Clegg Hoyt Movies

The winner of the 1967 Oscar for Best Picture (as well as four other Oscars), In the Heat of the Night is set in a small Mississippi town where an unusual murder has been committed. Rod Steiger plays sheriff Bill Gillespie, a good lawman despite his racial prejudices. When Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed northern African-American, comes to town, Gillespie instinctively puts him under arrest as a murder suspect. Tibbs reveals himself to be a Philadelphia police detective; after he and Gillespie come to a grudging understanding of one another, Tibbs offers to help in Gillespie's investigation. As the case progresses, both Gillespie and Tibbs betray a tendency to jump to culture-dictated conclusions. Still, the case is solved thanks to the informal teamwork of the two law officers. Based on the novel by John Ball, In the Heat of the Night inspired two sequels, both starring Poiter as Virgil Tibbs. In 1987, a TV series version of In the Heat of the Night appeared, with Carroll O'Connor as Gillespie and Howard Rollins as Tibbs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Spock faces the death penalty for receiving signals from planet Talos IV. With the agreement of Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Fleet Captain Pike, the trial continues in closed session and the evidence -- the forbidden transmissions -- continues to be viewed by the trial board, as Kirk searches for a reason behind Spock's actions and a way to save his friend's life. They see Captain Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and his strange adventure on Talos IV some 13 years earlier, and the manner in which the Talosians, with their power to cast illusions, tried alternately to torture and seduce him to secure his cooperation, and his successful resistance to the point where he was ultimately released. They also learn why any contact with planet Talos IV is forbidden, the danger that contact poses to the human race, and why that contact may mean the salvation of the stricken Captain Pike. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

The photographer is Arthur Mannix (Jack Cassidy); the undertaker is Hiram Price (Harry Townes). Both men supplement their incomes by moonlighting as professional hitmen -- and both work for the same gangster boss. The "fun" begins when Arthur is ordered to bump off Hiram, and vice versa...leading to a bizarre set of circumstances that neither one of our "heroes" could ever have anticipated. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tony Curtis stars as The Great Leslie, a hero among heroes whose purity of heart is manifested by his spotlessly white wardrobe. Leslie's great rival, played by Jack Lemmon, is Professor Fate, a scowling, mustachioed, top-hatted, black-garbed villain. Long envious of Leslie's record-setting accomplishments with airships and sea craft, Professor Fate schemes to win a 22,000-mile auto race from New York City to Paris by whatever insidious means possible. The problem is that Fate is his own worst enemy: each of his plans to remove Leslie from the running (and from the face of the earth) backfires. Leslie's own cross to bear is suffragette Maggie Dubois (Natalie Wood), who also hopes to win the contest and thus strike a blow for feminism. The race takes all three contestants to the Wild West, the frozen wastes of Alaska, and, in the longest sequence, the mythical European kingdom of Carpania. This last-named country is the setting for a wild Prisoner of Zenda spoof involving Professor Fate and his look-alike, the foppish Carpanian king. When Leslie and Fate approach the finish line at the Eiffel Tower, Leslie deliberately loses to prove his love for Maggie. Professor Fate cannot stand winning under these circumstances, thus he demands that he and Leslie race back to New York. The supporting cast includes Peter Falk as Fate's long-suffering flunkey Max, Keenan Wynn as Leslie's faithful general factotum, Dorothy Provine as a brassy saloon singer, Larry Storch as ill-tempered bandit Texas Jack, and Ross Martin as Baron Von Stuppe. The film also yielded a hit song, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer's The Sweetheart Tree. The Great Race was dedicated to "Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Old Sheba" is a scraggly circus elephant, which the Cartwrights receive as payment for Hoss' one-night stand as a big-top performer. Ben and Adam insist that Hoss and Joe return the pachyderm, but the boys are convinced that they can take care of Old Sheba all by themselves. To make a long story short, they can't. Also appearing are William Demarest as Tweedy, Henry Kulky as Bearcat, and Clegg Hoyt as Barney. First shown on November 22, 1964, the hilarious "Old Sheba" was written by Alex Sharp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this classic-and hilarious-Bonanza episode, Hoss Cartwright returns to the Ponderosa with a strongbox of gold, which he claims to have received from a band of "Little People"-Leprechauns, in fact. Though Hoss' family and friends don't quite swallow his story of his tiny benefactors, they cannot deny that the treasure exists, and thus a mini-gold rush ensues. Meanwhile, the "Leprechauns"-actually a group of carnival midgets and dwarves-rebel against their boss, crooked impresario Professor McCarthy (Sean McClory). Featured in the cast are such well-known professional Little People as Frank Delfino, Harry Monty and Nels Nelson, the latter two veterans both of the 1939 theatrical feature The Wizard of Oz. Scripted with tongue firmly imbedded in cheek by Robert Barron, "Hoss and the Leprechauns" was originally shown on December 22 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Former streetcar conductor Julius Moomer (Jack Weston) aspires to be a highly paid TV writer, but he is handicapped by a severe talent deficiency. Julius' fortunes take a sudden upswing when, practicing a bit of black magic in his tiny apartment, he conjures up the ghost of William Shakespeare (John Williams). Unfortunately, not even Shakespeare's brilliance is any match for the formidability of bullheaded TV sponsors and network censors. A young Burt Reynolds steals the show as Brandoesque actor Rocky Rhodes, while star Jack Weston's wife Marge Redmond appears in a supporting role. Written by Rod Serling, "The Bard" was the last of the hour-long Twilight Zone episodes to be telecast; it first aired May 23, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hanley's life is saved by quick-thinking soldier Vince D'Amato (Joseph Campanella), who in the process is killed by enemy fire. Through a series of misunderstandings, D'Amato's nervous friend Wharton (Frank Gorshin) is given credit for his dead buddy's act of bravery , and is recommended by Hanley for the Silver Star. But does Wharton have what it takes to be a real hero--and what, precisely, is the definition of heroism? This episode was written by Richard Maibaum, better known for his script contributions to the "James Bond" film series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rod Serling penned the story on which this crime melodrama was based. The trouble begins when as a policeman rushes toward the scene of a robbery. En route he hears a woman scream in a dark alley and gets there just in time to see someone tearing away. The cop calls out, but the runner does not stop. The cop opens fire and fatally shoots a young teenage boy. Apparently the youth had only accidentally bumped the lady and knocked her down. Though the cop is eventually acquitted, his reputation amongst his peers is destroyed. This leads the disgraced officer to launch his own investigation in hopes of clearing his sullied name. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

When people refer to Doris Day as "the world's oldest professional virgin," they generally have the 1962 comedy That Touch of Mink in mind. It isn't that Cathy Timberlake (Day) is above a bit of hanky-panky; it's just that she wants such tangibles as a marriage license and wedding ring first. Thus, when playboy businessman Philip Shayne (Cary Grant) begins actively pursuing Cathy (they "met cute" when Philip's limo splashed mud on the hapless Cathy), she won't say "I will" until he says "I do." She is of the idealistic opinion that she can bring out the best intentions in him, even when he repeatedly tips off his worst intentions by inviting her to accompany him to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Bermuda. After not a few complications and misunderstands, Cathy finally finagles a proposal out of Philip. The film is essentially much ado about nothing, but it is so well-acted and attractively photographed that the audiences are willing to go along for the ride. The high-powered supporting cast includes Gig Young as Roger, Philip's moralistic financial advisor; Audrey Meadows as Connie, Cathy's wise-cracking roommate; Alan Hewitt as Dr. Gruber, a confused psychiatrist; John Astin as Beasley, Cathy's slimy would-be beau; Dick Sargent as a neurotic honeymooner; and an unbilled Richard Deacon as an all-around letch. Best scene: the baseball-dugout rhubarb involving New York Yankees Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Yogi Berra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Cartwright boys' fraternal horseplay takes a painful turn when they accidentally injure their hired hand Jebediah Milbank (John Carradine). As Milbank recovers in Ben Cartwright's bedroom, Ben orders his rambunctious sons to tend to Jeb's unfinished responsibilities-and to that end, he dispatches Adam, Hoss and Joe to three different directions. Also appearing are Jena Engstrom as Ann, Claude Johnson as Paul, Denver Pyle as Theodore and John Qualen as Parley. First telecast October 1, 1961, "Springtime" was written by John Furia Jr.. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Young Savages is what used to be called a "thinking man's picture" about a potentially lurid subject: urban juvenile delinquency. A blind Puerto Rican boy is knifed to death in Spanish Harlem, and three teenage gang members are accused of the crime. Politically ambitious assistant DA Burt Lancaster initially presses for the conviction of all three boys. But as he gets deeper into the case, he realizes that what appears cut-and-dried on the surface is tortuously complex: for starters, the murder victim was hardly the paragon of virtue that the prosecution claims. Despite pressure from his superiors and from members of the accused boys' gang (who at one point threaten Lancaster's wife Dina Merrill with a switchblade,) Lancaster nonetheless sees to it that justice is properly administered. The defendants are portrayed with varying degrees of Brando/Dean "method" by John Davis Chandler, Neil Nephew and Stanley Kristien; more believable, less affected performances are rendered by Shelley Winters, Pilar Seurat and Telly Savalas. Filmed on location in New York, The Young Savages was based on the Evan Hunter novel A Matter of Conviction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Twice every year, wealthy mountaineer Shep Montrose (Roy Barcroft) invades a small town, throws money in every direction, and wreaks havoc upon the townsfolk and their property. The locals like the fact that Shep is so generous, but they're tired of cleaning up the damage he leaves in his wake. With Shep scheduled to make another of his calamitous weekend visit, Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to curb the mountain man's predilection for violence--if he can survive the assignment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide