Gene Blakely Movies

Newly divorced Emma Moriarty (Sally Field) moves herself and her young son to a small Arizona town, hoping to establish a horse farm. Town pharmacist Murphy Jones (James Garner), the town's most eligible bachelor, develops a platonic friendship with Emma, but he decides to keep his distance when her ex-husband Bobby Jack (Brian Kerwin), who claims he's changed his irresponsible ways, moves back in with her. At a party at Emma's ranch, Murphy and Bobby Jack get into a verbal row, but nothing is settled until Wanda (Anna Levine) shows up with two babies in tow, claiming that Bobby Jack is the father. Once rid of her ex, Emma commisserates with her friend Murphy at his drug store--and is quite surprised to discover that she's fallen in love with the older man, and he with her. Murphy's Romance is a very gentle romantic comedy; even Murphy's cast-away lady friend (Georgann Johnson) behaves like a civilized human being instead of a woman scorned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Mike is finally able to pry the in-labor Gloria loose from a restaurant telephone booth and rush her to the hospital. Thanks to innumerable delays, it is grandparents Archie and Edith who arrive at the hospital first -- with Archie still in blackface from his lodge minstrel show, creating quite a spectacle indeed. The only calm member of the family is expectant mother Gloria, who keeps her cool all through the delivery while Mike suffers his own version of labor pains. This program made history as the first sitcom episode to show an actual live birth (courtesy of a pre-taped sequence). Best line: "Not now, Michael, I have a headache." Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ben Starr, Part two of "Birth of the Baby" first aired on December 22, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A lesser but still entertaining Neil Simon work, The Prisoner of Second Avenue was adapted to film in 1974. Jack Lemmon takes over the role played on Broadway by Peter Falk: Mel is a New York-based advertising man who goes through hell when he loses his job. The gods seem to conspire against him as he tries to cope with his unemployed status; he is particularly depressed over the fact that he must now subsist on the income of his wife (Anne Bancroft). There are laughs in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, but it's the laughter of desperation and despair; it might not be advisable to watch this film after a bad day at the office. Watch for Sylvester Stallone as the "human punch line" of an old urban legend about a pickpocket. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bob and Emily are looking forward to their first Christmas Eve "alone together." Unfortunately, they'll have to continue looking; Bob has been trapped in his office by a power failure, capping a long and daunting list of frustrations. Gene Blakely appears as Dr. Ralph Tetzi. Appropriately making its network premiere on December 22, 1973, "I'm Dreaming of a Slight Christmas" was written by comedians Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cornel Wilde produced, directed, and stars in this sincere, hard-edged look at World War II that doesn't flinch from the horrors of battle. The action takes place during a single American campaign to take an island held by the Japanese. Brief flashbacks to civilian life are the only escape from the gritty, dreary setting. The usual cliché characters are replaced by new ones, such as the captain (Wilde) who loves his wife but hates the war, the sergeant (Rip Torn) who gets sadistic pleasure out of battle, the minister's son (Patrick Wolfe) who keeps remembering the girl he left back home, and the Southern illiterate (Burr DeBenning) who finds a place for himself in the Marines. The screenplay (from a 1945 novel by Peter Bowman) avoids stereotypes yet doesn't make any of these men into fleshed-out characters. Still, the acting is solid and Wilde deserves commendation for taking a harsh, unromanticized look at the Big One, over thirty years before Steven Spielberg did it with Saving Private Ryan. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Determined to buy Samantha a mink coat, Darrin makes a strenuous -- and frustrating -- effort to land a lucrative account. But when his efforts unexpectedly yield success, Darrin comes to believe that he was aided by Samantha's witchcraft. Sam spends the rest of the episode trying to prove that Darrin won the account on his own, while Darrin wrestles with the notion of continuing to rely upon Sam's magical powers to get ahead. Written by Syd Zelinka and Paul Wayne, "The Girl With the Golden Nose" originally aired on June 2, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Up to her usual tricks, Endora warns Darrin that Samantha will still be beautiful when he is old and grey. This leads Darrin to ask the inevitable question: Just how old is Samantha? If the audience thinks that a straight answer will be forthcoming, they don't know Bewitched. The guest cast includes venerable character actor Peter Brocco as Mr. Bodkin. Originally telecast on February 25, 1965, "Eye of the Beholder" was written by Lawrence Groves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide