As part of my geek-fest of watching Burke's Law episodes exactly 50 years after I saw them as they first aired, last Friday I viewed "Who Killed Alex Debbs?" I don't plan on giving you a weekly play-by-play on the whole series, but this episode has several points of interest for the Time Capsule crowd, because it was written by sci-fi legend Harlan Ellison, and is sprinkled with references we'd all grasp.

Briefly, at the opening of The Debonair Key Club, a Playboy-like nightclub/restaurant, Debonair Magazine founder Alex Debbs is found stabbed. The suspects are all connected in some way with the Debonair empire, both the club and the magazine.

Early in the episode, Amos Burke, played by Gene Barry, awakens Henry (his Filipino butler/housekeeper/chauffeur) and tells him to get the car. Henry mutters, "Never had aggravation like this when I worked for Green Hornet!" There were also a couple other throw-away genre references where characters said, “Don’t feel like The Lone Ranger!” and “He thinks he’s Secret Agent X-9, or something.”

One of these suspects is Cordwainer Bird, played over-the-top by Sammy Davis Jr. Most fans know that Bird is a pseudonym Ellison used later when he wanted his name taken off the credits of a project. Davis tap-dances his way into the homicide office swinging a dandified, gold-handled cane. After some bi-play with Gene Barry, Davis looks at the cane, then at Burke, and says, "Hey! Didn't I see you. . .?" -- a reference to Gene Barry carrying an identical cane in his previous Bat Masterson series.

In last March's Time Capsule Osgood listed in the month's current events: "[March 22] - British Minister of War John Profumo denies impropriety with Christine Keeler." At that time I posted that "The Profumo Affair" was the top item of every newscast, and every comedian used it as a punch-line: “At least that’s what Christine Keeler said!” -- “And my wife said, ‘You wouldn’t even get Christine Keeler to do that!" -- etc. And now, seven months later, Ellison works a Keeler mention into the script.

And finally, there is typical Harlan Ellison giving the finger to (probably) the network censors by throwing in a line of dialogue, “This time it’s your turn in the barrel,” a variation of the punch-line to a risqué (by 1963 standards) joke about sailors relieving themselves of sexual frustration during long voyages.

Over the past five decades much of what I saw on Burke’s Law has faded from memory. Two snippets I did remember was the Green Hornet and Bat Masterson references, but until now I had no idea that they were from the same episode.

I have a personal childhood anecdote about the Bat Masterson cane, but I've tried your patience enough for one post.

Last Edited By: DennisDaMennis Nov 1 13 3:52 PM. Edited 1 times.