Peter Graves Movies

Death Flight was originally known as SST: Death Flight when it was first telecast February 25, 1977. Though fairly expensive so far as TV movies go, the film is brought down to earth by its standard B-flick plot. On its maiden flight, America's first supersonic transport runs into deadly danger high in the sky-and may never get to land. In true Airport fashion, the plane is populated with celebrities (at least by TV standards): Barbara Anderson, Bert Convy, Peter Graves, Lorne Greene, Tina Louise, George Maharis, Burgess Meredith, Doug McClure, Martin Milner, Robert Reed, Susan Strasberg, Billy Crystal, and even Regis Philbin. The film's working title was Death of the Maiden, but this was too close to Death and the Maiden, the 90-minute pilot episode of the 1973 Jimmy Stewart TV series Hawkins. Death Flight was later syndicated as SST: Disaster in the Sky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this lively sports drama, Jeff Rayburn has no direction in his life since he competed in the Olympic games as a swimmer. The American had been simply bumming around Australia until he teamed up with biker Dave Ferguson and began sidecar racing. When not involved in racing, the two tussle for the love of the wealthy heiress Lynn Carson. While Ferguson is a nice fellow, he is notorious for taking risks that endanger the lives of his partners. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV movie, the majority of the Earth's population is wiped out during a solar explosion, leaving the Anders family as some of the few remaining people struggling to stay alive. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

The Underground Man was the pilot film for a series based on Ross MacDonald's private eye hero Lew Archer (the source of Paul Newman's film appearances as "Lew Harper"). Most of the elements of the factory-approved MacDonald formula are put into effect here: An old flame, a seemingly cut-and-dried case leading to sinister complexities, dark family secrets, ecological rape, and the inadvertent solving of previously unsolved crimes. Archer (Peter Graves) is hired to rescue the kidnapped son of his former love, and the cycle begins. This particular pilot didn't sell, but there would be a separately produced Archer series late in 1974 starring Brian Keith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Art thief Van Cleve (Ed Nelson) steals $5 million worth of priceless pre-Columbian artifacts. To determine the hiding place of the precious booty, the IMF hatch a scheme whereby Van Cleve becomes convinced that he has precognitive powers. Essential to the mission's success is an outsized simulated earthquake. Originally telecast on March 2, 1973, "The Western" was written by Arnold Peyser and Lois Peyser. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Call to Danger was a title that had already been applied to two unsold pilot films before this TV movie made its first appearance in February of 1973. Like the previous 1968 Call to Danger, the 1973 film stars Peter Graves as a federal agent who enlists "ordinary" people to solve crimes. Headquartered in Washington DC (where most of this film was shot), Graves selects his erstwhile agents by means of a computer. The case at hand is the retrieval of an underworld informer who has been kidnapped. Peter Graves appeared in Call to Danger even while his series Mission: Impossible was in production; there was talk that Mission: Impossible would soon be cancelled, and Graves wanted a pilot film to fall back on. Come September of 1973, there was neither hide nor hair of Mission: Impossible, Call to Danger or Peter Graves on any network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The IMF again invades the world of professional boxing to get the goods on crooked sports promoter Paul Mitchell (William Windom) and his Syndicate boss Jay Braddock (Joe Braddock). Terrified by Braddock's homicidal tendencies, Mitchell is on the verge of turning informer, but he needs a little dose of incentive. Thus, IMF agent Casey poses as Mitchell's daughter Susan (Jennifer Shaw) as part of a divide-and-conquer strategy aimed at utterly destroying Braddock. First broadcast on February 9, 1973, "The Fighter" was scripted by Stephen Kandel and Nicholas E. Bashr, from a story by Orville H. Hampton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Laraine Stephens guest-stars as Eve Vayle, who masterminds the death of her mobster husband Johnny (Charlie Guardino) in order to steal the records of Syndicate boss Stanley Luchek (Ronald Feinberg). Though forced to hide from the mob, Eve hopes to eventually extort millions of dollars from Luchek and his family. In order to put both Eve and Luchek out of business, the IMF relies on one of its most time-honored ploys: The recreation of a dead man, fingerprints and all. Written by Howard Browne, "Boomerang" was originally telecast on January 12, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While stealing computerized Syndicate secrets, minor hoodlum Tom Bachman (George Maharis) injures mob chieftan Matt Drake. With Drake hot on his trail, Bachman escapes to the jungles of Mexico --- where the IMF is waiting for him. Hoping to extract the aformentioned secrets from the fugitive crook, the IMF agents convince him that he has stumbled upon the fabled Fountain of Youth, which explains why Phelps, Willy, and Casey are made up to look like senior citizens. But if they don't get the necessary information before Drake catches up with Bachman, no one will grow any older. Written by Stephen Kandel, "The Fountain" first aired on January 26, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Halfway through its seventh and final season on CBS, Mission: Impossible moved from its 10:00 p.m. Saturday-night slot to an earlier berth on Friday evening. Nor was this the only change implemented during the series' terminal year on the air. Having sent the Impossible Missions Force all over the world to thwart a variety of evil dictators, international drug lords, and other such exotic vermin, the series' producers spent most of season seven in the United States, where the IMF team focused on the minions of organized crime -- a reflection, perhaps, of the popularity of the theatrical feature The Godfather. Also, the series' familiar, ritualistic opening sequence, in which IMF leader Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) would receive his instructions via a self-destructing tape recorder, then methodically thumb through a stack of photos to pick the team members best suited for the job at hand, was by now a relic of the past. Most of the seventh-season episodes begin with a "teaser," usually violent in nature, which sets up the premise before the IMF team has even entered the scene. Of the cast members, only Greg Morris as electronics whiz Barney Collier and Peter Lupus as all-purpose muscleman Willie Armitage have been with the series from its very first season in 1966. Peter Graves is now in his sixth season as Jim Phelps, while Lynda Day George is only two years into her portrayal of the IMF's female member, Lisa Casey. As it turned out, George would be unavailable for a number of episodes this seasons, obliging the producers to bring in Barbara Anderson, late of Ironside, as Lisa's off-and-on replacement Mimi Davis. Although the series' final episodes are not quite of the same caliber as its earlier installments, a handful of seventh-season episodes are still well worth having. Highlights include "Break!," in which Phelps relies upon Barney's electronic knowhow to pose as a pool hustler and infiltrate a vicious gambling ring headed by guest star Robert Conrad; "Leona," with singer Robert Goulet cast against type as a cuckolded mob boss; "Encore," offering the equally unorthodox casting of William Shatner as a cocaine dealer; and the series finale, "Imitation," with Barbara McNair as a sleek jewel thief who falls in love with Barney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After two and a half seasons in its familiar Saturday-evening network berth, Mission:Impossible moved to Fridays on December 22, 1972, with the episode titled "The Puppet." Roddy McDowall guest stars as Leo Ostro, the acting Syndicate boss during the convalescence of his injured brother Paul. To prove his own mettle, the egotistical Leo plans a $100,000,000 crime--but refuses to divulge any further details. It is up to the IMF to learn the nature and location of the crime and to put both Ostros out of business. Directed by veteran Hollywood hand Lewis Allen, "The Puppet" was written by Leigh Vance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Murray Hamilton guest-stars as deranged nuclear scientist Dr. Jerome Cooper, who threatens to destroy an unspecified American city with a hydrogen bomb unless the President capitulates to his demands. Normally, the IMF would have no trouble defusing such a bomb; the problem here is to find out where the bomb has been planted--and the agents have only 15 hours to do so. Barbara Anderson again subs for series regular Lynda Day George as the resident female IMF agent. Scripted by Harold Livingston from a story by Livingston and Sheyrl Hendrix, "Ulitmatum" was originally broadcast on November 18, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide