Christopher Dark Movies

Officers Reed (Kent McCord) and Malloy (Martin Milner) have their hands full with a boisterous female alcoholic named Mae Pilaf (Norma Crane). After breaking up a barroom brawl in which Mae is involved, the two cops are summoned to an apartment where a shooting has occurred--and run into old Mae all over again. Can she be rehabilitated, or should Reed and Malloy just give Mae up as a bad job and move on to the next call? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jamison Fillmore (Richard Anderson), the crooked owner of a paddle-wheel steamboat, plans an aquatic escape after robbing the Ponderosa timber supplies and stealing a shipment of currency. Fillmore proves he's not kidding when he murders steamboat skipper Captain Larson (Karl Swenson), a friend of Ponderosa ranchhand Candy. Swearing revenge, Candy figures that the best way to catch a thief is to think like one. Also appearing are Sheila Larken as Julie, Kevin Hagen as Guy Gilray, and Christopher Dark as Testy. Filmed on location, "Showdown at Tahoe" was written by Thomas Thompson. The episode first aired on November 19, 1967, and was chosen for rebroadcast by NBC during the summer of 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on author James H. Tevis' Arizona in the 50s, The Tenderfoot stars Brandon De Wilde as young Tevis. With nothing more than a stetson, a gun, and three buddies, Tevis heads west to seek his destiny. Along the way, he befriends a crusty Army dragoons captain (James Whitmore), Kit Carson's black-sheep brother Mose (Brian Keith), and an itinerant musician-turned-trooper (Paul Durand). Tevis' adventures include the roundup of wild mustangs and a climactic horse race. Originally telecast in three parts on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color in October 1964, Tenderfoot was released theatrically overseas two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With his commanding officer killed and his subordinates disabled by a mine explosion, Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) is forced to complete his latest assignment alone. Entering a German-held village, Hanley is to locate and rescue a wounded OSS officer. His mission is complicated by a local youngster named Jacques Duval (Patrick Michenaud)--who has an entirely different agenda in mind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When his car runs out of gas on an oceanside road, Manuel Sanchez (Christopher Dark) shows up at the beach house owned by Karen Wilson (Inger Stevens), begging Karen to look after his girlfriend while he goes for gas. Not believing Manuel's story, Karen refuses -- and shortly afterward, Manuel's sweetheart is beaten to death. Suspecting that the killer is one of her neighbors, Karen ends up seeking protection from her friends, a group of handsome surfers. But as it turns out, Karen's fate rests in the hands of Manuel Sanchez -- who may be disinclined to accept such an "honor." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to arrange a jailhouse meeting between Nora Larson (Jacqueline Scott) and her husband Brian (Brian Larson), who has been condemned to death. Unfortunately, Nora has hatched a scheme whereby her husband will escape--and Paladin will hang in his place. Lon Chaney Jr. provides his usual quota of surly menace in the role of O'Connor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in panoramic Cinerama, this star-studded, epic Western adventure is a true cinematic classic. Three legendary directors (Henry Hathaway, John Ford, and George Marshall) combine their skills to tell the story of three families and their travels from the Erie Canal to California between 1839 and 1889. Spencer Tracy narrates the film, which cost an estimated 15 million dollars to complete. In the first segment, "The Rivers," pioneer Zebulon Prescott (Karl Malden) sets out to settle in the West with his wife (Agnes Moorehead) and their four children. Along with other settlers and river pirates, they run into mountain man Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), who sells animal hides. The Prescotts try to raft down the Ohio River in a raft, but only daughters Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) and Eve (Carroll Baker) survive. Eve and Linus get married, while Lilith continues on. In the second segment, "The Plains," Lilith ends up singing in a saloon in St. Louis, but she really wants to head west in a wagon train led by Roger Morgan (Robert Preston). Along the way, she's accompanied by the roguish gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck), who claims he can protect her. After he saves her life during an Indian attack, they get married and move to San Francisco. In the third segment, "The Civil War," Eve and Linus' son, Zeb (George Peppard), fights for the Union. After he's forced to kill his Confederate friend, he returns home and gives the family farm to his brother. In the fourth segment, "The Railroads," Zeb fights with his railroad boss (Richard Widmark), who wants to cut straight through Indian territory. Zeb's co-worker Jethro (Henry Fonda) refuses to cut through the land, so he quits and moves to the mountains. After the railway camp is destroyed, Zeb heads for the mountains to visit him. In the fifth segment, "The Outlaws," Lilith is an old widow traveling from California to Arizona to stay with her nephew Zeb on his ranch. However, he has to fight a gang of desperadoes first. How the West Was Won garnered three Oscars, for screenplay, film editing, and sound production. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Mayor Henderson (Arthur Franz) is up for an appointment to the state crime commission, but he is danger of being sabotaged by his overambitious wife Mona (Patricia Huston), who has been purloining city plans and passing them along to crooked real estate agent Tom Stratton (Edward Platt). Now Stratton is blackmailing Mona, hoping to enrich himself at Henderson's expense. When Mona is murdered, however, Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) bypasses both Henderson and Stratton and arrests Susan Connolly (played by future Oscar winner Louise Fletcher) for the crime. Thank heaven that Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is on hand to expose the real killer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The ugly consequences of bigotry are examined in this episode of Bonanza. Gene Evans plays Andrew Fulmer, who runs for mayor of Virginia City on a "hate all outsiders" platform. Backed up by hired thugs, Fulmer targets the town's Chinese population for his most violent persecution. The hostility reaches a fever pitch when, after trying to protect Sally Ridley (Pat Michon) from being mauled by two of Fulmer's hooligans (Ray Stricklyn, Christopher Dark), Jimmy Chong (Guy Lee) is accused of assaulting -- and then killing -- the girl. Helen Westcott co-stars as Amanda Ridley. First broadcast on January 30, 1960, "The Fear Merchants" was written by Fred Unger and Thomas Thompson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 14-season run of Bonanza began with this introductory episode, originally aired on September 12, 1959, entitled "A Rose for Lotta." Guest star Yvonne DeCarlo) plays renowned entertainer Lotta Crabtree, who finds herself duped into a plot against the Cartwright family and their ranch, the Ponderosa, located outside of Virginia City, Nevada. A cartel of businessmen led by Alpheus Troy (George Macready), Aaron Hopper (Barry Kelley) and George Garvey (Willis Bouchey), have been pressuring patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Green) to sign over all the timber on the Ponderosa, to provide lumber that is essential for the continued operation of their mines; but Ben is equally adamant in his opposition, as the trees are essential to the future of the ranch and the land. Troy decides to use Lotta Crabtree as bait, to entice one of the Cartwright sons into Virginia City, where he plans to take them hostage and force Ben Cartwright to deal. Hot-headed youngest son Joe Cartwright (Michael Landon) falls the hardest for Lotta, goes to call on her, and finds himself trapped. But Troy hasn't reckoned with how the Cartwrights stick together, how far Ben and older sons Adam (Pernell Roberts) and Hoss (Dan Blocker) will go to protect one of their own -- even facing down a hired killer -- or just how resourceful Joe can be, even on the run, unarmed, from a pair of thugs who don't seem bright enough to know that they need him alive, or to avoid wrecking half the town. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

A bitter feud in the New Mexico town of Santos has as its central figure a notorious Mexican gunman named Juan Carlos Morita (Christopher Dark). At first, Paladin (Richard Boone) is willing to help the townsfolk capture Morita, but he is quickly disgusted by their own acts of brutality. Ultimately, and after much unnecessary bloodshed, Morita strikes a deal with Paladin: He will hang up his guns if he is allowed to return to his home town and marry his sweetheart Maria (played by a young Suzanne Pleshette). Unfortunately, Maria has other plans--and Paladin finds himself up to his neck in another volatile situation! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Done up to look much older than his tender years, Buddy Hackett guest stars in this unusually violent segment of The Rifleman. Hackett plays uncouth Daniel Malakie, arriving in town to bail out his three hell-raising sons. When he learns that one of the sons, Ben (Christopher Dark), mistakenly shot and killed brother Stump (John Durren), Malakie goes after the man he believes responsible. This fine episode of the superior series was helmed by future ace director Arthur Hiller. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide