Virginia Gregg Movies
Trained as a musician, Virginia Gregg drew her first professional paychecks with the Pasadena Symphony. Gregg was sidetracked into radio in the 1940s, playing acting roles in an abundance of important California-based network programs. Her extensive radio credits include Gunsmoke, Suspense, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, and Richard Diamond. Her first film was 1946's Notorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who last cast Gregg as the voice of "Mother" in his classic chiller Psycho (1960). Virginia Gregg was most closely associated with the output of actor/producer/director Jack Webb: she co-starred in both of Webb's film versions of his popular radio and TV series Dragnet, and guest-starred in virtually every other episode of the 1967-70 Dragnet TV revival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
For his third outing as disturbed innkeeper Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins directed as well as starred in the thriller Psycho III. This time out, Norman is still manning the desk at the Bates Motel, where he now has an assistant, Duane (Jeff Fahey), and a new long-term tenant, Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid). Maureen has been seeing Duane and has some issues to resolve in her life; she gave up her vows as a nun not long ago, and she isn't sure just how she feels about either spiritual or earthly matters. Norman takes an interest in Maureen, which may not be good for her long-term health -- after all, the last woman with the initials "M.C." who stayed in that room (and used the shower) met with a rather nasty fate. Perkins played Norman Bates one more time, in the made-for-cable Psycho IV: The Beginning; a short-lived TV series followed, Bates Motel, in which Perkins did not participate. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, (more)
- 1982
This made-for-television drama chronicles an atypical May-December romance involving a twenty-something doctor and a middle-aged woman. The two soon fall passionately in love and this causes a little friction between the woman and her full-grown daughters. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1981
Faye Dunaway portrays the Argentinian title character in this four-hour TV biopic. The story traces Evita's rise to power from humble origins; she establishes herself as a radio and film actress, then meets and marries powerful politico Juan Peron (played by James Farentino, a last minute replacement for Robert Mitchum). Peron's iron-fisted rule of Argentina allows Evita to become a political power in her own right. At first she is widely beloved as a "woman of the people", but gradually many of her followers are disillusioned by her use -- and misuse -- of her authority and her influence over Peron. After Evita dies, she is all but canonized by the Faithful, and it becomes more difficult than ever to separate fact from legend. Evita Peron was clearly produced to capitalize on the Broadway musical hit Evita, though the script takes great pains not to copy its theatrical inspiration. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
In this biting comedy satirizing Hollywood cynicism from writer-director Blake Edwards, Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan) is a motion picture director whose career is on the skids. Having just completed a family musical that is sure to be a $30 million flop, Felix knows that his days are numbered and tries unsuccessfully to commit suicide. When he recovers, Felix suddenly has a brainstorm and hatches a scheme to buy the film back from his studio and lens new scenes that will turn it into a pornographic movie with big stars, a sure-fire box office winner. In order to pull it off, he'll need to convince his female lead and wife, Sally Miles (Julie Andrews, not coincidentally the director's real-life wife) to defy her wholesome, squeaky-clean public image by baring her breasts on film. S.O.B. (1981) was the final film of legendary actor William Holden. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, William Holden, (more)
- 1980
Singing her way through life as life sings back at her, little orphaned Heidi (voice by Margery Gray) is bounced around from her aunt's house, to her grouchy grandfather's place, to a wealthy family in the big city, and never do the vocals subside nor does her spirit droop to anything lower than high "C," probably a fitting classification for this animated film from the Hanna-Barbera studio. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Sammy Davis, Jr., (more)
- 1978
In the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), an improperly stacked pile of logs causes Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) to break both her legs. When the doctor warns that Elizabeth may never walk again, two of her brothers, each convinced that he alone is at fault, are overcome with guilt. Meanwhile, the Baldwin sisters (Helen Kleeb, Mary Jackson) and Aimee Godsey (Rachel Longaker) approach the challenge of Elizabeth's recuperation in uniquely different ways. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), every member of the Walton family pitches in to help Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) recuperate from her crippling accident--especially Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) and Ben (Eric Scott), who feel responsible for her plight. Though the fractures have healed, Elizabeth has sustained nerve damage that may prevent her from ever again walking properly. The crisis becomes all the more pronounced when the Baldwin sisters, hoping to cheer the girl up, give her a pony. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Four months away from retirement, hard-bitten narcotics cop Eddie Boggs (Ned Beatty) oversteps his bounds, brutalizing a drug-dealing stoolie and planting a weapon on the man. In his efforts to cover up his misdeeds, Boggs succeeds only making things worse. Played out against all this intrigue are the efforts by Stone (Karl Malden) and Robbins (Richard Hatch) to get the goods on a particularly insidious drug ring called the Tucson Connection. Susan Oliver, best remembered to Star Trek fans as the "Green Girl" in the original Star Trek pilot film, appears as Eddie Boggs' long-suffering wife. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
In this TV pilot that spawned a brief series on NBC during 1977-78, Patrick Duffy plays the title character--an amphibian/human, equipped with gills--who washes up on shore and is taken to the hospital to recover. When the American government finds out his identity, it recruits him to help in the recovery of a secret submarine. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1976
When the editor shuts down the newspaper where he works, John-Boy is given the opportunity to start up a periodical of his own. But before he can issue the first edition of the "Blue Ridge Chronicle", he must purchase the old paper's printing press--and thus he takes a full-time job to raise the money. His new responsibility cut into his study time at college, and it seems as though John-Boy's journalism teacher Professor Parks (Paul Jenkins) has no intention of cutting the boy any slack. . .but Parks may not be quite as cold-hearted as he seems. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
Future Brady Bunch star Robert Reed appears in this episode as Martin Avery, self-proclaimed doctor who treats a fatally wounded policeman at a crime, only to vanish from sight. Stone and Keller want to locate the doctor, who is the only eyewitness to the killing, but they are stymied by the fact that the man has given them a false name. It turns out that "Dr. Martin Avery" isn't a physician at all, but a very clever and talented impostor--and it is this fact that puts the lives of the phony medico and several other people in dire jeopardy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
As is customary, Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) are faced with a baffling mystery which they must unravel in the episode's alotted sixty minutes. The game is afoot the moment that the skeleton of a former convict is found during an excavation on Alcatraz Island. There's only one problem: this particular convict was supposed to have escaped from "The Rock" in the 1950s--and in fact, is still purportedly sending letters to his family! Featured in the cast are two seasoned veterans of radio's Golden Age: Paul Stewart and Virginia Gregg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
This final episode of Emergency!'s fourth season was intended as the pilot for a spinoff series titled 905-WILD. The members of Squad 51 lend a helping hand to the LA Animal Bureau Control Team, whose emergency phone number 905-WILD is an abbreviation for "Wild Animal Loose, Threatening". David Huddleston heads the supporting cast as crusty head veterinarian Doc Coolidge, with Mark Harmon and Albert Popwell as Bureau officers Taylor and Gordon, Rose Ann Zecker as the team's dispatcher Patty Burns, and frequent Emergency guest star Gary Crosby as the Bureau's chief, Walt Marsh. And what about the Emergency! regulars? Well, Dr. Brackett (Robert Fuller) operates on a dying goat, relying on phoned instructions from Doc Coolidge; and paramedic John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) comes face to face with a bengal tiger. A huge canyon fire which threatens thousands of domesticated animals climaxes this "special" episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Attack on Terror: The FBI Versus the Ku Klux Klan is a fact-based, two-part TV movie. The film is a dramatization of the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. The FBI, personified herein by southern operative Wayne Rogers, is brought in to investigate the trio's disappearance. Upon the discovery of the bodies on August 2, 1964, the feds follow a trail of (admittedly skimpy) evidence which leads to the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, headed by the virulent Glen Tuttle (Rip Torn). The first part of Attack on Terror was originally telecast February 20, 1975. The film was based on the book by Don Whitehead. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ned Beatty, John Beck, (more)
- 1975
- R
Fred Williamson directed, wrote, produced, and starred in this first effort from his own company, Po' Boy Productions. The standard blaxploitation plot concerns Los Angeles detective Jesse Crowder (Williamson), traveling to San Francisco where he is hired to track down a missing man who embezzled a great deal of money. Soul Train's Don Cornelius is among the cast of this violent action film. Williamson returned as Crowder in Death Journey the following year. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred Williamson, Charles Woolf, (more)
- 1975
In the first episode of Adam-12's two-part series finale, Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord), frustrated that a heroin user he has placed in jail is now free and back on the streets, decides that the best way to handle druggies is through understanding and rehabiliation. With this in mind, Jim enrolls in a month-long narcotics course, hoping to be of better service to the community. Unfortuanelty, the dangers of Jim's regular job interfere with his good intentions--and at the same time, his partner Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) is seriously wounded in the line of duty. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Hired by an insurance company to locate Nancy Wade (Jesse Welles), Jim (James Garner) finds the woman living in poverty in Las Vegas. Despite her reduced circumstances, Nancy is hesitant to bank the $10,000 cashiers' check she received upon the death of her mother. In his efforts to find out why, Jim runs afoul of a pair of mobsters who have enmeshed poor Nancy in a money-laundering scheme. Boulder Dam provides the backdrop for the climax of this, the final episode of The Rockford Files' first season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
Aging socialite Athena Champion (Kim Hunter) desperately seeks out the aid of her friend Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr). Several elderly men have recently been murdered--all of them old boyfriends of Athena who had attended her debutante's ball. Suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers', Athena is worried that she may have killed the victims without knowing it--and she wants Ironside to determine whether she is innocent or guilty. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
This final episode of Adam-12's sixth season is actually the pilot for a proposed spinoff series titled Fraud. After they find a dead man with an oscillator belt tied around his waist, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) discover that the victim died of diabetic shock--and that he was the patient of a quack doctor. Enter Deputy DA Abe Stayhorn (Ed Nelson) of the " Major Fraud" division, and Strayhorn's elite team of scam-busters, including chief investigator Gino Bardi (Frank Sinatra Jr.) and policewoman Lynn Carmichael (Sharon Gless), who work in concert with Jim and Pete to get the goods on the crooked medico. Advertised as a "special", this episode was seen outside the usual Adam-12 Tuesday-night timeslot, and afforded a rare Thursday-evening telecast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Hoping to solve a series of burglaries, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) set their sights on Reno West (Jed Allan), an ex-convict whom they'd confronted in the previous episode "Hot Shot". Elsewhere, the cops search high and low for a nasty marauding dog. And yet another squabbling married couple causes headaches for Jim and Pete. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
After a hard day in the field, John (Randolph Mantooth) returns to his bunk at the station, only to find that it has become the new home of a stray cat and her kittens. This week's emergency roster includes an old codger who is stuck in the bear trap he'd set to capture a thief; a burning airplane, with two passengers trapped inside; a gas leak at an elementary school; a near-fatal boating mishap; and a really bad case of stage fright. Virginia Gregg, a loyal member of producer Jack Webb's "stock company", appears as Zelda Zack. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
The emergency staff of Rampart Hospital struggles to stem an outbreak of botulism which they have traced to a Hollywood movie set. At the same time, the firemen race against time to rescue a boy trapped in a condemned building about to collapse. With all this going on, paramedic John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) still manages to squeeze in a revenge plan against a persistent practical joker. And in other developments, head nurse Dixie (Julie London) clashes with Dr. Brackett (Robert Fuller) over his treatment of one of her student nurses; and Dr. Early (Bobby Troup) suffers a bizarre "stethoscope malfunction." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
Someone in San Francisco has been attacking Vietnam veterans with military-issue hand grenades. Two ex-soldiers have already fallen victim to the mystery assailant, and one of them has been killed. Ironside's aide Mark (Don Mitchell), a friend of the dead man, wants some answers--and thus he sets himself up as bait to lure the killer out in the open. This is one of several early-1970s TV programs centering around the tragic residue of the still-raging Vietnam conflict. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
Robert Young stars as Judge Charles Raleigh in the made-for-television All My Darling Daughters. The Judge happens to have four daughters, played by Darleen Carr, Judy Strangis, Sharon Gless, and Fawne Harriman (what did all the detective shows and sitcoms do for ingenues while these four ladies were tied up in this film?) And, as the fates would have it, all four daughters plan to get married on the same day! Screenwriter John Gay and David Lowell Rich, two of the most prolific TV-movie artisans in Hollywood, managed to maintain audience interest despite the story's inbuilt cliches. Originally telecast November 22, 1972, All My Darling Daughters was followed by a TV-pilot sequel, All My Darling Daughters' Anniversary. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
Season Five of Adam-12 gets under way with a typical Jack Webb-style scrutinization of the community-relations activities of the LA County Police Department. While going about their goodwill rounds, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) encounter some bad will from a gang of purse-snatching motorcyclists. The episode concludes with a tense cycle race between Malloy and a would-be Brando named Skinner, played by former 77 Sunset Strip costar Edd Byrnes. And yes, that is ex-"Monkee" Micky Dolenz as Skinner's toadying sidekick. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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