One Last Shot

Leslie Nielsen's annual appearances on the series have proven a highlight, so I was disappointed to discover this was his third and last hurrah, but I was not disappointed in the story or in Nielsen's heartrending performance.

Now that said, I agree wholeheartedly with previous reviewers that the story was shockingly soft on Joe and that the free pass he received minimized Joe's partner's needless death as well as the anger and grieving of the widow and son. "Don't hate him," Stone tells Corky mere hours after his father's death, "It's a disease. A disease called loneliness." Wow, Mike, so Joe Landers is the real suffering victim here? Because his wife walked out on him five years earlier?

I have to add I rolled my eyes when Mike has at the forefront of his memory these personal details about colleagues, especially uniformed officers. "Five years ago? Wasn't that when Betty walked out on him?" C'mon, who would know that? Mike Stone isn't the guy you'd go to for a sympathetic shoulder upon which to pour out your personal problems.

So was this a "very special episode"? No, but you could see it from here when Mike veered into a public service announcement on the walk out of the office, data dumping on Steve statistics about alcoholism in America and giving AA a plug. Officer Jeff will never know why Steve turned down his offer to go toss back a couple beers, as if Mike and Steve's abstaining from alcohol that night would somehow atone for Joe's sins.

Let's keep it real and admit it's hard to watch an older Leslie Nielsen dramatic performance and not think of Lt. Frank Drebin, especially when Nielsen is playing a cop. But Nielsen was so compelling as Joe that I forgot all about Drebin... until he threatened to run in that rummy for vagrancy. That scene just cracked me up even as I appreciated its poignancy. Here's Joe hitting rock bottom, sitting on the curb drinking alongside two bums accosting him for a swig and who understandably laugh at his trying to play policeman to them.

Okay, gilding the lily was having the Salvation Army band playing "Amazing Grace," which brought to my mind GUYS N' DOLLS. At least Joe didn't take the pledge and climb on the wagon in some maudlin display.

Adding immeasurably to the episode's heft was Ric Carrot as Corky Shaffer. He had a major role and played a pivotal part and really deserved to be listed in the opening credits. I know Carrot primarily from his later live-action Saturday morning sci-fi series SPACE ACADEMY, so it was great fun seeing him in this different role and doing it so well.

Sad was the short shrift veteran actor Jock Mahoney received playing ill-fated Officer Mel Shaffer. He only had a few lines and then bang, he was gone. Not only was Mahoney impressive as Tarzan in a couple pictures but he headlined his own late-fifties Western series, YANCY DERRINGER. He deserved better than he got.

I cringed through the over-emoting of Jacqueline Scott as the grieving widow but admired the stoic and ever-hopeful Susan Strasberg as concerned wife Helen Graves. I agreed with the street punks who cried "police brutality," especially after that crusty old cop yanked Franky away from his pregnant wife in mid-kiss!

Speaking of Frank Graves, Robert Drivas was excellent as the wrong man driving the wrong make and model at the wrong time. Drivas will always be imprinted on my memory as Chris Vashon in that celebrated three-part HAWAII FIVE-O epic, so I was immediately suspecting he was guilty of something after he took off with tires squealing after the shooting. It was only after he was interrogated in Stone's office did I begrudgingly believe he was innocent. A fine performance from a fine actor... but that suit? Hoo-boy. Okay, it was 1974. I mean, there's Joe Landers driving a yellow Pinto, for cryin' out loud.

I learned that today, February 11, 2025. The date I enjoyed the episode and wrote this review, would have been Leslie Nielsen's 99th birthday (he died in 2010 at age 84). It was serendipitous I started the third season tonight and caught his closing appearance on the series. Of his three guest spots, I rank "One Last Shot" as number two, "Legion of the Lost" third, and "Before I Die" as number one. All are good, however, and well worth watching and rewatching.

***SPOILERS*** It was hard working family man Robert Graves', Robert Drives, misfortune to be stopped for a minor traffic violation by the drunk & psycho cop Off. Joe Landers, Leslie Nielsen, who's handling of the next to nothing affair, running a red light, turned to the shooting of his partner Off. Mel Shaffer, Jock Mahoney. After having himself juiced up with cheap booze, the only kind that he can afford, Landers doing his best "Dirty Harry" imitation manhandled the startled Graves and in the process his gun which he had drawn went off hitting Shaffer killing him. Knowing the fix that he's gotten himself into Landers makes up a story that the innocent Graves disarmed him and used his service revolver to kill Shaffer instead. But with Graves still alive as well as two witnesses to the fatal shooting Landers knows unless he kills or murders Graves, so he can't testify to his innocence in court, his goose is cooked along with his career as well as freedom.

With an all points bulletin out for accused "Cop Killer" Graves Landers more then willingly, even though nobody asked him,joins in on the chase to not apprehended Graves but murder him in order he not end up implicating him in his partners, Shaffer, "Frindely Fire" shooting death. It's Det. Let. Mike Stone, Karl Malden, who with his bloodhound like nose who smells a rat in all this in Graves being a cop killer and starts to check or sniff out Landers' over the top attempt to catch Shaffer's killer. That soon leads him to a number of ginmill and liquor stores that Laders visited while both on and off duty that contributed to his both alcoholism as well as paranoia. This has Det. Let. Stone sniff his way to San Francisco's skid row where Landers now a fugitive from the law in his attempted murder of not only Let. Det. Stone but his partner Steve Keller, Michael Douglas, and Landers' late partner's son Officer Corky Shaffer, Ric Corrott.

***SPOILERS*** Despite what problems Landers had, his wife left him five years ago, he had no excuse for his actions even if they, as he tried to convince himself, were alcohol induced. The man was sick and needed help but to my surprise the police treated him with kid gloves until he finally went off the handle and started shooting everything and everyone in sight. As for the totally innocent Frank Graves even when it was obvious that Landers shot Shaffer not him he was put in the lock-up and kept isolated from his pregnant wife Helen, Susan Stasberg, until the very end of the TV episode.