KOJAK: LADY IN THE SQUADROOM (TV)
Summary
One in this series of police dramas about the cases of Lt. Theo Kojak and the detectives of the Manhattan South Precinct.
In this episode, night nurse Leslie Smith is attacked upon leaving the hospital. Detective Josephine Long of the sex crimes unit, who has been investigating a string of similar assaults, is frustrated to learn that she is being temporarily reassigned to the homicide division to work with "that Greek bowling ball," who is equally unhappy to be teamed with her. Elsewhere, Leslie's attacker, Ringer, whose hand was badly scratched during the scuffle, tries to entice hospital pharmacist Flaherty to supply him with better drugs. Long looks into Leslie's personal life as Kojak demands answers from Dr. Bernard, who admits that they've been keeping many assaults under wraps in order to retain the hospital staff.
Leslie soon dies of her injuries, and Long grows annoyed with the detectives' gallows humor as Flaherty tries to blackmail Ringer for more money, pointing out that his injured hand could easily give him away as the culprit. Ringer ends up violently attacking Flaherty and helping himself to the pharmacy's stash. Kojak and Long butt heads as they work late into the night, trying to make sense of the hospital's sloppy records. Fellow nurse Jennifer Campbell admits that Leslie sometimes stole drugs to sell, using a nearby cafe for the transactions; when evidence proves that Flaherty didn't attack Leslie, Kojak suggests that Long return to her unit to pursue the unrelated rape cases while he and Crocker work on the murder. Long, however, demands to stay and catch Leslie's killer herself; McNeil urges Kojak to accept her efforts. The detectives stake out the cafe and catch Mike DeBrieno in the act of buying drugs from Ringer. However, when they ambush them in the alley, Ringer gets away and Long is knocked unconscious.
Embarrassed and determined to prove her sexist colleagues wrong, Long explains that Ringer is likely Leslie's killer, though Kojak instructs her to "keep a low profile." The two aggressively question DeBrieno, who confirms that Ringer attacked Leslie, his supplier and possible girlfriend, to prevent her from "stooling on him" about the drugs. They order DeBrieno to set up another meeting with Ringer, and await the sting. Crocker assures Long that she has "paid her dues" and other cops with outdated views will simply have to learn to accept women in the force. Ringer and DeBrieno meet at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park; when the detectives jump out to catch the killer, Long shoots an kills Ringer. Stunned by her first kill, and by her own gunshot wound, a dazed Long requests not to be transferred out of Homicide just yet. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:31
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 127515
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/detective; Policewomen; Murder
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1973-1978
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Matthew Rapf … Executive Producer
- Jack Laird … Supervising Producer
- James McAdams … Producer
- Edward Abroms … Director
- Burton Armus … Writer
- Abby Mann … Created by
- Selwyn Raab … Suggested by the book by
- John Cacavas … Music by
- Goldenberg, Billy (See also: Goldenberg, William) … Theme Music by
- Telly Savalas … Cast, Lieutenant Theo Kojak
- Dan Frazer … Cast, Captain Frank McNeil
- Kevin Dobson … Cast, Lieutenant Bobby Crocker
- George Savalas … Cast, Detective Stavros
- Joan Van Ark … Cast, Detective Josephine Long
- Louis Zorich … Cast, Mike DeBrieno
- George Maharis … Cast, Ringer
- Christopher Murney … Cast, Flaherty
- Lisa Pelikan … Cast, Jennifer Campbell
- John Becher … Cast, Dr. Bernard
- Mark Russell … Cast, Detective Saperstein
- Vince Conti … Cast, Detective Rizzo
- Brad English … Cast, Patrolman Seymour
- Ellen Bry … Cast, Leslie Smith
- Jack Axelrod … Cast, Forensics Man
- Jeffrey Tambor … Cast, Medical Examiner
- Jeffrey Jones … Cast, Attendant
- Tom Quinn … Cast, Superintendent