David Cassidy in the News
Cassidy as Cop in 'Man Undercover'
November 2, 1978
B y James Brown
Los Angeles Times
"David Cassidy - Man Undercover," premiering tonight at 10 on NBC, has the making of a pretty fair cop show - a slice or two above the usual police fantasies that dwell in this overworked genre.
This series is the clone of a two-hour episode of "Police Story" last season, in which Cassidy was Emmy - nominated for his portrayal of baby - faced officer Dan Shay, whose youthful looks gain him access into young criminal circles.
It was then and it is now difficult at first to buy the notion of Cassidy as a cop - when, in fact, the onetime "Partridge Family" heartstopper still looks to be on the shady side of 16.
But Cassidy makes you believe it. His character thinks and reacts intelligently and believably. He doesn't have all of the convenient answers and the show's creators have had the good sense to give him a life outside the force - a wife (Wendy Rastatter and baby daughter - which lends a nice, necessary balance.
Tonight Officer Shay is asked to infiltrate a hill-racing car club to ferret out three armed bandits (Brian Kerwin, Alan Vint and Brad Reardon) who steal customized hot rods for their getaways. Shay is led to this assignment by an iron-eyed lieutenant (Joe Santos) who has a reputation for leaving most of his suspects on the ground with a white sheet over thier heads.
It's the standard formula: high-speed chases and spectacular crash scenes; establishment cop vs. the new breed; the obligatory psycho with a fast trigger finger (Vint, in this case), shootouts and harrowing escapes; and dialogue such as "Discipline...they know it on the street...where it counts...," much of which is spoken by Simon Oakland, a fine actor who here has the thankless role of Shay's immediate supervisor.
Yet under the brisk direction of Bernatd McEveety and the construction - if not the originality - of Sean Blaine's script, the cliches are somehow unobtrusive.
This is still in many ways a prototypical "action" show - but the pulp is at least served with a few shreds of thought and a great deal of professionalism.
"David Cassidy - Man Undercover" was produced by Mark Rodgers and Mel Swope. David Gerber is the executive producer.
