Lynn Farr Movies

William Redfield guest stars as Howard Borden's brother, Gordon, a bird-sanctuary warden with a history of claiming things that rightfully belong to Howard. Arriving in Chicago to witness the mating ritual of two rare whooping cranes, Gordon makes himself right at home in Howard's apartment. Unfortunately, brother dear also begins making the usual moves on Howard's fiancée (and Bob's sister), Ellen. Written by Gordon and Lynne Farr, "Warden Gordon Borden" originally aired on January 17, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There is no question that Carol is deeply and sincerely loved by her new husband, Larry Bondurant (Will Mackenzie). Only one problem: Larry is smothering Carol with affection, and she's having a lot of trouble coming up for air. Meanwhile, Bob tries to convince a patient that a weekly bingo game isn't fixed -- or is it? Written by Gordon and Lynne Farr, "Carol at 6:01" (the title was a play on a popular art film of the 1970s) first aired on January 10, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although the opening episode of The Bob Newhart Show's fifth season was not the first of that season to be filmed, "Enter Mrs. Peeper" was a logical extension of the final episode of season four. Tom Poston makes another appearance as Bob's fun-loving college buddy, Cliff Murdock, aka "the Peeper." Having remarried, Cliff insists that he's a changed man. Jean Palmerton appears as Corinee Murdock, with Charles Thomas Murphy as the messenger and series story consultant Jay Tarses as the waiter. Written by Gordon and Lynne Farr, "Enter Mrs. Peeper" originally aired on September 25, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bob accepts the invitation of his pal, Cliff Murdock (Tom Poston), to revisit a bar that they both frequented in their college days. Alas, times have changed, and the bar has a distinctly seedy-looking clientele. Worse still, Bob and Cliff try to purchase basketball tickets from a brace of sexy girls -- who, revealing themselves to be undercover policewomen, place the heroes under arrest. Featured in the cast are Bobby Ramsen as Johnny Carson Jr. (sic), Kim O'Brien as Kim, Lucy Lee Flippin as Darva, Jean Palmerton as Corinne, David Himes as the detective, and Rhodes Reason as the patron. Written by Gordon and Lynne Farr, "The Slammer" first aired on November 20, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Howard intrudes upon Bob and Emily's sixth anniversary celebration with another big problem. In love with Bob's sister, Ellen, Howard is too nervous to propose. It is up to Bob himself to pop the question -- and never mind the implications. Also appearing are Richard Balin as Fred Goring, Don Nagel as the waiter, and Verne Rowe as the trumpet player. Written by Gordon and Lynne Farr, "Here's Looking at You, Kid" first aired on September 20, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Emily is convinced that Bob is in a rut. As a result, Emily and Bob switch household responsibilities: She handles the budget while he does the shopping. Bob's misadventure with a grocery-store box boy (Bryan Byers) is a highlight. Written by Gordon and Lynne Farr, "Change Is Gonna Do Me Good" made its first network appearance on October 4, 1975, as the 77th episode of The Bob Newhart Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The backstory of The Red Badge of Courage involves the toppling of MGM's old Louis B. Mayer regime in favor of Dore Schary and his young Turks. It is also the tale of how an intended epic was ruthlessly whittled down to a lower-berth programmer. Since this story has already been related in detail in Lillian Ross' Picture (not to mention several John Huston biographies), the focus here will be what shows up on screen in Red Badge of Courage. Based on the novel by Stephen Crane, the film stars real-life war hero Audie Murphy as a Civil War soldier who must redeem himself in his own eyes after an act of cowardice. When he finally gets his opportunity, he realizes that he is no less frightened than before; it is simply that he has learned to push on in spite of that fear. A comparative newcomer to films, Murphy acquits himself magnificently in the difficult title role; equally impressive are political cartoonist Bill Mauldin as "The Loud Soldier," John Dierkes as "The Tall Soldier" and Royal Dano as "The Tattered Man." When Red Badge of Courage tested poorly in preview, the studio sliced it down to 69 minutes and added a narrator (James Whitmore) to clarify the more obscure plot passages. Further hurting the film was Bronislaus Kaper's overbaked musical score, which seemed more suited to a gung-ho John Wayne flick than a comparatively intimate tale of personal fortitude. Though the finished product plays like a Reader's Digest adaptation, a few brilliant passages remain, notably the sequence in which a commanding officer ingratiatingly lies to his troops for the sake of morale. Like Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons, Red Badge of Courage is a truncated classic -- but a classic, all the same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gene Autry plays a dual role in the above-average Columbia oater Rim of the Canyon. Our hero plays "himself" and his own father, a famed sheriff. Twenty years ago, Autry Sr. threw a trio of outlaws (Walter Sande, Jock Mahoney and Francis McDonald) into jail for stealing a large sum of money. When the crooks escape and head for the hidden loot, it's up to Autry Jr. to track them down. Unlike previous Columbia Autrys, Rim of the Canyon downplays the musical element in favor of fast, sometimes violent action. Even Autry's faithful horse Champion gets in on the act by trampling one of the crooks. Autry's leading lady this time out is Nan Leslie, later a busy TV character actress; another future TV favorite, Alan Hale Jr., essays a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Western star Charles Starrett was amazing; he kept making the same film over and over, but always made it seem as if it was for the first time. In West of Sonora, Starrett once again plays a frontier good-guy named Steve (Steve Rollins, to be exact), who, when the need arises, disguises himself as The Durango Kid, masked righter of wrongs. This time, Steve/Durango champions the cause of 10-year-old Penelope Clinton (Anita Castle), who has spent her short life as the focus of a feud between her grandfathers, suspected outlaw Black Murphy (Steve Darrell) and Sheriff Jack Clinton (George Cheseboro). When Murphy rides off with Penelope, it's up to Durango to keep the two grandpops from blowing off each others' heads and to bring an end to their foolish quarrel. As a bonus, he also proves that Murphy isn't an outlaw after all by corralling the genuine culprit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide