Gene Lyons Movies
- 1974
The two-hour final episode of Ironside's seventh season serves as the pilot film for the spinoff cop series Amy Prentiss. Jessica Walter plays the title character, a hardworking San Francisco police woman who aspires to the position of Chief of Police. Though up against a lot of resistance from the all-male establishment, Amy has a staunch supporter in the form of former chief Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr. Originally telecast as a single extended episode, "Amy Prentiss: AKA The Chief has been divided into a brace of one-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In the conclusion of Ironside's two-part Season Seven finale (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), new San Francisco police chief Amy Prentiss (Jessica Walter) runs up against a wall of hostility and resistance from the town's all-male establishment. Fortunately, Amy can count former chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) and his team among her supporters. But even Ironside may not be able to help Chief Prentiss as she is assigned a "make-or-break" murder case. This episode served as the pilot for the spinoff series Amy Prentiss, with supporting player Art Metrano retained in the series proper as Amy's aide Tom Pena. Johnny Seven, here seen in his standard Ironside role as Lt. Carl Reese, would join the Amy Prentiss cast as Detective Contreras, while the role of Joan, here played by Joan Pringle, would be taken over by Gwen Mitchell (Pringle would be compensated with a recurring Ironside role as the new wife of Chief Ironside's former bodyguard Mark Sanger [Don Mitchell]). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This episode focuses on Lt. Carl Reese, the police-inspector friend of Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) who is played on a recurring basis by Johnny Seven. Shortly after five pounds of heroin disappears while in the custody of Reese and his partner Don Borden (Sandy Ward), Borden is killed in a mysterious accident. Now Reese himself is suspected of collaborating with the drug dealers, and a swift conviction would seem to be a foregone conclusion. Despite the formidable opposition of the DA's office, Ironside is determined to clear Reese's name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Upon his return from Vietnam, ex-POW Mike Doyle (Cliff Potts) is certain that he sees his police-officer father (Warren Kemmerling) waiting for him at the airport--just before disappearing in the crowd. But the Commissioner (Gene Lyons), and everyone else who knows and cares about Mike, insists that the elder Doyle was killed in a car crash two years earlier. Worried that he is losing his mind, Mike conducts a frantic search for his father...while Ironside (Raymond Burr), who knows the whole truth about the father's reported "death" but is honor-bound to remain silent, tries to prevent the hapless veteran from going off the deep end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Ross Martin guest stars as Damien, a nightclub psychic who lately has been experiencing disturbing visions of fire and flame. Ironside (Raymond Burr) becomes interested in what Damien has seen (and what he WILL see) when the psychic insists that he can predict where an arsonist who is terrorized San Francisco will strike next--but are Damien's powers real, or is there something more sinister afoot? Ironically, this episode was written by one Judy Burns! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Ironside (Raymond Burr) has degenerated from a respected law enforcement officer to a seedy skid-row bum, apparently because 10-year-old murder witness Jerry Abbott (Lee H. Montgomery) was killed while in the Chief's protective custody. What even Ironside's loyal assistants are unaware of is that little Jerry is still alive, and that the Chief is only posing as a derelict to flush out the murderer. The situation reaches the crisis stage when two attempts are made on Ironside's alive--and the Chief can't summon the aid of his associates without blowing his cover. This episode features two original songs by David and Marty Paich: "Street Song", peformed by Carol Carmichael; and "Way Up Here", sung by Marty Paich. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Not long after a close friend of Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) disappears, the friend's abandoned fishing boat, "The Dancing Doll", washes up on shore--bearing traces of blood and gunfire. The authorities conclude that the missing friend was somehow connected with a mob hit, which in turn is tied in with a gangster's convention being held in San Francisco. Though Ironside (Raymond Burr) warns Ed to stay off the case lest he let his heart rule his head, it is the Chief who ends up putting the pieces of the puzzle together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Season Seven of Ironside begins as Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) goes head-to-head with the staff of a smarmy gossip magazine that has held a grudge with the San Francisco police department ever since the "botched" investigation of a missing actor. Now the magazine is going after Ironside himself, threatening to tell all about the Chief's alleged romance with a notorious Madam (Dorothy Malone). Ironcially, Ironside soon finds himself having to protect the lives of the magazine's employees from a mysterious bomber. A key player in the proceedings is an elderly caretaker William Schallert who seems to know more than he's letting on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Chief Ironside is assigned to protect little Jerry Abbott, an autistic 10-year-old who has witnessed a murder. Not long afterward, the newspapers are reporting that Jerry himself has been killed--and that Ironside, tortured by guilt, has quit the force, crawled into a booze bottle, and ended up a derelict on Skid Row. But is this grim situation everything it appears to be? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Ironside (Raymond Burr) investigates the mysterious disappearance of Michael Brandon (Ted Hartley), a brilliant scientist who was working on a top-secret missile project at the Gregory Institute. There are those who are convinced that Brandon has defected to the Soviets or Red Chinese, but his wife Ellie (Hildy Brooks) is adamant in her belief that her husband had met with foul play. Should Ironside trust Mrs. Brandon or the evidence of own eyes--and can there be someone else at Gregory Institute involved in the mystery? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The centerpiece of this episode is an allegedly haunted house, where over the course of many years several people have mysteriously vanished. The niece of the San Francisco police commissioner makes a bet that she can spend one night in the house--whereupon she disappears as well. Investigating the phenomenon is Chief Ironside...or at least, he WAS investigating the pheonomenon before he also turns up missing! This convoluted tale of spectral intrigue was directed by Don Weis, whose previous forays into the "old dark house" genre include The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Dana Wynter guest stars as Alexandria, a former sweetheart of Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr. Now that Alexandria has returned to San Francisco, the Chief is anxious to rekindle their romance. Alas, the course of true love is destined not to run smoothly: Alexandria happens to be a professional thief--and Ironside knows all too well that she is currently planning to swipe an ancient Chinese statue left in his care. This episode features the original composition "December Song", which like so many other incidental themes heard on Ironside was written by Marty and David Paich and performed by Carol Carmichael. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Raymond Burr tackles what amounts to a triple role in this episode, in which Chief Ironside investigates a series of murders that share a common bond. Each of four victims had in his possession a numbered disk: the current holder of Disk Number Five is none other than the police commissioner (Gene Lyons), while Number Six is held by an eccentric, bearded artist named Carlton Duffy (billed as "himself" in the closing credits but actually played by Raymond Burr). Bearing a startling resemblance to Duffy, Ironside takes the man's place in hopes of luring the murderer into a trap. Veteran Hollywood makeup artist Jim McCoy was handed the daunting task of transforming star Burr into ( a ) Chief Ironside, ( b ) Carlton Duffy, and ( c ) Ironside posing as Duffy! Featured in a supporting role is a young William Katt, the son of Burr's onetime Perry Mason costar Barbara Hale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
John Vernon, usually cast as a corrupt prison warden, plays a sympathetic (by default!) role in this episode. Escaping from Federal custody, second-echelon mobster Mike Durgom (Vernon) quickly learns that crime boss Nelson Wayland (Gene Lyons) has ordered him killed to keep him from testifying at Wayland's trial. The rest of the episode finds Durgom on the lam from both Wayland and the FBI--in other words, between the proverbial Rock and Hard Place. This is the final offering of The F.B.I.'s seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Ironside (Raymond Burr) searches for a resourceful burglar who has figured out a method of "taming" vicious guard dogs so that he can rob stores without interference. In order to flush out the villain, Ironside adopts his own dog and sets both himself and the pooch up as bait. With the preponderance of fierce-looking German shepherds and Doberman pinschers in this episode, one wonders how the actors got through their scenes without being ripped asunder after each take! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Attacked by an escaped convict, Fran (Elizabeth Baur) is rescued by a strange individual who then promptly disappears. The next morning, the "mystery man" is identified by his wife, who has shown up at police headquarters to report her husband's disappearance. Piecing together the clues, Ironside (Raymond Burr) ascertains a link between the missing man and an elusive international drug dealer known as Arno--who may or may not actually exist. Originally scheduled to air on February 24, 1972, this last episode of Ironside's fifth season was bumped forward to March 9 due to network coverage of President Nixon's trip to China. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
One of the wealthier sections of San Francisco is being terrorized by a crime wave. Studying the pattern of events, Ironside (Raymond Burr) figures out that the crimes are being planned and executed in the manner of a chess game. It now falls to the Chief to "checkmate" the two depraved socialites (Noel Harrison, Scott Marlowe) who are using their victims as human pawns in a sinister game that threatens to turn lethal at any moment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Jackie Cooper guest stars as scientist Dr. Norman Chase, who early in the proceedings is waylaid by the minions of a criminal named Caesar (Richard Jaeckel) and forced to put on an explosive belt that cannot be removed . Unless Ironside (Raymond Burr) agrees to release three of Caesar's cohorts from prison, the belt will detonate in five hours. Racing against time, the Chief seeks out a duplicate for the key to the fatal belt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Scheduled to give evidence in a Federal trial, Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) is all too aware that there are those who hope to silence him before he can appear in court. In fact, the Chief gets word from the grapevine that a professional assassin has been hired to shut him up permanently. What makes this episode unique is that the coldblooded, super-efficient contract killer (James Olson) is depicted in his "off-hours" as a warm and loving family man (whose wife, incidentally, is played by future Happy Days costar Marion Ross). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Somewhere in San Francisco there lurks a phony cab driver who is setting his male customers to be drugged, mugged and robbed. The faux cabbie is a member of a clever gang of credit-card thieves, and Ironside (Raymond Burr) is determined to stop him--especially after one of the victims turns up dead. Following the suspect, Ironside and his assistants are able to locate the gang, only to find that the crooks are a lot more dangerous--and a lot more resourceful--than first suspected. James Drury, formerly the upright leading man of the TV western The Virginian, delivers a startling performance in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Attorney Theodore Berringer (Simon Oakland) is none too fond of his current clients, a band of scofflaw anarchists. When the gang escapes from prison, they take Berringer's son Ted (Brad David) hostage to ensure the elder Berringer's cooperation. As it turns out, however, Ted is a willing accomplice of the anarchists--though he is blissfully unaware of their sinister plans for the future. Thus, Ironside (Raymond Burr) must not only rescue Ted from the villains, but also from his own misguided idealism. Featured in the cast is Christina Crawford, adopted daughter of movie queen Joan Crawford and future author of the infamous tell-all biography Mommie Dearest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Posing as an elderly and very grouchy English professor, Ironside (Raymond Burr) infiltrates a convalescent home where many strange deaths have occurred. To lure the killer out of hiding, Ed (Don Galloway) and Fran (Elizabeth Baur) impersonate Ironside's grown children, carefully dropping hints that they'd be better off if "dad" was no longer alive. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that Ruth Roman delivers an outstanding performance as a grim-visaged nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Broadway musical star Joel Grey appears in this episode as jockey Eddie Yeager, who is suspected of throwing several horse races. Ironside (Raymond Burr) wonders if Eddie is the real culprit, or if the brains of the operation is a certain Scott Bradley (played by TV's former "Tarzan" Ron Ely). Complicating matters is the fact that Bradley is the ex-fiance of Ironside's assistant Eve (Barbara Anderson). Featured in the cast is future movie-studio executive Sherry Lansing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Ironside (Raymond Burr) and his team are assigned to escort Soviet spy Hruska (Diana Hyland) to Mexico to exchange for an American scientist (John Archer) held by the Russians. En route, Ironside and Hruska a kidnapped by a gang of Mexican activists. As Ed (Don Galloway) struggles to stall the Russian officials, Ironside endeavors to formulate a plan of escape--all the while becoming increasingly fond of his beautiful prisoner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
William Shatner guest stars as Don Brand, a hard-nosed parole officer with an obsessive hatred of drug pushers. When Brand's life is threatened, he insists that a paroled dope dealer is responsible--even though he has many, many other enemies. Ironside (Raymond Burr), however, suspects that Brand is his own worst enemy, and that he may be using phony death threats to railroad an ex-con back into prison. This final episode of Ironside's fourth season also marks the last appearance of series regular Barbara Anderson (Eve Whitfield). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
