Dane Clark Movies
A Brooklynite from head to toe, Dane Clark never completely forsook his streetwise pugnacity, not even while attending Cornell and John Hopkins, and earning a law degree from St. John's University. Clark held down several Depression-era jobs--road gang worker, boxer, ballplayer, magazine model--before making his first stage appearance in 1938. Four years later, he made his entree into films, at first using his given name of Bernard Zanville (sometimes spelled Zaneville). Signed by Warner Bros. in 1943, Clark was given a new professional name and purpose in life: as potential replacement for Warners' resident "tenement tough" John Garfield. Since there was plenty of life left in the original Garfield, however, Clark was largely confined to secondary roles, usually as the hero's best friend or the cocky troublemaker from Brooklyn. As the 1940s drew to a close, Clark was afforded a few leading roles by Warners, though it was while on loan-out to Republic that he delivered his finest performance, as emotionally overwrought accidental murderer Danny Hawkins in Moonrise (1948). His film appearances were fewer and farther between in the 1950s, as he sought out more rewarding roles on television and the Broadway stage. He did get to play Harlem Globetrotters maven Abe Saperstein in the 1954 feature Go, Man, Go, but he also had to produce the film himself. On TV, Clark starred as news correspondent Dan Miller on the weekly adventure series Wire Service (1956), and played hotel owner Slate Shannon on the 1959 TV version of the old Bogart-Bacall radio series Bold Venture. He also co-starred as Lt. Tragg on the ill-advised New Perry Mason (1973), and made innumerable guest appearances on such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, The Untouchables and Ellery Queen (1975 version). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1989
The death of Jessica's role model, Agatha Christie-like mystery novelist Lady Abigail Austin (June Havoc), sets Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to thinking of an incident back in 1947 in which Lady Abigail was involved in a real-life murder case. In an extended flashback, the action takes place on board the luxury liner "Queen Mary", where an ex-Gestapo officer has been stabbed to death--and Lady Abigail is the primary suspect. The presence of a father-son team of detectives (played by John Karlen and Gary Kroeger) suggests that this episode may have actually been intended for an earlier Richard Levinson-William Link TV mystery series, Ellery Queen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In Last Rites a serious thriller on a sensational topic, a priest falls in love with a woman he is protecting. Father Michael (Tom Berenger), a priest with family ties to the mob, helps a woman on the run. Angela (Daphne Zuniga) is the mistress of a murdered Mafia Don, now being hunted by hitmen hired by the Don's infuriated wife. As Father Michael realizes he is falling in love, both his faith and his vows are severely tested. Directed with restraint and respect for the subject matter by Donald Bellisario, the film still caused controversy and was criticized because of love scenes between the priest and the woman. Despite this criticism and despite the fact that the film is somewhat slow and predictable, Last Rites has fine performances by its cast and is an entertaining thriller. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
- 1985
A strong cast of veteran stage and screen actors distinguish this episode, in which a neighborhood largely comprised of senior citizens is in danger of obliteration. A soulless band of businessman intends to seize the neighborhood in a hostile corporate takeover for their own selfish purposes. If ever a situation needed the strong, guiding hand of angels Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) and Mark Gordon (Victor French), this is it! ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
Angela Lansbury is reunited with her onetime The Picture of Dorian Gray costar Hurd Hatfield in this episode, in which Jessica Fletcher (Lansbury) attends a special performance by a Soviet ballet troupe. Just as two of the dancers decide to defect, the KGB official assigned to the troupe is killed. When one of the defecting dancers also turns up murdered and a terrified ballerina is accused of the crime, Jessica reluctantly joins forces with a gruff government official to solve the crimes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Embarking upon their honeymoon, Quincy (Jack Klugman) and Emily (Anita Gillette) accept the invitation of an old friend, Judge Blake, to spend a "private" weekend at a ski lodge. Alas, the weekend proves anything but private when several other guests, all of them in the law-enforcement business, start pouring into the lodge. Making matters worse, an unknown maniac is murdering the assembled guests one by one--and a raging blizzard has cut off all avenues of escape. Yes, it's "Ten Little Indians", Quincy-style, with a dash of the 1932 film classic The Old Dark House thrown in via guest star Henry Gibson's portrayal of an inscrutably mute caretaker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Blood Song, a horror/slasher film, tells the story of a young woman (Donna Wilkes) who witnesses the murder of a hospital attendant by a psychopath during his escape from a mental institution. The young, handicapped girl, who once was given a blood transfusion from the killer, now is his next intended victim. This is an unusual thriller, with an above-average cast including Antoinette Bower as the girl's mother and Richard Jaeckel as her father. Former teen idol, Frankie Avalon also shows up in a central role. This above-average horror thriller, also released as Dream Slayer is worth a look. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
This very low-budget drama tries to be non-exploitational but still ends up rather campy as it chronicles the endeavors of a tough Vietnam vet to have a sex-change operation. His poor old aunt struggles to understand why he would do such a thing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Manon, Dane Clark, (more)
- 1980
Condominium is a two-part, four-hour TV adaptation of the novel by John D. McDonald. The setting is a hastily constructed Florida high-rise, assembled at the least possible cost by its greedy owners. An oncoming hurricane threatens to topple the structure and its residents into the ocean. Various degrees of greed, lust, terror and concern are displayed by stars Steve Forrest, Dan Haggerty, Ralph Bellamy, Barbara Eden, Stuart Whitman, Jack Jones and Pamela Hensley. Produced for the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series, Condominium was first made available to local stations on November 20, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Lloyd Bridges stars as plainclothes policeman Joe Forrester. When a gang of robber-rapists besiege his old beat, Forrester voluntarily returns to uniform duty. He hopes that his presence will encourage the frightened residents to help bring the gang to justice, but the most immediate results of Joe's return are several attempts on his life. Eddie Egan, the real-life model for The French Connection's Popeye Doyle, appears in a small role. First telecast as a 90-minute installment of Police Story on May 6, 1975, Return of Joe Forrester led to a weekly Joe Forrester series, which ran from September 1975 to August 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
While bound for London from New York, the occupants of a 747 are terrorized by a mad bomber. The jet's pilot (Robert Stack) and several brave passengers must thwart the plot. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This made-for-TV biography, based on the memoirs of onetime James Dean roommate William Bast, stars Stephen McHattie in the title role of the Hollywood rebel. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In the conclusion of Ironside's Season Eight opener, Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) now knows that college coed Susan Todd (Sian Barbara Allen) was not truly responsible for the murder of her mother. The real villain of the piece is Susan's deranged psychiatrist Theodore Gallin (Bill Bixby), who specializes in brainwashing his patients to do his bidding. The situation takes a truly sinister turn when Gallin "programs" policewoman Fran Belding (Elizabeth Baur) to kill Ironside! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Although he is locked up in prison on a tax-evasion charge, Syndicate boss Sam Dexter (Dane Clark) is still running his criminal operation with the outside assistance of his silent partner, a shadowy figure known only as The General. The IMF must determine the identity of the General, and also prove that Dexter murdered his mistress --- and to do that, another of the Force's celebrated prison breakouts is called for. Barbara Anderson again appears as on-and-off IMF agent Mimi Davis, who as an ex-thief is no stranger to life behind bars. First telecast on November 11, 1972, "Hit" was written by Douglas Weir. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
In her final acting appearance, Susan Hayward is ironically cast as a research doctor who can no longer face up to the notion of dealing with death on a daily basis. Recently widowed, Dr. Maggie Cole is on the verge of giving up her job and going into seclusion. She is shaken back to reality by crusty but lovable "street doctor" Lou Grazzo (Darren McGavin), who coerces Maggie into accepting a job at a Chicago slum clinic. At first adjusting admirably to her new surroundings, Maggie undergoes a devastating assault to her emotions when she befriends a teenaged leukemia patient. Written by real-life M.D. Sandor Stern and originally telecast by ABC on September 27, 1972, Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole was supposed to have been the pilot for a weekly series, but plans for this project were abandoned after the death of star Susan Hayward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Made for television, The Family Rico was adapted from the same Georges Simenon novel that served as the basis of the 1958 Columbia theatrical feature The Brothers Rico. Ben Gazzara plays a powerful mobster put in an embarrassing position by younger brother Sal Mineo. When Mineo refuses to carry out a contract killing, Gazzara is ordered to rub out his own brother. Eventually he ascertains the identity of Mineo's "hit" and realizes that his brother was acting more out of loyalty than cowardice. While the original Brothers Rico concentrates on the one honest member of the Rico brood, The Family Rico adheres to Godfather tradition by dealing solely with the criminals in the family. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Made for TV, The Face of Fear resuscitates a plot gimmick that probably wasn't new when it was used in Doug Fairbanks' 1916 vehicle Flirting With Fate. Elizabeth Ashley plays a Midwestern schoolmarm who is dying of leukemia. Hoping to end the suffering as expeditiously as possible, she hires a mob assassin to kill her. It must needs be that she changes her mind; equally predictable is the fact that her killer-to-be hasn't changed his. With the help of a police lieutenant (Jack Warden), the woman desperately tries to locate and dissuade the hit man before he can fulfill his end of the bargain. Shot on location in San Francisco, Face of Fear was first telecast October 8, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ricardo Montalban, Elizabeth Ashley, (more)
- 1971
Suzanne Pleshette is cast against type as Shelly Kingman, a woman with a sordid past and an uncertain future. Shelly is hired by ex-convict Roy Lewis (Dane Clark), whom Ironside (Raymond Burr) is determined to send back to prison for killing a cop. The "mystery woman"'s assignment is to get close to Ironside and set him up for murder--or, failing that, to murder him herself! (Suzanne Pleshette fans please note: though Ironside's first name is "Robert", she never calls him "Bob"--so put down those drinks!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
Set in the immediate post-Civil War era, The McMasters stars Brock Peters as a black Union soldier who finds he must figuratively fight the war all over again. Returning to his southern hometown, Peters quickly learns that nothing has really changed: he is a "free"man in name only. Peters' ex-master Burl Ives magnanimously gives the former slave a plot of land, but only Native-American David Carradine and his tribesmen are willing to work for a black man. The "invasion" of Indians serves to stir up the racial divisiveness even farther, thanks to local rabble-rouser Jack Palance. The McMasters was originally released in two versions with two different endings, succinctly summing up the film's "no easy answers" stance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burl Ives, Brock Peters, (more)
- 1970
Season Four of Ironside begins as the titular wheelchair-bound detective (played by Raymond Burr) begins receiving anonymous phone calls warning him that a "justice" murder will occur. The only clues seem to point in the direction of a disgruntled ex-cop who was thrown off the force in 1955. Whoever the caller is, Ironside must try to remain one step ahead of him to avoid a disastrous denoument. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Ironside steps up his efforts to locate the kidnapped daughter of his former sweetheart Barbara Richards (Barbara Rush). Complicating the Chief's investigation is Barbara's husband Vic (Philip Carey), who can't get over the fact that his wife was in love with Ironside during a period of amnesia. Meanwhile, an ill-tempered rural lawman (Slim Pickens) also does his best to thwart Ironside's efforts to rescue the kidnap victim, lest all the credit for cracking the case go to an "out-of-towner". Featured in the supporting cast are such impressive talents as Dane Clark and Cloris Leachman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
This 90-minute episode of TV's Name of the Game guest-stars Darren McGavin as roving reporter Sam Hardy. Sam's boss, Crime magazine publisher Glenn Howard (Gene Barry), sends Hardy and magazine researcher Peggy Maxwell (Susan St. James) on a dangerous fact-finding mission. Their quarry is American missile scientist Harry Roarke (James Whitmore). While it appears as though Harry has defected to Cuba, he may very well be hiding out in the States, in fear for his life. Goodbye Harry originally aired October 24, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
In this first half of the two-part sequel to the Season One episode "Barbara Who?" (originally telecast as a single two-hour "special"), Ironside (Raymond Burr) is reunited with Barbara Richards (Barbara Rush), a former amnesiac with whom he had once been in love. Barbara implores the Chief to help her recover her teenage daughter Leslie (Melody Scott Thomas), who has been kidnapped. The fact that Barbara has a bitterly jealous husband (Philip Carey) is only one of the obstacles facing Ironside in his efforts to save Leslie's life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Milton Berle is both guest star and cowriter of this episode, which was clearly inspired by the rantings of provocative TV talkshow host Joe Pyne. Playing completely straight, Berle is cast as vituperative TV personality Ross Howard, who hopes to parlay both his war record and his media notoreity into a political career. Not surprisingly, Howard has made dozens of enemies throughout his career, one of whom begins sending him death threats. Despite his distate for Howard's tactics, Ironside (Raymond Burr) agrees to protect the man from his unknown would-be murderer--a difficult assignment that becomes even more so when Howard's alcoholic wife is killed by a car bomb. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
This Untouchables episode is the second pilot film for an unsold spinoff series titled White Knights. Dane Clark and John Gabriel repeat their roles from the earlier episode "Bird in the Hand" as Doctors Garr and Gifford of the U.S. Public Health Service. Investigating an outbreak of paralysis in the Midwest, Garr and Gifford determine that the source of the epidemic is a huge supply of bad bootleg whiskey. Worried that a hijacked shipment of alcohol-based hair tonic will be used to manufacture even more of the lethal booze, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) releases the hijacker from prison, hoping he will lead the Feds to the bootleggers' secret headquarters. Featured in the role of Mary Kay Spencer is Sondra Kerr, later billed as Sondra Blake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
