Review - The Big Hands Aired 5-21-53 Season 2 Episode 28
This episode showed the methodical work put in by police searching leads, and there were many of them, to find a woman's murderer. Their hard labor chasing after people that finally leads them to the guilty party, no gunfire in this episode, the damage had been done by a senseless individual for no apparent reason. Two guest character roles played by familiar persons made the episode work; Olan Soule in his role as the police lab worker and Cliff Arquette guesting as well. The story is believable, particularly in the big city where creeps live and work among the good people.
The husband was suspected at the start, but verification of his whereabouts on the day of the murder vindicated him. Others played important parts in running down employers, i.e. personnel managers, landlords, apartment managers and waitresses in order to nab the guilty party. The story moves along at a rapid pace with Friday, Smith trailing the various connections. People moving around a lot, single or married, can produce a high level of police work, since every lead must be looked into even though most bring no results. The episode is worth seeing to watch the partners work the streets searching for the bad guy, the really bad guy; a murderer.
5 Reviews
Adequte
planktonrules21 November 2013
"The Big Hands" begins with a woman being found strangled in a hotel. First, the detectives need to figure out who this woman was. Second, they need to figure out who did it. At first it seems like an easy case, as the woman was in the midst of a divorce and her husband was known to be violent. However, this turns out to be a dead end. To find out who did it, see the show for yourself! This show suffers from a couple problems. The comic relief (using Cliff Arquette) isn't funny. Also, if you are looking for a logical reason for the woman's death you won't find it--and even the killer has no idea why he did it! Still, like any "Dragnet" episode, it's still well worth seeing.
By the way, Clifford Arquette was also known as 'Charlie Weaver'--a character he played on "Hollywood Squares" for many years as well as on other television shows. Arquette was the grandfather of David and Rosanne Arquette, by the way.
By the way, Clifford Arquette was also known as 'Charlie Weaver'--a character he played on "Hollywood Squares" for many years as well as on other television shows. Arquette was the grandfather of David and Rosanne Arquette, by the way.
A landlady is a mine of information
greenbudgie14 July 2022
A woman is found strangled in a cheap hotel. Friday and Smith are puzzled by this because what the woman is wearing seems to belie this situation. Her coat and shoes and handbag are of expensive quality. A guy named Morgan volunteers information but the detectives doubt his reliability. Morgan claims to have known the murdered woman as Maude McLeod from her days in a circus. It does turn out that the woman was in the habit of changing her name and life story. Friday and Smith's investigation start to bear fruit when they trace the woman's recent history to a boarding house. There the landlady turns out to be a mine of information. She runs the boarding house for single women lodgers and keeps an eye on them for their protection. There's a good portrayal of the landlady by Helen Kleeb who later was the thin and bespectacled advertisement for Kelloggs Special K. Friday and Smith eventually trace the murderer and break them down quickly to send them away for life as in the true story.
Follow the leads, catch the killer
susanj502 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A woman has been murdered. She was brutally strangled and her neck broken. This was done in a low class downtown hotel and to find the killer Sargeants Joe Friday and Frank Smith must follow all the leads where they go.
One by one witnesses are interviewed and individuals who knew the girl are tracked down. The girl herself was a good looking pixie. She was 5'1" tall and very cute. Some who knew here questioned her morality, which is probably what cost her her life.
The first lead does not pan out the suspect number one has an air-tight alibi for where he was the night of the killing. But suspect number two has no such alibi and cracks under Fridays cross examination.
This show is a good example of what actual police work is all about and a good investigation with lots of strange in interesting characters.
One by one witnesses are interviewed and individuals who knew the girl are tracked down. The girl herself was a good looking pixie. She was 5'1" tall and very cute. Some who knew here questioned her morality, which is probably what cost her her life.
The first lead does not pan out the suspect number one has an air-tight alibi for where he was the night of the killing. But suspect number two has no such alibi and cracks under Fridays cross examination.
This show is a good example of what actual police work is all about and a good investigation with lots of strange in interesting characters.
Why Did She Have to Die?
dougdoepke3 May 2007
Routine episode as Friday and Smith track down a killer. Notable chiefly for presence of Cliff Arquette, grandfather of Patricia, Roseanna, and David, as the circus man. Later Arquette achieved considerable success as Charlie Weaver, a lovable but scatterbrained grandfatherly type, on late night TV. Here he plays a similar role, though he's difficult to recognize without the Charlie Weaver get-up and glasses. I wish there were something particularly noteworthy about the case itself, but there isn't. Still and all, it's entertaining for fans, showing again how dedicated these early entries were to the routine hard work involved in solving unglamorous cases like this which probably happen daily but rarely make the newspapers. Come to think of it, maybe that is a good reason to recommend an entry such as this.
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