Chicago, October 1932. The only ""beer"" allowed to be served during Prohibition is ""near-beer"" or ""Near-O""-- which is 0.5% alcohol, as opposed to real beer which is 4.0% alcohol. And so, a lot of legitimate beer producers wind up ""spiking"" the barrels of near-beer with pure alcohol, to get it up to strength. A northside brewer named Woody O'Mara wants to smash all his competition; he tells his girlfriend Amy Gratzner, a rather plain-looking 23-year-old secretary for rival brewer Franz Koenig, to blow the whistle on her boss.
As part of a publicity gimmich, ex-criminal Sammy Morrissey agrees to attempt opening a "burglar proof" safe. If he can unlock the safe at a press conference, he can keep the $50,000 contained within. But will Morrissey prove the hand is quicker than the eye?
When Ben fails to prevent the death of a friend's son, Adam and Joe, concerned by their father's depression, attempt to prove there was nothing he could have done.
Taken prisoner by a band of comancheros, Chester is helped to escape by one of the band's women and flees with another who may or may not be worthy of his trust.
Mason tries to clear his young, naive woman client, a corporate executive secretary, as a twisting and wheeling plot of murder, kidnapping, and embezzlement unfolds.
Jeff Myrtlebank comes back to life at his own funeral and soon begins to act very strangely...
After a squabble about finances, Wilma seeks employment of her own. She applies for an office job at the Bedrock Radio & Television Corporation, but instead becomes the hostess of the ""Happy Housewife Show,"" a situation that makes things less than happy back at the cave.
Ricky's fraternity house is in danger of being put on scholastic probation.
When a young boy murders another boy with a knife, his father convinces attorney Vernon Wedge to take on the case. Wedge comes up with a rather unique "test" to prove the boy's innocence, providing it can be used in court.
Things hit a sour note when Barney joins the Mayberry choir -- and it's quickly determined that his singing voice isn't exactly harmonious to the other members of the group.
Sammy Davis Jr. stars as Tip Corey, son of a man allegedly murdered in North Fork.
Adam gives a second chance to a family man he suspects is one of the rustlers who has been hitting the Ponderosa herds.
A man has been hired to kill Matt, but when he meets and quickly falls in love with a decent girl, he has a change of heart--or does he?
Fortune discovers that a piano he bought his wife for her birthday has magical properties - the music that it plays makes people reveal their true essence.
While driving to work, the boys decide to play hookey and go instead to the ballpark. They call in sick to their bosses and Barney is promptly ordered to report to the company nurse for a check-up. Fred then concocts an elaborate ruse that does indeed get Barney out of work--and into the hospital.
Ozzie tries to ease the fears of young Barry who's scheduled to have an operation removing his tonsils.
Early November 1931. On West Madison Street, there is a wonderfully diverse neighborhood made up of gypsies of Romanian, Hungarian and Czech descent. The area is flooded with Capone's rotgut, being distributed by Janos Colescu. There are many colorful characters, including the chestnut vendor with his singsong voice: ""Get your red-hot che-e-estnuts, the wind is cold."" When the rotgut leads to a drunken knife-fight that leaves a gypsy dead, the 8-member gypsy Senate, headed by Victor Bartok, with his brother Fedor Bartok, convenes. Eliot Ness shows up to offer his help to end the bootleg booze; they decline his help, saying they will handle matters themselves.
Following a train accident, Mr. Sequiras fakes being paralyzed from the waist down so he can collect compensation from the train company. When tiring of having to pretend he cannot walk, Sequiras comes up with a plan to "walk" again when meeting a girl who really is paralyzed.