Henry Corden Movies

In one of his last TV roles, Sam Jaffe guest stars as Alex Zubatuk, a retired cobbler. When Zubatuk comes forth and confesses to a killing, detectives Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) are reluctant to take the old man at face value. And for good reason: what the viewer knows (but the detectives don't) is that the meek, self-deprecating Mr. Zubatuk is taking the rap to protect the grandson of his best friend Victor Karlinsky (Victor Karlinsky). The real killer is played by prolific character actor Zooey Hall, here billed as David Z. Hall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan and his crew hope to redirect a German rocket to their contacts in England so that the missile can be examined and duplicated. Unfortunately, Hogan finds himself up against two dilemmas: How to get the rocket into Stalag 13 and how to deal with mercurial Russian spy Marya (Nita Talbot), who is now the wife of German rocket designer Dr. Otto von Borneman (Henry Corden). Like so many other episodes of Hogan's Heroes, this one was written by Richard M. Powell. "The Kamikazes Are Coming" first aired on February 21, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This comedy begins when Peter Ingersoll (Jerry Lewis) hears from Dr. Carter (Peter Lawford) that he has only a few months to live. Peter's wife Nancy (Anne Francis) suggests her husband spend his remaining days fishing, so Peter embarks on a world-wide expedition, fishing in the most exotic locales at every corner of the globe. After running up over $100,000 on his credit card, Peter is surprised to see Dr. Carter, who has followed him to Lisbon. The good doctor informs Peter that a mistake has been made; he is not going to die. However, the shock of his credit card debt almost does kill him. He and the good doctor agree he should feign his demise in order to collect on the life insurance. Peter goes along with the plan until he discovers his wife and doctor are in cahoots and plan to use the money for themselves. Lewis provides his legendary physical comedy that has made him an international star, most notably in France. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Hogan must infiltrate a German hospital in order to contact one of the patients, a British agent (Forrest Compton) posing as a Nazi officer. To do this, Hogan convinces Klink that he has come down with a rare ailment known as "Polaris Extremis." Frequent Hogan's Heroes supporting player Henry Corden is cast as Dr. Klaus, while hefty comic actress Muriel Landers is seen as a nurse. Written by Harvey Bullock and R.S. Allen, "Up in Klink's Room" first aired on February 15, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Allies would like to locate the new Luftwaffe headquarters of famed WWI German flying ace General Von Richter (Henry Corden), aka "the Blue Baron." To realize this goal, Hogan persuades Klink to throw a gala party in Von Richter's honor. Cynthia Lynn, who played Klink's secretary Hilda during the series' first season, is here cast as a Mata Hari-like exotic dancer, while frequent Hogan's Heroes supporting player Celeste Yarnall plays a nanny. Written by Arthur Julian, "Will the Blue Baron Strike Again?" originally aired on December 14, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It had to happen: Jethro receives that dreaded wire from the government, informing him that he's been drafted. But does he shirk his duties? Not "gung-ho" Jethro, who is so thrilled at the prospect of serving his country that he rents a general's uniform and buys a genuine war-surplus tank! Bea Benaderet takes time off from her Petticoat Junction duties to recreate her characterization of Jethro's "Maw," Pearl Bodine. "Greetings From the President" originally aired on October 11, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unfortunately, the comedy in this film is just about as crummy as its title. On the bright side, it does feature a number of veterans from popular TV sitcoms. It is set in a run-down diner where a bumbling short-order cook and a klutzy waitress work. They are so terrible at their jobs that they soon lose them. Next the two go to help a pal run her recently inherited bookstore. There they found trouble when a Russian spy mistakenly identifies the former cook as a defecting cosmonaut. Meanwhile, two would-be bank robbers are secretly sneaking 'round the bookstore trying to tunnel into the bank vault next door. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

With the help of the Great Gazoo, Fred and Barney enjoy a winning streak at the local dinosaur races. Unfortunately, our heroes' good fortune does not rest well with the local bookies in general--and with a rather nasty character named Big Ed in particular. By the way, the voice of Big Ed is supplied by Henry Corden, who would eventually take over as the voice of Fred Flintstone upon the death of Alan Reed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With Bill returning home from an assignment in Beirut, Mr. French decides to impress his boss by cooking him an authentic Lebanese meal--and to that end he takes lessons from female restaurant owner Nural Shpeni (Magda Harout). Unfortunately, Nural's brothers insist that, according to Lebanese tradition, Mr. French is now obligated to marry their sister! It takes the wry diplomacy of another Lebanese gentleman, Dr. Sakis (Abraham Sofaer), to rescue Mr. French from a trip down the aisle. This episode is noteworthy for the fact that virtually every supporting character is Middle Eastern, including the cop on the beat (played by future Alice costar Vic Tayback; it also marks the final TV appearance of veteran character actor Nestor Paiva (Creature from the Black Lagoon et. al.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Flintstones ends its six-year run with a lengthy flashback sequence, obviously inspired by the popular comic-strip exploits of Snoopy and the Red Baron. Coming upon the diary of his grandfather Rocky Flintstones, a flying hero of Stone World War One, Fred imagines himself back to the wartime era, "casting" himself as Rocky, his pal Barney as copilot Lt. Reggie Vanderock, and his wife Wilma as slinky spy Mata Harrock. The villain of the piece is Baron von Rickenrock--and as it turns out at the end, the passage of time has not lessened the great rivalry between Rocky and the Baron. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Great Gazoo arranges for Fred to see how the "other half" lives by training him to enter high society. The first blow comes when Fred's friends and family members laugh out loud at his pretensions. But the real trouble begins when Bedrock's wealthy elite mistake Fred for visiting royalty. All ends happily in this, the 166th and final episode produced for the Flintstones series (but not the final one to be telecast). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kathleen Nolan guest stars as Gerry O'Toole, who shows up at the Stephenses' doorstep claiming to be Darrin's relative from Ireland. But Samantha knows better; Gerry is really an Irish wood nymph, determined to plague Darrin because of the sins of his ancestor, who killed Gerry's master, Rufus the Red (Michael Ansara). To set things right, Sam goes back in time to prevent the deadly deed. Written by Ed Jurist, "A Most Unusual Wood Nymph" originally aired on October 13, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide