Arthur E. Gould-Porter Movies

Frasier the Sensuous Lion would seem to have been conceived as a racy "answer" to Disney's sugary-sweet animal comedies. The talkative title character is befriended by zoologist Marvin Feldman (Michael Callan). When Frasier's loquaciousness becomes public knowledge, Feldman tries to save the lion from being commercially exploited by a sleazy California wildlife preserve. The film's supporting cast includes such TV perennials as Frank De Kova ("Wild Eagle" on F Troop) and Malachi Throne ("Noah Bain" on It Takes a Thief). Frasier's innuendo-laden dialogue is supplied by, of all people, Victor Jory. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Man from UNCLE comes to the big screen in this spy thriller comprised of episodes from the popular television series. The story centers around the attempts of evil THRUSH operatives who endeavor to abduct a professor who has developed a formula for turning salt water into gold. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A double agent has to contend with enemies on both sides of the political fence as well as the woman he loves in this thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Prof. Michael Armstrong (Paul Newman) is an gifted American physicist who, at the height of the Cold War, decides to defect to East Germany. To his surprise, his fiancée, fellow scientist Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews) follows him, and she soon discovers Armstrong is no traitor, but acting as a secret undercover agent. As Armstrong attempts to ingratiate himself with political and scientific factions in East Germany, Gromek (Wolfgang Kieling) becomes his guide, though Armstrong is aware he's a government agent assigned to trail him, and as he tries to shake Gromek, Armstrong realizes his new "friend" knows what his real agenda happens to be. Torn Curtain was one of the rare Hitchcock films from his "classic" era which did not feature a score by Bernard Herrman; due to objections from his studio, Hitchcock removed Herrman from the project, though excerpts from the score he had begun were included as a bonus on the film's DVD release in 2002. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This romantic comedy stars Rock Hudson as Carter Harrison, an executive rising through the ranks of a major oil company. When he meets Toni Vincente (Gina Lollobrigida), a beautiful but hot-tempered artist, it's love at first sight and they quickly marry. The bloom is soon off the rose, however, and, five years later, Carter and Toni are about to finalize their divorce. However, just as the final paperwork is about to go through, Carter learns that he's up for a major promotion which would hinge on his being married. Carter is able to engineer a reconciliation with Toni with the help of his friend Richard Bramwell (Gig Young), a PR agent with the firm who hopes that a happy marriage will improve Carter's reputation. Since his separation from Toni, Carter has become known as something of a lothario, a reputation that the family-oriented company would like to avoid. But even though the couple patches things up, Richard has his work cut out for him when Toni announces that she'll be reenacting Lady Godiva's naked ride as part of a protest organized by an artists' group. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Clampetts call the Beverly Caterers to help them prepare a tasty meal, consisting mainly of jackrabbit stew. Meanwhile, Mr. Drysdale receives a kangaroo as a practical joke from an Australian banker. Anyone who's ever seen one of the Warner Bros. "Hippity Hopper" cartoons will be able to guess what happens next. Originally telecast January 8, 1964, "The Giant Jackrabbit" received a 44 percent ratings share, making history as the highest-rated half-hour program since 1960. Over 40 years later, it remains one of the 20 top-rated TV episodes of all time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The fact that Christmas is approaching only strengthens the Clampetts' resolve to leave Beverly Hills and head back to their old mountain home. Terrified of losing the family's multimillion-dollar account, Mr. Drysdale showers the Clampetts with Christmas presents, hoping to convince them to stay. But Jed and all his kin misinterpret Drysdale's grand gesture, sparking yet another comedy of errors. "Christmas at the Clampetts" was logically telecast on December 25, 1963, as the 50th episode of The Beverly Hillbillies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Sonny Drysdale (Louis Nye) runs off in terror at the prospect of marrying Elly May, the Clampetts grab their shootin' irons and prepare for a feud against the Drysdale family. Descending upon the Drysdale manion, the hillbillies take "Mister Butler" (aka Ravenswood) prisoner, but Granny orders Jethro to let the pretty French maid go ("Aw, shucks!") Meanwhile, Drysdale tries to solve the dilemma in a civilized manner. Enhanced by a terrific "running commentary" ballad courtesy of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, "The Great Feud" was originally telecast on December 10, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mr. Drysdale advises Jed Clampett to invest some of his $25 million in stock. Taking Drysdale's advice at face value, Jed goes out and buys a few head of cattle, along with several other "critters." This is the episode in which Elly May's strong affinity towards the animal world was first emphasized; it would certainly not be the last such episode. First telecast on October 24, 1962, "Jed Buys Stock" was written by series creator Paul Henning, as were most of the first-season Beverly Hillbillies installments. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cypriot shopkeeper Carpius (Oscar Homolka) falls in love with the beautiful Elptheria (Danielle de Metz), promising to give her anything her heart desires. To demonstrate the length and breadth of his devotion, Carpius sneaks into a monastery in search of the rare Ikon of Elijah, which he plans to steal for Elptheria's sake. Alas, Carpius is caught in the act, and is ordered to pay penance for his misdeed...and pay...and pay...and pay.... ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Heavily in debt, John Manbridge (Denholm Elliott) cannot wait to inherit the money promised him by his wealthy uncle Felix (Torin Thatcher). Hoping to speed up the process, John kills Uncle Felix, and then arranges a "perfect alibi." Only when Felix's body is found does John discover that the murder was entirely unnecessary -- but by then, he too has suffered his uncle's curious fate. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Shortly after murdering Arthur Chaundry (Arthur Gould-Porter), Jack Lyons (Denholm Elliott) marries Arthur's widow, Phyllis (Hazel Court). Although she is naturally distraught over her first husband's demise, Phyllis seems equally concerned with her missing crocodile-skin makeup case. To mollify Phyllis, Jack reports the loss of the case, providing the police with a thorough description of the missing item -- a description which, alas, turns out to be just a wee bit too thorough. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A strangler is plaguing fog-bound London, and each time the culprit strikes, two men are the first to arrive at the murder scene. One of them is Ottermole (Theodore Bikel), the police sergeant investigating the murders; the other is an obnoxious newspaper reporter (Charles Davis). Trouble is, the reporter always manages to beat the detective to the crime scene -- a fact that will result in tragedy for at least one of the two protagonists. Generally regarded as one of the best mystery stories ever written, Charles Davis' The Hands of Mr. Ottermole had previously been dramatized on both the radio and TV versions of Suspense. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Previously filmed as a theatrical feature in 1939, Alec Coppel's semi-serious mystery play I Killed the Count was adapted 17 years later as Alfred Hitchcock Presents' only three-part episode. In part three, Inspector Davidson (John Williams) is no closer to solving the murder of Count Martoni than he was in parts one and two -- especially since no fewer than three people have come forward, confessing to the crime. Finally, Davidson is able to separate wheat from chaff and determine who is truly guilty...but he may be forced to free the miscreant on a legal technicality. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi