Quinn Martin Movies

In this made-for-TV pilot film, Donna Mills stars as the title character, an undercover cop on the run after the mob frames her for murder. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV film later adapted into a TV series, a special detective (Robert Stack) and his unit investigate a series of attacks involving the rape and murder of nuns. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Originally made for television, a psychotic with a grudge is gunning for a country singer, and two Los Angeles detectives must stop the killer before he strikes. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Even after all these decades, there remain those loyal Streets of San Francisco fans who argue that the series would have survived long past it fifth and final season had there not occurred a radical (and somewhat controversial) casting change. Though Karl Malden remained on the job during Season Five as veteran SFPD homicide detective Mike Stone, Michael Douglas, cast as Stone's youthful partner, Inspector Steve Keller, would exit the series after the spectacular, star-studded two-part season opener in order to focus his energies on producing the Oscar-winning theatrical feature One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (On the series, it was explained that Steve Keller had retired from active duty to teach a college criminology class). Keller's replacement was another young idealist, albeit a tad handsomer and more athletic, Inspector Dan Robbins, played by Richard Hatch (not the future American Idol contestant!) Despite the best efforts of the series' writers and directors, Stone and Robbins never developed the same warm rapport that had been the hallmark of the Stone-Keller relationship, nor were Michael Douglas' legions of fans satisfied with his relatively unknown replacement. For this and several other reasons (including the stiff competition of CBS' Barnaby Jones, the ratings of Streets of San Francisco tanked during its fifth year on the air, and was cancelled after 119 episodes in September of 1977 (the series had previously gone on brief hiatus in the spring of that year to make room for a new ABC drama, Westside Medical. In fairness to Richard Hatch, his character did have a few memorable moments, notably the episode in which Robbins falls in love with a "bleeding-heart" public defender, played by a pre-Lou Grant Linda Kelsey. This year's "cast-against-type" candidates include Susan Dey of The Partridge Family and Maureen McCormick of The Brady Bunch, respectively portraying a baby-faced urban terrorist and 16-year-old call girl. And as in seasons past, the series provided a good showcase for young players on their way up: Mark Hamill as a street-gang member, Carl Weathers as a cop, Don Johnson as a reckless motorcycle cop, and, best of all, future "Governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger as a short-tempered professional bodybuilder who turns lethal whenever someone makes fun of him! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, Home of Our Own is about a Roman Catholic priest in Mexico who builds an orphanage for abandoned boys ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Season Four of Streets of San Francisco finds veteran SFPD homicide detective Mike Stone (Karl Malden still on the job with his youthful partner Steve Keller (Michael Douglas. So strong was the rapport between the two stars both on and off the camera that, when Douglas exited the program the following season to concentrate on the production end of show business, it was a blow from which the series never recovered. Highlights this season include the famous episode wherein Detective Stone dons the white makeup and red nose of a circus clown to ferret out a murderer under the big top, and guest star Bill Bixby's Emmy-nominated turn as a pathetic loser who aspires to join the force--and turns to murder when he is rejected. But the series' biggest selling card during Season Three is its impressive array of strong female characters: Stefanie Powers as a foul-mouthed convict's wife, Vera Miles as the tormented leader of a group of rape victims, Meg Foster as a feisty murder witness, Diane Baker as a "progressive" police inspector who briefly falls in love with Mike Stone, and Ina Balin as the fiercely progressive secretary of a mean-spirited radio personality (played by a pre-Dallas Larry Hagman). Also given a few choice moments to shine are a number of actors on the verge of stardom: Mark Hamill (Star Wars' Luke Skywalker) and Anthony Geary (General Hospital's Luke Spencer) in the season opener, and John Ritter, Sorrell Booke and Gordon Jump, future TV stars on Three's Company, Dukes of Hazzard and WKRP in Cincinnati respectively, all showing up in the episode "Murder by Proxy". And let's not forget Paul Sorvino as a rule-bending New York detective in an episode designed as the pilot for the Streets of San Francisco spinoff series Bert D'Angelo Superstar. Though it remained on ABC's Thursday lineup during its fourth season, Streets of San Francisco moved to an earlier timeslot, which may or may not have been the reason that the series jumped to Number 26 in the overall network ratings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This pilot for a 1974-75 CBS TV series focuses on an ex-Marine (Ken Howard) who returns to Depression-era America to find his sister, who is heading a gang. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Made for television in 1974, a doctor (Melvyn Douglas) is accused of murdering his terminally ill wife. The defense receives a shot in the arm when a famed lawyer returns from retirement to help the case. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

This somewhat clunkily titled TV movie was an offshoot of producer Quinn Martin's series The FBI. Robert Foxworth plays Depression-era desperado Alvin Karpis, who for nearly five years eluded capture while committing bank robberies, kidnappings and murders. Karpis finally comes acropper when the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover (Harris Yulin) enters the case. Since this film was made long before Hoover became every filmmaker's favorite historical villain, he is depicted in shining-knight terms, a sharp contrast to the loathsome Karpis. Producer Martin had planned to produce six to nine additional TV-movies based on authentic FBI files, but dropped the project after only three entries. The FBI Vs. Alvin Karpis was first telecast November 8, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Moving from Saturday nights to its more familiar Thursday-evening berth on ABC, Streets of San Francisco launched a second season of hard-hitting, location-filmed cop dramas, starring Karl Malden as veteran SFPD detective Mike Stone and Michael Douglas as Mike's younger but no less capable partner, Inspector Steve Keller. As with any Quinn Martin TV production, one of the great strengths of Streets of San Francisco is its roster of guest-star talent. Season Two is distinguished by two remarkable examples of casting against type, both involving popular singers. In the first, Rick Nelson utterly shatters his Ozzie and Harriet image as a charming, sexually ambivalent "Pied Piper" who lures teenage girls into prostitution; and in the second, Lola Falana plays the grim-visaged girlfriend of a professional thief--and even gets to sing in the bargain. Other guest performers this season include Tom Bosley as a pathetic two-bit thief, Martin Sheen as a womanizing bank robber, Leif Erickson as a troubled priest, Leslie Nielsen as a terminally ill cop, Paul Fix as a septugenarian "Robin Hood", Signe Hasso as a colorful psychic, Celeste Holm as a vengeful widow, and series star Michael Douglas' real-life mom Diana Douglas as the mother of a kidnap victim. And of course, viewers are treated to early performances by a number of stars-to-be, including Nick Nolte as a troubled Vietnam vet, Sam Elliott as a rodeo star, future ChiPs costar Larry Wilcox as a nomadic teen, and Cheryl Ladd--still using her pre-Charlie's Angels billing of Cheryl Stopplemoor--as a murder victim. The move to Thursdays did wonders for the ratings of Streets of San Francisco, with the series ending up as the 22nd most-watched program in America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One week after the 2-hour pilot film for Streets of San Francisco was aired on ABC, the series proper launched its first season on the same network's Saturday night schedule. The season opener set the precedent for all to follow: It was entirely location filmed in and around the San Francisco Bay area; Karl Malden and Michael Douglas are respectively starred as hard-nosed veteran SFPD homicide detecitve Mike Stone and his idealistic 28-year-old partner, Inspector Steve Keller; and the episode, which deals with the murder of a cop just before his retirement after 30 years on the force, is distinguished by the guest appearance of two top Hollywood actors, in this case Edmond O'Brien (as the cop) and Eileen Heckart (as his grieving wife). Subsequent episodes made good use of such powerhouse talents as Janice Rule, playing a endangered prostitute; William Windom as a victimized conventioneer; Nehemiah Persoff as an embittered Greek patriarch; Stuart Whitman as a dapper retired hit man; Barry Sullivan as a ruthless newspaper columnist; Lew Ayres as a menacing recluse; Roscoe Lee Browne as a flamboyant "beat" poet; Carl Betz as a high-profile blackmail victim; Leslie Nielsen as a skid-row derelict; Stefanie Powers in a difficult dual role; and in the first of her two series appearances, Michael Douglas' then-girlfriend Brenda Vaccaro as a fearless rookie cop. And as in future seasons, the series provided a fine showcase for several stars in the making, notably Peter Strauss, David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser--the latter two appearing in separate episodes, four years before being teamed on their own cop drama, Starsky and Hutch. Finally, Darleen Carr makes the first of several recurring appearances as the widower Mike Stone's college-coed daughter Jeannie. Despite the one-two punch of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show on rival network CBS, Streets of San Francisco managed to hold its own during its maiden season, earning not only a renewal for a second season, but also a more advantageous Thursday-night timeslot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. continues to bring Federal offenders to heel in the role of Inspector Lew Erskine in Season Seven of ABC's longest-running adventure series The F.B.I.. Also back for more action are Phillip Abbott and William Reynolds, respectively cast as FBI agents Arthur Ward and Tom Colby. As in previous years, the seventh season of The F.B.I. offers an abundance of familiar names in the guest-star rosters. Former Leave It to Beaver regular Barbara Billingsley and onetime movie "Mike Hammer" Ralph Meeker are seen in "Recurring Nightmare"; real-life husband and wife John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan costar in "The Last Job"; Ed Begley Jr. makes one of his first TV appearances in "The Deadly Gift";Deanna Martin, daughter of Rat Packer Dean Martin, shows up in the two-part "The Mastermind"; future M*A*S*H star Wayne Rogers is cast along with future McGyver regular Dana Elcar in "Superstition Rock"; onetime "Doctor No" Joseph Wiseman and veteran movie tough guy Cameron Mitchell appear in "Bitter Harbor"; the ubiquitous Stefanie Powers is cast in "The Buyer"; Donna Mills of Knots Landing fame has a good role in "The Break-up"; John Davidson plays a mob-dominated singer in "Judas Goat"; and Lindsey Wagner, still several years removed from her Bionic Woman stardom, is featured in "Dark Journey". Having achieved a ratings peak as America's 10th most popular series during its sixth season, The F.B.I dropped down to 17th place in Season Seven, though it still outperformed such venerable programs as Bonanza and Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide