Noam Pitlik Movies
- 1963
Saunders (Vic Morrow) and the squad are assigned to capture a heavily guarded enemy bridge. Threatening to sabotage the mission from the get-go is Pvt. Mick Haler (guest star Nick Adams), an obnoxious wisecracker who'll do anything to stay alive long enough to resume his civilian career as a jazz drummer. The other men wonder if Haler is merely another griper, or a craven coward who will let them down when they need him most. By episode's end, most of the survivors are asking themselves the same question that Haler had posed at the beginning: Is all the bloodshed really worth it? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Produced by Stanley Kramer, A Child is Waiting is set in an institution for the mentally handicapped, with many actual residents playing supporting and bit roles. Doctor Burt Lancaster and instructor Judy Garland often find themselves at odds over teaching methods, with Garland preferring an intense one-on-one approach with her students. Bruce Ritchey, a non-developmentally challenged youth, plays the retarded son of Gena Rowlands and Steven Hill, whose intellectual and social progress becomes the focal point of the film. The most uplifting sequence in A Child is Waiting takes place during a play staged by the genuinely handicapped children for their parents; while director John Cassavetes gilds the lily with close-ups of the teary-eyed audience, the kids themselves are earnest, engaging, and totally devoid of self-pity. According to Stanley Kramer, Judy Garland left her best work in this film on the cutting room floor; whenever completing a scene in which she'd exercised professional restraint, she'd insist upon a retake, then resort to the sobbing and breast-beating that her fans had come to expect. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Judy Garland, (more)
- 1963
He may be calling himself Bob Davies, but Richard Kimble (David Janssen) is recognized as fugitive from justice by a fellow Korean war veteran, Joe Hallop (Tim O'Connor). Unbeknonst to Kimble. Hallop had saved his life during the war--only to be crippled and disfigured in the process. Out of gratitude, Kimble tries to help Hallop put the pieces of his life back together...little realizing that the embittered veteran has a few sinister plans of his own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
As something of an experiment, Uncle Martin (Ray Walston) decides to fall in love, an emotion unkown on Mars. The object of Martin's affections is an exotic dancer who goes by the name of Peaches Ancream (Kathie Browne). As it turns out, Peaches is quite fond of Martin, but she insists that the man in her life must tell the whole truth at all times--so how will Martin be able to continue covering up his outer-space origins? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Now in Ohio and posing as "Pete Glenn", Kimble (David Janssen) lands a job at a nightclub where Hallie Martin (Janis Paige) is the featured singer. It happens that Hallie is the living image of Kimble's late wife, a fact that fascinates him. Hallie is equally fascinated by Kimble--but her husband Dan (Paul Fix) isn't, and he is poised to make big trouble for everyone concerned. Janis Paige sings several standards, including the old ballad "The Water is Wide". (A point to ponder: If Hallie Martin is a lookalike for Kimble's wife, shouldn't she have been played by Diane Brewster, who was usually seen as the unfortunate Mrs. Kimble in the series' flashback sequences?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Gidget (Sally Field) thinks that her low grades in English are due to the fact that her teacher, Donald Hardy (Noam Pitlik), is a former friend of her father Russ (Don Porter). Convinced that Hardy is prejudiced against her, Gidge figures out a scheme to prove this theory. Thus it is that, when time comes for her to turn in her latest composition, she hands over a paper originally written by Russ--which received an "A" first time around. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
It's Herman and Lily's centennial wedding anniversary, and each wants to buy the other a nice gift. Lacking the necessary funds, Herman (Fred Gwynne) moonlights as a welder, little realizing that his like-minded spouse Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) has taken the same kind of job at the same location. While wearing their protective helmets, Mr. and Mrs. Munster meet and fail to recognize each other--leading to a ticklish situation when they begin a mutual flirting session! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
While Pvt. Steve Kovac (Chad Everett) is out on patrol, Lt. Hanley receives word that Kovac's wife is dying. Though he intends to give the man emergency leave, Hanley decides to withhold the tragic information until the patrol has returned. Meanwhile, Kovac is trapped in a basement with the rest of the squad--and all that is keeping him from succumbing to panic and despair is the "certainty" that his wife will be waiting for him when he comes home. This is the final episode of Combat's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Martin (Ray Walston) takes a picture of Tim (Bill Bixby) with his "futuroid" camera, the result being a photo showing Tim getting married the very next day to a mysterious woman whose face is obscured. To avoid this fate, Tim swears off girls for the next 24 hours. Alas, he has reckoned without sexy hat-check girl Louise Babcock (Yvonne Craig), a haughty lass who has never given Tim the time of day...until now! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In The Hallelujah Trail, Lee Remick plays temperance leader Cora Templeton Massingale, who is determined to halt a shipment of whiskey headed for Denver. The shipment is being escorted by the US cavalry, under the guidance of Col. Thadeus Gearhardt (Burt Lancaster). As the Denver miners thirstily await the precious booze, Gearhardt must fend off not only Cora and her minions, but a bibulous tribe of Sioux warriors, headed by Chief Walks-Stooped-Over (Martin Landau)-not to mention an outsized sandstorm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, (more)
- 1965
In the first episode of a two-part story, Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) briefly suspends his search for fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen) to take a long-overdue vacation with his wife Marie (Barbara Rush). But when Girard abandons her to follow up a new lead on Kimble, the frustrated Marie goes off on her own. Boarding a bus, Marie is unaware that among her travelling companions is Kimble himself, posing as "Steve Carver." Things take a potentially deadly turn when the bus crashes, rendering Marie temporarily blind--and there's a flood approaching. (Trivia note: the last time we saw Mrs. Gerard in the episode "Never Wave Goodbye", she was played by Rachel Ames...and her name was Ann). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) receives a frantic call from Joe Cloud (Alejandro Rey), an Apache Indian who served under Erskine in Korea. Having returned to his reservation to find a man trying to rape his wife, Cloud has killed the attacker and taken it on the lam. Since the murder occurred on Federal property, Erskine has no choice but to hunt down and capture Cloud--all the while taking extraordinary precautions to make certain that the fugitive does no further harm, either to others or himself. Robert Blake makes his first of several F.B.I. guest appearances as Joe Cloud's brother Pete. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Hogan's Heroes began its six-season run on September 17, 1965, with its black-and-white pilot episode, "The Informer." Colonel Hogan and the gang welcome a new prisoner named Wagner (Noam Pitlik) to Stalag 13 (here referred to as "Camp 13"). After giving the newcomer a guided tour of the barracks -- and of the inmates' covert espionage operation and prisoner-escape service -- Hogan discovers that Wagner is a spy for the Gestapo. Quickly, the other prisoners cook up a scheme to discredit Wagner in the eyes of Colonel Klink and the rest of the Germans. Worth noting in this inaugural episode is the more sharply adversarial relationship between Hogan and Klink (who is not as much of a buffoon as he'd be in subsequent episode) and the fact that Carter (Larry Hovis) is a lieutenant rather than a sergeant. "The Informer" was written by Richard M. Powell and series creators Bernard Fein and Albert S. Ruddy, from a story by Fein and Ruddy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
The British title of Billy Wilder's classic comedy was Meet Whiplash Willie -- for, despite Jack Lemmon's star billing, the movie's driving force is Oscar-winning Walter Matthau as gloriously underhanded lawyer "Whiplash" Willie Gingrich. CBS cameraman Harry Hinkle (Lemmon) is injured when he is accidentally bulldozed by football player Luther "Boom Boom" Jackson (Ron Rich) during a Cleveland Browns game. Willie, Harry's brother-in-law, foresees an insurance-settlement bonanza, and he convinces Harry to pretend to be incapacitated by the accident. To insure his client's cooperation, Willie arranges for Harry's covetous ex-wife Sandy (Judi West) to feign a rekindling of their romance. Harry's conscience is plagued by the solicitous behavior of Boom Boom, who is so devastated at causing Harry's injury that he insists on waiting on the "cripple" hand and foot. Meanwhile, dishevelled private eye Purkey (Cliff Osmond) keeps Harry under constant surveillance, hoping to catch him moving around so the insurance company can avoid shelling out a fortune. Wilder and usual co-writer I.A.L. Diamond were at their most jaundiced and cynical here, even if, after a sardonic semiclimax, the last ten minutes succumb to the sentimentality that often marred Wilder's later movies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, (more)
- 1966
Posing as "Ben Russell", Kimble finds refuge in the home of the Koraks, a family of Hungarian emigres. When the police put the family's apartment building under surveillance while searching for an escaped murderer, Josef Korak (Ludwig Donath) begins to worry that his past criminal record as an illegal abortionist will be revealed. To save himself, Korak plans to turn Kimble over the authorities--until the runaway murderer invades the family's flat and dramatically changes the whole scenario. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Hogan faces the daunting task of arranging the mass escape of an entire American bomber crew. To this end, Hogan's men construct a huge snowman to camouflage the escape route -- and hope against hope that the weather doesn't change! Noam Pitlik, who played the double agent in the Hogan's Heroes pilot episode, is here cast as U.S.A.F. Captain Morgan. Written by Arthur Julian, "Everybody Loves a Snowman" first aired on December 9, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1967
Having seen Sister Bertrille fly through the air (thanks to her lightweight and oversized coronet), casino proprietor Carlos Ramirez is convinced that she is a "sign," and promptly makes plans to change his hedonistic ways and convert to Catholicism. Though Sr. Bertrille is naturally gratified, she must dissuade him from regarding her as a miracle from Above. Arlene Golonka appears as the latest in the long line of Carlos' sexy girlfriends. Written by Bernard Slade, "The Convert" first aired on September 14, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Coming in for an emergency landing while flying important documents to the Mother Superior, Sr. Bertrille drops into the middle of a secret Mob conclave. Her sudden arrival has a profound effect on a gangster chieftain (Noam Pitlik), who is convinced that Sr. Bertrille is a sign from Heaven. Insisting upon giving up his evil ways, the gangster may also give up breathing if his cronies have anything to say about it. Written by John McGreevey, "It's an Ill Wind" was first telecast on November 16, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
When an aging philanthropist falls on hard times, her butler starts to rob the rich so that she can keep on giving to the poor in this comedy. Claude Fitzwilliam (Dick Van Dyke), known to his friends as "Fitzwilly," works as a butler for Victoria Woodworth (Edith Evans), who -- ever since the death of her husband -- has been using her inheritance to benefit her favorite charitable causes. However, no one has the heart to tell Mrs. Woodworth that she doesn't have much money left, and to compensate for the shortfall brought on by her philanthropy, Fitzwilly and his fellow domestics have been pulling a series of robberies at department stores. When Mrs. Woodworth gets the idea of compiling "A Dictionary for Dopes," which indexes phonetic spellings of commonly misspelled words, she hires Juliet Nowell (Barbara Feldon) to help on the project as a secretary. Juliet senses that there's something fishy about Fitzwilly, especially when she finds out that he has a college education but earns a meager salary as a butler, and she imagines the worst when she finds out about his criminal activities. Watch for Sam Waterston in a small role; this was his first film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Feldon, (more)
- 1967
Escaped killer George Bellamy (Bradford Dillman) covers his tracks by setting a series of forest fires. Bellamy's strategy is to throw the FBI off the trail; while they're searching for an unknown arsonist, he will be able to flee the country. It is up to Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to capture Bellamy before he sparks a final conflagration that will kill thousands of innocent people. Filmed on location in Angeles National Forest, this episode benefits from the strong supporting performances of TV stalwarts Lynda Day and Charles Grodin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this WW II drama a naive group of men join the military to fight for their country, never anticipating the horrifying realities of war. One of them is mortified at first, but then turns into a heartless killer. His sergeant reprimands him for shooting a surrendering German. Later he proves himself worthy by risking his neck to save the sergeant. Afterwards the two become life-long friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Drury, Steve Carlson, (more)
- 1968
While attending an auto show in Raleigh, Goober is reacquainted with his old friend Roy Swanson (Noam Pitlik), who expansively boasts of his wealth and successful business transactions. Not wishing to lose face, Goober makes up a bunch of stories about his own "fabulous" success-and lands in deep trouble as a result. The final scene represents one of actor George Lindsey's finest and most poignant moments on The Andy Griffith Show. Written by Joe Bonaduce, "Goober Goes to an Auto Show" originally aired on February 5, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Carter disguises himself as Klink during a sabotage mission. Holding Klink responsible for the attack, the Gestapo have him arrested and sentenced to execution. Hogan must find a way to simultaneously rescue Klink and Carter, who is off on another mission in the same disguise. "Will the Real Colonel Klink Please Stand Up Against the Wall" was written by future All in the Family stalwart Bill Davenport and was first broadcast on December 21, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1968
One of Hogan's Heroes' best episodes, "Klink vs. the Gonculator" goes beyond the series' standard spoof of wartime bureaucracy and offers a wide-ranging satire of corporate paranoia and behind-covering. When Klink becomes convinced that Carter's rabbit trap is a secret electronic device, Hogan seizes upon this misconception in order to help German defector Major Lutz (Noam Pitlik) escape to London. Persuading Klink that Carter's device is something called a "gonculator," Hogan further convinces Klink -- and the German top brass -- to bring Lutz into Stalag 13 as an "electronics expert." One of the funniest scenes finds both Klink and Burkhalter assuring each other that Carter's creation is "not as good as our gonculator." Written by Phil Sharp, "Klink vs. the Gonculator" first aired on October 5, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
