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39 Episodes 1959 - 1960
Episode 1
Fri, Sep 18, 195930 mins
M Squad hunts for a bomb before it blows up a hospital. Jonas Blecker, an embittered bank clerk who went to prison for dipping in the till to loan money to depositors down on their luck, wants to commemorate his 1st anniversary as a free man by killing the judge who gave him the maximum sentence. The judge is in Columbus Hospital for a delicate operation and he can't be moved.
Episode 2
Fri, Sep 25, 195930 mins
There has been a rash of burglaries in the north shore high-end housing neighborhood, all with one thing in common; no sign of forced entry to an otherwise locked home. On this particular evening, Walter Ashton is attending a committee meeting at a service club, leaving at home his wife, Lenore, and their housekeeper, Elsa Berksen, hired two years ago from Norway through the European Plan, which allows her to attend university classes. A gloved man boldly goes to the front door, unlocks it, and enters the lobby. He then proceeds to Walter's study where he unlocks the desk and removes a strongbox from a drawer. After unlocking the box, he removes and pockets the contents, $800 in new $50 bills. After returning all to original state, his continued search for loot creates noise which alerts the women. Lenore confronts him and attempts to stop his escape. He grabs a bronze candlestick and bashes her to death. Elsa has witnessed the entire altercation from the stairs. As Lt. Ballinger and M Squad delve into this crime, all evidence leads them to suspect that Elsa is the perpetrator.
Episode 3
Fri, Oct 2, 195930 mins
When a well-liked retired couple is found brutally murdered, evidence points to their curmudgeonly neighbor. Lieutenant Ballinger is initially skeptical of his story, but thorough investigation reveals that things are not always as they seem.
Episode 4
Fri, Oct 9, 195930 mins
There has been a wave of factory fire over the past month. A homeless man who had simply found a place to sleep, was severely burned in last night's blaze. M Squad has been called in to assist the arson squad. The arson experts have established that the four cases, totaling over a million dollars in insurance claims, all bore the same fire signature. Police lab experimentation determines that the accelerant was comprised mainly of sodium hyposulphite combined with another half dozen chemicals. When Lt. Ballinger checks police files, he concludes that only a handful of known arsonists have the expertise to concoct such a complex formula. Unfortunately, with his initial inquiries complete, it seems that all of the potential suspects have alibis. However, Frank is still convinced that Vince Cronin, now a professional photographer who uses that prime chemical in his business, is the likely perpetrator, even though a beautiful model has provided an iron-clad alibi.
Episode 5
Fri, Oct 16, 195930 mins
In the office of a nightclub, Barney Traxler tries to convince owner, Joe DaLiso to let him take back his saxophone which is being held against a $50 loan. Joe won't even consider letting the instrument go, resulting in an argument that quickly escalates into pushing. When Joe grabs a bottle, he menacingly approaches Barney who whacks him on the head with the sax. As he runs from the office, leaving the instrument behind, he is seen by Ben Riker who was waiting to speak with Joe. Ben hears groaning coming from the office and immediately enters, only to find that he is too late, Joe is dead. At this point a security officer enters and takes custody of Riker. The suspect is taken to M Squad headquarters where Lt. Ballinger and Capt. Grey question him. It seems that Riker, a schoolteacher working part-time as a waiter, had just been fired for refusing to "pad" customer checks. Because he has two children with a third on the way, he needs this job, so returned, prepared to beg, if necessary, to be rehired. He asserts that he is not guilty and that he'd seen a 40ish bald man running from the scene. Capt. Grey feels the story is unbelievable, but Ballinger wants to look into it.
Episode 6
Fri, Oct 23, 195930 mins
A bail bondsman's son is kidnapped to force his father to post an $80,000 bond for the release of a murderous extortionist. Lieutenant Ballinger finds himself on a dangerous high-speed boat chase when the culprit attempts to avoid trial (and a likely death sentence) by escaping to Canada.
Episode 7
Fri, Oct 30, 195930 mins
Detective Ballinger is called in after what seems to be a professional hit on a desk clerk at a hotel. A witness identifies who may have done the killing, but Ballinger is concerned he can not find any connection for why the clerk should have been shot.
Episode 8
Fri, Nov 6, 195930 mins
Ballinger is called in to investigate when a burning car is found with the body of a young woman bound with wire inside. The chief suspect, playboy lawyer Paul Crater, seems to have an air tight alibi. Ballinger needs to cast his net wider to solve this mystery.
Episode 9
Fri, Nov 20, 195930 mins
Used car salesman Larry Colman has argument with Art Brunswick, a man who claims to the be the father of Colman's daughter. Colman unearths evidence Brunswick is not who he claims to be leading to a deadly altercation.
Episode 10
Fri, Nov 27, 195930 mins
Ballinger is part of an ongoing investigation into racketeering in the night club industry. After a fight breaks out in a club, Ballinger thinks he might have the break he has been looking for.
Episode 11
Fri, Dec 4, 195930 mins
Harry Conklin is killed while on the way to a secret Senate hearing into stand over tactics in the trucking industry. Suspicion falls heavily on a rival Martin Bodie. It is up to Ballinger to fight through the silence and uncover the truth.
Episode 12
Fri, Dec 11, 195930 mins
Danny Sutton is arrested. During the interview a rookie detective makes a mistake and Sutton gets access to a gun and Ballinger finds himself caught in a tense hostage situation.
Episode 13
Fri, Dec 18, 195930 mins
An armored car is hijacked during a pickup at a government installation. There are surprisingly fews clues left behind by the criminals and Ballinger needs to try and unravel the mystery.
Episode 14
Fri, Dec 25, 195930 mins
A woman and her baby are hospitalized after a group of bank robbers run them down during an escape. Ballinger wants the men for the robbery but more importantly he wants them to pay for what happened to the woman and her baby
Episode 15
Fri, Jan 1, 196030 mins
A witness fingers the gangster who cut a rival in half with a shotgun blast, but the killer's alibied by a beautiful actress. The thesp is beloved in ChiTown and has a sterling rep that'll guarantee acquittal. Lt. Ballinger must discredit her story and find out why Tammy's lying for smarmy hood Sandy, who now controls the Loop liquor racket.
Episode 16
Fri, Jan 8, 196030 mins
Ballinger gets a tip from John Clavell, that an old drug dealer Manny Franchette is coming back into town to re-establish his old network. Clavell wants no part of it having decided to got straight.
Episode 17
Fri, Jan 15, 196030 mins
Herbie Ryder gains fame for stopping a bank robbery. After a media interview he is shot and killed. Ballinger is brought in in the belief that organized crime has ordered the hit.
Episode 18
Fri, Jan 22, 196030 mins
Ballinger is brought in when a robbery and murder occurs at an armory. He is puzzled by the list of weapons stolen including a bazooka and other heavy weapons. He knows they cant sell the weapons, so what is their plan?
Episode 19
Tue, Jan 26, 196030 mins
When an "electronic brain" worth $2,000,000 is stolen and held for ransom of $300,000, Captain Grey and Lieutenant Ballinger devise an elaborate ruse that they hope will lead them to the computer and the thieves.
Episode 20
Tue, Feb 2, 196030 mins
During a crack down on Chicago crime, Bugsy Page makes threats against the Attorney General Russel Madison. Ballinger needs to decide if the threats are real or simply an attempt to throw the man off.
Episode 21
Tue, Feb 9, 196030 mins
A badly beaten man is admitted to hospital. He does not have long to live and the police need to work fast to solve the mystery. The man appears unremarkable other than being an identical twin of Ballinger.
Episode 22
Tue, Feb 16, 196030 mins
A trio of bank robbers try to blow a safe. It all goes wrong and one of the criminals is killed in the explosion. Ballinger thinks there is a connection between other bank vault jobs in the area.
Episode 23
Tue, Feb 23, 196030 mins
Lanny Cord escapes from a court room and disappears. Ballinger is interested in the case because he's originally arrested Cord and had always sworn to kill Ballinger if he had the opportunity.
Episode 24
Tue, Mar 1, 196030 mins
British racing car driver Morrison is killed in a local race. The driver's chief mechanic presents evidence to M Squad that indicated the car may have been tampered with before the accident.
Episode 25
Tue, Mar 8, 196030 mins
Conrad Brenner is found dead in an apparent suicide. As Ballinger continues the investigation it becomes evident that he's actually been murdered, when a personal diary can't be found, Ballinger realizes the truth of the case.
Episode 26
Tue, Mar 15, 196030 mins
After a narcotics robbery, Ballinger makes an arrest, but is concerned the collar was too easy. Everything about the arrested person does not seem to add up and Ballinger pushes hard for answers.
Episode 27
Tue, Mar 22, 196030 mins
Frank Ballinger becomes involved in a tense hostage situation, he must restrain his instinct to simply shoot it out because of fears their may be a young child involved.
Episode 28
Tue, Mar 29, 196030 mins
Ballinger is on a case involving threats against a visiting prince to Chicago. Mo one is taking the situation too seriously until a little girl accidentally finds the detonating device for a home made bomb.
Episode 29
Tue, Apr 5, 196030 mins
During a robbery one of the criminals is hit in the eye and blinded. Ballinger has a fair idea who is behind the crime. Urgency increases when news comes through an eye specialist has been kidnapped.
Episode 30
Tue, Apr 12, 196030 mins
Lieutenant Ballinger works to solve a series of armed holdups as a means toward the capture of shotgun-wielding Ma Phelan, who murdered a detective while helping her son Pete escape from police custody.
Episode 31
Tue, Apr 19, 196030 mins
Ballinger is working a jewelry theft when he becomes convinced one of thieves is a clean skin amateur. He realizes by putting pressure on this individual he has a chance to crack the entire racket open.
Episode 32
Tue, May 3, 196030 mins
A penny arcade owner is robbed and murdered. Suspision falls on a local peddler. But Ballinger thinks there is more to this case than anyone is admitting.
Episode 33
Tue, May 10, 196030 mins
A man is killed while sleeping Ballinger begins to investigate and discovers very different opinions about the dead man's character exist.
Episode 34
Tue, May 17, 196030 mins
Willy Nichols is due to testify in a narcotics investigation, although under police protection he receives a threatening phone call and suddenly disappears. Ballinger must find Nichols to save the case.
Episode 35
Tue, May 24, 196030 mins
Accompanied by a female reporter, Lieutenant Ballinger investigates an elderly woman's charge that the man who robbed her store and killed a police officer was able to escape as a direct result of Officer George Maxwell's cowardice.
Episode 36
Tue, May 31, 196030 mins
Sonny Bradley is charged with murder. Ballinger begins to investigate and quickly realizes something is not right about the statements from the witnesses, and starts see a much bigger game being played.
Episode 37
Tue, Jun 7, 196030 mins
A plane is blown up killing ten people. Evidence begins to indicate that it wasn't an accident. Ballinger begins to follow the trail and starts to discover a complicated insurance scam in action.
Episode 38
Tue, Jun 14, 196030 mins
A bookkeeper is robbed and murdered at a circus. A clown named Laslo is identified as the killer. Ballinger and the rest of M squad have to deal with how Laslo could have committed the crime while performing in front of 5000 people in the main tent.
Episode 39
Tue, Jun 21, 196030 mins
Ballinger and M squad are called in to investigate a diamond robbery. All the evidence points to an inside job. M squad have the tough task of working out who was the inside connection.