Joby Baker Movies

During a smog alert, an old man and a child, both residents of a sanitarium, die of respiratory ailments. Medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman) is convinced that the deaths were linked to a nearby oil refinery, which is polluting the air with sulfur emissions. His task now is to prove that the refinery executives have deliberately ignored official warnings to cut back on production during smog emergencies--and as usual, bringing the villains to justice is a lot easier said than done. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Performing an autopsy on a man in his eighties, Quincy determines (Jack Klugman) that the victim was physically abused before his death--possibly by his own son-in-law. Subseqeuntly, another old person shows up with similar symptoms, suggesting to Quincy that there may be a link between the two cases. Ulitmately, the crusading coroner unearths a rather nasty scheme cooked up by a nefarious nephew against a pair of elderly ladies (one of whom is played by 97-year-old Estelle Winwood, who when this episode was filmed had been a stage and screen star for over seventy years). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dennis Weaver plays Daniel Stone, a Joe Wambaugh-style LA cop turned novelist. The pressures of his new career cause a rift between Stone and his superior officer Pat Hingle, and also puts additional barriers between Stone and his estranged wife Mariette Hartley. The fact that Stone's partner Roy Thinnes is sweet on Hartley only compounds the complications. The plot, involving the mysterious murders of several top crime bosses, somehow finds time to accommodate a guest appearance by Steve Allen (as "Himself"). When Stone became a TV series of three months' duration in 1980, only Dennis Weaver and Pat Hingle were retained from this pilot film; a new character, Stone's young partner, was added to the fold (the part was played by Dennis Weaver's son Bobby). Stone was the brainchild of Rockford Files mentor Stephen J. Cannell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While engaged in the illegal sale of plutonium secrets, lab technician Bigelow (Joby Baker) dies in a car crash. Conducting the autopsy, Quincy (Jack Klugman) determines that Bigelow's body contained a high level of radiation. Meanwhile, the police arrest Ray Sanchez (Ronald Joseph Godines) on a charge of manslaughter for causing Bigelow's death. Case closed? Not as far as Quincy is concerned--and in the course of his own investigation, he unearths a number of disturbing facts about the dead man and his cohorts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A concerned father decides to become closer to his daughter the hard way in this live-action comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. Charlie McCready (Bob Crane) is the father of Wendy (Kathleen Cody), a pretty teenager soon to enter college. Like most parents, Charlie only wants the best for his daughter, but he has little use for her circle of friends, most of whom he regards as half-witted and lazy. Determined to set a better example for his daughter (especially since most of her friends will be joining her at college), Charlie decides to become Wendy's new best friend, imposing himself upon her as often as possible and shoe-horning his way into her social circle, even if it means taking up surfing and water skiing to do it. Charlie's not-always-welcome presence doesn't change Wendy's feelings about her boyfriend Bart (Kurt Russell), but when Charlie decides to break up their romance, he gets even more trouble than he anticipated. Superdad also stars Barbara Rush as Charlie's wife Sue, and Joe Flynn as the memorably named Cyrus Hershberger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Janice Rule guest stars as prostitute Beverly Landau, who after leaving her latest "John" is attacked and knifed by a religious fanatic who preys on San Francisco's "working girls" in a perverse attempt to save their souls. Three women have already been murdered by the fanatic, and as the sole survivor Beverly is placed under protective custody at the Hotel Kennedy, with Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) determined to keep the woman alive long enough to testify--if indeed she intends to do so. Among the locations utilized in this episode are Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this adventure, a commercial plane crashes in a remote South American jungle. All but one of the passengers survive. Unfortunately, he was the sheriff in charge of taking a dangerous criminal to the executioner. During the excitement of the crash, the prisoner killed the lawman. Among the other survivors is a famous singer, a washed-up funnyman, a mentally ill teacher, and a writer looking for his sister who married a missionary and is now living in the jungle. Amazingly, she is rumored to live fairly close to the crash sight. The survivors manage to make it to the isolated village where she resides. There the writer learns that his sister's husband has gone insane and that she is dead. The megalomaniacal missionary now believes himself king of the natives and is preparing the author and a few others to become human sacrifices when a neighboring tribe intervenes and saves them. The amiable natives then take the survivors back to the wreckage where navy rescue helicopters are preparing to land. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This rambunctious Disney comedy was based on the novel By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman. Roddy McDowall plays Griffin, the very proper butler of Bostonian Bryan Russell. When Russell runs off to California during the 1849 gold rush, Griffin dutifully tags along. Master and butler team up with Shakespearean actor Richard Haydn, who owns a treasure map. Crooked judge Karl Malden (a master of many disguises), pilfers the map once Our Heroes reach San Francisco. While endeavoring to retrieve the valuable parchment, Griffin has any number of adventures, ranging from a bout of fisticuffs with ox-like Mike Mazurki to a romance with Russell's sister Suzanne Pleshette, a former debutante turned saloon singer. If Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin resembles an animated cartoon at times, credit should go to veteran Disney animator Ward Kimball, who provided the spirited cartoon transitions between scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Agarn (Larry Storch) unwittingly becomes the third corner of a romantic triangle involving a gorgeous Sicilian girl named Gina (Leticia Roman) and her hot-blooded suitor Mario (Joby Baker). As a result, Agarn is literally a marked man: it so happens that Mario is a member of a secret terrorist society called the Black Foot. It will take the combined efforts of Sgt. O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and the Hekawi Indians to prevent Agarn from sleeping with the fishes! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although she doesn't appear in this episode, the Petries' Spanish maid Maria, introduced in the third-season installment "Turtles, Ties, and Toreadors," figures prominently in the proceedings. Rob (Dick Van Dyke) and Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) are persuaded to hire Maria's boyfriend Manuel Luis Rodridguez (Joby Baker) as a handyman. Unfortunately, Manuel has been trained as a professional bullfighter -- and that's all he knows how to do! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Popular singer Connie Francis stars in this romantic musical-comedy as Libby Caruso, an aspiring young entertainer who yearns for the attention of handsom Paul Davis (Jim Hutton). Though at first Paul is not interested in her, Libby soon wins him over. Upon catching him, however, Libby changes her mind and decides a young grocer (Joby Baker) is a better prospect. Libby's roomate and pal, Jan (Susan Oliver), doesn't seem to mind leftovers when Paul takes an interest in her. Along with much of the supporting cast from Francis' first screen role, Where the Boys Are (1960), a few celebrities also appear onscreen. Included are cameos from Johnny Carson, Danny Thomas, Paula Prentiss, George Hamilton and Yvette Mimeiux. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

A small town in the Midwest goes in big for the folk music craze that followed in the wake of the twist. The thin plot has some romantic interplay between two amorous couple, but mainly the film serves as a showcase for some non-offensive music from the collection of stars. Johnny Cash, Sheb Wooley, The Brothers Four and George Hamilton IV are some of the musical acts featured. Wooley, famous for his novelty tune "Purple People Eater", co-wrote the title song with musical supervisor Fred Karger. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Tab Hunter guest stars as Del Packer, a famous baseball pitcher who has joined King Company as a draftee. Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) is the only member of the platoon who isn't starstruck by the celebrity in their midst, grimly demanding that Packer be treated just like any other GI. But this proves difficult when the ballplayer reveals himself to be a profoundly--and even dangerously--troubled man. A particularly violent climax caps this terse character study, in which familiar supporting actors Bernard Fox and Eric Braeden (then known as Hans Gudegast appear unbilled. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide