John Mantley Movies

Whether or not one thinks that MacGyver was the best TV adventure hero to come down the pike, one cannot dispute that he was one of the most inventive and resourceful. Played by Richard Dean Anderson, MacGyver (we never knew he had a first name -- "Angus" -- until the series' last season!) was a former Special Ops agent who worked as a troubleshooter for the Phoenix Foundation, a private concern devoted to capturing evildoers and righting wrongs. Seldom resorting to fisticuffs or any other sort of violence, MacGyver preferred to reason his way out his various and sundry predicaments. Using his awesome backlog of scientific knowhow -- not to mention his ever-present Swiss Army Knife and roll of duct tape -- MacGyver was able to fashion a bomb out of an ordinary cold capsule, a lock pick out of a broken light bulb, a paper clip as a blocking device on a "killer" computer, a kitchen fan to stave off a helicopter attack...and he was able to do all of this in the same amount of time that it would take a normal person to blink! Peter Thornton (Dana Elcar) was MacGyver's contact man at the Foundation, a job he was able to do with utmost efficiency even as he began losing his sight in later episodes (just as actor Elcar himself was going progressively blind). Aiding and abetting MacGyver from time to time were fellow Phoenix operative (and the hero's sometimes love interest) Nikki Carpenter (Elyssa Davalos), his reckless pilot buddy Jack Dalton (Bruce McGill), and teenager Lisa ( Mayim Balik), a reformed "runaway." Occasionally complicating and interfering with MacGyver's life and work, albeit in a well-meaning fashion, was kooky artist Penny Parker (Teri Hatcher). And on the flip side, there was the sinister Murdoc (Michael Des Barres), a surly hit man who adopted all manner of disguises, and who seemed to live only to put MacGyver out of existence. Though generally MacGyver was escapist fare, the series tackled a number of serious social issues, ranging from racism to the environment. And in the final episode, MacGyver was surprised to learn that he had a son named Sam Malloy (Dalton James), who was eager and willing to join his dad on all future adventures. Debuted September 29, 1985, on ABC, MacGyver lasted seven seasons, ending its run on August 8, 1992. Two made-for-TV movies based on the series aired in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

That Gunsmoke was the longest-running dramatic series in TV history was common knowledge by the time the program entered its nineteenth season in the fall of 1973. What few could have predicted that year was Gunsmoke's unassailable popularity despite its age, as proven by the fact that it would rank as the season's 15th highest-rated program, outranking such favorites as Good Times, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco and The Carol Burnett Show. Fewer still could possibly imagine that this would be the final season for one of the series' three original stars. No, James Arness hadn't hung up his guns in the role of Marshal Matt Dillon, despite his yearly song-and-dance about retiring, which was generally staged in order to secure a better financial deal from CBS. Nor was Milburn Stone preparing to take down his shingle as Doc Adams, even though he had not entirely recovered from the heart attack that had briefly sidelined him in 1971. It was Amanda Blake,who since the show's inception in 1955 had brought her unique combination of ethereal beauty and earthy practicality to the role of golden-hearted saloon owner Kitty Russell, who was preparing to make her exit. Nothing was said about Kitty's imminent departure in Blake's final regular Gunsmoke episode "Disciple"; in fact, it would not be until the made-for-TV movie sequel Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge in 1987 that we found out Kitty had left Dodge to start life anew in New Orleans. (Ironically, "Disciple" was written in such a manner to suggest that it was actually James Arness' swan song--which of course proved not to be the case!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Seventeen seasons and 540 episodes since it burst on the TV scene as the first truly "adult" western back in 1955, Gunsmoke returned with 24 all-new episodes in the fall of 1971. Amazingly, two of the original regulars are still on tap: James Arness as US Marshal Matt Dillon of Dodge City, and Amanda Blake as golden-hearted saloon owner Miss Kitty Russell; also, Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen and Buck Taylor as Newly O'Brien are back in the saddle, having been with the series for ten and five seasons, respectively. Conspicuous by his absence for during the first few months of Season Seventeen is Milburn Stone as cantankerous Doc Adams. Having suffered a heart attack, Stone went on a brief hiatus, replaced in seven consecutive episodes by Pat Hingle as Dr. John Chapman, who makes his first appearance in the appropriately titled episode "New Doctor in Town (it was explained that Doc had to go to Baltimore to "update" his medical skills). Stone returned in the season's 12th installment "Gold Train", Part One of the only three-part story in Gunsmoke history. Nor is Pat Hingle the only prominent actor to make a guest appearance this season. Others include Mercedes McCambridge, Ellen Burstyn, Jan-Michael Vincent, Richard Kiley, Pippa Scott, Buddy Ebsen, Harry Carey Jr., Henry Jones, and Jeanette Nolan, in a reprise of her colorful "Dirty Sally" characterization. Gunsmoke closed out its record-breaking seventeenth season as the fourth highest-rated TV series in America--beating out even its NBC competition, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rescued from cancellation when it was moved from Saturdays to Mondays during its thirteen season, the venerable TV western Gunsmoke continued to steadily climb in the ratings throughout the next two years, and by the time Season Fifteen rolled around the series was the second most popular TV program in America, beaten out only by its Monday-night competition Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. There are three essential elements keeping Gunsmoke afloat in its fifteenth year on the air: The consistent excellence of the scripts, the brilliantly chosen supporting players, and of course the irresistible chemistry amongst its leading players. James Arness (Matt Dillon), Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) and Milburn Stone (Doc) had been with the show since its inception in 1955; Ken Curtis (Festus Haggen) was entering his eighth season with the series, and his sixth as a full-fledged costar; and Buck Taylor (Newly O'Brien) had registered so well during his two years on Gunsmoke that he was finally afforded billing in the opening credits this year. Incredibly, CBS was determined that the 15th season of Gunsmoke would be its last--not because of any falloff of viewership, but because it "skewed old" so far as sponsors were concerned. The network was in the process of "de-ruralizing" itself, and over the next two years would drop such longtime favorites as The Beverly Hillbillies and The Ed Sullivan Show in order to clear the way for hipper, "younger" shows that would appeal to a more urban audience. As it turned out, however, Gunsmoke would be spared the axe by a widespread grass-roots campaign to keep the show on the air--a movement that went all the way to Washington DC, with a statement bemoaning the series' imminent demise entered into the Congressional Record! Needless to say, when the fans spoke, CBS listened, and Gunsmoke was at the very last moment renewed for a 16th season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite stiff competition from NBC's top-rated Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, the venerable CBS western Gunsmoke continued to flourish in its (relatively) new Monday-night timeslot during its 14th season on the air, finishing the year as America's sixth most popular TV program, with a 24.9 ratings share. Still at peak form were the series' veteran stars James Arness as Matt Dillon, Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams and Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen, with relative newcomer Buck Taylor no less impressive in the role of garrulous gunsmith Newly O'Brien. Also, though the program had started way back in the censor-ridden 1950s, Gunsmoke had admirably grown and matured with changing times, offering hard-hitting episodes about racial prejudice, sexual harrassment, child abuse, alcoholism and other social ills that were just as timely in Dodge City of the 1870s as they were in the United States of the late 1960s. Among the talented actors appearing in guest roles in the 26 episodes comprising Season Fourteen are future Dallas patriarch Jim Davis, octogenarian character man Burt Mustin (playing a man even older than himself!), John Ford "regular" Harry Carey Jr., longtime Michael Landon costar and associate Victor French, soon-to-be Police Squad stalwart Leslie Nielsen, and the ubiquitous Bruce Dern, who seems to have appeared in every TV western ever made except for The Cisco Kid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rescued from cancellation by an eleventh-hour decision from CBS president William Paley, Gunsmoke entered its 13th season in a brand-new timeslot: Monday evenings at 7:30 PM, rather than Saturdays at 10. It was felt that an earlier slot would attract younger fans and stronger sponsors; and besides, the only real competition at that time was NBC's The Man From UNCLE, which was dying on the vine in its fourth and final season. However, NBC pulled a fast one by cancelling UNCLE in January of 1968 and replacing it with Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, which turned out to be the "hottest" show of the year. Even so, Paley's instincts were right on target: Despite Laugh-In's spectacular ratings ascendancy, Gunsmoke performed better than it had in years, ending the season as network television's fourth most popular series. Nor was it only the timeshift that brought Gunsmoke back from the dead. With the dismissal of producer Philip Leacock, whose executive decisions had met with wide disfavor not only with the series' fans but also with its four main stars, Gunsmoke became the creative responsibility of John Mantley, who'd been on the producing staff since 1965. Quickly, Mantley repaired much of the damage incurred during the past few seasons by hiring writers who were simpatico with the established Gunsmoke format in particular and the "adult western" genre in general, and paring down the use of celebrity guest stars who, in the past, had only been sporadically effective within the show's framework. Also, Mantley managed to hire one of the series' most welcome cast additions: Buck Taylor as Dodge City's new gunsmith Newly O'Brien, a man of infinite resourcefulness--as he proved in his debut episode "The Plunderers", in which he used his wits to save both himself and Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) from a dangerous pack of bandits--and unlimited charm. Although actor Taylor (the son of veteran western sidekick Dub Taylor) had appeared only once before on Gunsmoke in a villainous role, he adapted to the series like a fish to water, more than holding his own with veteran series stars James Arness (Marshal Matt Dillon), Milburn Stone (Doc Adams), Ken Curtis (Festus Haggen) and the aforementioned Amanda Blake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

By the time Gunsmoke entered its record-breaking eleventh season in the fall of 1965, the series had past beyond the realm of ordinary western and into the lofty heights of American institution. Unfortunately, its ratings were not quite so lofty: The series had long ago relinquished the Number One slot to rival western Bonanza, and had dropped to 30th place, just belong the juvenile adventure series Flipper. Blame for this cannot be laid at the feet of its ever-reliable leading players, James Arness (Matt Dillon), Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty), or Milburn Stone (Doc Adams), nor the newest member of the regular cast, Ken Curtis as erstwhile deputy Festus Haggen. Rather, the series' drop in viewership and quality was most likely the result of new producer Philip Leacock's habit of hiring writers who seemed either uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the established Gunsmoke formula, and with his over-reliance upon celebrity guest stars. Some of these players, notably Forrest Tucker, John Saxon, Michael Ansara, James Gregory, Darren McGavin, Lee Van Cleef and James Whitmore, adapted quite well to their surroundings; others (and why mention names?) did not. This season marks the first time that all four of the main Gunsmoke actors are billed in the opening credits, rather than just James Arness. Also, the design of the closing titles was altered, replacing the standard line art of the Dodge City skyline with photographs of the various artifacts found in Matt Dillon's office--including that old, battered coffeepot. Finally, in an ongoing effort to provide the series with a tall, good-looking male supporting character (Burt Reynolds had long since left the series), Roger Ewing was cast as Thad Greenwood, a gangly townsman who occasionally aided Matt and Festus in tracking down miscreants. Unfortunately, Ewing's character was uncompelling and vaguely defined, and by the end of Season Eleven he was gone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In Volume 35 of a collection culled from the 1963-1965 science fiction anthology television series, a two-dimensional alien finds himself transported to Earth. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In his second Untouchables appearance, Lee Marvin is disturbingly convincing as Victor Rate, a brilliant psychopath in cahoots with narcotics kingpin Arnold Stegler (Victor Jory). A cool customer who gets his kicks by deliberately placing himself in dangerous situations, Rate has no qualms about gunning down a government agent in broad daylight, then loading 50,000 pounds of opium onto a truck while the terrified witnesses look on in amazement. To bring this human monster to justice, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) employs the services of a movie cameraman, a professional lipreader...and Arnold Stegler, who in a futile effort to get himself off the hook ends up signing his own death warrant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ubiquitous Untouchables guest star Nehemiah Persoff makes his final appearance as criminal mastermind Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik. Determined to drive Guzik out of the bootlegging business, Elliot Ness secretly begins supplying Jake's rivals with illegal booze. Ness hopes this heightened competition will force Guzik to import a huge new shipment of liquor, thereby bringing the crook out in the open so the Feds can close in. Knowing that Ness is watching every move he makes, Guzik enters into an unholy alliance with an old enemy, "Bugs" Moran, to ship in the liquor undetected. Problem is, Moran still holds Guzik partly responsible for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre which wiped out Bug's gang--and worse, so does a vengeful young punk whose thirst for vengeance will bring about practically everyone's downfall. Appearing as Bugs Moran in this episode is Harry Morgan (Dragnet, M*A*S*H, succeeding such previous Morans as Lloyd Nolan and Robert J. Wilke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Boxing manager Barney Jurow (Harold J. Stone) smells a rat when one of his fighters is killed in the ring--and an autopsy reveals that the kid was pumped full of morphine. Unfortunately, Jurow can't go to Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) with his suspicions without running the risk of having his wife (Viveca Lindfors) deported as an illegal alien. So, Barney keeps his mouth shut--but this isn't enough for the mobsters who ordered his boy's death, who proceed to kill the trainer responsible for the doping and framing Jurow for the crime. This episode was originally scheduled to air on April 6, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nick Moses (Harry Guardino) breaks the code of the Mob by bumping off another gangster without permission. Grimly, Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) informs Moses that the only way he can save himself is to assassinate Federal agent Elliot Ness--and he is given a very limited space of time to pull off the deed. Featured in the cast of this nailbiter are Peter Mamakos and Herman Rudin, playing the same two hoodlums (albeit with different character names) whom we saw Frank Nitti gun down in a barbershop in the series' very first episode "The Empty Chair". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide