Michael Cramoy Movies
- 1967
Number Six learns of an impending assassination, "Plan Division Q," in which the target is the Retiring Number Two (Andre Van Gyseghem). Actually, these plans were deliberately divulged by the New Number Two (Derren Nesbitt), who hopes thereby to discredit Number Six. With no one willing to believe that an assassination is about to take place, Number Six finds that his fate may rest in the hands of a watchmaker (Martin Miller) and his daughter (Annette Andre). Written by Michael Cramoy, "It's Your Funeral" was supposed to have been the 10th episode of The Prisoner, but instead was telecast in England as episode number 11 on December 17, 1967. Its original chronology was restored when it debuted in America on August 10, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Working out of Bunco Detail, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) set their sights on Tim and Doris Hubert (Donald Kirke, Mary Patton), a husband-wife team of con artists with a police record stretching back seventeen years. The Huberts have been out of circulation for a long time--but now they've come out of the woodwork to victimize a minister and his entire congregation (and that's only the beginning!) This episode was adapted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of February 22, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
What can a blackmailer do when his victim can no longer afford to pay up? In this case, he apparently has no option other than to beat up the victim (a cocktail lounge proprietor) and then rob and shoot the poor fellow. Luckily, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are on hand to see that the guilty party is punished to the full extent of the law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Escaping from an insane asylum, Ellen Summers (Lana Morris) calls upon "Invisible Man" Peter Brady, claiming that she being held against her will by sinister forces. She further explains that her fiance George Wilson has been falsely convicted of murder and condemned to death. With only a few hours before the execution, Peter must deploy his invisibility to round up the miscreants who have misused Ellen and rescue Wilson from the hangman's noose--assuming, of course, that the girl is telling the truth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A worried mother (Grace Albertson) contacts detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) after she finds a hypodermic needle in her teenage son's room. Although the boy sullenly admits that he's shot heroin at least twice in the past few days, he stubbornly refuses to reveal the name of his supplier. The trail of evidence leads to the LA waterfront, where Friday and Smith go undercover as merchant seamen to nab the drug smugglers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A gang of racketeers has set up an illegal juke-box racket in the LA area. Tavern and restaurant owners are being strongarmed into installing jukeboxes under threat of damage to their property or worse. Friday (Jack Webb) poses as the owner of a small bar to bring the extortionists out in the open. The supporting cast is a fascinating one in this episode, including popular Los Angeles deejay Dick Whittinghill), former silent-movie westerns star Edmund Cobb, and perennial Stanley Kubrick supporting player Joseph Turkel (Paths of Glory, The Shining). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
There's a con artist on the loose in Los Angeles, preying upon lonely, middle-aged women. Posing as "Count H. Bukary", the smooth-talking crook worms his way into the confidence of his gullible victims, then steals all their money. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) set their sights on the phony nobleman after he plies his latest victim with a powerful drug. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Several robberies have occurred in LA's Chinatown district. Detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) have but one clue to go on: a small, green jade monkey. Featured in the supporting cast is prolific Asian-American character actor James Hong, who went on to sizeable roles in such films as Blade Runner (1982) and The Shadow (1994). This episode bears a striking resemblance to the seventh-season Dragnet offering "The Big Jade". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Lucian Currie (Griffith Jones) approaches Peter Brady with a bizarre proposition: Currie intends to murder his partner in a gold mine, and he wants the invisible Brady to pull off the dirty deed. To bind the bargain, Currie threatens to unleash his vicious guard dog on Brady--who knows all too well that even an Invisible Man can be sniffed out by a dog. Highlights in this episode include the opening scene wherein Brady is "seen" mowing his lawn, and a brief moment in which the deadly dog appears to be attacking thin air. Appearing as Currie's hapless partner Vickers is Patrick Troughton of Doctor Who fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) search for an elusive check forger with extremely expensive tastes. The forger uses his ill-gotten gain to purchase fancy clothes, which he then sells at a tidy profit. The detectives' investigation leads to a very young girl (Dawn Richard with some very shady (and highly suspect) relatives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The "big hobby" of the title is photography, and the big hobbyist is an amateur cameraman (Kip King). This erstwhile shutterbug comes in handy during a manhunt conducted by police detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander). The two cops are looking for a dangerous fugitive--and based on evidence gleaned from a detective magazine, the teenage cameraman thinks he's inadvertently snapped a picture of the man in question. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A gang of thieves has been prowling around local bars and stealing payroll checks from inebriated employees, then forging the endorsements. Searching for the outlaws, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) get a rather grim break when an automobile accident kills one of the suspects. Unnerved by this tragedy, the dead man's partner is suddenly willing to rat on the gang's higher-ups. This episode was originally scheduled to air on March 13, 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
An enterprising gang of crooks has been systematically syphoning oil from storage tankers. These thefts are tied in with an elaborate swindle, preying upon trucking companies. In order to track down and capture the outlaws, police detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) go undercover as a pair of unemployed truck drivers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
While running an experiment in his lab, young British scientist Peter Brady is exposed to a radition leak--and rendered invisible. At first he is excited about the phenomenon, believing he has stumbled upon a process that will benefit mankind. After a while, however, invisibility proves to be something of a "downer", especially since it appears that the process is irreversible. Brady's one chance to become visible again may rest with his old and trusted colleague Dr. Crompton (Michael Goodliffe)...who, unfortunately, has other ideas. In the original 1958 TV Guide listing for this debut episode of The Invisible Man, it is noted that "Also invisible on this series will be the name of the actor playing the title role--the producers won't release it." Well, the secret is out: Tim Turner provides the voice of Brady, while Johnny Scripps is behind the bandages as Brady's body. (Incidentally, this episode is an extensive rewrite of the abortive original pilot, wherein Robert Beatty was heard as Brady). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Several Los Angeles supermarkets have been burglarized over the past few weeks. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) have but one clue to go on: The burglar always leaves cracker crumbs scattered on the floor of the crime scene. Among the supporting players is Sid Melton, best remembered by baby-boomers as "Ichabod Mudd" on Captain Midnight and "Charlie Halper" on The Danny Thomas Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander must wait an agonizingly long time to question Richard Tearson (Malcolm Atterbury), who was found wandering the streets, covered with knife wounds. As the victim remains under sedation, a secondary investigation reveals that his house has been burglarized and his wife has vanished--but her pocketbook remains. Upon recovery, Pearson accuses his son of robbing and stabbing him. . .an assertion that seems to carry no weight when the boy proves to have an airtight alibi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are on the lookout for a hit-and-run driver. Their detective work includes a thorough inspection of the fenders of the suspects' cars. In the end, however, the case is solved with a small print--not a fingerprint, but a lip print! Like most Dragnet episodes of this era, "The Big Lip" proves to be a good workout for several members of the Jack Webb Stock Company, including Vic Perrin and Olan Soule. Also on hand is former "Dead End Kid"Bobby Jordan, here billed more formally as "Robert." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A thief who adheres slavishly to the same M.O. during each of his crimes is the quarry of police detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander). The most perplexing aspect of the case is that the thief doesn't seem inclined to dispose of his ill-gotten gains. The two detectives finally get a break in their investigation when a stray fingerprint leads them to the wife of the most likely suspect. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A series of jewel robberies leads Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) to begin surveillance of the city's pawnshops. Sure enough, the two detectives manage to nab a suspect--but the robberies continue unabated. A break in the case occurs when the suspect's brother offers to cooperate with the police...but can he be trusted? Featured in the cast is Bill Brauer, who as Harold "Tiny" Brauer was a familiar "heavy" in the Three Stooges comedies of the 1940s and 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Young Emil Salter (Jody Baker) turns himself in to Friday (Joe Friday) and Smith (Ben Alexander), claiming he has committed a robbery--and a murder. Emil is certain that he had struck down and killed a man while driving a truck that he had stolen. Though the man's body is found, there is not a single mark on the vehicle. Things get even curiouser when a witness--who had initally been reluctant to come forward for unrelated reasons--insists that Emil is innocent. This episode is based on "The Big Try", the Dragnet radio broadcast of September 21, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
The owner of a fashionable Wilshire Boulevard auction house is slugged and robbed of $1200. Searching f or clues, Friday (Jack Webb) and Ben Alexander (Ben Alexander) find some partially burned matches. A rundown of the companies manufacturing these matches leads the detectives to the elusive--but fatally careless--bandit. Featured in the cast is starlet Jill Richards, who later left acting to become a top fashion designer. This episode was adapted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of July 27, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
The body of a man is found in a Sepulveda hotel, only a few days after he registered. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) suspect that the dead man had given a phony name to the desk clerk--and that, contrary to evidence of suicide, he was actually murdered. It soon develops that the victim had recently been seen in the company of a flashy blonde, even though he was married to someone else. In addition, it turns out he was telling the truth about being a salesman: trouble is, his merchandise consisted of illegal narcotics. This episode is based on the final Dragnet radio broadcast of September 20, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
$60,000 worth of phony checks, all obviously signed by the same person, have been cashed in various LA supermarkets. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) realize that they're dealing with pros when even the forensic lab can't come up with any palpable clues as to the forgery gang's identity. Fortunately, a hardened female ex-convict provides a vital third-act clue. Popular 1950s starlet Eve Brent (who later played the mother of teenage dope fiend "Blue Boy" in the 1960s Dragnet TV revival) appears in this episode billed as Jean Ann Lewis. "The Big Help" is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of May 14, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) chase after a gang of young punks who have pulled off some thirty holdups in the LA area. The best clue the detectives have to go on is that one of gang members has an itchy trigger finger, firing a pistol without point or purpose at the scene of each crime. Thus far, no one has been killed--but there's a first time for everything. This is one of a handful of sixth-season Dragnet episodes written expressly for television, with no previous radio version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are on hand when a pair of teenagers (Don Pathley, Jim Bridges) are arrested after two sets of out-of-town license plates are found in their car's spare tire. Using these clues as a springboard, the detectives launch a widespread robbery investigation. Like most other seventh-season Dragnet TV episodes, this one was written expressly for television, with no previous radio version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
