John Larch Movies

The story begins as an astronomer notices that a blazing comet is headed straight for Phoenix Arizona. Unfortunately, no one believes him. They will eventually, but only after most of Phoenix has been reduced to cinders. Emmies went to the special effects (among the best ever seen on TV in those days before computer-generated special fx) and sound recording. The all-star cast includes Richard Crenna, Elizabeth Ashley, David Dukes, Joanna Miles, Lloyd Bochner, Merlin Olsen and Andrew Duggan, all of them superbly cast and none merely doing the usual celebrity walk-through. Originally telecast in a three-hour slot, Fire in the Sky debuted November 26, 1978. This film should not be confused with the 1993 alien-abduction film of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Working the late shift at the neighborhood cop shop, beleaguered Captain Shaw (John Larch) finds himself saddled with a pair of lost souls: an old man (Claude Rains) suffering from amnesia and a little boy (Bill Mumy) abandoned by his parents. Instinctively, Shaw is persuaded that the oldster and the youngster belong together -- and in his efforts to expedite this bonding, the lieutenant is in for a surprise. This episode reunites John Larch and Bill Mumy, previously cast as father and son in the chilling Twilight Zone entry "It's a Good Life." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Behind the High Wall is a remake of the 1937 Jackie Cooper-Victor McLaglen film The Big Guy. Tom Tully plays prison warden Frank Carmichael, who is kidnapped during a jail break in which a policeman is killed. In an ensuing car crash, all the escapees are killed except young Johnny Hutchins (John Gavin). Though he knows that Hutchins had nothing to do with the cop's murder, Carmichael refuses to intervene when Johnny is condemned to death. It seems that the escaping convicts had been carrying $100,000 in stolen money with them, which Carmichael has hidden away for his own use. By eliminating Hutchins, the warden is also getting rid of the only potential witness to his own perfidy. Sylvia Sidney is pure venom as Carmichael's crippled, greedy wife, while Betty Lynn (who later played Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show) also registers well as Johnny's agonizing fiancee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inger Stevens guest-stars as Emily Pennington, the frail and sickly fiancée of itinerant miner Black McCall. Arriving on the Ponderosa, McCall asks that Emily be allowed to stay until her health improves. Hoss grows fond of the girl, but can't shake his fundamental mistrust of McCall's motives. Featured in the cast is Bob Knapp as Emily's brother John. Written by Thomas Thompson,"The Newcomers" originally aired on September 26, 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kamden (John Larch), the former head of an elite WWII French underground unit comes to the Townsend agency for protection. It seems that several of Kamden's comrades in arms have been assassinated by a man called Jericho (Ricardo Montalban). Sabrina (Kate Jackson) poses as Kamden's current girlfriend to prevent another murder and to flush Jericho out of his hiding place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"You've got to ask yourself a question: 'do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" Dirty Harry provoked a critical uproar in 1971 for its "fascist" message about the power of one, as it also elevated Clint Eastwood to superstar status through his most enduring screen persona. Harry Callahan (Eastwood, in a role meant for Frank Sinatra) is a sardonic, hard-working San Francisco cop who can't finish his lunch without having to foil a bank robbery with his 44 Magnum, "the most powerful handgun in the world." When hippie-esque psycho Scorpio (Andy Robinson) goes on a killing spree, Harry and new partner Chico (Reni Santoni) are assigned to hunt him down, but not before the Mayor (John Vernon) and Lt. Bressler (Harry Guardino) admonish Callahan about his heavy-handed tactics. Racing against a deadline to save a kidnap victim from suffocating to death and unbothered by the niceties of Miranda rights and search warrants, Callahan brings in Scorpio, only to see him released on technicalities. "The law's crazy," opines Harry in disgust, before taking it upon himself to ensure that Scorpio doesn't kill again. Directed in violent and efficient fashion by Don Siegel, with a propulsive score by Lalo Schifrin, Dirty Harry was the fourth Siegel-Eastwood collaboration after Coogan's Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), and The Beguiled (1970). Critics at the time strongly objected to the heroic image of a cop's violations of a suspect's Miranda rights, forcing Siegel and Eastwood to deny that they were right-wing reactionaries. All the same, Dirty Harry proved to be highly popular and spawned four sequels: Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983), and The Dead Pool (1988). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

In the sixth episode of Walt Disney's 17-part miniseries Tales of Texas John Slaughter, Slaughter (Tom Tryon) combines his cattle herd with that of fellow rancher Sam Underwood (Sidney Blackmer), intending to drive both herds to Arizona and sell them at the highest price possible. Unfortunately, the two men cannot use the Chisholm Trail because of a recent drought, so Slaughter blazes his own trail -- through Comanche territory. As if the Indians didn't pose enough of a threat, Slaughter must also contend with cattle baron John Chisholm (Harold J. Stone), who is convinced that Slaughter is trying to destroy his business. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology, "The Slaughter Trail" and the subsequent episode "The Man From Bitter Creek" were edited together in 1962 and released overseas as the "feature film" Texas John Slaughter: Stampede at Bitter Creek. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Single mother Betty Dixon has been savagely stabbed to death with a bollo knife. A lack of additional evidence makes it extremely difficult for Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) to locate the perpetrator; all that is certain is that the killer is a madman. Ultimately, the detectives track down a recently discharged mental patient--who insists the victim "dared" him to murder her! This episode was adepted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of August 3, 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate when Rose Baker, a no-good, slovenly "party girl", disappears. The last person to see Rose was her sister Bernice (Irene Tedrow), who has been taking care of Rose's four children. Several other people come forth with contradictory stories, indicating that Rose was either going to return to her kids, move to another apartment, or leave the city on vacation. There is no question, however, of how Rose Baker ends up--and that's dead. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of March 27, 1952. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Phil Karlson harks back to the no-nonsense, no-thrills directness of his 1950s "B" pictures in Framed. Joe Don Baker, Karlson's star in Walking Tall, plays Ron, a high-rolling gambler with a streak of integrity. Framed by the film's villains--including a cartel of corrupt cops--Ron is carted off to prison. Upon his release, he embarks upon a carefully calculated campaign of revenge. The film's stylistic ties to the enormously successful Walking Tall include the screenwriting contributions of Mort Briskin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Both Future Cop and Cops and Robin were feature-length pilots for TV series. Both starred Ernest Borgnine, Michael Shannon and John Amos. Both were tongue-in-cheek science-fiction efforts about a hard-nosed cop (Borgnine) who is teamed with an android (Shannon). And both died aborning before a series could get under way. For the record, Future Cop premiered May 1, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Matt (James Arness) is caught in the middle of a small but violent range war when wealthy Rancher Clay Young (John Larch), accusing the Nolan family of being worthless squatters, tries to force them off their land. Josh Nolan (Ainslee Pryor) insists that the land is theirs and theirs alone, purchased fair and square from Young. Though both men seem to be telling the truth, Matt knows that at least one of them is lying--but he doesn't find out which one until a local judge orders him to evict the Nolans. This episode is based on "Smokin' Out the Beedles", the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of November 11, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) has been summoned to the town of Whiskey Slide, where a baseball game has been going on for days and days. Unfortunately, the makeshift ballpark has become a battleground due to long-standing feuds amongst the local players and their professional out-of-town rivals; in fact, several men have been killed or wounded in the course of the marathon game! Donning an umpire's uniform, Paladin attempts to bring the game to a satisfactory conclusion--while simultaneously avoiding further bloodshed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide