Polizeibericht The Pyramid Swindle (1967–1970) Online

"The Pyramid Swindle" has Dragnet regular Virginia Gregg chewing scenery like a rabid mutt as Bonnie Bates, using a pyramid bunco scheme to solicit members, proposing to those who sign up with her that they will make lots and lots of money. The key to her success at the detriment of others is that those on the bottom end of the pyramid make very little while giving up a lot (you see those who first sign up make the alluring cash increase while others who eventually sign later on do not achieve the same kind of results; the early members reap the immediate dividends while members brought in by members brought in by members earn very little). The one, of course, to wallow in wealth is Bonnie, having learnt the pyramid scheme from her late husband who was a master at swindling the average citizen with a desire to make extra cash. Gregg dresses as Socrates, shakes a tambourine, and chants marketing catch-phrases, capturing her audience, suitable for duping because they completely buy into her hogwash. Most of the episode consists of the trial of Bonnie Bates, with the defense using the strategy of theoretical possibility for increased wealth through the use of the pyramid (Bates' team says everyone who joins as members have a significant chance to turn a sizable profit) while the prosecution seek to unravel the façade of such a fraudulent exercise. While I enjoyed Gregg's flamboyant interpretation of an electrifying pitchwoman, this sure makes those caught under her spell look foolish and stupid. Interesting that her character uses God as a means to further her agenda of swindling folks; perhaps a statement about religious people and the ease for which they can be had?

***SPOILERS*** A bit disappointing Dragnet episode with both Sgt. Joe Friday and his sidekick Officer Bill Gannon, Jack Webb & Harry Morgan, working of all places the LAPD Bunko Squad or Fraud Division in order to bust a Ponzie or Pyramid scheme operation in the city. Even though both Friday and Gannon go undercover to get the goods on the fast talking as well as taking, her naive followers cash, Bonnie Bates, Virginia Gregg, the two stick out like a sore thumb. It's nothing less then amazing that sharp eyed and scheming Bonnie didn't spot them as undercover cops as soon as they stepped into what look like a religious revival meeting of hers.

Buying, at LAPD expense of course, some of the get rich quick merchandise, including an hour long audio tap recording, that Bonnie was peddling at the meeting Sgt.Friday Officer Gannon and the local D.A plan to use it as proof that she's swindling her customers and thus breaking the law. The trial of Bonnie Bates at first turns out to be a disaster for the D.A's office with the star witness for the prosecution Sgt. Friday making a complete fool of himself by pawning himself off as an expert in the science of geometric progressions. A claim which Bonnie's lawyer proves he's completely ignorant of.

***SPOILERS****It's assistant D.A Hal Davis, Bert Fields, who ends up pulling the state's case against Bonnie Bates chestnuts out of the fire by trapping the main witness for her defense mathematics professor Edger Sundstrom,Robert Cornthwaite. Davis tricks Prof. Sundstrom into admitting that the odds of any of her costumers making money in her Ponzi scheme was mathematically calculated to be an astronomical 360 million to one! That's almost twice the population of the US at the time!

What was a big tun off in this Dragnet episode is that for once Sgt. Friday came off second best in not getting all his facts, or just the facts ma'am, straight. The quick thinking and always on the ball Sgt. Friday ended up looking like he was either on powerful mind altering drugs, like LSD, or just plain brain dead on the witness stand. As for Bonnie Bates who in fact got the best of Joe Friday all she ended paying for her crime of fleecing hundreds of people out of their hard earned money, which could well have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, was a $500.00 fine and six months probation! And they say that crime doesn't pay!

To expose these pyramid scams, which was quite the topic for awhile, is fine but the writers here used their blatant bias against religion by equating these business frauds to revival meetings. There was no need for that except to promote their atheist agenda. These pyramid money-making schemes were/are strictly business, a way to fleece people out of their cash.

"Bonnie Bates," the head of the scam was a woman who yelled loudly like some evangelist ministers do, shook her tambourine and called everyone "brothers" and "sisters." The analogies weren't even subtle and had no place in this story. People who con others with "pyramid" do not use these kind of religious come-ons. This was ludicrous.

It's too bad because the episode, as usual, was funny and entertaining. Veteran TV actress Virginia Gregg played the crook who made the big sales pitches to a crowd that was made to look like total baboons.

Yes, there are a lot of gullible people out there and greedy ones looking to get rich quick (ask Bernie Madoff) but this whole episode, as another reviewer points out here, is a caricature rather than a comment about these con artists, who are despicable people.

Entertaining piece of stylized fluff. The two intrepid investigators, Friday and Gannon, must look into a pyramid scheme being run by Virginia Gregg, who is dressed up like Amy Semple McPherson and rattles a tambourine at the end of every dramatic exclamation.

Her plan: Recruit members into the Dollar Wise Club, who will be reimbursed for every new member they themselves recruit.

They bust her and she winds up in court, finally convicted on the testimony of a statistics professor from USC.

It's amusing to watch the performers go through the usual motions. Reassuring, in a way, like attending a church service. There are variations on the theme but you more or less know that nothing radical will take place. The preacher will not begin pimping communism or mooning the audience.

There's a problem with watching too many of these episodes, though. After while you start to nod whenever anyone says anything you agree with. The nodding is not so bad in a social setting, although I've noticed that people begin to stare at you after a while. It's when you're alone, thinking about something, and when you reach a conclusion you nod in agreement with the thought you just had. But even that only becomes worrisome when you find yourself nodding in agreement with thoughts that belong to somebody else.

Friday and Gannon investigate a get rich quick scheme that is being run by a professional con-woman. Oddly, however, her seminars are run much more like an old-time tent meeting. In fact, other than the fact that she never mentions God, you'd swear it was one in the same. Instead, however, she is selling a "buyer's club" where members pay to join and get money back when they convince others to join. In essence, it's what's termed a "pyramid scheme". Half of the episode consists of this investigation and the other half the prosecution of the lady.

Despite this episode starring one of my favorite perennial actors on the "Dragnet" series (Virginia Gregg), I didn't particularly care for it. Part of it was because her character seemed less than believable--more like a caricature. Part of it also was because despite all the investigating and prosecution, the lady received such a tiny "smack on the wrist" that it hardly seemed worth making into an episode--so if you do see it, note the sentence given to her at the end.

However, I must admit that at least it was a public service--warning idiots about falling into get rich quick schemes. However, as not all idiots watched "Dragnet" or cared to believe its message, the effectiveness of the show in informing the public is debatable. In fact, in my own life, my aunt and uncle fell for a scheme almost exactly like this a year or so after this episode debuted. And, despite my family having watched the show and realizing it was a pyramid scheme, my idiot relatives fell for it anyway and resisted our efforts to save them. Such is life if you are incredibly stupid.