Tom Lowell Movies

The science-fiction and detective-story genres are combined in the made-for-TV The Aliens are Coming. Tom Mason plays an astrophysicist who is convinced that malevolent extraterrestrials are in our midst. It is Mason's contention that the invaders have assumed human form, in preparation for world conquest (sound familiar?) Originally telecast March 2, 1980, The Aliens are Coming later showed up in an expanded version as a two-parter, shown on NBC over two consecutive weekends. The project began as a TV pilot film titled Alien Force. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ronald Loper (Robert F. Lyons) heads a gang of kidnappers who are secure in the belief that they've pulled off the perfect crime by snatching the ne'er-do-well son (Tom Lowell) of a prominent contractor (Larry Gates). Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) hopes to catch the crooks without causing harm to the victim, a task which may prove more difficult than usual because of the personalities--and the temperaments--involved. This last episode of The F.B.I.'s eighth season also marks the final appearance of William Reynoldsas Special Agent Colby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode begins at the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service, where the agents take time from bleeding taxpayers dry to recall the case of the "Hooterville Refund Fraud." The whole mess was inadvertently caused by Oliver Douglas (Eddie Albert), who had encouraged his fellow farmers to contact the IRS with refund requests. Though Oliver's intentions were honest, most of the requests were not -- and as a result, the citizens of Hooterville became the delighted (and undeserving) recipients of a 500,000 dollar tax refund! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the opening episode of Green Acres' fifth season, Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor) anxiously prepares for the arrival of her "mudder." No, she isn't expecting a race horse, but instead her jet-setting Hungarian mother (Lilia Skala), who descends upon the Douglas farm in the company of her Japanese manservant Kyoto (Jerry Fujikawa) and settles in for a three-week stay. Although all of Hooterville is on pins and needles over the presence of so illustrious a visitor, Lisa's husband Oliver (Eddie Albert) is outraged that his mother-in-law has turned his household upside down. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In Part Two of "Ride the Wind", Curtis Wade (Rod Cameron takes over from the late Charles Ludlow as head of the new Pony Express service. Determined to keep the service running and to finish the route despite attacks by the Paiutes, Wade is driven not so much by duty as by his ego, which has been fuelded by exploitive Eastern journalist Tully (DeForrest Kelley. Wade's delusions of grandeur may prove fatal for Joe Cartwright, who has signed on as a Pony Express rider despite the protests of his father Ben. Tom Lowell appears as Charles Ludlow's son Jabez, who ends up as the story's eleventh-hour problem solver. Written by Paul Schneider, the second half of the two-part "Ride the Wind" was originally broadcast on January 23, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Edward Dmytryk brings Harold Robbins' trashy, dirt-dishing Hollywood best-seller to the screen with George Peppard starring as Jonas Cord, a rancidly-sketched portrait of Howard Hughes. In 1925, when his father dies of a stroke, Jonas inherits the Cord Chemical factory, a manufacturer of dynamite and other explosives. Jonas proceeds with several cut-throat transactions, making a settlement with his sexy stepmother Rina (Carroll Baker) and liquidating the stock owned by cowhand Nevada Smith (Alan Ladd, in his final American film role). With the help of Mac McAllister (Lew Ayres), his father's attorney, Jonas builds his father's company into a multi-million dollar business, expanding into plastics and aeronautics. Meanwhile, Rina has become a top fashion model and movie star and Nevada Smith has parlayed his laconic demeanor into a career as a popular silent film cowboy idol. Jonas then marries, then ignores, the well-meaning Monica Winthrop (Elizabeth Ashley), and ruins her father's company in the process. Then, with the advent of sound films, Jonas helps Nevada Smith through the sound film crisis by offering financial backing for a film to star both Nevada and his ex-mother-in-law Rina. Jonas decides to direct the film himself, hoping to seduce Rina. But Jonas's insensitive and egomaniacal behavior causes Monica to leave him. Jonas invests all his time in film production but the alcoholic Rina dies in a car accident. The owners of the film studio -- Bernard B. Norman (Martin Balsam) and Dan Pierce (Robert Cummings) -- want to sell the studio to Jonas but hide the fact that Rina, the studio's biggest star, has died. Jonas buys the studio and when he finds his biggest asset is gone, he goes on a drunken binge. But Jonas quickly meets call girl Jennie Denton (Martha Hyer), who he decides to turn into a superstar modeled upon Rina. Despite having made her a star, Jonas's vile treatment of Jennie repulses both her and his old friend Nevada Smith, and Smith decides it's time to beat some sense into Jonas's head. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

As Combat! moves into its second season, the men of King Company welcome several new "regular" platoon members, notably Private Billy Nelson (Tom Lowell) and PFC Littlejohn (Dick Peabody). Also, the platoon's resident medical aidman Walton has been replaced by a man who prefers to be known only as "Doc" (Conlan Carter). Even so, Sgt. Chip Saunders (Vic Morrow) and Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason) remain firmly in charge as the men make their way through occupied France in the wake of D-Day. Among the season's 32 episodes are the series' first two-part adventures, "The Long Way Home" and "What are the Bugles Blowin'. As for guest stars, this season offers such notables as Lee Marvin, James Caan, James Coburn, Leonard Nimoy -- and on distinctly opposite sides of the age spectrum, Eddie Albert as a fiftyish WWI doughboy who is unaware that a whole new war is raging about him, and Beau Bridges as a green private who tries to hide the fact that he is merely 15 years old. ~ All Movie Guide

The debut episode of The Lucy Show finds widow Lucy Carmichael (Lucille Ball) wide awake in the middle of the night, anxiously awaiting the return of her 14-year-old daughter Chris (Candy Moore), who is out on a date with her beau Alan (Tom Lowell). Embarrassed, Chris begs Lucy not to wait up for her and to try trusting her a bit more. Lucy does her best to honor Chris' wishes--honest she does--but she cannot keep herself from sneaking outside the house to wait for the girl's return the very next evening. Unfortunately, once Chris is home safe and sound, Lucy discovers she's locked herself out! It's a lucky thing that there's a trampoline in the backyard... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tab Hunter guest stars as Del Packer, a famous baseball pitcher who has joined King Company as a draftee. Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) is the only member of the platoon who isn't starstruck by the celebrity in their midst, grimly demanding that Packer be treated just like any other GI. But this proves difficult when the ballplayer reveals himself to be a profoundly--and even dangerously--troubled man. A particularly violent climax caps this terse character study, in which familiar supporting actors Bernard Fox and Eric Braeden (then known as Hans Gudegast appear unbilled. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While vacationing in the small town of Price Hill, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) agrees to speak before the local board of education on behalf of English teacher Jane Wardman (Mona Freeman), who may lose her job because of an anonymous letter accusing her of "playing around" with her male students. Things get worse for Jane when local barkeep Gus Wiler (Chris Alcaide) is killed, and the townsfolk are reminded of an earlier incident wherein a troubled student befriended by Jane likewise died under mysterious circumstances. The outcome of the story takes place during an impromptu hearing in the school gymnasium, presided over by avuncular judge Edward Dally (the ever-popular Edgar Buchanan). This episode is based on "The Man with Half a Face", a short story by Hugh Pentecost. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by Rod Serling, this nostalgic Twilight Zone episode was clearly inspired by Serling's student years at Ohio's Antioch College. Made up to look twice his age, Donald Pleasence stars as Prof. Ellis Fowler, the oldest teacher at an exclusive boy's school. Ordered by his headmaster (Liam Sullivan) to retire, Fowler is convinced that his life has been meaningless -- until he is paid a nocturnal visit by several ethereal-looking "alumni." Telecast June 1, 1962, "The Changing of the Guard" was scheduled as the final Twilight Zone of the 1961-62 season -- and at the time, it looked as if it would be the last Twilight Zone, period. Though the series would ultimately be renewed in January of 1963, it would never completely rescale the creative heights of its first three seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The acclaimed graphic novel from crime writer Max Allan Collins becomes this big budget Dreamworks drama from director Sam Mendes and screenwriter David Self. Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, a morally conflicted Depression-era hit man committing murder in the name of his employer, John Rooney (Paul Newman). A kindly, aging Irish crime boss who raised Sullivan as his surrogate son, Rooney is affiliated with Al Capone in Chicago and thus wields great power in the "Tri-Cities" of Moline, IL; Rock Island, IL; and Davenport, IA. Curious about his father's mysterious profession, Sullivan's son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), stows away in his father's automobile one night and witnesses the execution of a man at the hands of Sullivan and Rooney's biological son, Connor (Daniel Craig). Although Michael keeps his promise to remain silent about what he's seen, the paranoid and unstable Connor tries to wipe out the entire Sullivan clan anyway, succeeding only in killing Sullivan's wife, Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and youngest son, Peter (Liam Aiken). Enraged at this and another surprise betrayal by the Rooneys, Sullivan embarks on a path of bloody retribution, Michael in tow. Although he intends to leave his boy with relatives in the rural town of Perdition once the coast is clear, he ends up exposing Michael to the goriest aspects of his talents, slaughtering former associates as he dodges contract assassin Maguire (Jude Law) and cripples the cash flow of the Rooney and Capone organizations through a series of bank robberies, attempting to force either mob family to offer up the sequestered Connor as a sacrifice. Inspired by the popular Japanese comic book series Lone Wolf and Cub and based loosely on an episode from the life and career of notorious real-life crime figures John and Connor Looney, Road to Perdition co-stars Stanley Tucci as legendary Chicago mobster Frank Nitti. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide