An unusual "Surfside 6" in that it gives a meaty leading role to the show's singing regular Cha Cha O'Brien (the ill fated Margarita Sierra, playing a character who tends to grate on me, Surfside's Spanish answer to to the more likeable and likewise "daffy" Cricket Blake from "Hawaiian Eye"), and takes place out in the boondocks rather than the show's familiar urban backdrop, and has a plot with none of the characteristic Surfside mystery element
"The Chase" is an appropriate title in that Cha Cha finds herself relentlessly pursued by a murderer she may be able to give evidence against. That the villain, Dmitri Grajian, is played by the very creepy looking, skull faced Reggie Nalder, best known as the terrifying vampire Mr Barlow in "Salem's Lot" many years later, is a definite plus for the episode. There are some suspenseful Hitchcockian moments, as an increasingly nervous Cha Cha is watched and stalked by Grajian at a lonely garage, leading later to car chase, followed by the on foot pursuit, in which she flees through undergrowth, a swampy river, and into a deserted ghost town, trying desperately to hide from the rifle toting killer.
The only Surfside detective with a significant role in this episode is Dave Thorne (Lee Patterson, probably the strongest actor out of the 3 male leads on the series, and the most suited to displaying the kind of "Most dangerous game" style action heroics required here ) who ends up fleeing from Grajian himself. One nagging question is why the usually smart Mr. Thorne doesn't take his gun with him when looking for Cha Cha.
An exciting and atypical "Surfside 6," co-written by Roger Smith of "77 Sunset Strip," and notably well directed by Allen Baron. One of the best in a series, which, like all the Warner's detective shows, often tends to be much better than its too pervasive critical reputation as lightweight pap.
"The Chase" is an appropriate title in that Cha Cha finds herself relentlessly pursued by a murderer she may be able to give evidence against. That the villain, Dmitri Grajian, is played by the very creepy looking, skull faced Reggie Nalder, best known as the terrifying vampire Mr Barlow in "Salem's Lot" many years later, is a definite plus for the episode. There are some suspenseful Hitchcockian moments, as an increasingly nervous Cha Cha is watched and stalked by Grajian at a lonely garage, leading later to car chase, followed by the on foot pursuit, in which she flees through undergrowth, a swampy river, and into a deserted ghost town, trying desperately to hide from the rifle toting killer.
The only Surfside detective with a significant role in this episode is Dave Thorne (Lee Patterson, probably the strongest actor out of the 3 male leads on the series, and the most suited to displaying the kind of "Most dangerous game" style action heroics required here ) who ends up fleeing from Grajian himself. One nagging question is why the usually smart Mr. Thorne doesn't take his gun with him when looking for Cha Cha.
An exciting and atypical "Surfside 6," co-written by Roger Smith of "77 Sunset Strip," and notably well directed by Allen Baron. One of the best in a series, which, like all the Warner's detective shows, often tends to be much better than its too pervasive critical reputation as lightweight pap.