One of Robert Redford's most notable and beloved roles was as con man John Hooker in The Sting. But the guy who with Paul Newman arranged a big con to take down a racketeer who had killed his mentor was nothing like the coldblooded young gangster who dares to even con Bruce Gordon as Frank Nitti in The Untouchables.
Seeing Robert Redford as a guest star almost compelled me to watch this episode. He and this frowzy street guy Gerald Hiken have a nice little business selling bathtub booze to college kids. But Redford in his ambition to move up the ladder spikes his product with wood alcohol causing blindness and death in one case and then he foists the whole blame on Hiken to get in good with Nitti.
As often as not Robert Stack and his picked crew never really do anything in the way of arrests and convictions even in this highly fictionalized television series. What they do is in the case of independents like Redford is just drop a dime on them and let the Mob take care of them. It certainly saves wear and tear on the criminal justice system which was so corrupt in the Chicago of that era.
This one is recommended for Robert Redford's legion of fans to see from whence he came.
Seeing Robert Redford as a guest star almost compelled me to watch this episode. He and this frowzy street guy Gerald Hiken have a nice little business selling bathtub booze to college kids. But Redford in his ambition to move up the ladder spikes his product with wood alcohol causing blindness and death in one case and then he foists the whole blame on Hiken to get in good with Nitti.
As often as not Robert Stack and his picked crew never really do anything in the way of arrests and convictions even in this highly fictionalized television series. What they do is in the case of independents like Redford is just drop a dime on them and let the Mob take care of them. It certainly saves wear and tear on the criminal justice system which was so corrupt in the Chicago of that era.
This one is recommended for Robert Redford's legion of fans to see from whence he came.