Ron Randell Movies

Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) encounters little difficulty catching up with Ed Benson (Ron Randell) the "inside man" for a $260,000 robbery at the Bayshore Park racetrack. Unfortunately, the Inspector's work is far from over: Benson reveals that he agreed to play along with the robbers only because they are holding his wife Ada (Antoinette Bower) hostage. Thus it is that Erskine once more goes undercover to catch a thief--and his disguise is a beauty! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Russ Meyer followed-up his delirious Beyond the Valley of the Dolls with this surprisingly straighforward drama, which offered little of Meyer's traditional tongue-in-cheek humor or remarkably proportioned women in favor of a serious message about the evils of censorship. A bookstore sells a copy of a notorious erotic novel, entitled The Seven Minutes, to a teenager who is later arrested for rape. A prosecutor on a crusade against pornography seizes upon this as an opportunity to have the book declared obscene, and the trial sparks a heated debate about the issue of pornography vs. free speech, as well as revealing a startling revelation about the novel's true author. Adapted from a novel by Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes featured one of Meyer's more interesting casts, including veteran character actors John Carradine and Alexander D'Arcy, a post-Munsters Yvonne de Carlo, a pre-Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck, lounge comic Jackie Gayle, and Wolfman Jack as himself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In the second half of the two-part Mission: Impossible adventure "The Contenders", crooked sports promoter Charles Buckman (Ron Randell) still hopes to gain control of all professional and amateur athletics in the United States. Posing as an aspiring boxer, IMF agent Barney has managed to insuniate himself into Buckman's upper circle, the better to foil the villain's schemes with a "double fix." Former boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson appears in a surprising characterizations, while Robert Conrad of Wild Wild West fame shows up unbilled. Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, part two of "The Contenders" was originally telecast on October 13, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Samuel Bronston Productions was pretty much obliterated in 1964 by the failure of The Fall of the Roman Empire. Three years later, Bronston tried to rebuild his old empire by teaming up with a pair of South American entrepreneurs; the result was Savage Pampas. Set in the Argentina of the 1890s, the film tells the story of a clever bandit leader (Ron Randell) who buys off the soldiers sent to capture him--then enlists the deserters in his own gang. But Army fort commander Robert Taylor can't be bribed, and takes it upon himself to defeat the bandit. Savage Pampas was a remake of a popular Argentinian historical epic of 1946, Pampa Barbara. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a man sets out to avenge the deaths of his parents, he is saved from drowning by the killer. ~ Rovi

At Samantha's suggestion, Endora decides to briefly experience life as a mortal. Endora transforms herself into a clone of Samantha -- then causes no end of trouble when she begins dating author Bob Frazer (Ron Randell), one of Darrin's oldest friends. Familiar comedy foil Monty Margetts appears as a confused saleswoman. Originally telecast on March 11, 1965, "Which Witch is Which" was written by Ruth Brooks Flippen, the wife of character actor Jay C. Flippen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this German comedy-melodrama, the exploits of a plucky WW II orphan as he moves from foster family to foster family are chronicled. He is first taken in by a Yankee pilot who subsequently dies during the Korean War. As a teen, he is then adopted by a German family and soon falls for his step-sister. He really wants to join the US Air Force, so he steals a uniform and fakes the appropriate documentation to get in. With the help of an understanding sergeant, the ploy works, but just as he is about to be sent Stateside, the truth is exposed and he is booted out. Later the sergeant offers to adopt him, but the youth decides to stay in Germany with his love. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In Volume 45 of a collection culled from the 1963-1965 science fiction anthology television series, a futuristic bounty hunter creates an identical twin of himself to help track down his alien prey. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

A chain of weird events has Ramona Ambrose (Mona Freeman) convinced she is going insane. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is hired to find out with Roseanne is indeed crazy, or if she has been targeted for persecution by an unknown party. Inevitably, murder rears it ugly head and the sinister plot to drive Ramona bonkers is revealed--but by this time, she has been charged with killing her tormentor's co-conspirator. Amusingly, the character played by Berry Kroeger is named "Kirk Cameron"--but take our word for it, there is absolutely no resemblance! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Longest Day is a mammoth, all-star re-creation of the D-Day invasion, personally orchestrated by Darryl F. Zanuck. Whenever possible, the original locations were utilized, and an all-star international cast impersonates the people involved, from high-ranking officials to ordinary GIs. Each actor speaks in his or her native language with subtitles translating for the benefit of the audience (alternate "takes" were made of each scene with the foreign actors speaking English, but these were seen only during the first network telecast of the film in 1972). The stars are listed alphabetically, with the exception of John Wayne, who as Lt. Colonel Vandervoort gets separate billing. Others in the huge cast include Eddie Albert, Jean-Louis Barrault, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Gert Frobe, Curt Jurgens, Peter Lawford, Robert Mitchum, Kenneth More, Edmond O'Brien, Robert Ryan, Jean Servais, Rod Steiger and Robert Wagner. Paul Anka, who wrote the film's title song, shows up as an Army private. Scenes include the Allies parachuting into Ste. Mere Englise, where the paratroopers were mowed down by German bullets; a real-life sequence wherein the German and Allied troops unwittingly march side by side in the dark of night; and a spectacular three-minute overhead shot of the troops fighting and dying in the streets of Quistreham. The last major black-and-white road-show attraction, The Longest Day made millions, enough to recoup some of the cost of 20th Century Fox's concurrently produced Cleopatra. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flamboyant mob chief Eddie Candell (Ron Randell), who was framed for murder by jealous associate Andy Damon (Anthony Caruso), makes a break while on his way to the death house. Fleeing across the desert, he suddenly finds himself on an atomic testing range, just as an experimental bomb goes off. Instead of being killed instantly, Eddie is bombarded by radiation from Cobalt Isotope X, a newly discovered element that leaves him alive but transformed -- reacting to the radiation and the steel of the handcuffs on his wrists, his body takes on the hardness of steel and can absorb the metal on contact, including any bullets that might be fired at him. In addition to making him all but indestructible, the mutation gives Eddie the strength of ten men, which he uses to tear his way through the ranks of his former associates, terrorizing the woman (Debra Paget) who betrayed him and crushing the life out of anyone who gets in his way as he tries to get to Damon. However, his psyche has been affected as well; he was already consumed by a desire for revenge, but he slowly loses any ability to perceive pleasure or compassion as he slowly transforms into a kind of living metal and the body count around him rises. Only Carla Angelo (Elaine Stewart), his girlfriend and also a genuinely "nice" girl, can reach him, and she must decide whether to help to try and save him or to destroy him. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

In this mystery, the wife of the recently kidnapped Dr. Manning enlists the assistance of a Scotland Yard detective and a private eye to find him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi