Ironside Shell Game (1967–1975) Online

A future role for Sorrell Booke the one he's most identified with actually helps this episode in reruns. We all identify Sorrell Booke as the comical Boss Hogg on the Dukes Of Hazard. But in this Ironside story he plays a master criminal with a disarming manner who Raymond Burr tells his staff to take very seriously. Booke comes to town and Ironside and the team greet him personally.

Burr knows he's in town to steal a fortune in rare coins on exhibit. The story is a battle of wits between both men as they try to figure out what the other is up to. And Booke is deadly serious he has plans to kill a few people to get what he wants and that includes Chief Ironside if he gets in the way.

Our image of Booke as Hogg helps sell this story.

****SPOILERS**** It's when Arthur Justin, Sorrell Brooke, arrived at San Francisco's International Airport Chief Ironside, Raymond Burr, knew instinctively in having dealt with him before that he was up to no good. The harmless and comical looking Justin and his crew lead by disguise specialists a Mr. Dean, Johnny Seven, are not in the city by the bay to catch the latest Giant game or see the Golden Gate Bridge. Their planning to knock off the city's Fine Arts Museum of its priceless exhibition of the Appleton Diamond Collection worth in the tens of millions of dollars.

Knowing what Justin & Co. are up to it's now up to Ironside to stop them in getting involved in a game of wits that later on was to possibly turn deadly. That in Justin , who's killed before and is more then willing to kill again, willing to go so far as to murder Chief Ironside himself in order for him to accomplish his goal. The ace that Justin has up his sleeve is an inside man at the museum who feeds him all the information in just how were and when the priceless Jewel collection is to arrive and depart from the museum during it's four day stay.

****SPOILERS**** With Ironside playing it by ear it's his loyal assistant the ex-convict and now, thank's to Ironide, law abiding fine and upstanding citizen Mark Sanger, Don Mitchell, who ends up saving the day as well as his bosses Ironside's life. Sanger did all that with the unexpected help of one of Justin's goons the "Machanic", Robert Christopher, who unknowingly clued him into what they, Justin's goon squad, were planning to do. And just as Justin's plan was about to be put into motion the roof suddenly caved in on him and his fellow hoods with the members of the SFPD coming from all directions on land & even, with helicopters, air to make the pinch or arrest on them just when they though they had it, The Appleton Jewel Collection, in the bag. The only bag that they got was shearing a jail cell at San Quentin prison!