Richard Karlan Movies

As he often did in his 1970s TV appearances, Jackie Cooper forsakes his "good guy" image in this episode to portray a cold-blooded criminal. In this case, Cooper is cast as jewel thief Frank Mullvaney, who intends to pull off a heist at a jeweler's convention right under the nose of Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas). Such an undertaking requires a disguise, and Mullvaney has a beauty: he's going to show up at the convention dressed as a priest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A valued member of a powerful crime ring, John Prentiss (Michael Callan) decides to go into business for himself when he falls in love with Ellen Conway (Katherine Justice). Prentiss' former associates aren't keen on this, so they take out a contract on his life. It is up to Inspector Erskine to keep Prentiss alive long enough to be placed behind bars--and what about Ellen? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Touted by 20th Century-Fox as a follow-up to their enormously successful The Sound of Music, Star! reteams that earlier film's leading lady Julie Andrews and director Robert Wise. Andrews plays legendary musical comedy star Gertrude Lawrence, while Daniel Massey appears as Lawrence's friend, co-worker and severest critic Noel Coward (Massey's real-life godfather). The film jumps back and forth in continuity at times, its transitions bridged by fabricated newsreel footage; essentially, however, William Fairchild's script traces Lawrence's progress from ambitious bit actress to the toast of London and Broadway. Her success is offset by a stormy private life, which is given some ballast when she falls in love with an American financier (Richard Crenna). The film is way too long for its own good, though the musical set pieces -- especially the Andrews-Massey duets -- are superb. Julie Andrews welcomed the chance of playing a character as far removed from her goody-two-shoes heroine in Sound of Music as possible; Gertrude Lawrence was temperamental, sarcastic, profane and at times self-destructive, and Andrews makes a meal of the role. Unfortunately, Andrews' fans, conditioned by the Fox publicity machine to expect a continuation of Sound of Music, rejected her outright in this "new" characterization. Star! was a huge box-office bomb, so much so that Fox desperately attempted a shortened re-release under a misleading new title, Those Were The Happy Times. They weren't: it remained a financial disaster, though it has developed a loyal cult following in recent years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Boxing manager Barney Jurow (Harold J. Stone) smells a rat when one of his fighters is killed in the ring--and an autopsy reveals that the kid was pumped full of morphine. Unfortunately, Jurow can't go to Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) with his suspicions without running the risk of having his wife (Viveca Lindfors) deported as an illegal alien. So, Barney keeps his mouth shut--but this isn't enough for the mobsters who ordered his boy's death, who proceed to kill the trainer responsible for the doping and framing Jurow for the crime. This episode was originally scheduled to air on April 6, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This sledgehammer attack on Cuban dictator Fidel Castro stars Peter Falk as bearded banana-republic revolutionary Ramos Clemente. Upon taking control of the government, Clemente summons forth the man he has deposed, General DeCruz (Will Kuluva). Gloating, Clemente asks DeCruz if he has anything to say before he is executed. With a sly smile, DeCruz directs Clemente's attention to a huge mirror in the presidential palace, informing Clemente that the mirror will reveal the faces of those who will ultimately destroy him. He's right, of course, and any viewer who can't see the ending coming a mile away deserves to be drummed out of the living room in disgrace. Written by Rod Serling, "The Mirror" was originally telecast October 26, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Clu Gulager delivers a deliciously over-the-top performance as demented gangster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll, who spends most of the episode settling scores with mob boss Dutch Schultz (Lawrence Dobkin), in his first series appearance. Kidnapping Schultz' lieutenant Lefty Gallagher (Richard Carlyle), Coll demands a huge ransom, whereupon Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is alerted to the dropoff point. Unfortunately, everyone loses in this little drama: Lefty is killed in cold blood, Schultz double-crosses Coll, and Ness inadvertently allows "Mad Dog" to slip through his fingers. More determined than ever to get even with Schultz, Coll ends up kidnapping a race horse upon which "The Dutchman" has wagered heavily in the upcoming Kentucky Derby (Incidentally, the "Southern Mansion" seen in the climactic sequence is actually the façade of Gone With the Wind's Tara, which was still standing intact on Desilu's Culver City backlot). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thanks to the notorious gangland conference in Appalachian, New York, the word "Mafia" was on everyone's lips in 1959. Rushing to capitalize on this fact was the low-budget expose Inside the Mafia. Grant Richards plays a Lucky Luciano type who is about to return to the US after several years' deportation. Richards arranges for an upstate New York gangland meeting, where minor mob functionary Cameron Mitchell plans to depose big boss Ted DeCorsia. Mitchell also intends to murder Richards so that he can rule the Mafia unfettered. But Richards is still master of his own fate, and he guns down his competition during the gang conference before surrendering to the police. Inside the Mafia told the public little that wasn't already known, but the film served its purpose of cashing in on a "hot" title. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A former fighter's younger brother decides that he too wants to enter the squared circle and so leaves his native Maine to try his luck in New York. Things go well until he finds himself entangled with mobsters who try to convince him to throw his fights. Meanwhile, his big brother, who simply vanished a few years after stubbornly refusing to take a dive during a major fight, hears about his younger sibling's dilemma and shows up to stop him. He succeeds, but the gangsters go for brutal revenge. Fortunately, a sportswriter hears about the mess and calls in the cops. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Steel Jungle is the prison where most of this film takes place. Perry Lopez heads the cast as two-bit bookie Ed Novak, who goes to jail rather than squeal on his Syndicate higher-ups. Novak's silence exacts a toll on his wife Frances (Beverly Garland), who is expecting a child. The longer he remains in prison, the more Novak becomes aware that the mob has deserted him--and the more he's willing to spill what he knows. Fellow prisoner Steve Marlin (Ted De Corsia) intends to see that Novak keeps his mouth shut permananently. Produced independently, The Steel Jungle was distributed by Warner Bros. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nightclub singer Ilona Vance (Vera Ralston) is Accused of Murder in this Republic programmer. And from the looks of things, Ilona is guilty; she was, after all, the last person to see crooked lawyer Hobart (Sidney Blackmer) alive. But Lt. Roy Hargis (David Brian) is convinced that Ilona is innocent, and he intends to prove it. Except for the mildly surprising denoument, there is little in Accused of Murder that is not thoroughly predictable. Star Vera Ralston, the wife of Republic chieftan Herbert J. Yates, is her usual expressionless self. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This adventurous crime drama is set in exotic Latin America and chronicles a lawman's attempt to bust up the ring of Yankee gun-smugglers who have been supplying arms to war-torn Central America. To stop them, the American agent must masquerade as a smuggler and join the gang. Meanwhile a young revolutionary is captivated by the brave words of her leader and pretends to be a singer while she looks for smugglers to sell her the weapons her group so badly needs. The agent is doing well until the smuggler he impersonates shows up and blows his cover. Fortunately, the authorities arrive before the agent is killed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide