Larry Thor Movies

In this thriller a police detective must find a renegade assassin who is not only wanted by the cops, he is also wanted by his bosses at Murder, Inc. Conspiracy abounds as the hitman controls other assassin's who keep the police preoccupied by their attempts on the life of a multimillionaire. The film climaxes with an exciting car crash. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Richard Bull, who later played the long-suffering Nels Oleson on Little House on the Prairie, is here cast as Mr. Lewis, the pompous landlord of the apartment building where the Davis family resides. When Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) bring home a stray mutt, Lewis insists that they remove the dog forthwith, pointing to a clause in the lease that allows only "pedigreed" pets. And in a related development, Cissy (Kathy Garver) is invited to join an exclusive club--but first she must cut of all contact with a less affluent friend (Terry Burnham). By episode's end, everyone's pretentions are punctured--spectacularly so thanks to the twins' doggie pal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There has never been any love lost between handsome, dissolute playboy Ernest Mullett (Peter Lawford) and his homely, hardworking brother, Farnum (Roger C. Carmel). The sibling rivalry intensifies when Farnum manages to take over Ernest's money, his job, his wife, Judith (Martha Hyer), and even his mistress, Barbara (Julie London). What we have here is a classic "Cain and Abel" situation -- and Ernest intends to literalize this Biblical allusion by eliminating Farnum for good. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the occasion of his fifth anniversary with the Mayberry police departmer, short-and-scrawny Deputy Barney goes into a deep blue funk when the State Police Commission imposes new height and weight requirements. Certain that he'll never measure up, Barney tenders his resignation. But Sheriff Andy and his friends converge upon ol' Barn' to make him fatter and taller-within a matter of a few days. Written by Bob Ross, "Barney's Physical" first aired on September 28, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While fishing at Miller's Pond with Wally (Tony Dow), Beaver (Jerry Mathers) swims a very short distance through the shallow water to retrieve an empty canoe. After the canoe's grateful owner makes a big fuss over Beaver, the story of his "rescue" improves with each telling. By the time Beaver's act of courtesy has reached his classmates, our "hero" is credited with saving a girl who was trapped in a runaway speedboat! This episode was directed by former child actor and future M*A*S*H producer, Gene Reynolds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Directed with crisp efficiency by Dick Powell, The Hunters is a romantic melodrama with an aviation angle. Robert Mitchum plays veteran Air Force pilot Maj. Cleve Saville, in charge of a group of young flyboys in 1952 Korea. Among the men under Saville's command are cocksure Lt. Ed Peil (Robert Wagner) and timorous Lt. Abbott (Lee Phillips). Much against his better judgment, Saville falls in love with Abbott's gorgeous wife Kris (Mai Britt). When Abbott crashes behind enemy lines, Saville and Peil are sent out to rescue the downed pilot-and Peil has an inkling of the Major's feelings towards Mrs. Abbott. During their grueling journey back to their own lines, both Peil and Abbott benefit from the military expertise of the no-nonsense Saville, who knows where and when to separate his private life from his responsibilities. Distinguished by excellent aerial sequences, The Hunters is adapted from the novel by James Salter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A "Shock Theater" perennial since it was first released to television in the early 1960s (stretch-framed to pad out its running time), The Amazing Colossal Man is firmly in the "So Bad It's Good" category. While overseeing the atomic tests in the Nevada desert, Army colonel Glenn Langan is exposed to extensive amounts of radiation. As a result, Langan grows, and grows, and grows, at the rate of ten feet per day. This sudden height gain adversely affects the poor man's mind, and soon he's as mad as a hatter. Looking for all the world like Mr. Clean in a diaper, the Colossal Man goes on a murderous rampage, laying waste to several Las Vegas landmarks before he is killed by army bullets while standing atop the Boulder Dam. The special effects are adequate, but the dialogue is ridiculous-in fact, if we didn't know better, we'd say that the film was intended to be funny. Our favorite bit: the huge hypodermic needle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pride of St. Louis is the story of one of baseball's most colorful characters, Jerome Herman "Dizzy" Dean. While playing amateur ball in 1928, Dizzy (Dan Dailey) is hired by the St. Louis Cardinals. He spends a year or so playing with the Cards' Texas farm team, during which time he woos and wins department-store clerk Pat Nash (Joanne Dru, who ironically was the real-life aunt of pro baseball player Pete LaCock!) Once in the majors as a pitcher, Dean is joined on the Cards lineup by his younger brother Paul (Richard Crenna), whom the press nicknames "Daffy." Through a combination of spectacular ballplaying and zany publicity stunts, Dizzy and Daffy become nationwide favorites. Their popularity really soars after they help the Cardinals win the 1934 World Series. After this triumph, things begin to go downhill for Dizzy, who endures several injuries and finally "loses" his pitching arm. Dean is rescued from a binge of self-pity by his old friend Johnny Kendall (Richard Hylton), whose dad is a brewery executive. Johnny convinces his dad to sponsor a series of St. Louis Browns radio broadcasts, and to hire Dizzy as a play-by-play announcer. Ol' Diz gets in a lot of trouble with local schoolteachers because of his eccentric grammar ("he slud into third base," etc.) but things eventually turn out A-OK. Pride of St. Louis takes any number of liberties with the facts, but the real Dizzy Dean didn't care so long as 20th Century-Fox ponied up a huge sum of money for the rights to his life story: "Jeez," he said at the time, "they're gonna give me 50,000 smackers just fer livin'!" Future NBC news commentator Chet Huntley shows up in one of the closing scenes as sportscaster Tom Weaver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide