Bill Mumy Movies

This light romantic comedy finds a young widow with three young boys investigated by the Navy. Amy Martin (Shirley Jones) has a curious child who inadvertently sends out a distress signal in Morse code by the blinds on his upstairs bedroom window. Commander Weedon (Gig Young) and crew observe the signal from their ship and investigate. The commander falls for the young mother and proposes marriage. Amy is reluctant to have her family live out of a suitcase and initially declines. Gramps (Edgar Buchanan) tries to bring her on board to sail the sea of love with the commander, but it's the youngest son Alex (Billy Mumy) who flies high an hits the mark as Cupid. Alex sets sail with some helium balloons and floats out over the ocean. The commander must save the boy and return him to his mother, creating another opportunity for his mother to be captured by the romantic suitor. Red Buttons and Carolyn Jones also find romance in this feature directed by George Sidney. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Alfred Hitchcock Presents is the portmanteau pilot film for the subsequent TV revival of Hitchcock's celebrated anthology series of the 1950s and '60s. Four short tales are presented, each of them remakes of earlier Alfred Hitchcock programs. "Incident in a Small Jail," originally presented in 1961 with John Fiedler in the lead, stars Ned Beatty as a traveling salesman who finds himself sharing a jail cell with an accused rapist -- the target of an angry, indiscriminate lynch mob. "Man from the South," based on an oft-adapted Roald Dahl piece, stars John Huston as a cagey gambler who makes a grisly wager with novice Steven Bauer. The original 1959 Hitchcock version of this tale starred Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen; featured in the cast of the remake are former Hitchcock movie leading ladies Kim Novak and Tippi Hedren, as well as Hedren's daughter Melanie Griffith. "Bang, You're Dead" is a taut, tension-filled tale of a child who wanders around town with a loaded gun. The child is a little girl (Bianca Rose), but in the initial 1961 version the protagonist was a boy, played by Billy Mumy (who appears in this remake in a small role). The final playlet, "The Unlocked Window," is an abbreviated version of a story first shown on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1965. Bruce Davidson is featured in a virtual reprise of that beloved old Hitchcock protagonist Norman Bates. Each of the four stories in Alfred Hitchcock Presents had its own director -- in order of appearance, they are Joel Oliansky, Steve De Jarnatt, Randa Haines, and Fred Walton -- and all were narrated by co-star John Huston. The late Alfred Hitchcock opens and closes each playlet via colorized footage from the original series -- a bizarre touch that "The Master" might have approved of. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hosted by everyone's favorite vamp, Elvira, this program is a lighthearted look back at the monster movies of the '50s. All the monsters that scared your parents make appearances here including Godzilla and King Kong. Also included are many interviews with the men behind the monsters including special effects wizards and directors. A special look at the monsters of Japan and Great Britain are included as well. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Russ Tamblyn guest-stars as Capt. Maynard, an old war buddy of Captain Sheridan's. Maynard's arrival prompts Sheridan to realign his priorities --- and then disaster strikes. On other fronts, Delenn runs afoul of the Delenn hierarchy, while Dr. Franklin tries to administer nutritional advice to some unwilling patients. The episode rushes to a conclusion with a desperate rescue mission, launched from hyperspace. Written by D.C. Fontana, "A Distant Star" was originally telecast on November 23, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Walter Koenig returns as Psi Cop Bester, who is investigating reports of an underground railroad specializing in smuggling unregistered telepaths to freedom. Bester's vesit places Talia in the unenviable position of either remaining loyal to her B5 duties or aiding her fellow telepaths. Meanwhile, Sheridan rebels against a proposed "space rent." Written by J.Michael Straczynski, "A Race Through Dark Places" first aired on January 26, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Babylon 5 braces for an enemy attack from a band of savage aliens. In the absence of officers, the station is left in the hands of two lowly crewmen, Mac (Raymond O'Connor) and Bo (Lawrence LeJohn). In keeping with the episode's title, the subsequent events are seen from the viewpoint of these two "emergency" staffers. J. Michael Straczynski collaborated on the storyline with Harlan Ellison, which may be why the character of Mac and Bo sound and act so much like the two writers! "A View From the Gallery" first aired on February 11, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second half of the two-part "A Voice in the Wilderness," Epsilon 3 is taken over by hostile aliens. Should the planet's reactors fall into the wrong hands, it may mean the end of Babylon 5. Making a bad situation worse, the heavy Earthforce cruiser Hyperion shows up, prepared to defend the planet to the last drop of everyone's blood. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, this episode includes an inside joke that will probably be spotted only by Internet aficionados. Part Two of "A Voice in the Wilderness" was originally broadcast on August 3, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sheridan is kidnapped by aliens, just as General Hague (Robert Foxworth) arrives for an important conference with the B5 Commander. Left in charge, Ivanova is forced to make a fateful decision--and a potentially fatal journey towards an unknown source of "bright light and turbulence". Meanwhile, the "new" Delenn is expelled from the Grey Council. Originally telecast on February 15, 1995, "All Alone in the Night" was written by J. Michael Straczunski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An ISN TV crew covers a "typical" 36 hours in the life of Babylon 5. The crew's visit unexpectedly coincides with a dangerous upsurge in Narn hostilities against Centauri. As written by J. Michael Straczynski, this episode deliberately invokes memories of CNN's coverage of the Persian Gulf War, with Kim Zimmer bringing a slyly satiric spin to the role of commentator Cynthia Torqueman. "And Now for a Word" was originally telecast on May 3, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two strange men (Judson Scott, Christopher Neame) abduct Cmdr. Sinclair and place him in a state of computerized reality. Using a mind-probe device, the strangers try to reconstruct Sinclair's activities during Battle of the Line, when he experienced an inexplicable 24-hour blackout -- and may have betrayed the Earth. Outside of its somber main plotline, this episode features a terrific pop-culture joke involving the 23nd century periodical Universe Today (which boasts such headlines as "Is There Somthing Living In Hyberspace?") First seen on March 16, 1994, "And the Sky Full of Stars" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Four years after it mysterious vanished, Babylon 4 just as mysteriously disappears. Unaware of the time lapse, the B4 crew is suspicions of Babylon 5's rescue attempt. And while undergoing a secret mission, Delenn receives an unexpected honor from the Grey Council. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Babylon Squared" first aired on August 10, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As in past years, the final four episodes of Babylon 5's 1996-97 season were broadcast in the United Kingdom before making their first American TV appearances. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Between the Darkness and the Light" is a surprisingly low-key episode, despite all that occurs within its 48-minute timeframe. Captured by the Mars Resistance, Garibaldi tries to convince Franklin and Lyta that he was not entirely responsible for his previous actions. As plans are drawn to rescue Captain Sheridan from President Clark's minions, Ivanova, armed with vital information, launches her own counterratack against Clark --- with devastating results. "Between the Darkness and the Light" made its American TV debut during the week of October 6, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide