Greg Benedict Movies
The Boston Strangler adopts the split-screen technique then in vogue (see also The Thomas Crown Affair) to relate the true story of self-confessed mass murderer Albert DeSalvo. Adapted by Edward Anhalt from the book by Gerold Frank, the film covers the years 1962 to 1964, during which time a dozen women were raped and murdered in the Boston area. State-appointed officer John Bottomly (Henry Fonda) arrests as many known sex offenders as he can get his hands on in hopes of finding a clue as to the Boston Strangler's identity. As these things often happen, the police come across the necessary evidence through pure luck. Well-played by Tony Curtis (whose makeup is startling), DeSalvo himself does not appear until an hour into the film. When caught, the schizophrenic DeSalvo insists that he knows nothing of the murders. Under interrogation and hypnosis, his homicidal impulses are exposed. Meticulously cast, The Boston Strangler offers excellent vignettes by Sally Kellerman as the Strangler's only surviving victim and by Hurd Hatfield as an erudite sex pervert. When Boston Strangler was first shown on TV in 1974, a voice-over coda was added, noting that Albert DeSalvo was stabbed to death in prison on November 26, 1973, and that many experts were convinced that he was not the killer but that his confessions were the product of a delusional mind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, (more)
- 1967
Erkine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Rhodes (Stephen Elliott) give chase when Hanna Crandall, a key government witness against a Red spy ring, escapes FBI surveillance and boards a train bound for Canada. A pair of Communist assassins are also trailing Hanna, and are on the verge of silencing her for keeps when they are interrupted by Richard Lenk (James Callahan), a fellow passenger who takes a liking to Hanna, unaware that she is in dire peril--at least at first. Virginia Christine, best known to TV addicts as "Mrs. Olsen" in a series of popular coffee commercials, delivers a surprising characterization in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
As "Eddie Carter", Kimble (David Janssen) is hired as deck hand on the tuna boat owned by cantankerous old fisherman Tony Donovan (Dean Jagger). When Donovan's son Joe (James Callahan), a local labor leader who has organized a fisherman's strike, is arrested by the police, Kimble's true identity comes to surface. Having taken a shine to Kimble, Tony invites him to escape to Mexico on his boat--but Joe alerts the authorities of his father's plans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Nehemiah Persoff guest-stars as Prince Iben Kostas, absolute ruler of a tiny Middle Eastern country whose income derives solely from a famous gambling casino. In order to prevent Kostas from raising the money necessary to wage war upon a neighboring oil-rich country, the IMF must arrange to break the casino's bank. The amount needed to destroy Kostas was $1.5 million, which was real money when this episode first aired on October 22, 1966. "Odds on Evil" was written by frequent Mission: Impossible contributor. William Read Woodfield ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1963
In this different type of gangster farce with a few flaws here and there, Robert Preston is Steve Blair, a superlative con artist whose sidekick Paul Ferris (Tony Randall) is a boozy writer currently working on a cartoon. Steve gets the idea of producing a movie based on Genesis in the Bible and brings Paul into the scheme as a scripter. He finds financial backing in the form of $2,000,000 from gangster Tony Dallas (Walter Matthau) who is none too happy when the final product flops with a resounding crash. Anxious to find a safe spot to hide out, Steve and Paul make their way to a Greek island where Steve is inspired by another brilliant idea for a scam that just might work, knowing full well that the gangster is sure to show up sooner or later. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Preston, Tony Randall, (more)
- 1963
This light romantic comedy filmed on location in Palm Springs finds couples engaging in a kissing frenzy of puppy love. Jim (Troy Donahue) has eyes for Bunny (Stephanie Powers), unaware she is the daughter of the local chief of police (Andrew Duggan). Connie Stevens, Jack Weston, Ty Hardin and Jerry Van Dyke. The Modern Folk Quartet makes an out-of-place appearance performing in a casino. Robert Conrad is the spoiled rotten rich kid who tries to interfere with love and romance with his lupine lusting. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, (more)
- 1962
To square a gambling debt, Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) is forced to take the job of marshal in a dusty frontier town. Before long, Bart runs up against a local joker named Archie Walker (John Dehner), who gets his kicks by posing as various famous gunslingers. Right now, Archie is claiming to be none other than Wyatt Earp--a guise that may prove detrimental to everyone's health when the real Wyatt Earp (Med Flory) shows up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The final episode of Maverick finds Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) crossing the path of his brother Bret's old nemesis Modesty Blaine (played in earlier episodes by Mona Freeman, and here enacted by Kathleen Crowley). Hoping that Bart will marry her, Modesty goes ballistic (even though that word didn't exist in the 1870s) when he turns her down--and to get even, she tells the authorities that Bart tried to "have his way" with her. Somehow or other, all this nonsense is prelude to the climactic sequence, in which both Bart and Modesty are key players in a spectacular train robbery, which also involves real-life luminaries Diamond Jim Brady (Barry Kelley) and Doc Holliday (Peter Breck). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
