Chet Stratton Movies

Hogan's Heroes entered its sixth season (meaning that the inmates of Stalag 13 were incarcerated approximately twice as long as any real American POW during WWII) with the episode titled "Cuisine a la Stalag 13." LeBeau's decision to escape may wreak havoc on the palates of both the prisoners and their captors: Even fat Sgt. Schultz, who has become accustomed to LeBeau's gourmet cooking, refuses to eat the gastronomic disasters served up by Sgt. Carter. But there is a more urgent need for LeBeau's services: Hogan needs to butter up a German general whose aid is an Allied agent. Kenneth Washington joins the cast as Sgt. Richard Baker, while the guest cast includes Brenda Benet as Marie Bizet. Written by Laurence Marks, "Cuisine a la Stalag 13" first aired on September 20, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The mellifluous Richard Haydn is cast as Malcolm the Magificent, a seedy travelling magician. To fool the yokels, Malcolm uses his twin daughters in his act: Jan (Alyce Andrece) is sweet and demure, while Janice (Rhae Andrece) is a pool-playing hellion. A comedy of errors ensues when Joe and Hoss Cartwright fall in love with the twins, but are convinced that they're rivals for the same girl. Originally aired on February 23, 1969, "The Lady and the Mountain Lion" was written by Larry Markes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

James Garner is so good as Raymond Chandler's philosophical gumshoe Philip Marlowe that you forget he's totally wrong for the part. Based on Chandler's The Little Sister, Marlowe involves the detective's efforts to locate the missing brother of Orfamay Quest (Sharon Farrell). He follows the clues to two men who deny any knowledge of the brother's existence. Since both men soon find themselves on the wrong end of an ice pick, Marlowe deduces that there's more to this caper than a mere missing-person case. The plot thickens as more "dramatis personae" are added to the intrigues, including TV star Gayle Hunnicutt, Hunnicutt's gangster boyfriend H.M. Wynant and stripper Rita Moreno. A pre-stardom Bruce Lee shows up as a karate-happy thug who lays waste to Marlowe's office shortly before suffering a spectacular demise. It is preferable to view Marlowe in videocassette or theatrical form; the commercial TV print cuts so much out that viewers are left with virtually nothing but protection leader and a few close-ups of James Garner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kirk Douglas has an extreme case of mid-life crisis in Elia Kazan's turgid melodrama (adapted from his best-selling novel). Douglas plays successful advertising executive Eddie Anderson, who cracks under the strain of the morning rush hour in Los Angeles and plows his sports car into a truck. Landing in a convalescent home, Eddie remains mute to everyone except his boss Finnegan (Charles Drake). In his recovery room, Eddie dreams about co-worker Gwen (Faye Dunaway), a sexy research assistant at his agency. Meanwhile, the psychiatrist Dr. Liebman (Harold Gould) talks to Eddie's wife, Florence (Deborah Kerr), who reveals that at one time Eddie and Gwen had an affair, but they broke it off. Unfortunately, after that escapade, Eddie's interest in sex vanished completely.

Then after the interview with Dr. Liebman, following a terrible nightmare, Eddie breaks out of his self-imposed silence and declares to Florence that he is tired of his unfulfilling life of "arrangements." Eddie returns to work, but the return is marked by Eddie insulting a major client, alienating his co-workers, and then taking off in a private plane in which he flies madly over the skies of L.A. His lawyer Arthur (Hume Cronyn) keeps Eddie from being thrown in jail and also talks Eddie into giving Florence the power of attorney. Eddie proceeds to travel to New York, where he runs into Gwen, who now has a child. Eddie is in New York to visit his senile father, Sam (Richard Boone), but when his family attempts to put Sam in a nursing home, Eddie takes him away with him to their old family estate on Long Island. Eddie calls up Gwen, and she travels to Long Island to resume their affair. Meanwhile, Eddie's loved ones search for Sam, and they are closing in on Eddie's Long Island sanctuary. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

James Lake (Raymond St. Jacques) is an escaped black convict imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit. Leslie Whitlock (Kevin McCarthy) offers James money to kill his wife, Ellen (Dana Wynter). He declines and tries to look up his old flame Lily (Barbara McNair), but discovers his own brother is now married to the sultry nightclub singer. James returns to Leslie, and the trio travel towards a mountain retreat. James and Ellen escape and try to find the murderer who had framed James years before. He experiences prejudices from police and civilian alike before the trail leads to the dead girl's stepfather. Due to the constant sexual and racial overtones this film is considered an exploitation feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Louise Troy appears as "Axis Annie" Gebhart, a German radio propagandist. Hoping to relay coded messages to the Allies, Hogan and his men agree to an on-air interview conducted by Annie. Unfortunately, their words come across as fervently pro-Nazi, thus Hogan must cook up a scheme to destroy the transcriptions. Written by Laurence Marks, "Axis Annie" originally aired on February 10, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Clampetts are informed that Mrs. Drysdale is hoping to win a much-coveted art award from the Beverly Hills Cultural Committee. Helpfully, Granny offers to paint a portrait of Mrs. Drysdale, certain that her efforts will cop first prize. But as always, there are surprises aplenty in store for both the Clampetts and the Drysdales -- not to mention the rest of the Beverly Hills cultural elite. "Corn Pone Picassos" was originally telecast on December 20, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Convent San Tanco has become the home of a talking parrot with a very colorful -- and profane -- vocabulary. It is up to Sr. Bertrille to hide the dirty bird from the eyes and ears of the Reverend Mother. Step number two: Find a proper home for the feathered troublemaker. First broadcast on October 19, 1967, "Polly Wants a Cracked Head" was written by Richard DeRoy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This independent racing feature was filmed around the Nashville area. The mob has their eye on the stock-car-racing circuit. The owners of the track have hired a publicity man to smooth things over between the two top racers in the interests of promotion. Bobby (Tom Kirk) is the brooding car jockey at odds with longtime nemesis Gary (Ray Strickland). The two not only compete on the racetrack, but both are moving in fast on the same girl, the lovely brunette Shelley (Brenda Benet). One will get the girl, the other will be content to go back to the farm and leave life in the fast lane behind. Brenda Benet was once romantically linked with the late Bobby Fuller (I Fought The Law). She moved on to soap-opera fame in the 1970s before tragically taking her own life. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

A few episodes ago, Herman (Fred Gwynne) was being pestered by a practical-joking coworker named Clyde (Chet Stratton). Now, apparently, Clyde has reformed to the extent that Herman is willing to help his timid colleague woo and win a girl named Clara (Joan Staley). In "Cyrano de Bergerac" fashion, Herman writes some love letters to Clara on Clyde's behalf--leading Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) to the spectacularly inaccurate conclusion that Herman is cheating on her! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

To explain away the fact that Dr. Bellows (Hayden Rorke) has caught him floating in mid-air (courtesy of Jeannie [Barbara Eden], of course--Tony (Larry Hagman) alibis that he is an amateur magician. Calling Tony's bluff, Dr. Bellows orders the long-suffering astronaut to perform his magic act at a show for the NASA personnel. Perhaps Jeannie can extricate Tony from this dilemma--or perhaps Dr. Bellows will finally be able to prove that all the weird goings-on in Tony's house are not figments of his imagination. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally trade-previewed as Those Crazy Calloways, Disney's Those Calloways is a lengthy, anecdotal film about a highly individualistic New England family. Patriarch Cam Calloway (Brian Keith) is regarded as a crank by the local villagers because of his dream to build a bird sanctuary that will protect migratory geese from hunters. Cam uses all his savings to buy a lake, where he intends to establish his sanctuary. When a wealthy sportsman offers to turn the town into a booming resort community in exchange for hunting rights, Cam opposes the plan, which briefly puts him on the outs with everyone else. Only when Cam is accidentally shot by the sportsman do the locals rally around the "crazy" Calloways so that Cam's sanctuary can come to fruition. The plot of Those Calloways can best be described as picaresque; the film is most successful in establishing mood and atmosphere, and in offering a vast array of distinctive characterizations from such pros as Brian Keith, Vera Miles, Brandon de Wilde, Walter Brennan, Ed Wynn, John Larkin, Parley Baer, John Qualen, and Paul Hartman. Look for young Linda Evans as the girl friend of the oldest Calloway boy (DeWilde) and for future Picket Fences star Tom Skerritt as the town bully. Those Calloways was based on Swiftwater, a novel by Paul Annixter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi