Fred Beir Movies
- 1979
- PG
Robert Altman cooled his "innovative" jets to make the innocuous romantic comedy A Perfect Couple. Marta Heflin plays a member of a boisterous rock group. Paul Dooley is a bashful bachelor from a tradition-bound Greek family. Heflin and Dooley meet via a computer dating service, whereupon all the expected comedy setups avail themselves, though most of these setups are played as seriously as if this film were MacBeth. The best moments are the scenes with Heflin's musical group, though there are far too many of these. While Perfect Couple didn't make a dime, it still represents one of Altman's better "chamber" films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Dooley, Marta Heflin, (more)
- 1977
Crocker (Kevin Dobson) is assigned to investigate the murder of mob boss Robert Austin (Fred Beir). In the course of events, the detective finds himself falling in love with Austin's beautiful widow Carol (Jennifer Warren). What he doesn't know is that Carol herself is the murderer--and is determined to use Crocker in any way she can to hide her guilt from her husband's bloodthirsty associates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
A contaminated space probe which may put humans into a catatonic state is retrieved by "The Man From Atlantis." ~ All Movie Guide
- 1974
This episode offers the viewer a glimpse of two stars in the making: Jill Clayburgh and Suzanne Somers). Clayburgh plays Marilyn Polanski, a model whom Jim Rockford (James Garner) meets while working for Ginny Nelson (Somers), the "widow" of a man (Fred Beir) reported killed in a plane crash. It turns out that Ginny's husband Steve is still alive, and up to his neck in an insurance swindle. And as luck (?) would have it, Marilyn is the only eyewitness when Jim is kidnapped by the minions of two shady characters who have a vested interest in maintaining the illusion of Steve's demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Crackle of Death is a hybrid feature film comprised of two episodes from the 1974 TV series Night Stalker. Series regulars Darren McGavin and Simon Oakland head the cast, playing, respectively, reporter Carl Kolchak and editor Tony Vincenzo. It was Kolchak's weekly habit on the series to run across an example of supernatural phenomena, then to try to convince the disbelieving Vincenzo to run the story. The two Night Stalker episodes represented herein are "The Energy Eater", in which a new hospital is bedevilled by a creature that thrives on electrical energy, and "Fire Fall", in which a famed pianist is troubled by his evil alter ego. Guest stars in the 94-minute Crackle of Death include Philip Carey, William Smith, Elaine Giftos. Directors for the individual components were Alex Grasshoff and Don Weis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Much against the wishes of Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), Mark (Don Mitchell) goes undercover to smash an extortion ring preying on ghetto dwellers. It's a personal crusade for Mark: one of the ring's victims is his friend Gilbert, who is forced to pay huge sums of money each week lest harm befall his mother. This episode was cowritten by frequent Ironside guest star Felton Perry, who also appears as Gilbert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Having played a psychotic teenage outlaw in a previous F.B.I episode, Jo Ann Harris is no less vitriolic as a crime victim in this installment. Kidnapped by a pair of young thugs (one played by future "soft-core" filmmaker Zalman King), Tish Lemaire (Jo Ann Harris) hopes to turn the situation to her advantage. Jealous of her wealthy new stepmother Ann (Anne Francis), Tish goads her kidnappers into increasing their ransom demands--sublimely ignorant of the fact that they have no intention of returning her alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
All the experts have declared that it is impossible to rob a safety-deposit vault surrounded by a sophisticated, high-tech alarm system--but that's just what happens. Clearly the heist was the work of a well-trained team, and the cops are able to arrest one of the suspects almost immediately. Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), however, is certain that the man in custody is innocent...and meanwhile, the actual master thief is working on a plan to seal Ironside's doom! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) returns to finds himself in hot water with the police over his acceptance of help from a neighborhood anti-drug group. The group has done some things which are far from textbook legal, such as stealing and destroying a large shipment of drugs. Though they pulled off their robbery without loss of life, a corpse is found at the scene of the heist. Tibbs, now suspended from the force, uses their help to string together clues which enable him to break up a large drug ring. This is the third movie made starring Poitier and based on John Bail's novels In The Heat of the Night and They Call Me Mister Tibbs. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, (more)
- 1971
"Broad" is right. This gloriously overacted TV movie stars Richard Boone as a movie star who suffers an accident, leaving him totally blind. Boone's wife (Suzanne Pleshette) takes advantage of hubby's infirmity to plot an illicit romance with a local stud (Fred Beir). But remember that Boone's an actor, and as such has heightened senses. He can feel that his wife is scheming right under his nose (literally!), and cooks up his own murderous revenge. The plan is contingent upon Boone's ability to convince witnesses that he can actually see. In Broad Daylight may be florid stuff, but it works beautifully with an audience. Scripter Larry Cohen would later apply his ability to hold the crowd's attention despite the most ludicrous of set-ups in such later films as It's Alive and Q. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Gambling house operator Scott Rogers (Fred Beir) may have reason to regret his eagerness to buy his way into the Cosa Nostra. After his new Mob cohorts bump off an awkward witness to his criminal activities, Roberts finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation headed by Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). As a result, the Mob has written off Rogers as "expendable"--placing Erskine in the position of having to keep the man alive long enough to testify in court. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
In a change-of-pace Mission:Impossible episode, Jim Phelps makes a sentimental journey to his rural home town. Even here, however, Phelps finds himself waist-deep in a danger, as a series of unexplained murders terrorizes the community. Summoning the aid of his fellow IMF agents, Phelps conducts his own investigation of the killings, and comes to a disturbing conclusion: The murderer may well be an old and trusted boyhood friend. Among the guest stars is future MASH regular Loretta Swit, in a truly offbeat characterization. Written by Laurence Heath, "Homecoming" originally aired on October 10, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1969
Judith Coleman (Victoria Shaw), recently widowed friend of Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), is being plagued by weird phone calls, strange disembodied voices, and mysterious "accidents". Can it be that Judith has been driven insane by her husband's death? Ironside doesn't think so; he is convinced that someone is trying to drive the woman crazy--but who, and why? This episode boasts a particularly strong supporting cast of reliable "heavies" and eccentric character players. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
A Florida numbers racket is Ground Zero for a bitter turf war between two mob families. Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) hopes that the battle will result in a rift in Mob security that will enable the FBI to smash the racket and bring several elusive criminals to justice. The guest cast is a 1960s TV buff's dream, ranging from veteran tough guys Harold J. Stone and Don Gordon to voluptuous starlet Francine York. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Dependable American character actor Fred Beir is afforded a rare starring role in this Italian spy yarn. Beir plays an 007-ish secret agent on the trail of a murderer. The victim was a prominent scientist who may have been carrying secret papers. Beir nearly ends up on a slab himself before tracking down the mystery villain. Pier Angeli, an ingenue who'd seen better days, costars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In this western, a cavalry sergeant is wrongly court-martialed. To reclaim his good name, he takes over a patrol that just lost its leader in an Indian attack. He leads the regiment to Fort Courageous, but is appalled to discover that the Indians attacked and massacred all but one of its inhabitants. The hardy little group must now fight the renegades on their own. The ex-sergeant plans a brilliant strategy that culminates in winning the Indian's respect. They leave the fort alone and peace is restored. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Still a few steps ahead of the law, Kimble (David Janssen) makes it to a railroad yard and hops a freight car already occupied by Neil Pinkerton (Paul Richards) and Matt Mooney (Lou Antonio). It turns out that Kimble's travelling companions are a pair of convicts who have escaped in a mass prison breakout. Forced to join Pinkerton and Mooney as they make their getaway, Kimble ends up in an isolated house occupied by Mona Ross (Shirley Knight) and her mother (Virginia Gregg). Now the fugitive faces a tricky problem: He must pretend to hold the terrified Mona captive while devising a strategy to save her life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Sight unseen, the staff of "Event" magazine chooses the Munsters as a "typical American family." Not wishing to be part of this enterprise, a sullen Grandpa (Al Lewis) sabotages the interview and photo shoot--and Herman (Fred Gwynne) and Lily (Yvonne Carlo) manage to make things worse purely by accident. This episode marks the final appearance of Beverly Owen as Marilyn Munster, a role played for the remainder of the series by Pat Priest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Andy becomes jealous when he sees his girlfriend Peggy in the company of her old friend Don (Fred Beir). Sensing that Andy needs to play the field a bit, Barney tries to fix his pal up with another girl-and thus are introduced two of the series' most outrageous recurring characters, "fun girls" Daphne (Jean Carson) and Skippy (Joyce Jameson). Originally telecast on November 5, 1962, "Barney Mends a Broken Heart" was the last of four episodes to feature Joanna Moore as Peggy McMillan, but not the last one to be shown. The episode was written by Aaron Ruben. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In yet another high-stakes poker game, Bart (Jack Kelly) wins part ownership of Diamond Jim Malone's gambling casino. Unfortunately, our hero also "wins" a certain Lucky Matt Elkins (Dan Haggerty), who has been blackmailing Diamond Jim (Robert J. Wilke) and doesn't intend to let up now that the casino is under new management. Film-noir stalwart Marie Windsor heads the supporting cast of this episode, which in some sources is listed as having originally aired on March 4, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
When a baby gorilla named Toto is stolen from a zoo, curator Tony Osgood (Fred Beir) begins questioning his employees. One of them, a visiting dentist named Dr. Braun (Leslie Bradley), accuses Tony's girlfriend Hilde (Carol Rossen) of stealing Toto. Not long afterward, Braun is found dead in the lion's cage--and once it is determined that lion didn't do it (hence the episode's title), suspicion immediately falls upon Tony. In his efforts to mount Tony's defense, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) unearths several unsavory secrets, among them the fact that the dead man was a bigamist--and that there's a drug-smuggling ring at the center of all the intrigue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Among the most popular TV Western series ever, Bonanza starred Lorne Green as Ben Cartwright and Michael Landon, Dan Blocker and Pernell Roberts as his sons Little Joe, Hoss and Adam. In the episode "Bade Without Honor," first aired in 1960, a stranger arrives in town; he says he's a Deputy Marshall and needs Jackson Blaine, a friend of the Cartwrights, to ride with him to San Francisco to testify against the Murdock Gang. Adam, however, insists on going along as he smells a rat. "Badge Without Honor" features guest star Dan Duryea; it's available on DVD in tandem with "Desert Justice," and as part of a five-episode box set. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1959
In this variation on the Sasquatch legend, little Davey Morris (Dennis Holmes) suddenly shows up after missing from his home for several days. Davey's dad (Fred Beir) refuses to believe the boy's claim that he has been in the company of a huge, friendly beast. How then, can Mr. Morris explain those gigantic footprints near the house. . .or that strange animal odor in the smokehouse, where several sides of beef have had huge chunks torn from them? A classic "Val Lewton" ending caps this fact-based episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Arlene Howell makes her last series appearance as Southern-fried sharpster Cindy Lou Brown in this episode, in which Bret Maverick (James Garner) hires on as guide for a stagecoach line. En route to the far-flung outpost of Fort Doom, Bret discovers that among his passengers is the redoubtable Cindy Lou, who happens to be harboring a secret. Likewise keeping certain vital facts to herself--such as her plan to kill her husband--is another attractive passenger, Mrs. Chapman (Nancy Gates). The plot intrigues begin to breed like rabbits when the stagecoach is attacked by marauders. (Trivia alert: Diane McBain, appearing in this episode as Charlotte, later starred on the Warner Bros. TV cop show Surfside Six, which had been designed as a replacement for the same studio's Bourbon Street Beat...which, in turn, costarred Arlene Howell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
