Arthur Weiss Movies

In this disaster movie, eight people stranded on a bridge find their lives jeopardized after a collision has caused the unstable structure to collapse. One of the eight is a bank robber on the lam. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Irwin Allen's follow-up to Flood! is a better effort but still falls short of his big-screen classics. Like its predecessor, Fire! sets up its disaster in a lackluster manner and then fails to build its plot in suspenseful or dramatically compelling ways once the disaster hits. It also leans heavily on soap opera-style dramatic subplots to fill the time between the fire sequences: for instance, the domestic discord between the married couple played by Alex Cord and Patty Duke Astin has an unintentionally campy feel to it. As with Flood!, Earl Bellamy occupies the director's chair and his work is competent but impersonal. However, he improves on Flood! by working in more exciting stunt sequences into the story. Flood! also benefits from a strong cast: Ernest Borgnine turns in a typically professional performance as the everyman hero and old pros like Vera Miles and Neville Brand lend solid support. No one really gets much to do dramatically but they all notch up solid performances. In short, Fire! is no great shakes - even for b-movie fans - but it just might work as a time-killer for viewers in a forgiving mood. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

Everyone at the station house joins forces to get even with Chet (Tim Donnelly) for his never-ending practical jokes. Elsewhere, the victim of a motorcycle accident is forced to rely on extremely limited communications skills, and a worker trapped under a boat proves surprisingly uncooperative with his rescuer. Olympic swimming star Mark Spitz and his wife Suzy Spitz make their TV dramatic debuts as a young husband and his pregnant wife, who has been wounded by a malufunctioning gun. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With Mission:Impossible regular Lynda Day George still on maternity leave, Marlyn Mason makes a guest appearance as IMF agent Sandy in "Crack-Up." For her first assignment with the team, Sandy plays a major role in a scheme to determine the identity of the Syndicate higher-up who hired professional hit man Peter Cordel (Alex Cord). Vital ingredients for the success of this mission include a rigged chess game and a special "black-out" drug. "Crack-Up" was scripted by Arthur Weiss from a story by Weiss, Robert Weiss and Phyllis White. The episode originally aired December 9, 1972, as the last Saturday-night Mission:Impossible offering before the series' move to CBS' Friday-evening lineup. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"Committed" was first telecast on January 22, 1972, the same day that the latest cast of Mission:Impossible appeared on the cover of TV Guide. Bert Freed guest stars as Syndicate chieftan Leon Chandler, whose trial for murder may end in acquittal thanks to the actions of a corrupt lieutenant governor. The key witness against Chandler, Nora Dawson (Susan Howard), is slowly being driven insane in a mob-controlled mental hospital. The IMF's mission: To infiltrate the hospital, rescue Nora, and expose Chandler's political stooge. Series regular Lynda Day George steals the show with her impersonation of a deranged woman. "Committed" was scripted by Arthur Weiss, from a story by Laurence Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lynda Day George joins the Mission:Impossible cast as agent Lisa Casey in the episode entitled "Blind." Guest star Tom Bosley is cast as government undercover operative Henry Matula, who has been infiltrated into the criminal empire of John Lawton (Harold J. Stone), and is in line for a Syndicate promotion. To protect Matula's cover, Phelps must take extreme measures to pose as a discredited, and blind, FBI agent. This episode was written by Arthur Weiss. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Enemy agent James Reed (David Sheiner) intends to steal the plans for a new missile guidance system. The IMF is assigned to hoodwink Reed into pilfering a set of bonus plans. Endangering the mission is escaped mental patient Hecker (John Beck), who believes that IMF agent Dana is his former girlfriend. Watch for raspy-voiced cult actor Percy Helton in a typically fleeting role (one of his last). Originally telecast on January 16, 1971, "The Missile" was written by Arthur Weiss. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a true story and suitable for the whole family, Namu, the Killer Whale was a film that debunked many myths about orca whales--animals that have traditionally been considered voracious, merciless killers. Set in Puget Sound on one of the San Juan islands, the tale centers on the relationship between a marine biologist and an orca who is wounded by angry fishermen and left to die in a shallow cove. The biologist helps to save the whale and while it recovers, he studies it. He soon realizes that the whale is not a single-minded killer but a sensitive and highly intelligent creature. Unfortunately, when local fishermen get wind of Namu's presence, they begin to get restless and decide that they must kill him once and for all. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Using the name "Douglas Beckett", Kimble (David Janssen) is hired as a chauffeur by the wealthy Glenn family. Rebellious Joanne Glenn (Katherine Crawford) is in love with impoverished pool boy Dan Holt (Mark Goddard), a romance her imperious mother Madge (Joan Tompkins) does everything in her power to break up. Discovering Kimble's true identity, Dan blackmails the fugitive into helping him woo Joanne without arousing the family's suspicions. Watch for a young Peter Duel (Alias Smith and Jones) as a handsome socialite. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ivan Tors, the man who made dolphins and grizzlies lovable with Flipper and Gentle Ben respectively, tries to make the magic happen for a different species in Rhino! Robert Culp and Harry Guardino play hunters without bullets, armed only with tranquilizer guns to defend themselves from African wildlife. Culp and Guardino's mission is to locate the rare white Rhino, then herd them out of harm's way to save them from extinction. Complications ensue when zoologist Culp is tricked by the avaricious Guardino, who really wants the rhinos for their horns and pelts. Filmed on location in South Africa. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Posing as "Ray Miller", Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) is hired as cut-man for young African American prizefighter Joe Smith (James Edwards). It turns out that Joe had once wanted to be a doctor himself, but gave up his dream, figuring that a black man in the mid-1960s didn't stand a chance of getting into a decent medical school. Meanwhile, Joe's wife Laura (a young Ruby Dee) begs him to quit the ring, but she is unable to wrest her husband from the control of his greedy manager Lou Bragan (James Dunn). Kimble realizes that one more fight will cause Joe to suffer permanent brain damage--but should he intervene in this situation and risk being arrested by the local authorities? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi