Phil Morris Movies

When last we left the crew of the star ship Enterprise, they were heading home following a skirmish with the despotic Khan. The unpleasant incident had cost the life of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy)--or so it seemed. Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) is informed by Spock's father Sarek (Mark Lenard) that his son is being kept alive in the thoughts of one of the crew members. It now becomes necessary to search for Spock's body, so that flesh and soul can be rejoined on Vulcan. It turns out that Spock's spirit is residing within the mind of the Vulcan's longtime shipmate, "Bones" McCoy (DeForrest Kelley). Finding the body is another matter, since the Enterprise has been consigned to the trash heap and thus is out of Kirk's jurisdiction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the original 1966 version of the Mission: Impossible adventure "The Legacy," IMF agents were assigned to thwart a plan hatched by the sons of four high-ranking Nazi officers to finance the launching of a Fourth Reich. In the1988 remake, the sons were rewritten as grandsons, but the basic plot remained the same. New IMF agent Nicholas Black infiltrates the neo-fascist conclave in order to locate a cache of hidden Nazi gold. The 1966 edition of "The Legacy" was written by Mann Rubin; the remake, which aired November 27, 1988, was scripted by Michael Lynn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Once the 1988 Hollywood writers strike had been settled, the Mission:Impossible series revival could stop offering remakes of episodes from the earlier Mission:Impossible and start concentrating on new material. The first "original" episode of the new series was "The Wall," which aired December 11, 1988. In the middle of delicate trade negotiations between East and West Germany, the daughter of West German representative Ilse Bruck (Anya Molina) is kidnapped by an insurgent group. The villains hope to maintain tensions between the two Germanys in order to continue their thriving illegal activities. But the IMF agents don't intend to let that happen. Written by David Phillips, "The Wall" ironically appeared a scant few months before the Berlin Wall was finally destroyed; small wonder that the episode's rerun value was nil. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Broadcast on November 6, 1988 as the third episode of the "new" Mission: Impossible, "Holograms" was actually a remake of "Fakeout", a 1966 installment of the original series. Guest star Gerard Kennedy plays Colonel Usher, a drug-trafficking Carribean dictator. To topple both Usher and his whole regime, the IMF stages the "return" of the dictator's long-lost son. While the script of "Fakeout" was credited to Leigh Chapman, Robert Brennan was listed as the writer of "Holograms." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Premiering October 23, 1988, the revival of the classic suspense series Mission:Impossible was hobbled during its first few weeks on the air by a Hollywood writer's strike. Thus, several episodes of the new series were remakes of scripts from the "old" version. Case in point was the series' pilot, "The Killer", in which returning IMF head Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) endeavors to avenge the death of his protegee Tom Copperfield (Vince Martin). The unknown assassin's next target is equally unknown, as is the identity of the killer's employer; it is up to the new IMF team to learn the truth and prevent another murder. If this sounds familiar, it is because Arthur Weiss' script for "The Killer" was originally filmed as Mission:Impossible's fifth season opener in 1970. Guest-starring in the new version were John DeLancie ("Q" on Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Matthew Drake, and Paul Smith (The Midnight Express, Popeye) as Tim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To avoid a Federal Grand Jury indictment, unscrupulous Washington journalist Arthur Six (Richard Romanus) blackmails Senator Oxenford (Terence Donovan) into silence. To put an end to Six's perfidy, the IMF assembles a deucedly clever "turnabout" scheme. Also appearing as a key player in the proceedings is John Calvin as Doyle. Set in the Florida Keys, but largely filmed in Australia, "The Fixer" was written by Walter Brough, and was first telecast on February 25, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Even by drug-dealer standards, Greek millionaire Socrates Colonnades (Cesare Danova) is a particularly odious example. Using his lavish yacht as his headquarters, Colonnades callously diverts funds meant for Third World relief for his own nefarious purposes. To put the scoundrel out of business, the IMF concocts a scheme whereby Collonnades' distributors will think that they are being cheated by him. Written by Ted Roberts, "The Greek" originally aired on February 11, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "new" Misison:Impossible moved from Sunday to Saturday evenings with the January 28, 1989 episode "The Haunting." The IMF's target is an elusive serial killer whose latest murder may cancel a crucial oil-trade agreement. To stop the villain in his tracks, the IMF agents play a dangerous series of mind games, with Phelps posing as a mentalist and Max Hart impersonating a lunatic. Janis Paige and Parker Stevenson guest-star as Victoria and Champ Foster. "The Haunting" was written by Michael Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arms dealer Brian McCarron (Peter Adams) has grown wealthy by supplying both sides of the never ending "troubles" in Ireland. He is aided and abetted by his faithful lieutenant O'Rourke (Rob Steele), who stages phony acts of terrorism to promote weapon sales. Hoping to put both men out of business, the IMF stages a frightening ghostly spectacle to gain influence over the highly superstitious O'Rourke. Originally telecast on November 30, 1989, "Banshee" was written by Ted Roberts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The launching of the first privately funded, manned space shuttle is postponed by the mysterious death of the vessel's pilot. Investigating the possibility of sabotage, the IMF heads to the Australian launching site, only to be swept up in a terrorist takeover of the facilities. Once again, plucky IMF agent Shannon Reed finds herself in grave danger, this time as a reluctant space traveler. First telecast on November 9, 1989, "Target Earth" was written by Stephen Kandel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Preempted by the World Series on October 19, 1989, Mission: Impossible returned on October 26 with the nail-biting episode "Countdown." The IMF heads to Central Asia to disarm a nuclear device that is timed to explode in less than 48 hours. The problem lies in locating the bomb, which has been planted in an unknown location by Su Lin (Julie Ow), a religious fanatic bent on restoring exiled ruler General Vang Kai (Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa) to power. "Countdown" was written by Chip Hayes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Guest star Totti Goldsmith is cast as Elaine, the American-born princess of a European kingdom. The IMF must protect Elaine from being assasinated by an anti-American terrorist group run by George Caron (Robert Coleby). To do this, IMF agents Nicholas and Grant go undercover to join Caron's organization, hoping to bore from within by preying upon the paranoia of hit man Coyote (Dale Stevens). Originally telecast October 5, 1989, "The Princess" was written by Ted Roberts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Exceeding all expectations, the weekly Mission: Impossible revival of 1988 managed to weather its first 19 episodes, graduating to a second season beginning September 21, 1989. In a truly ill-considered move, ABC rescheduled the series to Thursdays, opposite NBC's blockbuster sitcom The Cosby Show (the accompanying ad campaign went something like, "Tonight's Mission: To Give American an Action Alternative to Cosby"). The second-season opener, "The Golden Serpent," was not only the series' first multi-part adventure since 1970, but also brought back one of the original IMF team members, electronic wizard Barney Collier (Greg Morris). Assigned to Australia (where, in fact, the entire series was filmed), the IMF attempts to ruin a drug-running operation by convincing top man Prince Selimun (Patrick Bishop) that his long-deceased twin brother is still alive. Part One of "The Golden Serpent" was scripted by Michael Seims, Ted Roberts, and Jeffrey M. Hayes, from a story by Seims. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide