Gail Bonney Movies
- 1977
Quincy (Jack Klugman) is under pressure from an insurance company to determine the time of death of a patient who drowned in a bathtub at the Thalep Clinic, an "alternative" health spa. In the course of his investigation, Quincy uncovers evidence of gross medical negligence--and also butts heads with shifty attorney Walter Kingman (Peter Mark Richman), who specializes in shielding the clinic from negative publicity. Originally scheduled to air on September 30, 1977, this is one of a handful of second-season Quincy,M.E. episodes to be afforded two network rerun showings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The 1975 TV movie Death Scream is based on the shameful Kitty Genovese affair of 1964, in which a N.Y.C. woman was stabbed to death while 38 witnesses locked their windows and doors and pretended not to hear. Raul Julia stars as the detective who investigates the murder and stirs up the guilt feelings of those who refused to help. The film casts celebrity actors in the roles of the witnesses (Diahann Carroll, Cloris Leachman, Lucie Arnaz, Nancy Walker, Art Carney, et al.). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In this sequel to the highly popular 1972 TV movie All My Darling Daughters, it has been one year since the four grown daughter of widowed judge Charles Raleigh (Robert Young) were married on the very same day. Now it is the Judge's turn to march down the aisle with his new old sweetheart, Maggie Cartwright (Ruth Hussey, who had previously costarred with Young in the 1942 film H.M. Pulham, Esq.) Unable to pin down his peripatetic daughters (or the husbands) to announce the good news, Raleigh states his intentions toward Maggie in his "happy anniversary" cards to his offspring. Upon learning that their dear daddy is going to take the matrimonial plunge, daughters Susan (Darlene Carr), Robin (Judy Strangis), Jennifer (Sharon Gless) and Charlotte (Lara Parker) are at first delighted, but then begin to fret over the possibility that Maggie won't be quite "good enough" for the jovial Judge. Raymond Massey makes his final film appearance in the role of Matthew Cunningham. My Darling Daughters' Anniversary debuted November 7, 1973, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Paula Slayton, the woman who saddled John (Randolph Mantooth) with a dog named Bonnie in Emergency!'s premiere episode, returns with another surprise for the guys at the station house (Patricia Hindy is cast as Paula, replacing the earlier episode's Pat McAnery). The on-duty assignment roster includes a catatonic patient who won't respond to standard treatment, thus baffling the medical staff. Also: a woman inhales poisonous fumes after mixing the wrong household cleansing chemicals; Roy (Kevin Tighe) has a tense confrontation with a woman who keeps calling the emergency line out of sheer loneliness; and an elderly couple is trapped in a tangle of tumbleweeds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Jeannot Szwarc, the director responsible for so many episodes (both good and bad) of the Night Gallery TV series, was the helmsman of The Devil's Daughter. This small-screen Rosemary's Baby clone stars Belinda Montgomery as a young woman targeted by a group of Satanists. It seems that Belinda's soul was purchased from the Devil when the girl was born, with payment due when she reaches the age of 21. Shelley Winters is at her overbearing best as the head of the cultists, while horror-flick vets Joseph Cotten and Jonathan Frid do their utmost to create the proper demonic atmosphere. Colin Higgins, who moved on to such prestige projects as Silver Streak and Foul Play, conjured up the script for The Devil's Daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Belinda Montgomery, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1971
First telecast September 14, 1971, "The Priest Killer" was originally identified as the two-hour opening episode of Ironside's fifth season. In truth, it is the second pilot film for the TV cop series Sarge, starring George Kennedy as cop-turned-priest Father Samuel "Sarge" Kavanaugh. Though based in San Diego, Sarge teams with wheelchair-bound San Francisco detective Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr) to track down an unknown serial killer who has murdered two priests. Though the motive for the murders is at first unknown, given the presence of Anthony Zerbe in the supporting cast it isn't difficult to ascertain the identity of the killer. The weekly, hour-long series version of Sarge would premiere one week after "The Priest Killer", on September 21, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
This Dick Ross melodrama stars Anne Baxter as an alcoholic socialite who beats her addiction by finding strength through religion. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
Father Gregory Lind (Robert Forster) is the Catholic priest who questions his dedication to his parishioners. He becomes disenchanted with the church over the official stance on birth control, unwanted pregnancy and social change. He tries to confide in his family but they rebuke him for questioning his faith. He falls in love with Pamela Gibson (Lauren Hutton) a wealthy social worker. The Bishop (Will Geer) tries to bring Gregory back to the fold, but his love for Pamela is too much. He is beaten up by street thugs who believe he is gay. Gregory considers leaving the church for a new life with the woman he loves. The story for this romantic melodrama is taken from the novel The Wine And The Music by William E. Barrett. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Lauren Hutton, (more)
- 1970
After several police drug busts go bad thanks to premature tip-offs, suspicion falls upon Ironside (Raymond Burr) who has been identified as a Syndicate informer by a captured dope pusher. A bad situation gets worse when Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) ordered to launch an investigation targetting Ironside. Though the rest of the Chief's team--especially Eve (Barbara Anderson)--are upset by this turn of events, Ironside himself remains surprisingly cool, calm and collected...almost as if he knows something that no one else does. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
In a small desert town, Ed (Don Galloway) is kidnapped by D.W. Donnelly (Clu Gulager), an escapee from a local prison farm. Ed soon figures out that the real villain of the piece is not Donnelly, but instead corrupt Sheriff Poole (Steve Forrest), who with his vicious deputy Hoag (William Smith) is using the farm to cover up his own criminal exploits. Filmed on location at Temecula, California, this episode is highlighted by the spectacular demise of Ironside's celebrated, state-of-the-art police van! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In Roman Polanski's first American film, adapted from Ira Levin's horror bestseller, a young wife comes to believe that her offspring is not of this world. Waifish Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her struggling actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes), move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and only elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castevet (Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon) soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building; despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, Guy starts spending time with the Castevets. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Minnie starts showing up with homemade chocolate mousse for Rosemary. When Rosemary becomes pregnant after a mousse-provoked nightmare of being raped by a beast, the Castevets take a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castevets' circle is not what it seems. The diabolical truth is revealed only after Rosemary gives birth, and the baby is taken away from her. Polanski's camerawork and Richard Sylbert's production design transform the realistic setting (shot on-location in Manhattan's Dakota apartment building) into a sinister projection of Rosemary's fears, chillingly locating supernatural horror in the familiar by leaving the most grotesque frights to the viewer's imagination. This apocalyptic yet darkly comic paranoia about the hallowed institution of childbirth touched a nerve with late-'60s audiences feeling uneasy about traditional norms. Produced by B-horror maestro William Castle, Rosemary's Baby became a critically praised hit, winning Gordon an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Inspiring a wave of satanic horror from The Exorcist (1973) to The Omen (1976), Rosemary's Baby helped usher in the genre's modern era by combining a supernatural story with Alfred Hitchcock's propensity for finding normality horrific. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, (more)
- 1967
Mary Wickes guest stars as lady blacksmith Adaline Ashley, the social arbiter of Bug Tussle, the Clampetts' home turf. Certain that Adaline would be a prize catch for her widowed son-in-law Jed, Granny tries to bring the two hillbillies together. Also in the cast is Gail Bonney as Mrs. Robinson (and no, Simon and Garfunkel fans, she isn't that Mrs. Robinson). "The Social Climbers" originally aired on November 8, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
When it becomes apparent that newly appointed police lieutenant William Adams (Bernie Hamilton) is unable to handle a crime wave wherein dozens of cars are stolen but few are recovered, Ironside (Raymond Burr) must face the grim likelihood that there is a corrupt cop on the force. Convinced that Lt. Adams is blameless, Mark (Don Mitchell) goes undercover at a scrapyard. Following the trail of clues, Mark figures out that the real culprits are a gang of unusually wealthy hippies! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Circumstantial evidence suggests that a murdered cop was supplementing his income as a blackmailer. Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), an old friend of the dead man, is determined to prove otherwise. In the course of his investigation, Ironside reopens an unsolved homicide case in which the deceased officer's girlfriend Adrienne May (Jan Shepard) was a key player. Featured in the cast is Robert Alda, the father of future M*A*S*H star Alan Alda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Once again, Ironside (Raymond Burr) comes to the aid of an old friend, in this case an outwardly solid citizen who faces extradition to New York on a murder charge. Although Wally Stowe (Victor Jory) is a fugitive from justice who has been living under an assumed identity for nearly two decades, Ironside is convinced that Stowe was wrongly convicted of the killing--and he intends to scour the length and breadth of Manhattan Island to prove his point. Featured in the cast as Stowe's son Tom is a young Harrison Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Now that she's in junior college, Bobbie Jo (Lori Saunders) figures that she's old enough to attend an all-night party with her friends. But her mother Kate (Bea Benaderet) doesn't see things this way, and forbids Bobbie to attend the bash. Of course, this results in a series of subterfuges which culminate in a typical Petticoat Junction disaster. Appearing in a minor role is Buck Buchanan, the son of series regular Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Hooterville storekeeper Sam Drucker (Frank Cady) has noticed a considerable drop in business over the past few days. The rest: a brand-new supermarket in nearby Pixley is stealing away all of Sam's steady customers. While things look bleak for a while,fans can take heart in the fact that Sam Drucker would remain on both Petticoat Junction and its spinoff series Green Acres for several seasons to come. Former child actor Jack Searl, best known for his portrayals of such snivelling brats as Sidney Sawyer in the 1930 version of Tom Sawyer, shows up in the role of Jack Hull. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Weighed down by a life of failure and disillusionment, Robert Manners (Steven Hill) finds that he cannot even commit suicide successfully. Thus it is that Robert checks into the ultra-exclusive Thantos Palace Hotel, where the clientele consists entirely of would-be suicides who have contractually agreed to kill one another -- and as a "bonus," the victim never knows when his or her number is up. Although at first Robert honors the rules and conditions of the Thantos, he changes his mind upon falling in love with another guest, the hauntingly beautiful Ariane Shaw (Angie Dickinson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Dickinson, Steven Hill, (more)
- 1965
Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Viv (Vivian Vance) are dying of curiosity: What did Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) buy Mrs. Mooney for her birthday. Peeking into the package, the girls discover that the present consists of a huge ceramic cat--which, in a twinkling, falls to the floor and breaks into a million pieces. It turns out that there is only one duplicate cat left in town...and nothing will stop Lucy from getting her hands on it, even if it requires a bit of creative larceny! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Dean, John "Red" Fox, (more)
This musical spoof of Westerns featured Lee Marvin in dual roles that won him a Best Actor Oscar. Jane Fonda stars as the title character, a prim schoolmarm returning to her hometown of Wolf City, Wyoming, after receiving an Eastern education. On the train ride, Cat meets up with a pair of friendly, charming crooks, Clay Boone (Michael Callan) and his uncle, Jed (Dwayne Hickman), the former becoming hopelessly smitten with the naive but tough Cat. Upon arriving home, Cat discovers that her eccentric father, Frankie (John Marley), is being threatened with bodily harm by a development company that desperately wants his land. When Frankie is murdered by ruthless, noseless killer Tim Strawn (Marvin), Cat straps on a pair of six-shooters and persuades Clay, Jed, and her father's loyal Native American hand Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini) to sign on as her posse. In her quest for revenge, Cat also recruits Kid Shelleen (also played by Marvin), a one-time fearsome gunslinger who's now a hopeless alcoholic. Cat Ballou (1965) is interspersed throughout the narrative with appearances by Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole as a pair of balladeers who comment on the action musically in Greek chorus style. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, (more)
- 1965
Oliver (Eddie Albert) discovers to his chagrin that he will not be able to finish his plowing in time for planting. Worse still, his efforts to pump water on the farm results in a steady stream of yucky green liquid. For our hero, this is the last in a long line of straws -- but wife Lisa (Eva Gabor) is secretly delighted, hoping that now Oliver will agree to move back to New York. As it happens, Oliver discovers who his real friends are when practically everybody in Hooterville -- including the Ziffels and their pig Arnold -- pitch in to help him with his rural woes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eleanor Audley, Edgar Buchanan, (more)
- 1964
Marlyn Mason guest-stars as Tessa Caldwell, who is accidentally blinded in a hunting accident caused by Joe Cartwright. More out of pity and guilt than love, Joe offers to marry the girl. Eventually, she regains her sight-but her covetous father (Denver Pyle), anxious to see his daughter wed to a wealthy Cartwright, decides to keep Tessa's recovery a secret. Written by Tom Seller, "Bullet for a Bride" was first shown on February 16, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1963
Head over heels in love with brassy nightclub singer Niki Carroll (Diana Dors), Dr. Don Reed (John Gavin) intends to marry her despite the objections of his father, Horace Reed (Carl Benton Reid), and Niki's former boyfriend, Bill Floyd (Scott Brady). Even the fact that all three of Niki's former husbands met with violent deaths will not deter Don from popping the question. It would be nice to report that Don's instincts are on target, and that Niki is a "good girl" despite her reputation -- but that just isn't true, as Don learns to his everlasting grief during his honeymoon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gavin, Diana Dors, (more)
- 1963
This episode is based on a mystery story penned by no less than Ellery Queen. When his son is mysteriously murdered, religious fanatic John Cooley (R.G. Armstrong) embarks upon a "mission from God" to wreak vengeance for the boy's death. Using a fragmentary clue found at the murder scene, Cooley heads to the small town of Northfield, where he holds the populace in a grip of terror. Hoping to prevent Cooley from destroying the town, Northfield sheriff Will Pearce (Dick York) sets about to solve the murder himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick York, Jacqueline Scott, (more)
- 1963
After 15 miserable years of matrimony, mousy Gerald Swinney (a superbly cast Bob Newhart) asks his wife, Edith (Jane Withers), for a divorce. She refuses, at which point Gerald stammers, "Well, uh, Edith, I guess I'll, uh, have to get rid of you." No, Gerald doesn't intend to murder Edith -- merely to make her think he is going to murder her. Before long, Edith is going crazy with anxiety...and that is only step one of Gerald's master plan. (Trivia note: the famous Leave It to Beaver house on the Universal studio lot is very much in evidence in this episode -- four years before it was converted into the equally famous Marcus Welby, M.D. house.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Jane Withers, (more)
