The Boom Boom Lady

The Boom Boom Lady
December 11, 1979
Music: Jimmie Haskell
Writer: Stephen Miller
Director: Daniel Haller

Cantankerous old Maude Nickerson (special guest star Jeanette Nolan) is blowing up buildings in Orly County. It's revenge to get back at the crooked district attorney (Ben Cooper) and the developer (the impossibly thick-haired Richard X. Slattery) who had her declared incompetent to get their hands on her land. While Sheriff Lobo (Claude Akins) and Deputy Birdie (Brian Kerwin) try to break down beautiful Millie Rogers (soap actress Ana Alicia, who went on to a long run on FALCON CREST), the supervisor at the old folks' home protecting her, Deputy Perkins (Mills Watson) goes undercover to recover the detonator that set off a bomb at the courthouse. That's because Perkins mistook the detonator for a transistor radio and accidentally set the bomb off, leaving his fingerprints on it in the process.

The presence of the gorgeous Miss Alicia, Nolan's sprightly performance, and some nice stuntwork involving a Jeep and a helicopter make this MISADVENTURES OF SHERIFF LOBO episode worthwhile. It's interested how some balsa wood, a burst of dust, and a sound effect can make you believe you've seen an explosion. Writer Miller was one of four story editors credited on this episode, which leaves me wondering whether LOBO was getting desperate for usable scripts.