NAKED CITY: HOLD FOR GLORIA CHRISTMAS {FOURTH SEASON PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of police dramas set in Manhattan's 65th precinct.
In Greenwich Village, poet Duncan Kleist flees in a panic from a man chasing him in a desperate bid to mail an envelope containing manuscripts of some sort. Along the way Flint accosts a blind newspaper stand manager for a writing implement. After a prolonged physical struggle, the manuscripts are dropped down a sewer grate and the other man bludgeons Kleist to death with a large stone before making his getaway. Flint and Arcaro investigate the murder, as Parker is out with a bad back. They work to retrace Kleist’s actions on the day before his death, starting with the alcoholic ward at a local hospital. The doctors there explain that Kleist was a heavy drinker and refused to accept their help, even though his drinking would have proven lethal in only a matter of months. Kleist argues with the doctors constantly, seemingly unconcerned about his impending death.
Next the detectives speak to Kleist’s ex-wife of twenty years, Mildred Pepper, who initially seems apathetic towards the news of his death. She recounts that he visited her constantly even after she left him, and recounts his visit to her on the morning that he escaped from the hospital to avoid being institutionalized. In her recollections they argue with each other and he reveals that he is aware of his impending death, and all the remains for him is to recover the original handwritten manuscripts of his poetry, which he sold off in order to buy alcohol. He claims that he wishes to leave them for a “Gloria Christmas”; when asked, Mildred offers vague and contradictory comments as to the woman’s identity before bursting into tears. Libby takes Flint to visit Parker, still recovering from his back injury, to discuss the case. Flint believes that “Gloria Christmas” is nothing more than some form of poetic symbolism, but Parker advises them not to discount the possibility that she is a real individual.
The police bring in Stanley Dorkner, the owner of a local bar, into the station for questioning. Unbeknownst to them, Stanley is Kleist’s murderer. He is the one whom Kleist sold his manuscripts to for the sum of five hundred dollars, and he recounts Kleist coming into the bar to ask for them back. However, Kleist does not have the money, and asks that Stanley simply return the manuscripts free of charge, which Stanley refuses to do. They argue and Kleist claims he will do whatever it takes to get his manuscripts back. Stanley also reveals to the police that he was encouraged to purchase the manuscripts by Kip Harris, a famous writer and close friend of Kleist’s. He notes that Kleist refused to sell his manuscripts to him due to some quirk of their relationship, and Stanley claims to have no knowledge of the identity of “Gloria Christmas.” Flint interviews Harris, who recounts that Kleist also visited him the previous day, discussing his visit to the alcoholic ward and his impending death. Harris offers Kleist the money he needs, but Kleist declines his offer and goes on a rant, forcing Harris to throw him out.
The search for “Gloria Christmas” continues unsuccessfully. The police bring in several patrons of Stanley’s bar who witnessed Kleist come in the previous night. He hits on one of them using seemingly-improvised poetry, and gets into a poetry battle with another patron. He is then mocked and laughed at when the other patrons recognize his “improvised” poetry as famous poems from other writers. Kleist goes into a rage and starts wrecking up the place, only to be stopped by Stanley, who physically drags him out of there. Parker returns to work, and Flint reads some of Kleist’s poetry, remarking on the tragedy of losing so skilled a writer. He becomes convinced that Kleist stole the manuscripts from Stanley and interviews Harris about it. Harris admits that he encountered Kleist again after his encounter in the bar, and that Kleist decided to ask him for the money after all. However, before he leaves Kleist intoning grave poetry about the nature of death, and tearing up Harris’s check.
Flint makes a breakthrough when he finds the blind newspaper man whom Kleist encountered just before his death, and receives information from him. The police take Stanley into custody, who recounts awaking that morning to find Kleist trying to make off with his manuscripts through the window. They have a physical confrontation and Kleist explains he intends to give the manuscripts to “Gloria Christmas,” whom he identifies as a little girl in his hometown in Iowa who has yet to be born, essentially an imaginary person invented by Kleist. He intends to send the manuscripts to the post office to await retrieval by the imaginary girl. Stanley is furious and tries to stop Kleist, but he escapes, and the chase resulting in Kleist’s murder follows thereafter. Stanley confesses to the murder. Flint fishes out the envelope containing the manuscripts from the sewer grate and decides to place it in the mailbox in accordance with Kleist’s last wishes. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 19, 1962 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:51:49
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:42052
- GENRE: Drama, police/private detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/private detective
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1958-1963
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Herbert B. Leonard … Executive Producer
- Leo Davis … Supervising Producer
- Charles Russell … Producer
- Stanley Neufeld … Associate Producer
- Walter E. Grauman … Director
- Arnold Manoff (see also: Joe Carpenter) … Writer
- Nelson Riddle … Music by
- Paul Burke … Cast, Detective Adam Flint
- Horace McMahon … Cast, Lieutenant Mike Parker
- Harry Bellaver … Cast, Detective Frank Arcaro
- Nancy Malone … Cast, Libby Kingston
- Burgess Meredith … Cast, Duncan Kleist
- Herschel Bernardi … Cast, Stanley Dorkner
- Sanford Meisner … Cast, Kip Harris
- Eileen Heckart … Cast, Mildred Pepper
- Alan Alda … Cast, Young Poet
- Barbara Dana … Cast, Beverly
- John Lasell … Cast, Sheldon
- Henderson Forsythe … Cast, Dr. Hennickson
- Lou Gilbert … Cast, Newsdealer
- Candace Hilligloss … Cast, Mrs. Harris
- Gene Rupert … Cast, Interne
- Robert Dryden … Cast, Police Surgeon
- Jessica Walter … Cast, Girl
- Joen Arliss … Cast, Lady
- Cotch Black … Cast, Bongo Player
- Allan Gittler … Cast, Guitarist