Dean Harens Movies

"A computer can only give back what the human mind has put into it." So explained screenwriter James D. Buchanan when discussing the made-for-TV melodrama Paper Man. A group of five bright college students decide to take advantage of a computer glitch. Partly as a social experiment, partly as a prank, but mostly out of sheer boredom, the students feed phony data into the faulty computer, creating a human being who doesn't exist--complete with biographical background and credit-card history. Unfortunately, the computer spews forth the embodiment of Pure Evil--and by the end of the film, three of the five pranksters lie dead. An early example of the technothriller genre, Paper Man originally aired on October 12, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With the Feds in hot pursuit, narcotics peddler Arthur Majors (played by a cast-against-type William Shatner) needs a safe place to hide. Relocating in a small town, Majors worms his way into the confidence of lonely widow Mary Binyon (Bettye Ackerman) and her rebellious daughter Shelly (Astrid Warner). Unfortunately, a drug distributor whom Majors has betrayed has vowed to kill him--meaning that both Mary and Shelly will end up in the crossfire unless Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) can catch up with the fugitive in time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) launches a search for the "inside man" who has masterminded a series of meticulously planned robberies in New York's diamond district. Piecing the clues together, Erskine concludes that at least one of the men who pulled off the most recent heist is a trained athlete--very likely a well-known circus performer. A terrific shootout at an airport baggage terminal caps this exciting episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hollywood film favorite Gene Tierney makes a rare TV appearance in this episode, in which she plays one of three witnesses to a Mob murder. The victim was an ex-FBI agent who just before his death had informed Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) that the Mafia was in the process of taking over an isolated retirement village. Despite a marked lack of cooperation from the witnesses, Erskine endeavors to prevent their extermination at the hands of fugitive killer Leonard King (Ken Lynch). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Most of this episode was filmed on location at California's Riverside Raceway. Having financed his racing activities by selling his garage business to the Mob, John Stanton (Tom Bosley is now under pressure to do the Mob's bidding--or else. FBI agent Colby (Stephen Elliott) goes undercover as a racer (and puts his life on the line in the bargain) to find out what the villains are up to. Featured as a minor hoodlum is Stanley Clements, the former "Duke" of the 1950s Bowery Boys comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) issues an A.P.B. for Ralph Stuart (Jeffrey Hunter), a Red agent wanted for murder and the theft of a secret rocket fuel formula. Meanwhile, the wounded fugitive hides out in the home of Allen Harmon (Al Freeman Jr.), whose life Stuart saved in Vietnam. Torn between two loyalties--to Stuart and to his country--Harmon may very well make the worst decision of his life. Cicely Tyson is prominently cast as Harmon's troubled wife Judy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Acting on a tip from an ex-convict (who is promptly shot down!), the FBI heads to a motel in order to capture Scott Martin, a dangerous criminal known as "The Iceman." Unfortunately, Martin is currently stage-managing a major bank heist, and to make certain that he is left alone he has taken a 10-year-old boy (Peter Robbins) hostage. This places the FBI in a standoff situation with Martin, who has used this hostage-taking technique before--and has never left anyone alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Richard Macklin (Henry Silva), a criminal on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, has managed to elude capture in a spectacular shootout in a hospital parking lot. Worse still, Macklin has taken nurse Carol Grant (Lynda Day) hostage--and he has no intention of ever setting her free. This episode marks a rare TV appearance by Lynn Bari, who achieved fame in the 1940s by playing the perennial "other woman" in a wide variety of 20th Century-Fox films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rosie! is directly based upon Ruth Gordon's play A Very Rich Woman, which was itself based upon a French play by Philippe Heriat, but the indirect source for all three versions is Shakespeare's King Lear. Rosalind Russell has the Lear part, here transformed from a powerful king into a rich, madcap grandmother by the name of Rosie Lord. Unlike in Shakespeare, however, Rosie does not abandon her wealth voluntarily; instead, her viperish children make an assault on her in an attempt to claim their inheritance while Rosie is still alive. They succeed in getting her declared mentally incompetent and thrown into a grotesque asylum, an experience that is so traumatic that she nearly does go insane. Fortunately, Rosie's beloved granddaughter Daphne (Sandra Dee) is appalled at what has happened; she moves into high gear, contacting an ex-lover of Rosie's (played by Brian Aherne) who also happens to be a powerful and skilled attorney. A lengthy court battle ensues, with both sides determined to come out triumphant. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

A horse thief with a price on his head is shot by both Joe Cartwright and his friend, stone-broke farmer Morgan Tanner (Dean Harens). When the authorities arrive, Joe takes full credit for the killing-and claims the reward, which Morgan and his family need desperately. Why is Joe acting in this seemingly cold and selfish manner? Also in the cast are Luana Patten and Regina Gleason as Morgan's wife Lorna and daughter Martha. Written by Frederic Louis Fox, "Credit for a Kill" first aired on October 23 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Andrew Prine guest-stars as George Whitman, a self-proclaimed "jinx" who inadvertently leaves disaster in his wake wherever he goes. Over the protests of the Ponderosa ranchhands, Whitman is hired by Hoss Cartwright, who is determined to prove that George's hard-luck reputation is undeserved. But even Hoss has second thoughts when the dire predictions of gypsy fortune teller Teresa (Angela Clarke) begin to come true. Originally telecast on May 9, 1965 as Bonanza's 200th episode, "The Jonah" was written by Preston Wood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A pair of enterprising sharpsters, James and Mabel Johnson (Murvyn Vye, Kathleen Freeman), take the Clampetts to court after a minor traffic accident. Wrapping themselves in bandages, the Johnsons spin a lucid account of how they were seriously injured by the "drunken" Clampett family, while a slick attorney (Dean Harens) prevents the defendants from telling their side of the story. Finally, Jed Clampett, acting as his own attorney, insists that the Judge (Roy Roberts) listen to a few facts, and as a result, Mr. Johnson incurs some real injuries at the hands of his outraged wife. First shown on May 1, 1963, "The Clampetts in Court" was The Beverly Hillbillies' highest-rated episode to date, and would remain the ninth most popular of the series' 274 installments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide