Ironside: Tagged for Murder

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"I just personally wish that Bruce Lee had been on hand to kick at least one of the bad guys' asses in that scene, even if Ironside's assistants had to restrain him in the end."

- Alvin George


Ironside: Tagged for Murder (1967)

Director: Charles S. Dubin

Cast: Raymond Burr, Barbara Anderson, Don Galloway, Don Mitchell, Jack Kelly, Bruce Lee

Writer: Arthur Weingarten

Producer: Collier Young (executive producer), James McAdams

Running Time: 48 min.

Plot: In this episode of the 1967-75 TV series, San Francisco chief of detectives Robert Ironside and his young assistants investigate a WWII veteran's suspicious death.

Reviews

ALVIN GEORGE'S REVIEW: "Ironside" was an American television series that aired on NBC during the late 1960s and early 1970s. So why am I reviewing a certain 1967 "Ironside" episode for City on Fire, a web site dedicted to Asian and Asian-related films? Well, "Tagged for Murder" features a young Bruce Lee, then late of that short-lived series known as "The Green Hornet." Much to my relative disappointment, Lee only appears in one scene in the entire episode. That one scene, however, provides an adequate showcase of the Dragon's martial-arts prowess, even if the sounds he seems to make during the fights can't quite hold a candle to those he would later make in "Enter the Dragon." And, yes, this being a late-1960s American television show, the fights are quite tame. (Then again, Bruce WAS teaching a class as opposed to fighting bad dudes.)

Personally, I wish "Ironside: Tagged for Murder" had more action scenes. However, it is quite solid on its own terms, and there is a pretty good climax in San Francisco's cable-car facility. I just personally wish that Bruce Lee had been on hand to kick some butt in that scene, even if Ironside's assistants had to restrain him in the end.

ALVIN GEORGE'S RATING: 7.5/10