Burt Mustin Movies
Life literally began at 60 for American actor Burt Mustin, who didn't enter show business until that age and didn't make his film debut until Detective Story (1951), at which time he was 68. After a decade of uncredited movie roles as hillbilly patriarchs and Town's Oldest Citizens, Mustin began getting name recognition for numerous TV appearances in the late '50s and early '60s. The actor was a particular favorite of producer/actor Jack Webb, who cast Mustin several times on Dragnet; in one episode Burt was an octogenarian burglar, and in another was a retired detective who solved a murder case - and chewed out a young cop for not knowing the proper way to take fingerprints! Situation comedy producers made good use of Burt Mustin as well, and he was featured in innumerable cameos on such programs as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Get Smart and The Jack Benny Program, usually stealing most of the laughs from the stars. Mustin had regular TV roles as eccentric neighbor Finley on Date with the Angels, Gus the Fireman on Leave It to Beaver, barber shop patron Jud Crowley on The Andy Griffith Show, the amorous senior-citizen husband of Queenie Smith on The Funny Side, and nursing-home refugee Justin Quigley on All in the Family. Mustin got the biggest press coverage of his career when, in character as Arthur Lanson, he married Mother Dexter - played by 82-year-old Judith Lowry - on the December 13, 1976 episode of Phyllis. It was a hilarious and, in retrospect, poignant moment in TV history: Judith Lowry had died a few days before the program was aired, and Burt Mustin, who was too ill to watch the show, passed away six weeks later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1995
This video features some highlights from the golden era of American television in the 1950s, with live clips and personal recollections of the stars. In this volume, Betty White and Bill Williams star in Date With the Angels. Ozzie and Harriet Nelson then appear in The New Chairs. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The Bunker family's doctor forces Archie to go on a diet. In the spirit of "one for all," Edith convinces the rest of the family to watch their calories. Even so, Archie is constitutionally incapable of sticking to his rigid diet -- until he receives unexpected moral support from octogenarian Justin Quigley (Burt Mustin). Incidentally, series star Carroll O'Connor requested that the producers refilm the opening theme-song sequence of All in the Family during the 1975-1976 season precisely because he'd put on considerable weight since the program debut in 1971. Written by Mel Tolkin and Larry Rhine, "Archie's Weighty Problem" was first broadcast on February 9, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
Baker's Hawk is an old-style Western starring old-style Clint Walker. Burl Ives plays a recluse plagued by vigilantes. Ives is protected by Walker and his son, Lee H. Montgomery, on the basis of the lad's friendship with the old man. Baker's Hawk is based on a novel by Jack Bickham. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Walker, Burl Ives, (more)
- 1975
While Captain Stanley is on vacation, his replacement is Captain Robertson (John Anderson), a hardbitten veteran firefighter who sees no value whatsoever in the Paramedic program. Tonight's emergencies include a young asthsma victim (Lee H. Montgomery) trapped in a drain, a berserk biker (Sid Haig), and an old man (Burt Mustin) whose chair has caught fire. And on a lighter note, Dr. Early (Bobby Troup) keeps mixing apples with oranges--and doesn't like it a bit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This final episode of Emergency!'s fourth season was intended as the pilot for a spinoff series titled 905-WILD. The members of Squad 51 lend a helping hand to the LA Animal Bureau Control Team, whose emergency phone number 905-WILD is an abbreviation for "Wild Animal Loose, Threatening". David Huddleston heads the supporting cast as crusty head veterinarian Doc Coolidge, with Mark Harmon and Albert Popwell as Bureau officers Taylor and Gordon, Rose Ann Zecker as the team's dispatcher Patty Burns, and frequent Emergency guest star Gary Crosby as the Bureau's chief, Walt Marsh. And what about the Emergency! regulars? Well, Dr. Brackett (Robert Fuller) operates on a dying goat, relying on phoned instructions from Doc Coolidge; and paramedic John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) comes face to face with a bengal tiger. A huge canyon fire which threatens thousands of domesticated animals climaxes this "special" episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
His year-long college fellowship at an end, Mike lands a teaching job. At long last, he and Gloria are able to move out of the Bunker house and find a place of their own; in fact, Gloria has promised her parents that she and Mike will locate an apartment within the week. But if Archie thinks that he is rid of his pesky son-in-law, he's in for another disappointment. Scripted by Lou Derman and Bill Davenport from a story by Robert Arnott, "Mike Makes His Move" originally aired on March 8, 1975, as the final episode of All in the Family's fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1975
- G
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Kurt Russell returns as Dexter Riley, the dedicated student of Medfield College who just can't stay out of trouble, in this follow-up to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and Now You See Him, Now You Don't. In this story, Dexter is trying to devise a formula for a chemistry project that will increase human strength . By accident, he discovers that, when he mixes his concoction with another student's recipe for vitamin-fortified cereal, it gives people super-human strength, but only for a few minutes. Ignoring these drawbacks, Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) makes a deal to sell the miracle cereal to a leading breakfast-food concern, unaware that it's Dexter's secret ingredient that makes the cereal work. Meanwhile, when word gets out about the new strength-boosting cereal, several competing companies decide that they need to wipe the new product off the market. Cesar Romero returns from the first film as A.J. Arno, with Phil Silvers, Eve Arden, and Richard Bakalyan highlighting the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, (more)
In Night Train, also known as Train Ride to Hollywood Harry Williams, head singer for Bloodstone, a modern rock group, is hit on the head and imagines he's back in the Hollywood of the 1930s. On a coast-bound train, Williams rubs shoulders with reasonable facsimiles of such long-gone greats as Gable, Bogart and Laurel and Hardy. Among the impressionists roped into this patchwork epic are Guy Marks and Bill Oberlin, whose costumes are at least as funny as their lines. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Love, Willis Draffen, (more)
Lucille Ball stars in this film version of the hit Jerry Herman Broadway musical, which featured an electrifying performance by Angela Lansbury. As Patrick Dennis' plucky and resilient Auntie Mame, Ball's low-pitched, growling moan of a voice (a spine-chilling reminder of the sound of Linda Blair's demon-possession in The Exorcist) and her gaudy and lumbering fashion-horse gait turns Mame into an elderly cross-dresser. In this guise, Mame rehashes the plot from Dennis's novel and the previous non-musical Rosalind Russell film. During the Depression era 1930s, she enrolls her nephew into a liberal private school, tries a turn in show business (with the help of her friend Vera [Beatrice Arthur]), and marries a well-to-do Southern planter (Robert Preston). After her husband's death, Mame concerns herself with her now grown-up nephew, his girlfriend, and the girlfriend's intolerant parents. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucille Ball, Robert Preston, (more)
- 1974
The family is planning a 50th birthday party for Archie. The only one unwilling to enter into the festivities is Archie himself, who feels that he is old and useless. Then he takes a peek at his birth certificate -- and is he in for a surprise. The episode's level of humor is heightened by the attitude contrast between Archie and the octogenarian couple Quigley (Burt Mustin) and Jo (Ruth McDevitt). Written by Paul Lichtman, Howard Storm, and Don Nicholl, "Archie Feels Left Out" originally aired on January 12, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1974
Shelley Winters is appropriately cast as Big Rose, a rough 'n' tough private detective. Nobody messes with Big Rose, least of all her new young partner (Barry Primus), who likes to joke his way through dangerous situations. The two detectives are hired to thwart a gang of confidence tricksters who specialize in blackmail. Though she makes an conspicuous target, Big Rose heads directly into the line of fire, with her younger assistant barely keeping pace. The pilot film for an unsold TV series, Big Rose is currently advailable under its alternate title, Double Trouble. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Winters, Barry Primus, (more)
- 1974
This final episode of Adam-12's sixth season is actually the pilot for a proposed spinoff series titled Fraud. After they find a dead man with an oscillator belt tied around his waist, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) discover that the victim died of diabetic shock--and that he was the patient of a quack doctor. Enter Deputy DA Abe Stayhorn (Ed Nelson) of the " Major Fraud" division, and Strayhorn's elite team of scam-busters, including chief investigator Gino Bardi (Frank Sinatra Jr.) and policewoman Lynn Carmichael (Sharon Gless), who work in concert with Jim and Pete to get the goods on the crooked medico. Advertised as a "special", this episode was seen outside the usual Adam-12 Tuesday-night timeslot, and afforded a rare Thursday-evening telecast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The 1947 film comedy Miracle on 34th Street starred Edmund Gwenn as a bearded gentleman named Kris Kringle, who was convinced that he was the genuine Santa Claus. The earlier Miracle was good enough as it stood, so why remake it? Still, the full-color 1973 Miracle on 34th Street has the considerable advantage of Sebastian Cabot, his trademarked beard dyed snowy white, as Kringle, so it isn't as bad as expected. The story, which involves the commercial and legal ramifications of the "real" Santa taking a job as a department store Santa at Macy's, was barely updated for the 1970s, meaning that several of the plot devices--including a nasty psychiatrist who has Kringle committed--were somewhat anachronistic. The uplifting final scene, wherein a cynical little girl becomes a true believer of Santa Claus (as do the adults in the story), still works well in the remake, even though Suzanne Davidson isn't in the same league as the original Miracle's Natalie Wood. The TV-movie version of Miracle on 34th Street wasn't too successful, but that didn't stop John Hughes from churning out a second remake in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Intending to work his way around the world on a tramp steamer, Lamont (Demond Wilson) plans to sell the junkyard, but not before installing his father Fred (Redd Foxx) in an old folk's home (that's what they used to call "senior centers"). It isn't long before Lamont regrets this move, but it is up to Fred's pal Bubba (Don Bexley) to bring father and son back together. This Sanford and Son episode was based on "Homes Fit For Heroes," a 1964 episode of the series' British prototype Steptoe and Son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1973
In the conclusion of a two-part story, new police commissioner Edna Dixon (Juanita Moore) insists upon accompanying mobile officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) during a night shift. It's something of an ordeal by fire for all three persons, inasmuch as Jim and Peter are virtually the only cops left standing during a flu epidemic. Although there are plenty of action scenes involving a neighborhood riot and a teenage car thief, the highlight of the evening is a battle royale between bar owner Jean Wagner (Rose Marie) and elderly drunk Fred Tiller (Burt Mustin)--who happens to be naked. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Burt Mustin makes his first series appearance in the role of feisty octogenarian Justin Quigley (a character that, at age 82, was seven years younger than Mustin!). Running away from a restrictive nursing home, Justin accepts Edith's invitation to temporarily move in with the Bunkers, which elicits the anticipated reaction from Archie. Ruth McDevitt likewise makes her first appearance as Justin's geriatric sweetheart, Josephine "Jo" Nelson. Scripted by Michael Ross and Bernie West from a story by Susan Harris, "Edith Finds an Old Man" was originally telecast on September 29, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1973
Venerable character actor Paul Fix guests in this episode as Wade Tillman, a self-styled septugenarian Robin Hood. Outraged at the isurmountable medical bills facing himself and his fellow nursing-home residents, Tillman resorts to robbery and extortion to buck the system. Within its usual "cops and robbers" framework, this episode makes a strong case for the rights and dignity of senior citizens in an increasingly youth-oriented society. Featured in the cast are such familiar Hollywood "seniors" as John Qualen, Ruth McDevitt, and 89-year-old Burt Mustin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Bruce Gordon, best known to 1960s TV fans as Frank Nitti on the original Untouchables series, is no less menacing in the role of modern-day bounty hunter Mike Dehner. Having come to Los Angeles in search of a bail jumper, Dehner makes no secret of his willingness to resort to violence to get his man--something that Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are not about to let happen. Film noir stalwart Marie Windsor appears as a waitress who helps Jim and Pete stop Dehner dead in his tracks. And in a lighter moment, the two cops are confused when a woman demands that she be given a traffic ticket. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
David Janssen stars in this Jack Webb production as James O'Hara, a small-town sheriff recruited by the US Treasury's Bureau of Customs. O'Hara's first assignment: To break up a gang of smugglers trafficking in hashish. First telecast April 2, 1971 on CBS, this film served as the pilot for the weekly TV series O'Hara, United States Treasury. For the purposes of the series, O'Hara expanded his field of operations to the IRS, the Secret Service, and the ATM--at least until his program was cancelled in 1972 after a single season on the air. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Janssen, Lana Wood, (more)
- 1971
This unique western centers on an innocent farm boy with a talent for handling guns who decides to make it big. He begins as a bounty hunter. Later he encounters a crazed gunslinger and ends up fatally shot. Before the fateful encounter, the young man is visited by a number of mythical western heroes including Judge Roy Bean, seen as a sentimental drunk, and Jesse James who gives the boy some good advice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Skin Game was historically significant as the 2000th film produced by Warner Bros. studios. The film is a comedy western starring James Garner and Louis Gossett Jr. as a pair of clever Antebellum con men. Garner regularly "sells" the black Gossett into slavery for an exalted price, then "liberates" Gossett so that they can move on to the next sucker. Unfortunately, they outsmart themselves, and before long Gossett seems doomed to a lifetime of forced servitude. They are rescued by pretty pickpocket Susan Clark, who has a few surprises in store for them. Skin Game was supposed to be spun off into a TV series, but the project never got any farther than the 1974 pilot film Sidekicks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This episode offers a few clues as to what makes Archie Bunker "tick." Worried that he will be fired from his job, Arch spends a nervous evening seated at the telephone, while a steady stream of eccentric characters -- a nosy cop (Sandy Kenyon), a noisy drunk (Jack Perkins), and a confused neighbor (Hollis Irving) -- make a bad situation worse. The best scene finds Archie hauntingly recalling his father's reaction to sudden unemployment during the Depression. Burt Mustin, who later joined the cast as Justin Quigley, is here cast as an elderly guard. Scripted by Norman Lear, Don Nicholl, and Bryan Joseph from a story by William Bickley Jr., "Archie Is Worried About His Job" originally aired on March 16, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1971
Miffed that Darrin refuses to allow Samantha to use witchcraft, Endora dispatches Sam's lookalike cousin, Serena, to the 14th century, there to cast a spell on one of Darrin's ancestors. As a result, the modern-day Mr. Stephens is transformed into a warlock for a 24-hour period, and the havoc wreaked during those 24 hours obliges Sam to take a little visit to the past as well. Though Elizabeth Montgomery plays both Samantha and Serena, the latter role is credited to one "Pandora Spocks," as it would be in virtually all future episodes featuring Serena. Written by Ed Jurist, "The Return of Darrin the Bold" originally aired on February 4, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick Sargent, (more)
- 1970
Today's shift finds mobile officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) chasing after a man suspected of kidnapping a child. The two cops also deal with an escaped prisoner, and with a vicious gang of armored-car hijackers. Featured in the supporting cast is venerable character actor Burt Mustin (84 years old when this episode was filmed) and former Western sidekick Rand Brooks, who in 1970 was the owner of an ambulance service which provided a number of vehicles for Jack Webb's various police shows. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
In this crime drama, a Vietnam vet goes to his California hometown and discovers that two Mexicans have murdered his brother, the chief stockholder in a successful racetrack, during a robbery. The vet begins investigating and discovers that the theft was a cover-up for the killing and that another shareholder is behind it all. The vet then engineers a confession from the culprit. Unfortunately, the shareholder is then found dead. Enlisting the aid of an ex-lover, the vet resumes his investigation and soon finds the mastermind, whom he kills during a fight. Later the vet, being the only remaining shareholder, takes over the track. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
