George Keymas Movies
One woman's life of love and larceny is recounted in this soapy drama based on the best-selling novel by Sidney Sheldon. In the midst of WWII, innocent French girl Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with dashing American pilot Larry Douglas (John Beck). When Larry is given new orders taking him back to America, he tells Noelle that he'll come back for her -- when he doesn't, she becomes bitter and pledges to use men for their money and power, not for love. Noelle goes on to become a famous actress and weds Constantin Demeris (Raf Vallone), a Greek multi-millionaire. But she can't shake her passion for Larry, and eventually she hires him to work as her personal pilot. While at first he does not recognize her, soon Larry and Noelle are once again involved in a torrid affair, and when Larry's wife Catherine (Susan Sarandon) refuses to give him a divorce, he and Noelle begin planning a scheme to arrange an "accidental" death for Catherine. The Other Side of Midnight marked the American debut of actress Marie-France Pisier, following her role in the international success Cousin, Cousine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, (more)
- 1970
Ironside(Raymond Burr) is certain that John Walala (Ned Romero), a Native American silversmith who was recently paroled on a theft charge, is not guilty of a jewel robbery. Unfortunately, the evidence indicates that the heist could only have been pulled off by Walala--or at the very least, someone who is very close to him. Unless Ironside can prove Walala's innocence, a new police rehabilitation program may be junked before it can even get under way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In her first Ironside guest appearance, Susan Saint James is cast as Las Vegas nightclub singer Elaine Moreau, with whom Ed Brown (Don Galloway) has fallen in love. Attacked and knocked unconscious after his first date with Elaine, Ed awakens to find that the girl has completely disappeared. Probing into the incident, Ironside (Raymond Burr) uncovers several unsavory facts about Elaine's checkered past, thereby preparing the viewer for the episode's melancholy climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Richard Macklin (Henry Silva), a criminal on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, has managed to elude capture in a spectacular shootout in a hospital parking lot. Worse still, Macklin has taken nurse Carol Grant (Lynda Day) hostage--and he has no intention of ever setting her free. This episode marks a rare TV appearance by Lynn Bari, who achieved fame in the 1940s by playing the perennial "other woman" in a wide variety of 20th Century-Fox films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
With the help of his brother Steve (William Bramley), convicted murderer Larry Drake (Roy Thinnes) manages to escape police custody. The task of tracking down Drake becomes personal for Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.): one of the three law officers brutally killed during the escape was one of Erskine's oldest friends. Meanwhile, the sociopathic Drake shows his "gratitude" for what his brother has done for him by making a play for Steve's wife Patricia (Marlyn Mason). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Christopher Wren's classic adventure story is brought to the screen for the third time in this version, which featured several popular television stars of the day. Beau Geste (Guy Stockwell) is forced to take the blame for a crime he didn't commit in order to protect the good name of his family; he and his brother John (Doug McClure) flee the country to avoid capture and join the French Foreign Legion. Under the leadership of the sadistic Sgt. Major Dagineau (Telly Savalas), Beau and John must battle Arab troops as they try to clear their names. For this more budget-minded adaptation of the story, the three Geste brothers were whittled down to two; Wren's story wasn't filmed again until Marty Feldman's send-up of the Foreign Legion epics, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, appeared in 1977. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Stockwell, Doug McClure, (more)
- 1966
R.G. Armstrong guest-stars as Colonel Keith Jarell, Ben Cartwright's old comrade in arms. Arriving at the Ponderosa, Jarrell asks Ben to join him in his efforts to secure a lasting peace with the Paiute Indians. But the General is hiding his true agenda-one involving that deadly new weapon of destruction, the Gatling Gun. Written by William Douglas Lansford and S. S. Schweitzer, "The Last Mission" made its network TV bow on May 8, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1965
Action expert William Witney glosses over the inaccuracies and inconsistencies in Arizona Raiders. Audie Murphy and Ben Cooper play members of Quantrill's Raiders, hoping to avenge the fallen South after the Civil War. Murphy and Cooper are captured by a Union officer (Buster Crabbe) (effectively cast as a villain) and sentenced to a long prison term. They are offered amnesty by the Union officer, who, appointed head of the Arizona Raiders, hopes to use the ex-confederates within his jurisdiction to drive Quantrill's men out of the territory. The two heroes spend the rest of the film juggling loyalties between the Union leader and Quantrill (Fred Graham). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Michael Dante, (more)
- 1965
The Seaview and her crew are taken by a group of modern day pirates. Their leader is a mad art collector who plans on using the submarine's speed and weaponry to steal Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, being transported to the World's Fair aboard an armed French vessel. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Holly Westra (Charles McGraw) has been chief "enforcer" for gangster Victor Kurtz (John Anderson) for years, but age and infirmity may be catching up with the old gunman. In fact, there's a strong possibility that Holly may not have enough nerve to defend Kurtz from a rival gangster--especially since he has fallen in love with a girl named Rita (Gail Kobe), who abhors violence. Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) hopes to exploit the friction between Holly and Kurtz by making it appear that the old "torpedo" is on the verge of double-crossing his boss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) is obliged to help two fellow Americans, Cpl. Kanger (James Coburn) and Lt. Comstock (Dan Stafford), as they deliver a captured German officer to the authorities for questioning. What Saunders doesn't know (but the audience does!) is that both Kanger and Comstock are German spies posing as Americans, determined to halt the Allied advance or die trying. This episode marks the TV dramatic debut of boxing champ Rocky Marciano, in the small role of a friendly GI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Accused of cowardice in battle by Sgt. John Metcalf (guest star Robert Culp), Pvt. Kirby (Jack Hogan) faces both a court martial and a firing squad. Though Kirby insists that he retreated during a battle on Hill 256 in the face of heavy machine-gun fire, Metcalf claims that no such guns existed. With only 48 hours at their disposal, Saunders (Vic Morrow) and Caje (Pierre Jalbert) make a treacherous return visit to Hill 256, in search of the evidence that will free their comrade. Though series costar Rick Jason does not appear in this episode, future regular Conlan Carter, aka "Doc", shows up as an MP. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to arrange a jailhouse meeting between Nora Larson (Jacqueline Scott) and her husband Brian (Brian Larson), who has been condemned to death. Unfortunately, Nora has hatched a scheme whereby her husband will escape--and Paladin will hang in his place. Lon Chaney Jr. provides his usual quota of surly menace in the role of O'Connor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The Cartwrights are visited by Colonel Edward J. Dunwoody (Claude Akins), who is searching for an Army deserter. The fugitive turns out to be Bill Winters (Robert Sampson), the Cartwrights' well-liked neighbor-and, as it happens, Colonel Dunwoody's son. Meanwhile, the Shoshones plan to wreak vengeance against Dunwoody, who had previously engineered the massacre of a peaceful Indian village. Also appearing are Anthony Caruso as Keokuk, George Keymas as Running Wolf and Gale Garnett as Maria. Originally broadcast on October 21, 1962, "The Deserter" was written by Norman Lessing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1961
The "Eastern Seaboard" city referenced in the title of this episode remains unnamed, but all evidence suggests that the story takes place in (or at least near) Baltimore. The local civic leaders are proud of the fact that their city is completely free of crime, thanks to the efforts of a band of elected vigilantes. But mobster Lou Mungo (Mike Kellin) is determined to change all this, and for starters Mungo starts putting pressure on city commissioner Bodeen (Harvey Stephens), threatening to kill Bodeen's family if he doesn't play ball. The plan works, but Mungo starts getting too big for his britches--and after murdering a Federal agent, he finds himself in the cross-hairs of both "good guy" Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) and "bad guy" Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
No sooner has he arrived at Fort Casper than Beau (Roger Moore) is framed for the murder of Indian brave Swift Rider (Miguel Landa). The actual killers were Marsh (John Zaccaro) and Lawson (Richard Coogan), a pair of crooked shopkeepers who have been systematically cheating Swift Rider's tribe, and are hoping to stir up a war between the Indians and the Army to cover their tracks. Locked up in the stockade, Beau is rescued by Chief Standing Bull (Robert Warwick)--but only so he can be married to Swift Rider's sister Pale Moon (Andra Martin, a marriage slated to end as quickly as it begins with Beau's swift and ignominious demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Based on author James T. Farrell's trilogy written between 1932 and 1935 and later combined into a one-volume Studs Lonigan book, this less than two-hour film does not quite do justice to the literary whole. Studs (Christopher Knight) is raised on Chicago's infamous South Side, an Irish kid when prejudice against the Irish was still around and hanging tough was the norm in impoverished neighborhoods. Once he leaves grade school behind and enters high school, a world of "wenching," fights, drinking, and wild parties starts to open up. By 1929, Studs is trapped into a marriage he comes to hate and as the decade of the '30s begins, he is still trying to be as tough as he can. But as he learns, no one can out-tough the Great Depression. At times confusing and histrionic and wordy (not to mention censored to fit a 1960s unspoken coda), Studs Lonigan falls short of the pithy, emotional, rugged world of Farrell's Irish hoodlum. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Knight, Frank Gorshin, (more)
- 1960
An irreducable masterpiece, the Rod Serling-scripted Twilight Zone episode "The Eye of the Beholder" takes place in a hospital in the dead of night. The protagonist is Janet Tyler, who, having been shunned by society because of her hideous ugliness, has just undergone extensive plastic surgery. Knowing full well that she will be shipped off to a community of fellow "outcasts" if the surgery is unsuccessful, Janet tensely awaits the results as the bandages are slowly removed from her face. Even after repeated viewings, this landmark episode loses none of his power and poignancy, with Douglas Heyes' surehanded direction matched by Bernard Herrmann's brilliant musical score. First telecast November 11, 1960, "The Eye of the Beholder" was rerun in the summer of 1962 -- when, to avoid tipping off the punch line, the episode reverted to its working title, "A Private World of Darkness." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maxine Stuart, William D. Gordon, (more)
- 1959
Robert Morley is cast as Mr. Laffler, a gourmet who is anxious to be admitted into a private dining club called Spirro's. Ever since he was allowed to sample the specialty of the house, an exotic dish called "lamb armistran," Laffler has been prepared to move heaven and earth to join the club. Alas, when the curious Laffler sneaks a forbidden peek into the club's kitchen, he learns all too well the meaning of the term "lifetime member." (Trivia note: the androgynous owner of Spirro's is played by Madame Spivy, a popular nightclub entertainer who is also prominently featured in such films as The Manchurian Candidate and Requiem for a Heavyweight). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
This episode is essentially a showcase for singer Peggy King, who receives a rare "guest star" billing in the opening credits (Ms. King had risen to fame as vocalist on George Gobel's popular comedy-variety series). While searching for a fugitive outlaw, Bret Maverick (James Garner) crosses the path of songbird Jenny Hill (Ms. King), who is making a concert tour of the West. Gradually, Bret falls in love with Jenny, unaware that she is using her tour as an excuse to look for her husband--the same outlaw being sought by Mr. Maverick. Leo Gordon makes his last appearance as Big Mike McComb in this final episode of Maverick's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
While searching for a missing man named James Baker, Paladin stops for water at the lavish Mexican hacienda of wealthy Mexican silver miner Don Francisco (Donald Randolph). Impressed by Paladin's gunfighting credentials, Don Francisco hires him to escort a valuable silver shipment. But upon witnessing his host's cruel treatment of servant girl Lupita (Babara Luna), Paladin begins to harbor doubts concerning Don Francisco--and his suspicions are confirmed when he discovers that James Baker had died "accidentally" while laboring in the Mexican millionaire's silver mines! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Frank Lovejoy plays the title role in Cole Younger, Gunfighter. The scene is post-Civil War Texas, when the state was under the despotic control of the "bluebellies"-corrupt law enforcement officials, answerable only to carpetbagger-governer E. J. Davis. Persecuting Texans in general and Rebel sympathizers in particular, the bluebellies make life hell for everyone with whom they come in contact. Only a few courageous souls like Kit (James Best) are willing to stand up to these uniformed bullies, and in so doing they find themselves branded as outlaws. While hiding out from the authorities, Kit befriends desperado Cole Younger, believing him to be a kindred spirit. Younger proves that he's a "right guy" by saving Kit from a trumped-up murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Lovejoy, James Best, (more)
- 1958
In this western, the battle between ranchers and farmers provides the background for a battle between two disparate brothers. One is the outlaw gangleader of the Blue Chip gang; the other is a hard-bitten lawman. The outlaw is only too happy to witness the land conflicts as he plans on stealing the lands of the dead on both sides. Fortunately, his good brother causes him to change his bad-guy ways, side with the farmers and go straight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Stevens, Forrest Tucker, (more)
- 1957
Rory Calhoun is Utah Blaine in this pinch-penny Sam Katzman-produced western. Adapted from a novel by Louis L'Amour, the story concerns the efforts of gunslinger Blaine to save a group of ranchers from an outlaw gang. When one the ranchers is killed, Utah finds himself half-owner of a valuable spread, placing him directly in the line of fire along with his attractive "business partner" Angie Kinyon (Susan Cummings). Ray Teal is all snarls as the outlaw leader, while former boxer Max Baer Sr. does a brief turn as a slow-witted hooligan. Like most Sam Katzman efforts, Utah Blaine turned a tidy profit for Katzman's home base of Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Cummings, Angela Stevens, (more)
- 1957
Edward Bernds, graduate of Columbia's "Three Stooges" shorts and Allied Artists' "Bowery Boys" epics, expertly guides The Storm Rider through its paces. Scott Brady plays an ex-gunslinger who is hired by a group of ranchers to protect them from covetous land baron Roy Engel. Unbeknownst to the ranchers, Brady is the killer of their former leader. Emotional complications ensue when Brady falls in love with Mala Powers, the widow of the man he killed. The film's ending upholds the uncompromising integrity of the rest of The Storm Rider. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Brady, Mala Powers, (more)
