William Benedict Movies
Oklahoma-born William Benedict is fondly remembered by fans for his shock of unkempt blond hair; ironically, he lost his first job at a bank because he refused to use a comb. Stagestruck at an early age, the skinny, ever-boyish Benedict took dancing lessons while in high school and appeared in amateur theatricals. After phoning a 20th Century-Fox talent scout, the 17-year-old Benedict hitchhiked to Hollywood and won a film contract (if for no other reason than nerve and persistence). He appeared in the first of his many office-boy roles in his debut film, $10 Raise (1935), and spent the next four decades popping up in bits as bellboys, caddies, hillbillies, delivery men and Western Union messengers. He portrayed so many of the latter, in fact, that Western Union paid tribute to Benedict by giving him his own official uniform -- an honor bestowed on only one other actor, Benedict's lifelong friend Frank Coghlan Jr. (the two actors costarred in the 1941 serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel). In 1939, Benedict played a bicycle messenger in the Little Tough Guys film Call a Messenger; four years later he appeared with another branch of the Little Tough Guys clan, the East Side Kids, in Ghosts on the Loose. He remained with the Kids as "Skinny," then stayed on when the East Siders transformed into the Bowery Boys in 1946. As "Whitey," Benedict was the oldest member of the team, a fact occasionally alluded to in the dialogue -- though Leo Gorcey, two months younger than Benedict, was firmly in charge of the bunch. Benedict left the Bowery Boys in 1951, gradually easing out of acting; for several years, he worked as an assistant designer of miniature sets for movie special-effects sequences. He returned to performing in the 1960s, still playing the newsboy and delivery man roles he'd done as a youth. Film and TV fans of the 1970s might recall Billy Benedict as a world-weary croupier in the early scenes of The Sting (1973), and in the regular role of Toby the Informant on the 1975 TV series The Blue Knight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1978
- PG
President Richard Nixon's legal counsellor Charles Colson was tried for several criminal charges relating to the Watergate cover-up, eventually spending some time in prison. This film explores Colson's personal crisis, and the religious convictions which, crossing party boundaries, worked to bring about his conversion from being a cynical politician to becoming a committed Christian. Far from being corrupted in prison, Colson (Dean Jones) became a missionary for his beliefs and worked to reform many of the 'hard cases" he encountered there. After the period covered by the film, it is worthwhile to note that Colson chose a new career for himself following his release from prison -- prison missionary. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Anne Francis, (more)
- 1977
SFPD homicide inspector Robbins (Richard Hatch) falls in love with attractive public defender Susan Harper (Linda Kelsey). Unfortunately, the course of romance proves to be a bumpy one when Susan champions the cause of a murder suspect whom has been charged on the basis of prima facie evidence. Ultimately, Susan manages to spring the suspect, resulting in plenty of trouble for herself and Robbins. Prominent in the supporting case is character actor William Benedict, perennial Western Union delivery boy in many an A- and B-picture of the 1930s and 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- PG
- Add Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood to QueueAdd Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood to top of Queue
This spoof makes fun of a certain famous German shepherd movie star from the 1920s. The mayhem begins when the head honcho of a financially struggling studio turns a lost dog into a legend. The story features a number of old stars making cameo appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, (more)
- 1974
- PG
This classy and creative low-budget thriller depicts an all-out war of attrition between a group of neglected, disgruntled senior citizens and the heartless city officials who evicted them from their Cincinnati low-rent apartment building, which has been tagged for destruction. Their campaign goes far beyond writing strong letters to their alderman -- they begin by savagely murdering the social worker who orders their removal (Linda Marsh, in a budget Nurse Ratched mode), then take a violent stand against any contractors who attempt to stray onto their turf. Tightly directed from a clever script, portraying its geriatric killers with wit and empathy but never shying away from shocking scenes of violence. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Four years after setting box offices ablaze in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and director George Roy Hill re-teamed with similar success for The Sting. Redford plays Depression-era confidence trickster Johnny Hooker, whose friend and mentor Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) is murdered by racketeer/gambler Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Hoping to avenge Luther's death, Johnny begins planning a "sting" -- an elaborate scam -- to destroy Lonnegan. He enlists the aid of "the greatest con artist of them all," Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), who pulls himself out of a drunken stupor and rises to the occasion. Hooker and Gondorff gather together an impressive array of con men, all of whom despise Lonnegan and wish to settle accounts on behalf of Luther. The twists and surprises that follow are too complex to relate in detail -- suffice to say that you can't cheat an honest man, and that you shouldn't accept everything at face value. The Sting became one of the biggest hits of the early '70s; grossing 68.5 million dollars during its first run, the film also picked up seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Adapted Score for Marvin Hamlisch's unforgettable setting of Scott Joplin's ragtime music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Robert Redford, (more)
- 1973
Now that he has been promoted to Engineer, Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) is faced with the prospect of having to leave the Paramedics program. Meanwhile, a huge pileup on the fog-enshrouded San Diego Freeway results in dozens of seriously injured motorists. Other major crises arise when John (Randolph Mantooth) is trapped by a fire, and when the staff is called away from more pressing matters by a phony suicide alert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The IMF again invades the world of professional boxing to get the goods on crooked sports promoter Paul Mitchell (William Windom) and his Syndicate boss Jay Braddock (Joe Braddock). Terrified by Braddock's homicidal tendencies, Mitchell is on the verge of turning informer, but he needs a little dose of incentive. Thus, IMF agent Casey poses as Mitchell's daughter Susan (Jennifer Shaw) as part of a divide-and-conquer strategy aimed at utterly destroying Braddock. First broadcast on February 9, 1973, "The Fighter" was scripted by Stephen Kandel and Nicholas E. Bashr, from a story by Orville H. Hampton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1973
Having portrayed a career criminal who embarked upon a robbery spree for the sake of her young son in an earlier FBI episode, Penny Fuller essays a similar role herein as female crime boss Della Marot. In an abrupt about-face, Della informs her fiancee that she's going to quit the rackets in order to be a "real mom" to her young daughter. But she may not get the chance: Not only is the FBI breathing down Della's neck, but she also faces the wrath of her former Mob associates. Featured as Della's preteen daughter Cindy is Erin Moran of Happy Days fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Created for the "dime novels" in 1886, scientific detective Nick Carter has been transferred to film and radio several times in the past six decades, though most of these projects have tended to update his adventures. 1972's made-for-TV Adventures of Nick Carter restores the "turn of the century" surroundings of the original stories. Robert Conrad (somewhat older than his literary counterpart) portrays Nick Carter, a New York private investigator hired to locate the missing wife of a wealthy "robber baron" playboy. He also devotes some time to locating the murderer of a close friend. Though hampered by a tight budget, the film does a nice job recreating a 19th century world of crooked cops, graft-greedy politicians, all-powerful plutocrats, raggedy paper boys and Lower East Side lowlifes. Adventures of Nick Carter was one of three pilots for a projected "rotating" series of TV detective shows based on famed literary sleuths; the other two series in this aborted project were to have spotlighted the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hildegarde Withers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Conrad, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1971
Comedian Shelley Berman) guest stars as a crooked Hollywood agent who is running a scam with a sexy starlet (Katie O'Price). There is also a third player in this intrigue, a tough customer named Jack Donahue (Leo Gordon). Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are disinheartened by the knowledge that Donahue is a former cop who has apparently gone astray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
A desert location becomes terrifying as a motorcycle gang disturbs a film crew working there. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1971
After coming across a corpse stuffed in a sack and deposited in a park, Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) notifies the homicide division. When the cops arrive, the sack is still there--but the corpse is gone. Embarrassed by the taunts of rival cop Larry Muller (Warren Berlinger), Ed dedicates himself to proving that the body really existed, even though Ironside (Raymond Burr) demands that he devote his attention to a kidnapping case. Inevitably, it turns out that both cases share a common link. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this countrified musical, a C&W singer does all he can to avoid fame and fortune because that is what destroyed his famous daddy. His managers have other plans though; musical mayhem ensues as they insure that he spends his life before an audience and not around cows. Songs include: "We've Got the Best There Is," "Don't Look Back," "I'll Make It Up to You," "Auctioneer," "What Am I Bid?" "When a Boy Becomes a Man" (Nash), "I Never Got to Kiss the Girl" (Tex Ritter). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephanie Hill
- 1967
The Monkees enter politics to save their neighborhood from being torn down to make way for a parking lot. Mike ends up running for mayor against the incumbent (Irwin Charone), little-suspecting that his campaign manager Zeckenbush (Monte Landis) is working for both sides. Professional "oldsters" Peter Brocco and Queenie Smith are seen as the boys' neighbors; veteran voice-over actor Walker Edmiston plays a newspaper publisher; and former "Bowery Boy" Billy Benedict shows up as a skywriter. Songs: "No Time" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday". Written by Jack Winter, "Monkee Mayor" first aired on October 2, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Lola Albright returns in the role of crusading frontier newspaperwoman Ann Williams. Once again, Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) comes to Ann's aid in her efforts to break an important news story. This makes Jason a very busy man: He has already hired on as surveyor for a railroad, thus also making him a target for extermination by train-hating freight line owner Tad Evers (John Ireland). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
To explain away the fact that Dr. Bellows (Hayden Rorke) has caught him floating in mid-air (courtesy of Jeannie [Barbara Eden], of course--Tony (Larry Hagman) alibis that he is an amateur magician. Calling Tony's bluff, Dr. Bellows orders the long-suffering astronaut to perform his magic act at a show for the NASA personnel. Perhaps Jeannie can extricate Tony from this dilemma--or perhaps Dr. Bellows will finally be able to prove that all the weird goings-on in Tony's house are not figments of his imagination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
John McGiver stars as ex-Navy man Roswell G. Flemington, who insists upon running his business, and his home, in strict maritime fashion. This includes an abundance of loud noises -- whistles, bells, cannon shots, and military music -- because Flemington, like nature, abhors a vaccuum. His obsession with noise costs Flemington his wife (Penny Singleton) and his sanity, though not necessarily in that order. Written Rod Serling, "Sounds and Silences" was networkcast only once, on April 3, 1964; because of a legal squabble with another writer, the episode was removed from the Twilight Zone syndicated package, remaining unseen until 1984, when it was included in a two-hour Twilight Zone anniversary package. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John McGiver, Penny Singleton, (more)
- 1963
Every Christmas, the Hooterville Cannonball goes on a caroling tour throughout the community. All this may come to a screeching halt this year, thanks to the machinations of Scroogelike railroad troubleshooter Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane), who has cracked down on unauthorized stopovers. This episode was rebroadcast on December 19, 1964, suggesting that it was intended for annual Yuletide showings--which probably would have happened had not Petticoat Junction switched from black and white to color in 1965 (and at the same time replacing two of the actresses playing the Bradley girls!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) takes it upon himself to write a new brochure for the Shady Rest Hotel. Since he's describing what he hopes will be the "future" Shady Rest, Joe is a bit careless with the facts, waxing rhapsodic about the luxuries and splendors of the hotel and even suggesting that it is a part of the vast Hilton chain. Unfortunately, the brochure is prematurely mailed to the community newspaper's snooty travel columnist Mrs. Stroud (played by Elvia Allman, who would later join the cast in the reccuring role of Selma Plout, hated rival of hotel owner Kate Bradley [Bea Benadaret]). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Though he struck out rather spectacularly during his first visit to the Shady Rest, railroad troubleshooter Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane) has returned with a new scheme to put the Hooterville Cannonball out of commission. This time, Bedloe's fiendish plot involves a pair of VIPs, one of whom is played by veteran movie heavy John Hoyt, who later gained sitcom fame as the foxy grandpa on Gimme a Break. This episode has gained a latter-day prominence as being the first sitcom offering by the CBS network after its four-day coverage of the JFK assassination. Not surprisingly, the ratings were better than usual; viewers stunned by the tragedy of the previous weekend were certainly in the mood to forget about their troubles and have a good laugh! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Wealthy Timothy Balfour Sr. (Otto Kruger) draws up a new will leaving a great deal of money to his namesake grandson Tim (John Washbrook), but the lad may not be worthy of such an honor. Well on the way to becoming a full-fledged "J.D.", Tim is shaken down by hoodlum crony Chick Montana (David Winters), who wants to boy to get his hands on his inheritance ahead of time, or else he'll tell the cops about Tim's involvement in a liquor-store holdup. When Chick is bumped off, Tim faces a murder charge, whereupon Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is galvanized into action. Featured in the cast is Roland Winters, formerly the movies' "Charlie Chan". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Although not as well known as Pillow Talk (1959), this romantic-comedy pairing of stars Rock Hudson and Doris Day earned an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. Hudson stars as Jerry Webster, a Madison Avenue advertising executive who has achieved success not through hard work or intelligence but by wining and dining his big-shot clients, even setting them up on dates with attractive girls. Jerry's equal at a rival agency is Carol Templeton (Day). Although she has never met him, Carol is disgusted by Jerry's unethical antics and reports him to the Ad Council. Jerry avoids trouble with his usual aplomb, sending a comely chorus girl, Rebel Davis (Edie Adams), to seduce the council members. When Jerry subsequently makes Rebel the star of television commercials for a nonexistent product called VIP, the spots are accidentally aired by perplexed company president Pete Ramsey (Tony Randall). Carol becomes determined to win the VIP account away from Jerry, but after she discovers the truth, she again reports him to the Ad Council. Jerry skirts out of trouble a second time by producing VIP, an intoxicating candy quickly whipped up by company research scientist Linus Tyler (Jack Kruschen). VIP's extreme effects lead to a one-night stand between bitter rivals Jerry and Carol, with unexpected consequences. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Doris Day, (more)
- 1957
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are summoned to a bakery where two of the owners have been shot during a holdup. Shortly afterward, the detectives receive a taunting letter from the elusive assailant, who promises to repeat his crime in the near future. Can the bragging perp be stopped before more blood is shed? Featured as the sister of one of the crime victims is statuesque 1950s starlet Greta Thyssen, better known for her appearances in such Three Stooges comedies as Quiz Whizz and Sappy Bullfighters. This final episode of Dragnet's sixth TV season is based on a radio play first heard on September 14, 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) set their sights on a forger who has been passing phony payroll checks all over town. Working on fragmentary evidence, the detectives conclude that the forger is driving a flashy rented convertible, and is frequently seen in the company of an equally flashy blonde. Once in custody, the criminal doles out a sob story about turning to crime for the sake of his sweet, innocent wife--who is neither of the above! This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of June 28, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
