User Reviews

"Death on Deposit" feature a couple of the coldest, nastiest and most murderous couples you could ever see on "Barnaby Jones". And, because of this, it's a truly memorable episode.

When the story begins, an old man (Paul Fix) goes to the bank to arrange to have his investment accounts changed to another bank. This is because he's moving away to a retirement village. But there's a HUGE problem...the investment counselor/bank president, Ellen (Lois Nettleton), has embezzled this man's fortune...and probably other fortunes along the way. To hide this, she and her lover, 'Doc' (Ed Flanders) kill the man and make it look like an accident. And, when his heir goes to cash in the account, Ellen tells him the man only had $800...but the real balance was over $500,000!! But Ellen and Doc aren't finished with killing the guy....more murders and attempted murders are coming!

I think the reasons I liked this episode were that it was very original AND Nettleton seemed to relish playing this character and really made Ellen seem like a bloodthirsty nut-job! Very enjoyable without being over-the-top....and well worth seeing.

By the way, I also appreciated the small town sheriff. He was very well written and wasn't the usual stereotypical defensive small town law enforcement officer you see in most detective TV shows.

A Lois Nettleton performance is often a joy and she does not disappoint here in her role as a small town bank owner. Really an amazing performance.

Norman Rockwellish portrayals of small towns were fairly popular on TV during the 1970s and early 1980s. In early scenes, this episode does a great job of establishing the small town in a just a few brush strokes, so that you can dive right into the story and its world.

Lois' performance, sexy and warm but with something else behind it, does a lot to bring us into that world. Unlike other Barnaby Jones episodes, where the motivations of the criminals sometimes leave you scratching your head, the crimes in this episode are well motivated for all too human reasons. One of the best episodes of Barnaby Jones.

So well directed my the master, Robert Douglas. Everything clicks. Douglas was a terrific director, not to mention many years as a very popular actor, and in some classic movies as a villain. He was very good friends with Errol Flynn.

It's another small town saga, and all about a mysterious bank run by Lois Nettleton, playing Ellen. A retiring rancher (veteran western actor Paul Fix) wants to withdraw his fortune from the bank, which would reveal her shady dealings, in addition to her other embezzlement schemes. Ellen has been one industrious banker --with so many other people's money.

Guess what happens.

Nettleton has never been more diabolical here, and in league with a sly guy named "Doc", well played by Ed Flanders. Flanders was a terrific actor, later to star in ST ELSEWHERE.

Writer Jack Sowards had fun writing this dark tale, and it is very entertaining. Jack was long associated with STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO. Filmed at the scenic town of Santa Paula, California, a hub for many Quinn Martin productions.

Look for Joan Tompkins as Mrs. Porter, previously on MY THREE SONS and many other tv shows in the 60s and 70s.

Not to be missed, especially for the acting, and you'll definitely want to see larcenous Ellen get her just reward!

SEASON 3 EPISODE 11 remastered CBS dvd box set.