cooper story? Find out for yourself.
Having a detective show where the story is set in a very unfriendly small town is not unusual. Mannix, Cannon and others had similar sorts of small town shows. But the Cooper angle makes this one a bit different...and timely. Well worth seeing and with some very good supporting cast. Well worth seeing.
By the way, "Barnaby Jones" wasn't the only show inspired by Cooper. In addition, there was a feature film. "The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper" back in 1981. Apparently this story has aroused a lot of interest and speculation.