Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.11 “Two Days To Kill”

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Decoy, which aired in Syndication in 1957 and 1958. The show can be viewed on Tubi!

This week’s episode is really, really good!

Episode 1.11 “Two Days To Kill”

(Dir by Stuart Rosenberg, originally aired on December 23rd, 1957)

Selma Richmond (played by a young Diane Ladd!) is the girlfriend of gangster Johnny Troy (Michael Strong). Johnny is about to go on trial and Selma’s testimony about his crimes is the key piece of evidence against him. Knowing that Johnny wants Selma dead, the police put her up in an apartment. Casey is assigned to protect her.

At first, Casey and Selma seem to become unlikely friends. Selma is flighty and obsessed with Hollywood. Even though she’s testifying against him, she claims that Johnny is just misunderstood. Casey, taking some sympathy on her, tells Selma about the man that she loved. For the first time, we learn something about Casey’s background. We learn that her husband was a cop and he died in a shoot out. It’s a surprising moment and one that’s poignantly played by Beverly Garland. (The camera closes in on her face while she slowly smokes a cigarette.) Not only does it help us understand why Casey sometimes to seems to be emotionally detached but it also shows the friendship between the two women. Casey doesn’t open up for many people but she does for Selma.

However, that friendship ends when Selma realizes that Johnny will be facing the death penalty. Selma manages to sneak a letter Johnny, letting him know where she’s being held. Johnny shows up at the apartment, carrying a knife. Casey is waiting for him with her gun drawn. During the stand-off, Johnny tells Selma that he loves her and Selma believes it. The Johnny uses his foot to unplug the apartment’s lamp. In the darkness, he lunges at Selma and Casey opens fire, killing Johnny. Selma’s response is to shout, “I bet you’re glad you killed him!”

This was an outstanding episode. Director Stuart Rosenberg, taking over from Teddy Sallis, makes good use of the gritty New York locations. Each scene is lit like a film noir, with Johnny literally emerging from the shadows at one point. Rosenberg also gets excellent performances from both Ladd and Garland. This was a strong episode and the best of the series so far.

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.10 “The Scapegoat”

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Casey makes the mistake of being nice.

Episode 1.10 “The Scapegoat”

(Dir by Teddy Sills, originally aired on December 16th, 1957)

Call this one “Casey Screws Up …. Again.”

Casey and Detective Hank Hopkins (John Connell) are escorting embezzler Dorothy Boyer (Lenka Peterson) to jail. As they wait at an airport, Casey cannot help but feel sorry for Dorothy. Everyone who sees Dorothy recoils from the sight of her handcuffs. (“She’s a crook!” one little girl yells.) Casey agrees to take off the handcuffs as long as Dorothy doesn’t try to run away. Of course, as soon as Casey is distracted, Dorothy runs.

Casey and Hank try to track down Dorothy. They discover that Dorothy was embezzling the money so that she could afford a special school for her son, who is repeatedly described as being “retarded” but whose noncommunicative behavior suggests that he would probably, today, be diagnosed as having some form of autism. Casey and Hank fear that Dorothy is going to murder her child, to spare him from being sent to a “public institution” while she’s serving time in prison.

They’re right. Dorothy is on the verge of throwing her son off a bridge when Casey, Hank, and the cops track her down. Casey says that she understand why Dorothy is scared. “You think your son will be sent to a public institution and people will be cruel to him!” Casey says. “What about me? I work for a public institution! Was I cruel to you?”

“Who’s going to give love to a backward child!?” Dorothy cries.

Casey then taunts, “Go ahead, throw him over!”

This causes Dorothy to realize that she loves her son too much to toss him over the bridge. The episode ends with Casey speaking directly to the camera. Dorothy will only have to serve six months in prison. As for Casey and Hank, they’re put on official probation for three months for letting Dorothy escape. “You live and you learn,” Casey says.

This episode was a real time capsule. Yes, it was weird to hear the term “retarded” tossed around so casually, though I found the term “backward child” to be far more offensive. But, let’s be realistic here. This show aired 1957 and it’s a bit silly to expect a 68 year-old television program to sound like it was written in 2025. To me, what was really upsetting was how everyone that Casey talked to seemed to feel it was perfectly understandable that the father of Dorothy’s child abandoned Dorothy because of their son. Everyone, except for Casey and Hank, acted as if Dorothy should be ashamed of her child. To make clear, the show did not endorse that attitude but still, the callousness of almost everyone in Dorothy’s life was hard to take. I was glad that Casey cared.

That said, I did cringe a bit at that “I work for a public institution” line. One nice person does not signify a change in culture.

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.9 “Necklace of Glass”

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Casey discovers that New York can be a lot of fun when you know the right people.

Episode 1.9 “Necklace of Glass”

(Dir by Teddy Sills, originally aired on December 9th, 1957)

Casey goes undercover as a rich socialite in order to investigate a spree of jewelry thefts. Unfortunately, Casey isn’t very good at her job in this episode. Not only does she suspect the wrong person, a shady gigolo named Larry Babson (Martin E. Brooks), she also comes on too strong while trying to trick Larry into confessing. Larry figures out that she’s a cop, finds the microphone that Casey hid in the apartment, and then storms out. Fortunately, Larry’s wife (Rita Grapel) then shows up shortly afterwards and, not having had a chance to talk to Larry, reveals that she’s the one who has been masterminding the jewelry thefts. Casey, who had been feeling pretty bad up until that point, promptly pulls out her badge.

I actually appreciated the fact that Casey basically blew her assignment in this episode. Characters who are flawless and who never make mistakes are boring. In the episode, Casey says that she was distracted by how much fun it was to pretend to be rich and it makes perfect sense. Why wouldn’t the working class Casey enjoy the chance to live the high life for once?

The important thing is, even though she initially screwed up, Casey solved the case. This was a good episode. Casey wasn’t flawless but, in the end, luck was on her side.

Horror On The Lens: Not Of This Earth (dir by Roger Corman)

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s horror on the lens is the 1957 Roger Corman-directed, sci-fi “epic,” Not of this Earth.

Paul Johnson (Paul Birch) may seems like a strange character, with his stilted way of speaking and his sunglasses and his overdramatic reaction to any and all loud noises. Paul could us be an eccentric. Or, he could be …. NOT OF THIS EARTH! Actually, his habit of draining people of their blood and sending weird, umbrella-like creatures out to attack his enemies would seem to suggest that the latter is probably true.

Listen, it’s not easy being a blood-sucking alien. I mean, sure, there’s always seems to be people stupid enough to show up at your mansion so that you can drain their bodies. Paul is lucky that he doesn’t exactly seem to be surrounded by brain surgeons. But sometimes, things happen. For instance, someone might show up from your home planet and demand an immediate transfusion! What is an alien to do?

Watch this low-budget but undeniably entertaining film to find out! And be sure to especially keep an eye out for the great Dick Miller, who reportedly improvised his role as a vacuum cleaner salesman. (Before going into acting, Miller actually did sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door.)

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.8 “Escape Into Danger”

Posted on October 16, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Casey pursues her neighbor and nearly dies.

Episode 1.8 “Escape Into Danger”

(Dir by Teddy Sills, originally aired on December 2nd, 1957)

Casey Jones (Beverly Garland) returns home from a night shift, hoping to get some rest so that she can get over a bad cold. (I’ve had enough bad colds that I’m fairly confident that Garland herself was suffering from a cold when she filmed this episode and it was written into the script.) She discovers that her neighbor, Mary (Madeline Sherwood), has hit her abusive and drunken husband across the back of his head. Mary is convinced that she’s killed her husband and is terrified that she’ll go to jail. When Casey informs her that her husband is just knocked out and that everything is going to be okay, Mary doesn’t believe her because Casey is a cop and a cop will say anything to make an arrest. While Casey is in her apartment calling for an ambulance, Mary flees the scene.

Mary’s husband does die but he dies of acute alcohol poisoning so Mary’s off the hook. (Apparently, this episode take place in a world where assault isn’t a crime.) Despite her cold, Casey takes to the streets and searches for Mary. Knowing that Mary is masseuse, Casey checks out all the massage parlors. In a move that kind of makes me wonder if Casey is really that good at her job, she decides that she might as well get a massage as well.

The woman who gives Casey the massage is Katy Olin (Virginia Kaye), who is Mary’s sister and a bitter ex-con who hates all cops. While Katy massages Casey, Mary hides in the changing room. When Casey says that she’s looking for Mary, Katy has Mary sneak out of the dressing room and choke Casey into unconsciousness. Mary steals Casey’s gun and then makes her escape.

A few thoughts:

First off, after years of being spoiled by shows like Law & Order, I have to say that I was initially surprised that Casey didn’t know that Mary had a sister or that the sister was an ex-con. But then I remembered that this episode was filmed in 1957, back before all of that information was available at just the touch of a key.

That said, what type of police officer is going to get a massage while on duty? Even if Casey had looked up from the massage table and seen Mary trying to escape the room, what was Casey going to do? Chase her through the streets of New York while wearing a towel? Also, Casey often seems to just drop her purse anywhere, despite the fact that her purse contains a loaded gun.

Third, Katy mentions to Mary that there’s no way for her to leave the room without walking right past Casey. So, how did Mary get into the room in the first place and how come Casey didn’t notice her when she first arrived?

Fourth, once Casey wakes up, she takes Katy down to the police station. Katy’s interrogated and refuses to answer any questions. She asks if she’s being charged with anything and, because she’s not, she’s allowed to go. Is she not an accessory for hiding Mary and then just standing by while Mary attempted to murder a police officer?

Katy decides that the best thing for Mary to do would be to hide out in her old apartment, the one that is next door to the police officer who Mary just tried to strangle. (Neither Katy nor Mary appear to be that smart.) Casey, of course, discovers that two of them hiding there. She and the neighborhood priest (John McLiam) talk Mary into putting down the gun. They assure her that she did not kill her husband. Mary finally believes that Casey is telling the truth….

….which is all good and well except Mary ASSUALTED A POLICE OFFICER! Indeed, one could argue that what Mary did to Casey counts as attempted murder. So, really, it seems like Mary should be going to jail regardless. Unfortunately, we never learn about what happened to Mary after she stop pointing the gun as Casey. If I was Casey, I would prefer a neighbor who hasn’t tried to kill me.

This episode didn’t really make sense but I’m glad that Casey got over her cold by the end of it.

Horror On The Lens: It Conquered The World (dir by Roger Corman)

Posted on October 16, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

“Man is a feeling creature, and because of it, the greatest in the universe….”

Hell yeah! You tell ’em, Peter Graves!

Today’s Horror on the Lens is 1956’s It Conquered The World. Graves plays a scientist who watches in horror as his small town and all of the people who he loves and works with are taken over by an alien. Rival scientist Lee Van Cleef thinks that the alien is going to make the world a better place but Graves understands that a world without individual freedom isn’t one that’s worth living in.

This is one of Corman’s most entertaining films, featuring not only Graves and Van Cleef but also the great Beverly Garland. Like many horror and science fiction films of the 50s, it’s subtext is one of anti-collectivism. Depending on your politics, you could view the film as either a criticism of communism or McCarthyism. Watching the film today, with its scenes of the police and the other towns people hunting anyone who fails to conform or follow orders, it’s hard not to see the excesses of the COVID era.

Of course, there’s also a very persuasive argument to be made that maybe we shouldn’t worry too much about subtext and we should just enjoy the film as a 50s B-movie that was directed with the Corman touch.

Regardless of how interpret the film, I defy anyone not to smile at the sight of ultra-serious Peter Graves riding his bicycle from one location to another.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is It Conquered The World!

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.7 “Deadly Corridor”

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Casey goes to prison!

Episode 1.7 “Deadly Corridor”

(Dir by Teddy Sills, originally aired on November 25th, 1957)

A murder has occurred in the medium security wing of a woman’s prison. The Warden (Agnes Young) and the District Attorney (John Newton) asks Casey to go in undercover to discover who killed a prisoner. Casey will pretend to be a prisoner and only the Warden will know that she’s actually a cop. Casey won’t have her gun, her badge, or her usual backup. It’s a dangerous assignment but the medium security wing will be shut down if there’s another incident. The District Attorney starts to explain the importance of rehabilitation. Casey replies, “I’m a police woman, not a sociologist.” Casey accepts the assignment because that’s her job.

Casey’s in jail! She has a really nice cell. It comes with a dresser, a vanity mirror, a bed, a lamp, and a desk! She’s even allowed to wear makeup in prison. Sign me up! Casey comes to suspect that the murder was committed by the butch Taffy (Colleen Dewhurst) but instead, it turns out the killer was the mentally-fragile Lois (Lois Nettleton). Lois is a kleptomaniac and killed the other prisoner after she ratted Lois out to the warden and caused Lois’s sentence to be lengthened. Lois subsequently attacks Casey because she’s worried that Casey is also “a fink” and Lois doesn’t want to end up spending any more time in prison. She wants to be released in three months so she can finally visit the grave of her baby. (Awwww!) Unfortunately, by the end of this episode, it’s looking like Lois will be lucky to escape the electric chair.

This episode has all of the usual women-in-prison cliches but they were all handed in a way so as to not upset the 1950s television viewing audience. For instance, the episode never came out and said that Taffy was a lesbian but the way she stared at Casey and ordered her to “come and see me,” didn’t really leave much doubt. When Taffy beats up Casey, she’s establishing her dominance and reminding the viewer that no one can walk away from a fight in prison. When Casey snitches to the warden, it’s because she wants to get Taffy out of the way for 24 hours so that Casey can investigate the murder. Casey can get away with that because she’s a cop and she can always just go to the Warden and ask to be released from the prison. If Casey were an actual prisoner, being labeled a snitch (or a “fink” as they apparently put it back then) would be a fatal error.

This episode had its campy moments but Lois Nettleton and Colleen Dewhurst both gave excellent performances and the final confrontation between Casey and Lois was actually pretty suspenseful. To my surprise, this turned out to be a good episode.

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.6 “The Savage Payoff”

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Casey gets involved in the shady world of college athletics.

Episode 1.6 “The Savage Payoff”

(Dir by Teddy Sills, originally aired on November 18th, 1957)

When a college basketball player is killed in a car accident, the police discover evidence that he may have been throwing games for the mob. Lt. Franklin (Bill Zuckert) suspects that the dead player’s best friend and roommate, Dave Carter (Don Hastings), might be taking money as well. Disguising herself as the dead player’s sister, Casey introduces herself to Dave and befriends him in an attempt to discover the truth. It turns out that the gangsters have been paying Dave off but, at the last minute, Dave decides not to throw the game and instead leads the team to victory.

This episode bothered me a little. When the episode begins, there is no real evidence that Dave has been taking money from the mob. Instead, Lt. Franklin just assumes that Dave is guilty and, with only his hunch to go on, he assigns Casey to befriend Dave and try to prove his guilt. Obviously, there are times when the police have to go undercover but it was still hard not to feel that the police should have at least had some sort of solid evidence before upending Dave’s life. The fact that Dave was both mourning his friend and was obviously attracted to Casey just made the whole thing feel all the more icky. Indeed, a lot of Casey’s action in this episode seem like they would be considered to be entrapment.

Probably the most interesting thing about this episode was that Dave was played by a young Don Hastings. If you’re like me and you grew up with an aunt who loved As The World Turns, you’ll immediately recognize him as Dr. Bob Hughes. Hastings played Dr. Hughes for a record-setting 50 years and even spoke the show’s final lines when he said, “Good night” on September 17th, 2010. Hastings gave a convincing performance as Dave. I was happy to see him take a stand and refuse to fix the game. I was also happy that Casey didn’t have to take him to jail. That would have been depressing.

Speaking of jail, there’s where Casey’s going next week! We’ll see what happens!

Retro Television Review: The Decoy 1.5 “Dream Fix”

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Casey goes after a drug dealer.

Episode 1.5 “Dream Fix”

(Dir by Teddy Sills, originally aired on November 11th, 1957)

This week’s episode opens with Casey walking down a city street. She tells us that she’s working Juvenile undercover, which apparently means that she just walks around the city and waits for a teenager to do something strange. When she sees a teenage girl collapse on the sidewalk, Casey runs over to her and looks at the powder in her hand. Casey tastes it.

“Heroin!” Casey snaps.

(How are cops always able to dip their fingers in random powers and then taste it without anything bad happening? What if the cocaine turned out to be strychnine? It just seems like a poor training and an unnecessary risk.)

Joanne Kittridge (Phyllis Newman) is indeed hooked on cocaine and heroin. However, neither her rich father (Les Damon) or her attorney (Frank Bandimer) want her to work with the police to track down her dealer. Her attorney arranges for Joanne to be sent to a rehab. Casey’s lieutenant (played, in this episode, by Simon Oakland) assigns Casey to undercover as a nurse.

In the end, Joanne not only gets straight but she reveals that her drug dealer is her lawyer! When the attorney pulls a gun on Joanne, Casey pulls her gun and shouts, “Freeze, police!”

This was a good episode, one that was well-acted by the entire cast and which featured Beverly Garland at her best. (Garland even gets to show off some karate moves when she disarms the attorney.) That said, it’s starting to bother me how almost all of Casey’s assignments seem to involve her pretending to be someone’s friend. I get that she’s working undercover but it’s sometimes hard not to wonder what’s going to happen to people like Joanne after they realize that the only reason Casey talked to her in the first place was because someone ordered her to.

Retro Television Review: Decoy 1.4 “To Catch A Thief”

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Casey investigates a case of insurance fraud.

Episode 1.4 “To Catch A Thief”

(Dir by Teddy Sills, originally aired on November 4th, 1957)

A thief and his girlfriend mug a business owner named Mr. Whitaker (John McGovern). When the police capture the thief, Mr. Whitaker claims that more money was stolen from him than was recovered. Casey is sent undercover to discover whether or not Whitaker is lying or if a cop actually skimmed the cash that they recovered.

Pretending to be the thief’s girlfriend, Casey approaches Mr. Whitaker and tries to blackmail him. When Mr. Whitaker appears to be innocent, his secretary (Mary James) falls under suspicion. Mr. Whitaker, however, is eventually exposed as trying to commit insurance fraud when he has a conversation with his secretary at the police headquarters. Unfortunately, for him, the room was bugged.

This episode bothered me. On the one hand, I didn’t want an innocent police officer to be suspended for stealing money that he didn’t steal. On the other hand, having Casey go undercover as a blackmailer felt almost as if it verging on entrapment. As well, I found it hard to understand why Mr. Whitaker would be fooled into thinking Casey was the one who had robbed him earlier. Didn’t Mr. Whitaker see the people who mugged him?

This episode just didn’t work for me.