Michael Harris Movies
- 1969
In a desperate effort to escape from his Mafia bosses, Walter Hazlett (Tim O'Connor) hijacks a plane and demands to be flown to Cuba. Hoping to save the life of a wounded man on board the plane, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) tries to persuade Hazlett to give himself up. Meanwhile, Hazlett's daughter Ginny (Charlotte Stewart), who can't bring herself to believe that her father is a criminal, is targetted by Mob kidnappers who plan to use her to bring her father out in the open. Dabney Coleman is seen as the plane's beleagured pilot, while future M*A*S*H regular Larry Linville also plays a key role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The murder of a rocket manufacturer tips the FBI to an insidious scheme to blackmail executives into giving up classified missile secrets to the Enemy. The villains have already set up their next patsy, a lonely rocket-firm functionary named Ken Haney (Norman Fell). Serving as bait to lure Haney into betraying his country is sexy young blonde Julie (Celeste Yarnell)--as potent a "secret weapon" as has ever been conceived! This is the final episode of The F.B.I's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Two escaped killers, Carter (John Saxon) and Bains (Don Stroud), burst into Ironside's office apartment, holding the Chief (Raymond Burr) and his policewoman assistant Eve (Barbara Anderson). The captives' only hope for survival rests with Ironside, who agrees to help the desperate fugitives formulate a foolproof escape plan. This nailbiting episode takes place entirely within the walls of Ironside's police-building headquarters (hence its title). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Diane Brewster, best remembered as schoolteacher "Miss Canfield" on Leave It to Beaver, makes her final acting appearance in this episode as Bill's former hometown sweetheart Freddie. Arriving from Terre Haute to pay Bill (Brian Keith) a visit, Freddie becomes enchanted by youngsters Buffy (Anissa Jones), Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) and Cissy (Kathy Garver)--which unfortunately serves only to remind her that she and her husband have never had any children of their own. The subsequent crisis arising from this situaiton is solved in a manner that is both touching and credible (qualities often missing from TV sitcoms of the mid-1960s). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) investigates a fatal plane crash that was rigged to hide the fact that someone working for defense contractor Steven Colton (Fritz Weaver) has been shipping defective equipment to Vietnam. Time is of the essence in rooting out the villain, inasmuch as the lives of thousands of a American soldiers are at stake. But Erskine's boss Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott) has a more personal stake in the matter: Steven Colton's wife Elyse (Diane Baker) is an old friend of his. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
The FBI investigates a possible case of sabotage when a chemical plant is blown up. What Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) doesn't realize is that the "saboteur", research chemist Roger Mason (Bradford Dillman), was driven by neither politics or monetary gain, but by mental illness. A schizophrenic, Mason has cracked under the pressures of both his job and his home life--and worse, he has no idea of why he's behaving so monstrously, nor where he plans to strike next! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) receives a frantic call from Joe Cloud (Alejandro Rey), an Apache Indian who served under Erskine in Korea. Having returned to his reservation to find a man trying to rape his wife, Cloud has killed the attacker and taken it on the lam. Since the murder occurred on Federal property, Erskine has no choice but to hunt down and capture Cloud--all the while taking extraordinary precautions to make certain that the fugitive does no further harm, either to others or himself. Robert Blake makes his first of several F.B.I. guest appearances as Joe Cloud's brother Pete. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Unable to break his contract with mean-spirited race car builder Pappy Ryan (Michael Constantine) Pete Griston (Henry Brandt) goes onto the track in a car owned by Harvey Rettig (Anthony Caruso)--and promptly gets involved in a spectacular wreck with Ryan's new driver (and Pete's best friend). Ryan then accuses Pete of conspiring with Rettig to deliberately destroy Ryan's car. Subsequently, Rettig is murdered and Pete is charged with the crime. In handling Pete's defense, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is faced with some extremely compelling evidence that Pete and Rettig were definitely in cahoots. Watch for a young Paul Winfield in a small role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Ex-fire chief Carey York (Tom Tully) hires Perry (Raymond Burr) to sue TV repoter Tommy Towne (Frank Aletter) for slander, after Towne claims on the air that York burned down his own warehouse for the insurance money. To avoid ponying up $1.5 million, Towne issues a "retraction"--still insisting that York is an arsonist, but now claiming that he was trying to save his son Dorian (Wynn Pearce) from bankruptcy. Ultimately, Towne is murdered, York is charged, and Perry must find out who is really going around setting fires and killing people. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Austin Lloyd (Gerald Mohr) is convinced that his business partner Dwight Garrett (Douglas Henderson) is stealing money from their firm--and worse, that Garrett is fooling around with Lloyd's wife Bonnie (Gloria Talbott). To get even, Lloyd first tries to frame Garrett for embezzlement, then fakes an attempt on his life so that both Garrett and Bonnie will be charged with attempted murder. That charge is immediately bumped up to murder in the first degree when Lloyd is killed for real--and Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) has two clients on his hands. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
As upset as she is over the impending divorce of her parents, Ann Farwell (Elen Willard) is even more upset that her rancher father Burt (John Archer) is keeping company with sexy young Rita Conover (Shirley Ballard). When Rita is murdered, Ann thinks that her mom Jill (Linda Leighton) is the killer, and vice versa. The two ladies spend so much time covering for each other that Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) hardly has time to defend the accused murderer, ranch hand Joe Dixon (Frank Maxwell). This is one of several episodes directed by Laslo Benedek, whose movie credits include the definitive motorcycle-gang epic The Wild One. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In the town of Arroyo, Bart (Jack Kelly) is hired to protect gambling-hall proprietor Dave Lindell (Gerald Mohr) from a vengeful cowpoke named Brazos (Ray Daley). But it is Brazos who ends up being killed, whereupon Bart chases after the killer--unaware that he is a pawn in a sinister scheme that will culminate in his own demise. This prime example of "western noir" was written and directed by 77 Sunset Strip stalwart George WaGGner, who invariably billed himself in this curious fashion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
A locked-in-the-fifties science fiction film, The 27th Day begins with five different people from five different countries suddenly disappearing from view. They have been gently abducted by the agent (Arnold Moss) of a faraway dying planet, who gives each of the five earthlings a "killing capsule" that will destroy everything on Earth and allow the residents of the alien planet to re-colonize the planet--but which will be ineffective if not used after 27 days. In typical Cold War fashion, the representatives of the "good" countries (including Gene Barry) refuse to utilize the capsules, while the Soviets, (personified by Azemat Janti and Stefan Schnabel) intend to deploy the capsules for their own nefarious purposes. Their perfidy only results in the utter decimation of the USSR. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Barry, Valerie French, (more)
- 1957
One of the least-known of the American-International "B" westerns of the 1950s, Flesh and the Spur offers the spectacle of the inimitable John Agar in a dual role. When his twin brother Mathew is killed, Luke Random goes gunnin' for his brother's murderer. Along the way, he teams up with gunslinger Stacey (Touch Connors, aka Mike Connors), who is also seeking out an old enemy. Five points to anyone who guesses before the fadeout who Mathew Random's killer turns out to be. Written by A-I regular Charles B. Griffith, Flesh and the Spur was originally released on a double bill with Naked Paradise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Agar, Marla English, (more)
- 1957
A "Shock Theater" perennial since it was first released to television in the early 1960s (stretch-framed to pad out its running time), The Amazing Colossal Man is firmly in the "So Bad It's Good" category. While overseeing the atomic tests in the Nevada desert, Army colonel Glenn Langan is exposed to extensive amounts of radiation. As a result, Langan grows, and grows, and grows, at the rate of ten feet per day. This sudden height gain adversely affects the poor man's mind, and soon he's as mad as a hatter. Looking for all the world like Mr. Clean in a diaper, the Colossal Man goes on a murderous rampage, laying waste to several Las Vegas landmarks before he is killed by army bullets while standing atop the Boulder Dam. The special effects are adequate, but the dialogue is ridiculous-in fact, if we didn't know better, we'd say that the film was intended to be funny. Our favorite bit: the huge hypodermic needle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, (more)
