Alan Bergmann Movies

It seems terribly funny when gypsy fortuneteller Madame Loretta (Erica Yohn), cited for ontempt of court, places a curse on everyone in the courtroom. But no one is laughing when Bull (Richard Bull) suddenly becomes paralyzed and Dan's accountant (Herb Gilpin) abruptly drops dead during a tax audit. Judge Harry (Harry Anderson) must revert to his street-entertainer days and come up with some magic of his own to lift the curse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Harry falls for a dazzling young woman named Kimberly (Mary-Margaret Humes), who claims to be a genuine witch. A tabloid reporter (George Murdock) intends to make hay of this situation, leaving Harry in a most embarrassing predicament (so what else is new?) Meanwhile, Dan (John Larroquette) frantically searches for a costume to wear at Harry's annual Halloween bash. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Harry (Harry Anderson) has quit his job as Night Court judge, frustrated and disgusted by a municipal budget cut that has resulted in panic, hostility and tragedy. As the courtroom staffers try to lure Harry out of a seedy pool hall and back behind the bench, Harry's elderly replacement (Kenneth Tobey) drops dead in mid-sentence! Future Star Trek: The Next Generation regular Brent Spiner appears as the head of the Wheeler family, a collection of raucous rubes who may or may not be from West Viriginia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louise Hartman (Neva Patterson) suspects foul play when her son Billy Jo (Joey Aresco), a professional demolition-derby driver, dies in an "accidental" plunge off a cliff. What has really aroused Louise's suspicions is the fact that Billy Jo had recently purchase a $200,000 insurance policy, a "luxury" he could ill afford. Working on behalf of Louise, Jim (James Garner) checks up on Billy Jo's benificiary Jeannie Szymczyk (E.J. Peaker), who denies ever having met the dead man. Of course, this isn't exactly the truth--and Jim hasn't even scratched the surface of this case yet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Venerable character actor Paul Fix guests in this episode as Wade Tillman, a self-styled septugenarian Robin Hood. Outraged at the isurmountable medical bills facing himself and his fellow nursing-home residents, Tillman resorts to robbery and extortion to buck the system. Within its usual "cops and robbers" framework, this episode makes a strong case for the rights and dignity of senior citizens in an increasingly youth-oriented society. Featured in the cast are such familiar Hollywood "seniors" as John Qualen, Ruth McDevitt, and 89-year-old Burt Mustin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan's Heroes utility player Dave Morick is spotlighted in this episode as a Nazi spy posing as an American officer named Lt. Miller. To dupe "Miller" into revealing the identity of his German contact, Hogan and his men stage an elaborate masquerade, transforming Klink's office into Nazi headquarters in Berlin and having Sgt. Carter give out with his legendary impersonation of Adolf Hitler. Oscar Beregi) appears as Herr Schneer. Written by R.S. Allen and Harvey Bullock, "The Meister Spy" first aired on January 17, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Ironside (Raymond Burr) is still in Montreal, still trying to determine if a group of militant Separatists are responsible for a fatal bombing. Reluctantly teamed with flamboyant, cigar-smoking female mystery writer Ernestine Mugford (Hermione Gingold), the Chief must figure out the connection between the death of an old friend and the theft of a priceless chess set. Further complicating matters is Ironside's renewed romance with Jeanine Duvalier (Karin Dor)--whose son Robert (AlaIn Patrick) is among the Separatists who may be planning a major terrorist assault on an upcoming parade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Enterprise arrives in orbit around planet Minara 2, whose sun is about to go nova, to pick up a research team (Jason Wingreen, Davis Roberts), but they find the station deserted. A record tape shows that the crew was abducted by some unseen force, which does the same thing to Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and McCoy (DeForest Kelley). They find themselves trapped below the planet's surface -- with the Enterprise out of range because of a solar storm -- and encounter a mute humanoid woman (Kathryn Hays) and a pair of alien captors, Lal (Alan Bergmann) and Thann (Willard Sage). The two identify themselves as Vayans, and are performing an strange experiment which has already killed the two scientists and threatens to do the same to the three Enterprise officers. The woman, christened Gem by McCoy, proves to be an empath, capable of linking emotionally and neurologically to those around her and healing physical injuries -- sometimes at great physical cost to herself. In some way that the officers can't comprehend, the Vayans' experiments have a logical basis, all surrounding Gem, the solar system that is about to be destroyed, and the relationship between the three of them -- but it may cost the lives of one or all of them, as well as that of Gem, to find out what that purpose is. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Though the character of Adam Cartwright was gone from Bonanza, he was far from forgotten, as proven by this episode from May 1, 1966. Alan Bergmann guest-stars as Gilly Maples, a shipmate of the now-seafaring Adam. Arriving at the Ponderosa, Gilly claims to be a lonely fellow, seeking only the warm companionship of the Cartwright clan. In truth, however, Gilly is a thief, who plans to rob Adam's family once he has wormed his way into their confidence. Ivor Barry costars as Gilly's cohort Morgan. "Home from the Sea" was cowritten by George F. Slavin and actor Stanley Adams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide