James Nolan Movies

With precious little time on their hands, the doctors at Rampart try to diagnose a mysterious ailment that has befallen a marijuana smoker. Elsewhere, the team rushes to a boat explosion; a worker is pinned to a wall by a semi; a boy falls in a gravel pit; and while trying to avoid running down a dog, a motorist and his son are seriously injured. No wonder John (Randolph Mantooth) is having so much trouble getting to sleep these days (actually, there are other reasons, but why give away too much of the plot?) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"You've got to ask yourself a question: 'do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" Dirty Harry provoked a critical uproar in 1971 for its "fascist" message about the power of one, as it also elevated Clint Eastwood to superstar status through his most enduring screen persona. Harry Callahan (Eastwood, in a role meant for Frank Sinatra) is a sardonic, hard-working San Francisco cop who can't finish his lunch without having to foil a bank robbery with his 44 Magnum, "the most powerful handgun in the world." When hippie-esque psycho Scorpio (Andy Robinson) goes on a killing spree, Harry and new partner Chico (Reni Santoni) are assigned to hunt him down, but not before the Mayor (John Vernon) and Lt. Bressler (Harry Guardino) admonish Callahan about his heavy-handed tactics. Racing against a deadline to save a kidnap victim from suffocating to death and unbothered by the niceties of Miranda rights and search warrants, Callahan brings in Scorpio, only to see him released on technicalities. "The law's crazy," opines Harry in disgust, before taking it upon himself to ensure that Scorpio doesn't kill again. Directed in violent and efficient fashion by Don Siegel, with a propulsive score by Lalo Schifrin, Dirty Harry was the fourth Siegel-Eastwood collaboration after Coogan's Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), and The Beguiled (1970). Critics at the time strongly objected to the heroic image of a cop's violations of a suspect's Miranda rights, forcing Siegel and Eastwood to deny that they were right-wing reactionaries. All the same, Dirty Harry proved to be highly popular and spawned four sequels: Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983), and The Dead Pool (1988). ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Embezzler Robert Pollard (Peter Donat) uses his considerable charm to persuade lonely women to assist him in his criminal activities. The FBI is alerted to Pollard's presence when his most recent "dupe", a female bank cashier, turns up murdered. Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must now race against time to save the life of Pollard's latest unwitting accomplice Kate Burke (Vera Miles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Trouble comes in pairs for the family of a young kidnap victim. Not only has the family received a ransom note from the kidnappers, but they are also being shaken down for money from an extortionist who hopes to cash in on their travails. It is up to Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to round up all the various and sundry villains and return the abductee safely. Featured as one of the kidnappers is a young Karen Black, several years removed from her stardom vis-à-vis such films as The Great Gatsby and Nashville. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Beau Bridges guest stars as a wounded young man who stumbles into the Justice Department Building in Virginia, carrying half a million dollars in stolen cash. Awakening from a brief coma, the boy can remember nothing about what has happened to him nor how he came into possession of the loot. Though they suspect that "John Doe" is a thief and a possible killer, the Feds go through an elaborate charade of alerting the public that they are holding the money for its rightful owner. Predictably, the FBI offices are swamped with dozens of phony claimants--including two shady-looking gentleman who are determined to silence "John Doe" permanently! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A group of South American exiles living in Miami assembles a plan to invade and liberate their homeland (the country is not identified, but viewers can draw their own conclusions). Unfortunately, there is a traitor in the would-be liberators' midst. Disguising himself a soldier of fortune, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) infiltrates the group in hopes of exposing the mole--and convincing the freedom fighters not to embark upon a futile mission that will cost all of them their lives. This episode marks the last appearance of Lynn Loring as Erskine's daughter Barbara. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Wanting to be free of her crippled husband but not his enormous fortune, a glamorous wife talks her lover, who is also her spouse's personal physician, into injecting poison into the ailing industrialist. This crime melodrama chronicles the chain of events that leads to the murderous lovers' downfall. Though they successfully offed the husband, the two are not allowed to enjoy their new wealth and happiness for a letter sent to the wife reveals that someone knows about the crime. Believing that the anonymous author is her late-husbands investment advisor, the wife and her lover quickly dispatch him. When his body later turns up, another is blamed with the crime. Unfortunately, the villainous twosome, the accused is to marry the granddaughter of the deceased tycoon. Matters don't improve when the doctor/lover's conscience flares up and he decides to confess. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Perry (Raymond Burr) is suspicious when Rhoda Reynolds (Christine White) shows up in his office to ask advice on the legality of marriage, claiming she is doing so on behalf of "friends." As it turns out, Rhoda is being blackmailed by her shifty ex-husband Arthur Kane (Michael Emmet). When Kane is murdered, everyone is convinced that Rhoda is the guilty party--including Rhoda, who recalls striking him with a blunt object before rushing out of his apartment. Convinced that Rhoda is innocent, Perry tries to get at the truth by meticulously reconstructing the crime in the courtroom, with an alarm clock and a doorbell as key props. This episode is based on a 1934 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, which was previously adapted as a theatrical feature in 1935 with Warren William as Mason--and a pre-stardom Errol Flynn as the murder victim! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Petty thief Steve Morgan (Rip Torn) uses a toy gun to hold up a candy store. Later on, the cops make the necessary connections and Steve is arrested. At first, he is thrilled and delighted that so many people are making so much of a fuss over so minor a crime. But Steve is in for quite a shock when he learns exactly why the police, and the public, are so interested in his criminal career. "Number Twenty-Two" is based on a story by Evan Hunter, who later worked on the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Trail herder Howard Bulow (Mort Mills) threatens to kill Matt Dillon (James Arness) for shooting Howard's brother Ned (Bill White Jr.) in self-defense. After several failed attempts to mollify Bulow, Matt is forced to throw the man in jail for his own good. This sparks a new and even more ominous crisis when Bulow's trail boss Will Jacklin (Lawrence Dobkin), backed up by thirty of his own men, threatens to tear Dodge City apart unless Bulow is released. This episode is adapted from the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of October 10, 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Long before he became producer/director of The Tonight Show, Fred DeCordova helmed the Universal meller Illegal Entry. Howard Duff, who later worked with DeCordova on the TV series Mr. Adams and Eve, stars as Bert Powers, an undercover agent for the U.S. Department of Immigration. While attempting to bring a vicious gang of alien smugglers to justice, Powers falls in love with Anna Duvak (Marta Toren), a gang member who is Not What She Seems. The film leaves no cliché unturned, not even the familiar scene wherein the airborne smugglers dispose of their human cargo by way of a handy lever which causes the bottom of the plane's passenger section to drop out. Illegal Entry is staged in semi-documentary fashion, maintaining the then-prevalent tradition of such popular films as House on 92nd Street and Call Northside 777. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, Adam's Rib is a peerless comedy predicated on the double standard. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play Adam and Amanda Bonner, a husband-and-wife attorney team, both drawn to a case of attempted murder. The defendant (Judy Holliday) had tearfully attempted to shoot her husband (Tom Ewell) and his mistress (Jean Hagen). Adam argues that the case is open and shut, but Amanda points out that, if the defendant were a man, he'd be set free on the basis of "the unwritten law." Thus it is that Adam works on behalf of the prosecution, while Amanda defends the accused woman. The trial turns into a media circus, while the Bonners' home life suffers. Adam's Rib represented the film debuts of New York-based actors Jean Hagen, Tom Ewell, and David Wayne (as Hepburn's erstwhile songwriting suitor), and the return to Hollywood of Judy Holliday after her Born Yesterday triumph. One of the best of the Tracy-Hepburn efforts, it inspired a brief 1973 TV series starring Ken Howard and Blythe Danner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi