George Waggner Movies

Allan Arkush and Joe Dante co-directed this campy spoof of exploitation films -- Roger Corman's schlock factory in particular. Candice Rialson stars as Candy Wednesday, a movie hopeful who wants to be a star. Her slimy agent Walter Paisley (Dick Miller) directs her to the portals of Miracle Pictures, where she lands a plum role in the film "Machete Maidens of Maratau." Lead actress Mary McQueen (Mary Woronov) becomes jealous, and a series of disturbing murders occur, culminating in a shoot-out on top of the Hollywood sign. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Solo and Illya head to Greece to locate renegade T.H.R.U.S.H. agent Manolakas (George Keymas), who has stolen a top-secret code book. Along the way, Illya is kidnapped by tempestuous ex-bandit Stavros (Harold J. Stone), who is convinced that the U.N.C.L.E. agent is actually Manolakas -- who happens to be the husband of Stavros' daughter, Kyra (Linda Marsh). Adding to the confusion is the fact that Kyra's heart belongs to another fellow named Nico (Ted Rote). Scripted by Robert Hill from a story by Hill and Erich Faust, "The It's All Greek to Me Affair" originally aired on February 3, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sonny and Cher make their joint "dramatic" TV debut in this silly Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode. Sonny Bono is cast as Jerry, a fabric cutter and aspiring dress designer in New York's garment district, while Cher plays a model named Ramona, who can't remember what happened to a dress in which a coded version of a T.H.R.U.S.H. report was hidden. U.N.C.L.E. agents Solo and Illya try to prevent Jerry and Ramona from falling into the hands of the enemy -- though judging by the quality of the duo's acting, that might not have been such a bad thing. The episode's biggest laughs are provided by those old pros George Tobias and Ned Glass as eternally kvetching business partners Parkaginian and Sighn. For the benefit of those not interested in international espionage, Sonny and Cher's hit songs "I Got You, Babe" and "The Beat Goes On" can be heard in the background. Written by Joseph Cavella and Carol Cavella, "The Hot Number Affair" originally aired on March 10, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nancy Sinatra -- halter top, go-go boots, and all -- is cast as Coco Cool, the daughter of scientist Adrian Cool (Woodrow Parfrey). Along with U.N.C.L.E. agent Illya, Coco is kidnapped by industrialist Simon Sparrow (Paul Lambert), who needs Dr. Cool's cooperation in a scheme to perpetrate a flying-saucer hoax on the gullible world. Attempting to rescue the captives, Solo receives unexpected assistance from Sparrow's long-suffering mistress, Corinne (Whitney Blake). Naturally, Nancy Sinatra is afforded an opportunity to sing, in a duet with David McCallum on McCallum's own composition, "Trouble." Several of the action scenes are unintentionally amusing, especially those featuring Sinatra's blatantly obvious male stunt double. Written by Bernie Giler, "The Take Me to Your Leader Affair" first aired on December 30, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Miranda Bryant (Diana Hyland), the wife of presidential candidate Senator Bryant (Richard Anderson), is kidnapped by THRUSH and replaced with an exact look-alike named Irina (also played by Diana Hyland). UNCLE agents Solo and Illya persuade Bryant to play along with his wife's double in order to find out what THRUSH is up to. Little do they know that the distinguished senator has an agenda all his own. First telecast on November 4, 1966, "The Candidate's Wife Affair" was written by Robert Hill. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bart (Jack Kelly) feels particularly euphoric after he wins an enormous amount of money in a poker game. Returning to his hotel room to celebrate his good fortune, Bart is sidetracked by the woman down the hallway, Lana Cane (Fay Spain)--who appears to be on the verge of committing suicide. Needless to say, our hero is in for quite a few surprises, most of them dispensed by double-dyed villain Red Daniels (Edgar Buchanan). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A kick from an angry horse knocks out the town bully, but it is Bret Maverick who is given credit for the blow--and that's how Bret becomes the new sheriff of Duck 'N' Shoot. His contract calls for him to stay on the job for six months, but the locals give odds that Bret won't last the week. Surprisingly, Bret proves to be an efficient if somewhat unorthodox peacekeeper (thereby foreshadowing James Garner's similar role in the 1969 comedy western Support Your Local Sheriff), but ultimately he is toppled from his perch by beautiful-but-larcenous Melissa Maybrook (Peggy McCay) and ends up locked in his own jail. Fortunately, brother Bart (Jack Kelly) shows up to give Bret a helping hand...but there's a hefty price to pay for his services. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jack Webb serves and host and narrator of this justifiably infamous propaganda short, produced under the auspices of Warner Brothers head Jack Warner on behalf of the United States Department of Defense. Jerry Donovan (Jack Kelly) is a typical working class guy who cares about his family but isn't much on his responsibilities as a citizen - he keeps coming up with flimsy excuses to get out of attending PTA meetings, Civil Defense committee seminars, and Army Reserve conferences. While his wife Helen (Jeanne Cooper) gently scolds him, Jerry's real wake-up call comes while he's asleep, and he has a nightmare in which the United States has been taken over by Communist forces. Suddenly, Jerry's teenage daughter Linda (Patricia Woodell) leaves home to work on a collective farm, his younger children report him for not teaching them the proper socialist ideology, his co-workers angrily insist he meet his government-mandated production quota, and when he insists upon taking his kids to church (which has been turned into a museum glorifying Soviet scientific achievements), Jerry is arrested and tried for treason with no opportunity to defend himself. Comically over the top by today's standards, Red Nightmare was later released on videotape under the title The Commies Are Coming! The Commies Are Coming!; watch for future television star Robert Conrad in a bit part. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Destination 60,000 was one of a cycle of late-1950s films dealing with the exploits of supersonic-jet test pilots. Though plane manufacturer Colonel Ed Buckley (Preston S. Foster) relies heavily upon the daring of his ace pilot Jeff Connors (Pat Conway), Buckley has trouble coming to terms with Connors' lack of discipline. But when Buckley nearly cracks up making a test flight himself, it is Connors, applying the rules of procedure gleaned during his combat experience, who comes to the rescue. Among the familiar faces dotting the supporting cast are Denver Pyle as a co-pilot and Jeff Donnell as Buckley's ever-patient spouse. Destination 60,000 was put together by Gross-Krasne Productions, a firm more closely associated with weekly TV series (Big Town, Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal, Mayor of the Town etc. ) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Golden Age of Television: Telephone Time contains four episodes of the fifties television show Telephone Time, a series that featured writer John Nesbitt hosting adaptations of his various works. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Neither a B nor an A picture, Bitter Creek is a solid western programmer, offering an excellent, unglamorized performance by Wild Bill Elliot. Though officially prohibited to do so by the Production Code, the film is motivated by revenge. Elliot arrives in Bitter Creek seeking retribution for the murders of his brothers. He suspects that powerful rancher Carleton Young is responsible, but has no proof. In the course of events, Elliot behaves with the same cold-blooded ruthlessness as the villains, with no concessions made to the kids in the audience: this, of course, results in a far more powerful film than usual. Beverly Garland is well cast as the vacillating heroine who believes in Young's innocence until it's almost too late. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set shortly after the Battle of New Orleans, the film casts John Wayne as John Breen, a Kentucky trooper making the long journey homeward with his confreres. Breen becomes involved with a plan by robber baron Blake Randolph (John Howard) to deprive hundreds of French army refugees of land granted to them by an Act of Congress. Championing the cause of the refugees, Breen does his best to defeat Randolph and his minions--and to prevent the villain's marriage to Fleurette De Marchand (Vera Ralston), the daughter of a former French general (Hugo Haas). Oliver Hardy makes a rare appearance sans Stan Laurel as Wayne's pugnacious, philosophical sidekick Willie Payne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi