Ma Barker and her boys face a bloody end to their criminal spree of terror.
I can see how Hoover might have burst a blood vessel after seeing that "The Untouchables" series gave Eliot Ness credit for the demise of the Barker gang, but still, as a story, I find this one entertaining with a chance to see the human nature of villains in a little more depth than usual.
There's a nice use of a building evil here, with good use of long flashback sequences that paint the picture. Claire Trevor chews some good scenery here, enabling her sons' nastiness, belittling her husband, and despising the women who compete for her boys' attention. Her mental illness is well-illustrated when she absolutely must send a birthday cake to Arthur in Chicago, exposing her location in the process. In a way, the plot device illustrates her delusions and misplaced affections just about as well as an hour of television can muster.
So, though Ness and his men pass in and out of the story without driving much of the plot, in the end I think this is a story well-told in terms of drama and layered suspense.moreless
Episode Summary
EDIT
Eliot Ness, along with Bill Youngfellow and Martin Flaherty, are closing in on Ma Barker, who is holed up in a house along with 2 of her sons, Lloyd and Fred. But as Ness yells for Barker to surrender, the notorious criminal is anything but willing to come out peacefully.
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GUEST STAR
Allyn Ann McLerieNeighbor-uncredited
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GUEST STAR
Claire TrevorKate "Ma" Barker
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GUEST STAR
Vaughn TaylorGeorge Elias "Pa" Barker
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Jerry Paris
Agent Martin Flaherty
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Robert Stack
Eliot Ness
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Abel Fernandez
Agent William Youngfellow
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Walter Winchell
Narrator
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (8)
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Ma Barker: We're the Barkers! You'd better bring the army, navy and the Marines!
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Pa Barker: (to a reporter) Print about a man who always worked hard and tried to raise his family the right way, only she wouldn't let him.
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Ma Barker: (snidely to Eloise about the sweater) Take that back to where you got it or else give it to another boyfriend.
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Ness: (to Flaherty) Barkers all right. Daughter my foot. Look how she spelled Olivier.
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Eloise: (about the birthday cake) I don't want none.
Doc: Aw, baby.
Eloise: Eat it yourself. Choke on it! -
Ma Barker: You murderin' scum.
Doc: Make it a real good birthday present, Ma! Give it to me in the back. -
Narrator: Without Ma there to do his thinking for him, Doc was on his own. And on his own, he pulled a bone.
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Eloise: (after the Feds have stormed into capture her and Doc) Happy birthday, Doc!
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NOTES (1)
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This is the only episode of the series where the flashback technique of telling the storyline is used.
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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RIP Bruce Gordon
01/29/111
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Untouchables FAQ
02/13/098
Season 1 Episodes
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The Frank Nitti Story
Ep 27
Head Of Fire - Feet Of Clay
Ep 26
The Underworld Bank
Ep 25
Portrait Of A Thief
Ep 24
The Doreen Maney Story
Ep 23
Three Thousand Suspects
Ep 22
The White Slavers
Ep 21
The Unhired Assassin (Pt 2)
Ep 20
The Unhired Assassin (Pt 1)
Ep 19
The Big Squeeze
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Little Egypt
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One-Armed Bandits
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The St. Louis Story
Ep 15
Star Witness
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The Noise Of Death
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The Dutch Schultz Story
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The Tri-State Gang
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The Artichoke King
Ep 7
Mexican Stake-Out
Ep 6
Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll
Ep 5
Ain't We Got Fun?
Ep 4
The George "Bugs" Moran Story
Ep 3
The Jake Lingle Killing
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