Bill Erwin Movies

If Jet Pilot seems hopelessly out of date today, imagine how filmgoers in 1957 reacted when this relic from 1949 was taken off the shelf. Many, many years in the making due to the maniacal tinkering by producer Howard Hughes (who reportedly lost $4 million on it - a massive sum back then), the film was deemed unreleasable upon completion; only when Universal-International took over distribution of a handful of RKO Radio productions did it finally see the light of day. John Wayne stars as an air force colonel stationed in an Alaskan outpost only 40 miles or so from the Soviet Union. Wayne is put in charge of Russian jet pilot Janet Leigh, who claims that she wants to defect. Actually, Leigh is a Communist spy, but thanks to Wayne's affectionate attentions she is won over to the side of Democracy. Thus it is that Leigh rescues the Duke when he is kidnapped and nearly brainwashed by her Commie comrades. Jet Pilot was eventually bought back from U-I by Hughes for his personal collection; not only did he buy into the propagandistic plotline, but he was also enthralled by the aerial scenes, some of which were staged by legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager. The 1949 production date for a number of sequences explains not only why so many of the actors look young for 1957, but the existence of several supporting cast members who had died in the interim (such as Jack Overman and Richard Rober). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

First telcast October 16, 1959, this episode stars Dan Duryea as Al Denton, a once-legendary gunslinger fallen on hard times. Now the town drunk and the object of ridicule, Denton dreams of the day that he will regain his skills with a sixgun. That day comes sooner than expected, thanks to a travelling peddler named Henry J. Fate (Malcolm Atterbury) -- but there's a bizarre price tag attached. Written by Rod Serling, this Twilight Zone episode features an impressive cast of future TV-series stars, including Martin Landau as town bully Hotaling, Doug McClure as punkish fast gun Pete Grant, and Jeanne Cooper as faded saloon girl Liz. Incidentally, this dramatic episode was originally intended as a comic story titled "You Too Can Be a Fast Gun," with a timid schoolteacher unexpectedly gaining renown as a gunfighter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In his efforts to find out if school principal Mrs. Rayburn really has a spanking machine in her office, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) gets locked in -- just as school is being dismissed for the weekend. Facing the prospect of two whole days of imprisonment, Beaver sets off an alarm and is rescued by the fire department. Upset by Beaver's unwanted "fame," Ward (Hugh Beaumont) and June (Barbara Billingsley) warn him not to make a public spectacle of himself in the future. Without revealing too much more, it can be noted that this is the classic episode in which the Beav gets his head stuck in an iron fence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nearly bankrupt because of his wife's gambling debts, ad executive Herman Albright (Erik Rhodes) tries to forget his problems by hitting on fashion model Grace Frye (Myrna Fahey). Angry and humiliated, Grace consults Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) in an effort to break her contract with Albright's agency. As a result, Mason is on hand to defend Grace on a charge of murdering Albright--who actually may have been a victim of mistaken identity rather than revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Robert Colbert makes his first appearance as Brent Maverick, yet another cousin of frontier gambler Bart Maverick Jack Kelly) (Colbert sports the same costume worn by former series regular James Garner, a rather blatant move by Warner Bros. to create a "new" Bret Maverick). Riding into the town of Sunburst along with Bart, Brent is immediately thrown in jail--merely for owning the deck of cards used in a poker game. It appears on surface that Sunburst is a "temperance" town, where gambling and gunplay is strictly outlawed, and all the saloons close at sundown. But in truth, the town fathers have gone out of their way to make strangers feel unwelcome in order to to cover up a crime committed 20 years earlier--and they're willing to commit murder to make certain their dirty little secret is never revealed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this violent western, a Mexican gunslinger is permanently disabled while trying to save his boy from the hangman's noose. After the incident, the former gunfighter is sentenced to four years in prison. Following his release, he gets revenge upon the lawman responsible for his conviction by abducting eight people. He informs the sheriff that he will kill one hostage every ten minutes until he comes to see him. Following the death of three people, the sheriff finally agrees, the story ends on a brutal and ironic note. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Jack Lemmon stars as Hogan, who lives a bachelor's dream as the manager of an apartment building that caters only to single women. Hogan likes to romance his tenants, and he sets his sights on a newcomer named Robin (Carol Lynley). Robin and her boyfriend David (Dean Jones) have moved in together, intending to see how compatible they are while maintaining a platonic relationship. This arrangement is the result of a suggestion from Irene (Edie Adams), a marriage counselor who is subletting her apartment to Robin while living with her own boyfriend, Charles (Robert Lansing). Irene thinks that Robin and David need to discover whether they are suitable as marriage partners without letting sex cloud their judgment. Hogan finds out about the arrangement and schemes to get David away so he can seduce Robin. The film is based on a hit stage play by Lawrence Roman. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

After meticulously planning a Baltimore bank robbery, four men--Hogan (Ralph Meeker) Collins (Don Quine), Cowboy (Albert Salmi and Breese (Paul Bryar)--steal only a few thousand dollars. Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) wants to know why the thieves were willing to settle for so paltry a sum. Doing a bit of digging, Erskine learns of a legendary bank robber who would likewise pull small robberies just for practice, in preparation for one big, spectacular heist. Now the Inspector must second-guess the thieves and prevent them from making their final haul. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Art-gallery owner Francis Clune (Donald Murphy) is the victim of theft and fraud, while his girlfriend Bobbie Dane (Francine York) is nearly killed by a "careless" motorist. The couple's woes are exacerbated when both are charged with killing a detective (Allan Melvin) and a hijacker (Peter Mamakos). Determined to prove the innocence of Francis and Bobbie, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), literally puts his own life on the line. This is the second Perry Mason episode based on Erle Stanley Gardner's 1952 novel The Case of the Moth-Easten Mink, previously filmed under that title in 1958 (and incidentally, the painting identified as "Sausalito Sunrise" had likewise appeared in at least two earlier episodes!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Taken from the autobiography of the world's first transsexual, George Jorgensen (John Hansen) is a woman trapped in a man's body who opts for surgery and hormone treatments to make him a woman. Events of his childhood are covered, showing young George preferring dolls over contact sports. Inducted into the Army, the sexually confused George learns to hide his emotions during his military experience. He travels to Denmark where a pioneering team of doctors agree to perform the surgical process for the first time ever. His kindly aunt in Denmark (Joan Tompkins) gives George the name of Christine after her late daughter. Hansen is unconvincing as a woman, and there are several passages in this biographical drama that lead to unintentional hilarity. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this made-for-TV pilot, a government agent must stop a rogue operative from releasing a lethal virus. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Three teenage candy stripers find adventure in love within the walls of the local hospital in this silly exploitation vehicle. Marissa (Maria Rojo) is a hotheaded Mexican girl who has been ordered by the principal of her high school to serve ailing patients in the hopes that she might learn some discipline. Dianne (Robin Mattson) is a modern dance enthusiast who wants to go on to medical school. Sandy (Candice Rialson) has hot pants and can't say no; her head is turned and her blouse removed by doctors, patients, and a rock star who visits the hospital's sexual dysfunction clinic. Along the way the girls find love, save a wrongfully accused man from a robbery rap, and uncover a college basketball drug scandal. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi