Robert Karnes Movies
- 1980
Vincent Sherman, who back in Hollywood's heyday directed Humphrey Bogart in The Return of Dr. X and All Through the Night, helmed the TV biopic Bogie. Unfortunately, Sherman was unable to overcome a cliched, bowdlerized screenplay, nor could he cover up the fact that star Kevin O'Connor had none of Humphrey Bogart's movie-star charisma. The film sketchily covers Bogart's life between 1899 and 1944, then zeroes in on the romance between Bogie and his To Have and Have Not leading lady Lauren Bacall, phlegmatically portrayed by Kathryn Harrold (the real Bacall reportedly refuses to see this film). Ann Wedgeworth makes a meal of her portrayal of Bogart's third wife Mayo "Sluggsy" Methot, while Bogie's close pals Patrick O'Moore and "Prince" Michael Romanoff are played, respectively, by Donald May and Alfred Ryder. Other Bogart intimates impersonated in this film include Peter Lorre (played by Herb Braham), Jack Warner (Richard Dysart), Leslie Howard (Stephen Keep), Howard Hawks (Ross Elliot), and wife #2 Mary Phillips (Carol Vogel). The script was by Daniel Tadarash, who wrote the 1949 Bogart film Knock on Any Door; it was based on Joe Hyams' affectionate (and far superior) biography of the star. Bogie was first telecast March 4, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In this failed pilot for a series, a biochemist reproduces. He copies himself 13 times to help stop a top-secret cloning project from being destroyed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Art Hindle, Robyn Douglass, (more)
- 1977
This episode begins on a serious note, as B.J. (Mike Farrell) receives word that he is the target of a military investigation. Before long, however, tension has segued into laughter as Hawkeye (Alan Alda) merrily engages in a battle of practical jokes against his old pal Bardonaro (James Cromwell). The question: Which of the two mirthsome combatants will have the titular "Last Laugh"? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Jim Rockford's old Army buddy Al Brennan (Ned Beatty) asks Jim (James Garner) to help Marcy Brownell (Veronica Hamel) locate her missing sister. What Jim doesn't know is that the mercenary Al is using him to pull off an elaborate swindle. The key player in this sordid little drama is an ill-tempered gent named John Stabila (Paul Stevens)--and the "Maguffin" on this occasion is a missing Shan-Yin vase, valued at around three million dollars! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
After John (Randolph Mantooth) and Roy (Kevin Tighe) rescue an old tramp (Paul Brinegar) from a burning building, Chet (Tim Donnelly) and Marco (Marco Lopez) discover that the tramp's mattress contains $80,000. As a result, the Squad receives a huge award--but the firemen have no idea in the world how best to spend the money. This week's emergency roster includes a plane crashing into a warehouse, a fainting bride, and a lost cat (played by "Simba"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
The Passion of the Christ screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald travels back to Biblical times once again to tell the life story of Mary, the woman who gave birth to the Christian savior. Beginning in Mary's childhood and presenting vivid recreations of every major moment in the virgin mother's life, Myriam, Mother of Christ follows the Holy Family as they return from Egypt to Galilee following the death if King Herod. In telling the story from Mary's perspective, screenwriter Fitzgerald allows the viewer to follow along as she gradually begins to perceive of God's plan and struggles to realize the mystery of her calling. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Of the two rape-oriented TV movies of the 1973-74 season, A Case of Rape, first telecast February 20, 1974, is far and away the finer film (the other was the compelling but contrived Cry Rape). Elizabeth Montgomery stars as a housewife who is sexually assaulted not once but twice by a so-called family friend (Cliff Potts). The rape is only the beginning of a long cycle of humiliation and self-doubt: the investigating police are dismissive of Montgomery's charges, the female defense attorney (Rosemary Murphy) tries to put the victim on trial, and Montgomery's reputation and marriage (to Ronny Cox) are irrevocably damaged. Though things don't go well for her in the courtroom, Montgomery emerges from the experience a stronger and more self-reliant person, unwilling to allow herself to be destroyed by outside influences. Don't miss the final confrontation between raper and rapist after the trial--an underplayed but bone-chilling vignette. Had not Cicely Tyson sewn up the Emmy with The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Elizabeth Montgomery would certainly have copped the prize with A Case of Rape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Unable to produce the deed to their land, the Waltons are threatened with eviction from the mountain by a powerful lumber company. In order to raise the $200 necessary to register a deed, John (Ralph Waite) and John-Boy (Ralph Waite) head to the "big city", looking for work. Just when it seems that their troubles are over, the money is stolen by a pair of street bandits. An unhappy ending? Not THIS early in the nine-year TV run of The Waltons!. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Attacked by an escaped convict, Fran (Elizabeth Baur) is rescued by a strange individual who then promptly disappears. The next morning, the "mystery man" is identified by his wife, who has shown up at police headquarters to report her husband's disappearance. Piecing together the clues, Ironside (Raymond Burr) ascertains a link between the missing man and an elusive international drug dealer known as Arno--who may or may not actually exist. Originally scheduled to air on February 24, 1972, this last episode of Ironside's fifth season was bumped forward to March 9 due to network coverage of President Nixon's trip to China. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
First telecast September 14, 1971, "The Priest Killer" was originally identified as the two-hour opening episode of Ironside's fifth season. In truth, it is the second pilot film for the TV cop series Sarge, starring George Kennedy as cop-turned-priest Father Samuel "Sarge" Kavanaugh. Though based in San Diego, Sarge teams with wheelchair-bound San Francisco detective Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr) to track down an unknown serial killer who has murdered two priests. Though the motive for the murders is at first unknown, given the presence of Anthony Zerbe in the supporting cast it isn't difficult to ascertain the identity of the killer. The weekly, hour-long series version of Sarge would premiere one week after "The Priest Killer", on September 21, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Having unofficially adopted Jamie, Ben is poised to make it official in court. His plans are scuttled by the arrival of Jamie's actual grandfather Callahan (Will Geer, who wants to take the boy back with him to Boston. Written by Jean Holloway, this Bonanza episode served as a reunion for Will Geer and Mitch Vogel, who'd previously costarred in the theatrical feature The Reivers. Also worth noting: The adroit usage of "flashback" footage from the previous episodes "A Matter of Faith" and "The Grand Swing", and the supporting appearance by a pre-stardom Robert Carradine. "A Home for Jamie" originally aired on December 19, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1968
Vicious, cop-hating Frank Vincent (Pernell Roberts) threatens dire consequences when he is arrested on a drunk driving charge by Ed Brown (Don Galloway) and two other officers (one of whom is played by director-stuntman Hal Needham, the other by Bing Russell, father of film star Kurt Russell)). Later, both of his colleagues turn up dead, convincing Ed that Vincent is the killer; unfortunately, he has no proof, and is told to leave Vincent alone. Ultimately suspended from the force, Ed literally puts his life on the line to expose Vincent as a murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The title character in the episode is a well-trained but ill-tempered Alsatian, who is the only witness to the murder of a sweet old lady. It turns out that the victim was anything but a paragon of virtue--in fact, she may well have been an accomplished con artist. What Ironside (Raymond Burr) finds curious is the fact that the old lady was killed in a manner similar to several other recent murders...in which all the victims were elderly males. Former football pro and future movie action star Fred Williamson appears as a detective. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Two escaped killers, Carter (John Saxon) and Bains (Don Stroud), burst into Ironside's office apartment, holding the Chief (Raymond Burr) and his policewoman assistant Eve (Barbara Anderson). The captives' only hope for survival rests with Ironside, who agrees to help the desperate fugitives formulate a foolproof escape plan. This nailbiting episode takes place entirely within the walls of Ironside's police-building headquarters (hence its title). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Future Hawaii 5-0 regular James MacArthur guest-stars as Jase Fredericks, who tries to protect his inheritance, and his life, from his selfish uncle Bingham (Ford Rainey). The Cartwrights become involved when the conflict between Jase and Bingham boils down to Jase's prize stallion. Patricia Hyland costars as Jase's wife Kathy. Originally broadcast on December 3, 1967, "Check Rein" was written by Robert I. Holt and Olney Sherman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1967
Communist agent Stephan Gomalk (Michael Strong) intends to take control of the small European democracy ruled by his "friend", President Beyron Rurich (Pernell Roberts). Caught in the middle is archaeologist William Bennett (Aaron Fletcher), who stumbled onto Gomalk's scheme, suffered a heart attack, and has been placed under maximum security by the villain's henchmen. The IMF agents have only 24 hours to rescue Bennett and squelch Gomalk's plans--and this will require a convincingly staged assassination attempt. Written by John O'Dea and Arthur Rowe, "Operation 'Heart'" first aired October 22, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1966
Little does Richard Kimble (David Janssen)--alias "Paul Miller"--know what he is getting into when he traces the elusive one-armed murderer Fred Johnson (Bill Raisch) to the town of Clark City, Kentucky. It seems that Johnson, travelling under the name "Cramer", is employed by the gambling syndicate which owns the town lock, stock and barrel. Johnson orders Kimble to be beaten and chased out of town by a pair of corrupt cops, but Kimble turns the tables and arranges for Johnson's arrest. Unfortunately, the gambling bosses have decided that under the circumstances, both of the "fugitives" are eminently disposable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
This feature-length espionage thriller is an expanded version of an episode of the TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. entitled "The Alexander the Great Affair." Mr. Alexander (Rip Torn) is a power-hungry multi-millionaire who wants to take over the world from his compound in Greece, with Alexander the Great serving as his role model. Alexander starts his bid for world domination in a small but strategically crucial Asian nation, where he plans to assassinate the President and render his chain of command helpless with a chemical weapon that destroys a person's will to win. International agents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) are sent out to stop him, while Alexander's wife Tracey (Dorothy Provine) has her own ideas of how to deal with him. The original airing of "The Alexander The Great Affair" led off the second (and most popular) season of the TV series; the theatrical release of One Spy Too Many proved somewhat less successful. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, (more)
- 1965
It is time again for Founder's Day in Mayberry, and on this occasion a mobile museum has arrived in town. Meanwhile, deputy Warren struggles to get the park's ornamental cannon in working condition, hoping to fire a salute in honor of the governor's visit. As an added plot complication, a gang of crooks has shown up in town, planning to take advantage of the excitement by staging a heist. Written by Jack Elinson, "The Cannon" originally aired on November 22, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Burns
- 1964
Kathie Browne makes her third appearance as Adam Cartwright's erstwhile lady friend Laura Dayton. Encouraged by her Aunt Lil (Joan Blondell) to rush Adam into marriage, Laura decides to make her sweetheart jealous by playing up to Adam's cousin Will (Guy Williams). The scheme backfires when Laura and Will fall in love for real. First telecast on May 10, 1964, "The Pressure Game" was written by Don Tait. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1964
As "Nick Peters", Kimble (David Janssen) lands a job with the wild-animal show owned by Barry Craft (Steve Forrest). Figuring out Kimble's true identity, the greedy Craft hopes to make his circus as famous as the Biograph Theater (where Dillinger met his doom) by arranging for the fugitive to be captured on the circus grounds in full view of the media. But Craft has not factored in the essential honesty and decency of elderly animal trainer Major Fielding (Laurence Naismith). This is the final episode of The Fugitive's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
No one could accuse this episode of The Untouchables of defaming the Italians--certainly not with the young, aggressively WASP-ish Robert Redford as the villain of the week. Redford is cast as Ivy League bootlegger Jack Parker, who who is deliberately distributing a dangerous form of methyl alcohol known as "Ginger Jake" to college campuses. Even mob boss Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) is queasy about selling a product that could permanently blind anyone who drinks it, but Parker wins Nitti over by explaining his reason for pushing the cheap hooch: it will whet the students' appetite for the "good stuff", for which Parker has formulated a diabolically brilliant distribution scheme. This episode boasts one of the most grimly powerful finales in all Untouchables history--and as a bonus, Star Trek fans are treated to a glimpse of an uncredited Walter Koenig as one of the students. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
After 15 miserable years of matrimony, mousy Gerald Swinney (a superbly cast Bob Newhart) asks his wife, Edith (Jane Withers), for a divorce. She refuses, at which point Gerald stammers, "Well, uh, Edith, I guess I'll, uh, have to get rid of you." No, Gerald doesn't intend to murder Edith -- merely to make her think he is going to murder her. Before long, Edith is going crazy with anxiety...and that is only step one of Gerald's master plan. (Trivia note: the famous Leave It to Beaver house on the Universal studio lot is very much in evidence in this episode -- four years before it was converted into the equally famous Marcus Welby, M.D. house.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Jane Withers, (more)
- 1962
Season Four of Bonanza began on September 23, 1962 with what was intended to be a landmark episode. In "The First Born", Barry Coe plays Clay Stafford, a new ranchhand on the Ponderosa. Ordered to leave Virginia City after killing a man in self-defense (or so it seems), Clay reveals an astonishing secret: He is the son of Ben Cartwright's third wife Marie, and as such is the biological older brother of Ben's own son Joe. Although Ben and Joe take Clay at his word, the other Cartwright boys, Hoss and Adam are skeptical, and they intend to investigate Clay's strange story. As originally written by Judith and George W. George, "The First Born" was to have introduced Barry Coe as a new Bonanza costar. Reportedly, however, Coe's presence on the set caused friction among the series' established regular, and the notion of a "fifth Cartwright" was quietly dropped. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1962
The only episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour directed by Hitchcock himself (though he'd previously helmed several of the anthology's half-hour installments), "I Saw the Whole Thing" draws its suspense from the reliability -- or lack of reliability -- of eyewitness testimony. Arrested on suspicions of causing a fatal car accident, mystery writer Michael Barnes (John Forsythe) insists upon acting as his own attorney. Five witnesses insist under oath that they saw Barnes run a stop sign -- and in each case, Barnes discredits their testimony by proving that the witnesses only thought they saw what they saw, based on their own experiences and personal prejudices. Things take an unexpected turn when a sixth witness offers a sixth version of the accident. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
