Olan Soule Movies

In the first episode of a two-part story, Patrick MacNee guest stars as Count Iblis, a shipwrecked alien rescued by a Galactica recon mission. Claiming to be the last descendant of a long-gone alien culture, Iblis promises to grant three wishes to the Colonials -- including safe passage to the 13th Colony. All he asks in return from them is total, and unquestioning, obedience. Not surprisingly, Cmdr. Adama (Lorne Greene) is suspicious of Iblis' true motives -- but he is unable to sway the Colonials, who are more thn willing to agree to the godlike alien's terms. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Acting with more speed than usual, Dr. Astin (John S. Ragin) files an autopsy report declaring that a body found in the ruins of a fire was murdered. But Quincy subsequently discovers that the dead man suffered from a bad heart, which might have brought about his demise. This revelation gets Astin into hot water with his superiors--and now Quincy must determine the actual cause of death while simultaneously saving his boss' reputation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Lizzie Borden took an axe/And gave her mother forty whacks/When she saw what she had done/She gave her father forty-one". New England spinster Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the charge of murdering her father and stepmother in 1892, but this made-for-TV movie, like most recreations of the murders and subsequent trial, adheres to the popular consensus that Borden was guilty. Elizabeth Montgomery takes a break from playing victims to portray the enigmatic Borden. The trial scenes are lifted directly from the original court records; scripter William Bast's speculation as to what really happened the night the elder Bordens were hacked to death is pure (but credible) conjecture. Accompanied by a "parental guidance suggested" tag, The Legend of Lizzie Borden was first broadcast February 10, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There's definitely something in the air when a pungent perfume bottle smashes in the back seat of Adam-12. Despite the all-pervading stench, Officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) valiantly remain on the job. Unforutnately, most of their calls turn out to be false alarms, notably a reported burglary at a church--which may have been committed by the parish minister (Stuart Nesbit. Featured in the cast is another longtime member of producer Jack Webb's "stock company", Olan Soule. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Conspiracy to Kill was one of two pilot films for the Jack Webb-produced TV series The D.A. Robert Conrad stars as LA deputy district attorney Paul Ryan. This time around, Ryan reopens a case that he's already won. New evidence indicates that a supposedly victimized drugstore owner (William Conrad) was the brains behind a robbery and murder that occurred at his own establishment. The D.A. series proper ran from September 17, 1971, through January 7, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in 1966 (when screenwriter Richard Breen was still around), this made-for-TV feature marked the return of Jack Webb's classic 1950s cop series Dragnet after a seven-year absence. Ordered to cut his vacation short, Sgt. Joe Friday (played by Jack Webb) is assigned to investigate the mysterious disappeances of two beautiful models and a pretty young war widow. In concert with partner Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan), Friday does his best to follow the trail of evidence, only to be continually stymied by contradictory or reluctant eyewitnesses. Before arriving at the disturbing conclusion that the missing girls have been the victims of a voyeuristic serial killer, Joe and Bill manage to solve another, unrelated murder involving a visiting Frenchman. Several members of Jack Webb's radio and TV Dragnet stock company are cast in colorful supporting roles, including Virginia Gregg, Victor Perrin, and Herb Ellis, while L.A. Dodgers catcher John Roseboro is seen as a fellow cop. A powerful opening sequence and an thrilling action climax more than compensate for the unevenness of the script (the last such by veteran Webb collaborator Richard Breen) and the occasional pokiness of the direction. Although this 97-minute Dragnet was good enough to convince NBC to revive the vintage Jack Webb series on a weekly, half-hour basis (it ran successfully for three seasons), the film itself was shelved for several years, not making its network TV debut until January 27, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Betty Jo (Linda Kaye Henning) and Steve (Mike Minor) have chosen Dr. Janet Craig (June Lockhart) to be godmother at the christening of baby Kathy Jo. It thus falls to Janet to select the godfather from five likely candidates: Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan), Doc Stuart (Regis Toomey), Sam Drucker (Frank Cady), Wendell Gibbs (Byron Foulger) and Bert Smedley (Olan Soule, temporarily in the role normally played by Paul Hartman). Unfortunately, the jealous jockeying for position amongst these five candidates results in a near-disaster. Mike Minor sings "The Lord's Prayer". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With Kate still "out of town" (star Bea Benaderet's illness kept her from appearing), the Shaddy Rest Hotel is taken over by her southern cousin Mae Belle Jennings (Shirley Mitchell). In characteristic fashion, Mae Belle manages to alienate everyone in town in record time. Goodness knows what fate might have befallen the Shady Rest had not Kate's sister Helen come to the rescue. This episode introduces Rosemary DeCamp in the recurring role of Aunt Helen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This sci-fi outing was originally released in 3-Dimensional "Spacevision" and tells the tale of a young couple who go for a fun day of flying and end up forced into a gigantic plastic bubble during a sudden violent storm. Inside the inverted bowl is an apparently empty ghost town, that on further inspection proves to be filled with old movie props and strange "residents" who seem to suffer from a bizarre form of echolalia. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The ninth season of Bonanza began on September 17, 1967 with the episode titled "Second Chance". Ben Cartwright joins an army patrol to rescue his sons Hoss and Joe, who are presently at the mercy of renegade Indians. The boys are pinned down with a wagon party, consisting almost exclusively of society's outcasts: A group of thieves, two women of checkered reputation, a dying man, and a coward (appropriately enough, this episode went into production as "The Losers"). Also in the cast are James Gregory as Mulvaney, Bettye Ackerman as Estelle, Joe De Santis as Dawson, Douglas Kennedy as Frazier, Zane Zachery as Anna, and Ken Drake as Breck. Written by John Hawkins and Paul Sneider, "Second Chance" was one of several "classic" episodes rebroadcast during the Spring and Summer of 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

FBI agent Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) goes undercover as a truck driver to locate the site where hijacked shipments of nitroglycerin are being sold to enemy spies. Teamed with trucker Carl Munger (Gerald S. O'Loughlin), who is being stongarmed into cooperating with the hijackers, Rhodes is ordered to drive a particularly volatile shipment of explosives over some extremely rough terrain. Meanwhile, Rhodes' every move is being monitored by his boss, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)--who cannot move in and make an arrest without forfeiting the lives of everyone concerned!. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) has learned that defecting East European cryptographer Holman (George Voskovec), reported killed in a fire, is alive and in hiding from his countrymen. Assisted by Holman's wife Barbara (Dana Wynter), Erskine goes to great lengths to convince Red diplomat Korvin (Paul Lukas) that Holman is indeed dead. Meanwhile, opportunistic double agent Yustov (John Van Dreelen) formulates a self-serving scheme that will spell disaster not only for Holman, but for all his loved ones behind the Iron Curtain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide