Ron Stokes Movies

Michael Keaton plays a famous Chicago-based hockey player who befriends trouble-prone teenager Ajay Naidu (after Naidu's gang has tried to mug him!) He also extends the hand of friendship to Naidu's mother Maria Conchita Alonso, a friendship that blossoms into a physical relationship. Too self-centered to make a commitment to Alonso, Keaton tries to break things off, but Naidu won't let him go so easily. This seemingly frivolous situation is underscored by the more serious efforts of Alonso to make a better life for herself and her son. The comic and dramatic elements of Touch and Go never quite jell, but the winning performances of the three main characters help gloss over the film's unevenness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a former sergeant accompanies his deceased friend, a black man, home from Vietnam. There he tries to persuade the deceased's white girlfriend and the Indian leader of his motorcycle gang to come to the funeral. The ex-sarge also tries to understand the ins-and-outs of biker life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A pair of crooks conspire to rob the ticket booth at the Los Angeles Coliseum during a Rams game. Before they can perform the heist, the two must find precisely the right henchmen to join them. Each potential gang member must undergo a rigorous test of skill. Thanks to care and precise planning, the caper comes off smoothly and afterward the gang leader (Jim Brown) hides the money in the apartment of his ex-wife (Diahann Carroll). She only agrees to keep the money on the provision that he reform so they can get back together. Unfortunately, the wife's lust-crazed landlord (James Whitmore) busts into her house the next day and tries to rape her. During the struggle he kills her and then takes the loot. Later a crooked cop (Gene Hackman) investigates. Meanwhile, when the gang members learn that the loot is missing, they suspect a double-cross and engage in a huge battle. The cop finds the money and at first keeps it for himself. The head crook eventually figures out that the cop has it and so goes to him to make a little deal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Still anxious to serve his country in the military, Jethro heads to what he thinks is an Army-reserve recruiting office, and is immediately inducted into the ranks of the costumed movie extras appearing in a Civil War epic. The confusion is compounded when Granny, spotting the maneuvers of the "Union Army," is convinced that the War Between the States is starting all over again. William Mims appears as the tippling bit player cast as General Grant, while Lyle Talbot is seen as the film's military advisor, Colonel Blake. The first episode in a three-part story arc, "The Reserve Program" first aired on November 22, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rosie! is directly based upon Ruth Gordon's play A Very Rich Woman, which was itself based upon a French play by Philippe Heriat, but the indirect source for all three versions is Shakespeare's King Lear. Rosalind Russell has the Lear part, here transformed from a powerful king into a rich, madcap grandmother by the name of Rosie Lord. Unlike in Shakespeare, however, Rosie does not abandon her wealth voluntarily; instead, her viperish children make an assault on her in an attempt to claim their inheritance while Rosie is still alive. They succeed in getting her declared mentally incompetent and thrown into a grotesque asylum, an experience that is so traumatic that she nearly does go insane. Fortunately, Rosie's beloved granddaughter Daphne (Sandra Dee) is appalled at what has happened; she moves into high gear, contacting an ex-lover of Rosie's (played by Brian Aherne) who also happens to be a powerful and skilled attorney. A lengthy court battle ensues, with both sides determined to come out triumphant. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Lunar astronauts explore strange ice caves on the moon and end up becoming hosts for a bizarre, deadly parasitic fungus. Unaware of their contamination, the explorers return to their space station. One of them dies and a biochemist investigates. The ship's physician is the next to suffer. He and the surviving astronaut attempt to convince the ship's captain to radio in a warning to Earth, but the commander refuses. The two then try to contact Earth on their own, but the communication officer, who loves the captain, stops them, leaving the twosome to figure out another way to save their planet from catastrophe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

As a repairman (Sterling Holloway) works on his malfunctioning television set, middle-aged TV addict Joe Britt (William Demarest) fusses and fumes, while his wife Phyllis (Joan Blondell) launches another of her nag sessions. Once the repairman leaves, Joe tunes in to his favorite program, only to watch in amazement as his own extramarital dalliances are recreated on the 21-inch screen. Dumbfounded, Joe continues watching, whereupon the screen is filled with images of a dire and dismal future for the battling Britts. The second of Martin M. Goldsmith's Twilight Zone scripts (and the last episode directed by Twilight Zone veteran Richard L. Bare, "What's in the Box" was oriignally telecast March 13, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide