"There are eight million stories in the Naked City." - Narrator at the conclusion of each "Naked City" episode
Naked City: Portrait of a Painter DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
Naked City: Portrait of a Painter collects four more episodes from this classic crime series' 1958-63 run. Like Naked City: Spectre of the Rose Street Gang, the episodes are culled from the series' post fall of 1960 incarnation which centered on Detective Adam Flint (Paul Burke), his colleagues Lieutenant Mike Parker (Horace McMahon) and Sergeant Frank Arcaro (Harry Bellaver), and his aspiring actress girlfriend Libby (Nancy Malone). The episodes combine the standard themes of cop shows with the spirit of dramatic anthologies since the emphasis is usually on the criminals or the victims.
"Portrait of a Painter," originally broadcast on January 10, 1962, features Star Trek's William Shatner as Roger Barmer, a struggling artist who regains consciousness in his apartment one morning only to discover the body of his murdered wife lying next to him on the floor. The painter's former psychiatrist (played by character actor Theodore Bikel) believes that the young man is the murderer, but Detective Flynt (Paul Burke) is not totally convinced. "Portrait" is a particularly strong episode. It relies a bit too heavily on psychological mumbo-jumbo, but at heart it remains an effective whodunit.
"Don't Knock It 'Till You've Tried It" (December 26, 1962) is a comedic episode starring everyone's favorite curmudgeon, Walter Matthau. Bixie (Sally Gracie) is an aging Vegas showgirl. One month ago, she met psychiatrist Dr. Max Lewine (Matthau) after one of her performances. Lewine explained that he had run away from his wife, mother, and his medical practice back in New York, and the two started a romance. When Dr. Lewine skips town in the middle of the night to return to his former life, Bixie decides to reclaim what's hers.even if it means forcibly kidnapping him at gunpoint. This episode is drolly funny thanks to an excellent script by Joel Carpenter (In New York, Bixie's yawning friend notes "It's two o'clock. They get up so early here.") and Matthau's smoldering volcano of a performance. Fans of the late actor will not want to miss this outstanding episode. His pompous idiocy is well suited for his role, and his talented co-stars are just as well-cast.
The March 6, 1963 episode, "Alive and Still a Second Lieutenant," is next on the disc. Topper's Robert Sterling stars as Jason Colwell, an ineffectual army vet who accidentally beats a man to death while arguing over a parking space. Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy) briefly appears as the dead man's son. This episode, which also delves a bit too deeply in psychological mumbo-jumbo, was written by Shimon Wincelberg, who later went on to pen many episodes of Lost in Space.
Jack Klugman, future star of The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.E., appears in November 8, 1961's "The Tragic Success of Alfred Tiloff." Alfy is a loser who seems to screw up everything he touches. He and his wife, Myrtle (Jan Sterling), come up with the perfect way to reverse their fortunes: they will simply kidnap a little girl and hold her for ransom. Their luck finally seems to be changing, but as the title suggests, success comes with a heavy price. This suspenseful episode boasts an excellent performance from Klugman.
Once again, Naked City's use of the streets of New York City as its backdrop provides viewers with glimpses of Gotham as it appeared in the early 1960s. These four episodes are not as stringent about listing locations at which the scenes were filmed, but a sequence in "Alive" was filmed at Steinberg's Dairy Restaurant. "Tragic Success" was partially filmed inside the Hotel Beverly.
As in Naked City: Spectre of the Rose Street Gang, Nelson Riddle's compositions grace most of the episodes included on this disc. Billy May, the composer of Naked City's theme song, takes the reigns for "Portrait of a Painter."
The single disc containing four episodes is housed in a keepcase. The back of the keepcase lists the show titles, original airdates, writing and directing credits, and short synopses. An insert includes a scene selections listing. The DVD menus are simple and elegant. Viewers can play all episodes or watch individual ones.
