John Harmon Movies

From at least the 1930s on to the 1970s, the upbeat protestant minister, Reverend Norman Vincent Peale, ministered to the well-heeled and upwardly mobile of the United States from his pulpit at the Riverside church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. At least as positive-thinking as the similarly cheery Dale Carnegie (How To Win Friends and Influence People), his lift-yourself-by-your-bootstraps message of good cheer was perceived as unorthodox by many within the churches he grew up in. After many decades of preaching his message, summed up in his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking, he was enshrined as a sort of secular saint. His influence reached to Presidents and corporate heads, and his name became synonymous with a kind of extraverted wholesomeness which has long since vanished. This biopic traces his career in the most respectful possible manner. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

On behalf of his father Ben Cartwright, Hoss delivers a large sum of money to the town of Dutchman Flats. Upon his arrival, however, Hoss is arrested by Sheriff Stedman (Denver Pyle) on a charge of bank robbery. Stedman knows that Hoss is innocent, but he's anxious to prove his worth to the townspeople. Stedman's plan goes horribly awry when the angry citizens form a lynch mob. Also in the cast are Olive Sturgess as Mary Ann, Roy Roberts as Fillmore, Terry Becker as Shukie, Kelly Thordsen as Larson, John Harmon as McCray, Rayford Barnes as Austin, and Lane Bradford as Tibbs. Written by Preston Wood and Elliot Arnold, "A Hot Day for a Hanging" first aired on October 14, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nick Bousso (Mario Roccuzzo), the son of mob-connected cab driver Mario Bousso (A.G. Vigganza), has sworn vengeance against Elliot Ness for killing Mario in a raid. Taking advantage of Nick's anger, mob boss Gus Marco (Luther Adler) and "Purple Gang" functionary Charlie Steuben (Michael Ansara) intend to use the boy to bait a trap for Ness--not counting on the possiblity that Nicky might have a last-minute change of heart. Joe De Santis makes his first series appearance as hard-of-hearing Mob "troubleshooter" Louie Latito, one of the few people in the world capable of using a hearing aid as a weapon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Cartwrights accompany freight-company troubleshooter Ted Trask (Robert Lansing) to the far from peaceful community of Cut Throat Junction. Trask has been hired to round up a gang of thieves, and has been given a full and free hand to accomplish his goal. But when he is abruptly fired in the middle of his assignment, the disgruntled Trask joins the thieves in their efforts to prevent vital supplies from reaching Virginia City. Written by Nat Tanchuck, "Cut Throat Junction" originally aired on March 18, 1961 as a last-minute replacement for the Bonanza episode "The Gift", which was moved to the following week. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though set in the 1930s, this episode is clearly based on the infamous Appalachin Mafia conference of 1957. Gangsters Al Seeger (Richard Conte) and Joe "The Teacher" Kulak (Oscar Beregi) call a summit meeting to establish a consolidation of all organized crime in the U.S., the better to take over the enterprises of the Capone mob. Though Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) would love to bust this meeting and arrest everyone, he has no evidence to back him up. All this changes when Seegar orders the ice-house murder of Maxie Schramm (Milton Selzer), the "turncoat" husband of Seegar's mistress Roxie (Susan Oliver). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gambling-casino owner George Anclitis (Henry Lascoe) has two big problems on his hands: His second-in-command Slim Marcus (H.M. Wynant) has been caught cheating in a high-stakes card game, and Slim's girlfriend Vivian (Jeanne Moody) has been murdered. Hoping to kill several birds with a single stone, Anclitis uses a hot gun and a few ounces of marijuana to frame Betty Roberts (Joan O'Brien), a cigarette girl who "knows too much", for Vivian's murder. Lucky for Betty that she'd previously engaged the services of Perry Mason (Perry Mason) because she'd figured that Anclitis and Marcus were up to something fishy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John Carradine and Michael Landon guest star in this early episode of The Rifleman. The only one in town to own a shotgun, young Billy Mathis (Landon) becomes the obvious suspect when Hallager (Robert Bice) is shot in the back. Especially when Sheriff Torrance (Paul Fix) learns that the victim had refused young Billy to court his daughter Lucy (Sue Randall). But both the sheriff and Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) remain unconvinced and the latter finally agrees to let traveling mind reader James Barrow McBride (Carradine) add his two cents. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

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, Rovi

Determined to track down the man who murdered his wife, Flint Johnson (Onslow Stevens) forms a posse. Adam and Little Joe Cartwright, longtime friends of Johnson, join the posse to make sure that proper justice is meted out -- but Johnson has no intention of allowing the law to take its course. Also appearing are Adam Williams as Blackie and Arthur Hunnicutt as Piute. First broadcast on November 28, 1959, "The Posse" was written by Carey Wilbur. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lonely lighthouse-keeper Sturges (John Harmon) keeps mostly to himself, doing his job, which includes warning people away from the beaches and caves near the Piedras Blancas lighthouse. But when two fishermen are found dead, all-but-beheaded and without a trace of blood in their bodies, that brings Constable Matson (Forrest Lewis) and Dr. Jorgenson (Les Tremayne) snooping around. And suddenly the village is being stalked by some kind of monstrous creature, capable of killing anyone in its path. Sturges reveals what he knows, but this may be too late to save his daughter Lucy (Jeanne Carmen) or himself. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Anita Bonsal (Jean Willes) is jealous of her roommate Fay Allison (Sue England), who is about to marry Anita's ex-boyfriend Dane Grover (Douglas Dick). In fact, she is so jealous that she is willing to frame Fay for the murder of Carver Clement (John Holland), a married man with whom Anita is having an affair. As Fay's defense attorney, Perry must convince the court that the evidence against his client is not only circumstantial, but planted. And in case the reader thinks that the identity of the guilty party is obvious, consider that the "crimson kiss" found on Clement's corpse may NOT have been planted by a woman! This episode is based on a short story by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this episode of the long-running "Bowery Boys" series, Sach reminisces about the time he and the gang spent helping the Allies in North Africa during WW II. The boys were working as spies and were assigned to bring in "The Hawk" a key member of the African underground. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Bret (James Garner) befriends a charming young couple, Molly Gleason (Karen Steele) and Ralph Jordan (a pre-Mannix Michael Connors). Alas, what Molly and Ralph currently have in mind is not so charming. The two lovebirds intend to use the trusting Bret as the fall guy for a bank robbery --and the plan requires Bret to be killed and Molly to tearfully identify him as Ralph. Though filmed as the pilot episode of Maverick, "Point Blank" was originally shown as the series' second telecast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi