Ed Prentiss Movies
At last the secret has been revealed! Prime-time network programming is determined by a chimpanzee! That's the premise of Disney's The Barefoot Executive, a highly amusing spoof of the TV bizz. Kurt Russell plays a page boy at a bottom-rated TV network. Stuck with his girl friend's (Heather North) pet chimp, Russell discovers that his hairy friend has a genuine gift for picking hit TV series. Appointed head of programming, Russell keeps the fact that the chimp is doing all the work hidden from the public. But when his former boss Joe Flynn and his rival John Ritter find out, all heck breaks loose (we'd say "all hell", but this is a Disney flick). A strong supporting cast of comic "regulars"-Wally Cox, Harry Morgan, Alan Hewitt, Hayden Rorke et al.--keeps The Barefoot Executive moving at a fast clip ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, (more)
- 1971
- R
A man who can't stop looking at other women finds that it might cost him his marriage in this farcical comedy. William and Lisa Alren (Richard Benjamin and Joanna Shimkus) are a young married couple whose relationship has begun to go stale. Bored and looking for diversion, William begins spying playfully on the sexual habits of their neighbors and watching attractive women passing by; while his voyeurism falls short of criminal activity, it doesn't sit at all well with Lisa. Eventually, she becomes so troubled by William's roving eye that she leaves their home and moves in with her sister Nan (Elizabeth Ashley), a harridan who has verbally browbeaten her attorney husband Chester (Adam West) into submission. At Nan's insistence and with Chester's help, Lisa begins divorce proceedings against William, but he tries to convince her to give him another chance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Benjamin, Joanna Shimkus, (more)
- 1970
Determined to "change the world" in a hurry, home-grown terrorist Eric Stone (Geoffrey Deuel) has no qualms about resorting to violence. Together with fellow conspirators Gilbert Manning (Tom Falk), Karen Wandemere (Diane Ewing), and Knox and Allen Hiller (Wayne Maunder, Mark Jenkins), Stone has cut quite a swath across the country, wreaking all manner of destruction on government property. With time running out and only a handful of leads at his disposal, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must locate the Federal building that has been booby-trapped with a time bomb by the arrogant would-be revolutionaries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
A gang of hoodlums ambush a messenger and a guard for a Wall Street brokerage firm, stealing $400,000 in securities. The guard is killed, but the crooks allow the messenger to go free, and for good reason: The messenger is Paul Thorpe (Robert Walker Jr.), the nephew of a powerful Mafia boss. Refusing to come forward as a witness for fear of being implicated in the crime, Paul succeeds only in causing a lot more trouble for himself and his fiancee Charlene (Patricia Harty). Watch for future Brady Bunch star Barry Williams in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Project X boasts better special effects than usual for tight-fisted producer/director William Castle, but it crumbles in the story department. Christopher George is a secret agent living in the year 2118, who through a complex scientific charade is convinced that he's living in 1968. The plan is for George to uncover a secret germ formula that had been hidden away 50 years earlier. Castle's propensity for borrowing gimmicks from earlier films is well known; this time he reaches back as far as a nearly-forgotten 1954 episode of the TV series Flash Gordon! The biological warfare throughline of Project X was more convincing in its source material, a novel by Leslie P. Davies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher George, Greta Baldwin, (more)
- 1966
Andrew Duggan guest stars as Major Chester Winster, the Army's new Inspector General. An avowed Indian hater, Major Winster hopes to use his revolutionary new weapon, the Chest-Winster 76 ("the gun that will win the west") to wipe out every tribe on the frontier--including the peace-loving Hekawis. To prevent this, O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Agarn (Larry Storch) improvise a clever sabotage scheme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Raymond Burr essays a dual role in this offbeat episode, appearing as both Perry Mason and Mason's evil lookalike, a scurrilous merchant seaman named Grimes. It seems that someone has hired Grimes to pose as Mason in order to discredit the lawyer's testimony in a hearing over a million-dollar patent dispute. Subsequently, the winner of the dispute, Otis Swanson (Oliver McGowan), is murdered, and innocent Barbara Kramer (Indus Arthur) is arrested for the crime. To save Barbara from the gas chamber, Perry must literally chase himself by tracking down the elusive--and dangerously short-tempered--Mr. Grimes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
While on a fishing vacation, Perry (Raymond Burr) rescues novelist Diana Carter (Bonnie Jones) from a watery grave. He must then save Diana from a charge of being an accomplice in a $50,000 jewel theft. And THEN, it's up to Perry to clear the girl on a charge of murdering Addison Powell. A forged note, hidden somewhere in a sunken yacht, is the vital piece of evidence on this occasion. "The Case of the Impetuous Imp" is based on Erle Stanley Gardner's novel The Case of the Negilgent Nymph, previously filmed under that title for Perry Mason's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Beaver (Jerry Mathers) enthusiastically participates in a clothing drive, determined to win a Good Citizenship Award. So focused is Beaver on this goal that he isn't too particular where he finds the clothes to donate. Dad Ward (Hugh Beaumont), however, sees things differently -- especially when his three new suits end up being accidentally "appropriated" by eager Beaver. Watch for a young Tim Matheson (then billed as Matthieson) in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Packer, Ed Prentiss, (more)
- 1963
Investigating a mine cave-in, Joe Cartwright finds his friend Seth Pruitt (Richard Rust standing over the dead body of Seth's future father-in-law. Admitting to murder, Seth explains that the dead man suffered extensive injuries in the cave-in, and begged to be killed rather than live out his life as a cripple. Seth then swears Joe to secrecy, out of respect for the feelings of Seth's intended bride Sara (Nancy Rennick). Throughout the rest of the episode, Joe agonizes over his promise to Seth, wondering if his decision to remain silent is morally defensible. A surprise ending caps Peter Packer's riveting teleplay. Originally telecast November 17, 1963, "The Quality of Mercy" was one of Michael Landon's favorite Bonanza episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1963
When Todd Baylor (Robert Harland) inherits an equal partnership in his family's successful chain of clothing stores, his brother Martin (Peter Walker) is outraged. It seems that Martin wants the whole business to himself, and he is determined to force Todd out of the picture. In the end, however, it is Martin who is "forced out" courtesy of a sharp knife. It falls to Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to prove that Todd is not guilty of fratricide. Featured in the cast are two prominent "celebrity spouses": Patrice Wymore, the former Mrs. Errol Flynn; and Nancy Kovack, future wife of conductor Zubin Mehta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
From at least the 1930s on to the 1970s, the upbeat protestant minister, Reverend Norman Vincent Peale, ministered to the well-heeled and upwardly mobile of the United States from his pulpit at the Riverside church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. At least as positive-thinking as the similarly cheery Dale Carnegie (How To Win Friends and Influence People), his lift-yourself-by-your-bootstraps message of good cheer was perceived as unorthodox by many within the churches he grew up in. After many decades of preaching his message, summed up in his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking, he was enshrined as a sort of secular saint. His influence reached to Presidents and corporate heads, and his name became synonymous with a kind of extraverted wholesomeness which has long since vanished. This biopic traces his career in the most respectful possible manner. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Murray, Diana Hyland, (more)
- 1963
A Gathering of Eagles stars Rock Hudson as a colonel in the peacetime Strategic Air Command. His devotion to his duty as a wing commander takes a toll on his men, his marriage, and his own well-being. It is to Hudson's credit that he was willing to put his image on the line with this essentially unsympathetic characterization, and a tribute to his underrated ability as an actor that he compels us to care for him. Popular British leading lady Mary Peach makes a rare Hollywood appearance as Hudson's English wife. An unexpected bonus to A Gathering of Eagles is a semicomic musical piece, "The SAC Song," by dilettante satirist Tom Lehrer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Rod Taylor, (more)
- 1962
Beaver (Jerry Mathers) pleads with his dad Ward (Hugh Beaumont) to buy him a typewriter, arguing that the instrument will improve his grades. Ward finally gives in, but only on condition that Beaver learns to type. This proves to be a near-unattainable goal -- and thus, when Beaver is assigned to write a composition for school, he pays Eddie (Ken Osmond) a dollar to do it for him. Inevitably, Beaver receives a high grade, largely predicated on his "excellent" typing...and with this grade comes a big-time crisis of conscience for our hero! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Osmond, Stephen Talbot, (more)
- 1962
Before settling into the semi-regular role of Adam Cartwright's fiancée Laura Dayton during the 1963-64 season, Kathie Browne appeared as two different characters in two earlier Bonanza episodes. In "The Tall Stranger," Browne was cast as Margie Owens, the daughter of the town banker (Russell Owens). Though Hoss is in love with Margie, he loses out to charming, globetrotting Mark Connors (Sean McClory). Desirous of traveling to faraway lands, Margie agrees to marry Connors -- who ultimately deserts her, leaving her alone, destitute, and very pregnant. Written by Ward Hawkins, "The Tall Stranger" first aired January 7, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1962
One of the girls in his class makes fun of Beaver's shaggy haircut. More sensitive to the taunts of the opposite sex than he'd been a few seasons ago, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) decides to do something about his unruly hair -- short of actually getting a buzz cut, of course. So he plasters down his locks with a variety of very greasy sprays and gels! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Osmond, Ed Prentiss, (more)
- 1961
Perry (Raymond Burr) is summoned to Manzan Valley to settle a bitter land dispute. His client is Judy Bryant (Sarah Marshall), who claims the the boundary on her property was illegally changed when the river was rerouted. Judy's key witness is her no-good stepfather Amos (Robert Lowery), who agrees to testify on her behalf--but only if she ponies up $10,000. Soon afterward, Amos is blown to bits by a homemade bomb, and Judy finds herself facing a murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
One of only two theatrical features by television director Vincent J. Donahue, Sunrise at Campobello is a biography of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that attempts to illustrate the statesman's courageous battle against infantile paralysis and his political foes. While in the prime of his life, Roosevelt (Ralph Bellamy) is stricken with a debilitating illness that threatens to end his career. Fortunately, his wife, Eleanor (Greer Garson), faithfully helps him regain his strength and become one of America's most influential and beloved Commanders in Chief. Hume Cronyn also stars as F.D.R.'s political strategist Louis Howe, who forms a successful triumvirate with the Roosevelts. For her performance, Greer Garson received a Best Actress nomination at the 1961 Academy Awards. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Bellamy, Greer Garson, (more)
- 1960
Elizabeth Montgomery, who'd previously costarred with One Step Beyond host John Newlandin the popular 1950s anthology Robert Montgomery Presents, guests in this episode as Lillie Clarke, the selfish and willful daughter of Army camp commander William Clarke (Ed Prentiss). Inveigling her dad into finding her the "perfect" escort for a fancy dress ball, the vixenish Lillie rejects another suitor, then persuades papa to send the unwanted swain on a dangerous mission so he'll be out of the way. But on the night of the ball, guess who shows up to have the first dance with Lillie? And need we add: the first dance is also the last. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
An unexceptional spy drama by Andre De Toth, Man on a String is based on an autobiography by counterspy Boris Morros, here given the name of Boris Mitrov and played by Ernest Borgnine. Mitrov was born in Russia but had been a citizen of the U.S. for some time when he joins up with a Russian spy network. He is caught out by the CIA, and they offer him a deal: go to the USSR and spy for our side, or else. Boris' boss is Bob Avery (the handsome Kerwin Mathews) and Colleen Dewhurst is Helen Benson, the lone female in the story. Clichéd dialogue aside, the scenes shot in Moscow and Berlin add convincing realism to the action. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine, Kerwin Mathews, (more)
- 1959
A fashionable neighborhood has been targetted by a gang of burglars, who specialize in lifting valuable furs and jewels. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) determine that all of the robbery victims had been seen at popular LA night spots just before they were burglarized. The case is solved with the "assistance" of a toothsome young lady who has a habit of hanging around with known criminals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A fast-paced western with a romantic twist, this was one of the last films pairing director Budd Boetticher and popular cowboy hero Randolph Scott before Scott's retirement. John Hayes (Scott) left the Civil War behind him when he took on the job of managing the Overland Stage Lines out of a small Colorado town. Clay Putnam has not forgotten that the Confederacy lost and he plans on robbing Hayes' Overland Stage of one of its gold shipments from California to the North. He wants the gold to stay in the South to revive the Confederate cause. Meanwhile, his wife Norma (Virginia Mayo) complicates matters since she was Hayes' old flame, and Putnam's cronies want the gold for themselves. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Virginia Mayo, (more)
If Warner Bros.' pageantlike The FBI Story resembles an episode of Jack Webb's Dragnet at times, it's probably because the screenplay was by veteran Dragnet scrivener Richard L. Breen. The film meticulously details the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, from its formation in 1924 to the present day (1959, that is). The story is told through the eyes of FBI agent Chip Hardesty (James Stewart), who narrates the film. We see the FBI tackling such villains as the Ku Klux Klan, the mob, the Nazis and the communists. Subplots include the struggle by the federal agents to be given permission to carry firearms, a plight driven home when Hardesty's best friend (Murray Hamilton) is killed by gun-toting Baby Face Nelson (William Phipps). Offsetting moments like these are scenes of Hardesty's home life with his wife Lucy (Vera Miles), who at first opposed her husband's joining the bureau but who later becomesJ. Edgar Hoover's biggest fan. Excessively sentimental at times (it seems that the Hardesty family can never hold a party without receiving a terse telegram announcing yet another personal tragedy) and saddled with a rambling, stop-and-start continuity, the overall success of The FBI Story hinges upon its individual episodes, including a wowser of a pre-credits sequence involving matricidal mad bomber John Graham (Nick Adams). Since the film was made at a time when the FBI was considered to be of spotless reputation, don't expect to see any scenes of the bureau wiretapping civil rights leaders--or, for that matter, J. Edgar Hoover prancing around in drag. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Vera Miles, (more)
- 1959
Having escaped from a mental institution, Evelyn Forbes (Ann Rutherford) is the primary suspect in the murder of her ex-husband Arthur Cartwright (Robert Ellenstein). Things get worse for Evelyn when another person is killed, as well as a strange dog that has been howling nonstop throughout the proceedings. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) sets about to save Evelyn's life, even though the evidence against her is overwhelming. This episode is based on a novel by Erle Stanley Gardner, which was previously adapted as a 1934 theatrical feature starring Warren William as Mason (in the movie, it is implied that the heroine is actually guilty, but Perry manages to get her off in the spirit of "justifiable homicide"!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Whenever a fire breaks out, Esther Quentin (Norma Crane) comes down with a fever. Eventually Esther tells her husband Bill (Grant Williams) that she has foreseen each of these fires, and that every one of them was set by her twin sister. Now she has envisioned her sister burning down an orphanage--whereupon the authorities race against time to evacuate the building. Only at the very end do we learn the whole story about Esther's mysterious (and highly incendiary) sibling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
