Fred Stromsoe Movies

While visiting a local laundromat, off-duty police officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) cannot help but notice that a shaggy-haired young man seems to be monopolizing all of the washing machines. It turns out that this busy customer is using those machines to dry his stash of marijuana. In case there was every any doubt that Adam-12 was a Jack Webb production, this episode should dispell it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of Adam-12's two-part series finale, Officer Jim Reed has earned the Medal of Valor for putting his life on the line. Worried that Jim's luck is running out, his wife Jean (Kristin Nelson) urges him to give up his prowl-car duties and take the investigator's exam, which would assure him permanent desk duty. Meanwhile, Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), slowly recovering from a serious wound, is none too happy with the prospect of losing his longtime partner Reed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The initials in the episode's title stand for "Grand Theft Auto", and that particular crime is what occupies the time of Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner). Several older automobiles have been stolen over a short period of time, and the two cops figure that the solution to this crime wave may be found in a local scrap-metal yard which caters to foreign customers. Featured in the cast is veteran movie heavy Leo Gordon, who also scripted this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In stark contrast with Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), fellow officer Ed Wells (Gary Crosby) has no time for "teamwork" with his partner Officer Brady (Hank Brandt); indeed, Ed prides himself on the fact that he and Brandt choose to work independently. This attitude proves disastrous when Wells runs up against a well-armed homeowner who mistakes the officer for a burglar. Perhaps coincidentally, this episode represents a rally of "second-generation" Hollywood talent: in addition to semiregular Gary Crosby, who of course was the son of Bing Crosby, the supporting cast features Deanna Martin, the daughter of Dean Martin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jo Ann Pflug guest stars as Dana Hall, a new female police officer who is determined to prove her worth in a virtually all-male department. Frustrated that her current assignments do not allow her to demonstrate her intelligence or innate skills, Dana demands that she be given some challenging work. Thus it is that a reluctant Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) is temporarily teamed with Dana, who soon proves to be as troublesome as she is ambitious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Rampart police division swings into action after receiving a long-distance call from Omaha. A frantic woman reports that her husband, currently living in LA, has called her and threatened to commit suicide. As Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) search for the husband, they find an abandoned baby along the away. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dick Van Patten guest stars as Harry Curtis, a lovable drunk whose hilarious wisecracks have arresting officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) in stitches. What isn't so funny is the desperation which Harry is hiding under his clownish veneer--in fact, it can be said that he's laughing to keep from crying. Perhaps inevitably, this story ends on a somber note...and need we add, no one feels like laughing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The centerpiece of this tense episode is a hostage situation on the roof of a shopping center. Having bungled a robbery, two armed criminals grab a female hostage and head to the roof. In their efforts to rescue the woman, Officers Reed (Kent McCord) and Malloy (Martin Milner) finds themselves engaging in a deadly war of nerves with the desperate thieves. Ironically, the "helpless" hostage is played by Regina Parton, one of Hollywood's best and bravest stuntwomen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the last of Adam-12's Yuletide episodes, Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) wants to deliver a Christmas tree to a retirement home. Jim's partner Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) doesn't object to this gesture of generosity--but he does raise a howl at the notion of using Adam-12 for non-police business. Elsewhere, the two cops contend with a misguided Good Samaritan and a liquor-store robbery. Comedian (and future A-list Hollywood agent) Martin Ingels appears as a thief who spends his Holiday time siphoning gasoline from other people's cars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The seventh and final season of Adam-12 spends a bit more time on the private lives of LAPD officers Malloy (Martin Milner) and Reed (Kent McCord) than in previous years. Reed was seen commiserating with his wife Jean, played by Kristin Harmon (replacing season two's Mikki Jamison). As for the unmarried Malloy, he devoted much of his down time to talking about his new girlfriend Judy, who was seen from time to time in the person of actress Aneta Corsaut, better known as Helen Crump on The Andy Griffith Show. The season opens with one of the series' rare two-part episodes, "Camp," and closes with another two-parter, "Something Worth Dying For." In between, the viewer is treated to one of Adam-12's best-ever episodes, "X-Force," in which Malloy loses his cool with a child abuser and smacks his handcuffed prisoner against a wall -- leading to an excessive-force charge, with Reed reluctantly corroborating the evidence. Although Adam-12's ratings suffered mightily as a result of being scheduled opposite Happy Days and Good Times, the series still enjoyed a loyal following during its final season -- and, as a bonus, it had entered the Valhalla of media history as prime time's last-ever half-hour dramatic network series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) suffers torture beyond endurance when he goes on his rounds while suffering from a severe sunburn. Though wracked with pain, Jim joins his partner Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) in breaking up a drug ring and rescuing a couple of kids from drowning in a lake. A pre-stardom Pamela Hensley appears as a nurse, while popular LA deejay Dick Whittinghill also essays an acting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Assigned temporary fill-in duty at Los Angeles International Airport, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are kept hopping with a variety of major crimes and minor misdemeanors. In the course of their shift, the two cops collar some parking-lot thieves, and stop a frequent-flying dope smuggler in his tracks. They also recover a runaway kid who is trying to stow away on an airliner. The supporting cast includes former My Three Sons costar Tina Cole. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) continue their temporary assignment with an ASD helicopter unit. Assisted by airborne officers Walters (William Stevens) and Mills (Gavin James), the two normally "grounded" cops are able to hunt down and capture some very elusive robbery suspects who have escaped by plane. Inasmuch as most of the episode's exposition is delivered via the helicopter radio, guest actors Sam Edwards, Julie Bennett and John Nolan are heard but never seen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide