Don Hanmer Movies
- 1968
Mobile officer Pete Malloy (Kent McCord) is a bit tired of his partner Jim Reed (Kent McCord) extolling the joys of married life. In fact, Jim is more determined than ever to remain a bachelor after he and Pete are summoned to break up a rather vicious domestic dispute. Elsewhere, the two officers arrive at the scene of a car crash where a woman has been pinned under her vehicle, and chase down the perpetrators of a liquor store robbery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Gangster Louis Koster (Robert Middleton) knows that his wife Marian (Kathleen Hughes) is cheating on him, but he doesn't know the name of her lover. In lieu of this information, Koster hires a hit man to bump off Marian. Things get out of hand for the unfortunate Mr. Koster when Marian strikes "a better bargain" with the would-be assassin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
"Trouble" is the apt cognomen for one of the toughest towns in California. Through a fluke, Hoss Cartwright is named temporary sheriff of Trouble, determined to do his duty even though the citizens want nothing to do with law and order. Through methods both persuasive and pugnacious, Hoss ends up arresting virtually the entire town! Also in the cast are Gene Evans as Montana Perkins, G.D. Spradlin as Chip, E.J. Andre as the Judge, Jeff Morris as Matthew Brody, and Hal Holmes as Mark. First seen on October 25, 1970, "The Trouble with Trouble" was written by Jack B. Sowards, who penned many of Bonanza's funnier installments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1974
While his house is being fumigated, Roy (Kevin Tighe) bunks with John (Randolph Mantooth), which proves to be quite an experience (and without elaborating any further, we must note the episode's title: "propinquity" translates as "nearness in space, time or relationship"). Back on the job, Squad 51's ambulance is involved in a traffic accident while transporting a burn victim. And a man suffers a heart attack during a card game--but refuses to go to the hospital until one of the paramedics agrees to play out his last hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Andrei Konchalovsky comes a cropper with this mawkish road movie starring Whoopi Goldberg and James Belushi. Goldberg plays Edwina, an escaped mental patient with a brain tumor and only a month to live. Belushi is Homer, a retarded man abandoned by his parents when he was a child after a smack with a baseball bat rendered him an idiot. The two team-up when Homer takes off to Oregon to visit his parents and catch up on old times. Edwina agrees to drive him there to recover the $87 that Homer has stolen from her. As they drive down the American roadways, they bond, and Edwina is granted the shining love of Homer as she lapses into a coma. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, Whoopi Goldberg, (more)
- 1968
Policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson) is faced with a profound personal crisis when she shoots and kills an armed robber in self-defense. It turns out that the victim was only 17 years old, regarded as a "model kid" by friends and loved ones alike. Tortured by guilt and self-doubt, Eve must rely upon Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) to determine if her instincts were correct when she pulled the trigger. This episode was cowritten by famed crime novelist Evan Hunter, whose screenwriting credits include the landmark "J.D." drama The Blackboard Jungle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Light-years removed from his comic escapades on Three's Company, John Ritter delivers a topnotch dramatic performance as Kenny Soames, a delivery boy who moonlights as a burglar. Accidentally killing one of his victims, Kenny plots a big-time heist in order to earn enough money to finance his getaway from New York. Meanwhile, Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) follows the trail of clues which lead inexorably to the too-clever-by-half Mr. Soames. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) investigates when two out-of-town conventioneers fall to their deaths from separate hotel windows. It's clearly more than a coincidence--and despite what some authorities believe, the two victims did not commit suicide. Kojak determines that a mad killer is on the loose...and there's every possibility that the perpetrator is a woman. Watch for brief appearances by future sitcom regulars Paul Benedict (The Jeffersons) and Gordon Jump (WKRP in Cincinnati). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Baltic freedom fighter Nikolai Kurzon (Bob Tiedemann) has been kidnapped by Colonel Alex Stahl (Steve Ihnat), leader of the secret police in Kurzon's homeland. To rescue both Kurzon and his thousands of followers, the IMF must make it appear that Stahl has sold out his government. To accomplish this, Cinnamon poses as an astrologer with a remarkable record of accurate predictions. Much of the action takes place on an airplane that, to all appearances, is doomed to crash with Stahl aboard. Originally telecast December 3, 1967, "The Astrologer" was written by James F. Griffith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
The autobiography of Henri Charriere, one of the few people to successfully escape from the notorious French penal colony of Devil's Island, served as the basis for Papillon. Steve McQueen plays the pugnacious Charriere (known as "Papillon," or "butterfly," because of a prominent tatoo), incarcerated--wrongly, he claims--for murdering a pimp. He saves the life of fellow convict Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman), a counterfeiter who will later show his gratitude by helping Charriere in his many escape attempts, and by smuggling food to Charriere when the latter is put in solitary confinement. One breakout, which takes Charriere and Dega to a leper colony and then to a native encampment, is almost successful, but Charriere is betrayed (allegedly because he stopped for an act of kindness) and back the prisoners go to French Guiana. Years later, Dega is made a trustee and is content with his lot, but the ageing, white-haired Charriere cannot be held back. A tribute to the unquenchability of the human spirit, Papillon brought in an impressive $22 million at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, (more)
Ex-crime reporter turned novelist Raymond St. Ives (Charles Bronson) is drawn back into the world of his former profession by wealthy Abner Procane (John Houseman). St. Ives is hired to locate a stolen set of ledgers that, if made public, could trigger an all-out mob war. Amazingly, St. Ives fails to recognize who his real friends and enemies are in the course of his investigation, and it takes all his mental and physical resources to keep from being exterminated. One of the characters who isn't all that she seems is sexy Janet Whistler (Jacqueline Bisset). While the "main" cast is serviceable, the lineup of future stars in minor roles (Daniel J. Travanti, Jeff Goldblum, Robert Englund, Michael Lerner) is fascinating. Based on The Procane Chronicle, a novel by Oliver Bleeck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, John Houseman, (more)
- 1962
Carol Lynley stars as Sister Pamela, a young novitiate who is robbed of a priceless statue of St. Francis entrusted to her care. Suffering a crisis of faith, Sister Pamela leaves the order, intending to track down the thief and recover the statue. The events that follow involve a young outlaw named Jimmy Bresson (Clu Gulager), a duplicitious pawnbroker named Wormer (Don Hanmer), and an ostensibly reformed gangster named Downey (Robert Armstrong). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
This action drama is adapted from a TV movie, The Faceless Man. The story centers around a secret service agent who goes undercover as hitman into a counterfeit ring. Most of the story takes place at a waterfront bar. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lord, Shirley Knight, (more)
- 1965
Now travelling under the phony handle "Jim McGuire", Kimble (David Janssen) goes to work for widowed hotel owner Lois Carter (Georgann Johnson). As the days pass, Kimble turns out to be the only person capable of befriending Lois' strangely sensitive son Kenny (Johnny Jensen). When the police inevitably arrive in search of Kimble, Kenny helps the fugitive avoid escape. But Kimble isn't out of the woods yet, thanks to a local romantic rivalry that threatens to turn deadly at any moment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In his never-ending efforts to outmaneuver Elliot Ness (Robert Stack), bootlegger Joe Lassiter (J.D. Cannon) commissions architect Harry Gordon (Milton Selzer) to build a "Ness-proof" brewery. The finished product is perched atop a six-story warehouse, undetectable to anyone at street level. Though Ness finds out about the brewery, he curiously makes no move to put it out of business--and even provides supplies for the brewers. What exactly is Ness up to? And what will happen to the hapless Harry Gordon once he has outlived his usefulness? An ironic ending caps this fact-based yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Vom Himmel Gefallen is better known by its American title, Special Delivery. Joseph Cotten plays John Adams, a functionary at the U.S. embassy in a fictional Iron Curtain country. A baby is left on the doorstep of the embassy, sparking an international incident when a high-ranking communist official demands that the child be turned over to him. Much of the humor arises from the efforts of the male embassy staff to care for the scene-stealing youngster. Fortunately for the kid (and, as it turns out, for John Adams), pretty refugee nurse Sonja (Eva Bartok) arrives on the scene. Directed by Hollywood veteran John Brahm, Von Himmel Gefallen was filmed simultaneously in an English and German language version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Cotten, Eva Bartok, (more)
