Vivi Janiss Movies
Former Ziegfeld girl and nightclub performer Vivi Janiss appeared in a few films during the 1950s. She later worked on television in such series as Father Knows Best and Barney Miller. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1978
NBC correspondent Betty Rollin's book about her own mastectomy, First You Cry, was adapted for television by Carmen Culver. Mary Tyler Moore plays Ms. Rollins, who discovers after her breast surgery that her "loving" husband (Anthony Perkins) is a cad who can't withstand the pressure of living with a woman in dire need of emotional support. Thankfully, Ms. Rollins is able to begin a new life with the tender, compassionate man (Richard Crenna) who's loved her all along. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is just as simplistic as its romantic angle. Despite Mary Tyler Moore's consummate performance, First You Cry (originally telecast November 8, 1978) is better read than seen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Once again, Jim (James Garner) crosses paths with his old prison "pal" Gandy Fitch (Isaac Hayes), who is now managing the singing career of his girlfriend Thea (Dionne Warwick). Unfortunately, Thea has a hot-tempered ex-husband named Joe Moran (Tony Burton), who up until recently was serving time for murder. Released from prison as part of a touchy-feely "Second Chance" program, Moran uses HIS second chance to kidnap Thea and spirit her away. All this rigmarole is tied in with a hidden "treasure", stuffed in an old stereo system. It's up to another of Jim's prison buddies, Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin) to provide a most appropriate coda to this latest chapter in the saga of Gandy Fitch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Several women have been strangled in the Bay Area--and the two chief suspects were spotted wearing uniforms of the U.S. Air Force. Going undercover as a USAF officer, Keller (Michael Douglas) tries to figure out which of the two suspects (Dennis Cole, Kaz Garas), both highly decorated colonels, is the guilty party...or if the actual culprit is someone else entirely. Most of this episode was filmed on location at Travis Air Force Base in California. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
With the "inside" help of misguided maid Maria Montoya (Pilar Seurat), a gang of thieves steals a 33-carat diamond from wealthy Everlyn Harcourt (June Vincent). The FBI enters the scene after one of the crooks is killed during the heist and the rest scatter to the four winds. Athough the gang's fence is captured, master thief Victor Amazeen (Jack Klugman) manages to elude a trap set by Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)--but if Amazeen thinks his problems are over, he is sorely mistaken. Featured among the villains is future Hill St. Blues star Daniel J. Travanti, here billed as Dan Travanty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Having been rejected as a police candidate for health reasons, Dale Hillman (Robert Drivas) exacts revenge against Police Chief John Stanford (Andrew Duggan) by kidnapping and murdering Stanford's daughter. Chasing after Hillman, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) finds out that the fugitive has been recruited by a group of far-right extremists. Infiltrating the group, Erskine hopes not only to prove Hillman's guilt but to end the extremists' hate campaign once and for all. This is the final episode of The F.B.I.'s first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Mexican general Ortega (Gerald Price) hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to help him on a most unusual mission. In search of millions of dollars' worth of missing government bonds, Ortega must arrange a meeting with Count Casares (Jay Novello), the exiled aristocrat suspected of absconding with the loot. Paladin is supposed to handle the diplomatic details of this meeting with a minimum of muss and fuss--but inevitably, pistols are drawn and tempers boil over. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Way back in 1942, the ex-husband of Angela Fernaldi left her baby at an orphanage. Twenty years have passed, and now Angela is extremely wealthy--and two girls, both named Maureen, are claiming to be her daughter in order to collect a $200,000 trust fund. One of the two, Maureen Thomas (Melinda Plowman), ends up being chaged with the murder of Bert Renshaw (Jesse White), who supposedly had evidence proving that the "other" Maureen (Eileen Janssen) was the real daughter. In his efforts to defend Ms. Thomas, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) discovers that at least one of the principal players has provided the authorities with a false identity--but why? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Everett Sloane, who previously starred in Rod Serling's award-winning TV play Patterns, was reunited with Serling for this January 29, 1960, Twilight Zone installment. Having won an all-expense-paid trip to Las Vegas, parsimonious Franklin Gibbs (Everett Sloane) refuses to enter into the spirit of things by gambling. Alas, Franklin is not strong enough to resist the lure of a strange-looking slot machine -- and thus begins Franklin's slow but inevitable descent into poverty and madness, as his wife Flora (Vivia Janiss) looks on in helpless horror. This may well have been the first TV program in which a slot machine ever "spoke." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Everett Sloane, Vivi Janiss, (more)
- 1960
This variation of the old "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" yarn stars Luther Adler and Vivi Janiss as Arthur and Edna Castle, the debt-ridden owners of a failing pawnshop. The Castles' luck changes dramatically when, after purchasing an old bottle, they discover that the bottle contains a dapper and somewhat sinister genie (Joseph Ruskin). Granted the usual three wishes, Arthur and Edna soon learn that they were better off when they were worse off. Written by Rod Serling, "The Man in the Bottle" was originally telecast October 7, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luther Adler, Vivi Janiss, (more)
- 1957
After several years' absence from the screen, the vivacious Betty Hutton made a somewhat tepid comeback in Spring Reunion. The scene is a medium-sized Midwestern town, where Maggie Brewster (Hutton) is reacquainted with her high-school flame Fred Davis (Dana Andrews) during a class reunion. The first time around, Maggie turned down Fred at the behest of her wealthy, domineering father (Robert Simon). When Fred proposes a second time, history threatens to repeat itself -- at least until the lachrymose finale. Silent screen star Laura La Plante also makes a return to the screen as Maggie's understanding mother. Rumor has it that the barely saleable Spring Reunion was deliberately designed as a tax write-off by the accountants for Kirk Douglas' Bryna Productions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Betty Hutton, (more)
- 1957
Matt (James Arness) sustains a minor wound during a violent quarrel between Zack Ritter (Theodore Marcuse) and his old enemy Hoffer (Ray Engel). Later, Ritter is found shot, and Hoffer is fingered as the culprit--just before he too is felled by a bullet. With his dying breath, Hoffer insists that he didn't shoot Ritter, and that the guilty man is Sam Baxton (Tyler McVey). Matt has no choice but to place Baxton under arrest. . .but the killings continue unabated. This episode is based on the Gunsmoke) radio broadcast of June 12, 1956. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Man on the Prowl was produced by Jo and Art Napoleon, the same team responsible for TV's The Whirlybirds. James Best stars as Doug Gerhardt, a young homicidal maniac who invades the home of housewife and mother Marian Wood (Mala Powers). Having already killed a girl who turned him down, Gerhardt threatens to harm Marian's children if she doesn't give in to him. He also intends to take over the garage owned by Marian's husband Woody (Jerry Paris). Ted de Corsia, taking a breather from his usual screen villainy, plays the homicide detective who may be Marian's only hope for salvation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mala Powers, James Best, (more)
- 1956
Paula Hudson (Ruth Hussey) has always wanted a mink coat, but she doesn't have the necessary money. Helpfully, Paula's hairdresser Lucille (Veda Ann Borg) tips her off as to where she can purchase a mink at a rock-bottom price. Purchasing the coat from a professional model (Eugenia Paul), Paula is in seventh heaven -- until she discovers that the coat was stolen, and that both her hairdresser and the model are insisting that they know absolutely nothing about either the mink or Paula. (Ironically, guest star Ruth Hussey had previous appeared in the 1953 theatrical feature he Lady Wants Mink!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
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A series of mysterious deaths of fishermen and swimmers along a stretch of beach attract the attention of scientist Dr. Ted Stevens (Kent Taylor) and government investigator William Grant (Rodney Bell) -- they both want to know why the victims and their boats all show signs of exposure to atomic radiation, and if there's a connection between the deaths and the nearby Pacific College of Oceanography, run by Professor King (Michael Whalen); and they're also interested in why King's assistant, George Thomas (Phillip Pine), is always lurking around the beach, often armed with a spear gun. Stevens establishes a friendship with King's daughter Lois (Cathy Downs) that turns to romance, but he's principally concerned with finding out about an apparent source of radiation on the ocean floor, and what its connection might be with the unearthly sea creature rumored to be stalking that section of the beach. Helene Stanton hangs around in a fairly revealing (for the time) bathing suit, waiting on the beach for some top-secret information, and Vivi Janiss overacts nicely as a woman with too much on her mind for her own good. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kent Taylor, Cathy Downs, (more)
- 1956
Escaped criminal Sam Cobbett (John Cassavetes) breaks into a remote farmhouse and takes a young woman named Mary Schaffer (Marisa Pavan) hostage. At first, Sam has the upper hand in the situation, but as the night progresses, he becomes unnerved by Mary's peculiar behavior. Especially off-putting is the fact that Mary does not flinch whenever Sam raises his voice -- nor does she ever take her eyes off his face! Lamont Johnson, who went on to direct several memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone, essays an acting role on this occasion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
It looks like a case of attempted murder when a middle-aged woman is found unconscious in a gutter; preliminary evidence indicates that the woman was beaten and thrown from a moving car. Only after Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) have hauled in two suspects--one of them a sexual predator, the other the victim's allegedly abusive husband--do they learn the whole truth about the unfortunate woman. "The Big No Rain" is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of November 3, 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) are considerably put out when Ricky (Desi Arnaz) and Fred (William Frawley) become entranced by a beautiful, cultured young woman named Eve (Eve Whitney). Hoping to recapture their husbands' attentions, the girls enroll in a charm school run by Phoebe Emerson (played by Natalie Schafer, aka Lovey Howell on Gilligan's Island). When Lucy and Ethel appear before their husbands in their new, "cultured" wardrobe, the boys are so taken aback that they don "special" clothes of their own -- not to keep up with their wives, but to show them how silly they are to put on hoity-toity airs. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natalie Schafer, Eve Whitney, (more)
- 1953
In a break from tradition, the third-seasoner opener of Dragnet is not based on a radio broadcast, but was written specifically for television. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) suspect that drug dealers have broken into an experimental laboratory and stolen five white rats. But further evidence indicates that a pair of schoolchildren are responsible for the theft. Unfortunately, the rats have been infected with bubonic plague--and the two detectives have only 48 hours to track down the animals before a fatal epidemic engulfs Los Angeles. Dorothy Abbott is prominently featured in this episode as Friday's off-and-on girlfriend Ann Baker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
A twelve-block residential area has been targeted by an elusive thief who preys on small businesses. The thief's MO is a strange one; he follows no set pattern, and never steals more than five dollars' worth of merchandise. Detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) finally catch up with the perpetrator, high school sophomore Harry Dunbar (Bobby Driscoll), who has been stealing to provide food for his dangerously undernourished siblings--and liquor and cigarettes for his boozehound mother (Vivi Janiss). Capped by a heartbreaking denoument, this episode was adapted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of July 19, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
This controversial episode (adapted from a Dragnet radio broadcast first heard on April 10 1952) finds detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) interrogating Mrs. Marjorie Lewis (Virginia Gregg), who insists that she came into possession of another woman's baby while she was sitting in a bus station. Unable to locate the woman who fits the description of the missing mother, the two detectives pay a visit to Mrs. Lewis in her hotel room. She tearfully confesses that the baby is actually hers--but that her husband, an Army sergeant who has just returned from a two-year tour of duty, is not the child's father. At a time when even the word "pregnant" could not be spoken on most TV series, this episode strikes a blow for maturity by exploring the hitherto taboo subject of illegitimacy. Ironically, according to Dragnet historian Michael Hayde, while the original radio version came and went without protest, the TV adaptation of "The Big Show" was chastized by several viewers for allegedly condoning adultery! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Elizabeth Patterson makes her first series appearance as Mrs. Trumbull, the Ricardos' elderly, cranky neighbor. Disturbed by Little Ricky's constant crying, Mrs. Trumbull invokes the "no children" clause in the apartment house's lease and demands that landlady Ethel (Vivian Vance) evict the Ricardos immediately -- adding that if this doesn't happen, Mrs. Trumbull and all the other tenants will themselves move out. Refusing to kowtow to this threat, Ethel loyally stands by her pal Lucy (Lucille Ball): "My friendship with the Ricardos means more to me than all the money in the world!" Well and good -- but then Ethel proceeds to repeat the story of her loyalty, over and over and over again, to anyone who will listen (and a few who won't!). Ultimately, Lucy gets fed up with Ethel's "nobility" and tells her off -- whereupon World War III erupts between the Ricardos and the Mertzes. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Patterson, Peggy Rea, (more)
Kansas City Confidential, Phil Karlson's low (low) budget, B-grade film noir, opens on a Kansas City armored-car robbery perpetrated by cynical, corrupt ex-policeman Timothy Foster (Preston S. Foster). Foster devises an outrageous scheme: he will recruit three of the most vicious and unrelenting criminals he can find (screen heavies Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand) to undertake a robbery, blackmailing them into the heist with incriminating evidence from other "jobs." As an eccentric and clever conceit, Foster forces each of the perpetrators to wear masks, thus concealing their identities from one another and preventing the old pitfall of the men squealing and backstabbing. The heist comes off without a scratch, but a complication arises when the ignorant cops pick up an unrelated fellow, Joe Rolfe (John Payne) for his ownership of a van similar to the one used in the caper. In time, Rolfe is cleared, but he grows irate over the accusations and sets off to find Foster and co. and teach them a lesson. He finally happens upon one of the perpetrators in Mexico, beats him nearly to death, and assumes the victim's identity - and that's when things really get complicated. Though produced under the Hays Code censorship regulations, Kansas City Confidential constituted one of the most brutal and violent crime pictures made up through that time; as such, it retains historical significance. It also claims a strong cult following. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Coleen Gray, (more)
- 1952
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Herb Ellis) investigate the trashing of a movie theater by a gang of teenagers. In typical Dragnet fashion, it turns out that the kids were all high on marijuana. Harold Everson Sr. (Willis Bouchey), the father of youthful drug pusher Hal Everson (Edwin Bruce), refuses to believe that his son is guilty of anything other than high spirits--but the boy ends up proving his Dad wrong in a spectaculary violent fashion. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio program first heard on September 6, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
