"Camera Sleuth" A Pete Smith Specialty--a true story (1951)

Real-life investigator Jo Goggin uses a motion-picture surveillance camera to gather evidence. This Pete Smith Specialty short, a rare serious entry in the series, dramatizes how Mr. Goggin works. A farmer claims that an accident caused by the negligence of Goggin's client has confined him to a wheelchair, and he has sued the client for $100,000. Goggin sets out to show that the man is a fraud. - David Glagovsky: [e-mail]
(published in IMDB)

[@codym8897]

Hey pianopappy, do you have the Austin City Limits Season 5 opening sequence from 1980? It starts with people leaving the Luckenbach bar and getting into the truck, a drunk man in a cowboy hat gets into the truck; and knocks him out. Then, they wave goodbye, as they pass through Texas landscapes; Texas signs, and the lights. Then, it shows the truck driving into the water; man and a woman driving, a shot of the road with the Austin skyline; back of the truck drives by as a guy waves his arm up in the air, camera pans to the left to see a rounded square highway sign, which has "AUSTIN CITY LIMITS" written on it; the camera zooms in on the Austin City Limits sign, and the picture freezes to give a closeup shot; honky-tonk music plays in the background. The music shifts from honky-tonk music to an instrumental version of "London Homesick Blues", Lickona's voice is heard saying; "Recorded live from Austin, Texas, Austin City Limits presents...", Then; the Austin City Limits sign morphed into photographs of the performance, and then; it zooms forward when the performance began.

[@GlamRockCowboy]

In addition to attempted fraud, Herman Taphert could--and I feel should--have faced a perjury charge. At that time, the penalty for perjury was from 1 to 14 years in prison. The attempted fraud charge, I believe, would have carried a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. On top of all that, Mr. Coggin's client would have been perfectly within their rights to turn right around and sue Mr Taphert for everything he had. Unfortunately, due to the length of time that has passed since this film was made, I cannot be any more specific as to details. In any event, both Mr. Goggin and Mr. Taphert have long since passed away, and so has Mr. Smith, who sadly committed suicide in January of 1979, after a long bout of cardiac illness (congestive heart failure, I believe).

[@pianopappy]

Thank you, Tom, for taking the time to post your very-informative comment. I am saddened to learn that Pete Smith died of suicide. According to a post on Wikipedia, he leaped from the roof of a convalescent home where he spent his last days.