Reluctant Witness
A character witnesses a crime and is afraid to come forward.
Sanford and Son
Appearances
- The Dick Van Dyke Show: Season 3, episode 12, "The Sound of the Trumpets of Conscience Falls Deafly on a Brain That Holds Its Ears…" (1963). Rob sees two jewel thieves running from the scene of the crime, but he's afraid to call the police and report what he saw.
- The Patty Duke Show: Season 2, episode 16, "Patty, the Witness" (1965) Patty witnesses a car crashing into a deli and driving away, and she's afraid to report it to the police.
- Sanford and Son: Season 3, episode 3, "Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman" (1973). Fred witnesses two men robbing Julio's house, but he refuses to talk to the police because he's afraid the thieves will retaliate.
- Rhoda: Season 2, episode 14, "Bump in the Night" (1975). Rhoda bumps into a man on the street who she believes just robbed a jewelry store, and she drops her wallet. Thinking a jewel thief that she can identify now has her wallet, Rhoda is afraid to spend the night alone in her apartment while Joe is on a fishing trip.
- Too Close for Comfort: Season 4, episode 7, "Witness for the Persecution" (1984). Henry witnesses and armed robbery and is reluctant to go to the police for fear that the gunman would come after him, but Muriel, Jackie, and Sara convince him to come forward. He draws a sketch of the robber, who happens to already be at the police station, and when Henry identifies him, the robber tells him that if he testifies, he'll "cancel Christmas."
- Perfect Strangers: Season 2, episode 9, "Can I Get a Witness?" (1986). When Larry and Balki enter the courtroom to testify against Vince, the mob boss, the prosecutor tells them that all of his other witness either suddenly got amnesia or disappeared, so Larry decides not to testify, and he tries to stop Balki from testifying too, but when the judge is about to dismiss the case for lack of evidence, Larry changes his mind.
- The Nanny: Season 2, episode 26, "Fran Gets Mugged" (1995). Fran accidentally picks up a page from Shakespeare's notebook, thinking it's a shopping list, and a mugger steals her purse with the page inside. She's afraid to go to the police because she thinks the mugger will come after her, but Mr. Sheffield and Niles physically drag her to the police station because Mr. Sheffield needs the notebook page for a sold-out benefit he's hosting.