Lester Fletcher Movies

In the conclusion of "Greetings from Earth", six Terrans from the 13th Colony (formerly known as Earth) are released from suspended animation when their drifting space station is discovered. Upon awakening, the six become obsessed with the notion that the Galactica is part of the hated Eastern Alliance, which brought about the destruction of Earth several centuries before. Adama (Lorne Greene) begins to wonder if the newly revived travellers are whom they claim to be when they demand to be taken to the planet Paradeen--lest they all perish. Originally telecast as a two-hour "special", "Greetings from Earth" has since been reedited as two one-hour episodes for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jim (James Garner) is hired by a woman identifying herself as Karen Hall (Barbara Babcock), who claims to be researching the career of Alva Korper, a German film director notorious for his Nazi sympathies during WW2, and for his mysterious death in a suspicious car crash. It soon develops that "Karen Hall" is actually Korper's daughter, and she is one of several shady characters searching for a priceless 18th century painting stolen years earlier by the Germans. With Jim being pursued by everyone from ex-Nazis to French police detectives, and with no idea of what is really going on, he must turn to a college coed (Irene Tsu) majoring in "logic" to straighten things out. The title of this episode (directed by film star James Coburn) refers to the last-act expositional dialogue heard in every mystery story, usually delivered by the hero or (as in this case) the villain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Max Ehrlich adapted his own novel for the screen in this fitfully amusing paranormal thriller. College professor Michael Sarrazin feels that someone else is inside him, and is led by his dreams to a small town where Margot Kidder (Black Christmas, Superman) has murdered her cheating husband. She senses something odd about Sarrazin too, even more so when he falls for Jennifer O'Neill (Scanners), who may or may not be his and Kidder's daughter. Regardless of its merits, this film will probably best be remembered for its poster art, which depicts an anguished Sarrazin being smashed in the testicles with a boat paddle. That's what happens when actors do things like turn down Midnight Cowboy. Director J. Lee Thompson later went on to direct the even less subtle Happy Birthday to Me. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

The stars of the witty TV series I Spy were reunited for this downbeat crime thriller, which takes a much darker and more violent look at the lives of two detectives for hire. Al Hickey (Bill Cosby) and Frank Boggs (Robert Culp) are a pair of private eyes who are approached by an attorney to find his girlfriend, who has gone missing. Their investigation leads them to a large sum of money from a Pittsburgh bank robbery. It seems that the woman in question has married the leader of a leftist radical group, which is now trying to find a buyer for the tainted money. An attempt to recover both the money and the girl goes awry when Hickey and Boggs infiltrate a meeting with the radicals; the girl slips away and takes the burgled cash with her. Adding to the disaster, the meeting tips off the identity of the detectives to mobsters dealing with the radicals, and the gangsters execute Hickey's wife in an effort to keep him away from their activities. Hickey and Boggs also features Rosalind Cash, Michael Moriarity, Vincent Gardenia, Isabel Sanford, and James Woods. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This was the last film by director Stuart Heisler, and in his uneven output it was not one of the most memorable. The evil dictator (Richard Basehart) is shown to be very much involved with his love life, as though impotency and a severe Oedipal complex alone could account for his dominion over Germany and the insanity that led into World War II. Other characters in the top echelons make their way into and out of the story, including Heinrich Himmler (Rick Traeger), Joseph Goebbels (Martin Kosleck), and of course, Eva Braun (Marla Emo). Any viewers looking for an explanation of how the madness within Hitler related to his rise to power and his downfall, will best look elsewhere. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Thrown off course by a freak tailwind, a passenger jet finds itself flying over a prehistoric landscape, festooned with dinosaurs. Deducing that they've somehow passed through a time warp, the crew of Flight 33, headed by Captain Farver (John Anderson), desperately seek out a way of returning to their own time. Managing to retrieve the tailwind, the crew succeeds in its goal -- almost. Written by Rod Serling, with technical advice from his novelist brother Robert J. Serling (then an aviation writer for American Airlines), this Twilight Zone episode is highlighted by some disturbingly convincing "monster" animation, courtesy of film producer Jack H. Harris (of Dinosaurus! fame) and the special-effects wizards at Project Unlimited. "The Odyssey of Flight 33" first aired February 24, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide