Kam Tong Movies

En route to a job in Portland, Paladin (Richard Boone) meets a wild, unkempt mountain girl named Sarah Jane Darrow (Jean Engstrom), who is determined to avenge the death of her father. This meeting plunges Paladin into a deadly family feud, which also involves Sarah Jane's beau--who happens to be a member of the rival family. This episode features a rare acting appearance by guitarist Duane Eddy, who would later enjoy great success with his Have Gun, Will Travel-inspired record "The Ballad of Paladin". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The only Rodgers and Hammerstein cinemadaptation to be produced by Universal Pictures, Flower Drum Song was, alas, also the only Rogers and Hammerstein film to lose money at the box office. It looks far better now than it did back in 1961, if only because of the paucity of musical films in the 1990s. Essentially a comedy about the culture clash between old-world Chinese and assimilated Chinese-Americans, the film begins when Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) and her grandfather (Kam Tong) smuggle themselves into San Francisco. It seems that Mei Li has arrived to honor an arranged marriage between herself and Runyonesque nightclub owner Sammy Fong (the incomparable Jack Soo). This might prove delicate, since Sammy is in love with flashy cabaret entertainer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). Meanwhile, Linda is romancing Wang Ta (James Shigeta), the son of a wealthy Chinatown merchant (Benson Fong). Soon, however, Mei Li and Wang Ta have fallen in love.......It's a complex plot, to be sure, but comedy and music manage to predominate. The songs include "I Enjoy Being a Girl" (a tour de force for the special effects department, and for Nancy Kwan), "A Hundred Million Miracles," "The Other Generation," "Love Look Away," "I Am Going to Like It Here," "Don't Marry Me," "You Are Beautiful," "Grant Avenue" and "Chop Suey." Flower Drum Song is attractively produced and consummately acted; while no classic along the lines of King and I or Sound of Music, it deserves a second look. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Entering into a poker game with a loudmouthed miner named Moriarity (Jacques Aubuchon), Paladin (Richard Boone) ends up winning a month's worth of Moriarity's "Silver Strike." But this is hardly a reason to celebrate: "Silver Strike" turns out to be Moriarity's young son (Flip Mark), as wild and unruly a creature as has ever walked the earth. In the month alotted him, Paladin endeavors to scrub, tame and educate the incorrigible youngster--a formidable task indeed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wealthy Mrs. Tamsen Sommers (Geraldine Brooks) puts an advertisement in the papers, claiming to be a widow in search of another husband. This proves to be a puzzlement for one man in particular: Mrs. Sommers' husband Haskel (Lawrence Dobkin), still very much alive. Mr. Sommers hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to help figure out his wife's behavior--and to protect him from Mrs. Sommers' homicidal would-be suitors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A screwball comedy that turns into political farce, this film was something of a throwback even in 1960. Real-life husband and wife Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh star as David and Ann Wilson. David is a university professor who is kissing one of his students when Ann walks in on them. She demands a divorce. David turns to his old friend, a television writer, Michael Haney (Dean Martin), who cooks up a cover story. They convince Ann that David is working undercover for the FBI, and that the kiss was part of a sting. The gullible Ann believes the story. Later, when she sees David and Michael in a restaurant with two women, she suspects that the women are spies, and passes David his empty gun. This touches off a disturbance that is filmed by TV news crews. Some real Russian spies think that David really is an FBI agent, and the spies grab the Wilsons and Haney, take them to a secret chamber beneath the Empire State Building, and give them truth serum. From there, the film continues to twist and turn in wildly wacky ways. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Summoned to San Francisco's chinatown by the city's police department, Paladin (Richard Boone) agrees to provide protection to Chinese detective Joe Tsin (Benson Fong). But there are two major complications: Tsin has been marked for death by a vicious Tong, whose hatchet men have never failed to dispatch a victim yet. Also, Tsin is deeply concerned that he will "lose face" if he accepts Paladin's help. Lisa Lu, who would join the Have Gun--Will Travel cast as "Hey Girl" during the series' fourth season, is here cast as Li Hwa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) is among those startled when Miss Macintosh (Paula Raymonds) walks into the lobby of the Hotel Carleton and begins firing a rifle. It turns out that Miss Macintosh had been gunning for Rudy Rossback (Jack Weston), the man who killed her brother during the Civil War. Subsequently failing in her efforts to hire Paladin to knock off Rossback, Miss Macintosh then engages the services of a sadistic gunslinger (Ron Soble) who intends to kill both Paladin and Rossback in a grimly unique fashion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) gallantly agrees to protect baby-faced Jenny Lake (Ellen Clark) against a man named Wilson (Peter Leeds), whom Jenny claims is an unwanted suitor. In short order, Wilson manages to bushwack Paladin--who promptly returns the favor and follows Jenny to a den of counterfeiters. It turns out that Wilson wasn't a "masher" at all...nor is sweet little Jenny all that she appears to be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) is summoned to New Orleans by the aristocratic Allison Windrom (Dolores Donlon). Ostensibly, Paladin is supposed to prevent a gunfight between Allison's father Everett (Paul Cavanaugh) and his old enemy Graham Beckley (George Neise). But it soon develops that Beckley has hired a professional gunslinger named Sledge (James Coburn) to fight in his place--and Paladin is expected to perform the same "service" for Mr. Windrom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hired to locate a missing Mexican colonel named Celine (Denver Pyle), Paladin (Richard Boone) regards the assignment as a dull one: after all, his only responsibility is to make sure that Celine signs a financial document. But when a beautiful woman named Secura likewise expresses an interest in locating Serena (Valerie French), Paladin's own interest is aroused in more ways the one. Ultimately, it turns out that the elusive Celine may well be the key to finding a legendary hidden treasure--if indeed such a treasure actually esists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) receives an urgent message from a notorious con artist named Simon Quill (Adam Williams), who hopes to avoid being hanged on a murder charge. Unfortunately, Paladin cannot forget that Quinn not only once swindled him with a phony gold mine, but also left him to die in Quill's place for his previous crimes. Thus it is that Paladin flately refuses to help Quill this time around--even though he can provide the man with an air-tight alibi. Can a beautiful go-between named Lily Leighton (Barbara Baxley) change Paladin's mind before it's too late? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) accepts a job from wealthy Sid Morgan (Denver Pyle), who claims he needs protection from outlaw Howard Gorman (Steve Gravers). While escorting Morgan and his young fiancee Stacy (Jacqueline Scott) to Silver City, Paladin confronts Gorman, who does indeed seem to have a vendetta against Morgan. Only too late does Paladin discover that he and Gorman have been maneuvered into a bloody showdown merely for Morgan's perverse amusement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Deranged killer Bert Talman (Leo Gordon) escapes from prison and murders four people in the town of Yucca Bend. Curious as to why Talman has remained in the vicinity instead of making a break for full freedom, Paladin (Richard Boone) learns that the most recent murder victims were four of the five men who had once tried to lynch the fugitive. It now falls to Paladin to protect the "fifth man" from meeting a similar grisly fate--whether he likes the man or not. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide