Hot on the heels of "The Sting" (movie) came this derivative little series that started out with great charm. It concerned a detective agency run by old pro Eddie Albert and uber-smooth Robert Wagner. Albert was an ex-policeman who was the only one ever able to bust Wagner's character, who was a professional con man. Also in the cast were Sharon Gless, relegated to the role of secretary but who was often involved; and comedian Charlie Callas (if you can sit through a Jerry Lewis movie see Callas in "The Big Mouth.") It started out with such class I wondered how it got on the air.
As I said, it started with charm. The pilot had a neat little flute-played theme song that could be turned into an early-jazz sort of piece (sort of like how "The Sting" so effectively used the music of Scott Joplin). But whatever happened, whether it just began ridiculous to try to pull off a big con in an hour every week, or someone thought it wasn't worth the effort for the ratings they were getting, in the second season it degenerated into a typical cop show. I suppose they're easier to write. If someone told me to write a story about a big con every week I wouldn't know what to do, either.
Robert Wagner oozes a smarmy charm. He's at the height of his powers. A better actor than he was in the early part of his career, and not as chunky as he was later on. He's a perfect con man, with his winning smile and manners.
Eddie Albert has played comedy and drama for decades. He exploded well in Hooterville and he's given the chance to bluster here. When Wagner sees a chance to take crooks down by a big con he knows what he's doing and Albert fights him at every stage, especially when it comes to laying out moolah.
Guest stars abound. A pre-Angel Jaclyn Smith (who would later star with Wagner in "Windmills of the Gods"); Joan Collins; John Dehner . . .
It reminds me of another charming show, "Matt Houston," which started out with lots of humor and a focus not only on Houston's PI office but also his ranch. But in the second season "Houston" became just another PI show and serious in tone, and sank like a rock.
"Switch" started out as a wonderful little show but after it became just another cop show it was hardly worth watching. Too bad. The teaming of Robert Wagner and Eddie Albert showed lots of promise. It seems a bit weird in retrospect but they were both well-known professionals and good at what they did, which was highlighted in the early episodes. And what they did to the theme song was disheartening. With "Switch" and "Matt Houston" it's surprising how quickly something clever and different, with a twist of humor, can become run-of-the-mill.
"For God's sake let us sit on the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings." Shakespeare, Richard II.
