Florence MacMichael Movies
- 1972
- R
This anti-war drama centers on four Vietnam veterans who are driving cross country to California. By the time they hit New Mexico, they are down to $69. They started out with over $9,000 between them. To get some quick cash, they rob a gas station. The irate owner begins shooting at them and they in turn show him that they are carrying a veritable ammunitions dump in their trunk. Donning their Green Beret uniforms, they get revenge upon the town and then begin waiting for the authorities to show up so they can have a showdown with them too. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1968
- G
- Add The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit to QueueAdd The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit to top of Queue
Advertising executive Fred Bolton (Dean Jones) is under pressure from his boss Tom Dugan (Fred Clark) to come up with a new ad campaign for a wealthy client. Fred's daughter Helen (Ellen Janov) loves to ride horses, so her father buys her one to tie the equine into the profitable advertisement. Nearly a third of the film's length is devoted to a Washington D. C. horse show in which Helen participates. Morey Amsterdam, Kurt Russell, Lloyd Bochner, and Diane Baker also appear in this Disney production. Shown with the animated Winnie The Pooh, the cartoon was far more popular and memorable than The Horse In The Gray Flannel Suit, which is one of the studio's less-inspiring efforts. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Diane Baker, (more)
- 1962
This episode marks a rare foray into television by famed mystery writer Eric Ambler. George Grizzard plays a starving author named Alan Chatterton, who hopes that he can persuade established novelist Ralston Temple (Dennis King) to finance Chatterton's latest book. Though Chatterton turns out to be a grade-A jerk, Temple agrees to loan him one thousand dollars on "spec" -- and continues pouring money into the project. Will Temple's faith in Chatterton be justified or is he just throwing good money after bad? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Inasmuch as this episode was scripted by Robert Bloch, one shouldn't be surprised by its echoes of Bloch's suspense classic Psycho. The titular Annabel (Susan Oliver) is the former girlfriend of nerdy chemist David Kelsey (Dean Stockwell), who obsesses over the girl day and night. Having spent a great deal of money to purchase a "dream home" for Annabel and himself, David is startled to learn that the girl is now married and wants nothing to do with him. Refusing to believe that he has lost Annabel forever, David immediately goes into denial -- which in his case proves to be a lethal affliction. "Annabel" was adapted from a story by Patricia Highsmith, the author of another classic Hitchcock film, Strangers on a Train. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In Andy's absence, deputy Barney takes over as acting sheriff. By the time Andy returns, by-the-book Barney has jailed practically everyone in Mayberry-including Aunt Bee. Humiliated when Andy releases the outraged prisoners, Barney tenders his resignation. It is up to Andy to restore Barney's self-esteem-a task for which he receives unexpected assistance. Written by David Adler, "Andy Saves Barney's Morale" first aired on February 20, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Spending six years in prison for a crime he did not commit, embittered Ernie Walters (Rip Torn) decides to become a criminal for real in order to "justify" his incarceration. To do this, he robs a tax office, but wears a disguise to avoid going back to jail. He needn't have bothered, however, as the police ruefully explain when he is hauled in on suspicion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
James Howgill (Ronald Howard) hopes to divorce his wife, Margery (Patricia Donahue), whom he dismisses as drab and dull. On the advice of his attorney, James hires a private eye to dig up evidence of adultery that he can use against Margery. What the detective finds proves to be quite an eye-opener -- not only for Howgill, but also for the viewers at home. Watch for future Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In regular Arte Johnson in a key supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Sheriff Andy's male chauvinism boils over when his girlfriend Ellie Walker decides to run for town council-the first woman ever to do so. As the campaigning proceeds, Andy and Barney do everything they can to throw roadblocks in Ellie's political career. The Sheriff realizes the error of his ways when his own son Opie begins spouting anti-female propaganda. First shown on December 12, 1960, "Ellie for Council" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Scriptwriter Rod Serling had intended the June 3, 1960, Twilight Zone episode as the pilot for a TV series starring Burgess Meredith, but when Meredith balked, the title role was recast with Orson Bean. A natural-born eccentric and misfit, James B.W. Bevis somehow or other warrants the special attention of guardian angel J. Hardy Hempstead (Henry Jones). After briefly tasting success for the first time in his life, however, Bevis decides that he was happier when he was a loser. TV-series perennials Charles Lane, William Schallert, Horace McMahon, and Vito Scotti make brief appearances. Though "Mr. Bevis" did not graduate to a weekly series, Serling recycled the premise for his 1962 Twilight Zone episode "Cavender Is Coming" -- and, to a lesser extent, for the second-season installment "Mr. Dingle the Strong." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Orson Bean, Henry Jones, (more)
- 1959
The hardships faced by a widow and her eight-year-old son on a rugged Canadian ranch provide the basis of this gripping outdoor adventure. She lost her husband to a forest fire. To help her run the ranch, she hires a handy man. A handsome, but taciturn fellow who has known much tragedy, he works hard for her. The woman's son though resents him, and when he learns that his mother is planning to marry him to quell ugly rumors in town, the youth is most unhappy. After the wedding, the step-father treats the boy harshly, not out of cruelty, but because he wants to prepare the boy to survive the tough life ahead. This creates friction and frustration. Sometimes the handyman beats both the wife and the child. On the day the wife learns she is pregnant, the boy and his step-father get into a violent fight. Afterward the husband goes to the local saloon and ends up jailed for brawling. A month later he is released. When he gets home he finds his wife has moved his things to the barn. A natural disaster changes the family's lives and relationships and after much turmoil, honesty and pain gives them a chance to heal and start afresh. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Stephen Boyd, (more)
- 1942
Out of the Frying Pan, Francis Swann's perennial community-theatre favorite, came to the screen under the title Young and Willing. It's the unrealistic but funny account of young, aspiring actors combining their resources in hopes of keeping the wolf from the door. The girls and three boys move into the same apartment-a definite no-no in 1943-hoping to keep the landlady (Mabel Paige) in the dark until they can break into the Big Time. When famed Broadway producer Arthur Kenny (Robert Benchley) moves into the apartment below theirs, our heroes and heroines work overtime to curry Kenny's favor. The male leads are played by William Holden, Eddie Bracken and James Brown, with Bracken coming off as the most entertaining of the three: the girls are portrayed by Susan Hayward, Martha O'Driscoll and Barbara Britton, all on the verge of bigger and better things. Young and Willing was one of a group of Paramount films sold outright to United Artists in 1942-43. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Eddie Bracken, (more)
