The Dick Powell Theatre (TV Series) Who Killed Julie Greer? (1961) User Reviews

A star studded cast assembled for this engaging mystery.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 11 February 2023]

Actress Julie Greer is killed, and on the case is millionaire cop Amos Burke, who's set to retire.

A thoroughly enjoyable opening episode to the well remembered and much admired show. If mystery noir is your thing, then I'm sure you'll find this very appealing.

It's a straight up whodunnit, we get the dramatic opening, the death sequence, we're introduced to The Detective, then we get to learn about the possible suspects, and boy are there some familiar faces, including Lloyd Bridges, Ronald Reagan and Mickey Rooney.

It's well paced, logical and quite engaging, hopefully it's a taster for what's to come in the rest of the series.

I truly had no idea that this was a prequel as it were to Burke's Law, I thought that the main character had a degree of familiarity.

Enjoyed that, 8/10.

A Television Film Noir

[bwmoll3 · 10/10 · 25 December 2021]

Powell's background in film noirs in the late 40s and early 1950s are clearly evident in this production. Eventually turned into Burke's Law by ABC in 1963, this pilot has Powell in the role of Amos Burke, but adds a lot of the wisecracking and snappy lines of Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe, who he played in Murder My Sweet. A throughly enjoyable show, you have to watch it twice to pick up how it ends with a very enjoyable twist.

The show is filled with a bevy of top-flight co-stars, who through Powell's star power and friendships in Hollywood over the years he managed to get for relativley small, but memorable characters.

If Powell had not passed away, this clearly would have been a major, major hit for ABC, even more than the Gene Barry version. You can also tell that Powell really relished his role as Amos Burke. 9+/10.

Pilot for Burke's Law

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 28 April 2016]

It might have been interesting had Dick Powell lived another decade and actually starred in Burke's Law on a weekly basis. He's still the millionaire cop that we grew to know in the mid 60s where I think Gene Barry was a far more elegant figure than Powell was in the pilot. Even though Powell was dead his Four Star Television production company produced Burke's Law.

Only Leon Lontoc repeated his role as Henry the chauffeur in the television series. The two cop sidekicks here instead of Gary Conway and Regis Toomey are Dean Jones and Edward Platt.

The format is the same as Amos Burke millionaire homicide detective catches the case and then gets driven to interview the various persons of interest that come up in the investigation. Those are the guest stars in every show and the show did have some name people. In this pilot Carolyn Jones, model and dancer, who was involved with several men is the victim of strangulation.

In the introduction Powell says that in this show several old and new Hollywood friends appear. A new friend might be Dean Jones who would get his own series with Four Star, Ensign O'Toole shortly. An old friend would be Ronald Reagan who plays an old time western star now with a new lease on life via television. Reagan was quoted that as a young contract player with Warner Brothers the best friends he made on that lot were Pat O'Brien and Dick Powell. Others in the show are Kay Thompson, Nick Adams, Edgar Bergen, Ralph Bellamy, and Jack Carson.

As for the mystery it's a good one. You won't figure this one out.

A very unusual cop story

[searchanddestroy-1 · 22 March 2016]

You have already read the topic line I presume, so I won't add much to that summary. Dick Powell is exquisite in this cop character. The kind I have never seen before in a series or a movie. But beware, this kind of tale can not only be seen as a sort of comedy. It's an offbeat crime routine scheme. No matter the investigation, at least for me, only the characterization is important. Just appreciate this pure delightful episode. And I don't speak of Ronnie Reagan's, Mickey Rooney's or Lloyd Bridges' presence. But I still don't believe in this billionaire cop's character, no, I don't believe it. An unforgettable episode, I assure. Directed by Robert Ellis Miller

Who Killed Julie Greer?

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 9 February 2023]

Essentially a pilot for Burke's Law starring Dick Powell before his death.

Powell plays Amos Burke who got rich the old fashioned way. He inherited it.

The millionaire is a cop with a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce. Amos is on his way to a well earned break in Hawaii.

However the murder of glamorous actress Julie Greer puts those plans on hold. Much to the annoyance of fellow detective Phil Winslow (Dean Jones) who thinks that Amos is stealing the limelight.

There are a lot of suspects, as Julie was a good time girl with multiple short term lovers. Amos is convinced that one of them is the killer but one of them is elusive.

Maybe a blind landlady holds an important clue but she did not like to be inquisitive about her tenants.

Powell called on his Hollywood friends to make brief cameos as potential suspects. These include Ronald Reagan, Ralph Bellamy, Mickey Rooney and Lloyd Bridges.

There is an effective twist regarding the culprit. It is rather left field but worked well for the pilot.