Joseph Ruskin Movies
- 1974
In retaliation for the death of his son, a big-time hoodlum hires an expert female assassin known as Sydney to murder the three thugs responsible. At the same time, SFPD detective Keller (Michael Douglas) becomes romantically involved with his attractive new neighbor (played by Douglas' then-girlfriend Brenda Vaccaro. In this case, the viewer is way ahead of the detective: Keller's sweetheart is none other than the elusive Sydney. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
After two and a half seasons in its familiar Saturday-evening network berth, Mission:Impossible moved to Fridays on December 22, 1972, with the episode titled "The Puppet." Roddy McDowall guest stars as Leo Ostro, the acting Syndicate boss during the convalescence of his injured brother Paul. To prove his own mettle, the egotistical Leo plans a $100,000,000 crime--but refuses to divulge any further details. It is up to the IMF to learn the nature and location of the crime and to put both Ostros out of business. Directed by veteran Hollywood hand Lewis Allen, "The Puppet" was written by Leigh Vance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1971
Banyon is an A-number-one detective yarn set (very accurately) in the 1930s. Robert Forster, emulating John Garfield in virtually every scene, plays private eye Miles C. Banyon. Right now he's in dutch because a beautiful young woman has been found murdered--and Banyon's gun was the murder weapon. This state of affairs plunges the detective into a maelstrom of deceit and double-cross involving (among many elements) a Winchell-style radio commentator (Jose Ferrer), a paroled big-time gangster, a scar-faced assassin, and a Nazi Bund camp. Once he solves the main mystery, Banyon is faced with the unhappy Maltese Falcon task of exposing a close friend as a murderer. First telecast March 15, 1971, Banyon spawned a brief TV series one year later, with Robert Forster still in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Darren McGavin, (more)
- 1970
Major Strauss (Joseph Ruskin) of the Gestapo takes charge of Stalag 13 and ships Klink and Schultz off to the Russian front. Hogan devises an elaborate masquerade, contingent upon Newkirk's gift for celebrity impressions. Bruce Kirby, the father of film star Bruno Kirby, appears as Otto Baum, while Martin Kosleck, who played Josef Goebbels in many an American propaganda film during WWII, is here cast as General Mueller. Written by Laurence Marks, "The Gestapo Takeover" first aired on October 25, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1969
Friendly Middle Eastern potentate King Selim (Lloyd Battista) has been imprisoned by his lookalike brother Prince Samandal (also Lloyd Battista), the better to usurp Selim's throne and hand over the kingdom to enemies of the West. To rescue Selim and restore the status quo of his country, the IMF must throw a good scare into Samandal. Posing as a doctor, Phelps uses all the medical trickery at the IMF's disposal to accomplish his task. Michele Carey guest stars as female IMF agent Lisa, here impersonating an actress named Irina. Originally broadcast December 7, 1969, "The Brothers" was scripted by Leigh Vance, from a story by Robert C. Dennis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1968
A group of highly powerful aliens abduct Captain Kirk and several other members of the Enterprise crew for their own mysterious purposes in this episode from the second season of the popular science-fiction series. The aliens divert Kirk, Chekhov, and Uhura to their home planet of Triskelion. There they are forcibly enslaved and compelled to undergo a violent training process to prepare them for their new roles as gladiators, publicly battling to the death against each other for the aliens' enjoyment. Meanwhile, on the Enterprise, Mr. Spock traces the missing trio of crew members to Triskelion, and attempts to organize a rescue mission. However, the Enterprise's efforts may prove useless if Kirk and others are unable to find a way to escape from their captors. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- 1967
The first multipart adventure of Mission: Impossible's second season, "The Slave" was written by William Read Woodfield and Alan Balter. The scene is the Persian Gulf state of Elkabar, where King Ibn Borca (Joseph Ruskin) supervises a vicious but entirely legal slave ring with the aid of his crony Karl de Groot (Warren Stevens). To depose Borca and end the slave trade in Elkabar, the IMF agents must resort to drastic measures...with the lovely Amara (Antoinette Bower), the wife of Borca's nephew Fasar (David Mauro), as the innocent pawn. Part one of the two-part "The Slave" was first broadcast on October 8, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1967
In the second half of the two-part Mission: Impossible adventure "The Slave", the IMF force has kidnapped Amara (Antoinette Bower), the niece of corrupt Elkabaran King Ibn Borca (Joseph Ruskin), Fasar (David Mauro), and sold her into slavery. It is all part of a plan to end the slave trade in Elkabar, and to topple Borca from power. Crucial to the scheme is Cinnamon's masquerade as a potential slave and Phelp's pose as a trader. Originally telecast October 15, 1967, Part Two of "The Slave" was written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1966
John Wayne, who'd made two unforgettable guest appearances on I Love Lucy, is back in the saddle for this hilarious Lucy Show installment. Much against his better judgment, Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) assigns the starstruck Lucy (Lucille Ball) to deliver some important financial papers to Wayne's movie set. Despite strict orders that she is not to pester "The Duke", Lucy not only manages to splatter ketchup all over the nonplussed Mr. Wayne, but also makes a shambles of an important action scene in Wayne's latest movie. Milton Berle also shows up in a cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Mary Jane Croft, (more)
- 1966
The first of Mission: Impossible's multipart adventures, "Old Man Out" began its two-episode run on October 8, 1966. The IMF agents disguise themselves as a carnival troupe in order to rescue 80-year-old freedom fighter Anton Cardinal Vossek (Cyril Delevanti) from an impregnable Balkan prison. Aiding the agents this time out is Briggs' old friend Crystal Walker (Mary Ann Mobley), a hire-wire artist. Part One of "Old Man Out" was written by Ellis Marcus. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1966
In Part Two of "Old Man Out," the IMF is still posing as a carnival troupe: Briggs as a mind reader, Cinnamon as his assistant, Willy as a strongman, Barney as a clown, and freelance agent Crystal Walker (Mary Ann Mobley) as a high-wire artist and Rollin as a light-fingered roustabout. It is all part of a plan to rescue Iron Curtain freedom fighter Cardinal Vossek (Cyril Delevanti) from a high-security Balkan prison. The plan hits a snag when Vossek is moved to solitary confinement. The solution to this crisis may well rest in the curious calliope tune which is heard over and over throughout the episode. Written by Ellis Marcus, Part Two of "Old Man Out" was originally broadcast on October 15, 1966.
October 15 1966.
~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
October 15 1966.
~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, (more)
The Rat Pack packed it in after this sprightly musical comedy that owes more than it should to Damon Runyon's stories and Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows's classic musical Guys and Dolls. Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen's bright and snappy score features such songs as "Style", "Bang-Bang" and the Sinatra standard "My Kind of Town". Set in 1920s Chicago, the tale begins during a birthday party for head mobster Big Jim (Edward G. Robinson) who is shot to death during the celebration. Rival gangster Guy Gisbourne (Peter Falk) immediately declares himself the chief gangster. The northside gang, headed by Robbo (Frank Sinatra) is willing to grant Guy his self-declared title as long as he leaves the northside territory alone. Guy refuses and when small time hood Little John (Dean Martin) joins Robbo's crew, turf warfare breaks out between the two gangs, resulting in the destruction of both Robbo and Guy's nightclubs. Meanwhile, Big Jim's daughter Marian (Barbara Rush) offers Robbo $50,000 to find the man who killed her father. Robbo demurs and gives the money to his henchman Will (Sammy Davis Jr.) to get rid of. Will, hoping to do a good deed, hands the money over to Allen A. Dale (Bing Crosby), who runs an orphanage. Allen, finding out that the money came from Robbo, informs the newspapers of Robbo's philanthropic enterprise and Robbo immediately becomes a local celebrity, referred to as Chicago's Robin Hood. For his part, Robbo is willing to go along with the publicity. On the romantic front, although Robbo is attracted to Marian, he gives her the brush-off when he finds she is using a charitable foundation as a front for a counterfeiting ring being run by herself and Little John. Robbo tells Marian to leave town. Instead, she hooks up with Guy, proposing that he kill both Robbo and Little John. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, (more)
- 1964
The reactor at the Broadridge experimental nuclear station runs out of control when two unstable elements accidentally come into contact. As Dr. Marshall (George Macready), the station director, struggles to understand what is happening, deadly radiation pours out of the reactor furnace, killing the men trying to control it and replacing them inside their anti-radiation suits with creatures made of pure electromagnetic energy. Marshall is the sole survivor among the scientists and seems incapable of coping with the danger, overwhelmed by his fear of radiation and the seemingly inevitable chain reaction boiling up in the furnace. With help from his wife, Laurel (Signe Hasso), he finds the courage that he needs and deduces what is happening -- the combination of heavy elements bombarded with cosmic radiation has ripped open an inter-dimensional hole, through which these "particle creatures" are entering, and they are trying to widen the opening. The only chance to stop them is to initiate a fusion reaction that could seal the inter-dimensional hole and cut the creatures off from their energy source, destroying them. But does Marshall have the time or strength, in the minutes left to them, to prepare a jury-rigged hydrogen bomb? ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Macready, Signe Hasso, (more)
- 1964
A Middle Eastern country has acquired a mysterious ray weapon that successfully knocks down an American spy plane. Seaview is ordered to investigate, and Crane must make contact with the country's political underground. But the country's leader, General Gamal (Malachi Throne), is more devious and dangerous than his opponents guess -- Crane ends up being captured and used as bait for the Seaview, when the same weapon threatens to disable and crush the submarine. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- 1963
Based on the story "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant, this grim low-budget potboiler stars Vincent Price as Simon Cordier, a ruthless magistrate in 19th-century Paris who becomes possessed by the malevolent spirit (or "horla") of a condemned murderer whom Cordier was forced to kill in self-defense. Driven by the madman's ghost to continue his pattern of brutal crimes, Cordier comes to the realization that the only way he can purge the violent demon from his soul is to immolate himself in a blazing pyre. Though the riveting Price (whose very presence can enliven even the most dismal of horror duds) does an admirable job as the tormented Cordier, he is unable to bear the ponderous weight of this tedious production. Although a parallel between the callousness of Cordier's office and the insensate evil of his crimes would have provided an interesting subtext, the script forfeits this potential, relying instead on a pat, self-righteous finale with religious overtones. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Nancy Kovack, (more)
- 1963
A young Robert Duvall dominates this episode in the role of melancholy trumpet player Eddie Moon. Bootlegger Lew Kagan (Robert Duvall) pays a visit to the nightclub where Eddie is working, intending to become the exclusive liquor supplier to club owner "Goose" Gander (Will Kuluva). Taking one look at Kagan's beautiful wife Bunny (Kathy Nolan), Eddie falls hopelessly in love--and when he sees Kagan slapping Bunny around, he swears vengeance against the brutish gangster, thereby setting in motion the events that will lead inexorably to the episode's shattering climax. To be sure, series star Robert Stack shows up as Elliot Ness, but Robert Duvall is the actor that the viewer remembers long after the final credits have faded. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1962
One year before her Oscar-winning performance in Hud, Patricia Neal guest-starred in this Untouchables episode as torch singer Maggie Storm (and never mind that we never hear her sing a note at any time). Maggie is the featured entertainer at the 808 Club, a night spot mentioned by dying drug peddler Benny Rivas (Herman Rudin) after a shootout with the Untouchables. Following this clue, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) pays a visit to the club, thereby renewing an old acquaintance with Maggie (they'd been "friendly enemies" during Probibition). Ness would like to believe that Maggie isn't involved in the blatant drug trafficking that goes on at the club, but the evidence is stacked against her. Even so, she isn't the real villain of the piece: that honor is reserved for an unsavory character named Vince Shyre (Vic Morrow). Joseph Ruskin makes his first series appearance as the infamous Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
Nehemiah Persoff is back as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, hated rival of Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti (Bruce Gordon). As Nitti busies himself forcing other bootleggers out of business, Guzik moves in and orders Nitti to forget about booze and start trafficking in narcotics. The argument between the two mob chieftans forces the Syndicate to vote on Guzik's proposal--which in turn obliges Nitti and Guzik to smuggle a deported mobster back into the country to cast the deciding ballot. Needless to say, this is one election that Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is determined to derail before it even gets on track. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
Hoping to capture narcotics boss Alexander Raeder (Joseph Ruskin) during a "business transaction" at a Chicago amusement pier, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is thwarted by another crook, Arnold Justin (Martin Balsam). Making this a particularly bitter pill to swallow is the fact that Justin used to be a cop himself before he sold his soul to the Underworld. But Ness manages to turn the tables on on the treacherous Justin by putting him in bad with the formidable Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon). If the actress playing the landlady looks familiar, it's because she is Barbara Pepper, better known as rural pig fancier Doris Ziffel on the 1960s sitcom Green Acres. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
After seizing control of the booze traffic in Chicago, Capone lieutenant Meyer Wartel (Robert Middleton) oversteps his bounds by murdering a reporter who had been crusading against him. The only person who can "finger" Wartel is Herman Kihn (George Voskovec), the gunsmith who fashioned the silencer used on the murder weapon. Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) advises Kihn to testify against Wartel, warning him that there is already a contract on his life. Meanwhile, professional assassin Pittsburg Phil (Rip Torn), a man truly in love with his work, prepares to pull off what he considers his "Masterpiece" by bumping off Kihn in full view of Ness and his fellow Untouchables--without making a sound. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1960
This effective gangster film on the notorious New York mobster Jack "Legs" Diamond is interspersed with moments of comic relief and was released just a few months after The Purple Gang shot their way across the silver screens in the U.S. Ironically, that gang and Diamond met their ends in the same year, 1931, and their rise was largely due to Prohibition. "Legsie" (Ray Danton) gets his name because he was a dancer, but he gets his reputation because he double-crosses anyone. He is a psychopath who works his way up the body count to the top of his own network of rackets. Along the way he meets and marries his wife Alice Schiffer (Karen Steele) and survives three attempts on his life that send him to the hospital each time. His reputation for "invulnerability," the inability of the police to touch him, gangsters who kill each other off, the racketeering with union bosses, and the hijacking of liquor shipments are all elements found in this film and The Purple Gang as well. Watch for a young Dyan Cannon in a bit part as Dixie, back when her first name was spelled like everyone else spells Diane. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ray Danton, Karen Steele, (more)
- 1960
This variation of the old "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" yarn stars Luther Adler and Vivi Janiss as Arthur and Edna Castle, the debt-ridden owners of a failing pawnshop. The Castles' luck changes dramatically when, after purchasing an old bottle, they discover that the bottle contains a dapper and somewhat sinister genie (Joseph Ruskin). Granted the usual three wishes, Arthur and Edna soon learn that they were better off when they were worse off. Written by Rod Serling, "The Man in the Bottle" was originally telecast October 7, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Luther Adler, Vivi Janiss, (more)
- 1960
Hell Bent for Leather is a standard western that features Audie Murphy in the role of Clay, a cowboy hunted by a posse out for blood. Clay deals and trade in horses in an honest way, and he does not suspect that a crooked U.S. Marshal (Stephen McNally) interested in furthering his career, is determined to nab him as a killer though he knows full well Clay is innocent. When first attacked, Clay grabs a hostage (Felicia Farr) who eventually sides with him and helps him in the long chase that follows. Clay's challenge is not only to get away from the Marshal and his posse but to somehow prove his innocence as well. Murphy, the most decorated soldier in World War II was still riding the popularity of his own real-life story in 1955's To Hell and Back when this western was released. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Felicia Farr, (more)
- 1959
Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is frustrated when a case that he has been building against mob functionary Theodore Newberry (Ken Lynch) literally goes South when the star witness, bookkeeper Julius Imbry (Byron Foulger), is kidnapped and spirited away to Mexico. When Newberry manages to humiliate Ness in public, undercover cop Nick Delgado (Vince Edwards) is assigned to bring Imbry back--while Newberry, who did not engineer the kidnapping, dispatches his own hired guns to locate and silence the witness. Martin Landau steals the show as a stuttering hit man in this episode, which also features an uncredited appearance by Batman's future "Chief O'Hara" Stafford Repp. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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