John Zaccaro Movies
Cornbread (Keith Wilkes) is an African-American youth who strives to escape his ghetto surroundings. He does so by becoming a high school basketball star--and the idol of the other youngsters in his community. On the verge of starting college on a scholarship, Cornbread is mistakenly killed by a police officer. Keith Wilkes, who plays the title role, was in real life an all-American at UCLA. Cornbread, Earl and Me, which was based upon Ronald Fair's novel Hog Butcher, marked the big screen debut of Laurence Fishburne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Moses Gunn, Rosalind Cash, (more)
- 1965
A crisis develops when Martin (Ray Walston) develops an allergy to his brain-power pills, breaking out in embarrassing green blotches. Thinking quickly, Martin feeds the pills to Tim (Bill Bixby), figuring this will make Tim smart enough to discover a cure for the allergy. Trouble ensues when "super-genius" Tim ends up working on a top-secret government space project, an assignment that could end in disaster literally with the snap of the fingers! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Victor Buono, who skyrocketed to stardom by virtue of his work in the title role of the earlier Untouchables episode "Mr. Moon", returns to the series in a different characterization. This time Buono is cast as Parnise Surigao, whose booming bootlegging operation is cutting into the profits of Frank Nitti's operation. To put it mildly, Nitti (Frank Nitti) is displeased, and orders an all-out war against Surigeo--who proves nearly impossible to bump off. After an innocent bystander is killed in the crossfire, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) vows to end the war and put both sides out of business, using a "straw man" subterfuge to accomplish his goal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Even their fellow hoodlums are in mortal terror of the Purple Gang, a Detroit-based operation led by Eddie Fletcher (Steve Cochran). Now the Gang has come up with racket that surpasses all their previous achievements: namely, kidnapping other mobsters and holding them for ransom, knowing full well that their victims can't go to the police. But Fletcher sets the stage for his own inevitable downfall when his boys snatch Jan Tornek (played by a pre-Hogan's Heroes) Werner Klemperer), a minor functionary of the Capone gang who is presently under surveillance by Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) and the Untouchables. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
No sooner has he arrived at Fort Casper than Beau (Roger Moore) is framed for the murder of Indian brave Swift Rider (Miguel Landa). The actual killers were Marsh (John Zaccaro) and Lawson (Richard Coogan), a pair of crooked shopkeepers who have been systematically cheating Swift Rider's tribe, and are hoping to stir up a war between the Indians and the Army to cover their tracks. Locked up in the stockade, Beau is rescued by Chief Standing Bull (Robert Warwick)--but only so he can be married to Swift Rider's sister Pale Moon (Andra Martin, a marriage slated to end as quickly as it begins with Beau's swift and ignominious demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Bret (James Garner) is hired by pretty Connie Coleman to protect her ranch's cattle drive to Abilene. While our hero has his hands full with Indians and such, poor Connie sells her herd for several thousand dollars--in counterfeit money. None too pleased that all his work is for naught, Bret sets about to catch the counterfeiter and make him fork over some genuine greenbacks. And yes, that timid, somewhat chubby youngster playing Connie's brother is indeed a 23-year-old Robert Redford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
It's Shakespeare in the sagebrush in this Maverick-ized version of "Romeo and Juliet." This time, the blood feud is between the Montgomerys and the Carterets, and the "star-cross'd" lovers are Sonny Montgomery (Steve Terrell) and Julie Carteret (Carole Wells). When he tries to help the sweethearts elope, Bret (James Garner) is captured by the Carteret clan. To save his neck, Bret suggests that the two families resolve their differences in a winner-take-all poker game. What he hasn't counted on is that the man chosen to play cards on behalf of the Montgomerys is his own brother Bart (Jack Kelly). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Bart (Jack Kelly) is hired to impersonate millionaire Cornelius Van Rensselaer Jr. (Wynn Pearce) at an important business conference in St. Louis. It seems that there are several powerful men who will stop at nothing to prevent Van Renssalaer from attending the meeting, so it's up to Bart to stop these men first...and keep himself alive in the bargain. This episode represents a reunion of sorts for the former stars of the TV western series Judge Roy Bean: Edgar Buchanan (aka "Uncle Joe" on Petticoat Junction) and Jack Beutel (previously "Billy the Kid" in the notorious Jane Russell western The Outlaw). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
