AMOS BURKE SECRET AGENT - "The Prisoners Of Mr. Sin" (1965)

The saga of Amos Burke is a pretty fascinating story, and this cub reporter was glad to get this assignment from his Editor, because it's perfect for a Weird Wednesday down in The Dungeon.

The character of Amos Burke was first introduced to American TV viewers in 1961 on the first episode of "The Dick Powell Theatre" that was titled "Who Killed Julie Greer." It was only a single episode and starred Dick Powell in the leading role. The rest of the cast was fleshed out with a who's who of Hollywood including the likes of Nick Adams, Ralph Bellamy, Edgar Bergen, Lloyd Bridges, Carolyn Jones, Dean Jones, Mickey Rooney and even Ronald Reagan.

Interesting enough, the only character that was carried on to "Burke's Law" was his chauffeur Henry, played by Leon Lontoc.

 

"Burke's Law" was on for three seasons running from 1963 to 1966. In the third season, they decided to change Amos Burke from a wealthy police office to a wealthy secret agent, since spy movies were faring so well at the time. It was not exactly a good idea. Both the first two seasons of "Burke's Law" ran for 32 episodes, but season three, after changing the show to "Amos Burke Secret Agent," petered out after only 17 episodes. They also stopped using the words 'Who Killed" in all the titles. "The Prisoners Of Mr. Sin" was episode 7, and aired on October 27, 1965.

As a secret agent, Amos Burke is now a solo vehicle, and his support team of Detective Tison (Gary Conway) and Detective Hart (Regis Toome) are no longer part of the show.

Burke's assignment is to either bring back this Doctor who has disappeared, and if that is not possible, then his job is to eliminate him before the bad guys get all the important information he has stored in his head.

This is just a shot from the opening credits, and I'm only showing it because, what in the Hell is that, a spaghetti gun or a mop?

Agent Burke is sent to some island paradise in the middle of nowhere, and his identity doesn't seem to be much of a secret, because everybody already knows who he is!

The first sweet backstabbing gal Amos Burke meets is Zeeni, as played by France (Dohlman of Elas) Nuyen. France got her Master's degree in clinical psychology in 1986, and has been working with abused women and children ever since.

This is who greets you when you go to visit Mr. Sin.

3' 11" Michael Dunn has the role of Mr. Sin, a little man with a big ego! Michael was Alexander in an episode of "Star Trek."

Mr. Sin is holding the man Amos Burke is looking for hostage, and is willing to sell him off to the highest bidder. There is an auction, and Burke has the highest bid, but Mr. Sin is not an honest man, and takes the check for two million dollars, but doesn't give up his prisoner.

This is where Mr. Sin houses his most popular guests!

Half German, and half Chinese, Greta Chi reminds me of an Asian Diana Rigg.

Robert Cornthwaite has the role of Dr. Waldo Bannister, the man who everybody wants for his brain. Robert has the distinction of being in arguably three of the best movies of the 1950's, "The Thing From Another World," "War Of The Worlds," and "Kiss Me Deadly." He was also in two episodes of "The Twilight Zone," "Showdown With Lance McGrew," and "No Time Like The Past."

 

Mr. Sin is a mean little son of a bitch, and takes great delight in torturing Amos Burke.

He has clamped Amos down so there is no possible way to escape! These secret agent episodes don't seem nearly as jovial and light-hearted as the first two seasons of "Burke's Law."

 

Next, the dripping water on the forehead starts followed by the nails on a chalkboard sounds to make Amos even more comfortable!

All that money's not going to do you much good in Hell Mr. Sin!

Burke manages to turn Mr. Sin's psycho alarm system against him, and gets Bannister out of there alive!

There finally is some levity at the end as.......

.............Amos Burke asks what is this stuff that Banister drinks, "It's not bad." Then Zeeni admits she put some rum in his milk to cheer up Dr. Bannister.

Never willing to give up, Gene Barry and "Burke's Law" returned in 1994 for two seasons!