THE TOWN BUDGET--1958

This episode is from the long running anthology series, Alcoa Theater. The cast includes, James Whitmore, Marilyn Erskine, Art Batanides and his holiness, Tim Carey.

Whitmore is the town constable in a small Maine village. He has just left the town council budget meeting where he was turned down again for a raise. He heads home to discuss the matter with his pregnant wife, Erskine. After the two of them have a talk, Whitmore decides to turn in his resignation that night.

While this is all happening, just up the highway in the next town, there is a robbery going on. Art Batanides and Tim Carey are knocking over a payroll office. Batanides empties the safe and Carey gleefully pistol-whips the paymaster while tying him up.

The two pile into their car and make good their escape. Just outside of town they pull over so they can hide the cash in the hubcaps. A Highway Patrolman on a motorcycle stops to see if the two need a hand. The cop figures it must be a flat tire. Batanides tells the cop everything is cool and the tire is OK.

The cop turns to leave when Carey calls him back. Carey pulls his piece and put several rounds into the cop. The cop staggers and manages to return a round before dropping dead. Carey cracks, "See how i got him through the badge!" The two pile back in the car and hit the road.

There is a problem though for the two. It seems the shot the cop got off holed the radiator. They just make it to the service station in the next town. Twenty minutes to plug the hole and get them back on the road says the mechanic.

Having just handed in his resignation to the town council, Whitmore stops for a couple of words with the mechanic. It is all Batanides can do to keep Carey from unloading on Whitmore.

Whitmore says so long and heads home. He is home not 5 minutes when a broadcast about the robbery and the murder comes in. He listens to the description and realizes that they fit the two at the service station. Does he ignore the report? No, Whitmore figures he is still a cop and has a duty to perform.

He grabs his gun and heads out despite Erskine's protests. Needless to say that Carey has no intentions of going quietly. A blazing gun-battle ensues and the mechanic, O.Z. Whitehead, and Carey's partner, Batanides are both killed.

Whitmore gets plugged in the arm and loses his gun. He bolts for the railway-yard with Carey in pursuit. "Come on you hick cop! Come out and die!" Shouts Carey. Whitmore manages to tackle him and then hands him a vicious beating. He cuffs Carey to a post and heads back home. He has had enough of being a cop.





This is a great half hour of television entertainment. Carey is a real hoot, as he pulls out all the stops as the nut-bar gunman. This guy is great! The director was vet TV man Boris Sagal.

Screenplay was by Harry Essex from a story by Adrian Spies. Essex gave us DESPERATE, THE BODYGUARD, UNDERCOVER GIRL, THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK, THE FAT MAN, I THE JURY and KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL.