Bing Russell Movies
A former pro baseball player, Bing Russell eased into acting in the 1950s, appearing mostly in westerns. Russell could be seen in such bonafide classics as The Horse Soldiers (1959) and The Magnificent Seven (1960), and not a few bow-wows like Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966). From 1961 through 1973, Russell played the semiregular role of Deputy Clem on the marathon TV western series Bonanza. When time permitted, he also dabbled in screenwriting. The father of film star Kurt Russell, Bing Russell has acted with his son on several occasions, most memorably in the role of Vernon Presley in the 1979 TV-movie hit Elvis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
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The third and final TV-movie in the "Joshua Cabe" saga, this ABC effort stars John McIntire as rascally rancher-turned-sheriff Joshua Cabe, a role played by Buddy Ebsen in the original The Daughters of Joshua Cabe) and by Dan Dailey in The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return. This time out, Cabe is accused of a murder he didn't commit and carted off to jail, there to await hanging. Coming to his rescue are Joshua's "daughters"--actually three unrelated shady ladies named Charity (Liberty Williams), Ada (Renne Jarrett) and Mae (Lezlie Dalton)--who devise a brilliant and thoroughly unbelievable escape plan. The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe aired on May 29, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
The scene is a high-rise hotel in midtown San Francisco. Confronted by mobsters who are angry because he refused to throw a fight, an aging boxer manages to beat up two of his assailants and throw the third out the window to his death! Arriving on the scene to investigate the killer, Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) conduct a room-by-room search for the fugitive boxer, who is now on the run from cops and crooks alike--and is presently hiding in the same room with a pair of adulterous lovers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This week's emergency roster includes an injured scuba diver who must be treated in a hyperbaric chamber, and a youthful gunshot victim. Also, dust explosion results in a serious fire, and danger for victims and firefighter alike. Meanwhile, on the culinary scene, John (Randolph Mantooth) is once again razzed about his cooking skills; and TV personality Chef Mike Roy plays a gourmet cook whose kitchen goes up in flames. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In a true "Monty Python" moment, John (Randolph Mantooth) and Chet (Tim Donnelly) are pressed into service as bicycle repairmen. Of course, they also participate in Squad 51's emergency runs, which on this occasion includes the rescue of a man trapped in his own house by a supposedly dormant oil well, the removal of an incriminating ring from an errant husband, and the "taming" of a blazing fire. Eric Shea guest stars as a combative 14-year-old hypochondriac who dreams of becoming a doctor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Gilbert Wright's novel Madman's Chain had already been adapted to television by Alcoa/Goodyear Theatre by the time that Cry in the Wilderness premiered March 26, 1974. While the first version, titled Chain and the River, was a moderately suspenseful half hour, Cry in the Wilderness manages to keep viewers on the very edges of their seats for a full 74 minutes. George Kennedy stars as a farmer who is bitten by a rabid skunk. To protect his family from the madness that he is sure will overtake him, Kennedy has his wife Joanna Pettet chain him to a post in their barn. Left alone, Kennedy discovers that the dam has burst, and that his farm will soon be consumed by flood. The climactic deluge was largely (and superbly) created in the lab by special effects maestro Albert Whitlock. Cry in the Wilderness premiered March 26, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Jim (James Garner) is dispatched to Las Vegas in search of Susan Parsons (Lee Purcell), the missing mistress of millionaire mogul Charles Dexter (Tim O'Connor). Along the way, Susan's roommate Louise (Linda Kelsey), who identifies herself as a law student, insists upon helping Jim in his investigation. Alas, Louise isn't exactly telling the truth about herself and her relationship with Susan--but by the time Jim finds this out, he has been knocked unconscious by his own client, and arrested on a trumped-up sexual molestation charge! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
John (Randolph Mantooth) comes face to face with corporate bureaucracy when he falls victim to a credit-card computer error. On the job, the paramedics try to rescue a car-accident victim who may be pregnant, a woman who has fallen down a well, and a junkyard owner exposed to phosphorous materials. Comedian Larry Storch puts in an appearance as an amateur magician who gets trapped in a safe during an abortive escape act, while future Happy Days costar Donny Most shows up as an anguished father-to-be. Also, watch for an appearance by Mark Miller, the father of film star Penelope Ann Miller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The SFPD's internal affairs division suspects that something is amiss when a witness under police protection is killed. Clearly, someone in the Department is a Syndicate informer--and everyone is under suspicion, even Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas). Written by Star Trek veteran D.C. Fontana, this episode's highlight is a compelling performance by Mariette Hartley as a harried female cop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of the most memorable made-for-TV horror films of the 1970s, Satan's School for Girls is set an exclusive institution of learning in Salem, MA, where students have been committing suicide at an alarming rate. A young woman named Elizabeth Sayres (Pamela Franklin) enrolls at the all-girl's school under an assumed name, hoping to find out why her sister felt compelled to kill herself. Slowly and deliberately, Elizabeth is drawn into a coven of Satan worshipers -- and soon she realizes that she herself has demonic potential. Of special interest is the presence in the cast of two future Charlie's Angels regulars, Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd (here billed under her maiden name, Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor). Originally broadcast by ABC on September 19, 1973, Satan's School for Girls was remade for television in 2000, with Kate Jackson assaying the role of the school's sinister headmistress (originally played by Jo Van Fleet). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Thinnes, Kate Jackson, (more)
Originally made for television, this story focuses on a woman selected for jury duty. During a murder trial, she discovers that the accused is the wrong man; she also finds that the real killer is after her. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Cloris Leachman, (more)
- 1972
Last seen on Bonanza in the 1968 episode "A Girl Named George," Jack Albertson paid a return visit to the series in the December 5, 1972 episode "The Sound of Loneliness." Albertson is here cast as elderly widower Jonathan May, who goes to great lengths to make sure that two orphan boys will not be separated when the older boy (but not the younger) is adopted by a childless couple. Also in the cast is another frequent Bonanza guest star, John Randolph, this time in the role of Mr. Dawson. "The Sound of Loneliness" was written and directed by series star Michael Landon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1972
Having saved Ben Cartwright's life during a prison riot, convict Griff King (played by new Bonanza regular Tim Matheson) is released into Ben's custody. In hiring Griff as a Ponderosa ranchhand, Ben faces the challenge of convincing the former prisoner to forsake his deep and abiding grudge against the rest of the world. Others in the cast include Ronny Cox as Lucas and Charles Dierkop as Shorty. Written by Jack B. Sowards, "New Man" originally aired on October 10, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1972
Circuitously commenting upon the drug culture of the 1970s, this Bonanza episode probes the dangers of the onetime "wonder drug" morphine. Future MASH regular Mike Farrell is cast as Dr. Will Agar, who is revealed to be a morphine addict after he inadvertently causes the death of a young patient during routine surgery. Also in the cast are Gary Busey as Dr. Agar's hapless victim Henry Johnson, David Huddleston as Henry's father, Melissa Murphy as Agar's wife Nancy, and Mons Kjellin (the son of director Alf Kjellen) as Agar's son Chris. Written by Stanley Roberts and Jack B. Sowards, "The Hidden Enemy" first aired on November 28, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1972
Humorist Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, makes his third Bonanza appearance, this time in the person of actor Ken Howard (fresh from his Broadway and Hollywood triumph in the musical 1776). As editor of the Virginia City Enterprise, Clemens is determined to prove that a government assayer is guilty of fraud and murder. Because he won't reveal his source in court, Clemens loses a libel suit, whereupon he enlists the aid of Ben and Joe Cartwright to bring the villain (who in the interim has committed another killing) to justice. The episode's closing scene, involving an outraged lady stagecoach passenger, is priceless. The supporting cast includes Dana Elcar as Merrick, Phil Kenneally as McNabb, Walter Burke as Campbell, Staats Cotsworth as Judge Hale, Richard Bull as Goodman, and Stacy Keach Sr. as Lawyer Prentiss. Written by Stanley Roberts, "The 26th Grave" was the first Bonanza episode to be filmed for the series' fourteenth season, but was shown as the eighth installment on October 31, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1972
Anna Kosovo (Kathleen Widdoes), a friend of Ben Cartwright, has good reason to be terrified of her antagonistic immigrant husband Nick (Michael Pataki). Trapped in her own house by her husband, Anna-and her young son-must rely upon Ben to rescue them. Written by Preston Wood and Karl Tunberg, this episode is climaxed by a prolonged and tension-filled gunfight. "Frenzy" first aired on January 30, 1972-coincidentally just before the release of the otherwise unrelated Alfred Hitchcock theatrical feature Frenzy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1972
The focus in "A Lonely Man" is on Victor Sen Yung as Ponderosa houseboy Hop Sing; indeed, Sen Yung is the only series regular to appear in this episode. Having fallen in love with a white woman (Kelly Jean Peters, Hop Sing runs afoul of a racist judge (Peter Hobbs), who eagerly digs up an old and obscure anti-miscegenation law. Commendably, there is no pat or predictable ending: even in its thirteenth season, Bonanza was unafraid to take a harsh and uncompromising look at the face of bigotry. Written by John Hawkins, "A Lonely Man" originally aired on January 2, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Sen Yung, Kelly Jean Peters, (more)
- 1971
Neta (Jewel Blanch), a teenaged friend of Ben Cartwright's adopted son Jamie, witnesses the murder of Mr. Trunkett, but is too frightened to say anything about it. Meanwhile, the murderer, a man named Bannon (Bradford Dillman), impersonates the dead man in order to inherit a fortune. The danger to Neta intensifies when the incognito Bannon is hired by the Cartwrights. Originally shown on November 14 1971, "Face of Fear" was written by Ken Pettus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1971
Steve Ihnat guest-stars as a self-proclaimed journalist named Gans, who shows up with his entourage in Virginia City to cover the signing of a treaty between the Paiute Indians and the Army. In truth, however, the rabidly racist Gans plans to kill everyone at the ceremony with his Gatling Gun. It is up to Joe Cartwright to rescue one and all from Gans and his fanatical followers-and he has less than one hour to do so. Written and directed by series star Michael Landon, "Terror at 2:00" originally aired on March 7, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1971
"The Silent Killer" is the deadly influenza epidemic that has swept through the territory around the Ponderosa. To combat the disease, tradition-bound Doc Martin (Harry Holcombe) and Harriet Clinton (Louise Latham) set up an emergency hospital on the Cartwright spread. Further complications ensue when Mrs. Evangeline Woodtree (Meg Foster), the wife of a progressive young physician (Ion Berger) who'd been jailed on Doc Martin's say-so, defiantly challenges Martin's old-fashioned methods. Written by John Hawkins and Edward DeBlasio, "The Silent Killer" was first telecast on February 28, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1971
Londoners Leslie and Gillian Harwood (Daniel Massey and Jill Haworth) arrive in Nevada to take charge of a ranch on behalf of a British investment firm-and immediately mistake the Ponderosa for the ranch in question. Thus, the Cartwrights become involved in the couple's travails, attempting to find out why the property managed by the Harwoods is regularly losing cattle and profits. In the course of events, the veddy British Leslie slowly but surely evolves into a true-blue westerner. Written by Stanley Roberts, "The Reluctant American" originally aired on February 14, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1971
Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and John Llewellyn Moxey, longtime collaborators in the field of British psychological-horror efforts, once more combined their skills for the American TV movie Taste of Evil. Barbara Parkins plays a young rape victim, recently released from a mental institution. She begins experiencing "flashbacks" to her rape; are these merely illusions, or is she being systematically tortured by a mystery villain? Barbara Stanwyck, Roddy McDowell, William Windom, Roddy McDowell and Bing Russell (Kurt's father) express varying degrees of concern and menace. Taste of Evil is a bit of a letdown considering its cast and the previous achievements of the Sangster/Moxey team. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Carri Sturgis (Jewel Blanch), a young friend of Ben Cartwright's adopted son Jamie, lives in terror under the cruel supervision of her Aunt Vella (Madeleine Sherwood) and Uncle Gifford (William Bramley). Inasmuch as the couple hates children, Jamie can't understand why they so desperately desire custody of Carri. Before long, the truth is revealed: The girl is heir to her late grandfather's gold mine. Also in the cast are Paul Fix as Buford and Peggy Rea as Clara. Written by B.W. Sandefur, "For a Young Lady" initially aired on December 27, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1970
Jack Elam plays the title role in this Bonanza episode from December 20, 1970. Belying his nickname, Honest John is a prevaricating drifter, who over the protests of the Cartwrights has settled on the Ponderosa. Banking on the trust and friendship of young Jamie, Honest John finds himself in a predicament when Jamie insists that they both leave the Ponderosa and spend the rest of their lives together in carefree vagabondage. Yes, Jamie is in for yet another disillusionment, but there's an additional twist. "Honest John" was written by Arthur Heineman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1970
Oscar winner Strother Martin is cast as Joad Bruder, the father of jailed stagecoach robber Randy Bruder (Anthony Colti). Aware that Joad is holding the Ponderosa money that was stolen by Randy, Joe and Hoss hatch another of their hare-brained schemes to retrieve the loot. Heading to Pineville, the Cartwright boy pose as two members of Randy's gang-a ruse that threatens to burn and crash when the wife of one of the gang members shows up unexpectedly. Originally shown on December 13, 1970, "The Impostors" was written by Robert Vincent Wright. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1970
Neville Brand guest-stars as Pepper Shannon, a stage robber whose career has been blown up to "heroic" proportions by the dime-novel brigade. Unfortunately, Ben Cartwright's adopted son Jamie idolizes Shannon, who has allowed Jamie to "capture" him to avoid being shot by his enemies. It is only after Shannon is framed for murder that the disillusioned Jamie realizes that his hero is a lily-livered coward. Also in the cast are Walter Brooke as Corey, Dan Tobin as Mills, and Arthur Peterson as Donovan. Written by John Hawkins, George Scheneck and William Marks, "The Luck of Pepper Shannon" originally aired on November 22, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
