O.K., O.K., so my review of "Cops & Robbers" is a bit late, but better late than ....





I noticed some people had mentioned that they hadn't re-watched this episode recently, but had written their reviews from memory. Well, there is something about this one that I think holds true for many of us .... first - the story sticks in your memory and second - it is not an episode you would readily choose to re-watch.

I think I have probably only seen COPS & ROBBERS all the way through once before, and never in the pristine DVD version. (We really are very fortunate that Image Entertainment did such a great job and provided us with the entire series - complete with our Mr. Culp's commentaries.) I previously had seen this one as a grainy episode chopped up by commercials from late night TV.


The very, very best thing about this episode - and the only reason I hold it dear to my heart - is the appearance of Scotty's Mom - played beautifully by Beah Richards. We finally get to meet "Mom!" And Ms. Richards is one of my favorite actresses. There was a truly wonderful documentary made about her in 2003 before her death called "Beah: A Black Woman Speaks." It covers her career, her activism, her undaunting spirit, and her final illness. And as she discusses in the documentary, though she played just about every black actor's mother during her career, she never had any children of her own, by choice. Her best known "Mom" role was as Sidney Poitier's mother in the film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" in 1967, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. That was the same year that she was "our" Scotty's (and Kelly's) Mom on "I SPY."



Beah Richards in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"





For more on Ms. Richards check out this past posting ....

http://www.network54.com/Forum/172251/message/1079320833/


I loved the relationship between Mom and her two boys - Scotty and Kelly. Mrs. Scott is mentioned throughout the series, with both boys regularly sending and receiving letters from her. There was great respect, caring, and love doled out among them all - in ample quantities - just like her sweet potato pie.








In "Home to Judgment" we see confirmed something that is apparent throughout the whole series. Kelly is a loner. He has not seen his only relatives, his Aunt and Uncle in many years. (That is discounting the "Mom" who sent his Dad's watch to him in Venice through his orthodontist in "Bridge of Spies" - since we know that Kelly's Mom died from that heart-wrenching, powerful scene in "Home to Judgment" where he talks about her dying when he was a young boy - and how he never came back to visit his Aunt and Uncle on the farm again or claim the rifle his Uncle had promised him.)

O.K. - we know Kelly the loner, and his family "is" Alexander Scott - and - Scotty's Mom. You can see that is how he thinks of her and she of him.


Mom With Her 2 Boys





Why Kelly has chosen to distance himself from his own family, while Scotty remains close to his, would make a most interesting psychological discussion .... What is it in both their natures? Why does Kelly relieve the stress and tension of their life-and-death profession by being the drinker & womanizer, while Scotty remains cool and grounded at all times??

And then there's the important question of whether Mrs. Scott knows what her boys do for a living ... Kelly, of course, believes that the astute Mrs. Scott knows very well and alludes to this in his conversation with Scotty at the end. Scotty, on the other hand, is either oblivious, fooling himself, or doesn't really know his Mom as well as Kelly does.

Personally, I think she definitely knows. Not only from her mannerisms and her instructions to Scotty not to do anything wrong (by giving the microfilm to Tommy), but by her brushing off Scotty's efforts to talk to her as they are leaving the apartment (therefore saving him from having to tell her outright). Mrs. Scott raised a Rhodes Scholar - an extremely caring and intelligent son, and she knows he is not wasting his education and talents being a coach to a tennis bum bopping around the world. She knows he is doing far nobler things with his life.





And she trusts Kelly, it is evident in the way she interacts with him. She knows he is there looking after her son - and vice-versa.

(Any other opinions on this out there?? )

O.K. that brings me to the review part of everything "else" in the story .... which I didn't care for at all. As was pointed out earlier, the sets looked pretty "soundstage tacky." The streets scenes looked like they were constructed of cardboard (probably - because they were).





The story itself was lame ... two close childhood buddies from the old neighborhood both grow up to become espionage agents (for opposite sides) ---- insurance agents, maybe, but not both spies .... c'mon!! Perhaps they just attended some really progressive school as kids ... and their Kindergarten curriculum consisted of - storytime, sandbox, espionage tactics and international intrigue, followed by milk and cookies and naptime!!

And where did this sister "Jo" appear from all of a sudden?? Mr. Ludwig's script sounds like a glorified fanfic - introducing major new characters to fill out his storyline! And if "Jo" was such an important part of Scotty's life, the script continuity guys should have thrown in her name again, here and there, along the way throughout the series.

Then there was the whole part about Scotty not telling Kelly his family was in danger - and willing to risk everything by punching out Kelly and taking the microfilm - this just didn't ring true. The highly trained agent Alexander Scott was, would have consulted and worked with his highly trained partner and best friend from the very beginning to find a solution. Kelly and Scotty had been through too much together by this time - they were a team, and would have relied on one another and worked together to combat the bad guys - "not" alone. Mr. Ludwig missed that essential bond between the two men that would have been there at the onset of trouble or danger.

Jerry Ludwig did 4 scripts for "I SPY" - two I really liked, and two weren't my favorites. I liked "The Name of the Game" and "Now You See Her, Now You Don't" .... "A Few Miles West of Nowhere" and "Cops and Robbers" fall into the latter category. He opens "Cops and Robbers" with this heavy trowel full of information. Scotty tells Kelly at the very beginning that he used to play shoot 'em up and hide-and-seek games all over the old neighborhood with his 'ol buddy Tommy. And what happens - the two friends, now grown men, end up playing a "real" shoot 'em up and hide-and-seek game as the climax to the story ..... What a surprise!! .... and guess who wins ....?? "Cops and Robbers" is also slow moving, "talky," and they used way too many close-ups to the point of distraction.

What made this episode a stand-out and gave it any value at all was the "wonderfulness" of finally meeting MOM!! And again, having Beah Richards as Mrs. Scott was sheer casting perfection!

Both Mr. C's had the pleasure of working with Ms. Richards again after "I SPY." She was in the movie "Outrage" with Mr. Culp (and Marlyn Mason - Vicki from "Weight of the World") in 1973 and she played Mr. Cosby's Mom again, as Rose Kincaid, on "The Bill Cosby Show" in 1970.

Bill played Chet Kincaid, a high school P.E. teacher and basketball coach, in that series. I was just checking on IMDB for the years it was on and saw some of the actors who made guest appearances on that show.... it reads like an "I SPY" Who's Who .... besides Ms. Richards, the guest stars included Will Geer, Wally Cox, Cicely Tyson, Dane Clark, Bryon Morrow, Dale Ishimoto, and Isabel Sanford (from "Hickey & Boggs") among others.

Jim Brown was O.K. as evil Tommy in "Cops & Robbers." You could tell he was still new to acting, but did a creditable job, if not just a little stiff. And Rupert Crosse was properly creepy enough.


The Bad Guys, Mom, and Sister Jo




And speaking of working with others - all three gentlemen - Robert Culp, Bill Cosby, and Jim Brown got to star later with
Raquel Welch in different movies -- tough job, fellas!!







"100 Rifles"(1969) was directed by none other than "I SPY" directing alumnus "Tom Gries."


Anyone else want to jump in here with a few more thoughts on "Cops & Robbers"??


"Mederra Block" is the next episode up for review. So warm-up up those DVD players!!


As always,
Tatia

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It may have been a little late, but this is an outstanding review! I also enjoyed the pics. And Beah was indeed priceless and greatly missed. I also enjoyed her in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and another Jane Fonda film, Hurry Sundown. I hope you have seen that one too, Tatia, as Beah's performance was outstanding.

Thanks Aujouret!

No I haven't seen "HURRY SUNDOWN," but will add it to my "list" - along with "BELOVED"
based on Toni Morrison's novel .... been meaning to watch that, too.


Beah Richards in BELOVED




As always,
Tatia


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I’m afraid I part company with you here, Tatia. I like Cops and Robbers so much it’s even on my short list of favorites.

And I like it for the same reason everyone does—the wonderfulness of finally meeting Scotty’s mom, who we’ve been hearing about for two full seasons by the time this episode airs. Beah Richards couldn’t be any better in the role—just the kind of Mom you would expect Scotty to have.



But in showing us his family, the writer also gives us a fresh perspective on Scotty. I don’t for a minute find it difficult to believe that our cool, grounded, dispassionate Scotty would go ballistic and behave irrationally when the safety of his mother and sister is at stake. Think about the last time you visited your own parents. Like it or not, there’s something preemptively powerful about Mom’s influence. No matter how adult and successful you may be in the rest of your life, in her presence it’s all too easy to revert to six years old. He’s no longer Scotty, he’s Alexander—and he says “Yes ma’am,” and hurries to clean up the messy hotel room, and feels that he can’t drag his partner into what he perceives as his own problem. He’ll betray the Department to protect Mom—no question. But he won’t necessarily force Kelly into an untenable position. And he doesn’t expect him to understand.

Which brings us to the scene I like best. When Kelly corners his partner in the bar after Scotty has stolen the microfilm from him, we get treated to a generous helping of what makes Culp so special as an actor. Kelly is angry and bitter at his partner’s behavior, but there’s hurt and bewilderment there too.



It’s a scene, incidentally, that casts a long shadow: if you happen to own a copy of Hickey & Boggs, take another look at the conversation between Culp and Cosby (also in a bar) just after Nyona has been killed. It’s all Culp—Cosby sits silent and immobile throughout—and it’s the single most powerful thing in the film.

Does Mom know what “her boys” really do for a living? Of course she does. This is one sharp lady; no wonder the whole neighborhood calls her “Mom.” I love her feistiness too, going after the bad guys with a hat pin and later with a rolled-up umbrella.



As for the unlikelihood of Tommy also becoming an agent, it’s really no more far-fetched than Kelly’s tripping over ex-girlfriends every time he turns around, and we accept that premise without batting an eyelash. Let’s face it, plots just aren’t as much fun unless you can throw in the odd coincidence. And since real life abounds in them, I’m willing to cut the screenwriter a little slack on this.

We’ve remarked before that Kelly and Scotty are notably different from other secret agents of the era in their pronounced human side. It’s impossible to picture James Bond as a child—he seems to have sprung to life full-grown. Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin may have an U.N.C.L.E., but certainly no mothers or sisters. This window into Scotty’s family—and, by extension, Kelly’s—adds another humanizing dimension to their characters.

By the way—Scotty’s penchant for orange bedspreads appears to be hereditary.



Regards—

So glad I asked ...

Thanks B-L for a wonderful review from a different point of view.

That's what makes the world go round ....

and sharing different perspectives only helps us appreciate "I SPY" even more.

Glad we have that in common ....

AND thanks for pointing out Jo's orange bedspread - wonder if it was a hand-me-down from her big brother??

As always,
Tatia

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