Nina Shipman Movies
- 1972
In this comedy, the test shot of a Minuteman missile is delayed by an errant snow goose. The Strategic Air Command also encounters problems with a diabetic poodle. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1970
In celebration of her graduation from high school, Cissy (Kathy Garver) wants to attend an all-night party with her friends. Bill (Brian Keith) and Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) are understandably worried, but they don't want to treat Cissy like a child, nor do they want to suggest that they don't trust her. Comes the night of the party, and everyone learns one of the important Life Lessons so prevalent on this classic series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) have no idea what they're in for when they arrest a birdbrained socialite (Nina Shipman) on a shoplifting charge. Their pretty prisoner prompty escapes custody, leading the officers on a merry chase which culminates at the headquarters of a slick con artist (Liam Sullivan) posing as a mystic. This is the final episode of Adam-12)'s second season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
There's not much "down time" for Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) as they go about their rounds in this episode. Of primary importance is the recovery of a stolen car, the trunk of which contains the owner's pet boa constrictor. Elsewhere, the two officers mediate an out-of-control neighborhood argument, and attempt to rescue two people from a smoke-filled room. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
Jack Dodson makes his first Andy Griffith Show appearance as Howard Sprague in "The County Clerk." Whenever Howard wants to go out on a date, his domineering mother (Mabel Albertson) feigns illness. Andy and Helen try to help poor Howard cut those pesky apron strings. Nina Shipman rounds out the guest cast as nurse Irene Fairchild, Howard's newest hearththrob. Written by Bill Idelson and Sam Bobrick, "The County Clerk" first aired on March 14, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Aneta Corsaut
- 1965
Believing that she is no longer needed in the Munster Mansion, Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) returns to the working world, landing a job as a model. Upset by this turn of events, Herman (Fred Gwynne) and Grandpa (Al Lewis) cook up a scheme to convince Lily that she's better off at home. This involves passing Herman off as a swinging playboy, with a beautiful blonde on his arm--said blonde being none other than Grandpa! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
This is the second of two Season Eight episodes in which a "special guest attorney" takes over from Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), who is ostensibly in Europe on business. This time the substitute is Perry's lawyer pal Ken Kramer (Barry Sullivan), who is hired by Lona Upton (Kathie Browne) to bail out her "friend "Maxine Nichols (Nina Shipman). It seems that Maxine has swiped a necklace worth $50,000 from Lona's half-sister Amy (Bettye Ackerman), who in turn is the widow of a yachtsman who'd died several years earlier under suspicious circumstances. But Lona isn't as kind-hearted as she seems: she hopes that Maxine will provide her with the combination to Amy's safe. Instead, Maxine is murdered and Lona is charged with the crime, prompting Kramer to figure out if someone else might have had a motive to bump off the "thermal thief." This episode was removed from the Perry Mason syndication package prepared in 1966, and was not seen again until the mid-1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
Jethro is convinced that Linda (Nina Shipman), the Drysdale's attractive new maid, is in love with him. No such luck! The girl is only playing up to Jethro so that she will be invited to watch an upcoming L.A. Rams football game on the Clampetts' color TV. "The Clampetts Play the Rams" originally aired on October 27, 1965, at a time when, believe it or not, there were some people in America who still owned black-and-white sets. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
The "Candy Queen" is Claire Armstrong (Nancy Gates), who has become quite wealthy after inheriting the famous candy-manufacturing formula that has been in her family for generations. But it is not so sweet when Claire's secretary is poisoned by a box of her boss' candy. And things really go sour after Claire's brother Mark (John Napier) steals the formula to pay off his gambling deaths--not to mention when the "Candy Queen" is framed for the murder of blackmailer Harry Arnold (John Archer). Perry Mason probably has a feeling of deja-vu when he agrees to handle this case: "The Case of the Candy Queen" is a remake of the earlier Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Silent Partner" (both episodes are based on the same 1940 novel by series creator Erle Stanley Gardner). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1962
The title character in the May 13, 1962 Bonanza episode "The Mountain Girl" is Trudy Harker, played by Nina Shipman. Raised in the hills by her reclusive grandfather Seth (Will Wright), Trudy is left in Joe Cartwright's care when Seth dies. Honoring a promise to the girl's late grandfather, Joe is determined to transform the hoydenish Trudy into a "lady", so that she can move into the San Francisco mansion of her other grandfather, wealthy Josiah Harker (Carl Benton Reid). Others in the cast include Warren Oates as Paul and Nancy Hadley as Stephanie. Originally shown on May 13, 1962, "The Mountain Girl" was written by John Furia Jr.. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1961
Robert Colbert makes his first appearance as Brent Maverick, yet another cousin of frontier gambler Bart Maverick Jack Kelly) (Colbert sports the same costume worn by former series regular James Garner, a rather blatant move by Warner Bros. to create a "new" Bret Maverick). Riding into the town of Sunburst along with Bart, Brent is immediately thrown in jail--merely for owning the deck of cards used in a poker game. It appears on surface that Sunburst is a "temperance" town, where gambling and gunplay is strictly outlawed, and all the saloons close at sundown. But in truth, the town fathers have gone out of their way to make strangers feel unwelcome in order to to cover up a crime committed 20 years earlier--and they're willing to commit murder to make certain their dirty little secret is never revealed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1960
Bing Crosby plays a widowed millionaire who decides that it's "high time" he got himself a college education. Enrolling as a freshman, Crosby is forced to endure the anachronistic initiation stunts dreamed up by his fraternity buddies, and at one point is required to dress up as Scarlett O'Hara (that's the level of humor here). Unlike the other students, Bing displays no interest in romantically pursuing the lovely coeds. Instead, he woos a teacher (Nicole Maurey) who is -- relatively speaking -- closer to his own age. Bing rounds out his first year in college as the most popular man on campus (he's certainly the best singer, since his only competition is the redoubtable Fabian). Though about 15 years out of date, High Time is brightly directed by Blake Edwards and includes at least one memorable song, ""The Second Time Around."" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Fabian, (more)
- 1959
As the Oregon Territory prepares to welcome settlers in 1846, wagons traveling the Oregon trail face increasing hostility from the Native Americans who have vowed to protect their land. Dispatched to investigate rumors that President Polk is sending troops to the Oregon Territory disguised as pioneers, New York Herold reporter Neal Harris (Fred MacMurray) is captured by angry natives as he makes his way back to the city. Enlisting the help of a comely Native American maiden to make a daring escape, Harris makes it out just in time to warn the trrops of a potentially devistating attack. Subsequently resigning from his position as a reporter, Harris decides to make a home for himself and his faithful maiden in the new territory. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, William Bishop, (more)
- 1959
This musical comedy takes an off-beat religious turn as it tells the tale of a show-biz priest (Bing Crosby) who runs a Broadway theater for spiritually kindred show-folk. His problems begins when a vivacious but troubled chorine (Debbie Reynolds) shows up with a sad story about her ailing father, a friend of the priest, needing an operation. Touched and eager to help her find work and earn the money to help her daddy. Unfortunately, she ends up performing in a sleazy dive owned by an oily wolf (Robert Wagner) who decides to prey upon the innocent gal. The protective priest tries to dissuade him, but its to no avail, the club owner wants to marry her. Meanwhile, the priest busily prepares to produce a charity television show in conjunction with other priests. It is upon this show that the real romantic and comical chaos occurs. Songs include: "The Girl Most Likely to Succeed", "The Secret of Christmas", and "The Night Rock 'n' Roll Died". ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 1959
A surprisingly serious and well-acted major studio variation on the "teens in trouble" films that AIP and Allied Artists cranked out in the 1950's, Blue Denim stars Brandon De Wilde and Carol Lynley as Arthur and Janet, a pair of high school sweethearts who find in each other the love and understanding they don't receive from their emotionally distant parents. However, teenage romance leads to adult consequences when Janet finds herself pregnant; neither of the teens can broach the subject with their parents, and since they're regarded as too young to get married, they're forced to seek out an illegal abortion before Janet is no longer able to hide her condition. While time has dated the story, Blue Denim still comes off as sincere and well-crafted (the sequence where the teen lovers meet the abortionist is still a bit spooky all these years later), and was considered quite frank in its day. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carol Lynley, Brandon de Wilde, (more)
Dismissed when first released, later heralded as one of director Alfred Hitchcock's finest films (and, according to Hitchcock, his most personal one), this adaptation of the French novel D'entre les morts weaves an intricate web of obsession and deceit. It opens as Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) realizes he has vertigo, a condition resulting in a fear of heights, when a police officer is killed trying to rescue him from falling off a building. Scottie then retires from his position as a private investigator, only to be lured into another case by his old college friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore). Elster's wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), has been possessed by a spirit, and Elster wants Scottie to follow her. He hesitantly agrees, and thus begins the film's wordless montage as Scottie follows the beautiful yet enigmatic Madeleine through 1950s San Francisco (accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's hypnotic score). After saving her from suicide, Scottie begins to fall in love with her, and she appears to feel the same way. Here tragedy strikes, and each twist in the movie's second half changes our preconceptions about the characters and events. In 1996 a new print of Vertigo was released, restoring the original grandeur of the colors and the San Francisco backdrop, as well as digitally enhancing the soundtrack. ~ Dylan Wilcox, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Kim Novak, (more)
Directed with crisp efficiency by Dick Powell, The Hunters is a romantic melodrama with an aviation angle. Robert Mitchum plays veteran Air Force pilot Maj. Cleve Saville, in charge of a group of young flyboys in 1952 Korea. Among the men under Saville's command are cocksure Lt. Ed Peil (Robert Wagner) and timorous Lt. Abbott (Lee Phillips). Much against his better judgment, Saville falls in love with Abbott's gorgeous wife Kris (Mai Britt). When Abbott crashes behind enemy lines, Saville and Peil are sent out to rescue the downed pilot-and Peil has an inkling of the Major's feelings towards Mrs. Abbott. During their grueling journey back to their own lines, both Peil and Abbott benefit from the military expertise of the no-nonsense Saville, who knows where and when to separate his private life from his responsibilities. Distinguished by excellent aerial sequences, The Hunters is adapted from the novel by James Salter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner, (more)
