Robert Moses was a New York City Commissioner of various departments who became more powerful than the mayor, outlasting generations of them. He wanted to remake the city in his own image of what a city should be, with ribbons of highways surrounding widely separated buildings. Everything was to be an "artist's conception" of a city rather than the reality. He encountered a lot of mostly disorganized opposition to all the changes he wanted but was powerful enough to overcome them.
Here he is Commissioner Frank Conn, who name sounds like "Khan" or King, as in Genghis Khan. he's shown as a blustery, fearsome guy who has nothing but contempt for his critics or anyone who stands in his way. Kenneth Preston's girlfriend, (Joan Hackett), gets arrested at a protest and he defends her. Conn is apparently fighting dirty as Hackett faces a phony assault charge and a man offers a bribe to him. Ken uncovers a real estate company that buys up properties Conn's projects are to be built over and makes money when the state compensates them for the property.
But Moses was at the height of his power at this time and the series seems not to have been willing to show him in a bad light at the end. Lawrence Preston spends the whole episode praising him for his honesty and strength and says he helped clean up the city when it "smelled like a trash can with the lid off." It turns out an underling is responsible for the corruption. Conn has decided to resign but the Prestons and Hackett convince him he has to stay on to get his wonderful projects through.
Mr. Moses must have been pleased.
Here he is Commissioner Frank Conn, who name sounds like "Khan" or King, as in Genghis Khan. he's shown as a blustery, fearsome guy who has nothing but contempt for his critics or anyone who stands in his way. Kenneth Preston's girlfriend, (Joan Hackett), gets arrested at a protest and he defends her. Conn is apparently fighting dirty as Hackett faces a phony assault charge and a man offers a bribe to him. Ken uncovers a real estate company that buys up properties Conn's projects are to be built over and makes money when the state compensates them for the property.
But Moses was at the height of his power at this time and the series seems not to have been willing to show him in a bad light at the end. Lawrence Preston spends the whole episode praising him for his honesty and strength and says he helped clean up the city when it "smelled like a trash can with the lid off." It turns out an underling is responsible for the corruption. Conn has decided to resign but the Prestons and Hackett convince him he has to stay on to get his wonderful projects through.
Mr. Moses must have been pleased.
