Mark Tapscott Movies

The plot is set in motion by a corrupt banker who has stolen several million dollars in US bonds. Also playing key roles in the intrigue are a mob fence and a professional assassin. Truly, crimefighting makes strange bedfellows: In his efforts to capture the banker and foil the other villains, NYPD lieutenant Kojak (Telly Savalas) is forced to team up with a cat burglar (Henry Darrow). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

$75 million in stolen diamonds is hidden somewhere on the ocean floor. Only Frederick Hoffman (Jeremy Slate) knows the actual whereabouts of the gems, and Hoffman is currently the prisoner of sadistic master criminal George Berlinger (Fritz Weaver). The IMF must recover the diamonds before Hoffman cracks under Berlinger's torture--and to accomplish this, Phelps and Casey must convince Berlinger that they know what he wants to know. The underwater scenes were filmed on location at Marineland of the Pacific. Wrtten by Arthur Weiss, "Underwater" was first telecast on November 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bonanza's twelfth season commenced on September 13, 1970 with the episode titled "The Night Virginia City Died." Several Virginia City buildings have burned to the ground; the townsfolk are in an uproar, and the local constabulary is apparently helpless. Meanwhile, the Cartwrights have befriended a pretty young stranger named Janie (Angel Tompkins), the new sweetheart of Deputy Clem (Bing Russell). Only the audience knows that the profoundly disturbed Janie is the elusive arsonist whom everyone is seeking. Written by John Hawkins, this episode was specially contrived to "destroy" the old Virginia City sets at the Paramount studios so that the Bonanza company could move into its new home at Warner Bros. "The Night Virginia City Died" also boasted a new Bonanza theme song by David Rose, which would endure until the old theme was brought back by popular demand in 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jack Kruschen makes his third and final Bonanza appearance as Giorgio Rossi, the bombastic patriarch of an Italian wine-growing family. Having been awarded a parcel of Ponderosa land to create a vineyard, Rossi causes consternation for Ben Cartwright when he invites a group of hungry Indians to pay a visit. What Ben knows, but Giorgio doesn't, is that once they've encamped on the Rossi property, the Indians will assume they've been invited to stay on permament. Also making return visits to the series are Penny Santon and Brioni Farrell as Giorgio's wife Maria and daughter Regina. Fans will be amused by the layout of the Rossi living room, which is an exact replica of the Cartwrights' (as well it should be, inasmuch as the same set was used!) Written by William F. Leicester, "The Sound of Drums" first aired on November 17, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This is the second of two Season Eight episodes in which a "special guest attorney" takes over from Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), who is ostensibly in Europe on business. This time the substitute is Perry's lawyer pal Ken Kramer (Barry Sullivan), who is hired by Lona Upton (Kathie Browne) to bail out her "friend "Maxine Nichols (Nina Shipman). It seems that Maxine has swiped a necklace worth $50,000 from Lona's half-sister Amy (Bettye Ackerman), who in turn is the widow of a yachtsman who'd died several years earlier under suspicious circumstances. But Lona isn't as kind-hearted as she seems: she hopes that Maxine will provide her with the combination to Amy's safe. Instead, Maxine is murdered and Lona is charged with the crime, prompting Kramer to figure out if someone else might have had a motive to bump off the "thermal thief." This episode was removed from the Perry Mason syndication package prepared in 1966, and was not seen again until the mid-1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Up to her usual tricks, Endora warns Darrin that Samantha will still be beautiful when he is old and grey. This leads Darrin to ask the inevitable question: Just how old is Samantha? If the audience thinks that a straight answer will be forthcoming, they don't know Bewitched. The guest cast includes venerable character actor Peter Brocco as Mr. Bodkin. Originally telecast on February 25, 1965, "Eye of the Beholder" was written by Lawrence Groves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi