John Patrick Movies
- 1959
Two men have held up a mom-and-pop café, beating the 68-year-old owner within an inch of his life. Although one of the robbers was shot trying to escape and is currently in custody, the other is still at large, still with a stolen diamond signet ring worth $1500 in his possession. Tipped off by a car-rental agency where the ring had been offered as collateral, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) pursue the fugitive robber all the way to Las Vegas and Reno. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of July 21, 1952. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A burglar at large in Los Angeles has the curious habit of leaving small mementos at the scene of each crime. Unfortunately, he doesn't leave behind any fingerprints, so Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) must seek out other means of identifiying the burglar. The detectives finally get a solid lead courtesy of a random snapshot. A young Robert Vaughn plays a minor role in this 1958 episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Every time Republic Pictures head honcho Herbert J. Yates starred his minimally talented wife Vera Ralston in a film, the studio's stockholders began trembling in their boots. Like most of its predecessors, the 1957 Ralston vehicle Spoilers of the Forest just barely made back its cost. Vera plays Joan Milna, who shares several thousand acres of valuable Montana timberland with her stepfather (John Alderson). Coveting Joan's property, lumber baron Eric Warren (Ray Collins) sends out his foreman Boyd Caldwell (Rod Cameron) to persuade her to sell. Instead, Caldwell falls in love with the girl, vowing to protect her trees from the eco-unfriendly Warren. Republic's wide-screen Naturama process is shown to good advantage throughout Spoilers of the Forest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Cameron, Vera Ralston, (more)
- 1956
Elderly simpleton Nip Cullers (John Dehner) shambles into Dodge City looking for a wife. Mercilessly taunted by the local dance hall girls, Nip is protected by Kitty (Amanda Blake)--whereupon the old coot declares that she will become his bride, going so far as to notify a preacher and arrange a church wedding. Outraged by Nip's presumptive behavior, Kitty threatens to blow him apart with a shotgun if he ever comes near her again. Shortly afterward, Matt (James Arness) and Chester (Dennis Weaver) find Nip lying in an alley, a shotgun wound in his back--and surrounded by the footprints of a woman. This episode is based on the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of July 30, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Night watchman Clyde Matik has been stabbed to death in an appliance store warehouse. One of the dead man's fellow employees is convinced that the guilty party is Matik's girlfriend Bessie Rowan (Ann Doran), but Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are sent off on a different path thanks to evidence dug up by the crime lab. The guilty party turns out to be a huge surprise for all concerned--especially Bessie Rowan. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of August 16, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
It's roundup time again, and Dodge City braces itself for the annual invasion of hundreds of wild-and-wooly cowboys, all looking for girls, whiskey and trouble. Most of the local merchants demand that Matt (James Arness) provide extra protection agains the rampaging cowpokes; the one exception is crooked saloon owner Ray Torp (Jacques Aubuchon), who expects to rake in a fortune. In his efforts to mollify the merchants and still allow the cowboys to let off steam, Matt makes a fatal blunder that costs the life of one of his closest friends. This episode is based on the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of February 14, 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
