Val Bisoglio Movies

The loquacious Dr. Quincy (Jack Klugman) continues to crusade against medical stupidity, thick-witted bureaucracy, and implicit and overt prejudice of all kinds in his capacity as medical examiner in the L.A. County Coroner's Office as Quincy, M.E. launches its seventh season on NBC. Noteworthy episodes this year include the season opener, "Memories of Allison," guest-starring Sharon Acker as a murder witness suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. A few weeks later, we are offered the two-part nail-biter "Slow Boat to Madness," in which Quincy and his lady friend Dr. Janet Carlisle (Diana Muldaur) are among the passengers and crew members trapped on a holiday cruise liner cursed with a deadly epidemic. In subsequent episodes, Quincy targets an habitual drunk driver who may get off with a slap on the wrist after committing vehicular homicide; he befriends a young boy with a malignant tumor, who leads him to formulate a plan to help terminal patients meet death with comfort and dignity; he tracks down a gun that had passed from hand to hand, leaving a trail of violence and death along the way (the devastating conclusion to this episode was clearly inspired by the 1974 TV movie The Gun); he attempts to prove that a so-called schizophrenic may be feigning insanity to beat a murder rap; and he goes out of his way save a woman who served as a nurse in Vietnam from falling into the abyss of alcoholism when she begins experiencing horrific flashbacks. The final episode of the season, "The Mourning After," puts Quincy in the problematic position of proving both involvement and complicity in the "accidental" killing of a fraternity pledge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The sixth season of Quincy, M.E. features the familiar cast from the past several seasons, chief among them Jack Klugman as Dr. Quincy, the star medical examiner of the L.A. County Coroner's Office. By this time, Quincy's superior and frequent adversary Dr. Robert Astin (John S. Ragin) is no longer the pompous bureaucratic boob that he'd been in the earliest episodes, but instead one of Quincy's closest friends and biggest public supporters -- even when our hero rubs the powers that be the wrong way with his relentless crusade against medical stupidity, organized crime and social iniquities. Also prominently featured, as before, are Quincy's police contact, Lt. Monahan (Garry Walberg), his lab assistant, Sam (Robert Ito) and his restaurateur pal Danny (Val Bisoglio). New to the series this season is Diane Markoff in the recurring role of Danny's top waitress, Diane. Season six opens with a typically complex, multi-plotted entry, "Last Rights," in which Quincy tries to prove that a grieving father is covering up the facts of his son's death, while simultaneously doing battle with owner of a textile mill where several suspicious accidents have occurred. The issue of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is probed in "The Night Killer," with Quincy trying to find out if a woman has killed her baby in a fit of rage, or if the child's death was a tragic accident; and a later episode, "Seldom Silent, Seldom Heard," tackles the issue of Tourette's Syndrome -- and a solution for the ailment that may be worse than the disease. In "Welcome to Paradise Palms," Quincy runs into a wall of bureaucratic silence surrounding a possible bubonic plague epidemic at an Arizona Indian reservation. "Stain of Guilt" largely takes place at a movie studio where Quincy is acting as technical director for a film in progress -- and where, while watching the re-enactment of a real-life murder, he arrives at the conclusion that the person convicted for the crime may be innocent. Similarly, Quincy can't keep quiet while listening to the gaffes in the prosecution's case as he does "Jury Duty" in the episode of the same name. The sixth season ends with "Vigil of Fear," wherein Quincy tries to clear a group of well-meaning urban vigilantes from a charge of killing an innocent bystander. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Robert Aldrich returns to the western-spoof genre he'd previously explored in Four for Texas with The Frisco Kid. Gene Wilder plays Polish rabbi Avram Belinsky, who intends to set up a congregation in San Francisco. Eminently unsuited for life in the Old West, poor Avram is victimized by everyone with whom he comes in contact. Salvation arrives in the unlikely form of taciturn bank robber Tommy (Harrison Ford). Incredibly, Tommy takes a liking to the feckless Avram, and together the two men embark on a series of seriocomic adventures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dr. Quincy (Jack Klugman), star pathologist of the L.A. Coroner's Office, continues to use his vast knowledge of forensic medicine to solve baffling crimes and right a wide variety of social wrongs as Quincy, M.E. launches its fourth season on NBC. The season's first episode, "The Last Six Hours," proves anew that poor Quincy can never take a vacation without stumbling upon a mysterious death (in this case, apparently caused by an unidentified poison). In the later "A Test for the Living," Quincy battles bureaucracy to re-evaluate a supposedly retarded child as autistic (this episode guest stars Lloyd Nolan, in real life the father of an autistic son). Other top-rank episodes find Quincy investigating the murder of a prominent newswoman (played by Jessica Walter) who suddenly turns up alive and well; he inaugurates a police probe when his latest girlfriend uncovers a pair of mummified corpses in her new apartment; he tries to prove that a hospital has not prematurely terminated a man's life simply to harvest the dead man's organs; he probes the possibility that a magician has deliberately murdered his assistant in an on-stage "accident"; and he attempts to stem a gonorrhea epidemic by meticulously tracing it to its source. The season's highlight is the two-part "Walk Softly Through the Night," in which Quincy comes to the aid of his old friend, a big time children's TV star whose son has been killed as the result of recklessly administered drug prescriptions. In one prescient note, the episode "Promises to Keep" includes a lengthy flashback sequence featuring Anita Gillette in the role of Quincy's late wife, Helen. Gillette would return to the series four seasons later, this time in the recurring role of Quincy's fiancée, Dr. Emily Hanover. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Introduced as one of four rotating components of the crime anthology NBC Mystery Movie, Quincy, M.E. proved so popular with viewers that the network gave the series its own weekly, one-hour Friday night time slot, beginning with its second season -- which, in answer to public demand, was launched less than a month after its first season! With Jack Klugman still holding down the fort in the role of Dr. Quincy, crusading medical examiner with the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, the weekly version of the series commenced with the two-part episode "Snake Eyes," in which Quincy; his lab assistant, Sam (Robert Ito); and his restaurateur pal, Danny (Val Bisoglio), attend a pathologists convention in Lake Tahoe -- where the trio unearths some shocking evidence when several guests and staffers succumb to a mysterious illness. In later episodes, Quincy meticulously reconstructs a capital crime from a single thigh bone; he reluctantly goes head to head with his mentor, Dr. Stone (Barry Sullivan), during a murder trial; he rescues a youngster from his abusive parents; he goes on an extended guilt trip when a rape counselor is herself assaulted as punishment for Quincy's outraged verbal attack on a suspected rapist; and he theorizes that a body donated to medical science is that of a murder victim -- and that the crime was committed in a supposedly impenetrable protective custody prison cell. The most unusual episode of the season is "Has Anybody Here Seen Quincy," one of the very few entries of any series in which the star never appears! As in season one, season two of Quincy features Lynnette Mettey as the protagonist's girlfriend, Lee Potter. Though Lee would not return for a third season, John S. Ragin would be carried over in the role of Quincy's superior and chief antagonist, Dr. Robert Astin, who at this juncture of the series is still an obnoxious, thick-eared windbag. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When three of his fellow private eyes lose their licenses, Jim (James Garner) risks his own to help them. It turns out that the P.I.'s have been victimized by a "mystery woman" (Katherine Charles) working for a huge detective agency which is determined to eliminate all competition--even if means committing murder. To get even with the villains, Jim and his friends stage an elaborately preplanned break-in at the impenetrable Waterbury Building, an undertaking that bears a startling resemblance to the Watergate burglary, right down to a cameo appearance by an ersatz "Deep Throat". Simon Oakland) makes his first series appearance as detective Vern St. Cloud. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

First seen on October 3, 1976, as a component of the rotating crime anthology series The NBC Mystery Movie, Quincy, M.E. starred Jack Klugman as the title character, a one-time private medical practitioner who, after the death of his wife, gave up his profitable practice to become a medical examiner with the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. Using his vast knowledge of forensic medicine, Quincy (whose first name was never revealed on the series) frequently came up against cases of normal or "accidental" death, or suicide, that he suspected to be murders. Whenever this happened, Quincy went into full detective mode, ruffling the feathers of everyone in any sort of authority, from the police to the D.A.'s office to the medical establishment itself. Contentious and persistent, Quincy never let up until he proved his theories or solved the case at hand, even when facing public censure, the loss of his license or a stiff prison term.

Once the series ceased its sporadic NBC Mystery Movie schedule and became a weekly, one-hour NBC offering in the spring of 1977, Quincy broadened his range of outrage to include suspected cases of child abuse, drug and/or alcohol addiction brought about by flaws in the bureaucracy, governmental red tape, incompetent doctors, corrupt politicians, shifty lawyers, gangland chieftains, and those who would prey on the helpless and infirm in all walks of life. While Quincy's intentions were honorable and his results were often laudatory, he proved to be a major pain in the neck to his superior in the coroner's office, Dr. Robert Astin (John S. Ragin). Originally a pompous, preening obstructionist bureaucrat, Dr. Astin mellowed into an intelligent and avuncular character as the series wore on, and became one of Quincy's closest friends. Another "friendly adversary" was police lieutenant Frank Monahan (Garry Walberg), who frequently found himself both resisting Quincy's intrusions into his territory and welcoming his meticulous detective work and razor sharp deductions. Others in the supporting cast included Robert Ito as Quincy's young and ambitious assistant, Sam Fujiyama; Val Bisoglio as restaurateur Danny Tovo (who owned Quincy's favorite watering hole, Danny's); and Joseph Roman as police sergeant Brill.

Although he lived alone on his personal boat which he kept docked at a marina, Quincy did not want for female companionship. His girlfriend during the series' first two seasons was Lee Potter (Lynnette Mettey); she was followed by a steady stream of lovely ladies, including Dr. Emily Hanover (Anita Gillette), who ended up marrying Quincy after innumerable delays and breakups in the series' final season. Created and produced by Glen A. Larson, Quincy, M.E. remained a popular NBC attraction until its cancellation on September 5, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Voter apathy in the United States is at an all-time high, and the general consensus of the American attitude is that there simply isn't anyone worth voting for. A multi-ethnic, politically diverse committee comes together to name a new candidate that America can really get behind. When someone jokingly suggests famous porn star Linda Lovelace, the committee members realize that it isn't such a crazy idea after all ("At least she knows how to use her head!"). Lovelace agrees to run for president, the Upright Party is formed, and a cross-country campaign tour is launched. Her journey is full of ribald adventures in small towns, big cities, and rural spots along the highway, and she's loved by the people everywhere she goes. Unfortunately, that makes the Dirty Guys in Washington upset, so they send for The Assassinator (Chuck McCann) to make sure that Lovelace doesn't live to claim her rightful spot as leader of the free world. This wacky softcore sex farce features an assortment of celebrities in cameo roles, including Micky Dolenz, Scatman Crothers, Joe E. Ross, and Vaughn Meader. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi

"The German Air Force is not at all what it used to be," says Anne Bancroft's Countess, about 16 minutes into The Hindenburg, pausing and then adding, "But then, nothing is these days." That seems to sum up the ponderous, irony-laden script and plot of Robert Wise's movie, which is posited -- in true post-Watergate fashion -- upon notions of conspiracy and cover-up behind the destruction of the German airship. The movie opens with a handy Universal newsreel that gives a vestpocket history of lighter-than-air flight, and that carries us to 1937 Germany. Colonel Franz Ritter (George C. Scott), a former hero pilot now working for military intelligence, finds himself assigned to the flight of the Hindenburg as chief of security; reports and rumors about the destruction of the zeppelin have circulated both in Germany and America, and the Nazi government takes these very seriously. What Ritter walks in on is a "Grand Hotel" of the air, several dozen passengers and crew whose ranks contain enough red herrings to keep Ritter (and us) jumping through hoops for most of the first half of the film, when we're not watching glorious shots of the zeppelin in flight. The answer to the script's presentation of the plot against the airship,and theidentityof the bomber and his motivations, are actually presented in the first 15 minutes, but there are so many false leads, subplots, and blind alleys put before us that the solution will probably pass by unnoticed. In the meantime, Ritter dances around with his ex-paramour (Bancroft), scheming businessmen (Gig Young), and passengers with skeletons in their closets (Alan Oppenheimer), an entertainer (Robert Clary) with a knack for offending loyal Nazis, several officers and crew with known "political" differences with the Nazi Party, a Gestapo man (Roy Thinnes) who's got an agenda of his own, and two genuine mystery men (Burgess Meredith, Rene Auberjonois) who don't seem to have any reason for traveling on this particular voyage. It's all a little tiring, or would be, if the setting and special effects weren't that interesting, and the cast wasn't so entertaining to watch in these relatively thankless roles. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

In the first episode of a two-part story, Alec Morris (John Carter), a terrified computer programmer for Fiscal Dynamics Incorporated, comes to Jim Rockford (James Garner) for help, only to be promptly kindapped. Following up this puzzling incident on behalf of Morris' wife Helen (Priscilla Pointer), Jim finds out that there's a major coverup in the works--and that he is up against some very powerful people who will stop at nothing to prevent him from learning the whole truth. Al Stevenson makes his first series appearance in the recurring role of L.J., an old pal of Jim's dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A roman a clef depicting the Wylie-Hoffert murders, this is the first of the made for TV movies introducing the Kojak character and was essentially the pilot for the long-running crime series. When a black ghetto youth is accused of two bizarre murders, Kojak takes it upon himself to find the real murderer. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

In the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Chief Ironside is assigned to protect little Jerry Abbott, an autistic 10-year-old who has witnessed a murder. Not long afterward, the newspapers are reporting that Jerry himself has been killed--and that Ironside, tortured by guilt, has quit the force, crawled into a booze bottle, and ended up a derelict on Skid Row. But is this grim situation everything it appears to be? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi