Mark Weingart Movies
- 1974
In one of his occasional undercover assignments, Kojak (Telly Savalas) poses as a chemist. It's all part of a plan to flush out a gang of crooks who have stolen a valuable shipment of morphine in order to sell it back to the rightful owners for an exorbitant price. Naturally, Kojak pretends to be corruptible enough to attract the crooks' attention--a dangerous game which could cost him his life at any moment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Ben Murphy and Bonnie Bedelia star in the made-for-TV suspenser Heat Wave. Murphy plays a young clerk, and Bedelia portrays his young and pregnant wife. During a record-breaking hot spell, the power in their mountain community goes out, and the water supply is dirty and stagnant. The balance of the film concerns the couple's attempt to escape the heat by descending the surrounding hills. Heat Wave would probably have melted in the ratings had it been scheduled in the summer; thus, it was sagaciously slated for a mid-January debut in 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
A robbery gang comes to the attention of homicide detectives Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) when the crooks murder a fellow gang member. Going undercover, Keller tries to determine if there is a link between the criminals' activities and a sultry nightclub singer. Lola Falana makes a rare dramatic appearance as the songbird in question, who happens to have been the murdered man's sweetheart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Still at the stage of his career when he was specializing in cold-blooded villainy, Martin Sheen guests in this episode as Dean Knox, a charismatic young man who has several girlfriends at his beck and call. One of these, a "Plain Jane" named Kate Evans (Collin Wilcox-Horne, stumbles onto the fact that Dean is a bank robber. It now falls to Dean to sweet-talk the girl into keeping his secret--or to get rid of her if she won't play along. Famed female impersonator Jim Bailey makes a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In a variation of Evan Hunter's famous novel King's Ransom (previously filmed by no less than Akira Kurosawa), outlaws Thorn and Bryan Hazard (Tom Skerritt, Fabian Forte) kidnap a girl whom they believe to be wealthy young Laura Singer (Susannah Darrow). Instead, they have abducted Karen Oliver (Sherry Boucher), the daughter of poverty-stricken Harry Oliver (Woodrow Parfrey). Will Oliver lose everything he owns trying to raise the $100,000 ransom, or will Laura's millionaire father Owen Singer (John Lasell) come through in a pinch? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Season Seven of The F.B.I. begins as federal agents Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Colby (William Reynolds) set a trap for the extortionist. Serving as bait is pro football player Paul Talbot (Frank Converse), who cannot figure out who is sending him threatening messages, nor why. One thing is certain, however: Unless the Feds can locate Talbot's taunting tormentor, there's going to be a genuine "Sudden Death" during a championship game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Perennial TV villain Monte Markham is up to his old tricks as James Devlin, a ski instructor who moonlights as a bank robber. Planning to pull off his biggest heist thus far, Devlin must first head East to link up with former girlfriend--and potential accomplice--Gilliam Norbury (Jessica Walter). Dogging Devlin's trail is, as always, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) of the FBI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Though he has been accused of killing his wife, mental patient Walter Carr (Earl Holliman)--who has no memory of the crime--is certain that she is still alive and that he has been framed for her murder. Escaping custody, Walter goes on a tortuous odyssey to find the truth, committing various small crimes along the way. As Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) pursues Walter, even he begins to wonder if his quarry is the victim of a miscarriage of justice. As it turns out, however, a murder has indeed been committed--and the killer is a lot closer than Walter ever imagined. Directed by series costar Philip Abbott, this is the final episode of The F.B.I.'s fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
After pulling off a jewel heist, four thieves headed by John Elgin (Steve Ihnat) escape to a ghost town in the desert. It isn't hard for Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to follow the criminals' trail, but arresting them is another matter: The thieves have rounded up eight townspeople as hostages. When all is said and done, the fate of the prisoners is in the hands of a youngster named Josh Cobb (Clint Howard), who happens to own a ham radio--and knows how to use it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
It's a personal matter for FBI assistant director Arthur Ward (Phillip Abbott) when Marianne Lowe (Pamela McMyler), the daughter of Ward's good friend Philip Lowe (Lin McCarthy), is kidnapped. A clue in Marianne's diary leads Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to suspect that an employee at the girl's favorite beauty parlor is in on the abduction scheme. Meanwhile, the captive Marianne chips away at the conscience of the conscience of her abductor Beau Manley (Mark Jenkins), who unlike his partner Alex Drake (Joe Don Baker) is reluctant to kill her...maybe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) launches a search for the "inside man" who has masterminded a series of meticulously planned robberies in New York's diamond district. Piecing the clues together, Erskine concludes that at least one of the men who pulled off the most recent heist is a trained athlete--very likely a well-known circus performer. A terrific shootout at an airport baggage terminal caps this exciting episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Hollywood film favorite Gene Tierney makes a rare TV appearance in this episode, in which she plays one of three witnesses to a Mob murder. The victim was an ex-FBI agent who just before his death had informed Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) that the Mafia was in the process of taking over an isolated retirement village. Despite a marked lack of cooperation from the witnesses, Erskine endeavors to prevent their extermination at the hands of fugitive killer Leonard King (Ken Lynch). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The murder of a stockbroker tips Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to Organized Crime's latest racket: obtaining valuable stock certificates which are then used as collateral for large Mob loans. At the center of this scheme is the beautiful but treacherous Meredith Schader (Michele Carey), who targets vulnerable male stockbrokers, pretends to fall in love with them, then blackmails them into doing the Mob's bidding. Meredith's latest victim is wealthy but lonely Val Palmer (Barry Nelson), who is blissfully unaware that he is being set up for the worst fall of his life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The FBI investigates when the body of a murdered man washes up on a California beach, twelve miles from a Communist trawler--and only a few hundred yards from the plant owned by a government contractor. As Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) tries to put the clues together, master spy Paul Winters (Fritz Weaver) puts the latest phase of his espionage scheme in action. Winters' unwitting dupe is Ruth Banning (Joanne Linville), the unhappy wife of an executive (Richard Banning) in charge of a top-secret project. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) launches an investigation into the beating death of drug addict Joseph Spooner. Veteran police detective Frank Harris (Andrew Duggan) was the last to see Spooner alive, and is the chief suspect in his death. Making matters worse is influential news commentator Tom Barrett (Larry Gates), who has publicly accused Harris of police brutality--making it all but impossible for the man to receive a fair trial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
THRUSH intends to destroy UNCLE's New York headquarters with a swarm of specially developed killer bees. After the bees' efficiency is proven in a deadly attack on UNCLE's Geneva office, head villain Mr. Mozart (John McGiver) prepares to utilize a special high-frequency device for the tiny scourges' final assault. Attempting to halt Mozart in his tracks, Illya is captured and tortured, along with innocent-of-the-week Tavia Sandor (Ahna Capri). Also in the cast are John Abbott as THRUSH scientist Dr. Elias Swan and Vincent Beck as Maples. First telecast on January 21, 1966, "The Birds and Bees Affair" was written by Mark Weingart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Solo and Illya are sent to Japan to locate and destroy THRUSH's new volcano-activating device. In the course of events, a fireworks factory explodes, the two agents battle the graduates of a karate school, several villains meet sticky ends in a spike-festooned pit, and Solo is nearly sliced to ribbons by a life-sized samurai puppet. France Nuyen guest stars as Japanese motion-picture voice-over actress Cricket Okasada (an early scene shows her dubbing over actress Kathy Kurtz in outtakes from the TV series Dr. Kildare), while the villainy is in the capable hands of Woodrow Parfrey (as Kutuzov) and Jerry H. Fujikawa (as Harada). Scripted by Mark Weingart from a story by Sherman Yellen, "The Cherry Blossom Affair" originally aired on November 19, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
