Noam Pitlik Movies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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