.gif)
A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)
Encyclopedia
A Substantial Gift is the first episode of the television series Police Squad!
. It was written and directed by Jim Abrahams
, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker
.
), killing her boss and then robbing the bank where she works, then she plants evidence to make it look like a dead customer did it.
We then see Frank parking his car in front of the bank, stepping out of his car, and then talks to Ed about the crime scene. Ed tells Frank that the victim, Ralph Twice, is a good family man with no prior records. They both enter the bank to question Ms. Decker, who makes a really complicated statement in which she makes clear that the customer shot Mr. Twice once.
Frank leaves to go to Ted Olson, the scientist, Ted tells Frank that if the customer stood where Sally said he stood the bullet
should have penetrated deeper, Ted proves this by shooting into Barbara Walters
videotapes. After leaving Ted, Ed and Frank go to a place called Little Italy
to question Ralph Twice's widow ("We're sorry to bother you at a time like this, Mrs. Twice. We would have come earlier, but your husband wasn't dead then"). She tells them that Ralph didn't have any enemies. No further progress is made in the next ten hours, the following morning Frank reports back to Police Squad. While Sally is giving a formal statement, Ed and Frank receive the lab reports, brought to them by a new character named Al. The lab report says that Ralph had to stand face to face with his murderer.
Frank tries to discover the position in which Mr. Twice and the customer stood, by using real people as test subjects and firing real guns. After several hours Frank has a couple of interesting theories, but still nothing conclusive (other than a pile of dead bodies). Frank needs answers, and he knows where he can get them: Johnny the Snitch.
Johnny tells Frank that Sally used to be Joe Surlov's girlfriend and she got mixed up in penny-ante bunko
scams. Joe Surlov leads Frank to Dr. Zubatski, an orthodontist who treated Sally.
Sally was chronically in arrears
with her payments to Zubatski, but she paid him in full the day after the credit union holdup. Frank calls Sally, claiming that he is Dr. Zubatski (perfectly imitating his voice merely by placing a handkerchief
over the telephone mouthpiece), and threatens her with blackmail in order to arrange a clandestine meeting. When Sally sees that it is Frank and not Dr. Zubatski, she tries to run away, but Frank tells her what he has discovered. Before Sally was Sally, she was Babs Caltrane, a notorious gun runner in Memphis
. Frank notes that "Babs has red hair!" He grabs Sally's brown hair, revealing it to be a wig with red hair underneath, showing that Sally is indeed Babs Caltrane. The joke continues as Frank then says before that she was a brunette hitman named ZaSu Pitts
, and pulls off yet another wig. He then reveals that before that she sang back up for Aretha Franklin
, and removes yet another wig to reveal a large afro
hairstyle. Sally then pulls this wig off, showing a military style buzz cut
and claiming before that to have been in the U.S. Marines. Sally throws this wig into Frank's face, momentarily incapacitating him. Sally runs away and hides behind some trash cans, and Frank takes cover behind a bench. Frank and Sally (or whatever her name is now) start shooting at each other, but we later see that they are really close to each other, a joke that was re-used in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
. Eventually they run out of ammunition
and start throwing guns at each other. Sally runs out of things to throw and attempts to flee. Just when Sally tries to run away, Ed, Sergeant Take-Her-Away and Sergeant Booker arrive to take away and book her.
. Syndicated reruns and video releases omitted the banner.
Police Squad!
Police Squad! is a television comedy series first broadcast in 1982, created by Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker and starring Leslie Nielsen. A spoof of police procedurals, the series was packed with ZAZ's usual sight gags, wordplay and non sequiturs...
. It was written and directed by Jim Abrahams
Jim Abrahams
Jim Abrahams is an American movie director and writer.Abrahams was born in Shorewood, Wisconsin, to a Jewish family, and attended Shorewood High School...
, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker
Jerry Zucker (film director)
Jerry Zucker is an American movie director known for his role in directing comedy spoof films, and the hit film Ghost....
.
Plot
The episode starts with a young bank teller named Sally Decker (played by Kathryn Leigh ScottKathryn Leigh Scott
Kathryn Leigh Scott is an American television and film actress who is best remembered for playing Maggie Evans, Josette DuPres Collins, Rachel Drummond, Lady Kitty Soames Hampshire, and Maggie Evans PT on Dark Shadows.-Early life:Scott was born Marlene Kringstad in Robbinsdale, Minnesota in 1943...
), killing her boss and then robbing the bank where she works, then she plants evidence to make it look like a dead customer did it.
We then see Frank parking his car in front of the bank, stepping out of his car, and then talks to Ed about the crime scene. Ed tells Frank that the victim, Ralph Twice, is a good family man with no prior records. They both enter the bank to question Ms. Decker, who makes a really complicated statement in which she makes clear that the customer shot Mr. Twice once.
Frank leaves to go to Ted Olson, the scientist, Ted tells Frank that if the customer stood where Sally said he stood the bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
should have penetrated deeper, Ted proves this by shooting into Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
videotapes. After leaving Ted, Ed and Frank go to a place called Little Italy
Little Italy
Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood.-Canada:*Little Italy, Edmonton, in Alberta*Little Italy, Montreal, in Quebec...
to question Ralph Twice's widow ("We're sorry to bother you at a time like this, Mrs. Twice. We would have come earlier, but your husband wasn't dead then"). She tells them that Ralph didn't have any enemies. No further progress is made in the next ten hours, the following morning Frank reports back to Police Squad. While Sally is giving a formal statement, Ed and Frank receive the lab reports, brought to them by a new character named Al. The lab report says that Ralph had to stand face to face with his murderer.
Act II: Yankees One
Johnny tells Frank that Sally used to be Joe Surlov's girlfriend and she got mixed up in penny-ante bunko
Bunko
Bunko may refer to:* Bunko library, a Japanese private library for children* Bunkobon, a Japanese book format* Bunko Kanazawa, a Japanese adult film actress* Bunco , a parlor game played in teams with three dice...
scams. Joe Surlov leads Frank to Dr. Zubatski, an orthodontist who treated Sally.
Sally was chronically in arrears
Arrears
Arrears is a legal term for the part of a debt that is overdue after missing one or more required payments. The amount of the arrears is the amount accrued from the date on which the first missed payment was due...
with her payments to Zubatski, but she paid him in full the day after the credit union holdup. Frank calls Sally, claiming that he is Dr. Zubatski (perfectly imitating his voice merely by placing a handkerchief
Handkerchief
A handkerchief , also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose...
over the telephone mouthpiece), and threatens her with blackmail in order to arrange a clandestine meeting. When Sally sees that it is Frank and not Dr. Zubatski, she tries to run away, but Frank tells her what he has discovered. Before Sally was Sally, she was Babs Caltrane, a notorious gun runner in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. Frank notes that "Babs has red hair!" He grabs Sally's brown hair, revealing it to be a wig with red hair underneath, showing that Sally is indeed Babs Caltrane. The joke continues as Frank then says before that she was a brunette hitman named ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning to comedy sound films.-Early life:ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas to Rulandus and Nellie Pitts; she was the third of four children...
, and pulls off yet another wig. He then reveals that before that she sang back up for Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, and removes yet another wig to reveal a large afro
Afro
Afro, sometimes shortened to fro and also known as a "natural", is a hairstyle worn naturally by people with lengthy kinky hair texture or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair...
hairstyle. Sally then pulls this wig off, showing a military style buzz cut
Buzz cut
A buzz cut, induction cut or wiffle is a very short haircut.The cut is usually performed using hair clippers without a comb guard. The sides are cut closely and then the top is either shaped or cut to the same short length all over. The cut takes just a few minutes to perform. A buzz cut can...
and claiming before that to have been in the U.S. Marines. Sally throws this wig into Frank's face, momentarily incapacitating him. Sally runs away and hides behind some trash cans, and Frank takes cover behind a bench. Frank and Sally (or whatever her name is now) start shooting at each other, but we later see that they are really close to each other, a joke that was re-used in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear is a 1991 comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen as the comically bumbling Police Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad!. Priscilla Presley plays the role of Jane, with O.J. Simpson as Nordberg and George Kennedy as police captain Ed Hocken...
. Eventually they run out of ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
and start throwing guns at each other. Sally runs out of things to throw and attempts to flee. Just when Sally tries to run away, Ed, Sergeant Take-Her-Away and Sergeant Booker arrive to take away and book her.
Goofs
- During the Epilogue when Frank tells Al he has something on the side of his mouth, it can be seen that Al actually spits out the piece of banana he had just eaten.
- In this episode, Frank introduces himself to Sally Decker as Captain Drebin. (Possibly an intentional goof as the show made a running gang out of Frank's ever changing rank.) Sally would also refer to Drebin variously as SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, CaptainPolice captain- France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant....
, InspectorInspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
and DetectiveDetectiveA detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
throughout the show.
Alternate versions
In its initial airing on ABC, Drebin could be seen walking in front of a home made banner greeting "Howard, Frank, and Dandy Don"—mimicking similar banners seen greeting the broadcasters on ABC's Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. Syndicated reruns and video releases omitted the banner.