Anything But the Truth

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## Briefing

A guy is stealing cars and using them to cause minor accidents with female drivers so that he can rob them. One of the attacks is witnessed by Marcie Pendleton who happens to be a hitch-hiker, who turns out to be Jon's blind date, and Getraer's niece. The only problem is that she's a compulsive liar.

## Report

While Jon and Steve are out on (now illegal) 3-wheel ATCs, a woman hitches a ride and witnesses a robbery/assault. She runs off and hitches another ride, giving the driver a different story. Later, Baricza finds the witness out on the highway looking for another ride. She gives him another different story. Out on the streets, the guy who terrorized the woman earlier rams a car and is about to do the same thing to another woman when Turner shows up. He manages to get away by driving under a parked tractor trailer, chopping the top off of his car. Wally is now laughing about situation. Jon confronting his cousin Marcie. That night, Jon picks up his date, who turns out to be Marcie, the hitch-hiking liar. The next day, Marcie has to go to a self defense class to get out of the ticket, and she makes up some lame story to cancel a date with Jon. That night, Jon assists Bonnie and Steve in the self-defense class. When Jon spots Marcie, she says she was caught speeding, but Bonnie then scolds her on hitch-hiking within earshot of Jon. Marcie then shows Jon the picture of the guy she drew. She says she was bumped and a victim. When she tells the story to Getraer, she contradicts everything she told Jon. Marcie in Getraer's office with Wally. Jon finally arresting Wally on rape and mugging charges.Later, Jon and Steve double-date on ATCs. Marcie says she's an expert but she loses control of her ATC and it flies off a cliff after Jon pulls her off. Back on duty, Getraer tells Jon that Marcie is a compulsive liar. Out on the streets, the nut who rams cars hits a woman a little too hard and she gets knocked out and a truck hits her car. The nut drives off, chased by Jon and Steve. While temporarily out of their sight he dumps the stolen car and transfers to his own vehicle. Jon and Steve continue the chase until their target crashes his car. The guy looks just like Marcie's drawing, but he claims he wasn't driving the stolen car. Jon gets Marcie to come in and tell the whole story. When Jon and Steve go to arrest the guy, he tries to kill them with a forklift! Steve manages to stop it before it crushes Jon and then they arrest him. That afternoon, Jon stops by Marcie's and finds out she's moving away for a fresh start. Back on ATC's, Jon and Steve have been stood up and have to ride alone.

## Notes

* Tara Buckman (Marcie) played Jill, the blonde half of the cleavage-flashing black Lamborghini team in The Cannonball Run (1980). On that ocassion her co-driver, Adrienne Barbeau, played a character called Marcie.
* Randi Oakes actual blonde hair can be seen changing styles, including lengths during the filming of these scenes, first the longer length with berets is only in one scene that was filmed during spring of 1981, and then changes into the shorter lengths because the scenes were filmed during summer to the fall of 1980. Her hair due to an accidental over moussing from an substitute hairstylist which caused her to look like helmet with full bangs only in three scenes, and caused her to look like Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry during the filming of Roadie back in 1979. Her hair then changes back into side-swept bangs with her right side part again with a ponytail during the women's self defense class scene, and finally into short feathered hair only in two scenes.
* Erik Estrada doesn't appear in this episode because he had a contract dispute with NBC at the time of filming this episode.
* This is actually the first episode that was based current events of Jon's life with Getraer's niece Marcie Pendleton from back in 1980.
* This is actually the second episode that a transgender actress Caitlyn Jenner appears in as Steve McLeish that aired during Season 5.
* Randi Oakes would later play Marcie Crane in an episode of The Love Boat.
* Most of this episode was filmed in 1980, and the other scenes were filmed in 1981.
* Larry Wilcox had accidentally flipped over a brand new 1981 Honda ATC 250 R during the filming the cold open of this episode on Wednesday, August 26, 1981, he was racing Caitlyn Jenner along the sand at the Indian Dunes recreational area in the Santa Clara Valley, about 35 miles north of Los Angeles, when the bike suddenly turned over on top of him, he was rushed to a hospital, where he was treated for a slight concussion, including whiplash, he was later released on Friday, and the filming of this episode was finally suspended after three attempts to make this script.

### Mistakes

* The style and length of Bonnie's hair changes from when she interviews the robbery victim to when she is in the squad room writing reports.
* Jon and Steve are out riding ATCs at 6 AM, yet the position of the sun indicates it is far later in the day. In any given year, Los Angeles has an earliest sunrise time of approximately 5:40 AM.

### Codes Used

* 215 - Carjacking
* 459 - Burglary
* 487 - Grand Theft
* 23103 - Reckless Driving
* 10-20 - Location
* 11-25 - Traffic Hazard
* 5150 - Emotionally Disturbed Person
* 11-31 - Calling for Help
* 11-41 - Ambulance Required
* 11-42 - Paramedics Required
* 11-78 - Ambulance Enroute
* 11-79 - Paramedics Enroute
* 11-82 - Accident, No Injury
* 11-84 - Direct Traffic
* 10-4 - Acknowledgment

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Larry Wilcox: Jon Baker
* Erik Estrada: Frank Poncherello (Credit Only)
* Robert Pine: Joe Getraer

### Recurring

* Brodie Greer: Baricza
* Michael Dorn: Turner
* Paul Linke: Grossman
* Lou Wagner: Harlen Arliss
* Randi Oakes: Bonnie Clark
* Caitlyn Jenner: Steve McLeish (as Bruce Jenner)

### Others

* Tara Buckman: Marcie Pendleton
* Dennis Lipscomb: Wally Bartel
* Ken Sansom: Clerk
* Cynthia Leake: Barbara
* Kim Joseph: Mrs. Williams
* Mark Cassella: Chuck
* David Clover: Investigator