The making of a documentary about a Philadelphia disc jockey, John "The Hawk" Hawkins, revealed a tape of the program of the night that the famous radio personality committed suicide. Rock and Roll was a sensation of the moment and The Hawk was the man that gave the Philadelphia teens the music they loved to hear. His untimely death left the kids without an idol. The filmmakers of the documentary, through new technology, establishes there was a second person in the studio where Hawkins conducted his radio show, something that was overlooked in the initial investigation. The police deemed the incident was a suicide.
The Cold Case team went into a full investigation of the incident. Hawkins' first wife, Dottie, is visited by the detectives. She had been divorced for a time and had only contacted her former husband about the sale of the house that she bought with her own money, but needed to get his signature. The unit moves to "Bones" Hamlin, an ambitious man, who was Hawk's assistant. Payola was a big problem in those days when criminals thought about buying disc jockeys to play the music they were pushing.
The detectives' attention is turned to Jenny, a young woman who had an infatuation with The Hawk. She too was a teenager that wanted to be in show business and felt that the radio personality would help her. In fact, the Cold Case team learn that a song that Jenny had recorded was the one that was playing at the time of Hawkins' death. Jenny, it turns out had a lot at stake, as did Dottie, who didn't reveal she knew more than what she told the detectives in her original interview.
The episode was directed by Kevin Bray, and written by Gavin Harris, a man that has contributed to the show frequently. Mr. Harris' script is about one of the best in the series because it involves the viewer from the start. It is a credible story and the parts that lead up to the solving of the crime are well developed.
Julie Adams, an actress who has enjoyed a long career in films and in television makes an appearance as Dottie, the estranged wife of The Hawk. Rutanya Alda plays the older Jenny. Charles Esten is seen as the dead disc jockey. Danny Pino is seen on a vignette coming to terms with his brother's depression.
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