Dangerous Games

This is the first regular episode of "Police Story"--a show from Joseph Wambaugh that was touted as a show emphasizing realistic police work. Each episode was like a mini-movie--with different cast members working in different parts of the Los Angeles Police Department. When the TV audiences watched this one, I am pretty sure a lot of them were shocked. "Dangerous Games" was NOT a typical cop show but was about an undercover vice cop posing as a pimp! Like I said, folks must have been pretty shocked!

When the show begins, Detective Czonka (James Farentino) is posing as CZ Smith--an out of town pimp who wants to buy girls for his brothels around the world. His contact Janette (Elizabeth Ashley)--a madame who works for Snake (Fred Williamson). However, Janette and Snake are cagey--they don't know who CZ is and he could be a cop. Much of the rest of the show shows how Czonka works the two suspects--leading to their arrest. However, as I watched, I wondered if such a case would gain traction or it would be ruled a case of entrapment, as CZ was soliciting them to break the law. Just wondering and I'd love to know the answer to this one.

All in all, this episode was well made and well acted but never really engaged me enough to have me come back for more of the shows. However, I bought season one on DVD--we'll see what I think about further episodes.

Two final things of note. As my wife watched, she was shocked by Williamson's clothing and his very large 'package'--something that made her laugh and we were surprised to see on a network television show of the era. Additionally, Elizabeth Ashley and James Farentino had been married and divorced to each other years before making this show.

A serviceable enough first hour long entry in the Police Story series becomes something memorable due to the display of flowery men's shirts in bold colors sported by leading actor James Farentino. Is this what the well dressed sporting dudes were flaunting in the early 1970s in La-La-Land? Did Farentino choose these outfits himself as part of his own wardrobe or do we owe these delights to an uncredited (at least by IMDb) costume designer?At one point, a police colleague of the Farentino character jokes that the cop must be working the underground gay bar circuit, in such a getup. Viewers of the time who like myself didn't yet have a color Tv set but were still watching shows in black and white didn't know what they were missing.

The first proper episode of this anthology service starts James Farentino as undercover vice detective Detective Czonka.

Although due a vacation. Czonka has been roped in to pose as CZ Smith, a pimp from Seattle looking to buy girls.

His job is to bring down ruthless pimp Snake (Fred Williamson) who seems to be evading the police and has a tight grip on his prostitution ring. Czonka gets entry to Snake via Janette his madame.

However Snake wants a favour first. His estranged wife is a liability and Snake wants someone to permanently disfigure her.

Created by Joseph Wambaugh, there is a gritty aspect to Police Story. There is a strong scene when Czonka talks to a young hooker, a runaway coerced to a life of vice which includes drugs, beatings and gang rape. Czonka knows exactly the story used by her pimp to lure her to the game. Although made in 1973, the same angle is still used today by pimps.

On the other hand there is an element of camp with the loud outfits which even Czonka acknowledges. Williamson is effective as the ruthless Snake but you do wonder if there were any white pimps back in the 1970s.