Jan Merlin Movies

Produced for cable TV, this pedestrian thriller (also known as Till Death Do Us Part) purports to be a riff on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Premature Burial" but actually bears more of a resemblance to Diabolique. It stars Tim Matheson as a cheated-upon husband who can't stay down after his wife's (Jennifer Jason Leigh) unsuccessful attempt to poison him results in his being buried alive. The film's one real moment of horror comes in a claustrophobic sequence where Matheson desperately claws his way out of his coffin. The story then settles into a standard revenge motif, capped with an admittedly potent payoff that, though intriguing, is probably not as shocking as the filmmakers had intended. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Face (Dirk Benedict) unexpectedly receives a pardon after "evidence" surfaces proving him innocent of the Vietnam bank robbery which landed the A-Team in prison. Hannibal (George Peppard) is convinced that there is something fishy about the pardon--especially since he knows darn well that Face was at that bank along with the rest of the Team! Meanwhile, Face basks in the glow of being a celebrity, hiring a public relations firm to handle his fan base. Alas, it turns out the the PR guys are actually CIA agents, who hope to smoke out a fugitive Viet Cong general by setting Face up as a sitting duck. This episode introduces Jack Ging in the role of General Bull Fullbright. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Little Olga Nordstrom (Kim Richards) is left out of her classmates' gangs because one of her legs is shorter than the other. After twisting her own ankle, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) awakens to Olga's plight and befriends the lonely girl. Convinced that Olga would have a happier time of it if she could "keep up" with the other kids, Laura persuades Charles (Michael Landon) to build Olga an elevated shoe -- an act of kindness that is greeted with outrage by Olga's father (Jan Merlin). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A valued member of a powerful crime ring, John Prentiss (Michael Callan) decides to go into business for himself when he falls in love with Ellen Conway (Katherine Justice). Prentiss' former associates aren't keen on this, so they take out a contract on his life. It is up to Inspector Erskine to keep Prentiss alive long enough to be placed behind bars--and what about Ellen? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gregor Kamirov (Malachi Throne) has hired a double to pose as deceased East European premier Pavel Zagov. Having concealed Zagov's death from the public, Kamirov hopes to use the phony premier to install himself as dictator. In order to foil Kamirov's plans, Phelps must substitute a robot for the fraudulent Zagov. In the course of the action, Phelps impersonates a nightclub entertainer, while Paris adopts a dizzying array of master disguises. The supporting cast includes Lee Meriwether in her third appearance as IMF agent Tracey, and future MASH costar Larry Linville as Alexi Silensky. First telecast on November 23, 1969, "The Robot" was written by Howard Berk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Strategy of Terror began life as "In Darkness Waiting," a two-part 1964 installment of TV's Kraft Suspense Theatre. Newswoman Barbara Rush discovers that a right-wing extremist plans to kill four UN employees. No one believes her at first, but when she herself is attacked, a police officer Hugh O'Brian comes to the rescue. Of interest in this ersatz feature film are two members of the supporting cast. Frederick O'Neal, a leading light of African American theatre, is superb as a loquacious African UN delegate. And Neil Hamilton, onetime silent screen star and future Commissioner Gordon on TV's Batman, is surprisingly sinister as a pompous right-wing fanatic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Schlockmeister Roger Corman produced this graphically violent chronicle of the Chicago gangster wars of the 1920s and the events that lead to the bloody title showdown between rival mobsters Al Capone (Jason Robards) and Bugs Moran (Ralph Meeker) that marked a brutal end to a terrifying era. Fred Steiner's film score is effectively mixed with popular songs from the 1920s, and the re-creation of gangster-era Chicago is a credit to the set designers. Historic and insightful narration is dramatically provided by Paul Frees, giving the film the flavor of a docudrama. Jean Hale plays Moran's gun moll, who is mercilessly kneed in the stomach while arguing over a fur coat. Though The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was heralded by critics at the time of its initial release, their opinion of the film has changed with each decade as they waver on the cinematic value of all of Corman's work. Audiences continue to relish the film, which is often shown on the anniversary of the bloody executions. Watch for Jack Nicholson as one of the unfortunate victims. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Posing as "Ben Russell", Kimble finds refuge in the home of the Koraks, a family of Hungarian emigres. When the police put the family's apartment building under surveillance while searching for an escaped murderer, Josef Korak (Ludwig Donath) begins to worry that his past criminal record as an illegal abortionist will be revealed. To save himself, Korak plans to turn Kimble over the authorities--until the runaway murderer invades the family's flat and dramatically changes the whole scenario. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Awakened at 3 AM and summoned to a secret meeting with President Grant (William Bryant), Jason (Chuck Connors) recalls a similar meeting between himself and Grant during the Civil War. Captured by Confederate soldiers, Jason soon discovers that his fellow POW is none other than General Grant--whose incarceration may well turn the tide of the war in favor of the South. Andrew J. Fenady, who wrote this episode, makes a cameo appearance as General Phil Sheridan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, set in 1875, an agent for the National Detective Agency is assigned to find the murderous outlaw gang that has been breaking convicts out of prison and helping them to commit more crimes. The resulting crimes cause the bounties upon the fugitives' heads to rise. The outlaws then kill the convicts and reap the generous rewards. Fortunately, the agent succeeds in infiltrating the group and killing the leader. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The hooded man who robbed and killed the manager of the Goat Springs bank line turns out to be Adam Cartwright's longtime friend Bill Enders (Jan Merlin). Even though Adam is certain that he saw Bill at the scene of the murder, another witness claims that Bill was 90 miles away when the crime occurred. Unsatisfied with this testimony, Adam takes it upon himself to prove (or perhaps disprove) that Bill could have ridden the 180-mile distance in and out of town in time to commit the murder. Also in the cast are Grace Gaynor as Mary Enders, Hal Baylor as Stewart, and Chubby Johnson as Toby Barker. Written by Ward Hawkins, "The Ride" was first shown on January 21, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hell Bent for Leather is a standard western that features Audie Murphy in the role of Clay, a cowboy hunted by a posse out for blood. Clay deals and trade in horses in an honest way, and he does not suspect that a crooked U.S. Marshal (Stephen McNally) interested in furthering his career, is determined to nab him as a killer though he knows full well Clay is innocent. When first attacked, Clay grabs a hostage (Felicia Farr) who eventually sides with him and helps him in the long chase that follows. Clay's challenge is not only to get away from the Marshal and his posse but to somehow prove his innocence as well. Murphy, the most decorated soldier in World War II was still riding the popularity of his own real-life story in 1955's To Hell and Back when this western was released. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide