Cold Case

Devil Music

Season 5, Episode 4, Aired 10/14/07

Episode Summary

The team re-investigates the 1953 case of a talented 19-year-old rock'n'roll singer when new evidence comes forth, suggesting he wasn't killed in the place where his body was found.

9.0

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Cast & Crew

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Danny Pino

Scotty Valens
Tracie Thoms

Kat Miller (Episodes 3.13+; recurring previously)
Kathryn Morris

Lilly Rush

Fan Episode Reviews (10)

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An out of towner comes to live with his uncle and his family when his mum and dad die. He never really fits in because he was brought up singing Rock and Roll. Life in squaresville is revealed to be less then perfect.moreless

10

"Perfect"

By 13Cat13, Jun 14, 2009 Report Abuse

This episode was so good. I loved the whole breaking out of the stereotype of who you were supposed to be. Bingo was such a great singer and he definetly would have made it big. The way Rock and Roll was looked at back then was completely dumb. Most of the music on t.v. would never began if it wasn't for Rock and Roll. This episode kept you wanting more. The cahracters were hilarious and the soda shop scene was so realistic, made you feel like you were there. I would of liked to know what happened to Bingo's family and how the girlfrieds life turned out, but all-in-all it was awesome.moreless

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Great stuff

10

"Perfect"

By ferriswheel01, Mar 14, 2008 Report Abuse

This episode was fantastic. I loved every minute of it and wow was Bingo good ... wrong he was great. I found myself smiling everytime he came on. He just made the room shine. He was exceptionally talented and it was just a shame that somebody ended his life before his talent touched more lives. I am a huge Scotty fan so I kinda liked the whole him acting like a jerk because he thought one of his friends/co workers ratted him out. I thought it was hilarious when Vera was talking to some guy about looking for a bullet. Great stuff.moreless

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Going back a generation or two "Devil Music" touches on some good issues that although resolved now, were quite controversial back in 1953.

9.0

"Superb"

By Freedom42, Nov 21, 2007 Report Abuse

The 4th episode of Cold Case Season 5 goes far back in time to an era that a person of my age finds hard to relate to, yet I can still understand the ideas that it expresses. "Devil Music" as the name suggests works on the discrimination issues of American society, and white people's distaste for music that was considered 'only for blacks.' It's really interesting to see the conflicts and arguments that took place back then, from Aces being fired mainly because he was black, to the adult's sheer resentment of the movements and sound of Bingo's music. Another form of discrimination that was displayed was the idea that men would always be the source of all the family's income, and the women would always be housewives. A good quote from the episode that Bingo said was; "Don't let anybody stop you from doing what you love" or something along those lines. At the end of the episode I came to realise, despite the fact that the episode was set way before my time, it had every little bit of relevance to me as "Running Around" did because it was delving into the idea that times were changing, and they were. Those were the times when people were dancing and singing and crossing over the borderlines of what's black and what's white, they were right in the pinnacle of a massive revoloution for our freedom. And we take for granted every day the things that happened back then, because back then they didn't have equal rights or equal freedom. Women were discriminated, black people were discriminated, even Bingo was discriminated because people didn't want him to do what he loved. It's so hard to believe now because times have changed, but "Devil Music" really put things into perspective for me, and even though it was set so long ago, the themes the episode touched on are just as important to me as it would have been to my grandfathers.moreless

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ok episode...

7.8

"Good"

By Fwirrel, Oct 21, 2007 Report Abuse

The team investigates the murder of a 19 year old boy that was into the new type of music. It turned out that his cousin killed him becasue the cousin wanted everything to be back to how it was before he came. So, in my opinion, the case was not that interesting. I liked the culture stuff and the time period, but the main character and his story wasn't that interesting. There was some good characterization in this episode, especially with Scotty. Overall, not the best episode, but not that bad. Ok case, good character development and an overall ok episode.moreless

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An unsolved 1953 murder is the structure for a story of race relations and the role of women in the middle of the twentieth century.

9.6

"Superb"

By george91910us, Oct 18, 2007 Report Abuse

Never having watched this series, I just happened to record on my VCR so I can't comment on the ongoing themes but the story that was woven about race relations and a woman's place in white middle class American society was right on.

I grew up a little past the time on this story but the attitude toward pop music and race relations were textbook. Ed Valentine's attitudes could have been quoted from my father and the lack of opportunities for women that effected Mrs. Valentine and Miranda's view of her future were still the constraints imposed upon my female classmates in high school. (A women's place is in the home ,,, etal).

Life is much more complicated today. We can all be thankful.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Nitpick: Miranda says that on the night Bingo was killed, they went to the drive-in to see The Band Wagon (1953), starring Fred Astaire. The problem with this statement is that the movie premiered on August 7, 1953 -- Bingo died in June. It's possible that since Miranda was a little hazy on the details, she might have simply remembered wrong. Edit
- Bingo Zohar died in June 1953. Edit
Notes
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- International Airdates: - Denmark: January 2, 2008 on TV3 - The Netherlands: March 22, 2008 on Net 5 - Czech Republic: May 28, 2008 on TV Nova - Finland: June 3, 2008 on MTV3 - Norway: June 25, 2008 on TVNorge - Slovakia: July 21, 2009 on Markiza - Turkey: September 29, 2009 on CNBC-e Edit
- Music Featured in This Episode:
  - Dimples and Cherry Cheeks by Tex Beneke
  - Bloodshot Eyes by Wynonie Harris
  - The Sixty Minute Man by Billy Ward & The Dominoes
  - Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton
  - Noodlin' Rag by Perry Como & The Fontaine Sisters
  - Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
  Edit
Quotes
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- Scotty: So why come forward now? Lloyd Jordan: I'm losing my eyes. The doctor said I've got two years. I thought if I tell about what I saw, it might make things right. Scotty: I can't fix your eyes, but I'll try and make it right. Edit
- Bingo: Nobody should stop you from doing what you love. Edit
- Store Owner: (to Det. Vera) Goji berry? They make you happy! Eat enough, you never stop smiling! Edit
Allusions
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- Two newspaper headlines are shown in the beginning of the episode: Supreme Court Calls for Reargument of Brown V. Board (1953) and Brown V. Board Revisited? (2007). Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) was a landmark case of the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that separate public schools for black and white children were no longer permitted. Edit
- JP Valentine: Dad, can I watch Bandstand? Mr. Valentine: No one wants to watch kids dance. That show's gonna be yanked! American Bandstand was a television show that showcased emerging music performers. Contrary to Mr. Valentine's prediction, the show did not get yanked but ran from 1952 to 1989. Edit