Frank Ferguson Movies

Grandpa Walton (Will Geer) never passes up an opporutnity to regale the kids with memories of his adventures during the Spanish Civil War, when--as he tells it--he stood side by side with Teddy Roosevelt while charging up San Juan Hill. Why then, is Grandpa so reluctant to attend a reunion of his fellow war veterans. And just who is that mysterious stranger shadowing Grandpa's every move? This intrigue tends to overshadow the episode's secondary storyline, in which Ben (Eric Scott) goes into the hunting business for fun (?) and profit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Here's the obligatory "Women's Lib" episode, a requirement of every TV sitcom of the late 1960s. The newest female to embrace The Cause is Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae), who returns from Chicago fired up with feminist fervor. Her efforts to enlist her sisters in the movement causes nothing but trouble--especially with the resident Male Chauvinist Pigs of Hooterville. Frank Ferguson takes over from Paul Hartman in the role of barber Bert Remsey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode was filmed not long after astronaut Neil Armstrong's fabled "moon walk" in the summer of 1969. Gullible Lisa (Eva Gabor) is convinced when child inventor Dinky Watson (Johnny Whitaker) insists that he, too, has been to the moon. Purchasing a "moon rock" from Dinky, Lisa receives a stinging admonition from her less impressionable husband Oliver (Eddie Albert). But when a strange beeping sound begins to emanate from the rock, everyone in Hooterville becomes moon-struck! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by Paul Schneider, "Ride the Wind" was Bonanza's first two-part story. Ben Cartwright is willing to provide Charles Ludlow (Victor Jory) with money to help finance the new Pony Express service, but isn't keen on allowing his son Joe to join Ludlow's riders. Nor is the Paiute Indian tribe amenable to allowing the Pony Express to go across their land. Exacerbating the problem is Ludlow's assistant, Curtis Wade (Rod Cameron), who hopes to make a name for himself as an Indian fighter. The story is sufficiently exciting to make one forget that the real Pony Express had been disbanded some three years before the events depicted in this episode. Part One of "Ride the Wind" first aired on January 16, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Great Sioux Massacre is an entertaining pack of lies about Custer's Last Stand. General Custer (Philip Carey) is herein depicted as a bastion of tolerance, whose efforts to secure fair treatment for the Indians lead to several confrontations with corrupt government officials. Custer is forced to retire, but is soon approached by a machiavellian senator (Don Haggerty) who convinces the General that he is presidential material. The best way to attain the White House, Custer reasons, is to wrest control of the upcoming Little Big Horn campaign from the officer in charge (Frank Ferguson). This, alas, proves to be "Yellow Hair's" undoing. The Great Sioux Massacre costars Joseph Cotten and Darren McGavin as Custer's fellow officers Reno and Benton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hooterville storekeeper Sam Drucker (Frank Cady) has noticed a considerable drop in business over the past few days. The rest: a brand-new supermarket in nearby Pixley is stealing away all of Sam's steady customers. While things look bleak for a while,fans can take heart in the fact that Sam Drucker would remain on both Petticoat Junction and its spinoff series Green Acres for several seasons to come. Former child actor Jack Searl, best known for his portrayals of such snivelling brats as Sidney Sawyer in the 1930 version of Tom Sawyer, shows up in the role of Jack Hull. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lucille Forrest (Frances Reid) is the wealthiest widow in Forrest Junction, but only as long as she obeys the condition in her husband's will which forbids her from reopening the investigation of her son's mysterious death. Not long after consulting with Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to have this condition voided Lucille is accused of murdering the man she thinks is her son's killer, journalist Ralph Day (Arthur Malet). The victim died from an overdose of the same rattlesnake venom which Lucille uses as medication, meaning that Perry is going to have discredit some fairly persuasive evidence in order to expose the genuine "snake in the grass". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cleaning out old courthouse files, Barney comes across a never-closed assault case involving Floyd the barber and Charlie Foley (Frank Ferguson). The incident happened so long ago that both Floyd and Charlie have forgotten all about, but that's not good enough for a completist like Barney. In attempting to "reconstruct" the events leading up to the case, Barney succeeds only in rekindling old hostilities, which spread like wildfire throughout Mayberry. Written by Bill Idelson and Sam Bobrick, "The Case of the Punch In the Nose" was first shown on March 15, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An unusually long pre-credits sequence establishes the roots of faded Southern belle Charlotte's (Bette Davis) insanity; she'd been witness to the dismemberment murder of her fiance (Bruce Dern) and the suicide of the murderer, her own father (Victor Buono). Years later, Charlotte remains a recluse in her decaying southern mansion, zealously guarding the secret of her father's guilt; she is cared for by her slatternly housekeeper (Agnes Moorehead). When her house is targeted for demolition, Charlotte fears that this will uncover her lover's body parts and thus confirm that her father was a murderer. She desperately summons her seemingly sweet-tempered cousin Miriam (Olivia De Havilland) to help her fight off the house's destruction. Miriam brings along the family doctor (Joseph Cotten) to calm Charlotte's frayed nerves. When Charlotte begins to be plagued by horrific visions of the homicide/suicide of so long ago, it appears that she has gone completely insane. But soon we learn who is behind these delusions...and why. Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte was intended by director Robert Aldrich as a follow-up to the successful Joan Crawford/Bette Davis horror piece Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962). Ms. Crawford was originally slated to play Miriam, but became seriously ill shortly before filming started. Davis, who disliked Crawford intensely, suggested that the role of Miriam be filled by her best friend, De Havilland. On the first day of shooting, Davis and DeHavilland pulled a "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" routine by toasting one another with Coca-Cola--a catty observation of the fact that Joan Crawford's husband was an executive with the Pepsi Cola company! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a cowboy finally returns to his home after a long absence precipitated by his killing a wicked rancher's son in a forced duel. The cowboy wants to live peacefully on his daddy's ranch and be with the woman that he loves. While on the trail home, he encounters a ruthless outlaw gang planning a bank robbery. Because most of the town men have gone on a giant cattle drive, the town is defenseless. The courageous cowpoke and his pal do all they can to keep the bad-guys at bay during a bloody battle. Eventually the good-guys prevail and the prodigal cowboy is appointed sheriff. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The entreprenurial Diamond Jim Foley (Frank Ferguson) sells Aunt Bee a side of beef at a "bargain" price. When it turns out that Bee's freezer is too small to accommodate the meat, the helpful Foley talks her into buying a new appliance. It soon becomes obvious that the more Bee spends, the less satisfaction she'll get, and that's when Andy takes a good long look at Diamond Jim's business practices. Written by John Whedon, "Bargain Day" originally aired on March 23, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Seaview is ordered into the regular navy as the flagship of Admiral Tobin (Charles McGraw), who has been assigned to hunt down a UFO that was seen submerging at sea. Tobin plans to greet the invader with force, while Nelson (Richard Basehart) and Crane (David Hedison) prefer a more cautious approach. The ship is suddenly rendered helpless by the UFO, which forces Nelson to attempt direct contact with the aliens. He discovers that there mistrust and error can exist on both sides, and that an escalation that no one wants is easier to start than to stop. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

As the result of Beaver's uncharacteristically selfish behavior of late, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) decides to drill his son in the lessons of the Golden Rule. Duly chastened by Ward's words, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) promises to ever after "do unto others etc." He gets his first chance to perform a good deed when a tramp named Jeff (Frank Ferguson) shows up at the Cleaver doorstep for a handout -- but the results are not exactly what Ward had in mind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide