Naked City (TV Series) The Day the Island Almost Sank (1961) User Reviews

Thriller Episode, a bit different than normal

[theanarchistclubhouse · 7/10 · 16 April 2020]

This may not be a top quality episode of 'Naked City', but it does deliver a unique thriller flavor for this series. It's not too often that fight sequences are employed in this show, and perhaps for good reason. Nevertheless I find it fun when other genres influence an anthology series.

Will the psychopath killer get away with the crime? Can Detective Aracaro function without Paul Burke leading the way?

Tune in and find out.

Great Offbeat Murderer Is a Fine Comic Actor Showing His Dark Side

[poetcomic1 · 9/10 · 6 January 2021]

Just a little aside. I always loved the work of Roger Carmel, a solid presence for years of great television, movies and even the voice of 'Smoky the Bear'! His open cheerful face, reassuring bulk and pleasant voice REALLY were twisted into an unexpected murderous streak in this uncharacteristic role and he was unsettling and great. The 'boys' sure did a good job of conveying their fatigue, in once scene Frank has to make a visible to go up three steps into the station house! If you want to see Carmel at his comic best watch this on Youtube Dick Van Dyke Show "It Wouldn't Hurt Them to Give Us a Raise' in which he is an unforgettable accountant!

What happened to our guest star?

[lrrap · 6/10 · 25 March 2020]

An average episode that actually kills off its main guest star (Paul Hartman) within the first 5 minutes; so what's left?-- a semi-comatose police force (due to lack of sleep), and lots of big, ham-flavored Roger C.Carmel.

The whole Paul Hartman scene was really annoying; I don't care much for his acting anyway and, after his time-consuming drunk routine and the cheesy musical underscore, I can't say I was upset to see him knocked off so early.

The climatic scene near the end was puzzling; obviously, Horace MacMahon's big Police Stake-Out of the rail yard was poorly planned--- it took them WAY too long to get there to help poor Adam Flint. If it hadn't been for the huffin' 'n puffin', sleep-deprived Harry Bellaver--with a bullet in his shoulder to boot--Adam would have been beaten to death by big Roger C. But the scene was effective visually, thanks to its VERY low night lighting, which made it almost impossible to follow the action, as in a real-life situation.

Deduct a full rating-star for the overdone, caricatured cabbie's wife (who I thought at first was a "slumming" Shelley Winters), and the not-very-funny Dixieland band in the lock-up. Director William Conrad, who did a superb job in the recent "Precious Kettle of Fish" should have known better in both of these instances.

Harry Bellaver, charming as he is, seems too old to be put through all of the physical hardship of this show and "Precious Kettle". But..hey..it's only make-believe. LR

Death on the rails

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 17 June 2014]

***SPOILERS*** It was out of towner attending a furniture store convention Ben Springfellows, Paul Hartman, misfortune to get himself sloppy drunk and end up taking a cab for reasons known only to himself to the West 72nd street rail-yards in Manhattan. It's there that Ben is spotted by rail-yard security guard Al Buxley, Roger C. Carmel, who in trying to get himself into tip top physical shape uses Ben as punching and karate practice thus brutally killing him.

With the police on the scene later in the day Buxley tells them that he saw a Hells Angel type dressed in heavy leather and riding a Harley flee from the scene of the killing. This is pure BS in the mind of the NYPD Det. Adam Flint, Paule Burke, who in looking up Buxley's record sees that the guy, a deranged as well as health and exercise freak, had done things like this before where he worked over a fellow employee, but not killing him, that had him fired from his previous job.

***SPOILERS*** Setting a trap for Buxley Det. Flint disguised as a derelict and drenched with booze has him, seeing an easy mark, start to work what he thinks is the hapless and dead drunk Flint over. Buxley doesn't get that far with Flint's partner Det.Frank Arcaro, Harry Bullaver, and the NYPD springing into action and putting Buxley on ice as his reign of terror on the rail-yard came to an end with him ending up the final victim of it.