Mildred Von Hollen Movies
- 1959
Los Angeles is being terrorized by the "rattlesnake bandit", who preys upon young couples, pointlessly beating them up after robbing them (one of his female victims is now permanently blind). Descriptions of the bandit are fragmentary, but Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) have one palpable clue to go on: the criminal is occasionally seen in the company of a blonde female. Though the bandit manages to elude the cops for several nights running, he finally outsmarts himself when he holds up his girlfriend's ex-boss. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of January 4, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
On the verge of starting a business with Walter Osbourne (John Vivyan) in Mexico, Bart (Jack Kelly) discovers that all his money has been stolen by can-can dancer Karen Gustavson (Anna-Lisa). Tracking the girl down, Bart is not entirely convinced when Karen insists that the grabbed the cash in order to save his life. But when two sinister strangers express an interest in the money as well, Bart begins to believe Karen's story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
This first episode of Dragnet's sixth TV season was adapted from a radio drama first broadcast on June 15, 1954. Identifying himself as the owner of a small circus, elderly Clarence Havill (Will Wright) tells Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) that his circus truck has been broken into and his animals have been stolen. Havill is especially worried that the most dangerous of the beasts, a black panther named Danny, may be prowling the Hollywood Hills. Only after a citywide panic has occurred do the detectives learn the truth about Havill's "big cat". When the radio version of this episode (featuring Cliff Arquette, aka "Charley Weaver", as the old circus man) originally aired, Jack Webb was sued by the real-life counterpart of Clarence Havill; according to Dragnet historian Michael Hayde, a federal judge ruled in Webb's favor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
