THIS MAN DAWSON – Human Predator – 1960
This is episode 13 of the 1959-60 Police series, THIS MAN DAWSON. The series ran for a total of 39 episodes. Keith Andes headlines the series about an Ex-Military Officer hired to run a big city Police Department. The city is never named. Each episode starts and finishes with William Conrad doing the narration of the night's story.
A young woman, Adrienne Hayes, is sitting in on a park bench throwing a ball for her German Shepard. A man, Robert Osterloh, comes up behind her and grabs her up. He drags her kicking and screaming to a waiting car and shoves her inside, where a waiting woman, Barbara Pepper, gags her. The girl's dog goes for the thug who pulls a gun and blows the dog to pieces. He then jumps in the car and speeds off.
At the same time, City Police Chief, Keith Andes is in a meeting with City Official, Judson Pratt. They are interrupted by a phone call for Pratt. It seems his daughter is missing. Andes' asks how old the girl is. She is 22 years old Pratt offers, but she is blind and uses a seeing-eye dog. Then the reports of the girl being snatched at the park come in. Andes quickly sends out the detectives too look into the matter.
Pratt soon receives a ransom demand for a quarter million dollars. Pratt is also a wealthy businessman and agrees to the kidnap demands. Pratt is instructed to gather the cash and put it in a suitcase. He will receive further instruction on where to drop the cash.
The Police in the meantime have been interviewing witnesses at the park about the kidnapping and the shooting of the dog. They get enough of a description of the two to establish their identity. The FBI, are called in because kidnapping is a Federal beef. The FBI say they have been after Osterloh and Pepper on two other cases. In both, the criminals killed the kidnapped person after being paid off.
Andes talks Pratt into letting him, make the cash drop that night. Andes promises Pratt that the Police will stay away from the site of the exchange. Andes waits at the location and Osterloh soon drives up out of the dark, exits his car and pokes a gun in Andes face. He grabs the cash and high-tails it back to his car and drives off.
Andes pulls a small glass bottle from his jacket and tosses it at the roof of the fleeing car. The bottle smashes and spreads a patch of luminous paint. Andes calls in that the payoff is complete. A Police helicopter spots the luminous patch and follows the car from a safe distance. He calls in directions for the pursuing Police.
The plan is to follow Osterloh to the hideout and strike fast before he kills the kidnap victim. Osterloh reaches the hideout at a small warehouse and pulls in. He yells at his partner, Miss Pepper that they now have a cool quarter million. A Sunny climate is in the future plans for the two. That is, after they dispose of the loose end.
A blast from a Police loudspeaker is needless to say the last thing they expected to hear. The pair now attempt to bluff their way out, by using the young woman, Miss Hayes, as a shield. This does not work and Osterloh is shot dead for his trouble. Pepper is cuffed for a trip of another kind and hauled off. Pratt and his daughter are reunited.
This is episode 13 of the 1959-60 Police series, THIS MAN DAWSON. The series ran for a total of 39 episodes. Keith Andes headlines the series about an Ex-Military Officer hired to run a big city Police Department. The city is never named. Each episode starts and finishes with William Conrad doing the narration of the night's story.
A young woman, Adrienne Hayes, is sitting in on a park bench throwing a ball for her German Shepard. A man, Robert Osterloh, comes up behind her and grabs her up. He drags her kicking and screaming to a waiting car and shoves her inside, where a waiting woman, Barbara Pepper, gags her. The girl's dog goes for the thug who pulls a gun and blows the dog to pieces. He then jumps in the car and speeds off.
At the same time, City Police Chief, Keith Andes is in a meeting with City Official, Judson Pratt. They are interrupted by a phone call for Pratt. It seems his daughter is missing. Andes' asks how old the girl is. She is 22 years old Pratt offers, but she is blind and uses a seeing-eye dog. Then the reports of the girl being snatched at the park come in. Andes quickly sends out the detectives too look into the matter.
Pratt soon receives a ransom demand for a quarter million dollars. Pratt is also a wealthy businessman and agrees to the kidnap demands. Pratt is instructed to gather the cash and put it in a suitcase. He will receive further instruction on where to drop the cash.
The Police in the meantime have been interviewing witnesses at the park about the kidnapping and the shooting of the dog. They get enough of a description of the two to establish their identity. The FBI, are called in because kidnapping is a Federal beef. The FBI say they have been after Osterloh and Pepper on two other cases. In both, the criminals killed the kidnapped person after being paid off.
Andes talks Pratt into letting him, make the cash drop that night. Andes promises Pratt that the Police will stay away from the site of the exchange. Andes waits at the location and Osterloh soon drives up out of the dark, exits his car and pokes a gun in Andes face. He grabs the cash and high-tails it back to his car and drives off.
Andes pulls a small glass bottle from his jacket and tosses it at the roof of the fleeing car. The bottle smashes and spreads a patch of luminous paint. Andes calls in that the payoff is complete. A Police helicopter spots the luminous patch and follows the car from a safe distance. He calls in directions for the pursuing Police.
The plan is to follow Osterloh to the hideout and strike fast before he kills the kidnap victim. Osterloh reaches the hideout at a small warehouse and pulls in. He yells at his partner, Miss Pepper that they now have a cool quarter million. A Sunny climate is in the future plans for the two. That is, after they dispose of the loose end.
A blast from a Police loudspeaker is needless to say the last thing they expected to hear. The pair now attempt to bluff their way out, by using the young woman, Miss Hayes, as a shield. This does not work and Osterloh is shot dead for his trouble. Pepper is cuffed for a trip of another kind and hauled off. Pratt and his daughter are reunited.