Duane Grey Movies

The November 22, 1963, assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy shocked the nation and the world. The brisk investigation of that murder conducted under the guidance of Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren distressed many observers, even though subsequent careful investigations have been unable to find much fault with the conclusions his commission drew, the central one of which was that the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone. Instead of satisfying the public, one result of the Warren Commission Report was that an unimaginable number of plausible conspiracy theories were bruited about, and these have supported a sizeable publishing mini-industry ever since. In making this movie, director Oliver Stone had his pick of supposed or real investigative flaws to draw from and has constructed what some reviewers felt was one of the most compelling (and controversial) political detective thrillers ever to emerge from American cinema. Long before filming was completed, Stone was fending off heated accusations of artistic and historical irresponsibility, and these only intensified after the film was released. In the story, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) is convinced that there are some big flaws in the investigation of Oswald (Gary Oldman), and he sets out to recreate the events leading up to the assassination. Along the way, he stumbles across evidence that a great many people had reason to want to see the president killed, and he is convinced that some of them worked in concert to frame Oswald as the killer. Among the suspects are Lyndon Baines Johnson (the next president), the CIA, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Mafia. Over the course of gathering what he believes to be evidence of a conspiracy, Garrison unveils some of the grittier aspects of New Orleans society, focusing on the shady activities of local businessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones). Garrison's investigations culminate in his conducting a show trial that he knows he will lose and which he is sure will ruin his career in order to get his evidence into the public record where it can't be buried again. This movie won two of the many Academy Awards for which it was nominated: one for Best Photography (Robert Richardson) and the other for Editing (Joe Hutshing). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, the members of the Shakers, an aspiring rock band, perform at a series of weird and wacky weddings. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Three teens--a half Navajo (Dean Stockwell), a rebellious girl (Pat Stich) and a retarded boy (Todd Susman)--hit the road after they're accused of killing a policeman. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

John Astin and Emmaline Henry, who back in 1962 played husband and wife in the short-lived sitcom I'm Dickens-He's Fenster, were reunited in the December 21, 1969 Bonanza episode "Abner Willoughby's Return." Astin is cast as ex-miner Abner, who after 17 years at sea comes back to Virginia City to dig up the gold he buried before his departure. Thing of it is, the hiding place is now on the property owned by Widow Sprague (Emmaline Henry) and her son Charlie (Russell Schulman). When Abner tries to persuade the widow to move, he-and most of the Ponderosa men-are forced to remain on the property due to a quarantine. Written by Jack B. Sowards and Leslie McFarland, "Abner Willoughby's Return" was one of several Bonanza episodes which, for a variety of reasons, were withdrawn from the series' original syndication package; it has since been exhumed for cable-TV play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On trial for the murder of John Leggett, Candy comes before "hanging judge" Butler (Chick Chandler). The only eyewitness to the murder is Jacova (John Saxon), an Indian horse thief presently on the lam from the law. As the Cartwrights scour the countryside in search of Jacova, Candy is forced to put his life in the hand of defense attorney Theodore Scott (Woodrow Parfrey), who frankly doesn't seem to give a damn whether his client hangs or not. The script, by Jack B. Sowards and Stanley Roberts, makes a passing reference to the death of Custer-which, according the established chronology of Bonanza, was still several years in the future! "My Friend, My Enemy" first aired on January 12, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A pair of crooks conspire to rob the ticket booth at the Los Angeles Coliseum during a Rams game. Before they can perform the heist, the two must find precisely the right henchmen to join them. Each potential gang member must undergo a rigorous test of skill. Thanks to care and precise planning, the caper comes off smoothly and afterward the gang leader (Jim Brown) hides the money in the apartment of his ex-wife (Diahann Carroll). She only agrees to keep the money on the provision that he reform so they can get back together. Unfortunately, the wife's lust-crazed landlord (James Whitmore) busts into her house the next day and tries to rape her. During the struggle he kills her and then takes the loot. Later a crooked cop (Gene Hackman) investigates. Meanwhile, when the gang members learn that the loot is missing, they suspect a double-cross and engage in a huge battle. The cop finds the money and at first keeps it for himself. The head crook eventually figures out that the cop has it and so goes to him to make a little deal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Tim's new assistant is photographer Jimmy McClain (Claude Johnson), a lifelong foul-up. Fortunately for Jimmy, he snaps a picture of an escaped convict being subdued by an invisible Martin (Ray Walston). Unfortunately for Jimmy, Martin destroys the picture on the off-chance that he will show up on the photo and thus be exposed as a Martian. As a result, Jimmy is fired in disgrace, obliging Martin to utilize his "futuroid" camera to save the poor boy's job and restore his self-confidence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to escort a notorious wife murderer named Fairchild (Whit Bissell) to trial. But during a stopover in Osage Springs, Sheriff Stinchcomb (Paul Fix) demands at gunpoint that Paladin hand Fairchild over to him. It seems that every time the chief of a neighborhood Indian tribe dies, custom dictates that a white scalp be used in the burial ceremony--and Fairchild's scalp just about fills the bill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Scripted by Robert Presnell, Jr. from a short story by John Collier, this Twilight Zone episode focuses on Robert Shackleforth (George Grizzard), a lovestruck young man who cannot get the girl of his dreams, the ravishing Leila (Patricia Barry), to acknowledge his existence. In desperation, Robert pays a visit to the mysterious Professor Daemon (John McIntyre), who gives the young would-be romeo a potion that transforms the icy Leila into Robert's "love slave." Before long, however, Robert regrets having Leila hanging upon him like a clinging vine, leading him to contemplate using Daemon's special antidote: The dreaded "glove cleaner." Previously dramatized in 1951 on Billy Rose Television Theater, "The Chaser" made its Twilight Zone bow on May 13, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

En route from Tucson to the town of Ten Strike, Bret (James Garner) makes the acquaintance of Frankie French (Connie Stevens), a former saloon dancer. Frankie has been summoned to Ten Strike by a mysterious benefactor whom she has never met. Upon her arrival in town, Frankie discovers that her benefactor has murdered and that she is the main suspect--and when Bret tries to help the girl out, he is told to get out of town pronto. . .or else! In addition to a pre-stardom Connie Stevens (who would soon rise to fame on another Warner Bros. series, Hawaiian Eye), this episode affords TV buffs a glimpse of a young, pre-Batman Adam West, here cast as a vicious gunslinger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This melodrama tells the tale of a great battle between the French Foreign Legion and the rebellious Arab tribe, the Tuaregs, who fight it out upon the blistering Sahara sands. Just before the Legionnaires embark upon their dangerous mission, the commander discovers that he is being cuckolded by his lieutenant. Because the mission is urgent, there is no time to fight over the commander's wife. Unfortunately, as they travel, the tension between the two mounts and they begin squabbling over how to plan the attack. Their inability to work together results in tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A brave cowboy/ex-con hits the dusty trail as the leader of a major cattle drive in this western. He is offered the job by the very townspeople his gang terrorized a few years before. They are also the same people who put him in the slammer, and even though he accepts the task, he secretly plots his revenge. He gets it by proving himself courageous and honest. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Western writer/director Charles Marquis Warren makes one of his periodic excursions into horror with The Unknown Terror. Filmed in Mexico, the story focuses on three American adventurers (John Howard, Mala Powers and Paul Richards) who search for a missing explorer. They stumble across the Cave of Death, the forbidden domain of a mad scientist (Gerald Milton) who has developed a "killer fungus." Before long, one of the trio has fallen victim to the homicidal mold. It is up to the survivors to escape the scientist's clutches and warn the rest of the world of the now-known terror that festers in the wilds of Mexico. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide