E. Jack Neuman Movies
This three-hour TV movie stars Sophia Loren as New Yorker Marianna Miraldo. Hurt and angered by her son's cocaine addiction, Marianna discovers that a close friend also has ties with the drug scene. After several of her imprisoned friend's associates try to contact him through her, the DEA persuades Marianna to aid them in an undercover operation headed by cop Bobby Jay (Billy Dee Williams). Despite the "don't get involved" admonitions of her husband (Hector Elizondo), Marianna agrees to cooperate with the DEA, if only for the sake of her son. This fact-based film, which first aired September 24, 1986, concludes with the feds closing in on a $3.5 billion cocaine ring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
- 1985
Adapted from a book by Joan Barthel, A Death in California is a harrowing two-part TV movie based on fact. Cheryl Ladd plays Hope Masters, a wealthy Beverly Hills woman who is forced to watch in mute horror as a criminal sociopath (Sam Elliot) murders her boyfriend (Granville Van Dusen). She is kidnapped by the killer and forced to accompany him on a long and grueling getaway trip. Despite repeated sexual assaults, Hope forms something of a bond with her kidnapper. He allows her to go free, but Hope's ordeal is far from over; when the killer is recaptured, both he and Hope are put on trial for murder. Despite the tawdry nature of the tale, Death in California is handled with taste and tact, allowing the weirder aspects of the case to speak for themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, Sam Elliott, (more)
- 1982
The two-part TV movie Inside the Third Reich was based on the extraordinary revelatory (if self-serving) autobiographical book by Albert Speer. Played herein by Rutger Hauer, Speer is a young man of privilege in pre-Hitler Germany who happens to be a brilliant architect. Becoming a member of Hitler's inner circle, Speer is appointed the Nazi regime's master builder. According to this film, Speer is egomaniacal and ambitious, but somewhat blinded to the inherent evils of Nazism. Though he'd later claim to be ignorant of Hitler's horrific policies aimed at the Jews, he was certainly aware of the use of Jewish prisoners as slave labor: as Germany's armaments minister during World War II, Speer exploited these enslaved unfortunates as much as anyone, if not more so. The cast includes Derek Jacobi as Hitler, Blythe Danner as Speer's wife Margarethe, John Gielgud as Speer's father, Ian Holm as Goebbels, Maurice Roeves as Hess, and George Murcell as Goering. Originally running 5 hours, Inside the Third Reich was filmed in Munich; it was first telecast on May 9 and 10, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Former policewoman Dorothy Uhnak wrote the book upon which this 150-minute TV movie was based. The central characters of Law and Order are the male members of an Irish-American family--three generations of police officers. The bulk of the drama concerns the conflicts between Deputy Chief of Public Affairs Brian O'Malley (Darren McGavin) and his Vietnam-vet son (Art Hindle), who has become a beat cop. In addition to his problems at home, Chief O'Malley must contend with rumors of departmental corruption. Law and Order was designed as the pilot film for a Police Story-style series with a family slant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Anne Meara stars as Denver lawyer Kate McShane in this pilot film for the weekly CBS series of the same name. With the help of her two favorite "leg men" -- her ex-cop father, Pat (Sean McClory), and her Jesuit priest-law professor brother, Ed (Randy Quaid) -- Kate not only defends accused murderers, but also endeavors to solve the cases herself without the help of the authorities. Kate is determined to reduce the charge against her wealthy client, Charlotte Randall Chase (Christine Belford), from murder to manslaughter -- even if means putting the victim "on trial" himself. Cal Bellini co-stars as Kate's cynical partner, Angelo Romero. Another of the many "ethnic detective" TV projects of the era (Kate is Irish, in case there is any doubt), the Kate McShane pilot first aired on April 11, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This suspense film is about a lawyer who defends a high-society woman charged with killing her husband. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Joseph Wambaugh, the ex-cop turned novelist whose Police Story began its TV run in 1973, was responsible for the like-vintage TV miniseries The Blue Knight. William Holden stars as Bumper Morgan, a 50 year old cop on the verge of mandatory retirement. Morgan's last four days with the LAPD are packed with incident, notably the trackdown of the brutal murderer of a prostitute. Lee Remick plays Morgan's faithful lady friend, who is anxious for her man to retire but who will tolerate no criticism from anyone of the job the police are doing. Emmies went to William Holden, director Robert Butler and editors Marjorie and Gene Fowler Jr., while Lee Remick received an Emmy nomination. The film itself is derivative at times (one chunk of dialogue is lifted bodily from the Jane Fonda vehicle Klute), but otherwise is as realistic a portrayal of police work as TV censors would allow in 1973. Originally telecast in four one-hour installments, Blue Knight was cut to 103 minutes for syndication; a second Blue Knight TV movie, filmed in 1975 and starring George Kennedy as Bumper Morgan, served as the pilot for a short-lived TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Originally networkcast on March 20, 1973, Police Story was the 2-hour pilot for the long running anthology weekly which officially debuted seven months later. Created by novelist (and ex-police officer) Joseph Wambaugh, Police Story was set in Los Angeles, and each week detailed a different aspect of law enforcement work. In the pilot, Vic Morrow stars as a hard-nosed cop assigned to a unit devoted to stopping felonies in progress. Morrow's principal reason for being is to bring to justice an elusive veteran criminal named "Slow Boy," portrayed by Chuck Connors. This initial Police Story entry was rerun September 26, 1973, one week before the premiere of the series proper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
This TV movie was the pilot for a series that would have been titled The Prosecutors...had it sold. David Canary and Robert Pine play two green law school graduates, sent to work at the Department of Justice's office in Manhattan. The standard-issue "gruff but lovable" father figure is US attorney James Olson (who would have been the star of the subsequent series). The first case-load: Getting the goods on a mafia boss, while simultaneously exposing City Hall corruption and tracking down a narcotics operation. Richard Castellano, late of The Godfather, shows up as a minor mafioso. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Also known as Cross Current, The Cable Car Murder emulates the 1971 theatrical feature Tick, Tick, Tick by teaming a black homicide lieutenant (Robert Hooks) with a white partner (Jeremy Slate). Simon Oakland costars as the team's apoplectic superior (is there any other kind?) Set in San Francisco, the story involves the cable-car murder of a shipping mogul's son, which was committed in broad daylight. Is Special Guest Star Robert Wagner the guilty party? Designed as the pilot for a TV series, Cable Car Murder received very little word of mouth when it premiered on November 19, 1971; after all, everyone was still talking about Steven Spielberg's Duel, which received its first telecast six days earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
In this thriller a police detective must find a renegade assassin who is not only wanted by the cops, he is also wanted by his bosses at Murder, Inc. Conspiracy abounds as the hitman controls other assassin's who keep the police preoccupied by their attempts on the life of a multimillionaire. The film climaxes with an exciting car crash. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this spy thriller, Robert Vaughn, who then starring on TV's The Man from U.N.C.L.E., plays Bill Fenner, an ex-CIA agent who is called upon by his former boss, Frank Rosenfeld (Ed Asner), to investigate an apparent murder-suicide in Vienna. An American diplomat exploded a bomb at a peace conference, killing himself and all the attendees. Rosenfeld fired Fenner because his wife, Sandra Fane (Elke Sommer), was unmasked as a Communist. Now Rosenfeld tells Fenner that his wife may have been involved with Soviet agents behind the Vienna incident. Fenner eventually finds Sandra, who is hiding from the real bombing culprit, Robert Wahl (Karl Boehm). The story was based on a novel by Helen MacInnes. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Vaughn, Elke Sommer, (more)
- 1960
The past and present collide with poignant results in this handsomely mounted Twilight Zone episode. Brian Aherne stars as aging Broadway matinee idol Booth Templeton, who is unable to give his full attention to his latest play because of his obsession with the past in general and his late wife Laura (Pippa Scott) in particular. Miraculously, Templeton is transported back to the 1920s for a reunion with his beloved Laura, which proves to be an eye-opener in more ways than one. Future film director Sydney Pollack is cast here as an abrasive stage director named Willis, a character whom scriptwriter E. Jack Neuman and director Buzz Kulik patterned after pioneer live-TV producer Fred Coe. "The Trouble with Templeton" was first telecast on December 9, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Aherne, Pippa Scott, (more)
- 1960
Newly released from prison, Frank O'Dean (Harry Guardino) would like to go straight, but is forced into working for the illicit slot-machine operation run by Augie Viale (John Beradino). It turns out that Viale has a powerful hold on O'Dean: he knows that Frank's daughter, who is convinced that her father died a war hero, is about to marry into a respectable society family. Rather than ruin his daughter's chances at happiness, O'Dean agrees to play ball with Viale--while Elliot Ness (Robert Stack), who senses that Frank is a decent guy despite his criminal record, does what he can to turn the hapless ex-convict against his boss. A powerful finale caps this curiously sentimental (but still extremely violent) episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Guest star Larry Gates is cast as Jacob Darien, the leader of a Quaker sect which has purchased land in California. While crossing the Ponderosa in a special wagon transporting the money for the land transaction, Jacob's daughter Regina (Patricia Donahue) persuades her father to have Adam and Hoss Cartwright act as escorts for the Quaker wagon train. Accompanying the Cartwright boys is Adam's new friend Sam Bond (Dennis Patrick)-who secretly schemes to steal the Quakers' funds at the first opportunity. Rounding out the supporting cast is Charles Maxwell as Shenandoah. First broadcast on October 8, 1960, "The Hopefuls" was written by E. Jack Neumann. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1955
As a blistering heat wave holds Dodge City in thrall, and Matt Dillon (James Arness) must prevent an other decent man named Rance Bradley (James Westerfield) from becoming a murderer. Bradley has accused low-life gunslinger Cope Borden (John Dehner) of being a horse thief, an offense punishable by hanging. No sooner has Borden been cleared of this charge than he kills Bradley's nephew in self defense. Though Matt hates the despicable Borden as much as anyone, he is duty-bound to save the man from a lynch mob organized by the grieving Bradley. This is the Gunsmoke episode in which Matt Dillon first utters the immortal line "Get out of Dodge!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
