Don Weis Movies
Leaving his Milwaukee home in 1942 in hopes of attending the University of Southern California, Don Weis secured work as a messenger at Warner Bros. After war service as a technician in Warners' army training film unit, Weis became a dialogue director at Enterprise Productions, working on such films as Body and Soul (1947) and Arch of Triumph (1948). Hired as a director for Ida Lupino and Collier Young's Filmakers Company, Weis was wooed to MGM by that studio's head man, Dore Schary. His first effort for MGM was a brief sequence in It's a Big Country (1951), followed by his first full-fledged feature, Bannerline (1951). Weis' helming of such lightweight MGM musicals as I Love Melvin (1953) and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) earned him a brief cult reputation with foreign film critics, though he was hardly confined to the song-and-dance genre. He entered television in 1956, eventually winning several Director's Guild Awards. During his TV years, Weis was busiest with comedy programs like The Jack Benny Show and The Andy Griffith Show, and slick adventure series like Burke's Law and It Takes a Thief; one of his more notable TV assignments was the 1959 pilot film Head of the Family, Carl Reiner's precursor to the popular Dick Van Dyke Show. In the mid-'60s, Weis directed several of the American-International teen-oriented musicals, among them Pajama Party, Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, and Looking for Love (which has earned latter-day notoriety as being the first and last film to star Johnny Carson). After completing the never-released Darren McGavin feature film Zero to Sixty (1977), Don Weis closed out his career with such episodic TV efforts as Charlie's Angels and MASH. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1953
"Slight" is right: this harmless comedy programmer is as inconsequential as it is enjoyable. It's the tale of two Army buddies: go-getter Geechy Cheevers (Mickey Rooney) and sedate family man Freddie Clopp (Eddie Bracken). Inveigling his way into Freddie's household, Geechy drives everyone bonkers with his get-rich-quick schemes. After convincing Freddie to quit his job and mortgage his home in order to set up a gas station, Geechy cooks up an underhanded scheme to tap the gas pipe of a rival station. Standing on the sidelines is Geechy's long-suffering girlfriend Beverly (Elaine Stewart) and Freddy's far-from-understanding wife Emily (Marilyn Erskine). An obligatory slapstick chase finale caps this exercise in lunacy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Eddie Bracken, (more)
- 1961
James Howgill (Ronald Howard) hopes to divorce his wife, Margery (Patricia Donahue), whom he dismisses as drab and dull. On the advice of his attorney, James hires a private eye to dig up evidence of adultery that he can use against Margery. What the detective finds proves to be quite an eye-opener -- not only for Howgill, but also for the viewers at home. Watch for future Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In regular Arte Johnson in a key supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Saddled with paying huge alimony checks to his high-maintenance former wife, Edward Gibson (Robert Webber) seeks a legal method to rid himself of this burden. Enter Edward's pal Carl Seabrook (Jeremy Slate), who magnanimously offers to marry the ex-Mrs. Gibson himself -- for a 5,000-dollar fee. Little does Edward realize that he has been a "free man" for several hours...but, of course, Carl has known all along. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Barry Fitzgerald, who made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's 1930 theatrical film Juno and the Paycock, guests in this episode as Stretch Sears, a recently paroled thief. With Christmas approaching, Stretch has no trouble landing a job as a Santa at a big department store. But it isn't the Yuletide spirit that is motivating Stretch; he intends to rob the store, and is using his job to case the joint. But the scheme goes off on a entirely different direction when "Santa" Sears makes the acquaintance of a juvenile delinquent known only as the Tenth Avenue Kid (played by Bobby Clark -- not the Broadway comedian of the same name). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Outraged over the infidelity of his girlfriend Goldie (Beverly Michaels), thuggish Sam Donleavy (George Mathews) decides to bump the dame off. Unfortunately, there is a more than somewhat stiff penalty for murder, thus Sam intends to provide himself with an airtight alibi -- and pays a huge price to a guy named Barney (George E. Stone), who specializes in such matters. The fly in the ointment on this occasion is Sam's old pal Al (Joe Downing), who happens to be a police lieutenant. "The Big Switch" is the first of several Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes to be based on a story by suspense specialist Cornell Woolrich. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
At the urging of her boyfriend, Mark (Jack Cassidy), pretty young Charlotte Jameson (Hazel Court) accepts the marriage proposal of her wealthy old boss, Howard Rutherford (Ernest Truex). Inasmuch as Howard has been told he has only a year to live, Mark figures he won't have to wait long to cut himself in on Charlotte's inheritance. Unfortunately for Mark, Howard does not die -- and in fact lingers on for over two decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Bannerline was Don Weis' first solo directorial credit for MGM. Keefe Brasselle stars as cub reporter Mike Perrivale, who devises a heart-tugging promotional stunt. Upon learning that crusty old history teacher Hugo Trimble (Lionel Barrymore) is dying, Mike writes up a glowing tribute, ascribing all sorts of fabricated accomplishments to the venerable Trimble. The stunt backfires when crime boss Frankie Scarbino (J. Carroll Naish), angered that some of the civic reforms credited to Trimble may put the kibosh on his own operation, threatens to make trouble for Mike. As it turns out, it is the impulsiveness of Scarbino's hired thugs which sets the wheels of reform in motion--simply by beating Mike to a pulp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keefe Brasselle, Sally Forrest, (more)
- 1976
In the opening episode of Baretta's third season, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) searches for the thugs who killed a young Nisei girl. Complications ensue when the dead girl's father takes the traditional Japanese vow to kill everyone connected with his daughter's death. Could this mean that Baretta himself is on the grieving father's list? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
Billie is a screen version of Ronald Alexander's perennial stage favorite Time Out For Ginger. Patty Duke plays a tomboyish high schooler who excels in athletics but who continues to strike out socially. Jim Backus and Jane Greer perform yeoman service as Duke's parents, who wonder how long it's going to be before their daughter stops trying to be their son. Backus is particularly concerned because he's running for mayor on a platform of "male supremacy" (this is 1965, remember?). From time to time, Duke expresses her frustration in song: her big number finds her holding her gym shoes in one hand, a bottle of perfume in the other. Warren Berlinger also stars as Duke's long-suffering boyfriend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patty Duke, Jim Backus, (more)
- 1979
In this episode of the "CHiPs" television series, the adventures involving officers Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello are nostalgically recalled by other officers. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1974
Crackle of Death is a hybrid feature film comprised of two episodes from the 1974 TV series Night Stalker. Series regulars Darren McGavin and Simon Oakland head the cast, playing, respectively, reporter Carl Kolchak and editor Tony Vincenzo. It was Kolchak's weekly habit on the series to run across an example of supernatural phenomena, then to try to convince the disbelieving Vincenzo to run the story. The two Night Stalker episodes represented herein are "The Energy Eater", in which a new hospital is bedevilled by a creature that thrives on electrical energy, and "Fire Fall", in which a famed pianist is troubled by his evil alter ego. Guest stars in the 94-minute Crackle of Death include Philip Carey, William Smith, Elaine Giftos. Directors for the individual components were Alex Grasshoff and Don Weis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ira Levin wrote the stage comedy Critic's Choice as a good-natured retort to a comment made by critic Walter Kerr. In his essay How Not to Write a Play, Kerr noted that the worst possible scenario would involve a drama critic forced to review a play written by his wife (we should mention that Kerr's own wife was noted playwright Jean Kerr). Levin utilized this very scenario, and the result was a Broadway hit. Less successful artistically was the 1962 film version, though with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as stars, the film couldn't help but clean up at the box office. Hope portrays theatrical critic Parker Ballantine, while Lucille Ball plays his wife Angela. Feeling "useless," Angela writes a play as a lark, then is amazed when it is optioned by a major producer. Parker does his best to get out of the responsibility of reviewing the play (which very well may be as bad as he thinks it is), but cannot escape the responsibility. Much of the verbal wit of the Levin original is sacrificed in favor of one-line quips; there is also an overabundance of gratuitous slapstick during a little-league game and the climactic "opening night" sequence. Still, Hope and Ball work together well as always. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, (more)
- 1969
The made-for-TV Deadlock stars Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Sam Danforth (since this is long before the Police Squad era, Nielsen plays it straight). The white Danforth finds himself at ideological loggerheads with black district attorney Leslie Washburn (Hari Rhodes). Racial tensions are escalated when a black ghetto kid is killed by a cop, and a white reporter covering the case also turns up dead. Future stars Fred Williamson and James McEachin show up in supporting roles. First telecast February 22, 1969, Deadlock served as the pilot episode for The Professionals, a single-season component of NBC's rotating series The Bold Ones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
After registering well in supporting roles in such Bob Hope farces as Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number and Eight on the Lam, raucous comedienne Phyllis Diller attempted to carry a picture all by herself. Alas, Did You Hear the One About the Travelling Saleslady? proved to be as bad as its title. Borrowing elements previously utilized in Joan Davis' Travelling Saleswoman (1950) and the Ginger Rogers-Carol Channing vehicle The First Travelling Saleslady (1956), the film casts Diller as a player-piano saleslady, dispatched to the Wild West. TV-sitcom perennials Bob Denver and Joe Flynn offer their usual overplayed support; at times they're funnier than Diller, though that's not saying much. The film's highlight is a cattle stampede, which should give you some idea. Did You Hear the One... was scripted by John Fenton Murray, soon to be a mainstay of such Sid & Marty Krofft kiddie fare as The Bugaloos and Lidsville; compared to the Diller film, the Krofft stuff was a step upward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Diller, Joe Flynn, (more)
- 1953
Red Skelton does his best with the situation-comedy trappings of Half a Hero. A sort of poor man's Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, the story concerns one Ben Dobson (Skelton), whose wife Martha (Jean Hagen) talks him into leaving the big city and moving into a suburban housing development. Unfortunately, Ben doesn't make enough money to support his new life style, but Martha refuses to consider moving back downtown. When Ben's boss tells him to write a magazine article about the disadvantages of suburbia, Ben seizes upon the opportunity, hoping to teach his wife a lesson, and then, suddenly and improbably, our hero has a change of heart. Domestic comedy was not Red Skelton's forte, but he manages to extract a few laughs with the material at hand. Much funnier within the film's context is Kathleen Freeman as a "welcome wagon" lady and Willard Waterman as an unctuous real estate broker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Red Skelton, Jean Hagen, (more)
- 1953
Singin' in the Rain co-stars Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds were re-teamed in the ebullient little musical I Love Melvin. O'Connor plays Melvin Hoover, the hapless assistant to Look magazine photographer Mergo (Jim Backus). When he falls in love with chorus girl Judy LeRoy (Reynolds), Melvin claims that he's the magazine's head photographer. Carrying the ruse to the limit, Melvin arranges to shoot a portrait of Judy and her entire family, insisting that it appear on the cover of Look. On the verge of being found out, Melvin is saved when his boss decides that Judy is photogenic enough to be a cover girl for real. The plot is so lightweight that it threatens to blow away, but the stars are cute as can be, and the musical highlights even more so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 1973
While on a fishing trip, Ironside (Raymond Burr) and Ed (Don Galloway) make a quick stopover at a roadside inn. It soon becomes obvious that the establish is the front for an illegal gambling house, run by a sinister professional speculator named Lou Hogan (Robert Webber), who may also have the local sheriff in his pocket. When a fatal shooting occurs, Ironside simultaneouly tries to solve the murder and save the lives of an innocent young couple (Suzanne Charney, Don Kanmer) by sitting down to a VERY high-stakes poker game with the gimlet-eyed Hogan. Featured in the cast is a pre-Charlie's Angels Cheryl Ladd, billed under her maiden name Cheryl Stopplemoor. This is the final episode of Ironside's sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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
Season Thee of Ironside begins as wheelchair-bound detective Robert T. Ironside (Raymond Burr) and his team set their sighs on prolific con artist Raymond Otis Baker (Joseph Campanella), who specializes in bilking little old ladies out of their life savings. Unfortunately for Baker--or, as he is now calling himself, Mr. Braithwaite--his most recent victim was the aunt (Beah Richards) of Ironside's bodyguard Mark (Don Mitchell). In order to trap the elusive "R.O.B.", Ed (Don Galloway) and Eve (Barbara Anderson) pose as a wealthy couple, ripe for plucking. But the plan goes awry when one of the villain's accomplices recognizes Ed from an earlier sting operation! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Tina Louise guest stars as Candy, a pretty cocktail waitress who hitches a ride from Ironside's aide Mark (Don Mitchell). What Mark doesn't know is that Candy is the accomplice of a wanted criminal, and that she is looking for a fall guy to take the rap for a recent robbery. The trouble really begins, however, when Candy unexpectedly grows fond of her "patsy" Mark--just as her partner-in-crime returns to the scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Ironside (Raymond Burr) begins to question his judgment in a manslaughter case which occurred seven years ago. At the time, the Chief rammed through the conviction of chief suspect Walter Booth (William Campbell). Now armed with new evidence, Ironside works hand and glove with Booth's attorney Ken Klaven (Cameron Mitchell) to secure the man's release--despite the formidable opposition of the DA's office, which is determined to keep Booth behind bars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Ironside (Raymond Burr) works in concert with attorney Ken Klaven (Cameron Mitchell) to secure the release of Walter Booth (William Campbell), whom the Chief had sent to prison on a manslaughter charge seven years before. Though now convinced of Booth's innocence, Ironside encounters a great deal of trouble persuading the DA's office. The Chief's only hope is to force a young woman to come forward with testimony she'd withheld during the original trial--but there are mysterious forces who are determined to silence both Ironside and his witness for keeps! Prominent in the supporting cast is Geraldine Brooks, who had played the sniper responsible for the Chief's confinement to a wheelchair in the original 1967 Ironside pilot film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Working undercover, Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) infiltrates the gang responsible for the kidnapping of the daughter (Kay Lenz) of a famous movie actress (Barbara Rush). Curiously, in his efforts to secure the girl's release, Ed's boss Ironside (Raymond Burr) encounters a stunning lack of cooperation from both the victim's mother and her overbearing business manager (Richard Anderson). Meanwhile, Ed finds out that the kidnapping was an "inside job" and that the abductors have been given strict orders not to hurt the blindfolded girl--but one of the gang members (Kaz Garas) has other ideas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
