Wolfe Barzell Movies

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, Rovi

When hitchhiker Frank Schroeder (a pre-Hawaii 5-0 Jack Lord) gallantly saves a young Mexican girl named Teresa (Pilar Seurat) from being sexually assaulted, she gratefully tags along with him on his Eastward journey. What Teresa doesn't know is that Frank is a triple murderer who for several days has been eluding a nationwide FBI dragnet. The girl is also blissfully unaware that her travelling companion is planning to pull off a million-dollar diamond heist--and to kill anyone who has the bad luck to get in his way. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this Cold War time-capsule, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) and Della Street (Barbara Hale) venture behind the Iron Curtain to save the life of Emma Ritter (Jeanette Nolan), the wife of expatriate East German physicist Hans Ritter (Wolfe Barzell). Emma and Hans have been lured back to East Berlin with the promise that their granddaughter Elke (Eileen Baral) would be released from an orphanage and allowed to emigrate to the U.S., but things go awry and Emma is charged with the murder of Franz Hoffer (Ronald Long). It doesn't take Perry long to realize that the cards have been stacked against Emma from the get-go, and that he will have to do some clever and fancy maneuvering to outwit the Communist legal system. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Taken for granted by her Italian family, New Yorker Natalie Wood seeks solace in the arms of irresponsible jazz musician Steve McQueen. She becomes pregnant, but doesn't expect McQueen to marry her; all she wants is enough money to pay for an illegal abortion (this is ten years before Roe v. Wade). Not surprisingly, McQueen is refused a loan by his girl friend Edie Adams; meanwhile, Wood is being pressured by her family to marry gormless Tom Bosley. As the abortion appointment approaches, McQueen begins to feel guilty, but still won't propose. Bosley finds out that Wood is pregnant, and is willing to make an honest woman of her. Wood finally makes up her mind what she's going to do and whom she's going to choose when she walks into the seedy abortion clinic. Though very dated, Love With the Proper Stranger is still dramatically viable, thanks to the on-screen rapport between Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen, and to the large and talented New York-based supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this sequel to the first-season episode "Noise of Death", Henry Silva returns as drug kingpin Little Charlie Sebastino. After a little girl dies from an overdose, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) persuades the Chicago media to bear down on the city's illegal heroin traffic. Withering in the glare of publicity, the higher-ups in the Mob shut down Little Charlie's operation--leading to a bloody chain reaction of betrayal and revenge. The episode's stellar supporting cast includes Eduardo Cianelli and Will Kuluva as fraternal mob kingpins, Paula Raymond as Kuluva's two-timing wife, and Conrad Janis, miles removed from his mild-mannered portrayal of Pam Dawber's father on Mork and Mindy, as a dope-addicted jazz drummer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Heading towards Johnsonville, Paladin (Richard Boone) comes across a young woman named Kathy Rousseau (Pippa Scott), who is burying something along the road. That "something" turns out to be Kathy's fiancee, who was murdered by a jealous rival. The guilty party is ruthless town boss Leander Johnson (Werner Klemperer, minus his Hogan's Heroes German accent), who controls everything in Johnsonville including the local constabulary--meaning that justice for Kathy will have to be meted out by Paladin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Homicidal represents producer/director William Castle's slant on Hitchcock's Psycho. The film concerns a young woman named Miriam Webster (Patricia Breslin) who seemingly has everything a girl could want - including a successful flower shop business, and a handsome beau, Karl (Glenn Corbett), who works as a pharmacist. Events take a turn for the worse, however, when Miriam's half-brother, Warren, returns from Europe - with a rather unpleasant friend in-tow: a blonde named Emily (Jean Arless). Emily promptly sets about destroying Miriam's life: the newcomer attempts to wheedle Karl away from Miriam, then rips the flower shop to pieces, then ultimately reveals a little taste for knife-wielding that directly threatens Miriam's safety. Like The Tingler and other Castle outings, this one originally featured a gimmick, preserved in the video release: a "fright-break" just prior to the climax, which allowed terrified audience members approximately 45 seconds to get out of their seats and leave the theater - to avoid the prospect of being "frightened to death." One look at Jean Arless's credit in the cast listing betrays the final twist in this one, directly (and unapologetically) lifted by Castle from Psycho. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Newly released from prison, Frank O'Dean (Harry Guardino) would like to go straight, but is forced into working for the illicit slot-machine operation run by Augie Viale (John Beradino). It turns out that Viale has a powerful hold on O'Dean: he knows that Frank's daughter, who is convinced that her father died a war hero, is about to marry into a respectable society family. Rather than ruin his daughter's chances at happiness, O'Dean agrees to play ball with Viale--while Elliot Ness (Robert Stack), who senses that Frank is a decent guy despite his criminal record, does what he can to turn the hapless ex-convict against his boss. A powerful finale caps this curiously sentimental (but still extremely violent) episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The 1962 theatrical release of The Scarface Mob was created from the first two episodes of the famously popular 1959 TV series, The Untouchables. It stars Robert Stack as the courageous agent whose job is to corral the powerful mobster Al Capone. Nevill Brand plays Capone and Walter Winchell adds flavor as the Dragnet-style narrator. ~ Rovi

John Van Druten's stage comedy Bell Book and Candle starred Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer on Broadway. The 1958 filmed version stars James Stewart and Kim Novak, fresh from their successful teaming in Hitchcock's Vertigo. Novak plays Gillian Holroyd, a genuine, bonafide witch. Falling in love with publisher Sheperd Henderson (Stewart), Gillian casts a spell on him, obliging him to dump his fiancee and rush to her side. All of this goes against the grain of Gillian's mentor Mrs. De Pass (Hermione Gingold), who does her best to counterract the love spell. Meanwhile, Gillian's wacky warlock brother Nicky (Jack Lemmon) courts disaster by coauthoring a book on black magic with pompous, bibulous novelist Sidney Redlitch (Ernie Kovacs). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi