Wallace Rooney Movies

Filmed in 1982 in New York, this comedy hinges on a tried-and-true plot device: a man has less than a day to get married or he loses a fortune (no waiting for blood tests or licenses here!). When the fabulously wealthy W.D. Westmoreland (Jonathan Winters) dies, his grandson Luke (Art Hindle) discovers that he will inherit $250 million if he marries before he is 35. Since he turns thirty-five tomorrow, that leaves him less than 24 hours to find a bride and make it legal. Everything impedes his good intentions, including his father, who stands to inherit that money if Luke remains a bachelor. There are a lot of volunteers for Luke's open position of an immediate wife, but what makes matters even more complicated is he has developed an interest in a young, average-looking woman from the countryside. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Richard Levinson and William Link serve up another Thinking Man's murder mystery with the made-for-television Rehearsal for Murder. Playwright Robert Preston is on the verge of marrying glamorous film star Lynn Redgrave. But a scant few hours after her Broadway debut, Redgrave is found dead, an apparent suicide. Convinced that Redgrave was murdered, Preston contacts the most likely suspects and assembles them in an empty theatre, ostensibly to read through his latest play. But Preston locks the doors and uses his play as a means to, in the words of Hamlet, "catch the conscience" of the killer. Filmed under the working title Cold Reading, Rehearsal for Murder was the winner of the Edgar Award, a prize bestowed annually by the Mystery Writers of America. It was first broadcast on May 26, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While renovating her new apartment in an old Victorian mansion, Quincy's girlfriend Jenny Drake (Marj Dusay) unearths the mummified remains of two women. Later on, two other female corpses are found within the same walls. After a thorough examination, Quincy (Jack Klugman) concludes that three of the women died of natural causes--but that the fourth was murdered. Our hero's subseqent fact-finding misison brings him in close contact with the truly bizarre residents of the crumbling old mansion (and any resemblance to Hitchcock's Psycho is undoubtedly purely intentional). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Several adult members of the same high-school graduating class have turned up dead, killed by an assailant who wields a zip gun and leaves the word "Monkey" scrawled at each crime scene. The viewer is soon apprised of the fact that the murderer is one Charley Belasco (Gary Lockwood), fresh out of prison after serving 20 years for a crime he'd committed to qualify for membership in a teenage gang. It is up to Stone (Mike Douglas) and Keller (Richard Hatch) to figure out where the vengeance-driven "Monkey" Belasco plans to strike next! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a retired cop falls off the roof of a building, his death is ruled as accidental, brought about by excessive drinking. But the cop's grandson doesn't buy this verdict, insisting that the old man was murdered. It is up to undercover detective Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) -- and a hitherto hidden witness -- to solve the mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the last of Adam-12's Yuletide episodes, Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) wants to deliver a Christmas tree to a retirement home. Jim's partner Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) doesn't object to this gesture of generosity--but he does raise a howl at the notion of using Adam-12 for non-police business. Elsewhere, the two cops contend with a misguided Good Samaritan and a liquor-store robbery. Comedian (and future A-list Hollywood agent) Martin Ingels appears as a thief who spends his Holiday time siphoning gasoline from other people's cars. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles. The Exorcist received a theatrical rerelease in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the fifth episode of an eight-part story arc, the Stephens family -- and most of their witch-and-warlock relatives -- are still paying a visit to Salem, MA, where most of the episode was filmed. Entranced by the community's Fisherman's Memorial statue, Samanatha's lookalike cousin, Serena, brings the statue to life and installs a bronzed Darrin in the monument's place. Robert Brown, late of Here Come the Brides, appears as the humanized statue, John Gallaudet is seen as Darrin's new client, umbrella manufacturer Barrows, and comedian/folksinger Jud Strunk shows up as a Maitre D'. Written by Bernie Kahn, "Darrin on a Pedestal" first aired on October 22, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Returning to work after a four-week absence, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) makes up for lost time by agreeing to represent cantankerous orange grower Amos Keller (Arthur Hunnicutt). To get even with Amos for messing up his plans to bulldoze the local orange groves, land developer Gerald Thornton is suing the old coot, claiming to have been bitten by Amos' dog Hard Tack. Things turns deadly serious, however, when Thornton is murdered and Amos' granddaughter Sandra (Natalie Trundy) is charged with the crime. Watch for future spaghetti-western icon Lee Van Cleef in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Having successfully robbed a train shipment of gold bullion, four thieves, headed by Mr. Farwell (Oscar Beregi), decide to lay low until the heat is off -- for 100 years, to be exact. Farwell and his three cohorts -- DeCruz (Simon Oakland), Brooks (Lew Gallo), and Erbie (John Mitchum) -- repair to a cave, where they enter four glass cases and place themselves in suspended animation. Awakening a century later, Farwell and his partners figure that they can now enjoy their $1,000,000 booty. . .but they're wrong, dead wrong! First telecast April 21, 1961, "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" is a typical lesson in human nature from the pen of Twilight Zone series creator Rod Serling. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Now working as a health club instructor, former college athletic star Ward Nichols (Ed Nelson) hopes to marry Casey Daniels (Maggie Pierce), the niece of his boss Bernard Daniels (Les Tremayne). Unfortunately, Nichols' estranged wife Veronica (Leslie Parrish) refuses to let him go, and claims to be pregnant so she can shake him down for "hush money." Making matters worse, Mr. Daniels accuses Nichols of forging his name on the checks sent to Veronica. When Daniels is crushed to death by a barbell, the police think they've got Nichols dead to rights--but they haven't reckoned with the poor fellow's attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi