Walter Janowitz Movies

Pop singer Neil Diamond stars in this ill-begotten second remake of Al Jolson's seminal 1927 musical The Jazz Singer. The moth-eaten story concerns a cantor's son who desires success as a pop singer, despite the wishes of his imperious father. The film takes place in the present day with Yussel Rabinowitz (Neil Diamond) playing a young (though middle-aged looking) cantor performing at the synagogue of his father (Laurence Olivier). Yussel is married and has settled down to a life of religious devotion to the teaching of his fath. But on the side, he writes songs for a black singing group, and when a member of the quartet takes ill, Yussel covers for him at one of their gigs by wearing blackface! The nightclub engagement is such a success that Yussel abandons his family -- and his father's synagogue -- and leaves his New York home for Los Angeles, hoping to break into the music business. Almost immediately he is spotted by spunky agent Molly Bell (Lucie Arnaz), who books him as an opening act for a touring comic. Yussel hits it big, but his father resents Yussel's forsaking their traditional Jewish ways. His father disowns him, rending his garments and bellowing, "I hef no son!" ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Robert Aldrich returns to the western-spoof genre he'd previously explored in Four for Texas with The Frisco Kid. Gene Wilder plays Polish rabbi Avram Belinsky, who intends to set up a congregation in San Francisco. Eminently unsuited for life in the Old West, poor Avram is victimized by everyone with whom he comes in contact. Salvation arrives in the unlikely form of taciturn bank robber Tommy (Harrison Ford). Incredibly, Tommy takes a liking to the feckless Avram, and together the two men embark on a series of seriocomic adventures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Schultz becomes temporary Kommandant when Klink is called to active duty. Depending upon Schultz's ineptitude, Hogan works up a plan to smuggle an Underground courier and a cache of uranium out of Stalag 13. Unfortunately, Schultz's newfound power goes to his head (where there's plenty of room), and he morphs into a minor-league dictator. Written by Laurence Marks, "Kommandant Schultz" originally aired on November 1, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan and his crew are ordered to pick up air-dropped messages to the Underground. This task completed, the men must figure out a way to deliver the information simultaneously to four different locations. Coincidentally, Klink is in the middle of an enforced "efficiency and economy" drive -- which, of course, Hogan exploits to his advantage. Written by Laurence Marks, "The Purchasing Plan" originally aired on February 22, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a situation drenched with irony, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must prevent the murder of attorney Richard Bender, who at present is defending Arnold Toby (Linden Chiles), a mob boss whom the FBI has been trying to nail for five years. Bender's would-be assassin is Dennis Holland, who has a personal vendetta against the lawyer. Caught in the middle is Holland's employee Peter Zacharias (played by future Mary Tyler Moore Show costar Ed Asner), who has been set up as a fall guy for Bender's killing--and who is also the father of Arnold Toby's current girlfriend Carol (played by former Gilligan's Island regular Dawn Wells)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The venerable John Carradine gets his first chance to play the fanged count in 20 years (the last time was House of Dracula), albeit in one of the weirdest scenarios ever committed to film. Arriving in the Wild West via stagecoach, Drac installs himself in the home of a pretty rancher (Melinda Plowman) by convincing her (through hypnosis) that he is her long-lost uncle. Unfortunately for the Count, one of her hired hands is none other than legendary outlaw Billy the Kid (Chuck Courtney), who has been trying to put his wicked ways behind him. Billy takes a shine to his boss but starts to have his suspicions about her creepy "uncle." Eventually, the reformed desperado straps on his six-guns again to do battle with the Count, ably assisted by the local sawbones who must be an acquaintance of Dr. Van Helsing, since he obviously knows such helpful arcane knowledge such as (gasp) "The Vampire Test!" A camp anti-classic from William "One-Shot" Beaudine, who shot it back-to-back with yet another Wild-West-Horror mutation, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Not wanting to be assigned a tougher and smarter commandant than Col. Klink, Hogan convinces German Inspector General Von Platzen (John Dehner) that Klink is a stern disciplinarian. The plan works too well, and the General insists that Klink be promoted and transferred. All this may well foul up Hogan's plans to blow up a munitions train. Written by Richard M. Powell, "The Late Inspector General" originally aired on October 8, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Maurice Marsac plays the title character, captured French scientist Henry Dubois, who is forced to work with the Germans out of fear for the life of his daughter Marie (Jayne Massey). Hogan and his men set out to rescue the scientist and his daughter and to feed the Germans false scientific results. To that end, Hogan works out an intricate scheme whereby LeBeau will impersonate Dubois and hopefully hoodwink top German scientist Professor Altman (Parley Baer). Written by Laurence Marks, "The Scientist" was originally telecast on December 3, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In 1950, Maj. Jefferson Pike (James Garner), an Army intelligence agent who served with distinction in World War II, awakens in a hospital with severe amnesia. He isn't sure where he is, how he got there, or even who the woman at his side is, even though the doctor tells him that her name is Anna (Eva Marie Saint) and that she is his wife. The doctor instructs Pike to recall, in as much detail as possible, what he was doing before the accident that caused his traumatic memory loss. But the doctor isn't a doctor, Anna isn't Pike's wife, it isn't 1950, and he isn't in an American hospital. World War II is still very much in progress, and Pike is being duped in an elaborate scheme prepared by Maj. Walter Gerber (Rod Taylor), a German intelligence agent. Gerber is trying to trick a drugged and suggestible Pike into telling him everything he knows, as the injured soldier lies in a Bavarian military hospital after being taken prisoner. Will Pike be able to see through the cracks in Gerber's facade before he spills the beans that could mean death and defeat for American soldiers? 36 Hours was later remade for TV under the title Breaking Point. TV fans will want to keep an eye peeled for bit parts by James Doohan from Star Trek and John Banner from Hogan's Heroes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Ordered to London, Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) finds he has been selected for a dangerous espionage mission in Occupied France. Teamed with veteran OSS agent Ted Slocum (J.D. Cannon), Hanley must rescue a French physicist who is being forced to work on a top-secret German project (could it be The Bomb?) The assignment turns out be a personal matter for Hanley: one of his college friends, the physicist's son, had been killed in a previous rescue attempt. Undermining the mission is an unidentified traitor in the ranks of the French Resistance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide