Jonathan Hole Movies

Friday (Jack Webb) again teams up with Sgt. Ed Jacobs (Barney Phillips) to investigate the seemingly unmotivated murder of a pretty young secretary. It takes some doing, but the two cops manage to follow the clues to a religious fanatic who has a morbid obsession with the month of September. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of September 27, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rookie officer Russell Clark (Todd Karns) is accused of robbing and assaulting a drunken man at a prizefight arena. The alleged victim insists that Clark be prosecuted, threatening to go to the newspapers if justice isn't done immediately, With Clark on suspension and in police custody, detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) search for the only eyewitness to the incident: The doctor who examined the injured man after he fell down a flight of stairs. Based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of June 1, 1950, this episode marks the first of several acting appearances by popular LA sports announcer Bill Brundige. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite the lighthearted promotional campaign mounted by 20th Century-Fox when the film was first released, The Kid from Left Field is not a comedy. The title character is young Christy Mathewson Cooper (Billy Chapin), the son of former big-league ballplayer Larry Cooper (Dan Dailey), who is now reduced to hawking peanuts at the ballpark. Securing a job as a batboy with a team called the Bisons, Christy amazes the players and management by giving them tips on how to win games. What no one knows is that Christy is passing along information provided by his father. Impressed by Christy's apparent expertise, third baseman Pete Haines (Lloyd Bridges) tells team secretary Marion Foley (Anne Bancroft) about the boy. She, in turn, tells Bisons owner Whacker (Ray Collins), a "Bill Veeck" type ever on the alert for a new publicity gimmick. Whacker promptly appoints the pint-sized Christy as manager of the team, replacing the ill-tempered Billy Lorant (a truly venomous performance by Richard Egan). Larry is about to spill the beans concerning Christy's baseball knowledgeability, but he decides not to, considering himself a burnt-out has-been. And that's all that can be revealed without giving away the ending. Its whimsical premise notwithstanding, Kid from Left Field is treated as a straight drama, with several near-noir long shots of the shadow-drenched ballpark. The film was remade for television in 1978 as a vehicle for Gary Coleman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In one of the best-remembered of the original black and white Dragnet episodes, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate a series of robberies occuring within a ten-block area. Only after the stolen goods begin turning up abandoned or in trash cans do the detectives realize that they're looking for a kleptomaniac. The trail of clues leads to Mrs. Virginia Sterling (Peggy Webber), an otherwise respectable citizen with suffering from a serious mental aberration. The original radio version of this classic episode was heard on October 11, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Man Called Peter is the story of Scottish-born Presbyterian minister and world-renowned author Peter Marshall, here played by Richard Todd. In his youth, Marshall moves to Washington DC, where he becomes pastor of the Church of the Presidents. His wisdom and conviction enables Marshall to communicate with men of all faiths. In private life, the pastor is given moral support by his loyal wife Catherine Marshall (Jean Peters). At the time of his comparatively early death, Marshall has become chaplain of the US Senate. Interestingly enough, while Marshall and his family are identified by name, the peripheral political characters are given fictional monickers--and sometimes, as in the case of the President played by William Forrest, no names at all. Director Henry Koster expertly avoids filming Marshall's sermons in a static, declamatory fashion. As Catherine Marshall, Jean Peters does wonders with a comparatively limited role; her best scene is her last, when she overcomes her lifelong fear of the ocean for the sake of her son (Billy Chapin). A Man Called Peter was certainly not conceived out of any box-office considerations, but it still paid its way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Opposite Sex is an opulent musical remake of Clare Booth Luce's The Women (1939). June Allyson stars in the old Norma Shearer role, playing the virtuous wife who loses her husband to scheming Joan Collins (as the Joan Crawford character). At first agreeing to a divorce, June decides to win hubby back by utilizing the same crafty feminine wiles that Joan had employed to lead him astray. Doloress Gray plays the counterpart to Rosalind Russell's vitriolic gossip. The original The Women boasted an all-female cast: the remake includes several male characters, played by the likes of MGM contractees Leslie Nielsen and Jeff Richards. Dick Shawn, Jim Backus and Harry James are also on hand, billed as "special guest stars." The satirical bite of The Women has been softened in The Opposite Sex, but musical fans should have a good time. Sammy Cahn, Nicholas Brodszky, Ralph Freed and George Stoll were among the songwriters; Collins, Allyson and Jeff Richards perform musical numbers in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The only thing genuinely brave about Three Brave Men is the second word in the title. The film is based on the true story of a Navy employee who was fired as a security risk, then took the case to court to prove his loyalty to the United States. Ernest Borgnine plays the victimized employee, whose life is ruined simply because he once briefly participated in an alleged "Pinko" organization. Borgnine and his family are ostracized from the community when word leaks out about his so-called disloyalty. Lawyer Ray Milland takes Borgnine's case; he pleads so eloquently on behalf of his client's patriotism that the navy, represented by Eisenhower lookalike Dean Jagger, reinstates Borgnine. The problem in Three Brave Men is in how the material is approached. Instead of attacking the atmosphere of paranoia that fostered the Communist "witch hunts" of the 1950s, the crucifixion of Borgnine is treated as a necessary evil in the interests of "democracy." The low point comes at the end, when Ray Milland profusely thanks the Navy for their open-mindedness before his client has been exonerated. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In one of Maverick's all-time greatest episodes, Bret (James Garner) is cheated out of $15,000 by "respectable" banker John Bates (John Dehner). Since Bret is unable to reclaim the money through legal means, his brother Bart (Jack Kelly) devises an elaborate sting operation to beat Bates at his own game. Participants in this grand-scale swindle include an honor roll of the series' most popular (and sneakiest) recurring characters: Gentleman Jack Darby (Richard Long), Dandy Jim Buckley (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), Samantha Crawford (Diane Brewster), Cindy Lou Brown (Arlene Howell) and Big Mike McComb (Leo Gordon). And what about Bret? Well, he spends virtually the entire episode sitting on a hotel porch, calmly whittling away at a block of wood...and when anybody asks what he's doing about his problem, he replies casually that he's "workin' on it." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perry (Raymond Burr) receives an urgent telegram from Frank Lawton (Stewart Bradley), an old Army buddy who apparently is in trouble. Not long afterward, Frank is charged with the murder of his boss, Scott Shelby (Tom Shelby). Offering to defend Frank, Perry is shocked to learn that his friend never sent that telegram, and was never in trouble...until now. This episode is based on a 1945 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this reworking of the earlier episode "The Jeweled Gun", attractive widow Margaret Ross (Catherine McLeod) asks Bret (James Garner) to provide protection while she heads to a Montana bank, there to deposit a large sum of money. Margaret claims to be worried that the men who killed her husband will try to steal the cash. In the course of the journey, Bret discovers that Margaret's money is counterfeit and her story is probably bogus--a disturbing realization, especially since he has fallen in love with her. Featured in the cast is Luis Delgado, the brother-in-law of Maverick producer-creator Roy Huggins and a semi-regular as Officer Billings on James Garner's later TV series The Rockford Files. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On probation for car theft, young Jimmy Morrow (Peter Miles) tries his best to "go straight", only to be accused of stealing a priceless Spanish cross. Worse still, Jimmy is charged with the murder of the relic's owner, Curtis Runyan (Donald Randolph). Out of sympathy for Jimmy's beleagured parents, Perry (Raymond Burr) agrees to handle the boy's defense. (Trivia note: Peter Miles is the brother of actress Gigi Perreau, who'd played Perry's client in the first-season episode "The Case of the Desperate Daughter".) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bret (James Garner) is determined to foil the never-ending efforts by Big Ed Murphy (John Dehner) to rob the bank owned by Col Dutton (Wendell Holmes). Figuring that the best way to save Big Ed from himself is to remove the temptation, Bret conspires with Foursquare Foley (Gage Clarke) to steal the bank's money themselves, then hide it in a safe place. In fact, Foley has already dug a tunnel under the bank for this purpose...a fact that should have put Bret on guard from the get-go. This final episode of Maverick's third season also marks the next-to-last appearance by James Garner as Bret Maverick (discounting the later TV and movie sequels). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This poignant episode catalogues the many strange occurences and paranormal phenomena surrounding the death of President Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865. It is well documented that both Lincoln (here played by Barry Atwarter) and his wife Mary Todd (Jeanne Bates) both had premonitions of his violent death. What is less well known is that, throughout the country, thousands of other people bore witness to ominous signs and portents...a blood-red moon, the sounds of sobbing, eerie visions of a distant shore... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide