Lt. Frank Ballinger is a no-nonsense plain clothes cop in the elite M Squad Division. The Squad's task is to root out organised crime and corruption in America's Second City, Chicago.
Episodes Season Season 3 · 0/39 Season 2 · 0/40 Season 1 · 0/38 0/39 watched · 1959
S03E01 Ten Minutes to Doomsday 1959-09-18 30m
M Squad hunts for a bomb before it blows up a hospital. Jonas Blecker, an embittered bank clerk who went to prison for dipping in the till to loan money to depositors down on their luck, wants to commemorate his 1st anniversary as a free man by killing the judge who gave him the maximum sentence. The judge is in Columbus Hospital for a delicate operation and he can't be moved. more
S03E02 The European Plan 1959-09-25 30m
Mrs Ashton is killed during a house robbery. The M squad are brought in to try and work out what happened. A very open and shut case suddenly becomes exceedingly complex. more
S03E03 Sunday Punch 1959-10-02 30m
When a well-liked retired couple is found brutally murdered, evidence points to their curmudgeonly neighbor. Lieutenant Ballinger is initially skeptical of his story, but thorough investigation reveals that things are not always as they seem. more
S03E04 Jeopardy by Fire 1959-10-09 30m
The M squad is called in after a series of factory fires occur in the Chicago area. The case become complex after the unusual chemical signature of the fire accelerants is identified. more
S03E05 Murder in C-Sharp Minor 1959-10-16 30m
Detective Ballinger is brought in to investigate the murder of night club owner Joe Dalio. The case seems open and cut with a suspect in custody, however Ballinger has just enough doubt to continue the investigation. more
S03E06 The Human Bond 1959-10-23 30m
A bail bondsman's son is kidnapped to force his father to post an $80,000 bond for the release of a murderous extortionist. Lieutenant Ballinger finds himself on a dangerous high-speed boat chase when the culprit attempts to avoid trial (and a likely death sentence) by escaping to Canada. more
S03E07 Mama's Boy 1959-10-30 30m
Detective Ballinger is called in after what seems to be a professional hit on a desk clerk at a hotel. A witness identifies who may have done the killing, but Ballinger is concerned he can not find any connection for why the clerk should have been shot. more
S03E08 Shred of Doubt 1959-11-06 30m
Ballinger is called in to investigate when a burning car is found with the body of a young woman bound with wire inside. The chief suspect, playboy lawyer Paul Crater, seems to have an air tight alibi. Ballinger needs to cast his net wider to solve this mystery. more
S03E09 Death by Adoption 1959-11-20 30m
Used car salesman Larry Colman has argument with Art Brunswick, a man who claims to the be the father of Colman's daughter. Colman unearths evidence Brunswick is not who he claims to be leading to a deadly altercation. more
S03E10 Another Face, Another Life 1959-11-27 30m
Ballinger is part of an ongoing investigation into racketeering in the night club industry. After a fight breaks out in a club, Ballinger thinks he might have the break he has been looking for. more
S03E11 Voice from the Grave 1959-12-04 30m
Harry Conklin is killed while on the way to a secret Senate hearing into stand over tactics in the trucking industry. Suspicion falls heavily on a rival Martin Bodie. It is up to Ballinger to fight through the silence and uncover the truth. more
S03E12 The Upset 1959-12-11 30m
Danny Sutton is arrested. During the interview a rookie detective makes a mistake and Sutton gets access to a gun and Ballinger finds himself caught in a tense hostage situation. more
S03E13 One of Our Armored Cars Is Missing 1959-12-18 30m
An armored car is hijacked during a pickup at a government installation. There are surprisingly fews clues left behind by the criminals and Ballinger needs to try and unravel the mystery. more
S03E14 The Ivy League Bank Robbers 1959-12-25 30m
A woman and her baby are hospitalized after a group of bank robbers run them down during an escape. Ballinger wants the men for the robbery but more importantly he wants them to pay for what happened to the woman and her baby more
S03E15 The Twisted Way 1960-01-01 30m
A witness fingers the gangster who cut a rival in half with a shotgun blast, but the killer's alibied by a beautiful actress. The thesp is beloved in ChiTown and has a sterling rep that'll guarantee acquittal. Lt. Ballinger must discredit her story and find out why Tammy's lying for smarmy hood Sandy, who now controls the Loop liquor racket. more
S03E16 The Man Who Went Straight 1960-01-08 30m
Ballinger gets a tip from John Clavell, that an old drug dealer Manny Franchette is coming back into town to re-establish his old network. Clavell wants no part of it having decided to got straight. more
S03E17 The Second Best Killer 1960-01-15 30m
Herbie Ryder gains fame for stopping a bank robbery. After a media interview he is shot and killed. Ballinger is brought in in the belief that organized crime has ordered the hit. more
S03E18 Pitched Battle at Bluebell Acres 1960-01-22 30m
Ballinger is brought in when a robbery and murder occurs at an armory. He is puzzled by the list of weapons stolen including a bazooka and other heavy weapons. He knows they cant sell the weapons, so what is their plan? more
S03E19 The Man Who Lost His Brain 1960-01-26 30m
When an "electronic brain" worth $2,000,000 is stolen and held for ransom of $300,000, Captain Grey and Lieutenant Ballinger devise an elaborate ruse that they hope will lead them to the computer and the thieves. more
S03E20 Debt of Honor 1960-02-02 30m
During a crack down on Chicago crime, Bugsy Page makes threats against the Attorney General Russel Madison. Ballinger needs to decide if the threats are real or simply an attempt to throw the man off. more
S03E21 The Man with Frank's Face 1960-02-09 30m
A badly beaten man is admitted to hospital. He does not have long to live and the police need to work fast to solve the mystery. The man appears unremarkable other than being an identical twin of Ballinger. more
S03E22 Burglar's Nightmare 1960-02-16 30m
A trio of bank robbers try to blow a safe. It all goes wrong and one of the criminals is killed in the explosion. Ballinger thinks there is a connection between other bank vault jobs in the area. more
S03E23 Needle in the Haystack 1960-02-23 30m
Lanny Cord escapes from a court room and disappears. Ballinger is interested in the case because he's originally arrested Cord and had always sworn to kill Ballinger if he had the opportunity. more
S03E24 Race to Death 1960-03-01 30m
British racing car driver Morrison is killed in a local race. The driver's chief mechanic presents evidence to M Squad that indicated the car may have been tampered with before the accident. more
S03E25 The Velvet Stake-out 1960-03-08 30m
Conrad Brenner is found dead in an apparent suicide. As Ballinger continues the investigation it becomes evident that he's actually been murdered, when a personal diary can't be found, Ballinger realizes the truth of the case. more
S03E26 Anything for Joe 1960-03-15 30m
After a narcotics robbery, Ballinger makes an arrest, but is concerned the collar was too easy. Everything about the arrested person does not seem to add up and Ballinger pushes hard for answers. more
S03E27 A Kid Up There 1960-03-22 30m
Frank Ballinger becomes involved in a tense hostage situation, he must restrain his instinct to simply shoot it out because of fears their may be a young child involved. more
S03E28 Diary of a Bomber 1960-03-29 30m
Ballinger is on a case involving threats against a visiting prince to Chicago. Mo one is taking the situation too seriously until a little girl accidentally finds the detonating device for a home made bomb. more
S03E29 Let There Be Light 1960-04-05 30m
During a robbery one of the criminals is hit in the eye and blinded. Ballinger has a fair idea who is behind the crime. Urgency increases when news comes through an eye specialist has been kidnapped. more
S03E30 A Gun for Mother's Day 1960-04-12 30m
Lieutenant Ballinger works to solve a series of armed holdups as a means toward the capture of shotgun-wielding Ma Phelan, who murdered a detective while helping her son Pete escape from police custody. more
S03E31 The Man with the Ice 1960-04-19 30m
Ballinger is working a jewelry theft when he becomes convinced one of thieves is a clean skin amateur. He realizes by putting pressure on this individual he has a chance to crack the entire racket open. more
S03E32 Dead Parrots Don't Talk 1960-05-03 30m
A penny arcade owner is robbed and murdered. Suspision falls on a local peddler. But Ballinger thinks there is more to this case than anyone is admitting. more
S03E33 Grenade for a Summer Evening 1960-05-10 30m
A man is killed while sleeping Ballinger begins to investigate and discovers very different opinions about the dead man's character exist. more
S03E34 Two Days for Willy 1960-05-17 30m
Willy Nichols is due to testify in a narcotics investigation, although under police protection he receives a threatening phone call and suddenly disappears. Ballinger must find Nichols to save the case. more
S03E35 Badge for a Coward 1960-05-24 30m
Accompanied by a female reporter, Lieutenant Ballinger investigates an elderly woman's charge that the man who robbed her store and killed a police officer was able to escape as a direct result of Officer George Maxwell's cowardice. more
S03E36 Closed Season 1960-05-31 30m
Sonny Bradley is charged with murder. Ballinger begins to investigate and quickly realizes something is not right about the statements from the witnesses, and starts see a much bigger game being played. more
S03E37 Fire in the Sky 1960-06-07 30m
A plane is blown up killing ten people. Evidence begins to indicate that it wasn't an accident. Ballinger begins to follow the trail and starts to discover a complicated insurance scam in action. more
S03E38 The Tiger's Cage 1960-06-14 30m
A bookkeeper is robbed and murdered at a circus. A clown named Laslo is identified as the killer. Ballinger and the rest of M squad have to deal with how Laslo could have committed the crime while performing in front of 5000 people in the main tent. more
S03E39 The Bad Apple 1960-06-21 30m
Ballinger and M squad are called in to investigate a diamond robbery. All the evidence points to an inside job. M squad have the tough task of working out who was the inside connection. more 
Lee MarvinDetective Lt. Frank Ballinger
Paul NewlanPolice Capt. Grey
DeForest KelleyPolice Sgt. Miller, Detective
Harry LandersMax Decker, Torrance
Barney PhillipsDoctor, Dr. Lester Bowers
Elizabeth HarrowerMrs. Michaels, Walls' Secretary
Bill ErwinRoger Jessop, Detective Gene
