Who Loves Ya, Baby?

KOJAK
"Kiss It All Goodbye"
Aired: February 22, 1977

God bless all those retro TV channels like Me-TV, Antenna TV, and This TV.
Thanks to Me-TV, I finally caught Carol's appearance on Kojak (airing weekdays at 4:00).
For those who don't know, Kojak was a 1970s cop show starring the very bald Telly Savalas.

Here's the plot:
Late one night, Detective Bobby Crocker, receives an anonymous tip that a robbery is about to occur at a fur warehouse. When Crocker arrives on the scene, the robbers try to flee, and a shootout ensues. One of the crooks is shot and killed. Unfortunately, Crocker accidentally shoots an innocent bystander, a fashion model named Polly Aames (Carol). The girl survives, but is paralyzed from the waist down. Crocker feels enormous guilt, and visits Polly in the hospital to apologize. At first, Polly is bitter at the man who changed her life, but Crocker is persistent and she eventually succumbs to his charms. The two begin to spend a lot of time together, and fall in love. Meanwhile, Kojak is investigating the heist, and uncovers information that links Polly to the robbers. Is Polly all that she appears to be?

I was just a kid in the seventies when this show was on TV. I never really got into it as a kid because it was more of an adult show. I was more into the kid-friendly Aaron Spelling detective shows like Charlie's Angels, T.J. Hooker, and Hart to Hart. Watching it now as an adult, I was struck by how dark and gritty the series is. It's very well written, the productions values are superb, and the acting is top notch. This particular episode was filmed on location in New York during the Winter, and one of the thieves is played by a young Christopher Walken!. The show probably employed a lot of New York-based actors for the minor roles. They don't look like the stereotypical glossy Hollywood-types, but rather ordinary real people of all shapes and sizes.
This particular role gave Carol a great opportunity to display a wide variety of emotions, and Carol does not disappoint. Looking more solemn, and less glamorous, Carol fully immerses herself in the role, and delivers an outstanding performance. I really believed her character's struggles with feelings of guilt, and remorse.