If you asked most people what the first TV series was that told what it was like for women on the police force odds are you would hear POLICE WOMAN with Angie Dickinson. Whoever gives that answer is wrong though. Long before Dickinson went undercover there was a short lived series called DECOY starring Beverly Garland in the title role.Using various real life cases this series used the tried and true format so many police shows at the time did, giving the facts of the case and then going into what progressed from there. In the case of this show it ended each episode with Garland's character Casey Jones talking to the camera and discussing how the events of the show that week affected her.One episode seems like fairly light weight case to be working on, that of a deadbeat dad who disappeared. For me it seemed odd the amount of time spent on this case. With all the other problems in the world I wouldn't think the police would be that active in this case. But then maybe they were at that point in time (the series takes place in the late fifties). Another episode involves a man harassing people on the phone. But then there are more high level cases as well from protecting witnesses to catching murderers.The show doesn't really stand the test of time in the way it's written, shot and performed. It definitely shows its age. But that really doesn't matter. It still provides an entertaining drama for those who love classic golden age television programs. Many will forget that this was the way shows were in those days. Tell a young person that black and white shows were the norm and not the exception and you're likely to get blank stares from them wondering how you could have been alive during such a primitive age.Garland does a fine job in the series and gives her character as much life as the writers would allow. She ended up becoming a familiar face on series television but never seemed to reach mega-star status for some reason. Her most familiar roles were as Barbara Harper, the woman who married Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray) on MY THREE SONS and as Amanda King's (Kate Jackson) mother on THE SCARECROW AND MRS. KING.If you're a fan of golden age dramas then you'll want to pick this one up. It's offered at an affordable price and the folks at Film Chest have done a great job of cleaning it up in a presentable fashion. To date they're one of the few companies that takes items like this and gives them the credit they're due. Let's hope they continue to do so in the future.

A couple of years ago, I was able to get a set of 5 DVDs that contained 20 of the 39 episodes of Decoy, and it was great to watch them again after so long. Back when Decoy aired in 1957-58, I was 12 and 13 years old and had something of a crush on Beverly Garland. Recently, I found an advertisement--for the first time--for a DVD set with all 39 episodes. And the price was hard to beat as well. Naturally, I ordered the set and have been enjoying watching them all over again.The picture quality is excellent, but at times the sound is a little muffled; however, all in all, it is great viewing. For anyone who enjoys the genre of Dragnet, Police Woman, etc., this is a great series that ran, sadly, for only one season. Yet, I consider it to be a classic.

....who seemed to be a lot tougher and didn't need to resort to skimpy clothes and flirty looks. By 1957 television was awash with police shows ("Dragnet", "The Line Up", "M Squad") but not one with a female star. That changed when Beverly Garland took on the role of Casey Jones the sultry undercover cop in "Decoy". Garland had appeared in a number of TV pilots most of which went on to become regular series so she was considered a "good luck charm" and was eagerly sought for the lead in "Decoy". Filmed on the streets of New York, the show was heavily promoted and praised and broke new ground with the occasional down beat ending. It was also a valuable training ground for young stage actors wanting to try their skills on TV. Director Stuart Rosenberg went on to notable success with "The Untouchables" and "The Defenders" and films such as "Cool Hand Luke" but unfortunately "Decoy" lasted only one season - the producers didn't have the money to maintain the high standard.Casey was hard boiled and relied just as much on substance as style. "To Trap a Thief" had her going undercover as the get away driver in an effort to recover $10,000 that seems to be missing from a robbery. "High Swing" - Albert Dekker stars as Otto, an elderly man who has resorted to crime to keep his wife supplied with the drugs she craves. "The Sound of Tears" - a man's murder reveals a possessive mother (Muriel Kirkland), a secret fiancée (don't you just love Susanne Pleshette) and a cute little dog. "Night Light" - Martin Balsam is a ruthless fence who is not above using his son as a pawn in smuggling jewels. "The Comeback" has a young Peter Falk giving a terrific performance as a crooked racing tout that Casey helps rehabilitate. Harold Huber, he of all the gangster punks of the 1930s, finally gets a chance to play Mr. Big in this episode.Highly Recommended.

One would call "Decoy" for what it is... a female "Dragnet", with the beguiling Beverly Garland ("My Three Sons", "Scarecrow and Mrs. King") and the city of New York filling in for Jack Webb and sunny Los Angeles. But once you get caught in its premise, it's easy to overlook other aspects of the show. Such as the fact that Ms. Garland is required, in her role as undercover policewoman Patricia "Casey" Jones, to play a different role in each of the 39 episodes filmed. In one episode, she could play an exotic dancer in a carnival, in the next, she can play an addict, and so on and so on, all in the guise of a crime fighter. Whether Angie Dickinson, as Pepper Anderson - "Police Woman", took her cues from Beverly Garland is open to debate, but it's clear to say that Ms. Garland's Casey Jones is clearly a trailblazer for other lady lawmen to follow.As for the other co-star, New York City... "Decoy" isn't the first series filmed on location in the Big Apple, nor was it the last, but it was certainly one of the most effective in terms of its film noir look and fully fleshed characters. This isn't "Naked City", but it's as close a similarity as you can get on a shoestring budget. And it does the city justice, as "Naked City" would do the next year. Check it out on DVD when you get the chance."Decoy" is a Pyramid Production in association with Official Films, Inc. with technical assistance from the Policewoman's Bureau, NYC Police Department. 39 episodes were filmed on location in 1957.