Herbie Faye Movies
- 1979
While doing volunteer work at Willowdale, a sanitarium which houses convicted criminals who have been deemed mentally incapable of serving prison time, Quincy (Jack Klugman) hears rumors that some of the inmates are being forced to participate in illegal boxing matches. After the mother of a recently deceased inmate comes forward insisting that her son's "accidental" death was anything but, Quincy is all the more determined to find out what's really going on--and not surprisingly, imperils his own life in the process. This is one of a handful of fourth-season Quincy M.E. episode deemed worthy of three prime-time NBC telecasts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
After a fight with his latest girlfriend, a heartbroken Jerry moves in with Bob and Emily. It doesn't take long for Jerry to thoroughly make himself at home -- and even less time to drive the Hartleys crazy with his endless self-pitying monologues. Also appearing are Herbie Faye as Atlee and Renee Lippin as Michele. Written by Jerry Mayer, "Who's Been Sleeping on My Couch" originally aired on March 10, 1973, as the final episode of The Bob Newhart Show's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Archie's old army buddies prepare a reception for the most successful of their ranks, self-made millionaire Eddie Frazier (William Windom). Figuring that Eddie will purge Mike of some of his "pinko" anti-capitalist notions, Archie invites Eddie home for dinner. Not unexpectedly, it is Archie who learns a lesson -- and a painful one. George Savalas, billed here as "Demosthenes" and later co-starred in his brother Telly Savalas' series Kojak, is here cast as Joe. Written by Burt Styler, "Success Story" first aired on March 30, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1969
In the first episode of a two-part story, the Bradley girls and Steve (Mike Minor) look forward to celebrating the first birthday of little Kathy Jo. Unfortunately, it looks like the guest of honor won't show up: She and her Uncle Joe have been thrown into jail, thanks to a kleptomaniac chimpanzee! Meredith MacRae sings "I Enjoy Being a Girl", while Buck Buchanan, son of series star Edgar Buchanan, shows up in an incidental role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Upset that baby daughter Kathy Jo is taking up so much of Steve's time, Betty Jo (Linda Kaye Henning) insists that Steve (Mike Minor) take her on a second honeymoon. The couple returns to their own cottage, where they must not only put up with a lack of utilities but also the crafty duplicity of local realtor Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram in his familiar Green Acres) role. Worse still, the cottage is invaded by a pair of annoying newlyweds and a couple of bums named--now get this--Stanley and Oliver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
When Tony (Larry Hagman) complains that his Sunday newspaper hasn't been delivered, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) helpfully creates a replacement--which turns out to be tomorrow's paper. Upon discovering this, Roger hopes to utilize the foreknowledge gleaned from the paper to strike it rich at the local racetrack...little realizing that the paper's lead story is "Astronaut Breaks Leg in Accident". Though this episode is a remake of a similar installment on I Dream of Jeannie's rival series Bewitched, the basic plotline can be traced even further back to the 1944 fantasy film It Happened Tomorrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Making her first visit to the local pool hall upon its redecoration, Lucy (Lucille Ball) enters a tournament in hopes of winning the $100 prize. Her main competition is formidable indeed: A heavily rouged and perfumed female pool hustler named Laura Winthrop. Only the audience knows that "she" is a "he"--Laura is actually a man named Ace (played by comedian Dick Shawn), who has entered the tournament because he needs the money even more than Lucy. At the time this episode originally aired, Lucille Ball's husband Gary Morton described the script as a heady combination of The Hustler and Some Like It Hot. Well, sort of... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Shawn, Stanley Adams, (more)
- 1968
Minister Sam (Andy Griffith) and his wife Mary Elizabeth (Lee Meriweather) move to a Kansas town divided by political concerns that stall the town's progress. Will Sinclair (Henry Jones) and Alex Gresham (Edgar Buchanan) have allowed a long-standing family argument to impede the progress of the small rural community. Sam must contend with his mother-in-law (Kay Medford) and his wild brother-in-law Bubba (Jerry Van Dyke) when Bubba sets up a moonshine still in the church basement with the help of his friend Calvin (Parker Fennelly). Art Shields (Gary Collins) is the ambitious young country lawyer who runs for mayor in hopes of bringing peace to the families, and he works for the best interests of the divided community. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Griffith, Jerry Van Dyke, (more)
Blackbeard's Ghost was one of the first Disney productions released after Walt's death. Peter Ustinov stars as the eponymous wraith, who returns to Earth to come to aid of his descendant, elderly Elsa Lanchester. The villains want to kick Lanchester and her friends out of their group home so that they can build a crooked casino. Good guy Dean Jones evokes the spirit of Blackbeard to thwart the bad guys. The supporting cast ranges from Richard Deacon to Gil Lamb, while Peter Ellenshaw performs the visual effects with mattes, miniatures, and process screens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, (more)
- 1967
Carl Reiner's semi-autobiographical novel Enter Laughing makes a largely successful transition to the screen. Reni Santoni plays the Reiner character, here named David Kolowitz. A machinist's apprentice in Depression-era New York, David dreams of becoming the new Ronald Colman. Defying the wishes of his parents (Shelley Winters, David Opatoshu), David lands a nonpaying job in a seedy theatrical production directed by broken-down ham Marlowe (Jose Ferrer). That the young aspiring actor knows nothing about his "craft" is evident the moment he speaks his first stage direction--"Enter Laughing"--as if it were a line of dialogue. Helped along by Marlowe's sex-starved daughter Angela (Elaine May), David manages to survive the rehearsal period, but his first public performance threatens to become a disaster when he can't find the entrance to the set. Still and all, David makes it through the play, cheered along by his now-supportive parents. Blessed with a marvelous supporting cast--including Jack Gilford, Don Rickles, Janet Margolin and veteran black comedian Mantan Moreland--Enter Laughing is a riot, especially for those viewers who have ever participated in amateur theatricals themselves. Only Reni Santoni fails to ring true as David Kolowitz (a role played on stage by Alan Arkin), though he has a few choice scenes, especially his impromptu performance on a subway. Watch for Rob Reiner in his film debut as a clumsy, self-conscious actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- José Ferrer, Reni Santoni, (more)
- 1967
Armed with a new tape recorder, Opie and his friend Arnold (Sheldon Collins) plant a "bug" in one of the jail cells. They manage to record evidence that a tight-lipped prisoner named Eddie (Herbie Faye) knows the whereabouts of some stolen money. But when the boys present the tape to Andy, he angrily refuses to listen, explaining that it would be a violation of proper police procedure. How is Andy going to bring this one to closure? Written by Michael Morris and Seaman Jacobs, "Tape Recorder" first aired on October 30, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
When Billie Jo (Meredith MacRae) auditions as a nightclub singer, she puts on a very sexy and provocative act. In fact, Billie's behavior is so out-of-character that mom Kate (Bea Benaderet) suspects that the girl is up to no good--and makes a fool of herself trying to find out. Meanwhile, Betty Jo (Linda Kaye) proves in a disastrous fashion that she has definitely not inherited her mother's cooking skills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Hoping to prepare Billie Jo (Gunilla Hutton) for a job as public stenographer, Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) encourages her to enroll in a secretarial school. To practice her typing skills, Billie types up a letter from her mom Kate (Bea Benaderet) that she finds lying around the house. Unfortunately, the letter is an extremely nasty and insulting one, and Kate had never intended for it to be delivered--but delivered it is, placing poor Kate at the mercy of Post Office bureaucracy as she tries to retrieve the embarrassing missive! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The British title of Billy Wilder's classic comedy was Meet Whiplash Willie -- for, despite Jack Lemmon's star billing, the movie's driving force is Oscar-winning Walter Matthau as gloriously underhanded lawyer "Whiplash" Willie Gingrich. CBS cameraman Harry Hinkle (Lemmon) is injured when he is accidentally bulldozed by football player Luther "Boom Boom" Jackson (Ron Rich) during a Cleveland Browns game. Willie, Harry's brother-in-law, foresees an insurance-settlement bonanza, and he convinces Harry to pretend to be incapacitated by the accident. To insure his client's cooperation, Willie arranges for Harry's covetous ex-wife Sandy (Judi West) to feign a rekindling of their romance. Harry's conscience is plagued by the solicitous behavior of Boom Boom, who is so devastated at causing Harry's injury that he insists on waiting on the "cripple" hand and foot. Meanwhile, dishevelled private eye Purkey (Cliff Osmond) keeps Harry under constant surveillance, hoping to catch him moving around so the insurance company can avoid shelling out a fortune. Wilder and usual co-writer I.A.L. Diamond were at their most jaundiced and cynical here, even if, after a sardonic semiclimax, the last ten minutes succumb to the sentimentality that often marred Wilder's later movies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, (more)
- 1966
With Samantha's surreptitious help, Darrin knocks out a bully during a rhubarb at a restaurant. The bully turns out to be Joe Kovack (Roger Torrey), a heavyweight boxer. As a result of the ensuing publicity, Darrin is forced to climb into the boxing ring with Kovack and then has to contend with Kovack's chief rival, undefeated champion Tommy Carter (Rockne Tarkington). Written by Lee Erwin, "Fastest Gun on Madison Avenue" first aired on February 3, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
- 1966
Samantha braces herself for a visit from Darrin's "kind of eccentric" Uncle Albert (Henry Hunter), whom she has never met. Through a series of silly misunderstandings, Sam mistakes a seedy con artist named Horace (Cliff Hall) for the inimitable Albert. Upon realizing that she's been hoodwinked, Sam turns the tables on the cagey Horace and his partner in skullduggery, William (Herbie Faye). Written by Herman Groves, "A Bum Rap" first aired on April 28, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
- 1965
After he, Buddy (Morey Amsterdam), and Sally (Rose Marie) have labored for hours on this week's "Alan Brady Show" script, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) proceeds to lose the only copy of the script at Grand Central Station. Fortunately, the precious manuscript is recovered by a seedy bum (Gene Baylos); unfortunately, the bum demands a 2,500-dollar ransom for the script's safe return! It's a toss-up as to which moment in this episode is the funniest: Rob's encounter with haughty hobo Hilyard Decker (Tiny Brauer), or the superb climactic scene with legendary standup comic Gene Baylos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Hoping to contribute to the Taylor household's bank account, Aunt Bee takes a job as a part-time receptionist. Little does she suspect that the print shop where she works is the headquarters of a counterfeiting gang. Even Andy is a bit slow on the uptake in this episode! The supporting cast includes Milton Frome as Kingsley, James Milhollin as Finch and Herbie Faye as Clark. Written by Bill Idelson and Sam Bobrick, "Aunt Bee Takes a Job" first aired on December 6, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Burns
- 1965
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Rob Petrie's younger brother Stacey (played by Dick Van Dyke's real-life brother Jerry Van Dyke) is facing two major crises. First, he hopes to make a go of the dingy coffee house that he's bought to promote his singing career. And second, he must gear up for his first meeting with his "fiancée" Julie Kinkaid (Jane Wald), with whom he has been corresponding for months -- signing his letters "James Garner!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Thanks to a botched experiment, Martin (Ray Walston) is transformed into a walking magnet. To avoid arousing the suspicions of Detective Brennan (Alan Hewitt), Martin transfers his magnetic powers to Andy (Herbie Faye), a reformed criminal now working as Mrs. Brown's handyman. Before long, his new-found ability to attract metal objects makes it appear as though poor Andy is picking pockets again--and it is now Martin's responsibility to clear Andy without drawing attention to himself! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
When the ladies of Mayberrry complain about the hootchie-kootchie dancers at a travelling carnival, Andy is forced to close the show down. As a result, the carnival's "one man band", Jerry Miller (Jerry Van Dyke) is thrown out of work. Feeling sorry for Jerry, Andy hires the man as a potential replacement for departing deputy Barney-and lives to regret it. Written by Bob Ross, "Banjo-Playing Deputy" originally aired May 3, 1965, as the final episode of The Andy Griffith Show's fifth season; it was also the series' last black-and-white episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Using his new camera to the max, Herman (Fred Gwynne) snaps a picture outside a bank, capturing the images of two fleeing bank robbers. As a result, both crooks and cops converge upon the Munster household--and both wish that they hadn't. Featured in the role of a policeman is former Hollywood stuntman Robert Morgan, the husband of Munsters star Yvonne DeCarlo (Morgan had suffered a crippling injury while filming How the West Was Won), whereupon his wife had put her career on hold for two years to nurse him back to health). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As if one Jerry Lewis wasn't enough, The Family Jewels offers no fewer than seven Jerrys. Fans of Lewis will like the film. Others should be advised to steer clear of any and all French film festivals. The plot revolves around nine-year-old Donna Peyton (Donna Butterworth), who stands to inherit 30 million dollars. The catch: Donna must pick a new daddy from her late father's six closest male relatives. Lewis spends most of the film playing family chauffeur Willard Woodward, whom Donna loves above all others. He also portrays snaggle-toothed gangster "Bugs" Peyton, hirsute sea captain James Peyton, flying fool Captain Eddie Peyton, cynical clown Everett Peyton, Holmes-like detective Skylock Peyton (whose "Dr. Matson" is corpulent Sebastian Cabot), and photographer Julius Peyton (a reprise of Lewis' Nutty Professor character Julius Kelp). Though fitfully amusing, The Family Jewels is too sloppily put together to completely satisfy anyone other than Lewis' most fervent fans. Best bits: the in-flight movie starring Anne Baxter, the marathon pool game, and Bugs Peyton's outrage at being called a rat fink. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Sebastian Cabot, (more)
Toward the end of Jerry Lewis's Paramount studio period, Lewis slapped together this bitter comedy about Hollywood phoniness and fame that has to be the most rancid portrait of the Hollywood star system in the Rat Pack era this side of Clifford Odets. When a famous entertainer suddenly is killed in an airplane crash, his team of flunkies -- producer Caryl Fergusson (Everett Sloane), writer Chic Wymore (Phil Harris), press agent Harry Silver (Keenan Wynn), director Morgan Heywood (Peter Lorre in his final film role), valet Bruce Alden (John Carradine), and secretary Ellen Betz (Ina Balin) -- decide to continue their life style by finding a complete unknown and manufacturing him into a Hollywood star. That unknown turns out to be the nervous and inept bellboy Stanley Belt (Jerry Lewis). They train Stanley to become an over-night singing sensation, and despite a disastrous recording session and a failed nightclub performance, the public relations blitz makes Stanley's recording of "I Lost My Heart in a Drive-In Movie" a smash single. So much so that Stanley is given a shot at appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Expecting the worst, Stanley's management team abandons him right before his performance. But Stanley musters up enough confidence to go on the live program alone and manages to surprise his pessimistic ex-staff. A collection of Hollywood celebrities circa 1964 --George Raft, Ed Wynn, Ed Sullivan, Mel Torme, Rhonda Fleming and Hedda Hopper -- make cameo appearances. High spots include an apocalyptic music lesson with voice teacher Dr. Mule-rrr (Hans Conried), Ed Sullivan performing a bizarre impersonation of himself, and an ending that would make even Jean-Luc Godard blush. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Ina Balin, (more)
In this comedy classic, Jerry Lewis plays Jerome Littlefield, an orderly in a mental hospital in this slapstick situation comedy that makes full use of Lewis's patented brand of screwball comedy. Dr. Jean Howard (Glenda Farrell) is the exasperated head of the sanitarium who almost becomes a patient after the antics of the frantic employee. Jerome takes on the symptoms of most of his patients and helps Susan Andrews (Susan Oliver) go from a woman considering suicide to an alluring woman of sensual confidence. When talkative patient Alice Pearce relates her maladies to Jerry, he hilariously has psychosomatic symptoms that mirror those of the woman. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Glenda Farrell, (more)
