Counterspy: The Stolen Car Racket (Rehearsal) (A0076)

This episode of *Counterspy: The Stolen Car Racket (Rehearsal)* presents a 1946 rehearsal of a wartime espionage drama that, despite its title, centers on a criminal car theft ring rather than traditional counterintelligence. The story unfolds in Brooklyn, where Mary Linton runs a stolen car racket with her sister Cora and her lover Jack Taylor. When a Chicago mobster, Sam French, arrives to challenge Mary’s control over the New York market, he is murdered—his death staged to look like a crime committed by Cora. Jack Taylor, the true mastermind, manipulates the situation to frame Cora and seize control, using her fingerprints on the murder weapon and her presence in the stolen car. The episode culminates in a clever but implausible police operation: a mass reissuance of driver’s licenses in New York City to identify all black-haired women with licenses, targeting the real culprit. The host, Adam Graham, reflects on the show’s historical context, noting that *Counterspy* was a brand-name series that continued post-WWII despite lacking a clear rationale for its counterespionage mandate. He praises the episode’s intelligent plotting and character dynamics, particularly the complex relationship between the two sisters, though he critiques the logistical absurdity of the solution. The episode ends with a teaser for next week’s case involving wartime double-crosses and espionage.