Victor Sen Yung Movies

In The Man With Bogart's Face, an affectionate send-up of the Bogart detective films of the 1940s, Robert Sacchi plays a man who idolizes Humphrey Bogart so much he has his features altered to look exactly like his idol. He then opens up a detective agency under the name Sam Marlowe (an amalgam of the names of Bogart's characters from The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep). Sam hires the Duchess (Misty Rowe) as his secretary ("She looked like Marilyn Monroe and made about as much sense as Gracie Allen") and "Sam Marlowe, Private Eye" is in business. Sam gets a meager response until a shooting puts his picture in the paper and business starts to flourish. Particularly attracted to Marlowe's services are a collection of characters -- Gena (Michelle Phillips), an attractive Gene Tierney type; Commodore Anastas (Victor Buono), a Greek shipping tycoon and Sidney Greenstreet lookalike; and the mysterious Mr. Zebra (Herbert Lom doing a Peter Lorre imitation). They are all trying to find the famous Eyes of Alexander -- a priceless set of stones from a statue of Alexander the Great. Also on hand are old Hollywood pros George Raft, Yvonne DeCarlo and Mike Mazurki. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Ponderosa ranchhaned Griff King agrees to pose as the husband of one Theodora Duffy (Karen Carlson). There is nothing personal in this arrangement: Theodora wants to solve a crime, and pretending to be Mrs. King is merely a means to an end. Also in the cast are Ramon Bieri as Jonas Holt, Robert Yuro as Dody Henderickson, Richard Eastham as Stanton and Rayford Barnes as Shaw. Written by Ward Hawkins, "The Marriage of Theodora Duffy" was the last-ever Bonanza episode to be filmed-but was shown next to last, on January 9, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jamie is a member of a boy's club which delights in forcing new members to undergo a grueling initiation process. Unfortunately, one of these hazings results in the death of a hapless teenager. Though the townsfolk blame Ted Hoag (Ronny Howard), a homeless youth, for the boy's death, Jamie and the other members demonstrate their inherent maturity by shouldering the responsibility themselves. Written by Douglas Day Stewart, "The Initiation" first aired on September 26, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Once more, Lorne Greene essays the dual role of Ben Cartwright and Ben's lookalike, confidence trickster Bradley Meredith. This time out, Meredith takes advantage of Ben's trip to Carson City to auction off the Ponderosa, piece by piece. Kate Jackson makes an early TV appearance as Ellen, while others in the cast include Greg Mullavey as Jordan, William Mims as Williams, Jack Collins as Mayor Harlow, Bill Zuckert as Matt Fowler, and Richard X. Slattery as Henderson. Written by Stanley Roberts, "One Ace Too Many" was originally shown on April 2, 1972 as the last installment of Bonanza's thirteenth season. The episode also represented the final series appearances of Ray Teal as Sheriff Coffee, and, tragically, Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Joan Hackett guest-stars as Judith, the fiancee of a young pastor named Jess (James Booth). Blessed-or, perhaps, cursed-with the gift of clairvoyance, Judith is called in to locate a missing Jamie. But her intensely religious sweetheart does not want Judith to use her "special powers." Written by Arthur Weingarten and Suzanne Clauser, this episode, coupled with the earlier Bonanza installment "The Strange One," formed the plot basis for the 1989 TV special Bonanza: The Movie. Due to the religious beliefs of certain cable-network CEOs, "Second Sight" itself has not been seen much since its original airing on January 9, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

David Carradine first stepped into the sandals of taciturn martial-arts expert Caine in the made-for-TV pilot film Kung Fu. A Chinese/American priest, Caine must flee to the United States after he is forced to kill a royal nephew. He wanders the American West of the 1860s, keeping his cool until it is necessary to display his kung-fu skills full force. Most often, he must meditate and conjure up a flashback dominated by Master Po (Keye Luke) before he is galvanized into action. In the pilot, Caine comes to the rescue of a group of Chinese coolies who are working on the railroad. First telecast February 22, 1972, Kung Fu spawned a long-running series of the 1970s--not to mentioned the "updated" syndicated weekly of the 1990s, which also starred the inscrutable Mr. Carradine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The cantankerous Calhouns-nouveau riche prospector Luke Calhoun (Dub Taylor) and his man-hungry daughter Meena (Ann Prentiss-return to Bonanza in the December 12, 1971 episode "Easy Come, Easy Go." As Meena again tries to snare a husband, Luke-reduced to poverty by a crooked land deal-accepts Ben's hospitality at the Ponderosa. Before long, Luke has transformed the ranch into an ersatz gambling casino, nearly scotching Ben's efforts to purchase an important right-of-way. "Easy Come, Easy Go" was written by Jack B. Sowards, who'd penned the two previous "Calhoun" episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comic episode, Hoss Cartwright is tapped to judge a Virginia City "beautiful baby" contest. In so doing, he inadvertently sparks a chain reaction of disaster and ill will, culminating with the exposure of a long-suppressed "scandal". The Moral: All babies are beautiful, but most grownups are not. Edward Andrews, Patricia Harty and Ellen Moss play key supporting roles in "Rock-a-Bye Hoss", which was written by Preston Wood and Robert Vincent Wright, and first aired on October 10, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"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, Rovi

Lorne Greene plays a dual role, as Ponderosa patriarch Ben Cartwright and Ben's con-man lookalike Bradley Meredith. The fun begins when Meredith, posing as Ben, makes a major land sale to the railroad-a deal that the real Ben had previously turned down flat. Also in the cast are Alan Oppenheimer as Wentworth, Linda Gaye Scott as Dixie and Charles Dierkop as Nicholson. Written by Stanley Roberts, "A Deck of Aces" first aired on January 31, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Hawaiians is the sequel to 1969's Hawaii; both films were adapted from the same sprawling novel by James A. Michener. Charlton Heston is top-billed as a sailor who returns to his Hawaiian homestead, only to learn that his grandfather's fortune has been bestowed upon his hated cousin Alec McCowan. As a reprisal, Heston sets up his own pineapple plantation in competition with his cousin. Heston's son John Phillip Law falls in love with the daughter (Virginia Ann Lee) of a Chinese farmer (Mako). The issue of miscegenation rears its ugly head, but by the end of this very long film Heston's family is united by marriage to the Chinese clan. The British title of The Hawaiians was Master of the Islands. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi

Bonanza's twelfth season commenced on September 13, 1970 with the episode titled "The Night Virginia City Died." Several Virginia City buildings have burned to the ground; the townsfolk are in an uproar, and the local constabulary is apparently helpless. Meanwhile, the Cartwrights have befriended a pretty young stranger named Janie (Angel Tompkins), the new sweetheart of Deputy Clem (Bing Russell). Only the audience knows that the profoundly disturbed Janie is the elusive arsonist whom everyone is seeking. Written by John Hawkins, this episode was specially contrived to "destroy" the old Virginia City sets at the Paramount studios so that the Bonanza company could move into its new home at Warner Bros. "The Night Virginia City Died" also boasted a new Bonanza theme song by David Rose, which would endure until the old theme was brought back by popular demand in 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi