Jack Bailey Movies
An archeologist excavating the site of a 17th Century plague hospital inadvertently unleashes the malevolent ghost of the notorious doctor who claimed countless lives 350 years prior. During the 17th Century, a plague was sweeping across the land and a twisted doctor was feeding on the misery of his patients. Centuries later, archeologist Anna has discovered the site of the hospital that the malevolent medico worked in. As the excavation gets underway, Anna becomes trapped in the darkened corridors with a group of trespassing teens. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the doctor is always on call, and eager to practice on some new patients. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Philips
- 1975
- G
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Kurt Russell returns as Dexter Riley, the dedicated student of Medfield College who just can't stay out of trouble, in this follow-up to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and Now You See Him, Now You Don't. In this story, Dexter is trying to devise a formula for a chemistry project that will increase human strength . By accident, he discovers that, when he mixes his concoction with another student's recipe for vitamin-fortified cereal, it gives people super-human strength, but only for a few minutes. Ignoring these drawbacks, Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) makes a deal to sell the miracle cereal to a leading breakfast-food concern, unaware that it's Dexter's secret ingredient that makes the cereal work. Meanwhile, when word gets out about the new strength-boosting cereal, several competing companies decide that they need to wipe the new product off the market. Cesar Romero returns from the first film as A.J. Arno, with Phil Silvers, Eve Arden, and Richard Bakalyan highlighting the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, (more)
- 1974
- R
This sex farce stars Angus Duncan as a lothario on a mission to sleep with five very different women. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1973
British paramedic Jason Channing (Jamie Ross) shows up for a tour of duty with Station 51 to observe American lifesaving techniques. With Roy (Kevin Tighe) and John (Randolph Mantooth) as his guides, the visitor participates in the rescue of an unconscious cop trapped in a burning elevator and a man entangled in industrial machinery. Meanwhile, Dr. Brackett (Robert Fuller) tangles with the insensitive manager of a comatose rock diva who is literally being worked to death. Featured in the supporting cast is Stanley Kamel, who three decades later appeared recurringly as the psychiatrist in the cable-TV detective series Monk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Several years before he turned to screenwriting--and winning an Oscar for his contributions to the 1978 film The Deer Hunter in the process--Quinn Redeker appeared in a guest role in this Adam-12 episode. Redeker is cast as Officer Charlie Burnside, a rogue cop who uses excessive brutality when dealing with suspects. Witnessing Burnside in the act, Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) reports him to the higher-ups--only to end up in hot water himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Abraham Sofaer makes his first series appearance as Haji, master of all genies, in this episode, which is also the first one directed by series star Larry Hagman. Tired of merely wishing that Tony (Larry Hagman) would ask her to become his wife, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) casts a "forbidden" spell on her Master, whereupon he instantly drops to his knee and proposes. This enrages the all-powerful Haji, who casts his own spell...resulting in an severely accident-prone Tony and a Jeannie completely stripped of her magical skills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The fifth volume of this series, this video features a collection of popular game shows from the '50s and '60s, complete with commercials. This collection includes "The $64,000 Question," "Beat the Clock," and Queen for a Day." ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1955
One of the cleverest of Walt Disney's TV "clip shows", "The Goofy Success Story" originally aired as an episode of the weekly Disneyland anthology. Narrated by Jack Bailey of Queen for a Day fame, the program begins as a cheerful, chuckling vagrant named Dippy Dawg meets a Hollywood talent scout. Tested out as a bit player in a 1931 Mickey Mouse cartoon, Dippy is signed to an exclusive contract with Disney studios--but first, his name is changed to Goofy. Thanks to a high-pressure studio buildup, Goofy gains popularity as a supporting player, then is awarded his own starring series. Alas, a professional reversal sends Goofy right back to the bottom, whereupon he briefly considers ending it all. But in 1950, the Goof enjoys a spectacular comeback as star of the Oscar-winning cartoon Motor Mania. "The Goofy Success Story" was later released theatrically overseas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
The genesis for Queen for a Day was the Dorothy Parker short story Horsie, all about a homely woman who takes a job as a nanny in the household of a selfish, insensitive couple. Months later, the husband receives a gift of an electric razor from "Horsie," out of gratitude for his kindnesses -- kindnesses which, of course, he never consciously extended. "Horsie" ended up as one of three short stories adapted to film by producer Robert Stillman in 1951. The unifying theme of the film was that each of the three female protagonists were contestants on the TV series Queen for a Day. You may remember that this long-running program was hosted by Jack Bailey, who on a daily basis selected one of three deserving women to be the recipient of fabulous prizes, the decision, which was made by the audience (there was an "applause meter" on the set), was predicated upon which of the three ladies had the saddest or most fascinating life story to tell. In addition to "Horsie," aka Miss Wilmarth (Edith Meiser), the other contestants in the film are Phyllis Avery and Kasia Orzazewski. Avery stars in the vignette titled "The Gossamer World," based on a John Answorth story, this episode concerns Avery's son Rudy Lee, a victim of polio. Orzazewski figures into the Faith Baldwyn story "High Diver," wherein she plays the immigrant mother of a college-bound boy (Adam Williams) who takes a job at a carnival to make ends meet. Queen for a Day was originally released as Horsie, until it was decided that the TV series' title was more saleable. (It wasn't, despite an aggressive ad campaign conducted on the Queen for a Day television program.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Avery, Darren McGavin, (more)
- 1951
Johnny Carson's first television series, consisting of short sketches and monologues. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1950
In their never-ending efforts to create a movie series to match the success of "The Thin Man," MGM came up with the fast-paced programmer Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone. Based on characters created by Craig Rice, the film stars James Whitmore as lawyer and part-time sleuth John J. Malone (this character had previously appeared in several other films, as well as the radio series The Amazing Mr. Malone). In his efforts to track down an embezzler, Mr. Malone boards a train heading for New York. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hattie O'Malley (Marjorie Main), a raucous widow from Montana, is also travelling to New York to claim her prize money from a radio contest. During the journey eastward, the man whom Malone is seeking ends up dead. Thanks to Mrs. O'Malley's well-intentioned interference, Malone ends up being accused of murder. How this mismatched pair manages to solve the mystery and save their own hides is good for several laughs. Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone didn't result in a series, though James Whitmore and Marjorie Main make a surprisingly copacetic screen team. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marjorie Main, James Whitmore, (more)
The "He" of the title is Richard Basehart, a clever but psychopathic burglar (based on real-life criminal Erwin Walker) Basehart stays one step ahead of the law by listening in to the police band on his radio. To avoid detection, he changes his M.O. on each crime, making it seem that the string of burglaries is the work of several thieves. But Basehart trips himself up when he kills a cop. His own personal Waterloo occurs in the Los Angeles sewer system--a stylish predecessor to the similar (and more widely praised) climax in Sir Carol Reed's The Third Man. Though the direction is credited to Hollywood old-timer Alfred Werker, most of He Walked By Night is the handiwork of an uncredited Anthony Mann. Featured in the film's cast is Jack Webb in the small role of a police lab technician. Impressed by first-hand experience with police procedure and by the semi-documentary quality of He Walked By Night Webb expanded on these elements for his own radio and TV project, Dragnet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, (more)
