Roy Engel Movies

When Mrs. Brown (Pamela Britton) is made an honorary police officer, Martin (Ray Walston) offers her a pill intended to straighten out her scatterbrained behavior. As a result, Mrs. Brown becomes a super crimefighter, ticketing one and all for the slightest of infractions--and ultimately attempting to capture escaped criminal Mugs Carson (Victor French) single-handedly. Naturally, she makes a mess of things, and pretty soon practically everybody in the cast has been taken hostage, obliging Martin to come to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Viva Las Vegas, one of Elvis Presley's most popular vehicles, adheres as rigidly to formula as a Kabuki dance. Elvis plays a race-car driver competing in the Las Vegas Grand Prix opposite his principal rival, Cesare Danova. To finance his entry, Elvis takes a job as a casino waiter. Naturally, he is occasionally prevailed upon to sing, making one wonder why he didn't choose this talent as a means of making some quick cash. As always, Elvis chases all the wrong girls, only to ignore the "right" one, portrayed by Ann-Margret in her considerable youthful prime (We're supposed to believe that A-M is the daughter of irascible William Demarest. So much for the reliability of gene pools). With a pre-fat Presley, an indescribably gorgeous Ann-Margret, and no fewer than 12 songs on the soundtrack, how could Viva Las Vegas help but reap a fortune at the box office? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perhaps the most popular and influential songwriter in the history of country music, Hank Williams Sr. didn't have a long recording career (only four years), but after passing away on New Year's Day, 1953, at the age of 29, he became a legend of American music practically overnight, and this biopic puts a veneer of Hollywood gloss on the story of his rise to fame. Hank Williams (played by Donald Losby as a young man) is a boy growing up poor in a small Alabama town who learns how to play guitar from itinerant musician and shoeshine man Teetot (Rex Ingram), who looks out for the boy. After Teetot's untimely death, young Hank sets his sights on a career in music; years later, Williams (played as an adult by George Hamilton) is performing as part of a traveling medicine show when he meets Audrey (Susan Oliver), who recognizes the full extent of Hank's talent. At Audrey's urgings, Williams joins forces with manager Shorty Younger (Red Buttons) and music publisher Fred Rose (Arthur O'Connell), and with their help Hank becomes a rising star in country music, developing a loyal following through hit records, heavy touring, and appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. However, Williams doesn't cope well with the pressures of fame, and despite the help of his friends and the guidance of his wife, he begins missing shows, developing a reputation as an unreliable performer, and drinking heavily. Produced by legendary B-movie magnate Sam Katzman, Your Cheatin' Heart featured 15-year-old Hank Williams Jr. re-creating his father's vocals for the film's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A decidedly pre-All in the Family Carroll O'Connor stars as freight line owner Tom Slayden. Using underhanded and monopolistic tactics, Slayden has managed to crown himself the unofficial boss of Virginia City. The Cartwrights become mixed up with the ruthlessly ambitious Slayden when one of his henchmen shoots Joe Cartwright in the back for "trespassing." Also in the cast are Judee Morton as Karen Slayden, Denver Pyle as the Sheriff, Phil Ober as Oliver, Chris Alcaide as Gus, William Tannen as Duran, and Roy Engel as the Doctor. Co-scripted by actor (and occasional Bonanza supporting player) Leo Gordon, with Paul Leslie Piel, "The Boss" originally aired on May 19, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gas station owner Wally (Trevor Bardette) fires his mechanic and pump jockey Gomer Pyle, insisting that Gomer talks too much and works too little. Inasmuch as Gomer is also booted out of his little room in the back of Wally's station, Andy invites his now-homeless friend to move into the Taylor house. Before long, all of Gomer's former customers have followed him to Andy's garage-while both Andy and Wally begin to have second thoughts about their recent actions. First shown on November 4, 1963, "Gomer the House Guest" was written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gomer is outraged when Barney, dressed in civilian clothes, gives him a ticket for making a U-turn. Barney imperiously declares that he is within his rights to make a citizen's arrest. When Barney makes the same illegal traffic maneuver, it is Gomer's turn to shout "Citizen's array-est! Citizen's array-est!"-thereby starting the ball rolling for a clash of egos which culminates in Barney's resignation. Written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, "Citizen's Arrest" was originally slated to air on December 9, 1963, but was moved to December 16 to accommodate "A Date for Gomer", which itself had been rescheduled from its original November 25 airdate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Cartwrights take a hand in matters when bandits reportedly steal the $100,000 dowry intended for the wedding of Michele Dubois (Luciana Paluzzi), the daughter of self-proclaimed land baron Alexander Dubois (Steven Geray). While the Cartwright sons stand guard over the injured DuBois during his recuperation at the Ponderosa, Ben begins to wonder why the same outlaws repeatedly manage to track down DuBois and his money. Meanwhile, bride-to-be Michele deftly wraps Joe, Hoss, and Adam around her little finger. Lee Bergere costars as Ricardo Fernandez. First shown on April 29, 1962, "The Dowry" was written by Robert Vincent Wright. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Parley Baer makes his first series appearance as Roy Stoner, the new mayor of Mayberry. A man who runs his administration strictly by the book, Stoner regards Sheriff Andy and Deputy Barney as inept and inefficient-and this first impression would seem to be confirmed when the mayor finds a fish in Andy's desk drawer. Inevitably, however, Stoner comes to realize that, in their own laid-back way, Andy and Barney are both assets to the community. Written by Harvey Bullock, "Andy and the New Mayer" originally aired on October 15, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoping to clean up the wide-open town of Bugbear, the local citizens change the name of the place to Elysium, then hire Paladin (Richard Boone) to purge the community of violence. Unfortunately, Paladin's efforts are complicated by a well-meaning but naïve young missionary named Melissa Griffin (Suzi Crandall). Without intentionally doing so, Melissa proves almost as contentious as the thugs and pluguglies whom Paladin is supposed to get rid of! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

During a stopover in a mining camp, a weary Paladin (Richard Boone) allows self-proclaimed mystic Mme. Destin (June Vincent) to read his future with Tarot cards. The cards subsequently reveal that Paladin is slated to meet a sailor--whereupon death will follow! Almost on cue, a tough character named Danceman (Barry Kelley) roars into camp primed for revenge...and it looks like Paladin's fate has been sealed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is frustrated when a case that he has been building against mob functionary Theodore Newberry (Ken Lynch) literally goes South when the star witness, bookkeeper Julius Imbry (Byron Foulger), is kidnapped and spirited away to Mexico. When Newberry manages to humiliate Ness in public, undercover cop Nick Delgado (Vince Edwards) is assigned to bring Imbry back--while Newberry, who did not engineer the kidnapping, dispatches his own hired guns to locate and silence the witness. Martin Landau steals the show as a stuttering hit man in this episode, which also features an uncredited appearance by Batman's future "Chief O'Hara" Stafford Repp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this children's drama, an angry little boy is adopted by a ranching couple. The mean little tyke takes an immediate dislike to his new parents, but his life changes for the better when he finds a wounded German Shepherd that was especially trained by the Marines. The troubled youth begins spending all his time nursing the hurt animal. One day he discovers a gun that the dog had brought with him when he ran away from his master's house after his owner was murdered. The boy's life is jeopardized when he accidentally stumbles across the killer. Fortunately, the brave dog saves him by attacking the killer and making him drop the gun. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide