Joseph Hindy Movies
- 2000
The detectives scour the streets for clues after the murder of a schizophrenic woman. Their search results in the arrest of a homeless man who likewise has severe mental problems. The suspect's defense hinges upon his right to refuse his antidepressant medication -- which, according to attorney Danielle Melnick (Tovah Feldshuh), will render her client mentally incompetent and thus unable to stand trial for murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
The frozen body of a baby is found, whereupon the child's mother falls under suspicion for causing the infant's death. The woman insists that the real villain is slumlord Iris Colman (Karen Lynn Gorney), who cites the "rent laws" as her excuse to deny proper heating to her tenants. But another resident of the same apartment building offers up an entirely different story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Jim (James Garner) goes undercover at a tabloid rag, "The National Investigator", to find out if its reports have burglarized the private files of "Doctor to the Stars" Richard Hagens (Dallas Mitchell). When Hagens is murdered, the "Investigator" goes after Jim with both barrels, all but accusing him of the crime. But the solution of the case may rest with a mob boss (Gianni Russo) who has a compelling reason to keep his visits to Hagen a secret. Aiding Jim in his investigation--in a manner of speaking, that is--is gonzo attorney John Cooper (Bo Hopkins). And though Jim isn't really eaten by a newspaper as the episode's title claims, he stands a good chance of being roasted alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Joseph Hindy guest stars as Vince Pomerantz, a veteran New York cop with a serious gambling problem. Faced with ever-mounting debts, Pomerantz decides that the only way to save himself is to go "on the take." Unfortunately, he is now indebted to a mobster who demands that Vince square himself immediately--by murdering Lt. Kojak's (Telly Savalas) assistant, Bobby Crocker (Kevin Dobson). Featured in the cast is a pre-Who's the Boss? Judith Light. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
After volunteering to participate in a prison medical project, inmate Victor Bruno (Giovanni Vari) escapes from custody to get even with the man who framed him. Only after Victor dies is Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) alerted to the fact that the escaped convict was injected with a deadly virus. Unfortunately, Dominic Bruno (Joseph Hindy) is determined to carry out his brother Victor's vendetta--and in the process, he is slowly spreading the fatal virus throughout Manhattan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
A kidnapping has occurred, and the ruthless abductor has posted a ransom. Among the kidnaper's demands is that detective Mike Stone (Karl Malden) deliver the ransom himself. Stone agrees to this condition, even though he suspects that he is walking into a murder trap. Future Hardy Boys regular Parker Stevenson and reliable character actors Dabney Coleman and Eugene Roche are the principal players in this episode, which was originally networkcast in a 55-minute timeslot to accommodate a brief political message (1976 was an election year, of course!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) is anxious to clear his partner of a trumped-up shooting charge. To that end, Baretta seeks out the only person who saw the shooting and can tell the truth. Alas, the syndicate also wants to catch up to the witness -- and to silence him for keeps. This episode was shown on October 1, 1975, in place of the scheduled Baretta installment "Nobody in a Nothing Place," which in turn was moved to December 17 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1975
Crossfire stars James Franciscus as police officer Rossi, who is thrown off the force for possession of narcotics. Disgraced in the eyes of everyone, including his own partner, Rossi descends into a life of crime. But--and this will come as a shock to anyone who's never seen a Humphrey Bogart picture--the drug bust was fabricated to allow Rossi to function as an undercover operative. His job: Locate and arrest the syndicate Big Boy. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Rossi's late brother was a mob functionary. Crossfire was yet another TV pilot film for yet another unsold James Franciscus weekly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
An advertising agent is the next victim for a brutal killer in this suspense film. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1973
When a call girl wearing a stolen diamond ring turns up murdered, Kojak (Telly Savalas) begins following the fragmentary clues, the path eventually leading to a gang of upstate bank burglars. At the same time, the gang is preparing a spectacular robbery in Kojak's former jurisdiction--and have set up plenty of diversions to keep the cops from nipping at their heels. This episode features a rare TV appearance by former film star Karen Morley, whose career was all but destroyed by the Hollywood Blacklist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Bernie Simmons (Charles Robbinson), onetime high school classmate of Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) has gone on the run after being accused of assault. While investigating the case, Ed is reunited with his former sweetheart Ann Garfield (Ann Garfield), now a lonely widow. Inevitably, the couple's romance is rekindled, putting Ed on the spot when it turns out that Ann knows more about Bernie than she's willing to admit. This episode was originally scheduled to air on November 16, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Ed Nelson guest stars as Vinnie Paquette, a war hero fallen upon hard times. Hoping to recapture some of his past glory, Vinnie gets mixed up in a high-stakes jewel robbery. This episode is capped by a thrilling helicopter chase, filmed high above California's Antelope Valley. Featured in the cast is Lee Meriwether, who'd been seen during the first season of The F.B.I as the erstwhile girlfriend of Inspector Lew Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Lovers and Other Strangers became a "sleeper" hit, based on a play by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna. The story is essentially a series of vignettes and anecdotes, unified by an impending marriage. Father of the bride Hal (Gig Young) has problems with his long-suffering mistress, Cathy (Anne Jackson), who spends much of the film sitting on the toilet, crying her eyes out; Wilma (Anne Meara), the bride's sex-starved sister, can't wrest her husband, Johnny (Harry Guardino), away from the TV; and Frank (Richard S. Castellano), as the groom's father, slips comfortably into Bartlett's Familiar Quotations with his oft-repeated query "So what's the story?" Twelfth-billed Diane Keaton makes her film debut as a garrulous wedding guest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bea Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia, (more)
- 1985
- R
In this melodrama that emphasizes emotion and a convoluted plot, Nancy Eldridge (Jill Clayburgh) has remarried after her divorce and is trying to recuperate from the tragedy of the deaths of her two children during her previous marriage. That means when her children by current husband Clay (Max Gail) are kidnapped, she is particularly distraught. When the identity of the kidnapper becomes clear, more facts about the past and the present are revealed, as events carry emotionally charged scenes to a larger-than-life ending. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Clayburgh, Max Gail, (more)
- 1984
- PG
A remake of Pigeon by Mario Monicelli, but set on the streets of San Francisco in a contemporary America instead of Italy in the '50s, this comedy about a conspiratorial heist of a greedy pawnbroker has excellent acting and good light fun but not much in the way of character motivation. Weslake (Donald Sutherland) is unemployed and has reason to frequent the pawnshop of his money-hungry friend Garvey (Jack Warden). People come and go around the shop (almost the only setting for the action): an aspiring musician of sorts (Sean Penn), the eccentric meter-maid Maxine (Christine Baranski), a safe-cracker (Irwin Corey), and others. Then one day Weslake gets the idea to break into Garvey's safe and make off with a few valuables just for the fun of it. Everyone agrees, and the plot goes on unhindered by motivation or ethics. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Jack Warden, (more)
