Theo Marcuse Movies

Nita Talbot returns as Russian spy Marya, Hogan's friendly underground rival. This time around, Marya is assigned to blow up a German fuel depot next to Stalag 13. She is determined to set her time bombs and complete her mission, even though Hogan is being held hostage in the depot by General Von Heiner (Theo Marcuse). Written by series stalwart Richard M. Powell, "The Hostage" originally aired on December 16, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan hopes to spring French spy Pierre (Theo Marcuse) from Stalag 13. To do this, he must get Klink temporarily out of the way. The next step in the plan -- convincing Col. Klink to allow Hogan to pose as the POW camp's German commandant! Larry D. Mann rounds out the guest cast as General Brenner. Written by Phil Sharp, "The Reluctant Target" originally aired on April 7, 1967, as the final episode of Hogan's Heroes' second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, a rebellious East German athlete forgoes her dowdy uniforms in favor of daring miniskirts. Soon the leggy track star attracts a lustful villain. To escape, she pole vaults over the Berlin Wall. There she is befriended by a broke black marketeer who has secretly agreed to return her to the communists in exchange for badly-needed money. He hides her in the apartment of an old army buddy of his who secretly works for the CIA. The smuggler is preparing to turn the girl over when he realizes that he is in love. The fellow is still busted and so tries to convince his pal to let her work for the CIA. When the athlete learns about this, she is crushed and decides to return to East Germany. Later, to prove he does love her, the smuggler dresses in drag and sneaks into East Berlin to see her. The woman is bowled over and together, they creep back into West Germany. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Two tourists, portrayed by the comic duo Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, are talked into working for the good guys to keep art thieves from stealing the Venus di Milo at the London World Fair. Minor entry in the comic spy category. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

The Arab-Israeli conflict provides the backdrop for this political drama that tells the story of an American gentile woman who goes to Israel to find the place where her Jewish fiance died during the 1948 conflict. There she meets the dead man's best friend and eventually they fall in love. The man works in a potash factory, but he is also a gun runner for Israel. One day an Arab terrorist ambushes the gun runner. Later the terrorist's father, tired of all the violence, takes the gun runner in. When his son discovers this, he attacks his father's house. During the scuffle, the terrorist is killed and the gun runner wounded. Fortunately, his American love is there to help him heal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Elvis Presley plays singer/actor Johnny Tyronne in this formulated quickie directed by Gene Nelson. While on a promotional tour of Pakistan, Johnny is drugged, kidnapped, and whisked away to a mythical Middle East country. Jay Novello plays the scheming Zacha who vows (for a price) to help Johnny in a world that is 2,000 years behind the times and sealed off from the outside world. With the help of Baba (Billy Barty), they hope to get Johnny back to the comforts of the modern world. Elvis shows off some neat karate moves, but he looks bored and resigned to the fact no one in Hollywood (or Colonel Tom Parker) will give him a serious screen role. Filmed on sets that were originally used for Kismet (1944) and Cecile B. DeMille's silent classic The Ten Commandments. As for the songs, only Mirage and Hey Little Girl are memorable. The generous Presley, perhaps feeling nostalgic, donated $50,000 to the motion picture relief fund after completing the film. On hand at the celebrity press conference were such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Bud Abbott, and silent-screen veteran Chester Conklin. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Having set up a home away from home on the "rustic village" backlot set at Mammoth Studios, the Clampetts also establish a general store, charging studio employees bargain prices for their wares. The hillbillies also encourage others to settle in their new "Clampett City." Meanwhile, a big-budget historical epic is being filmed all around the Clampett clan, leading to even more comic confusion. "Clampett City General Store" originally aired October 7, 1964, as the third chapter in a four-episode story arc. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gangster Marty Pulaski (Ed Nelson) is unable to control the homicidal impulses of his mentally disturbed younger brother Herbie (Sherwood Price). The kid's itchy trigger finger is especially irksome to "overlord" Jake Szabo (Joe De Santis), who thinks that Marty is ordering the murders committed by Herbie as a means of taking over Szabo's operation. Required to leave town to testify in a trial, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) hands the responsibility of tracking down Herbie (an "unknown sniper" so far as the public is concerned) over to Lt. Roy Gunther (Ford Rainey). More psychological melodrama than crime story, this is the last Untouchables episode to be filmed, though not the last shown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In his second Twilight Zone apperance of the 1961-62 season, Joseph Schildkraut stars as elderly John Holt, who, together with his equally aged wife Marie (Alma Platt), yearns to be young and vital again. Visiting the New Life Corporation, John and Marie are invited by unctuous salesman Vance (Noah Keen) to trade in their old bodies for newer models. Alas, the operation costs $5,000 per person -- and the Platts have only enough money for one "trade-in." Written by Rod Serling, "The Trade-Ins" was the final third-season Twilight Zone episode to be filmed, but not the last one to be telecast; rather, it was seen on April 20, 1962, with six more episodes still to go. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Everybody knows the "punchline" of this classic Twilight Zone episode, but that doesn't make this entry any less entertaining. Told in flashback (a last-minute decision, judging by the original script), this is the story of the Kanamints, a race of giant space aliens who arrive on Earth, ostensibly on a mission of goodwill. The Kanamints offer all manner of scientific advancements; all they ask in exchange is that the earthlings trust them without question. Meanwhile, a team of scientists, headed by Dr. Chambers (Lloyd Bochner), work day and night to translate a Kanamint book, the title of which is, of course, "To Serve Man." Richard Kiel, the 7-foot-plus actor who gained fame as "Jaws" in the James Bond series, appears as the Kanamint leader (though his voice is dubbed by Marvin Miller. Scripted by Rod Serling from a short story by Damon Knight, "To Serve Man" was originally telecast March 2, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This was the last film by director Stuart Heisler, and in his uneven output it was not one of the most memorable. The evil dictator (Richard Basehart) is shown to be very much involved with his love life, as though impotency and a severe Oedipal complex alone could account for his dominion over Germany and the insanity that led into World War II. Other characters in the top echelons make their way into and out of the story, including Heinrich Himmler (Rick Traeger), Joseph Goebbels (Martin Kosleck), and of course, Eva Braun (Marla Emo). Any viewers looking for an explanation of how the madness within Hitler related to his rise to power and his downfall, will best look elsewhere. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

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