AUTOMAN
Zippers

AUTOMAN (December 1983 - April 1984) -- season only, episode 11 -- "Zippers" Despite four obvious voice dubs (he may have been unavailable for corrective looping) James Morrison gets second guest-star billing in this short-lived light-hearted sci-fi crime drama episode.

As Gary, the cat burglar/exotic dancer, Morrison plays a bad guy with one, mean pelvic twist. Gary uses his legitimate employer, the exclusive nightclub Zippers, to acquire access to its ritzy clientele’s homes. His co- conspirator is a valet at the club (played by none other than Tom Everett, the leader of the In Vitro mutineers, "Keats," in S:AAB episode, "Mutiny") who selects keys from exotic cars which Gary makes wax impressions of to be copied later and used for his burglary endeavors.

Everything seems perfect for the ne’er-do-wells until officer Walter Nebicher (Dezi Arnez, Jr.) and his computerized sidekick Auto (Chuck Wagner) are put on the case. With his remarkable Tron-like style of materializing solid matter from energy extracted from the city, Auto uses electric power surges and x-ray vision to discover the perpetrators. Then, with a car that defies the laws of momentum (as Gary puts it, "I don’t know what those cops are driving, but I can’t shake ‘em."), Walter and Auto catch the criminals red-handed.

But this crime-fighting duo’s problems aren’t over yet. One of their burglary victims is suddenly murdered -- then one of the burglars (after 25 alleged burglaries they made bail!). Walter and Auto do a little more detection and find a connection to the mob and another to a highly computerized security business.

With a final showdown at Zippers, the mob boss is captured, Gary is recaptured and the demure Walter (briefly "merged" with Auto) takes a turn on the stripper stage only to save the day by finding a hidden microchip.

 

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