The Six Million Dollar Man 1.07

Eyewitness to Murder

Steve is waiting for a taxi cab when someone nearby is shot and killed by a sniper. He goes after the sniper but the sniper gets away. Steve turns to Oscar for help. Oscar is a little put out that Steve woke him up in the middle of the night until he learns that the intended target wasn't the man who was killed but Mr. Sandusky, an important attorney in the district attorney's office who is about to bring charges against a bit time mobster.

Oscar and Steve offer assistance where they can. Oscar stays close to Mr. Sandusky while Steve goes looking for the sniper. He catches up to Hopper, the sniper, and the police bring him in for questioning but they are forced to release him when it turns out that Hopper has an airtight alibi. He was on a live broadcast television program on the night that the attempt was made on Sandusky's life.

Steve is positive that Hopper is the killer but Oscar has his doubts. Steve follows Hopper around but it isn't until the last minute that he figures out what is going on. Hopper has a twin brother who works with him. Steve trails the wrong brother when Sandusky is on his way to the courthouse. Steve finally notices, with his bionic eye that the man he's been following has a mole but the sniper did not.

Steve takes off running and makes it to the courthouse just in time to stop the sniper from taking another shot at bumping off Sandusky.

Thoughts

Hopper's first name, according to the credits for this episode, is John but there are two Hoppers. What's the other Hopper brother's first name?

This was an okay story. It wasn't great but it kept my interest. The guest stars didn't add enough to the experience to excite me. I figured that Hopper must have a double but it didn't occur to me that it would be his twin brother.

Notes

Gary Lockwood played the part of both Hopper brothers. This is the first of two episodes of this show in which he appeared. He also played Hopper in the other episode in which he appeared. He also appeared in an episode of The Bionic Woman and in The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1987) TV movie but he played other characters in each of those. He appeared in one episode of Star Trek (1966), 1.03 Where No Man Has Gone Before in which he played the part of Gary Mitchell.

William Schallert played the part of Sandusky. This is the only episode of this show in which he appeared. He also appeared in an episode of The Bionic Woman but playing a different character. He appeared in episodes of Four Star Playhouse, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959), and The Twilight Zone (1985). He appeared in one episode each of Star Trek (1966) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine playing different characters in each of those episodes. He was in a few movies I have seen including Charley Varrick (1973) and In the Heat of the Night (1967).

Alf Kjellin directed this episode. It is the only episode of this show that he directed. He directed one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) and 11 episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.