Jay Simms Movies

Comedian Shelley Berman guest stars as the diminutive and deadly Dr. Toulouse, the inventor of the superstrength pill Vitamin Q. April and Mark head to Toulouse's Caribbean health spa in hopes of persuading the "good" doctor to sell his invention to UNCLE rather than THRUSH. Things don't go as planned, and before long April is facing an explosive demise at the hands of a fleet of tiny Toulouse replicas, while Mark is prepared as a guinea pig for the aforementioned pill. Yvonne DeCarlo chews the scenery as Toulouse's confidant Nadia Marcolesu, while future Grandma Walton Ellen Corby is seen as Mme. Bloor. Written by Jay Simms and Fred Eggars, "The Moulin Ruse Affair" originally aired on January 17, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

His gun hand crippled in a shootout with sodbuster Brock March (Chris Alcaide), ruthless land baron Colonel Draco (Warren Stevens) is determined to have his revenge. To this end, March hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to track down March and mete out "justice." Meanwhile, the nervous townspeople, led by kindly but two-fisted Brother Grace (George Kennedy), pray for a miracle of some sort to prevent any further violence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the wake of a nuclear war that wipes out 92 percent of the world's population, civilization rebuilds itself with the help of robots, which soon become sufficiently advanced to rival -- and then surpass -- the men and women that they are designed to serve. Of particular usefulness (and concern) are the robots series R-21 and above, designed specifically to mimick human form and communication -- the humanoid robots. Despite their distinctive appearance (no hair, blue-tinted skin), they intermingle freely with humans at work, and have been granted some very limited rights under the law. But a backlash has developed among the humans -- the robots are often routinely referred to disparagingly as "clickers," and some of the most militant opponents of the robots have organized The Order Of Flesh And Blood, a paramilitary vigilante group with its own intelligence, scientific, investigative, and surveillance services, all dedicated to limiting the presence, influence, and rights of the robots, in not eradicating them. One of their most active and ambitious members is Craigis (Don McGowan), a captain in the Order and also a top gerontologist in his professional life, who despises the humanoid robots for the threat he sees in their presence -- that with their physical and intellectual superiority, they force man to think less of himself, and to rely on the robots to do many of the tasks that man should do for himself. Craigis is more intelligent than a lot of his fellow Order members, who are little more than bully-boys throwing their weight around, but as such he also sees this struggle in more serious and dire terms than many of his colleagues. One night, while investigating a robot carrying a forged assignment card, he stumbles upon a series of events more ominous and astounding than any he could have anticipated -- a robot violates its First Law of behavior by murdering a man; and the robot committing the murder was designed to look and pass for human. Craigis feels he has stumbled onto something incredibly dangerous, but he is distracted from the implications of these events by news closer to home -- that his sister (Frances McCann) is now living in in an officially sanctioned raport with a "clicker." This sends him tearing off to her home ready to do violence. Craigis is still coping with his sister's choice of a partner, when he meets her friend Maxine (Erica Eliot), and the two discover a strange fascination with each other. As Craigis tries to sort out his feelings about this woman, and keep a perspective on everything he has discovered, he has no inkling of a revelations still to come, about the robots, and their plans, the reason behind them, or how close to home they already are. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Future Gunsmoke regular Ken Curtis makes a return appearance as Monk, the seedy, unkempt trail bum first introduced in the third-season episode "The Naked Gun". Arriving in San Francisco, Monk once again attaches himself to the reluctant Paladin (Richard Boone), once again seeking out the gunslinger's help. This time, Monk has inherited half of a Frisco saloon, and he wants to live long enough to enjoy his legacy--and, hopefully, to squire the beautiful Augusta (Lorna Thayer). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) ventures into the temporary tent-town of Borasca Bend, intending to return a pouch of gold. Instead, he is captured by the half-deranged prospectors who populate the town and charged with murdering one of their number. Subjected to a bizarre kangaroo court, Paladin must rely upon his wits to avoid ending up swinging from a rope. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Guest star Ken Curtis serves up a dry run for his "Festus" character on Gunsmoke as a grungy, highly eccentric Oregon cattle rustler named Monk. Attaching himself to Paladin (Richard Boone), Monk hopes that the gunslinger will protect him from Rook (Robert J. Wilke), a sadistic trail boss. Notorious for his trick shooting, Monk tries to goad Paladin into a showdown--but Paladin is not so easily goaded, at least not until the final scene. Stuntman and future film director Hal Needham appears in a small role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In The Giant Gila Monster, most of the plot is given over to a group of hot-rod enthusiasts, headed by nice-guy Chace Winstead (Don Sullivan), who sometimes breaks into song. Before long, the titular gila monster, which is just that -- a real gila monster -- is lumbering about on miniaturized sets terrorizing the community, killing at random, knocking over trains and barns, and in general making a nuisance of itself. When the monster threatens to devour Chace's kid sister, he attempts to dispatch the beast with a hot rod full of nitroglycerin. The Giant Gila Monster was originally released on a double bill with The Killer Shrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide