Ken Kolb Movies
Michael Ritchie's The Couch Trip follows a long line of Hollywood films (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Disorderly Orderly) in which the psychos are seen as saner than the psychiatrists. Charles Grodin plays Dr. George Maitlin, a pompous radio self-help guru, who is having his own personal mental breakdown. Maitlin's lawyer puts in a call to a Cicero, IL, mental facility and the telephone is answered by schizophrenic mental patient John Burns (Dan Aykroyd). Thinking Burns is a crony of Maitlin, Burns is offered the job of replacing Maitlin during his recovery. Of course, Burns accepts the job. Immediately jetted to Los Angeles, Burns meets panhandler Donald Becker (Walter Matthau) at the airport. While wearing the garb of a priest, Becker sounds off against the madness of societal conventions; Burns takes to him immediately and they become fast friends. When Burns assumes command of the airwaves in Maitlin's place, his words of wisdom are so obvious and commonsensical that he is an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, in London, where Maitlin is convalescing, he gets wind of Burns' success. With renewed vigor and outrage, Maitlin leaves his recovery room and hops on a plane back to Los Angeles in an effort to recover his radio show. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, (more)
- 1988
- R
This interesting fusion of the horror and Western genres involves a modern-day sheriff (Franc Luz) whose search for a missing heiress leads him into the title locale, a frontier-age Arizona township whose residents are cursed with immortality. He eventually discovers that the abductee (Catherine Hickland) has been spirited off to the lair of an evil black-clad gunslinger (Jimmie F. Skaggs), who sees her as the reincarnation of the dance-hall girl he murdered a hundred years before. Excellent photography by Mac Ahlberg and a gritty Sergio Leone-inspired ambience lend a great deal of quality to this otherwise mundane production from Charles Band's outfit, which is saddled with a weak script that fails to put its unique concept to adequate use. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franc Luz, Catherine Hickland, (more)
This '80s follow-up to The Wizard of Oz is based upon two of L. Frank Baum's later Oz books. In Return to Oz (a version that may be a bit too scary for young children), Auntie Em sends Dorothy to a sanitarium where hopefully she will clear her head from all of the "Oz nonsense." This doesn't work, for soon Dorothy manages to return to Oz, but things have definitely changed. She finds her old friends turned to stone and discovers that the awful Nome King has taken over Oz. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, (more)
- 1974
Ironside (Raymond Burr) is reunited with his old friend Dr. Juan Domingo (Desi Arnaz), an eccentric Cuban-born doctor currently residing in a small California town. When not being sidetracked by an odd assortment of patients (which include an expectant duck!), Dr. Domingo likes to dabble in crime-solving, much to the dismay of his nurse Big Sue (Linda Foster) and local police chief Cardiff (L.Q. Jones). At the moment, the good doctor is trying to prove that an alleged heart attack victim was actually murdered while flying his own plane. This episode was originally the pilot for a potential Desi Arnaz detective series called Dr. Domingo, which unfortunately failed to make a network sale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In this offbeat crime adventure, a downhill ski instructor at an Alpine resort involves himself in a conspiracy to rob the bank that lies in the resort town nearby. The heist is a success until a dogged insurance investigator threatens to reveal their identities unless they give him the loot. They hand it over and then realize that he was a phony. The three decide to split up. The ski instructor boards a train and who should be on it but the bogus detective. It turns out that the two of them had been in cahoots all along. The instructor is played by Jean-Claude Killy, an Olympic Skiing champion and the detective is played by famous Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Sica. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
"Movies like Getting Straight are ceasing to be tolerable" complained one conservative movie magazine of 1970. Today, the once-relevant but now merely entertaining Getting Straight is not only tolerable, but downright user-friendly. Elliot Gould plays a Vietnam vet who decides to attend college after his tour of duty. Though much too old and worldly to truly fit in with the naive flower-power generation, Gould becomes swept up in the various activist movements on campus. The leading character's crisis of conscience concerns his field of study: he wants to be a teacher for idealistic reasons, while his Establishment professors try to convince him that it's just another job, and hardly the best one at that. He finally chooses which side he's on while attempting to act as a mediator between students and faculty during a campus riot. Candice Bergen plays Gould's girlfriend, while Robert F. Lyons steals every scene he's in as a draft dodger who'll go to any lengths to avoid military service. Getting Straight represents the final screen appearance of Cecil Kellaway, here cast as a hidebound tenured professor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, Candice Bergen, (more)
- 1965
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) finds himself on the horns of an ironic dilemma. Pornographer Bert Anslem (James Gregory), against whom the FBI has been trying to build a case for months, has been kidnapped by career criminal Nick Kirby (Robert Doyle), who demands a $100,000 ransom. This places Erskine in the position of having to rescue Anslem--while simultaneously preventing the man's inevitable flight from the FBI's jurisdiction. Jill Haworth, who created the role of Sally Bowles in the original Broadway production of "Cabaret", appears as Anslem's daughter. (Note: some sources have incorrectly identified this episode as "To Free Mine Enemy"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are on the prowl for the criminals who have been robbing all-night restaurants throughout LA. As usual, Friday demands "just the facts"--and he gets them from one robbery victim, who supplies serial numbers for the stolen cash. This episode features a rare sympathetic portrayal by veteran movie and TV "heavy" Ben Welden, who is perhaps best known for his recurring appearances on the original Superman series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are contacted by an accident-insurance adjuster, who is convinced that some claimants are trying to defraud his company. These claimants have all shown up with highly suspicious-looking injuries--and all have been treated by the same doctor. Featured in the cast is veteran actor Ian Keith, who had been portraying charming scoundrels ever since the early-talkie era. Also briefly seen is writer-comedian and longtime Jerry Lewis collaborator Bill Richmond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are assigned to round up a bookie ring. The trail of clues leads the detective to a major metropolitan hospital. Can it be that one of the bookies has infiltrated this establishment--posing as a doctor? This episode features a fascinating performance by familiar horror-film habitue Robert Clarke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Once again, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) leave the confines of their downtown police station to venture into the wilds of Hollywood. 16-year-old movie starlet Joan Hamblin (Norma Eberhardt) has reported that a forged check has somehow shown up in her bank account. Can it be that someone within the girl's "trusted" entourage is taking advantage of her celebrity? (Coincidentally, some of the best lines in this episode go to Ben Alexander--who had once been a child movie star himself). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Elderly Alter Fortner (Ralph Moody) tells Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) that he has lost his wallet, which contained a huge amount of money. But when a wallet matching the description is recovered, Fortner abruptly changes his story, no only insisting that the wallet is not his but also denying that he ever reported it missing in the first place. Could Fortner's change of heart have anything to do with a family of French emigres named Velard? Featured in the supporting cast is child actor Bobby Crawford, then concurrently costarring in the ABC western series The Rifleman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate when an antique dealer loses $200 to a con artist. Posing as a police officer, the sharpster convinces his victims that they are holding counterfeit money, which he is duty-bound to "confiscate." But the criminal has already outsmarted himself by assuming the identity of his wife's police-sergeant uncle--who happens to be long dead. This black and white episode is one of a handful that has fallen into public domain, and is thus readily available to collectors of "classic" VHS and DVD compilations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Paladin's suspicions are aroused when his favorite tailor is killed in an "accident" shortly after purchasing a gold mine. Believing that the tailor was murdered for his gold, Paladin (Richard Boone) is assured that this is not the case, inasmuch as the mine is deemed worthless. Why, then, have several of the dead man's heirs also been systematically decimated in similar "accidents"? Featured in the cast are cult favorite Susan Cabot and prolific B-western star Bob Steele. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
"The Bostonian" is Henry Prince (Harry Townes), who with his wife Gloria (Constance Ford) has journeyed west to seek his fortune. Almost immediately upon arrival in Nevada, Prince incurs the wrath of greedy cattleman Clint Bryant (Joe Bryant) by purchasing a valuable and much-coveted piece of property. Paladin (Richard Boone), who to no one's surprise also has roots in Boston, comes to Prince's defence when Bryant decides to declare all-out war on the hapless Easterner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
While searching for a missing man named James Baker, Paladin stops for water at the lavish Mexican hacienda of wealthy Mexican silver miner Don Francisco (Donald Randolph). Impressed by Paladin's gunfighting credentials, Don Francisco hires him to escort a valuable silver shipment. But upon witnessing his host's cruel treatment of servant girl Lupita (Babara Luna), Paladin begins to harbor doubts concerning Don Francisco--and his suspicions are confirmed when he discovers that James Baker had died "accidentally" while laboring in the Mexican millionaire's silver mines! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Sam Peckinpah, future auteur of such classic cinematic shoot-em-ups as Major Dundee and The Wild Bunch, was coscripter of this wickedly ironic episode. Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired by Rod Blakely (Richard Long), an idealistic young man who was recently jilted by his fiancee, professional singer Faye Hollister (Joan Weldon). Insisting that Faye has been forced to marry ruthless rancher Peter Hollister (Denver Pyle) against her will, Blakely wants Paladin to fend off Hollister's hired guns so that he can have a brief heart-to-heart talk with Faye. As it turns out, however, Blakely and Hollister have fallen for a woman who is unworthy of both of them! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Taking a brief respite from professional gunslinging, Paladin (Richard Boone) opts instead for the more pleasurable pursuit of judging a wine exhibit. Unfortunately, gunplay is lurking around the corner, thanks to an Irish-born oil driller named Tim Gorman (Richard Shannon). Insisting that Gorman's oil rigs are polluting his vineyard, Italian winemaker Renato Donatello (Eduardo Ciannelli) asks Paladin to intervene--with the expected violent results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this variation on a theme explored in the classic western Red River, Paladin (Richard Boone) decides to intervene when he sees a middle-aged man and a teenager squaring off for a gunfight. Thinking that he has saved the boy from a grisly fate, Paladin soon learns that it is the older man who really needs protection. It seems that the man in question is a wealthy rancher, and the teenager is an orphan boy whom he raised as a son--and who now demands a huge portion of his foster-father's wealth. In the final analysis, it is Paladin who must prevent both antagonists from killing each other and causing a lot of grief for a number of innocent bystanders! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Whilst Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) is on his way to Baghdad, transporting the Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant), who is to become his bride and secure peace between her kingdom and his, the ship encounters the isle of Colossa. Sinbad and his men are attacked by a gigantic, bestial one-eyed Cyclops, and are saved only when the mysterious magician Sokurah (Torin Thatcher) appears and uses a magic lamp to protect Sinbad's men. But in the process of escaping harm, Sokurah loses the lamp to the Cyclops. He desperately wants to retrieve it and tries to persuade Sinbad to put about and return to Colossa -- but the captain won't jeopardize the safety of the princess or the success of his mission, and the Caliph of Baghdad (Alec Mango) feels the same way, even after Sokurah amazes the court by conjuring up a snake-woman. It is only when the princess is shrunk by an evil spell, the breaking of which requires the shell from the egg of the giant Roc -- which resides on Colossa -- that Sokurah can get his expedition mounted, with Sinbad in command. With a crew made up of a handful of his bravest men and some of the most desperate convicts in the Caliph's prison, he has to contend with potential mutiny at every turn, and the men are driven almost to madness before they even reach Colossa. Once there, they find terrors as great as the Cyclops and the treachery of the magician, but Parisa -- in her tiny state -- also discovers the beautiful world inside the lamp, and the lonely boy genie (Richard Eyer) who inhabits it. They strike the bargain that, when Sinbad's bravery is added to the equation, will bring their quest to an end. If, that is, they can all survive the dangers that Sokurah puts in their path. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, (more)
- 1958
Paladin (Richard Boone) forms a brief partnership with an old pal, fight promoter Joe Rolland (George E. Stone). The promoter's current client has been slated to box a brutal Welsh heavyweight named Oren Gilliam (Don Megowan), who notoriously ignores the Marquis of Queensbury rules. Alas, Paladin's boy is arrested by the local sheriff just before the match, forcing the gunslinger to strip to the waist and face off against Gilliam himself! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Paladin (Richard Boone) generously allows homeless newlyweds Hank and Janie Bosworth (Paul Jasmin and Jacqueline Mayo) to use his hotel suite for their honeymoon. Upon learning that Hank's half-brothers intend to do harm to the groom's elderly father Rupe Bosworth (played by Parker Fennelly, best known for his portrayal of dry-witted Titus Moody on radio's Fred Allen Show), Paladin rides off to warn the elder Bosworth of the danger. Ultimately, Paladin must help the aphasiatic Rufe prove that he is mentally competent to retain ownership of his land. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
After the death of his son, Wealthy San Franciscan Martin Westropova (Carl Benton Reid) wants to get in touch with his daughter-in-law, whom he has never met. Hired to located the missing girl, Paladin (Richard Boone) finds he has his hands full when two different women step forward and claim to be Isobella Westropova. One of the two girls (Betsy Von Furstenberg) seems to be the genuine article--but Paladin suspects that there's dirty work afoot. This episode was directed by the great Lewis Milestone, who'd previously helmed such classic Hollywood films as All Quiet on the Western Front and of Of Mice and Men (the 1939 version). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Dragnet switches to "living color" for its eighth season (though existing episodes are in black-in-white), and that's not the only big change: dedicated police detective Joe Friday (Jack Webb has been promoted to lieutenant, while his longtime partner Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) now wears a sergeant's badge. Lieutenant Friday and Sergeant Smith's first case is a nasty one indeed, involving a battered child, a terrified wife, and a viciously abusive husband. And this time around, not even Friday's obligatory "Jesus speech" is enough to make the brutish husband realize the error of his ways! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Two men have been committing robberies throughout Los Angeles. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) have a single solid clue to go on: One of the bandits has huge feet--and he wears a pair of distinctively fancy cowboy boots. Joby Baker delivers another of his patented Dragnet portrayals as a young man with big problems. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
