Robert Sherman, also one of the producers for the series, put a touch of film noir in this episode, cleverly involving JR. Not a classic, but fairly entertaining, and for all us Mark Shera fans.
Barnaby and JR have to protect a mob informer (played by Tim O'Connor), a rather familiar story, but with a twist. The trick here is there's a woman in the middle of all this, who seems to like JR. Really? --Or does she want to know the whereabouts of O'Connor so the mob could nail him. What a crafty person. This is an early role for Tovah Feldshuh, who gained notoriety the same year this episode was filmed, co-starring in the tv movie, THE AMAZING HOWARD HUGHES, playing Katherine Hepburn.
Some top actors here, and I agree with the last reviewer, the star power gives it the feel of a COLUMBO episode. Alex Rocco, always the tough guy, plays Harry, Tim O'Connor makes another series appearance, looking desperate and check out his wardrobe. Van Williams plays Munson. Williams, who will always be remembered as the GREEN HORNET, was still quite popular on tv at the time, but gradually gave it all up to be a successsful businessman.
Tovah Feldshuh is still acting to this day, as of 2023, appearing in the tv mini series, COBENS SHELTER. Yes,there is a scene in the police station with Barnaby and a stenographer typing notes, but her fingers are not touching the keys! If you watch many cop shows, it's a familiar mistake... but you think Walter Grauman, a director known for detail, would have caught it. Hmmm?
The ending is quite clever, one you'd never expect, and with lots of stray horses to build tension.
A-plus episode, and to see JR really earn his stripes. SEASON 5 EPISODE 18 remastered CBS/Paramont dvd box set,