"The Song and Dance Spy"
(Original air date 10/05/75)
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Steve helps a singer friend who is suspected of treason
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Writer: Jerry Devine
Director: Richard Moder
Entertainer John Perry (Sonny Bono) is on stage performing while Steve and Oscar wait backstage. Once the song over, Steve walks up to John, claiming to be a bailiff hired to repossess his material on account that he failed to pay the loan. John acts the part in front of his chorus girls Linda (Susie Coelho), Laura (Susan McIver) and Louise (Jayne Kennedy) and his P.R. man Lee Michaels (Victor Mohica). He pleads with Steve to give him another chance.
They look at each other and burst out laughing, falling into each other's arms in a friendly hug. John explains to his band that Steve and he are old college buddies and were known for their pranks. John and Steve make a dinner date. Before leaving, Steve is given a tape of his latest recording to listen at leisure.
Backstage, Oscar bluntly informs Steve that his dear friend is suspected of treason, passing government information to the enemy. Steve is appalled.
Steve follows Oscar out of the theatre and asks him to confirm his allegations that his friend is a traitor. He has trouble grasping at the notion that John could be a spy, stealing US government secrets to hand over to enemy agents. Oscar explains that the documents are taped and then given in bulk to a covert ring of operation. Coincidently, those transactions are made at each of John Perry's concerts. Steve argues that John is wealthy and surely doesn't need the money. There's no reason to suspect him, but Oscar differs in opinion. He has the pictures that prove Steve's friend is the in-between.
Oscar plants the seed of doubt in Steve's mind.
On his way to Oscar's office, Steve listens to John's latest recordings. He has trouble coming to terms with the fact that John, a man he considers a brother, could be betraying his country.
Oscar produces pictures of John handing out the tape to a man named Kimbrow, a foreign enemy agent, backstage at his concerts in Miami, New York, Los Angeles and no later than yesterday. The OSI agent who took the pictures confirms that it was John handing over the tape and not the opposite. Steve suggests arresting Kimbrow instead, but they recently got news of his death. No doubt the organization is cognizant of his being followed and they decided to eliminate him.
Oscar begs Steve to accompany John on his next concert in Manila with a tape containing a signal that will allow them to trace its path to the heart of the spy ring. Steve is reluctant. John is his friend and feels uneasy at the thought of having to spy on him, but agrees to the assignment in order to protect him.
Steve goes to the theatre to meet with John and asks him for a favor, to make a special appearance in an Army base in Guam. John agrees. However his P.R man doesn't believe it's such a good idea.
In Manila, one member of the spy organisation, Damon (Robin Clarke), informs his leader, Buckner (Bruce Glover) that John Perry will not be on schedule for the delivery, that he's agreed to make a brief detour to Guam. Steve Austin is accompanying him on the tour, which might make the exchange a bit tricky. Buckner suggests to get rid of him.
In the military plane flying them to Manila, Steve oversees last-minute details of the mission with Captain Crawford (Fred Holliday).
On the ground, the troop is led to the minibus. A man in a forklift waits on the runway. As soon as Steve catches up with John, the man springs into action and drops the heavy weight onto Steve. Luckily, John warns him.
Steve avoids being squashed like a bug by using his bionic arm. He zooms in on the culprit fleeing in a getaway car. John is stupefied, but believes Steve played him for a fool. He tries to move the box, but meets with resistance. How did Steve do it?
Steve relates to Oscar his near brush with death. John warned him, which proves he's not behind the attempted murder. Oscar is not so easy duped. He suspects it might be some sort of subterfuge to throw them off the track.
Steve goes to the bathroom to shave. Meanwhile, John saunters in and reaches for Steve's wallet on the bed. Much to his surprise, he discovers that he's a government agent and assumes Steve was sent to baby-sit him. He feels a bit annoyed but Steve reassures him that he's here purely for enjoyment.
The next day, John performs in front of hundreds of GIs. He introduces Steve as the famous American astronaut and relates the story of how in college, Steve used to write songs during math classes. He told John that if he sang one, it would make him famous. Never did. When John offers to sing the tune, Steve blushes in embarrassment. Steve's song
The GIs give Steve's song a standing ovation, adding to his embarrassment.
The next day, Steve packs up to follow John to his next concert date. On his way to his taxi, he is rendered unconscious and tossed inside a car.
Oscar meets with the plane in Manila. Captain Crawford informs him that Steve wasn't aboard, that he was asked to remain in Guam. Oscar never sent that message. His suspicions of John grow when he learns that he's the one who conveyed the fake message.
Back in Guam Steve regains consciousness in a shack by the water. He breaks free of his bonds, handles the bad guys and speeds away. He takes a plane to Manila where he meets with Oscar. Steve still won't believe John was behind this set-up.
An OSI agent follows John's taxi in rush hour traffic. The signal emitting from the tape is loud and clear. Buckner's bodyguard throws himself in front of the agent's car to slow him down. The slight setback makes him lose the signal.
John arrives at the warehouse where Linda gave him rendezvous. She convinces him to go inside and appraise an antique vase she's interested in purchasing. He accepts.
Inside the warehouse, John is knocked unconscious. Buckner commends Linda, the mysterious liaison agent, for her work. She refuses to be a party to murder.
Oscar and Steve wait for John to show up for his rehearsal. They lose themselves in conjectures as to who the double agent might be until Steve is handed a list of phone calls made by the members of the troop. He notices that Linda made a call to a warehouse not far from where the signal was lost. Steve contacts the agent who confirms the warehouse location.
Before Steve leaves, he hands Linda over to Oscar for further interrogation.
At the warehouse, Steve jumps inside through a bionic-made opening in the roof and begins knocking a few heads around.
John wants to get in on the action, but Steve seizes him by the shirt and pulls him up on a box while he finishes the job with the muscle man, which proves to be a difficult task.
Back in Washington, with the bad guys behind bars, Oscar and Steve drop by the concert hall while John is rehearsing for an upcoming concert. Once finished, he walks over to the men, nodding to a stagehand above to drop a heavy crate onto the stage. John pushes Oscar and Steve out of the way and catches the large container before it crashes. Steve and Oscar act amazed at John's incredible strength.
John explains that Linda was the one who introduced him to Kimbrow who posed as a music arranger, claiming he could do wonders for his songs. Oscar apologizes to John for suspecting him in the first place and the two shake hands.
Laura excuses herself and casually lifts the box out of the way. Oscar and Steve gawk at her while John is embarrassed, knowing the rabbit is out of the hat. Steve and Oscar play the part, well aware that John wanted to get back at Steve for the trick he supposedly played on him at the airport.
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