“Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to see the Naked City…This story was not photographed in a studio…quite the contrary. The actors played out their roles in the streets and buildings of New York itself.”
note: Naked City, a crime drama that focused on the lives of the detectives of New York’s 65th Precinct, was voted “The Best Cop Show Ever” by New York City Policemen. It was first aired in 1958 and ran for 4 seasons and won 4 primetime emmies. This was the first network series to be filmed entirely in New York City.
I was on a stakeout in the 65th when the call came in. I was waiting in my squad car for the snitch with the big break I’d been waiting on. It was now or never, I had one chance to break this case wide open…
I’d been workin’ the Bunko Squad for years and this was the big one. All I needed was some dirt from some punk ass low life to confirm it was an inside job by a dirty cop. A dirty cop at the top at that.
It was the dispatcher.
“Flint, get up to Southampton. You’ve got Judy Duty. Over.”
“Not now, I just need one hour to break this scam wide open. Over”
“Don’t gimme no lip, Flint. Mr. Big needs you now! Over”
Judy Duty. Another night of sitting outside some fou fou condo complex while Mr. Big gets his knob polished.
Some scumbag skates while I’m walking this dame’s poodle. Trading my .38 for a shit shovel while Mr. Big gives a bone to this skanky skirt.
And the real kick in the pants is if I don’t, I’ll be walkin’ the beat on Skid Row like the last sap that raised a beef about it.
Looks like a bad day to be a cop on the beat.
The perps win again.
“There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them.”
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The slice of visual history via the streets of NY. My husband lived and was born in the fifties in that precinct. It was fun to watch.
Also, “Naked”, was in the name, so I felt very sophisticated. A worldly ten year old, laying on the floor with my stuffed turtle TV pillow.
good one Zwoof!
It would be great to have Donna Hanover report on this on the 6 o’clock news.
was always a sweet assignment. The Hamptons, the beach and the restaraunts. Too bad the trysts never lasted long enought for a good meal.
that I could actually live in a European city and be happy yet I would choose death over being forced to live in an American city. I impart a portion of this to the more recent establishment and progress of European governments. They did after all have this catastrophic event in 1945 and as such their governments are relatively “younger”. The destructive elements of corporate/other special interests therefore have not had the required time span needed to render European governments totally dysfunctional as is the case in the US.
They had to essentially “start again” after 1945 where the US did not.