Alice Backes Movies

Zunar J5/90 Doric 4-7, also known as Jake, is an alien cat who crash-lands on earth. He heads off to the nearest scientist to find gold ($120,000 worth!) in order to repair his spaceship. Jake reveals that he can predict the winners in sporting events and soon the military is trying to track him down. The plot becomes more complicated when a wacky veterinarian inadvertently puts Jake into a deep sleep; now he must hide the alien cat from government authorities. The Cat from Outer Space was written by cartoonist Ted Key, who also wrote other Disney family fare, including Gus and The $1,000,000 Duck. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

The love affair between two of Hollywood's greatest stars of the 1930s and '40s is recounted in this biopic. Clark Gable (James Brolin), the tough but quick-witted leading man often called "the King of Hollywood," meets tart-tongued comic actress Carole Lombard (Jill Clayburgh) at a party, and while the attraction between them isn't immediate (in fact they hate each other at first), as fate keeps bringing them together, they fall deeply in love. Gable is married at the time, and studio chief Louis B. Mayer (Allen Garfield) is afraid that his affair with Lombard will lead to a scandal that will destroy the career of his most valuable star, but Gable and Lombard weather the storm of negative publicity, and after Gable's wife grants him a divorce, he marries Lombard. However, their happy marriage is cut short by Lombard's tragic death as she was selling defense bonds during World War II. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

It is hardly a fond reunion when Ironside (Raymond Burr) is summoned to his home town by a letter from his former high school classmate Alice Schmidt (Fay Spain). Upon his arrival, the Chief learns that Alice never wrote the letter--and that her husband John has been murdered. When another member of the Class of 1940, Dick Gillis (William Bryant), likewise turns up dead, Ironside follows a trail of clues leading to an accidental killing that occurred 34 years earlier...thereby setting himself up as the murderer's next victim! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are surrounded by a group of more colorful victims and perpetrators than usual when they're assigned to the Venice Division. In a lighter moment, the two cops haul in a publicity-seeking starlet (played by that fabulous Oscar-night exhibitionist Edy Williams) who is seen sunbathing in the nude at the behest of her press agent (Larry Hovis. And on a grimmer note, an obscene phone caller decides to drop in on his terrified victim. The supporting cast includes the redoubtable Erin Fleming, who had in 1973 gained a measure of notoreity as the constant companion of octogenarian comedian Groucho Marx. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Women in Chains is strictly for those who enjoy knowing what's coming next. Lois Nettelton stars as a probation officer investigating prison conditions. To better facilitate her studies, she adopts an assumed name and has herself thrown into jail as a convict. Ida Lupino (but of course) is the sadistic head of the prison. The only outside person who knows of Lois' subterfuge dies, leaving the hapless heroine at the mercy of Lupino and the vicious female cons. Typical of the "realism" inherent in Women in Chains is the casting of ebullient young actress Judy Strangis as a strung-out junkie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Samantha is appointed entertainment chairman for the annual hospital benefit show. Having heard of a wonderful magician named Zeno (Walter Burke), Sam tries to hire the man -- only to discover that Zeno is a washed-up loser suffering from a huge inferiority complex. Also appearing is Cliff Norton as Walter. Written by Tom Waldman and Frank Waldman, "It's Magic" first aired on January 7, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie (Butch Patrick) is so upset at being called "Shorty" by his classmates that he is on the verge of running away from home. As Herman (Fred Gwynne) tries to figure out a way to make Eddie feel better about himself, Grandpa (Al Lewis) takes more direct action by cooking up a potion intended to increase the boys' height. Not surprisingly, the mixture misfires--and Eddie ends up with a mustache and goatee! Paul Lynde makes his third and final appearance as the befuddled (but curiously no longer nearsighted) Dr. Dudley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A woman named Helen (Barbara Barrie) awakens in a hospital run completely by women, with nary a man in sight. This is off-putting enough, but soon Helen discovers that there is a lot more amiss: seemingly overnight, she has grown hideously obese, and all the staffers fawningly refer to her as "Mother Orchis." Asking a few pertinent questions, Helen learns to her horror that she has been transported to a futuristic society in which a genetic accident has caused the extinction of all males, obliging the female scientists to select certain women as "queen bees" to repopulate the world. It is giving away nothing to reveal that this hellish state of affairs is all a dream, experienced by Helen as she undergoes experiments with a revolutionary mind-expanding drug. What cannot and will not be revealed here is what happens when Helen returns to the "real" world, determined to prevent the bleak future she has envisioned -- no matter what the cost. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Upon learning that the Astro-Dynamics Corporation plans to launch an instrument-bearing rocket into space, Martin (Ray Walston) hopes to hitch a ride home to Mars. His next step is to convince Astro-Dynamic's CEO J.M. Buckley (Herbert Rudley) to aim for Mars rather than Venus. Unfortunately, Buckley is a superstitious man, whose final decision hinges upon a lucky rabbit's foot--which at the moment, is nowhere to be found. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Darrin braces himself for his first meeting with Samantha's highly judgmental mother, Endora. Unfortunately, Endora's visit coincides with the arrival of the local Welcome Wagon committee. As expected, Endora bristles at the cattiness of the committee members, resulting in a burst of impulsive witchcraft which Sam is forced to undo. Written by Danny Arnold, "Mother, Meet What's His Name" was originally scheduled to air on October 1, 1964, but ran instead on October 8. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When people refer to Doris Day as "the world's oldest professional virgin," they generally have the 1962 comedy That Touch of Mink in mind. It isn't that Cathy Timberlake (Day) is above a bit of hanky-panky; it's just that she wants such tangibles as a marriage license and wedding ring first. Thus, when playboy businessman Philip Shayne (Cary Grant) begins actively pursuing Cathy (they "met cute" when Philip's limo splashed mud on the hapless Cathy), she won't say "I will" until he says "I do." She is of the idealistic opinion that she can bring out the best intentions in him, even when he repeatedly tips off his worst intentions by inviting her to accompany him to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Bermuda. After not a few complications and misunderstands, Cathy finally finagles a proposal out of Philip. The film is essentially much ado about nothing, but it is so well-acted and attractively photographed that the audiences are willing to go along for the ride. The high-powered supporting cast includes Gig Young as Roger, Philip's moralistic financial advisor; Audrey Meadows as Connie, Cathy's wise-cracking roommate; Alan Hewitt as Dr. Gruber, a confused psychiatrist; John Astin as Beasley, Cathy's slimy would-be beau; Dick Sargent as a neurotic honeymooner; and an unbilled Richard Deacon as an all-around letch. Best scene: the baseball-dugout rhubarb involving New York Yankees Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Yogi Berra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

George Marshall directed this mild sex comedy about a showgirl who marries a U.S. Air Force sergeant and puts his love to the test by decreeing her body off-limits to him for a 30-day period (usually something built up to in the course of a marriage over a period of years). Debbie Reynolds plays Maggie Putnam, a vivacious showgirl who dreams of marrying a rich man. Instead, in an impulsive move, she marries Sgt. Joe Fitzpatrick (Glenn Ford), a penniless Air Force sergeant who wins a $40,000 car. He is assigned to a new post in Spain, and the two lovebirds pack up for Europe. Unfortunately for Joe's libido, Maggie initiates the aforementioned test, and Joe, laughingly at first, agrees to go along with it -- reasoning that it is lonely in Spain without the bull. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Singer-comedian Dennis Day is herein cast against type as miserly Alexander Gifford, who after coming into a huge sum of money secretly deposits the cash in five different banks to keep it a secret from his wife, Jennifer (Alice Backes). Alas, she does find out, and tells him that she will divorce him unless she's allowed to freely spend the money. Planning to have his wife murdered, Alexander balks when he discovers that most professional hitmen charge an exorbitant fee -- so he decides to cut corners by pulling off the dirty deed himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide