The Untouchables : The Empty Chair (1959)
Directed by Tay Garnett / John Peyser
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
The premiere episode of The Untouchables takes place just after the events of the series' two-hour Desilu Playhouse pilot, as Chicago gang boss Al Capone is escorted to Federal prison on a tax-evasion charge. With "Scarface" out of the picture, several Capone lieutenants compete for the honor of occupying their boss' empty chair, including his chief lieutenant Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti (Bruce Gordon) and the brutal-but-businesslike mob bookkeeper Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik (Nehemiah Persoff). Meanwhile, Federal agent Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) invites a new member to his "Untouchables" team: Enrico Rossi (Nick Georgiade), a former assistant barber who has witnessed a brutal ganglang slaughter masterminded by Nitti.