Clark Howat Movies
- 1983
- R
Convicted of murdering his father, 17-year-old Eric Stoltz is sentenced to death. While in prison, Stoltz begins a pen-pal correspondence with fortysomething prostitute Monica Carrico. A long distance romance results, culminating in Carrico helping Stoltz escape from death row. When he finally makes it to the outside, it turns out that Stoltz was innocent all along-and a fat lot of good this does him. Best to ignore the haphazard plot of Running Hot and concentrate on the performances and the action highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monica Carrico, Eric Stoltz, (more)
- 1977
Four small-town businessmen hire Jim (James Garner) to help them purchase a fire engine--or at least that's their story. Sizing up the detective and jumping to the conclusion that he will do anything for $20,000, the men instruct Jim to murder a young actress (Priscilla Barnes) who threatens to reveal that they've been defrauding the IRS. Of course, they're wrong--but Jim is equally wrong when he assumes that the police will believe him when he tries to inform on the foursome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Extortionist Casey Morton (Stephen McNally) would like his son Junior (Robert Drivas) to follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately, Junior can't seem to do anything right, and after bungling his latest assignment he finds his trail dogged by the FBI. Proving that blood is thicker than water, Morton takes the rap for Junior's misdeeds to throw the Feds off the track--but Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) isn't one to take things at face value. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Racial prejudice plays an ironic role in this episode, as Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) answer a number of day-watch calls. Among the miscreants facing arrest at the hands of the two cops are an elusive armed-robbery suspect and a female hitchhiker who specialize in blackmailing unwary male motorists. Also, Jim and Pete have their hands full with a wino suffering from grotesque hallucinations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Actor/auteur Tom Laughlin created the character of Billy Jack in the motorcycle flick The Born Losers. Wandering Christlike through the Southwest, Native American Vietnam veteran Billy Jack -- soft-spoken, but well-versed in martial arts -- champions the cause of a progressive school run by Jean Roberts (Delores Taylor, Laughlin's real-life wife). The bigoted white townsfolk don't cotton to Jean's minority-group students, so they do everything they can to humiliate and physically abuse the kids. When one of her charges is cruelly coated with white flour, Billy Jack goes berserk. Thus begins an orgy of self-righteous violence, culminating with our hero being hunted down on a murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, (more)
Airport had enough plot and enough star power in its cast for three feature films, and it only encompassed about half of the complexity or characters found in Arthur Hailey's best-selling potboiler. Essentially built around 12 harrowing hours at a major Midwestern airport, the film had everything an audience of the period could have wanted -- suspense, romance, drama, and comedy -- all spread across a vast canvas. Mel Bakersfeld (Burt Lancaster) is the manager of Lincoln Airport, facing a night beset by the worst blizzard in a decade, a wife (Dana Wynter) who announces she wants a divorce, a primary runway blocked by an airliner stuck in a snowdrift, and a governing board ready to fire him. Bakersfeld's cynical, smooth-talking brother-in-law, Vernon Demerest (Dean Martin), won't let up on his criticism of the management at Lincoln, but he has his own problems as well, mostly in the form of a young stewardess, Gwen Meighen (Jacqueline Bisset), who is pregnant by him and whom he finds he genuinely loves. Add to that the presence of an old lady stowaway (Helen Hayes) and a mentally disturbed passenger (Van Heflin) carrying a bomb, and there's more than enough plot to keep viewers engrossed for two hours plus. Airport became one of the top-grossing movies of its era, racking up seven-digit box-office numbers and spawning an entire film genre -- the disaster movie. With Jean Seberg, George Kennedy, Lloyd Nolan, Barry Nelson, and Maureen Stapleton filling out the rest of the leading roles, there was something for almost everyone in this film. The movie still has a lot to offer if only as a prime example of Hollywood at its most successfully glitzy, but, if possible, viewers should try and see the letterboxed version of Airport on DVD (released May 2001). ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, (more)
- 1966
Confusion reigns supreme when a draft notice intended for a "Lou C. Carmichael" shows up in the mailbox of Lucy Carmichael (Lucille Ball). Despite the frenzied efforts of Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) to correct this bureaucratic snafu, Lucy is forced to undergo basic training at a Marine boot camp until the higher-ups receive official word that she is "Lucy" and not "Lou C." Jim Nabors shows up briefly in his familiar "Gomer Pyle" guise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Nabors, Harry Hickox, (more)
- 1965
Unsuccessful football coach Burt Payne (Bill Williams) wants to sell his share of the Wildcats pro football team to a cartel of investors, but his wealthy wife Ellen (Mona Freeman) vetoes the deal. Even so, Ellen arranges a meeting with one of the investors--just before Burt is killed in a mysterious explosion. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is on hand when Burt's remains are delivered to Los Angeles by train. . .and also happens to be in the vicinity when another murder occurs and the wrong person is accused. Several real-life members of the Los Angeles Rams appear as themselves in this episode, which ends with a frenetic chase sequence filmed on location at LA Memorial Colisseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
A pre-Man From UNCLE, pre-NCIs David McCallum is cast as Phillipe Bertain, an incredibly naïve young Frenchman who gives a "belle femme" named Ninette (Roxane Berard) a great deal of money so that she can afford to divorce her husband Armand (Jacques Bergerac). Instead, the duplicitous Ninette hands the cash to Armand, who immediately purchases a ski resort. The outraged Phillipe heads to the slopes to confront Armand, but before this can happen the scoundrel is killed in a plane crash. When the police determine that Armand was killed before the crash, Phillipe is arrested for the crime. Sacre bleu! Ou est Monsier Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), s'il vous plait? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Wally's girlfriend Julie Foster (Cheryl Holdridge) is impressed by the moustache worn by transfer student Wayne Gregory (Robert Koff), so much so that she dumps Wally (Tony Dow) in favor of Wayne. Out of jealousy, Wally decides to cultivate a bit of lip fuzz himself. The results are far from suave and sophisticated -- in fact, they're downright laughable. The question is, will Julie laugh along with everyone else, or will she see the error of her ways? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Osmond, Cheryl Holdridge, (more)
- 1961
Once again, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is called upon to defend an old war buddy on a murder charge. This time around, his client is Major Jerry Reynolds (Robert Rockwell), who is also the target of an investigation at Vandenberg Air Force Base concerning the mysterious crashes of several guided missiles. The murder victim was Captain Caldwell (Simon Oakland), who as chief investigator seemed to have a personal vendetta against Maj. Reynolds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
In an unusually serious and profound episode, Beaver invites his new friend Chopper Cooper (played by the versatile Barry J. Gordon) to spend the weekend. It seems that Chopper's parents are divorced, and have remarried several times. Beaver is fascinated by all the expensive presents bestowed upon Chopper by the various and sundry grownups and step-siblings in his life, and begins wondering if he could benefit by his own parents' breakup! However, an emotionally charged climactic conversation between Chopper and Beaver forces our hero to realize how lucky he is. Beaver's House Guest was co-written by eminent playwright/screenwriter Arthur Kober, whose other credits include the film version of The Little Foxes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry J. Gordon, Clark Howat, (more)
- 1960
The High-Powered Rifle is a "B"-grade, private detective flick about Dancer (Willard Parker), a PI with a serious problem. Some hired hitmen are trying -- again and again -- to kill him, and now Dancer has had enough. He starts to get to the bottom of these attempts on his life, and that search leads to one suspect in particular. On the way to checking it out, Dancer gets involved with his suspect's girlfriend (Allison Hayes) and without knowing it puts himself in serious jeopardy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willard Parker, Allison Hayes, (more)
- 1959
Skeptical about paranormal phenomena, Arthur Douglas (Lin McCarthy) hypnotizes a woman named Ellen Larrabee (Jocelyn Brando), who claims to have experienced psychic visions. Awakening from her hypnosis, Ellen warns Douglas that he will soon be involved in a horrendous train wreck. Even so, Arthur has trouble believing Ellen's prognostications. . .until. . . Some sources have incorrectly identified this episode as "The Vision", which was telecast seven weeks later on One Step Beyond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The only person who can clear Perry's client Robert Crane (Denver Pyle) of a murder charge is his sister Helen (Constance Ford), the wife of the murder victim. But Helen suffers from schizophrenia: by day, she is "herself" and by night she is her wild-and-reckless alter ego Joyce Martel. Unfortunately, it was "Joyce" who witnessed the murder, so Perry (Perry Mason) must figure out a way to put "Joyce", rather than Helen, on the witness stand! Though not based on an Erle Stanley Gardner original, this episode would seem to have been inspired by such multiple personality-themed films as Three Faces of Eve and Lizzie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Halloran (Harold Stone), an obnoxious newspaper reporter known for his elaborate practical jokes, chooses an old barfly named Johnny (Russell Collins) as his next victim. To this end, Halloran prints up a dummy newspaper bearing the headline "World to End Tonight at 11:45 p.m." Thoroughly convinced of his imminent doom, the pathetic Johnny decides to spend his last moments fulfilling several long-suppressed desires -- with disastrous and ultimately fatal consequences. One of the street urchins appearing in the climactic department-store sequence is a young Harry Shearer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
The first client of defense attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr in the very first episode of the TV series bearing his name is red-haired, blue-eyed Evelyn Bagby (played by Whitney Blake, in real life the mother of actress Meredith Baxter). It doesn't look good for Evelyn, who claims that she was being chased by a car driven by a man wearing a hood, and that she fired two shots scare off her pursuer. Alas, the body of Harry Merrill has been found in the wreckage of his car--with a single bullet in his body and a pillowcase over his head. Charged with murder, Evelyn hopes that Perry can clear her name...but it is clear that she isn't telling him the whole story. This episode is based on a 1954 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Among the reasons that Doris Cole (Hillary Brooke) has left her husband Peter (John McNamara) is that she once awoke to find him standing over her bed, brandishing a knife. Peter insists that he is a chronic sleepwalker and had no idea what he was doing. Even so, when Phillip Kendall (Harry Hickox), an extortionist who has threatened to block the divorce that Peter so desperately wants, is found stabbed to death, Peter is charged with murder. It is up to Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to prove Cole's innocence--and to reveal the guilty party. This episode is based on a 1936 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Scientist Mitch McAfee (Jeff Morrow) cannot convince anyone that an enormous bird, evidently here from outer space, has arrived on Earth and is grabbing planes from the sky, gobbling up the passengers and crew. However, the bird (The Claw) eventually makes its presence more that adequately known, as it begins to attack people more openly. But the giant bird is surrounded by a kind of force field, making all weapons useless on it. Mitch finds its nest and blows holes in its colossal egg, infuriating The Claw, which heads south, destroying the United Nations building on its way. Mitch struggles to find a way to penetrate the anti-matter shield around The Claw. This would have been an ordinarily bad movie of its type, with a good performance by Jeff Morrow, if the special effects had been industry standard for the time. That, however, is not what happened. The Claw is not just badly rendered, it is hilariously rendered, resembling nothing so much as Warner Bros. cartoon-character Beaky Buzzard. Once seen, you will never forget this awesomely silly creation. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, (more)
- 1956
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In this 1950s television series, Glenn Gordon stars as the evil Chinese criminal mastermind created by writer Sax Rohmer, with English actor Lester Matthews as his nemesis, Sir Nayland Smith. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
Anyone who's seen the 1996 science-fiction lampoon Mars Attacks may have trouble watching Earth vs. the Flying Saucers with a straight face. Hugh Marlowe plays scientist Russell Marvin, who is on-hand when an alien spacecraft lands on earth. The saucermen at first insist that they've come in peace, but Marvin suspects otherwise. Sure enough, the visitors eventually declare their intention to take over the earth within the next 60 days, adding that the military's weapons are useless against them. The two-month window gives Marvin and his cohorts plenty of time to build-up superweapon, and thus stave off the seven-saucer invasion force. Special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen does a nice job laying waste to Washington DC in the film's memorable finale. The supporting cast of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers includes those two sci-fi flick stalwarts of the 1950s, Morris Ankrum and Thomas Browne Henry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, (more)
- 1955
Once again Edward G. Robinson takes a script from the trash bin and makes it into a palatable movie. A remake of The Mouthpiece, this is the story of a district attorney with a conscience. When he discovers that a man he's sent to the electric chair was innocent, he takes to the bottle. His assistants encourage him to get off the booze, stop prosecuting and, instead, become a defense attorney. He agrees but his first client is a notorious gangster who has been in business for so long because of leaks from Robinson's own office when he was the district attorney. Push comes to shove and soon, through multiple machinations and mishaps, Robinson becomes the defender of his former assistant on charges of murder. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Nina Foch, (more)
Suddenly is the name of the small town invaded by professional assassin Frank Sinatra and his henchmen. Taking a local family hostage, Sinatra sets up a vigil at the second-story window of the family's home. From here, he intends to kill the President of the United States when the latter makes a whistle-stop visit. The film's tension level is enough to induce goose pimples from first scene to last. Sinatra is outstanding as the disgruntled war vet who hopes to become a "somebody" by killing the president. The parallels between his character and Lee Harvey Oswald's are too close for comfort, so much so that Suddenly was withdrawn from local TV packages for several years after the JFK assassination. Sinatra would claim in later years that he himself engineered the removal of Suddenly from general distribution, though in fact he'd lost whatever rights he'd held on the film when it lapsed into public domain. Be sure and miss the notorious colorized version of this black-and-white thriller, wherein Sinatra is transformed into Ol' Brown Eyes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, (more)
- 1953
John Forsythe plays a successful television writer, Don Newell, who works on the "Crime of the Week" anthology series. Newell is being blackmailed by one of the program's actresses (Kathleen Hughes), who threatens to tell his wife of their clandestine affair. Arriving at the actress' apartment for a showdown, Newell discovers that the woman has been murdered. Though the writer is the principal suspect, the real killer is Henry Hayes (Edward G. Robinson), "Crime of the Week"'s research expert, who was also a blackmail victim. The inability of the police to solve the murder becomes the subject of the next "Crime of the Week" program. Hayes tries to deflect attention from himself by building up evidence against Newell, which the writer is compelled to use in his script. But Newelltumbles to Hayes' guilt, and includes this fatal clue in his "Crime of the Week" playlet. Hayes tries to kill Newell during the live broadcast, but the police arrive on the scene and shoot down Hayes. Although The Glass Web was originally released in 3-D, it is surprisingly light on "stereoptic" special effects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, John Forsythe, (more)
- 1953
The entire Earth is placed in jeopardy when a huge asteroid -- measuring more than five miles across -- approaches on a collision course. In a last ditch effort to save the planet, and the city of Metropolis, which is right in its projected impact area, Superman (George Reeves) himself into space directly at the object and manages to deflect it into a close orbit around the Earth -- but he is nearly destroyed, returning to Earth weakened and shaken up so badly that he can't recall who he is. Suffering from amnesia, he finds his way to the apartment belonging to Clark Kent and collapses while in the shower. He spends the next few days with help from Lois Lane (Noel Neill) and Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) trying to get his strength back and remember anything about himself. Meanwhile, Daily Planet editor Perry White (John Hamilton) is increasingly desperate to find Superman, as the asteroid's presence so close to the Earth continues to threaten the safety of the planet. His contact with Superman has always been through Kent, but Kent can't remember who he is or who Superman is, much less how to contact him. Finally, a series of accidents demonstrate to him that he is Superman, and he rushes to confront the new threat to the Earth, even though a second encounter with the asteroid could kill him. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
