Sammy Ogg Movies

With grim determination, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) search for a pair of armed bandits who have robbed and tortured elderly Wendell Bartell, savagely beating and burning the man while repeatedly stabbing his hands with a hatpin. Clearly, the thieves had "inside" information as to where Bartell kept his jewelry hidden in his home; also, Mrs. Bartell recalls that one of the crooks spoke with a "funny" accent. But it takes the testimony of a magazine delivery boy to put the detectives on the trail of a brand-new sedan with old license plates that was seen in the vicinity of the crime. This episode was adapted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of September 20, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

3DFrontier Gun3D is another of the moderately interesting low-budget westerns turned out by 20th Century-Fox's Regal Films subsidiary in the late 1950s. John Agar plays Jim Crayle, who offers his services as voluntary marshal when crazed gunman Yubo (Robert Strauss) inaugurates a reign of terror. Unfortunately, Crayle is unable to outdraw Yubo due to a wrist injury, leading the townsfolk to assume that their new marshal is yellow. Only when his argument with Yubo becomes personal does Crayle truly rise to the occasion. John Agar does his best in an unsually cerebral role, but his passive character-and characterization-works against the film's suspense. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Once again, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) must stop a violent teenage gang war before hostilities have a chance to begin. The two detectives really have their work cut out for them this time: the agitator behind the turf war is a young Hitler worshipper who wears a Nazi uniform in public and heads a gang called the Storm Troopers! This episode would seem to be the precursor to "The Big Explosion", one of the more memorable offerings from the 1967 Dragnet TV revival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Three bank robbers (J. Carroll Naish, Lee Marvin, Stephen McNally) case a small Arizona mining town prior to pulling a holdup. The audience get to know the various townsfolk as they're scrutinized by the crooks. Victor Mature plays a man who is a disappointment to his son because he didn't serve in the war. Tommy Noonan is a meek bank manager with a habit of spying on a pretty customer as she undresses in her second-story bedroom. Sylvia Sidney is a petty thief who has deposited her stolen funds in the bank. Margaret Hayes is the cheating wife of a local leading citizen, who is killed in the holdup. And Ernest Borgnine is a pacifistic Amish farmer, forced to take violent action when his children are threatened by the criminals (Borgnine's pitchfork-wielding scene was reproduced for the print ads of this film, leading some critics to assume that he was the villain!) The hero of the day turns out to be the "unheroic" Mature, who after being kidnapped by the crooks frees himself and prevents their escape. Violent Saturday is based on a novel by William I. Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hal Foster's Sunday-comics saga of a young Viking prince in the service of King Arthur is brought to the screen in CinemaScope and Technicolor in Prince Valiant. Despite the fact that he sports a dutch bob that makes him look like actress Phyllis Kirk, Robert Wagner is quite virile and convincing as the title character. Trained for the Round Table by Sir Gawain (Sterling Hayden), Valiant takes time out to fall in love with the beautiful Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh). The villain of the piece is The Black Knight, aka Sir Brack (top-billed James Mason), who intends to topple King Arthur (Brian Aherne) from his throne, then conquer Valiant's people in Scandia. But Prince Valiant proves a fearsome opponent to the usurping Sir Brack. Sadly, most currently available prints of Prince Valiant have been panned-and-scanned, denying viewers the opportunity to revel in Henry Hathaway's creative utilization of the CinemaScope format. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In a break from tradition, the third-seasoner opener of Dragnet is not based on a radio broadcast, but was written specifically for television. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) suspect that drug dealers have broken into an experimental laboratory and stolen five white rats. But further evidence indicates that a pair of schoolchildren are responsible for the theft. Unfortunately, the rats have been infected with bubonic plague--and the two detectives have only 48 hours to track down the animals before a fatal epidemic engulfs Los Angeles. Dorothy Abbott is prominently featured in this episode as Friday's off-and-on girlfriend Ann Baker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Despite the lighthearted promotional campaign mounted by 20th Century-Fox when the film was first released, The Kid from Left Field is not a comedy. The title character is young Christy Mathewson Cooper (Billy Chapin), the son of former big-league ballplayer Larry Cooper (Dan Dailey), who is now reduced to hawking peanuts at the ballpark. Securing a job as a batboy with a team called the Bisons, Christy amazes the players and management by giving them tips on how to win games. What no one knows is that Christy is passing along information provided by his father. Impressed by Christy's apparent expertise, third baseman Pete Haines (Lloyd Bridges) tells team secretary Marion Foley (Anne Bancroft) about the boy. She, in turn, tells Bisons owner Whacker (Ray Collins), a "Bill Veeck" type ever on the alert for a new publicity gimmick. Whacker promptly appoints the pint-sized Christy as manager of the team, replacing the ill-tempered Billy Lorant (a truly venomous performance by Richard Egan). Larry is about to spill the beans concerning Christy's baseball knowledgeability, but he decides not to, considering himself a burnt-out has-been. And that's all that can be revealed without giving away the ending. Its whimsical premise notwithstanding, Kid from Left Field is treated as a straight drama, with several near-noir long shots of the shadow-drenched ballpark. The film was remade for television in 1978 as a vehicle for Gary Coleman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Like its spiritual predecessor Song of Bernadette, Th Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima is based on a true story. The year is 1917: the place, Fatima, Portugal. While tending sheep, three farm children (Susan Whitney, Sherry Jackson and Sammy Ogg) claim to see a vision of the Virgin Mary. The local adults insist that the kids keep quiet about this vision, fearing reprisals from the anti-Catholic Portuguese government. But word gets out, and soon thousand of pilgrims are flocking to Fatima, awaiting the "miracle" that the vision promised to deliver to the three youngsters. And, then, on October 13, 1917, as witnessed by 70,000 pilgrims, the sun mysteriously sunk in the sky and many of those present claimed to have been miraculously cured of their ailments. Thankfully, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima never stoops to proselytizing. If one believes the story, fine; if one does not, well, facts are facts. Young co-star Sherry Jackson later appeared on TV's Make Room for Daddy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the most controversial Dragnet episode to date, Sgt. Friday (Jack Webb) must put off his Christmas vacation to investigate the disappearance of a boy named Stevie Martin. The missing youngster's best friend Stanley Johnstone (Sammy Ogg) tearfully comes forward, confessing that he has killed his playmate. Tragically, it turns out that Stanley is telling the truth--and the cause of it all is a .22. rifle which Stanley's father had bought him for a Christmas present. It is impossible not to be moved by the final scene in which Stevie's dad (Bill Johnstone) comes to grips with his son's death. Although the original radio version of ".22. Rifle for Christmas" (first heard on December 22, 1949) incurred the wrath of the National Rifle Association, Jack Webb received so much positive response for the episode that he insisted upon filming a TV adaptation for telecast just before Christmas Week of 1952--whereupon he was again subject to criticism, this time for depicting a dead child on screen! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi