Amzie Strickland Movies

Envious of his ostensibly successful brother Ralph (Stanley Adams), town drunk Otis Campbell has for several years claimed to be Andy Taylor's deputy in his correspondence with his brother. When Ralph shows up in Mayberry, Andy agrees to help Otis keep up his "lawman" charade. It is up to the respective wives of Otis and Ralph to force the brothers to reveal the truth about themselves. Written by Fred S. Fox and Iz Elinson, "Deputy Otis" aired on May 7, 1962, as the final episode of The Andy Griffith Show's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Now working as a health club instructor, former college athletic star Ward Nichols (Ed Nelson) hopes to marry Casey Daniels (Maggie Pierce), the niece of his boss Bernard Daniels (Les Tremayne). Unfortunately, Nichols' estranged wife Veronica (Leslie Parrish) refuses to let him go, and claims to be pregnant so she can shake him down for "hush money." Making matters worse, Mr. Daniels accuses Nichols of forging his name on the checks sent to Veronica. When Daniels is crushed to death by a barbell, the police think they've got Nichols dead to rights--but they haven't reckoned with the poor fellow's attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While driving toward a secret rendezvous, adulterous couple Gerald Simms (Harry Townes) and Frances Hiller (Randy Stuart) accidentally strike a boy on a bicycle. Afraid that their illicit romance will be revealed, the couple speeds off without providing assistance to the dying boy. Exactly one year after the tragedy, Gerald turns on his office dictaphone, only to hear the sounds of pain and anguish--and at the same time, Frances is haunted by grotesque noises in her own home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are on the lookout for a hit-and-run driver. Their detective work includes a thorough inspection of the fenders of the suspects' cars. In the end, however, the case is solved with a small print--not a fingerprint, but a lip print! Like most Dragnet episodes of this era, "The Big Lip" proves to be a good workout for several members of the Jack Webb Stock Company, including Vic Perrin and Olan Soule. Also on hand is former "Dead End Kid"Bobby Jordan, here billed more formally as "Robert." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though Slaughter on Tenth Avenue's background music relies heavily on the Richard Rodgers composition of the same name, the film itself bears no relation to the ten-minute ballet for which Rodgers wrote the piece. Instead, this Albert Zugsmith-produced crime meller attempts to expose waterfront union racketeering. In trying to solves a murder on the docks, deputy DA Richard Egan runs up against the stevedores' code of silence. It also dawns on Egan that his own boss (Sam Levene) shows little interest in pursuing justice in this instance. The DA is finally able to mount a case, but at the crucial courtroom moment he may have to pull out due to lack of evidence--a lack engineered by crooked boss Walter Matthau, who has several local politicians in his pocket. A last-minute dockside battle enables Egan to bring the racketeers to justice. Slaughter on Tenth Avenue was based on New York district attorney William J. Keating's memoirs The Man Who Rocked the Boat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Behind the High Wall is a remake of the 1937 Jackie Cooper-Victor McLaglen film The Big Guy. Tom Tully plays prison warden Frank Carmichael, who is kidnapped during a jail break in which a policeman is killed. In an ensuing car crash, all the escapees are killed except young Johnny Hutchins (John Gavin). Though he knows that Hutchins had nothing to do with the cop's murder, Carmichael refuses to intervene when Johnny is condemned to death. It seems that the escaping convicts had been carrying $100,000 in stolen money with them, which Carmichael has hidden away for his own use. By eliminating Hutchins, the warden is also getting rid of the only potential witness to his own perfidy. Sylvia Sidney is pure venom as Carmichael's crippled, greedy wife, while Betty Lynn (who later played Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show) also registers well as Johnny's agonizing fiancee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Reporting the disappearance of young mother Harriet Shipley and her nine-month-old baby, the woman's mother-in-law Mrs. Shipley (Doris Kemper) further claims that her son, Harriet's husband, is serving overseas in the Army. In the course of their investigation, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) discover that the older Mrs. Shipley was dead set against her son's marriage--and further, that her son is actually dead. It turns out that Harriet had desperately tried to escape from her selfish, grasping mother-in-law, who was willing to go to any dishonest lengths to gain custody of Harriet's baby. Tragically, however, the child is now beyond the reach of anyone. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of March 2, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With great reluctance, Ricky (Desi Arnaz) allows Lucy (Lucille Ball) to purchase a new gown at the trendy establishment owned by designer Don Loper -- provided she spends no more than one hundred dollars. Unfortunately, there is nothing that cheap at Loper's, and thus Lucy tries to figure out a way to get a gown without paying a cent. Her opportunity comes when the wife of Gordon MacRae is forced to pull out of a charity fashion show featuring celebrities' wives as models. Armed with the knowledge that she'll get to keep the gown she wears, Lucy arranges to take Mrs. MacRae's place in the show -- but first, she must get herself a deep "California tan" so that she'll fit in with the Beverly Hills crowd. Alas, her overnight tan degenerates into a "burn" -- and it is very red-faced (and red-everything) Lucy who appears in the fashion show wearing a most uncomfortable tweed outfit. ~ All Movie Guide