TV Review: Man with a Camera

TV Review: Man with a Camera

Mike Kovac (Charles Bronson) is a World War Two veteran who works as a freelance photographer.  He’s a tough fellow who’s known for getting the shots other shutterbugs can’t make.  As a result, he’s often called in to help investigate incidents for newspapers and private citizens.  Mike is aided in this by a number of trick cameras, such as a miniature camera disguised as a lighter.

This 1958-1960 series was the only television show Charles Bronson played the lead in; after that his movie career took off, as well as guest roles on many TV shows.  His looks served him well here, coming across as a tough, working-class fellow who can’t be intimidated.

Most of the series took place in New York City, but the two episodes I watched on DVD take place out of town, so are absent Mike’s normal supporting cast.

“Two Strings of Pearls” takes place in Rome, where Mike has just finished covering the Italian election.  At the airport, he spots a woman he knows from an ocean trip several years before.  She, however, doesn’t appear to recognize him and has a completely different name.  Mike decides to stay in Rome long enough to see what’s going on.   Romantic scenes do not appear to be one of Mr. Bronson’s strengths in this series.

“Missing” involves the disappearance of a police officer’s wife in San Diego.   The officer doesn’t want to involve his own department as she was formerly mixed up with a criminal gang, and the scandal of their marriage has only just died down.  Investigating the slim clues available, Mike finds a lead in her recent visit to Tiajuana in Mexico.  The climax is an intense  fight in a car wash.

Both episodes feature the advantages of Mike’s close relationship with law enforcement, his photographs allowing suspects to be identified.

A similar series might do well in the current day; the technology may have changed drastically, but not the difference one dedicated person can make with it.