User Reviews

Season 6 takes off with Robert Reed casting aside his squeaky clean Mr Brady image for smarmy news guy.

Manufacturing 'news'. Some forty years later, we learn this show was ahead of its time. Manufacturing news has become common place.

Definitely worth seeing Robert Reed in a different role. Underrated actor.

Enjoy!

DeWitt (Robert Reed) is a horrible person....a reporter who is more than willing to fake news stories in order to make it in the news world. When the story begins, he's involved in a dangerous fake story. He's paid a guy (Anthony Geery) to stand on a bridge and threaten to jump...all to make a great news story. But the stunt goes awry when a priest sees what has happened and tries to intervene. In the scuffle, the pair actually DO fall off the bridge...and the priest dies! Does DeWitt admit that it was all a stupid, dangerous hoax or does he double down and go even further in order to create the news?

The notion of a guy making it in the TV news world by faking stories and being a complete sociopath is certainly as timely now as it was back in 1977. It makes for an exciting story...well made and well worth seeing.

By the way, Reed was very good here and he also used to be really good in his frequent guest appearances on "Mannix"....and I know it bothered him that he was mostly just known as 'Mr. Brady'. It is a shame, as he was very good in his various non-Brady appearances.

This was the only appearance Robert Reed made on the show, in fact, right after the short-lived BRADY BUNCH VARIETY HOUR.

Reed actually got what he wanted to do, play a straight dramatic role, and is quite effective here as a ruthless tv reporter (called Dewitt Robinson) who stages fake stories to get him lots of attention. His latest scam is all about a suicde jumper, played by young Anthony Geary --before soap opera stardom -- who jumps off a bridge. Unfortunately, a priest tries to save him and is killed himself. You can probably guess the rest... Geary returns into Robinson's life and he's DOOMED!

This was one of many top stories written by Larry Alexander for the series, who later wrote for CHIPS.

Very good support from two super actresses, Katherine Justice (as Libby) and Anne Lockhart, daughter of June Lockhart, as Wendy.

Reed, after walking out on the BRADY BUNCH, and getting cut from MANNIX (from the same studio), is excellent in this role, although a bit of a surprise being a real nasty guy. I agree with the last reviewer, Larry Alexander's script was ahead of its time as there were many reporters and talk show hosts caught in similar type of scandals.

By the way, JR has a solid part here in the case.

For all us sightseers, Anne Lockhart's hotel is the famous Safari Inn, Olive Avenue, in Burbank, CA. This beautiful motel has been the sight of several movies and tv shows for decades, and inside the lobby you'll find rare photos and momentos. A Hollywood original, and with some wonderful employees. Check out their raised pool out front, something to see.

First episode of SEASON 6 remastered color/CBS.