Irving Moore Movies

Joan Collins tops the cast of the made-for-TV The Making of a Male Model. No, silly: Joan doesn't play the title role. Rather, she is cast as the barracudalike owner of a top modelling agency, while Jon-Erik Hexum (at the time, a real-life male model) costars as a Nevada rancher whom Joan selects for stardom-or, if you prefer, hunkdom. Watch for Rosemary Stack, the wife of actor Robert Stack, in a juicy cameo as Collins' chief rival. Making of a Male Model was originally telecast October 9, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by Arthur Julian, this episode finds Hogan and his crew trying to harness the forces of nature in order to create an avalanche. It is all part of a scheme to redirect a full-scale Panzer assault, which has been routed through the slippery slopes of Mount Hoffenstein. Harold J. Stone heads the guest cast as General Stromberger. Originally telecast on March 21, 1971, "Look at the Pretty Snowflakes" was the last episode of Hogan's Heroes to be filmed, though not the last one to be shown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shifty space showman Farnum B (Harold J. Stone) is back, now as the owner of an intergalactic beauty contest. At Farnum's B-hest, Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) tricks Judy (Marta Kristen) into signing up as a contestant--little realizing that if she wins, she will be forced to become the bride of Farnum's boss, a literally fiery dictator. This is the episode in which the Robot appears in drag as another contestant, "Miss Mechanical Marvel"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stephanie Carew (Sandra Warner) hires Perry (Raymond Burr) to sue first-time novelist Deborah Dearborn (Zeme North) for libel, claiming that her own life was the basis for Deborah's lurid best-seller. Not long afterward, Stephanie is found drowned in her fresh-water swimming pool--and lest the police write her death off as accidental, the coroner points out that the victim has salt water in her lungs. Putting two and two together, the authorities arrest Deborah for the murder, whereupon Perry switches sides to defend the girl. Yes, that's a young, pre-Love Story Ryan O'Neal as John Carew, Deborah's boyfriend and the victim's stepson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wealthy Sumner Hodge (Philip Ober) accuses erstwhile folksinger Con Bolton (Paul Carr) of taking a shot at him. It seems that Hodge had threatened to disinherit his stepdaughter Irma (Natalie Trundy) unless she broke off her romance with Con. Later, Hodge is killed in an automobile "accident" caused by someone tampering with the brakes. Inevitably, Con is charged with the crime--and in mounting the boy's defense, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) arrives at the conclusion that the murder was actually a case of mistaken identity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although he no longer works for the insurance company that had hired him to track down the stolen Jokarta Diamond, shady private detective Jack Mallory (Michael Pate) has never given up the chase. Worming his way into the confidence of Katherine Stewart (Phyllis Hill), Mallory puts a tail on Katherine's husband Philip (Phillip Pine), recently released from prison after serving a manslaughter charge--and the primary suspect in the theft of the elusive diamond. After a confrontation in which he demands that Phillip reveal the diamond's whereabouts, Mallory is murdered--and Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is hired to prevent "number one suspect" Phillip Stewart from going back to prison for keeps. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wealthy Timothy Balfour Sr. (Otto Kruger) draws up a new will leaving a great deal of money to his namesake grandson Tim (John Washbrook), but the lad may not be worthy of such an honor. Well on the way to becoming a full-fledged "J.D.", Tim is shaken down by hoodlum crony Chick Montana (David Winters), who wants to boy to get his hands on his inheritance ahead of time, or else he'll tell the cops about Tim's involvement in a liquor-store holdup. When Chick is bumped off, Tim faces a murder charge, whereupon Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is galvanized into action. Featured in the cast is Roland Winters, formerly the movies' "Charlie Chan". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Entering into a poker game with a fellow named Jonesy (George Neise), Maverick ends up winning big--and as a result becomes the new owner of a frontier newspaper. But his victory turns hollow when Bart discovers that the paper is being sued for libel by a powerful senator (Lloyd Corrigan). Peter Breck makes a return appearance in the role of worldly gunslinger Doc Holliday. Some sources list this episode as having originally aired on March 11, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Jack Kelly was the sole star of Maverick as the tongue-in-cheek western series entered its fifth and final season, he continued to share on-screen billing with James Garner--who, despite having left the series at the end of Season Three, was still being represented by reruns of his best episodes. Only thirteen new episodes were shot for Season Five, all starring Kelly as frontier gambler Bart Maverick. In the opener, Bart is cheated out of $5000 by suave con artist Pearly Gates (Mike Road). Likewise swindled by Gates is his partner in crime Marla (Kathleen Crowley), who's out for blood after Pearly jilts her at the altar. Thus, Marla teams with Bart to track Pearly down and make him pay for his sins...presuming, of course, that he won't able to sweet-talk his way out of his predicament, as he has done on so many previous occasions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When someone takes a shot at wealthy Diana Dangerfield (Diana Millay), Bart (Jack Kelly) gallantly comes to her rescue. Alas, Diana is convinced that Bart himself faked the shooting merely to meet her--and now he finds himself accused of robbery and murder. Cast as the ineffectual sheriff of Dangerfield is Howard McNear, who had originated the role of Doc Adams on the radio version of Gunsmoke, and who later entered the Valhalla of TV-sitcom icons with his portrayal of Floyd the Barber on The Andy Griffith Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this wartime drama set during WW II, a US Army major is assigned to travel to China with an eight-man demolition team and destroy all bridges and roads needed by the Japanese. They are assisted by two Chinese fellows. At one point the major blows of a mountain bridge that leaves thousands stranded. His escort is outraged by the major's lack of sympathy. The major's antipathy towards his hosts increases when two of his men are trampled by a hoard of starving Chinese who run to grab rations. Later two more of his men die at the hands of Chinese military deserters, prompting the vengeful major to order the destruction of an entire village. Hundreds of innocent people die, and at last the Chinese guide leaves them in disgust. In the end the major understands the wrong he has done. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Commercial artist James Vanning (Aldo Ray) and his friend, Dr. Edward Gurston (Frank Albertson), are on a hunting and fishing trip in Wyoming when they stop to help two men whose car has crashed. The pair, John (Brian Keith) and Red (Rudy Bond), turn out to be escaped bank robbers, on the run with 350,000 dollars in stolen cash after a clean getaway, and they don't plan on leaving any witnesses -- Gurston is shot dead by Red, using Vanning's hunting rifle, but Vanning survives by accident, knocked cold but alive. He awakens to discover the stolen money, accidentally left behind, and runs with it from the returning killers -- he gets away but loses the bag in the blizzard that hits. He manages to make it to the nearest town, but not before the doctor's body is found, with a bullet in it from Vanning's rifle. Now the prime suspect in the murder, Vanning takes it on the lam, hiding out for months -- unbeknowst to him, however, he's been under observation for most of that time by Ben Fraser (James Gregory), an investigator from the insurance company whose policy covered the bank that was robbed; and has been found by John and Red -- and all of them think that Vanning can lead them to the missing money. But John and Red are perfectly prepared to torture and even maim Vanning to get the money, and they get their chance when he lets his guard down one night to talk to Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft), a young model he meets in a bar. He manages to get away from his captors after a fierce struggle and makes his way to her place; after convincing her that it's not the police he's running from (which is not entirely true), they take off together, with Fraser and the two hoods only a half-step behind, headed to Wyoming and the spring thaw so he can hunt for the bag and the missing money and prove his innocence. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide