Decoy

Decoy

1957
Decoy
Decoy

Decoy

7.7 | en | Drama

New York City policewoman Casey Jones' assignment to fight crime often entails her going undercover in some of the seediest and most dangerous parts of the city. Decoy is a groundbreaking American crime drama television series created for syndication and initially broadcast from October 14, 1957, to July 7, 1958, with thirty-nine 30-minute black-and-white episodes. It was the first American police series with a female protagonist. Many Decoy episodes are in the public domain.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP39  The Lost Ones
Jan. 28,1959
The Lost Ones

Casey is suspicious when a teenager confesses to her own father's murder.

EP38  First Arrest
Jun. 30,1958
First Arrest

Casey recalls her first case - looking for stolen gems at Coney Island's amusement park.

EP37  The Comeback
Jan. 14,1959
The Comeback

Casey attempts to expose the leader of a counterfeiting ring.

EP36  Blind Date
Jun. 16,1958
Blind Date

Casey poses as an accident victim who was carrying stolen money.

EP35  Tin Pan Payoff
Dec. 19,1958
Tin Pan Payoff

A philandering songwriter is murdered.

EP34  Shadow of Van Gogh
Jun. 02,1958
Shadow of Van Gogh

Casey investigates art swindlers.

EP33  The Lieutenant Had a Son
Dec. 17,1958
The Lieutenant Had a Son

An Army officer is driven to violence by his ex-wife.

EP32  Fiesta at Midnight
May. 19,1958
Fiesta at Midnight

Casey must find the witness who can prove a Puerto Rican man is innocent of robbery and murder.

EP31  Night Light
Nov. 26,1958
Night Light

A movie star's chauffeur is suspected of stealing a necklace.

EP30  The Gentle Gunman
May. 05,1958
The Gentle Gunman

Casey investigates an illegal-weapons racket.

EP29  Cry Revenge
Apr. 28,1958
Cry Revenge

Casey becomes involved with the personal problems of the mother and daughter she is assigned to protect.

EP28  Ladies' Man
Apr. 21,1958
Ladies' Man

Casey travels to a resort hotel to catch a murderer.

EP27  The Sound of Tears
Oct. 29,1958
The Sound of Tears

Casey is suspicious when a woman is accused of killing her fiancee.

EP26  Earthbound Satellite
Jun. 10,1959
Earthbound Satellite

Casey investigates a high-society gambling syndicate.

EP25  High Swing
Jun. 03,1959
High Swing

Casey acts as bait in order to catch a mugger.

EP24  Saturday Was Lost
Mar. 24,1958
Saturday Was Lost

A young girl is found in a state of shock, and Casey wants to find out why.

EP23  Night of Fire
Mar. 17,1958
Night of Fire

A warehouse fire may be arson.

EP22  Reasonable Doubt
Mar. 10,1958
Reasonable Doubt

A man is falsely accused of robbery.

EP21  The Showplace
Mar. 03,1958
The Showplace

Casey poses as a nightclub entertainer.

EP20  Across the World
Apr. 29,1959
Across the World

A shipping executive is murdered and Casey goes undercover as the dead woman's niece.

EP19  The Challenger
Apr. 22,1959
The Challenger

Casey suspects that a boxer was drugged before his big fight.

EP18  An Eye for an Eye
Apr. 15,1959
An Eye for an Eye

Casey poses as a drug addict.

EP17  Dressed for the Kill
Apr. 08,1959
Dressed for the Kill

A model is murdered in New York's garment district.

EP16  Odds Against the Jockey
Jan. 27,1958
Odds Against the Jockey

Casey goes undercover at the racetrack after a gambler is murdered.

EP15  Death Watch
Jan. 20,1958
Death Watch

A shoplifting investigation uncovers a "murder for hire" outfit.

EP14  Bullet of Hate
Jan. 13,1958
Bullet of Hate

A teenage girl is accused of murder.

EP13  My Brother's Killer
Sep. 24,1958
My Brother's Killer

Casey goes after an escaped convict responsible for a string of murders and holdups.

EP12  Queen of Diamonds
Mar. 25,1959
Queen of Diamonds

Casey goes undercover as a nightclub photographer.

EP11  Two Days to Kill
Mar. 18,1959
Two Days to Kill

Casey must protect a teenage girl - the only witness to a murder committed by her ex-boyfriend.

EP10  The Scapegoat
Mar. 11,1959
The Scapegoat

A woman, who's in jail for embezzling money to care for her mentally disabled son, escapes.

EP9  The Glass Necklace
Dec. 09,1957
The Glass Necklace

Casey goes undercover as a wealthy socialite to investigate a series of jewel robberies.

EP8  Escape into Danger
Oct. 15,1958
Escape into Danger

Casey searches for a woman who thinks she has killed her husband.

EP7  Deadly Corridor
Oct. 08,1958
Deadly Corridor

A woman dies while in custody.

EP6  The Savage Payoff
Oct. 01,1958
The Savage Payoff

The bankbook of a dead college basketball player indicates a possible involvement with racketeers.

EP5  Dream Fix
Nov. 11,1957
Dream Fix

A teenage drug addict is the key to busting a narcotics ring.

EP4  To Trap a Thief
Nov. 04,1957
To Trap a Thief

A policeman is accused of stealing $10,000.

EP3  The Phoner
Oct. 28,1957
The Phoner

Casey investigates a series of threatening phone calls made to a woman.

EP2  The Red Clown
Oct. 21,1957
The Red Clown

Casey searches for a Greenwich Village artist who has abandoned his family.

EP1  Stranglehold
Oct. 14,1957
Stranglehold

Casey moves into a rooming house to solve the murder of a sailor.

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7.7 | en | Drama , Crime , Mystery | More Info
Released: 1957-10-14 | Released Producted By: Official Films , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

New York City policewoman Casey Jones' assignment to fight crime often entails her going undercover in some of the seediest and most dangerous parts of the city. Decoy is a groundbreaking American crime drama television series created for syndication and initially broadcast from October 14, 1957, to July 7, 1958, with thirty-nine 30-minute black-and-white episodes. It was the first American police series with a female protagonist. Many Decoy episodes are in the public domain.

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Cast

Beverly Garland

Director

Producted By

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Reviews

Mark Turner If you asked most people what the first TV series was that told what it was like for women on the police force odds are you would hear POLICE WOMAN with Angie Dickinson. Whoever gives that answer is wrong though. Long before Dickinson went undercover there was a short lived series called DECOY starring Beverly Garland in the title role.Using various real life cases this series used the tried and true format so many police shows at the time did, giving the facts of the case and then going into what progressed from there. In the case of this show it ended each episode with Garland's character Casey Jones talking to the camera and discussing how the events of the show that week affected her.One episode seems like fairly light weight case to be working on, that of a deadbeat dad who disappeared. For me it seemed odd the amount of time spent on this case. With all the other problems in the world I wouldn't think the police would be that active in this case. But then maybe they were at that point in time (the series takes place in the late fifties). Another episode involves a man harassing people on the phone. But then there are more high level cases as well from protecting witnesses to catching murderers.The show doesn't really stand the test of time in the way it's written, shot and performed. It definitely shows its age. But that really doesn't matter. It still provides an entertaining drama for those who love classic golden age television programs. Many will forget that this was the way shows were in those days. Tell a young person that black and white shows were the norm and not the exception and you're likely to get blank stares from them wondering how you could have been alive during such a primitive age.Garland does a fine job in the series and gives her character as much life as the writers would allow. She ended up becoming a familiar face on series television but never seemed to reach mega-star status for some reason. Her most familiar roles were as Barbara Harper, the woman who married Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray) on MY THREE SONS and as Amanda King's (Kate Jackson) mother on THE SCARECROW AND MRS. KING.If you're a fan of golden age dramas then you'll want to pick this one up. It's offered at an affordable price and the folks at Film Chest have done a great job of cleaning it up in a presentable fashion. To date they're one of the few companies that takes items like this and gives them the credit they're due. Let's hope they continue to do so in the future.
Mike Burroughs A couple of years ago, I was able to get a set of 5 DVDs that contained 20 of the 39 episodes of Decoy, and it was great to watch them again after so long. Back when Decoy aired in 1957-58, I was 12 and 13 years old and had something of a crush on Beverly Garland. Recently, I found an advertisement--for the first time--for a DVD set with all 39 episodes. And the price was hard to beat as well. Naturally, I ordered the set and have been enjoying watching them all over again.The picture quality is excellent, but at times the sound is a little muffled; however, all in all, it is great viewing. For anyone who enjoys the genre of Dragnet, Police Woman, etc., this is a great series that ran, sadly, for only one season. Yet, I consider it to be a classic.
stolfwx Yes, this is a wonderfully gritty, no-nonsense cop yarn. What struck me is: Where's the sexism? Where's the condescension? Where's the "Oh, ya gonna arrest me, Officer Sweetie Pie?" This was the Fifties, right? It's a cop show with a twist: a cop who gets emotional over what she sees and what she has to do. But Casey Jones never, and I mean never, lets it get in the way of her completely professional approach to her job. She works with male officers, and they are nothing if not equals, comrades in arms. And for those of you who know Beverly Garland only from the fluff of My Three Sons, have you got a surprise coming. Great entertainment all the way around. And for something a little snappier, try Front Page Detective.
blondiesguy2004 One would call "Decoy" for what it is... a female "Dragnet", with the beguiling Beverly Garland ("My Three Sons", "Scarecrow and Mrs. King") and the city of New York filling in for Jack Webb and sunny Los Angeles. But once you get caught in its premise, it's easy to overlook other aspects of the show. Such as the fact that Ms. Garland is required, in her role as undercover policewoman Patricia "Casey" Jones, to play a different role in each of the 39 episodes filmed. In one episode, she could play an exotic dancer in a carnival, in the next, she can play an addict, and so on and so on, all in the guise of a crime fighter. Whether Angie Dickinson, as Pepper Anderson - "Police Woman", took her cues from Beverly Garland is open to debate, but it's clear to say that Ms. Garland's Casey Jones is clearly a trailblazer for other lady lawmen to follow.As for the other co-star, New York City... "Decoy" isn't the first series filmed on location in the Big Apple, nor was it the last, but it was certainly one of the most effective in terms of its film noir look and fully fleshed characters. This isn't "Naked City", but it's as close a similarity as you can get on a shoestring budget. And it does the city justice, as "Naked City" would do the next year. Check it out on DVD when you get the chance."Decoy" is a Pyramid Production in association with Official Films, Inc. with technical assistance from the Policewoman's Bureau, NYC Police Department. 39 episodes were filmed on location in 1957.