
A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise) is the first episode of the television series Police Squad! It was written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker.
Guest Starring[]
- Lorne Greene (special guest star)
- Barbara Tarbuck as Mrs. Twice
- Terry Wills as Jim Johnson
- Terrence Beasor as Dr. Roland Zubatsky
- Russell Shannon as Ralph Twice
- Jimmy Briscoe as Cop
- Kathryn Leigh Scott as Sally Decker
Special Guest Star[]
The special guest star Lorne Greene is introduced during the opening credits. Greene, wearing a trench coat, is thrown from a speeding car. He lands on the ground, then rolls over, wincing in pain and clutching his chest where a knife handle is protruding. He promptly expires in Police Squad! guest star fashion, setting the precedent for the immediate death of all special guest stars in the series.
Plot[]
Sally Decker (Kathryn Leigh Scott), a teller at the Acme Credit Union, murders her boss so she can steal money to pay her orthodontist the money she owed. She kills a customer and frames him for the murder. The Police Squad unit is called in to investigate the case; Lieutenant Frank Drebin is suspicious about the customer's guilt.
Recurring Gags[]
- Tonight's special guest star: Lorne Greene, who is thrown out of a moving car with a knife in his chest, from which he quickly dies.
- Next week's experiment: Some interesting experiments involving discarded swimwear.
- Johnny's next customer: A priest wanting information on life after death.
- Freeze frame gag: Frank Drebin and Ed Hocken laugh over a joke, and struggle to maintain the awkward poses as the credits roll.