Search - Decoy on DVD

Late 1950s Crime Drama with a Twist

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 02/28/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Amazon provides almost no information on this title, so I'll attempt to fill in a few of the blanks. This is a 2-DVD, 10-episode collection of the groundbreaking "Decoy" television series that aired, in syndication, during the 1957-58 television series. Beverly Garland stars as Patricia "Casey" Jones, a New York City policewoman who acts as an undercover "decoy" to help solve crimes in the Big Apple. The show -- both interiors and exteriors - was filmed entirely in New York City and environs. The episodes in this collection feature some terrific guest stars and character actors, including Martin Balsam, Arthur Batanides, Frank Campanella, Nicholas Colasanto, Albert Dekker, Colleen Dewhurst, Mike Kellin, Lois Nettleton, and Zohra Lampert, among others. But it's Beverly Garland who carries the show; wisely, she portrays Officer Jones in a low key, unglamorous style which adds to the show's authenticity (Margaret Leonard, a real life detective with the NYPD was the show's technical advisor).

While there has never been an officially licensed release of "Decoy," apparently some (but not all) of the episodes of this series have fallen into the public domain resulting in several previous DVD releases of "Decoy," most notably from Alpha Video and Critics Choice Video. So why should a prospective purchaser consider this release from the Timeless Media Group? The principal reason is that five episodes in this collection have not previously appeared on commercially available DVDs. The source prints used for this collection are of the usual 16 millimeter syndication variety and have not been restored. That said, the visual quality of these episodes is marginally better than the releases from both Alpha and Critics Choice, especially in terms of the picture contrast. Here are the episodes included in this collection:

To Trap a Thief*
The Savage Payoff
Deadly Corridor
The Glass Necklace
Across the World
High Swing*
Night Light
Shadow of Van Gogh*
Tin Pan Payoff*
Blind Date*

*Episode available on other DVD releases

Bottom line: "Decoy" is a solid late 1950s crime series with a terrific female lead and makes good use of location filming in New York City. This is an easy recommendation to fans of classic crime series from television's golden age.
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