Ned Glass Movies
Sardonic, short-statured actor Ned Glass was born in Poland and spent his adolescence in New York. He came from vaudeville and Broadway to films in 1938, playing bits and minor roles in features and short subjects until he was barred from working in the early 1950s, yet another victim of the insidious Hollywood blacklist. Glass was able to pay the bills thanks to the support of several powerful friends. Producer John Houseman cast Glass in uncredited but prominent roles in the MGM "A" pictures Julius Caesar (1953) and The Bad and the Beautiful (1954); Glass' next-door neighbor, Moe Howard of the Three Stooges, arranged for Glass to play small parts in such Stooge comedies as Hokus Pokus (1949) and Three Hams on Rye (1954); and TV superstar Jackie Gleason frequently employed Glass for his "Honeymooners" sketches. His reputation restored by the early 1960s, Glass appeared as Doc in West Side Story (1961) and as one of the main villains in Charade (1963), among many other screen assignments; he also worked regularly on episodic TV. In 1972, Ned Glass was nominated for an Emmy award for his portrayal of Uncle Moe on the popular sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1979
All but forgotten in recent years, the made-for-TV Goldie and the Boxer enjoyed a new lease on life when it was resyndicated to TV in the mid-1990s to capitalize on the notoriety of its star, O. J. Simpson. An old-fashioned tearjerker from the Champ school, the film stars Simpson as unknown boxer Joe Gallegher. Spurred by his friendship with Goldie Kellog (Melissa Michaelsen), the 10-year-old daughter of deceased boxing champ Paul Kellog (John Roselius), Joe goes the distance to the Title. Phil Silvers does an "Ed Wynn" as Joe's heart-of-gold trainer. First telecast December 20, 1979, Goldie and the Boxer performed well enough to encourage a 1981 sequel, Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- O.J. Simpson, Melissa Michaelsen, (more)
- 1976
At a demolition site, a human skeleton is found encased in cement. This is precisely the evidence needed by Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) to reopen a "cold" murder investigation--eighteen years after the killing took place. Veteran character actors Ned Glass and Marjorie Bennett) are prominently featured in this episode, which was initially slated to air on February 22, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Crossfire stars James Franciscus as police officer Rossi, who is thrown off the force for possession of narcotics. Disgraced in the eyes of everyone, including his own partner, Rossi descends into a life of crime. But--and this will come as a shock to anyone who's never seen a Humphrey Bogart picture--the drug bust was fabricated to allow Rossi to function as an undercover operative. His job: Locate and arrest the syndicate Big Boy. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Rossi's late brother was a mob functionary. Crossfire was yet another TV pilot film for yet another unsold James Franciscus weekly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Having passed his California Bar exam, Mark Sanger (Don Mitchell) is now qualified to practice law. This means that he no longer has time to work as bodyguard for Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), compelling police sergeant Ed Brown (Don Galloway) to move in with the chief until a replacement can be found. Other new developments in Mark's life include his engagement to fellow lawyer Diana (Joan Pringle in her first regular series appearance)--not to mention his first case, involving an elderly grocery-store owner accused of murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Filmed in the late 1960s, The All-American Boy was finally afforded a release in 1973, after its star Jon Voight had risen to worldwide prominence. Voight plays a young boxer who never has, and never will, achieve fame in the ring. Rather than find a new role in life, he prefers to hang around his old buddies, all losers like himself. Two hours too long, The All-American Boy carries "Age of Aquarius" disenfranchisement to the Nth degree. The film's main appeal lies in its cast: Jon Voight, Anne Archer, Rosalind Cash, Jeanne Cooper, Leigh French, Art Metrano and Jaye P. Morgan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Created for the "dime novels" in 1886, scientific detective Nick Carter has been transferred to film and radio several times in the past six decades, though most of these projects have tended to update his adventures. 1972's made-for-TV Adventures of Nick Carter restores the "turn of the century" surroundings of the original stories. Robert Conrad (somewhat older than his literary counterpart) portrays Nick Carter, a New York private investigator hired to locate the missing wife of a wealthy "robber baron" playboy. He also devotes some time to locating the murderer of a close friend. Though hampered by a tight budget, the film does a nice job recreating a 19th century world of crooked cops, graft-greedy politicians, all-powerful plutocrats, raggedy paper boys and Lower East Side lowlifes. Adventures of Nick Carter was one of three pilots for a projected "rotating" series of TV detective shows based on famed literary sleuths; the other two series in this aborted project were to have spotlighted the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hildegarde Withers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Conrad, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1971
Banyon is an A-number-one detective yarn set (very accurately) in the 1930s. Robert Forster, emulating John Garfield in virtually every scene, plays private eye Miles C. Banyon. Right now he's in dutch because a beautiful young woman has been found murdered--and Banyon's gun was the murder weapon. This state of affairs plunges the detective into a maelstrom of deceit and double-cross involving (among many elements) a Winchell-style radio commentator (Jose Ferrer), a paroled big-time gangster, a scar-faced assassin, and a Nazi Bund camp. Once he solves the main mystery, Banyon is faced with the unhappy Maltese Falcon task of exposing a close friend as a murderer. First telecast March 15, 1971, Banyon spawned a brief TV series one year later, with Robert Forster still in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Darren McGavin, (more)
- 1971
In the absence of a birth certificate, and thanks to some ill-timed jokes on the part of booking agent Marty Burnes (Bernard Fox), Danny (Danny Bonaduce) becomes convinced that he is adopted. Piecing together the "evidence" at hand, Danny concludes that his birth parents are named "Mr. and Mrs. Young"--whereupon he sets out to find them, come heck or high water. A number of local TV stations have refused to run this episode because of some very mild ethnic jokes. Songs: "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted?" and "I Can Feel Your Heartbeat". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Joe Don Baker stars as Mongo Nash, a professional gunman and the brother of mob boss Mike Nash (Charles Cioffi). At the behest of his brother, Mongo packs up his heat and prepares to bump off a rival gangster. Meanwhile, relentless police lieutenant Pete Tolstad (Telly Savalas) dogs Mongo's trail, determined to bring to justice all the crooks involved in the plot line. Partly filmed along the waterfront of San Pedro, CA, this made-for-TV thriller was based on a novel by E. Richard Johnson, who was then doing time on a robbery-murder charge at Minnesota State Prison. Mongo's Back in Town made its first CBS network appearance on December 10, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this violent, grim thriller, a baby-sitter's routine job turns out to be anything but when she and her young charge are terrorized by an escaped mental patient who bursts in and holds them hostage. He claims to be the three-year-old boy's father and has come to murder his ex-wife. Meanwhile to stall for time until the cops can save them, the baby-sitter seduces the fugitive father. A deadly stand-off ensues when the cops finally surround the place and he begins threatening to slice the throats of the girl and his son. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Nostalgia is selling angle of this made-for-TV suspenser. Someone is going around breaking into movie vaults and setting precious tins of rare film ablaze. An insurance investigator and a detective investigate this seemingly pointless crime. As it turns out, the "movie murderer" is an extortionist who was inadvertently filmed while committing a crime, thus he's anxiously burning every possible shred of evidence. It happens that the criminal is also an old-movie buff, which permits Universal Studios, producers of The Movie Murderer, to show off film clips from its MCA backlog--including snippets of W.C. Fields from International House, Gary Cooper from The Virginian, and Warner Oland from The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
In order to qualify for a marriage license, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) must take a blood test. This proves problematic when Jeannie reveals to Tony (Larry Hagman) and Roger (Bill Daily) that a genie's blood is green rather than red. In order to safeguard Jeannie's secret, Roger resorts to a bit of larceny--a job for which he is remarkably unqualified. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Former cop turned assistant DA Mel Grayson (Simon Oakland) uses his experitise in the realm of "circumstantial evidence" to sinister advantage. Murdering his wife, Grayson arranges the evidence to make it seem as though the woman has been killed by a burglar. By the time Ironside (Raymond Burr) figures out that something is amiss, a new wrinkle has been added: the fabricated "murder clues" could very well put the noose around the neck of Grayson's own nephew Paul Deke (Dennis Cooley) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
This episode runs the gamut from comedy to tragedy for LAPD mobile officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord). On the lighter side, the two cops break up a loud and nasty argument between a pair of "peace and love" cultists. Thing take a grimmer turn when the officers answer a call for help from a hysterical babysitter, and arrive on the scene of a calamitous swimming-pool accident. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Those who worried that the Disney studio would collapse without the presence of the late Uncle Walt were put at ease when the profits starting rolling in for The Love Bug. The "star" is Herbie, a lovable little Volkswagen with a personality all its own. Abused by a bad guy race-car driver (David Tomlinson), Herbie is rescued by a good guy racer (Dean Jones). Out of gratitude, Herbie enables the luckless good guy to win one race after another. The real fun begins when the ruthless hot-rodder connives to get Herbie back through fair means or foul. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, The Love Bug inspired two equally lucrative sequels, Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Michele Lee, (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)
- 1968
Hogan helps beautiful underground contact Heidi Eberhadt (Marj Dusay) escape to London. But after successfully completing this mission, Hogan receives word that Heidi might be a double agent. Character actor Ned Glass is seen as the owner of the delicatessen used by Hogan as a drop point, while frequent Hogan's Heroes supporting player Milton Selzer is cast as Otto von Krubner. First telecast on November 23, 1968, "Guess Who Came to Dinner" was written by Arthur Julian. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
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
In one of those bizarre twists of fate so beloved by the writers of The Fugitive, both Richard Kimble (David Janssen) and the elusive "one-armed man" Fred Johnson (Bill Raisch) are seriously injured in an explosion--and both end up in the same hospital. Temporarily blinded in the blast, Kimble must rely on young freelance photographer Howey's Keever (Tim Considine) to help him evade arrest long enough to bring Johnson to justice. But Kimble's efforts may come to naught thanks to Howey's uncle, who is all for turning the fugitive over to the police--thus allowing the murderous Johnson to escape scot-free again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
When Samantha expresses the wish that Darrin would forget about business and relax once in a while, Endora decides to help out by placing a bowl of magic popcorn in the Stephenses' house. The popcorn has the curious power to induce laziness in anyone who eats it. On cue, Darrin ingests the popcorn just before he is to embark upon an extremely important ad account. Watch for character comedian Paul Dooley as a TV repairman. Written by David V. Robison and John L. Greene, "Oedipus Hex" first aired on November 24, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
- 1966
In this offbeat mixture of espionage and slapstick comedy, Arthur Vincenti (Alejandro Rey) is a scientist working on secret military projects for the United States government. Vincenti is becoming increasingly unstable as he works in solitude in a backwater swamp; his superiors fear that he might be going mad, so they arrange for a respected psychiatrist from New York, Dr. Bartholomew Snow (Rock Hudson), to meet with him on a regular basis. However, in order to keep Vincenti's whereabouts a secret, Snow is blindfolded before he's driven to his meetings with the scientist. When a group of enemy agents kidnaps Vincenti, Snow could be the only one who can help him; however, he can't track down his patient without wearing the blindfold. Prominent in the supporting cast are Claudia Cardinale, Jack Warden, and Guy Stockwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Claudia Cardinale, (more)
- 1966
As "Jack Fickett", Kimble (David Janssen) lands a general-purpose job at a motel called "The Chinese Sunset." Unfortunately, the motel is currently under police surveillance, due to the presence of big-time bookie Eddie Slade (Paul Richards) and his slovenly girl friend Penelope (Laura Devon). Touched by Penelope's pathetic lack of social skills, Kimble generously offers to teach her how to be a "proper lady"--little realizing the danger in which he is placing himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The action in A Big Hand for the Little Lady centers around a high-stake poker game. The participants include some of the wealthiest men in the West (among them Jason Robards Jr., Kevin McCarthy, Charles Bickford and Paul Ford). Into this rarefied atmosphere trudges impoverished farmer Henry Fonda, who despite the protests of his wife Joanne Woodward plunks down his last dollars to join the game. Halfway through the proceedings, Fonda falls ill. With quiet desperation, Woodward sits down daintily at the table and says in a firm voice, "Gentlemen, how do you play this game?" End of story? Not by a long shot! This O. Henry-style shaggy dog story is based on a Dupont Show of the Week TV presentation Big Deal at Laredo. Keep an eye out for two movie veterans in bit parts: silent screen comic Chester Conklin and 1930's leading lady Mae Clarke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward, (more)
- 1965
Season Three of The Fugitive finds Richard Kimble (David Janssen), wrongly accused of his wife's murder, still on the lam from the relentless Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse), still desperately searching for the One-Armed Man who committed the murder for which Kimble was condemned to death. Now using the alias "George Egan", Kimble becomes a local hero when he rescues Janet Kegler (Lane Bradbury), who had been taken hostage by a convict. Wounded in the melee, Kimble is taken to a prison hospital for treatment, where Janet begs Warden Malone (Lin McCarthy) to set the fugitive free before Gerard arrives. But both Kimble and prison trustee Mickey Deming (a pre-Mission: Impossible Greg Morris) are placed in harm's way by a blackmailing convict who is intent on stealing the hospital's supply of morphine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
