Raetsonwe
Redundant and unnecessary.
Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
Glucedee
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Bumpy Chip
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
bkoganbing
I remember back in the day that the thing Lee Marvin remembered about his TV series M Squad was that Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger was not allowed any kind of personal life. Even Dragnet's Joe Friday had one, if you remember in both incarnations of that series there was scenes in the squad car where Jack Webb had scenes with Ben Alexander and Harry Morgan where they would talk some personal business. Even Joe Friday wasn't always a cop.But Frank Ballinger was as Marvin put it 'no booze, no broads, no vices of any kind'. His life was truly his job. And on the M Squad of the Chicago PD, the squad that handled the toughest cases, Lee Marvin was all business.The only other series regular was Paul Newlan as Marvin's captain. Week after week Marvin just did his job and did it well. And after playing mostly toughs and psychos in supporting roles on the big screen, Marvin got to be a good guy.The theme from M Squad was done by Count Basie, a tribute to a town that certainly has its history in the origins of jazz. The shows were reflective of Marvin's character, neat and compact and got right down to business.You can't ask more of a cop show.
rcraigfox
Even though Count Basie wrote the theme for M Squad, much credit should also be given to the Stanley Wilson orchestra for writing and performing the music for each episode week after week. Stanley Wilson, Benny Carter, and Johnny Williams wrote all the other cuts from the album, most of which are better than the theme in my estimation. The album from 1959, LPM-2062 includes: The Chase, The Search, Phantom Raiders, Lonely Beat, The Juke Box, The Mugger, The Discovery, The Late Spot, The Cha-Cha, Club, A Lady Sings the Blues, and, The End. They have all stood the test of time, just like the show. Does anyone remember if the opening credits show a Navy flying boat taking off? If not, what similar show from the same era had that scene? I thought it was M Squad, but since it was set in Chicago, maybe not. I believe the show I am looking for was set in San Diego, since the scene I am speaking of showed a Navy P5M taking off from the sea lane between North Island and San Diego. I was in that squadron at the time and would like to get a copy of that show just for the memories. Thanks
Kirasjeri
This show was so hard-bitten Ballinger almost got killed once having been pumped full of lead. When did Joe Friday ever get shot? It's a crime this adult drama has never been rerun.
TC-4
I remember M-Squad when it first came on. I was 15. Lee Marvin was a "no nonsense" cop much like Dan Matthews and Steve McGarrett. Lee Marvin was as good being good as he was good being bad. I think that Police Squad is based on this show. I have the original LP from the tv show that I bought 40 years ago and copied it and still play the tape in my car. The background jazz music was terriffic.
