Adam-12 (TV Series) Dirt Duel (1972) User Reviews

Micky Dolenz, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, and Dirt Bike Cringe

[hollywoodlegend · 6/10 · 9 July 2021]

Adam-12 is probably the single best American police drama, but Season 5 got off to a bad start.

Guest stars Micky Dolenz and Edd "Kookie" Byrnes are fun to see, but can we really take them seriously as a biker gang who have a problem with "the Fuzz"?

A series of purse snatchings by bikers leads to our officers' confrontation with the gang. When they attend a local community police meeting, the story gets worse. The usual "I bet you're not so tough without that badge" line leads to a cringeworthy exchange between Malloy and "Kookie," as Malloy thinks it's a good idea to challenge him to a dirt bike race. Suddenly I expected Fonzie to appear. Is this still Adam-12?

Reed has a short time to teach Pete how to race a dirt bike. How convenient that Reed knows all about it. The big day comes and the "kids" (both men are 40!) have their race. Malloy is a man of integrity, but I'd rather see him doing police work.

Worth it for fans of the Monkees or 77 Sunset Strip, and young boys might have enjoyed the dirt bike scenes. Overall, not the Adam-12 you came to see.

Adam-12 vs. Motorcycle Gang-13

[chashans · 7/10 · 2 June 2023]

Like other reviews here for this Season 5 premiere episode, I have to agree that this wasn't the best storyline with which to kick things off. It slides very quickly away from what one expects from this show. Instead of patrolling the untamed streets and ruthless roads of Los Angeles, California, we get the police partners Malloy and Reed squaring off (and I do mean "square") with an evil, do-no-good motorcycle gang. They do so by having a bike race! Yippie!

Yes, this episode may have been somewhat more believable had it been the younger Officer Reed who challenged a younger gang leader. If this is indeed based on a true story (which every ep of Adam-12 states at the lead of the closing credits) then I have to think the "true" Police Officer and motorcycle gang leader were probably much younger than the two middle-aged actors playing those parts here.

There is great friendship demonstrated between the two lead characters. Their "banter" gets better and more amusing as each Season of the show proceeds. I do give the ep a 7/10, 1 up on the other reviews here, due to the terrific scene at the Community Meeting. The square-off (there's that word "square" again) between the gang leader and the angry neighborhood woman is hysterical. I was half expecting a gigantic brawl to break out between the neighborhood civilians and the gang members - with chains and knives!

Surprising in the episode, is the appearance of actor/singer/musician Micky Dolenz in a role which keeps him sort of in the background. He had been one of the 4 co-stars of the 1960's series, "The Monkees". He was pretty good in that show, proving himself terrific with comedy material. Here he's regulated to one of the gang, standing around, thrusting his chin up into the air in a show of angry defiance of the law. He does get to kick off the bike race though.

The camera work and direction of the race is pretty cool. There are a couple obvious mistakes in some edits during the race, but they really don't detract. Of course, during the race, Malloy gets the opportunity to prove himself a caring human being and not just a hard-nosed, gang-busting cop. When the gang leader takes a nasty tumble off his bike, Malloy, who could have continued on and easily won the race, instead stops and turns back to make certain that the gang leader isn't hurt. This is the moment when the gang leader has a somewhat unbelievable light bulb turn on in his brain. Maybe Police Officers aren't so bad afterall.

And the Police Officers get their own sparking light bulb as well. When the gang later shows up to help Adam-12 capture a couple cycle-riding purse snatchers, (the jerks who started this whole "Police vs. Motorcycle Gang" battle in the first place) the Partners learn that maybe motorcycle gang members aren't so bad afterall, either. Again, if this is true and this really did happen... then as Malloy would indicate with one of his usual characteristic facial expressions... "Ain't life just a kick in the head?!"

Cops Vs. Choppers

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 21 February 2021]

(*Officer Malloy quote*) - "You got something to say Skinner?"

The "Kings Choppers" is a well-known (and belligerent) motorcycle gang whose turf is in and around L.A. They are suspected of being behind the recent purse snatchings that have been taking place around the area.

Officers Reed and Malloy do their best to try to determine whether the "Kings Choppers" are the real culprits in these crimes, or not.

Cops vs Biker Dudes

[sambase-38773 · 6/10 · 9 July 2021]

This is supposedly a true story. Not sure I believe that, but it doesn't matter. I just got through watching it minutes ago on MeTV. Boy this series seems clunky and dull in 2021. It's so heavy-handed and preachy. Anyway, a biker gang is suspected (and accused) of stealing purses from old ladies while whizzing by on their motorcycles (the bikers, not the old ladies). So the cops decide to race the leader of the bikers in a motocross race. Yeah, makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Let's fight crime by getting in a motocross race. Yeah, that's good police procedure. So they race and somebody wins and there's a little twist at the end. It's kind of amusing. I gave it a 6.

Really square man.

[tsn-48730 · 3/10 · 2 November 2023]

Why is it whenever they have a biker gang on Adam 12 they're never even close to realistic. I get that Jack Webb was squeaky clean (on the surface though he'd been a notorious pot smoker and partier back during his early days in Hollywood) and was not likely to have stayed caught up on the terminology of the youth of the day, but I would have hoped he'd have hired writers who had. As a child of that era I can tell you no one (and I mean no one) really talked the way he has most younger people talking on this show. And certainly not bikers.

Also, challenging chopper riders to a dirt bike race! And they accept! Those were most definitely NOT Southern California Harley riders. Not from any era. The raw absurdity of that immediately destroys the credibility of the closing statement that this was based on a true story. Yeah. Right. Sure.