Denver Pyle Movies

Once again, the Darling family descends upon Mayberry, beginning with Charlene Darling (Maggie Peterson), who demands a mountain-style divorce from her new hubby Dud Wash. This is crisis enough, but when Charlene announces that she wants to wed Andy Taylor, the nonplussed Sheriff is forced to rely upon the Darlings' inbred superstitions to extricate himself from the situation. Seen in the small but showy role of Dud Wash is Bob Denver, betwixt and between Dobie Gillis and Gilligan's Island; and as before, Charlene's daddy Briscoe Darling is played by the redoubtable Denver Pyle. First shown on March 30, 1964, "Divorce, Mountain Style" was written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this horror film, college girls head for a notorious ghost town to look into a series of bizarre murders. They are greeted by the gruesome sight of a slain cemetery caretaker. One of the college girls runs for help and while she's gone, horrible things happen to her friends, thanks to the villainous doings of a strangely hooded figure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Denver Pyle returns as bombastic hillbilly patriarch Briscoe Darling. Making his semi-annual pilgrimage to Mayberry in the company of his four musically gifted (but dullwitted) sons (played by C&W performers The Dillard Brothers), Briscoe gets it into his head that Aunt Bee wants to marry him. Abducting Bee and spiriting her back to his mountain home, Briscoe soon learns that the feisty old lady is a bit too much for him to handle. Written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, "Briscoe Declares for Aunt Bee" was filmed as the first episode of The Andy Griffith Show's fourth season, though it did not air until October 28, 1963, a little less than a month after the season officially began. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Flickenger (Benny Baker) takes no chances in planning the robbery of the trucking company where his sister Sylvia (Constance Ford) works. Unfortunately, he is less careful after the heist, leaving the gun he used to pull off the job within the reach of his nephew Miles (the versatile Billy Mumy)--who promptly hides the weapon where absolutely no one can find it. This proves problematic for Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), who needs the gun to prove that Sylvia is not guilty of the murder of Joe Downing (Ray Teal). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although it can't technically be called a romance, Sally (Rose Marie) is satisfied with her current beau Herman Glimshire (Bill Idelson, who also wrote the script for this episode). It turns out that Herman has a widowed mother (Elvia Allman) who doesn't like being left home alone, so Rob arranges a get-together between his own Uncle George ( a pre-Dukes of Hazzard Denver Pyle) and the Glimshires. The plan backfires when Uncle George falls hard for Sally -- and, like the man says, they could have danced all night! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like Pontius Pilate, director John Ford asks "What is truth?" in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance--but unlike Pilate, Ford waits for an answer. The film opens in 1910, with distinguished and influential U.S. senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) returning to the dusty little frontier town where they met and married twenty-five years earlier. They have come back to attend the funeral of impoverished "nobody" Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). When a reporter asks why, Stoddard relates a film-long flashback. He recalls how, as a greenhorn lawyer, he had run afoul of notorious gunman Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who worked for a powerful cartel which had the territory in its clutches. Time and again, "pilgrim" Stoddard had his hide saved by the much-feared but essentially decent Doniphon. It wasn't that Doniphon was particularly fond of Stoddard; it was simply that Hallie was in love with Stoddard, and Doniphon was in love with Hallie and would do anything to assure her happiness, even if it meant giving her up to a greenhorn. When Liberty Valance challenged Stoddard to a showdown, everyone in town was certain that the greenhorn didn't stand a chance. Still, when the smoke cleared, Stoddard was still standing, and Liberty Valance lay dead. On the strength of his reputation as the man who shot Valance, Stoddard was railroaded into a political career, in the hope that he'd rid the territory of corruption. Stoddard balked at the notion of winning an election simply because he killed a man-until Doniphon, in strictest confidence, told Stoddard the truth: It was Doniphon, not Stoddard, who shot down Valance. Stoddard was about to reveal this to the world, but Doniphon told him not to. It was far more important in Doniphon's eyes that a decent, honest man like Stoddard become a major political figure; Stoddard represented the "new" civilized west, while Doniphon knew that he and the West he represented were already anachronisms. Thus Stoddard went on to a spectacular political career, bringing extensive reforms to the state, while Doniphon faded into the woodwork. His story finished, the aged Stoddard asks the reporter if he plans to print the truth. The reporter responds by tearing up his notes. "This is the West, sir, " the reporter explains quietly. "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Dismissed as just another cowboy opus at the time of its release, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has since taken its proper place as one of the great Western classics. It questions the role of myth in forging the legends of the West, while setting this theme in the elegiac atmosphere of the West itself, set off by the aging Stewart and Wayne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the saga of Hollywood's slow, slow maturation in the depiction of Native Americans, Geronimo highlights an early '60s turning point -- his character is drawn with sympathy -- but no more than that. Chuck Connors, an obviously Caucasian actor, plays the great chief, and there is not a single Native American actor in the cast. The story centers on Geronimo's escape from oppressive conditions on his reservation, and his garnering of forces in Mexico to wage war against the U.S. Several misconceptions are still scattered throughout the tale, especially the indication at the end that Geronimo was successful in obtaining fair treatment for all Native Americans at the hands of the U.S. government. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The Cartwright boys' fraternal horseplay takes a painful turn when they accidentally injure their hired hand Jebediah Milbank (John Carradine). As Milbank recovers in Ben Cartwright's bedroom, Ben orders his rambunctious sons to tend to Jeb's unfinished responsibilities-and to that end, he dispatches Adam, Hoss and Joe to three different directions. Also appearing are Jena Engstrom as Ann, Claude Johnson as Paul, Denver Pyle as Theodore and John Qualen as Parley. First telecast October 1, 1961, "Springtime" was written by John Furia Jr.. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Journalist Lawrence Vander (Paul Lambert) is murdered during a weekend retreat for the employees of Space Associates Ltd, a major defense contractor. It turns out that Vander was trying to track down ex-Nazi Max Keinermann, who may be working for Space Associates under an alias.. Accused of the murder is Harlan Merill (Dick Foran), who has a rather unsavory past of his own. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) dedicates himself to clearing Merrill's name--actually two names, since he is also using an alias--and solving the murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

William Humphrey's novel Home From the Hill is compressed into 150 minutes for this MGM all-starrer. Robert Mitchum plays Capt. Wade Hunnicutt, a Texas millionaire, married to Hannah (Eleanor Parker). The Hunnicutts have two children of approximately the same age: Wade's biological son, Theron (George Hamilton in one of his earliest film roles), and his illegitimate son, Rafe (George Peppard). As the story opens, Wade conducts an extramarital affair; meanwhile, Theron (George Hamilton), disturbed by his parents' dysfunctional relationship, is not anxious to marry his true love, Libby Halstead (Luana Patten). The vicious cycle threatens to continue when Libby gives birth to Theron's out-of-wedlock son, but it is Rafe who turns Libby into an "honest woman" by acting as father to the child. Vincente Minnelli directs his material operatically, which is as it should be given the larger-than-life character and emotional entanglements he has to deal with. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode is a showcase for character actor Parker Fennelly, best remembered as the dour "Titus Moody" on radio's Fred Allen Show. Fenelly plays Abraham Lee, an elderly farmer who owns a tiny patch of land bordering the property of wealthy and powerful rancher George Advent (Denver Pyle). Upset that Lee's farm prevents the fence surrounding his own land from forming a "perfect" line, Advent has declared war on the old codger--and of course, Paladin (Richard Boone) has cast his lot with the underdog. Essential to the story's outcome is Lee's Native American adopted son, played by My Three Sons' Don Grady). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Wayne's directorial debut The Alamo is set in 1836: Wayne plays Col. Davy Crockett, who, together with Colonels Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) and 184 hardy Americans and Texicans, defends the Alamo mission against the troops of Mexican general Santa Ana. There's a lot of macho byplay before the actual attack, including the famous "letter" scene in which Wayne craftily rouses the patriotic ire of his subordinates. Also appearing are Richard Boone as Sam Houston, and Chill Wills (whose somewhat tasteless Oscar campaign has since become legendary in the annals of shameless self-promotion) as Beekeeper. Wayne's production crew was compelled to reconstruct the Alamo in Bracketville, Texas, about a hundred miles from the actual site. Dimitri Tiomkin's score, including The Green Leaves of Summer, received generous airplay on the Top-40 radio outlets of America. Rumors persist that Wayne's old pal John Ford directed most of The Alamo; cut to 161 minutes for its general release, the film was restored to its original, 192-minute length in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide