Deliver Us Some Evil

A few years before he was Jack Tripper and playing gay to fool the landlords the Ropers and live with Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter played this nice amiable delivery boy for a florist on this Kojak episode. However what Ritter was doing was robbing several of this wealthy upper East Side clients of valuables. But the Manhattan South Homicide Squad gets involved when he's caught by Irene Tedrow and has to kill her.

Up to now Ritter has been taking strictly old collectible coins from his various clients. But now he's setting up for a real granddaddy of a heist involving jewelry, art, and his specialty of coins. Of course the chance of hauling away a heist gang, fences and all is a real coup for Telly Savalas and the squad.

Ritter is great and even better is Karen Lamm as his money hungry and girl toy hungry girlfriend. She's got many friends besides diamonds. Nicely done episode.

This episode of Kojak brings out the big guns and the big goons.

There is a helicopter sequence. There are the new Twin Towers. Stavros is talking to plants.

If that is not enough, John Ritter plays the baddie. He really is in bad company.

Kenny Soames (John Ritter) is the young delivery man from the pharmacy company. He also has an interest in rare coins. Delivering home to home gives Kenny access to snoop around. Only it leads to murder.

Kojak realises that the family had a rare coin collection but only one coin was lifted.

Now word comes in that a big heist is planned. Coins, antiques, paintings. It is another old lady who has her medicine delivered by Kenny.

This time Kojak plans to catch everyone in the act.

It is a nice gritty outing. Rich old ladies, a nurse working around the clock unable to see her dying husband. Then Kenny and his glamorous girlfriend hoping to hop it to South America.

When the story begins, Kenny (John Ritter) is in an apartment to steal a coin. However, when the lady of the house arrives, he kills her to avoid getting caught. Soon Kojak learns something odd...although there was an impressive coin collection in the home, only one coin was stolen....as if the robbery was planned for by someone who was a coin collector. He and his staff spend most of the episode trying to get more on whoever the killer and thief is....all during which this same killer is trying to organize something HUGE! Can Kojak and his men get there in time to stop this ultimate heist?

This is a very interesting episode and seeing how the police kept following the leads seemed realistic. Well worth seeing.