Oscar Beregi Movies
The son of celebrated Hungarian stage and screen actor Oscar Beregi Sr., Oscar Beregi Jr. made his American film bow in 1953's Call Me Madam. During the next two decades, the younger Beregi excelled as a movie and TV villain, often playing sadistic Nazis. He could be seen in virtually every major network TV program, making three memorable appearances on The Twilight Zone alone. Though Oscar Beregi's big-screen roles were often small, he made the most of such broadly drawn characters as the scowling U-boat commandant in The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) and the taunting prison guard in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (1974). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1976
Circumstantial evidence has implicated Nico Triforos (George Pan Casselman), a reclusive young Greek immigrant, in the murder of a prostitute. Assigned to solve the case, Kojak (Telly Savalas) runs afoul of his fellow Greek-Americans, who disapprove of his "persecution" of a downtrodden countryman. Featured in the supporting cast as heavily accented Greek characters are Alan Napier (Batman) and Oscar Beregi, respectively born in England and Hungary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Lending his burlesque touch to 1970s genre revision, Mel Brooks followed his hit "western" Blazing Saddles with this parody of 1930s Universal horror movies. Determined to live down his family's reputation, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (co-screenwriter Gene Wilder) insists on pronouncing his name "Fronckensteen" and denies interest in replicating his grandfather's experiments. But when he is lured by Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman) to discover the tantalizingly titled journal "How I Did It" in his grandfather's castle, he cannot resist. With the help of voluptuous Inga (Teri Garr), wall-eyed assistant Igor (Marty Feldman), and a purloined brain, Frankenstein creates his monster (Peter Boyle). Igor, however, stole the wrong brain, and the monster tears off into the countryside, encountering a little girl and a blind hermit (Gene Hackman). Frankenstein finds the monster and trains him to do a little "Puttin' On the Ritz" soft-shoe, but the monster escapes again, this time seducing Frankenstein's uptight fiancée Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn) with his, ahem, sweet mystery. His love life and experiment in shambles, Frankenstein finally finds a way to create the being he had planned. Shooting in gleaming black-and-white, with sets and props from the 1930s and appropriate fright music by John Morris, Brooks' cheeky attitude towards the Hollywood past attracted a large audience, turning it into one of the most popular 1974 releases after (what else?) Blazing Saddles. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, (more)
- 1973
Originally seen on March 30, 1973, "Imitation" was the final first-run Mission:Impossible episode to be broadcast on CBS, even though it was the seventh of the 22 episodes filmed for the series' climactic 1972-73 season. Singer Barbara McNair guest stars as Jena Cole, the beautiful leader of a band of jewel thieves. With only 72 hours at their disposal, the IMF must recover the Marnsburg Crown Jewels from Jena's clutches. Going undercover as a crook, Barney joins the gang, only to inadvertently endanger the mission when Jena falls in love with him. "Imitation" was written by Edward J. Lasko. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
- R
- Add Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask to QueueAdd Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask to top of Queue
Woody Allen's in-name-only adaptation of the once notorious sexual reference guide by Dr. David Reuben contains seven episodes based on "helpful" questions answered in the book. In "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?", Allen appears as a court jester who uses a love potion to spark the erotic interests of the Queen (Lynn Redgrave). "What Is Sodomy?" stars Gene Wilder as a doctor who throws away his marriage, career, and position in the community when he falls madly in love with an Armenian sheep named Daisy. "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" is a parody of stylish Italian films of the '60s in which a slick playboy (Woody Allen) discovers his wife (Louise Lasser) can climax only when they make love in public places. In "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?," Sam (Lou Jacobi) has his little secret revealed at a most inopportune moment. "What Are Sex Researchers Actually Accomplishing?" features John Carradine in a great parody of his mad-scientist roles as Dr. Bernardo, whose research into human sexuality has led to a fearsome mutation -- a 50-foot tall female breast! "What Are Sexual Perversions?" takes us to a broadcast of the popular game show What's My Perversion?, in which Jack Barry leads a panel of celebrities (including Regis Philbin and Robert Q. Lewis) in guessing the erotic obsessions of their guests. And "What Happens During Ejaculation?" takes the audience inside the body of a man in the throes of passion; The Brain (Tony Randall) guides the body's functions, with the help of his assistant (Burt Reynolds), while Allen plays a nervous sperm cell not sure if he can make the big jump. While the quality of the episodes is uneven, the best rank with the funniest moments of Allen's career, especially Gene Wilder's touching romance with the sheep ("I think we can make this work, Daisy") and the final sequence inside the male body ("What if he's only masturbating? I'll end up on the ceiling somewhere!"). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, John Carradine, (more)
- 1972
- R
A young Army private looks for his first sexual experience before being shipped out for Vietnam. Instead he falls for a young lady, whom he spends a platonic 72-hour leave with. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1971
Hogan's Heroes utility player Dave Morick is spotlighted in this episode as a Nazi spy posing as an American officer named Lt. Miller. To dupe "Miller" into revealing the identity of his German contact, Hogan and his men stage an elaborate masquerade, transforming Klink's office into Nazi headquarters in Berlin and having Sgt. Carter give out with his legendary impersonation of Adolf Hitler. Oscar Beregi) appears as Herr Schneer. Written by R.S. Allen and Harvey Bullock, "The Meister Spy" first aired on January 17, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
Although the characters' names were changed, The Great White Hope was a thinly veiled account of the trials and tribulations of boxer Jack Johnson, based on the play by Howard Sackler and directed by Martin Ritt. James Earl Jones stars as boxing great Jack Jefferson, who defeats Frank Bardy Larry Pennell in a Reno, Nevada bout to become the world's first black heavyweight champion. After crossing a state line with his white girlfriend Eleanor (Jane Alexander in her feature debut), however, Jack is arrested and tried under the miscegenation-barring Mann Act. Found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison, Jack escapes and leaves the U.S., but he's dogged by his now bad reputation and can't get honest work as a fighter. Offered his freedom from criminal charges if he'll agree to a fixed fight in Cuba that will restore the title to a white contender, Jack refuses and Eleanor commits suicide, their life on the run overwhelming her. Jack finally accepts the bout in Havana, but he fights his opponent with everything he's got. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, (more)
- 1970
- R
Taken from the autobiography of the world's first transsexual, George Jorgensen (John Hansen) is a woman trapped in a man's body who opts for surgery and hormone treatments to make him a woman. Events of his childhood are covered, showing young George preferring dolls over contact sports. Inducted into the Army, the sexually confused George learns to hide his emotions during his military experience. He travels to Denmark where a pioneering team of doctors agree to perform the surgical process for the first time ever. His kindly aunt in Denmark (Joan Tompkins) gives George the name of Christine after her late daughter. Hansen is unconvincing as a woman, and there are several passages in this biographical drama that lead to unintentional hilarity. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hansen, Joan Tompkins, (more)
- 1970
For the benefit of the Douglases' young house guest Lori (Victoria Meyerink), Lisa (Eva Gabor) tells the girl the story of how she and Oliver (Eddie Albert) first met. Each of the previous episodes in which this story was unfolded flashback-style has offered an entirely different account of the events, and the present episode is no exception. This time around, Lisa's dad (Oscar Beregi) is an exiled king, Lisa herself is a princess working incognito as a waitress, and Oliver is a naïve, camera-happy tourist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victoria Meyerink, Oscar Beregi, (more)
- 1969
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) launches a search for the "inside man" who has masterminded a series of meticulously planned robberies in New York's diamond district. Piecing the clues together, Erskine concludes that at least one of the men who pulled off the most recent heist is a trained athlete--very likely a well-known circus performer. A terrific shootout at an airport baggage terminal caps this exciting episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A murder investigation uncovers a plot that could destroy the world as we know it in this thriller. When a scientist doing research on nuclear weapons is murdered during a hospital stay, federal investigator Dave Pomeroy (Howard Duff) is called in to find out who killed him and why. With the help of Dr. Paula Stevens (Linda Cristal), the late scientist's assistant, Pomeroy learns that the scientist fell victim to a group of communist renegades whose members include two brilliant but unstable weapons experts, August Best (Nehemiah Persoff) and Myra Pryor (Anne Jeffreys). Pomeroy discovers that Best and Pryor have constructed an atomic bomb of their own -- and that they're threatening to use it to start World War III, forcing the detective to take swift action to prevent worldwide devastation. Panic in the City also features Dennis Hopper in the small role of Goff, just a year before Easy Rider would make him a star. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Duff, Linda Cristal, (more)
- 1968
Prevailing upon her movie-producer friend, Lisa manages to land a Hollywood role for Hooterville's favorite pig Arnold. A natural-born ham (ouch!), Arnold proves to be a natural before the cameras. This is no surprise to Lisa, who had faith in Arnold's talents all along. As for Lisa's husband Oliver, he can only observe the situation with a mounting sense of horror: will he be forced to give up the life of a gentleman farmer to be Arnold's permanent "handler"? This concluding episode of a two-part story marks the finale of Green Acres' third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oscar Beregi, Peter Leeds, (more)
- 1968
In the first episode of a two-part story, Arnold the pig is cast in a major role in the Hooterville Theater's lastest production. Not surprisingly, Arnold scores a hit -- whereupon Lisa (Eva Gabor), following her peculiar sense of logic, convinces herself that the porcine prince is ready for movie stardom. Thus it is that Lisa and her husband Oliver (Eddie Albert) find themselves chaperoning Arnold as he travels to Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oscar Beregi, Patience Cleveland, (more)
- 1967
In her first Ironside guest appearance, Susan Saint James is cast as Las Vegas nightclub singer Elaine Moreau, with whom Ed Brown (Don Galloway) has fallen in love. Attacked and knocked unconscious after his first date with Elaine, Ed awakens to find that the girl has completely disappeared. Probing into the incident, Ironside (Raymond Burr) uncovers several unsavory facts about Elaine's checkered past, thereby preparing the viewer for the episode's melancholy climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this Prisoner of Zenda spoof, Davy Jones plays a dual role, as "himself" and his exact look-alike, Prince Ludlow of Perovia. When the evil Count Myron (Oscar Beregi) plans to usurp the throne by forcing Ludlow to wed within 24 hours, Davy gallantly takes the regent's place -- and in the bargain, gets to woo the lovely Wendy Forsyte (Heather North. Song: "Mary, Mary". Written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, "The Prince and the Paupers" originally aired on February 6, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
A Victor Canning novel was the launching pad for this consummately produced TV spy movie. Alex Cord is an American secret agent reluctantly employed by British secret service for a life and death mission. Teamed with the beauteous Shirley Eaton (the "golden girl" of Goldfinger), Cord is expected to locate the head of an international blackmail ring. The villain is known only by the code name "Scorpio," which could under the circumstances be a masculine or feminine monicker. Produced and directed by Richard Thorpe, The Scorpio Letters was given an overseas theatrical run after its American TV debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must capture enemy spy Sladek (Charles Korvin) before the man can report to his superiors. Sladek has in his possession a coded list of all the anti-Communist insurgents in his own country, a document that would result in mass executions should it fall into the wrong hands. Complicating Erskine's assignment is the fact that Sladek has fallen in love with Marya Pazmany, a naturalized American citizen who finds her loyalties torn between her adopted country and her treacherous lover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Season two of the hallucinogenic hayseed comedy Green Acres begins as the citizens of Hooterville face the loss of their entire corn crop to the dreaded bing bug. At least, that's what's supposed to be the central plotline of this episode. In truth, a lot more time is devoted to a WWII flashback, explaining how former fighter pilot Oliver Douglas (Eddie Albert) first met his sexy Hungarian wife Lisa (Eva Gabor). (No, it isn't what you think: she had to rescue him from the Nazis!) Eventually, the two plot strands merge as Oliver, newly inducted to the Hooterville Veteran's Organization, again takes to the air to bomb the bings out of existence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Hogan agrees to aid German General Stauffen (Oscar Beregi) in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Crucial to the scheme is a briefcase containing a tiny but deadly time bomb. Unfortunately, stupid Sgt. Schultz accidentally activates the bomb's timing device ahead of schedule. Though the audience is aware that Der Fuhrer wouldn't bite the big one until 1945, Laurence Marks' teleplay manages to deliver a sufficient amount of suspense, along with the usual quota of laughs. "Operation Briefcase" first aired on October 7, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1966
Actor Bob Crane of Hogan's Heroes fame asks Lucy (Lucille Ball) out to dinner, charmed by her demure femininity. What Bob doesn't know is that Lucy moonlights at his studio as a mustachioed male stuntman "Iron Man Carmichael." But Mr. Crane will soon be clued in on Lucy's double life when she is hired for a parachute stunt in his latest picture -- in which the sneering villain is played by Lucy's boss, Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon)! This episode, which also features another of Crane's familiar Hogan's Heroes cohorts (hint: He knows nothing! Noth-ing!), represents the final appearance of the legendary Iron Man Carmichael. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Oscar Beregi, (more)
- 1966
The first of Mission: Impossible's multipart adventures, "Old Man Out" began its two-episode run on October 8, 1966. The IMF agents disguise themselves as a carnival troupe in order to rescue 80-year-old freedom fighter Anton Cardinal Vossek (Cyril Delevanti) from an impregnable Balkan prison. Aiding the agents this time out is Briggs' old friend Crystal Walker (Mary Ann Mobley), a hire-wire artist. Part One of "Old Man Out" was written by Ellis Marcus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1966
In desperate need of money for his daughter's operation, research chemist Edward Lennan (Arthur Hill) agrees to sell some stolen vials to foreign spy Jago (Michael Strong). Lennan is convinced that the vials contain only a newly developed cosmetic base. In truth, they are contaminated with a deadly bacteria--and unless FBI Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) acts quickly, millions of lives will be lost on both sides of the Iron Curtain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In Part Two of "Old Man Out," the IMF is still posing as a carnival troupe: Briggs as a mind reader, Cinnamon as his assistant, Willy as a strongman, Barney as a clown, and freelance agent Crystal Walker (Mary Ann Mobley) as a high-wire artist and Rollin as a light-fingered roustabout. It is all part of a plan to rescue Iron Curtain freedom fighter Cardinal Vossek (Cyril Delevanti) from a high-security Balkan prison. The plan hits a snag when Vossek is moved to solitary confinement. The solution to this crisis may well rest in the curious calliope tune which is heard over and over throughout the episode. Written by Ellis Marcus, Part Two of "Old Man Out" was originally broadcast on October 15, 1966.
October 15 1966.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
October 15 1966.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, (more)
Bernhard Wicki directed this hard-hitting World War II espionage drama. Marlon Brando plays Robert Crain, a German deserter who is coerced by British Intelligence officer Colonel Statter (Trevor Howard) to impersonate a Gestapo officer in order to get aboard a German blockade runner that is conveying a valuable rubber cargo from the Orient. Crain's assignment is to save the rubber by finding a way to deactivate the explosives that the ship's captain would use to destroy the ship if captured by the enemy. Crain finds his way aboard the ship, but the ship's commander Captain Mueller (Yul Brynner), skeptical of the Nazis, refuses to let Crain out of his sight. When survivors of a sunken vessel board the ship, and Crain realizes that his identity may be exposed by two rescued German submarine officers, he incites Mueller's officers and the new arrivals to mutiny before his true identity is revealed. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, (more)
The first person the audience sees in Ship of Fools is dwarf Michael Dunn, who speaks to viewers directly and acts as a Greek chorus throughout the film. It begins on the deck of an ocean liner travelling from Vera Cruz to Bremerhaven. The time is the 1930s, so close and yet so far from war. The cross-section of humanity on board includes ship's doctor Oscar Werner, Spanish political activist Simone Signoret, aging coquette Vivien Leigh, hedonistic baseball player Lee Marvin, philosophical Jew Heinz Ruhmann, a smattering of pro- and anti-Hitlerites (Jose Ferrer plays the nastiest and most vocal "pro") and young lovers George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley. Yes, it's Grand Hotel at sea, a feast for stargazers and an endurance test for those who aren't comfortable with non-stop speechmaking. Despite such lines as "What can the Nazis do? Kill all six million of us?," Ship of Fools manages to stay afloat throughout its 148 minutes. Michael Dunn was nominated for an Academy Award for his interlocutory characterization; the rest of the performances range from brilliant to merely filling up the room. Other Oscars were presented to cinematographer Ernest Lazslo and to the art-direction staff. Ship of Fools was adapted by Abby Mann from the novel by Katharine Ann Porter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, (more)
