Case file: #65-40515-S
Karl Friedrich Schindler: Espionage.
Original air date: 20 November 1966
Rerun 18 June 1967
An Israeli agent who has been stalking an ex-Nazi turned Communist for years trails his quarry to the United States. The agent joins Inspector Lewis Erskine, who’s searching for the Communist to foil a spy plot. The real reason behind the Israeli agent’s quest is revenge: The former Nazi had sent his wife to the gas chamber during World War II. Inspector Erskine wants Schindler alive for information he has on spy rings. This episode is one of several dealing with former Nazis.
- Dutch-born John Van Dreelan had played roles such as this, most notably on The Twilight Zone in 1964. He makes the third of five appearances.
- This marks the first appearance of actress Lois Nettleton (1927-2008), one of the finest actresses ever to appear on the show.
- Ironically, Van Dreelan’s character of Schindler shares the same surname as Oskar Schindler (1908-74), the German industrialist whose efforts to save 1,200 Jews were chronicled in the movie Schindler’s List (1993). That movie’s television broadcast on NBC was sponsored by Ford Motor Company. That broadcast had no commercial interruptions, perhaps due to the fact that Henry Ford, the company’s founder, had been anti-Semitic.
Credits:
Directed by: Paul Wendkos
Written by: Franklin Barton
Performer | Role
- John Van Dreelan | Karl Schindler
- Alfred Ryder | Otto Mann
- Lois Nettleton | Catherine Fossberg
- Ron Doyle | SA #1, New York
- David Opatoshu | Wilhelm von Fossberg
- Johnny Silver | News Vendor
- Byron Morrow | Captain
- Mary Jackson | Mrs. Howard
- Max Kleven | Reynolds
- Jackie Russell | Secretary
- John Mayo | Document Examiner