Gregory Sierra Movies

Luther Adler guest stars as Leo Vorka, an aging European dictator who intends to purge his country of all young artists and intellectuals. The IMF hopes to topple Vorka from power and install his friendlier deputy Bartzin (Ben Astar) in his place. The mission: To drive Vorka insane and convince his deputies that the old man must be deposed immediately. The success of the scheme hinges upon a cleverly arranged series of "ghostly" visions, courtesy of a rigged closed-circuit TV. Antoinette Bower, who'd played the damsel in distress in the second-season Mission: Impossible story "The Slave", is here cast as IMF agent--and erstwhile phantom--Nora Bennett. Originally broadcast on February 8, 1970, "Phantoms" was written by Laurence Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"Movies like Getting Straight are ceasing to be tolerable" complained one conservative movie magazine of 1970. Today, the once-relevant but now merely entertaining Getting Straight is not only tolerable, but downright user-friendly. Elliot Gould plays a Vietnam vet who decides to attend college after his tour of duty. Though much too old and worldly to truly fit in with the naive flower-power generation, Gould becomes swept up in the various activist movements on campus. The leading character's crisis of conscience concerns his field of study: he wants to be a teacher for idealistic reasons, while his Establishment professors try to convince him that it's just another job, and hardly the best one at that. He finally chooses which side he's on while attempting to act as a mediator between students and faculty during a campus riot. Candice Bergen plays Gould's girlfriend, while Robert F. Lyons steals every scene he's in as a draft dodger who'll go to any lengths to avoid military service. Getting Straight represents the final screen appearance of Cecil Kellaway, here cast as a hidebound tenured professor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, two kidnappers begin looking for a new victim after they accidentally kill their latest hostage. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Celebrated bullfighter El Charro (Ben Archibek) has entered convent San Tanco under an assumed name. His purpose: to learn to read and write English, without attracting the attention of his adoring fans. Sr. Bertrille enlists the aid of casino owner Carlos in helping the timid toreador keep his secret. First broadcast on March 13, 1970, "A Gift for El Charro" was written by actor Stanley Adams, in collaboration with George F. Slavin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A drug addict seduces his lover into sharing his chemical joys and together they begin a wrenching downward spiral into destruction in this unflinching, well-wrought drama. Before getting hooked on speed, the woman had a successful career. But, despite the efforts of those who would help her, the couple cannot seem to kick their habit. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Gary Grimes stars in this revisionist western as Ben Mockridge, a 16-year-old boy who has long dreamed of living the life of a cowboy. Wanting adventure, he persuades Frank Culpepper (Billy Green Bush) to take him along on a cattle drive, and Ben learns the hard way just how lonesome, exhausting, and violent the life of a cowhand can be. As one of the men on the drive puts it, "Being a cowboy is what you do when you can't do anything else." Hal Needham, who would later direct a string of successful films starring Burt Reynolds, can be spotted in a small role as Burgess, one of the cowboys. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Gregory Sierra makes his first appearance as Puerto Rican junk dealer Julio Fuentes. Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) is outraged that Julio, and his pet goat, have moved in next door to the Sanford's junk shop. Before the episode is over, Fred's bigoted anger matches, if not surpasses, that of another Norman Lear creation, Archie Bunker -- with the same boomerang consequences. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A confirmed hit in its inaugural 14-episode season, the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son returned to its familiar Friday-night berth for a second batch of 24 episodes beginning September 15, 1972. In true "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" tradition, producer Norman Lear made virtually no changes in the series' winning format. Cantankerous junk dealer Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) was still umbilically joined to his cash-poor salvage business; Fred's son Lamont (Demond Wilson) was still seeking a way out of the family trade and into a more lucrative profession; and Fred continued to prevent Lamont from leaving by a variety of methods, primarily by staging highly suspicious "heart attacks." The only significant differences between Sanford's first and second seasons were manifested in the supporting cast. Hal Williams continued to make periodic appearances as police officer Smith (aka "Smitty"), albeit with a new partner, Officer Hopkins (Howard Platt), who was immediately nicknamed "Hoppy." The Sanfords' circle of friends was more or less solidified, with the departing Slappy White (as Melvin) replaced by Fred's somewhat shady crony Bubba Hoover (Don Bexley), and Lamont Sanford gaining a new chum in the person of reckless Rollo Larson (Nathaniel Taylor). More significant additions -- at least in providing grist for the comedy mill vis-à-vis Fred Sanford's endless personal insults -- included Gregory Sierra as the Sanfords' new neighbor and business rival, Puerto Rican junk dealer Julio Fuentes and especially LaWanda Page as Aunt Esther, Fred's contentious, Bible-thumping sister-in-law (Page was a slightly younger and more volatile replacement for Beah Richards, who had made a handful of appearances as Aunt Ethel). Also, Lynn Hamilton continued popping up from time to time as Fred Sanford's erstwhile fiancée, nurse Donna Harris. As with season one, some of the episodes seen during Sanford and Son's second season were adapted from scripts previously telecast on the series' British prototype Steptoe and Son, but these were fewer and farther between than in previous months. And also as with season one, Sanford sustained its enormous popularity, ranking as the second most popular TV series in America (another Norman Lear effort, All in the Family, was first). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Caught in a heavy rainstorm on Walton's Mountain, a family of Gypsies takes refuge it what seems to be a deserted house. Actually, it's the home of the Baldwin sisters, temporarily out of town. The Gypsies' unwitting "break-in" fuels the bigotry of Matt Beckwith (William Bramley), who tries to turn the other residents of the Mountain against the nomadic family. When the Waltons offer to lend a helping hand, the Gypsies are too proud to accept...even though their baby is gravely ill. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Stuart Rosenberg's taut police thriller, based on the Martin Beck novel by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahlöö, concerns a serial killer who is targeting bus riders. When a bus full of innocent commuters are killed on a San Francisco street, Jake Martin (Walter Matthau) is assigned to track down the killer. Jake has a personal stake in the killings because his partner was one of the victims. Teamed up with new partner Leo Larsen (Bruce Dern), Jake investigates the back alleys of San Francisco to find the serial killer. The trail leads to a tour of the underbelly of the city's gay subculture. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) is jealous when his son Fred (Demond Wilson) begins spending more and more time with the Sanfords' Puerto Rican neighbor (and business rival) Julio Fuentes (Gregory Sierra). After Fred announces plans to accompany Julio on a weekend visit to Tijuana, Fred goes into his "don't leave your poor, sick father alone" monologue. This fails to move Lamont, so Fred begins cooking up a few more devious strategies to keep his son at home. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A scientist (Michael Greene) discovers a plot whereby one of his co-workers (Stanley Adams) has been cloning the minds of geniuses in a nefarious attempt to control the world. With the help of a clone-chaser (Gregory Sierra), the scientist has a slim chance of saving the planet. ~ John Bush, Rovi