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| Willard Parker |
AIR PATROL (1962). Director: Maury Dexter.
A painting worth $350,000 is stolen from a gallery. Since a copter was used in the robbery, Lt. Vern Taylor (Willard Parker of
Naked Gun) calls in Sgt. Castle (Robert Dix) of Air Patrol for assistance. Suspects include the gallery owner Murcott (John Holland); his testy secretary, Mona (Merry Anders of
The Hypnotic Eye); ex-movie star Millard Nolan, a former owner of the painting (Douglass Dumbrille of
King of the Mounties); and a pilot named Dunning (Ivan Bonar).
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| Merry Anders |
It's a question why Twentieth-Century Fox decided to film this short black and white production in CinemaScope, as the script is distinctly minor-league, like a television pilot for a cop show. However, at least the flick takes advantage of Los Angeles locations, including the Sepulveda Dam and drain tunnels and the Hollywood Bowl. The chase sequence at the end has minimal suspense because none of the good guys or gals are in danger, only the villain of the piece. While the acting is generally good, sometimes the performances give the impression that the actors were handed the script only a few minutes before shooting. Russ Bender of
Anatomy of a Psycho is also in the film and plays a cop. Maury Dexter also directed
Surf Party.
Verdict: Acceptable crime drama is nothing special. **1/2.
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