Lurene Tuttle Movies

Tonight's case log for Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) includes their high-speed pursuit of a teenage robber. And elsewhere, the two cops confront a gun-wielding father (Raymond Mayo) who has held his daughter (Mia Bendixsen) a virtual prisoner for nearly all her life. Among the "perps" on this occasion is ex-convict Reno West (Jed Allan, whom Jim and Pete will hear much more from in a later episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another delightful entry in the Bell Science Series, The Unchained Goddess represents a felicitious collaboration between legendary Hollywood director Frank Capra and animation geniuses Shamus Culhane and William T. Hurtz. Appearing in live action, Dr. Research (Frank Baxter) and The Fiction Writer (Richard Carlson) set about to explain how weather is created, and how scientists have endeavored to predict and control it. They are aided by several animated character, foremost among them the beautiful but somewhat haughty Meteora, the Goddess of Weather (whose long gown rather resembles the funnel cloud of a tornado) and her subjects: Winds, Clouds and Rain. A copacetic blend of entertainment and education, The Unchained Goddess became standard fare on the high-school classroom circuit after its original 1958 telecast, and is still available on home video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ira Levin wrote the stage comedy Critic's Choice as a good-natured retort to a comment made by critic Walter Kerr. In his essay How Not to Write a Play, Kerr noted that the worst possible scenario would involve a drama critic forced to review a play written by his wife (we should mention that Kerr's own wife was noted playwright Jean Kerr). Levin utilized this very scenario, and the result was a Broadway hit. Less successful artistically was the 1962 film version, though with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as stars, the film couldn't help but clean up at the box office. Hope portrays theatrical critic Parker Ballantine, while Lucille Ball plays his wife Angela. Feeling "useless," Angela writes a play as a lark, then is amazed when it is optioned by a major producer. Parker does his best to get out of the responsibility of reviewing the play (which very well may be as bad as he thinks it is), but cannot escape the responsibility. Much of the verbal wit of the Levin original is sacrificed in favor of one-line quips; there is also an overabundance of gratuitous slapstick during a little-league game and the climactic "opening night" sequence. Still, Hope and Ball work together well as always. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This silly horror film stars Dean Jagger in a zoned-out performance as a mad scientist whose experiments in halting the aging process have reduced the residents of Smalltown, U.S.A. to shambling zombies. Since his serum requires massive amounts of extracted human pituitary fluid, Jagger is ever on the lookout for more unwilling donors -- i.e. nearly everyone unlucky enough to pass through town. This film is apparently assembled from pieces of two different projects, including an uncompleted film from the mid-'70s, and spiced up with some gratuitous nudity courtesy of former Playboy playmate Lynda Wiesmeier. As expected, the combination doesn't really work -- the editors have made a commendable attempt at maintaining some form of continuity, but the end result seems hardly worth the effort. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Veteran comedy specialist Hal Kanter milks every chuckle, chortle and guffaw of Stanley Ralph Ross' teleplay for For the Love of It. The story gets under way when the bad guys surreptitiously plant top-secret documents on a model (Deborah Raffin) and a med student (Jeff Conaway). He's crazy about her, while she can't stand him. Even so, the two protagonists are compelled to join forces when the bad guys start pursuing them. The bulk of the film is a zany, Mack Sennett-style chase, replete with goofy sight gags. In addition, this may be the first made-for-TV movie to tap the comedy potential of Elvis imitators. For the Love of It was originally telecast September 26, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a play by Fay Kanin, this comedy drama follows a successful congresswoman's emotional journey back to her alma mater. When Agatha Reed (Joan Crawford) is offered an honorary degree at her former college, she is forced to remember the reason she was expelled to begin with. Nearly twenty years prior, Agatha (Crawford) had an affair with Dr. James Merrill (Robert Young), one of her professors. After her departure, Dr. Merrill (Young) slowly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the president of the school. Despite having left under less than desirable circumstances, Agatha is excited to see him and hopes to rekindle their relationship. Meanwhile, newspaper reporter Matt Cole (Frank Lovejoy), not only follow's Agatha to her former university, but unsucessfully proposes marriage. Unfortunately for him, the alumna's eyes are set firmly towards her old flame. However, once Matt (Lovejoy) and Agatha team up in a passionate attempt to update the school's outdated curriculum, she realizes who she truly loves. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Also released as Montana Mike, Heaven Only Knows is an offbeat western with fantasy overtones. Hard-bitten gambling boss Brian Donlevy rules his frontier community with brawn and bullets. To his dismay, Donlevy discovers that he has a guardian angel (Robert Cummings), who shows up in the guise of an Eastern tenderfoot. The angel has been sent from Above to save Donlevy's soul, and to that end encourages the one-time villain to squire a minister's daughter (Jorja Curtwright) rather than his usual dance-hall girls. Donlevy is also given tips on winning against his enemies without resorting to gunplay. The gambler finally redeems himself with Heaven by rescuing the angel from a lynch mob (how can you lynch an angel?) Heaven Only Knows deserves an "E" for Effort for bringing a fresh twist to the venerable western genre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoping to coerce Tony (Larry Hagman) into marrying her, Jeannie pretends to accept Roger's marriage proposal. This makes it imperative for Jeannie to hide her true identity from Roger(Bill Daily). For this purpose, she "creates" a set of wealthy parents, who live in the house across the street from Tony--which she also conjures up out of thin air, leading to no end of complications for her long-suffering Master. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie (Ken Osmond) is convinced that he's too cool for the room when he moves out of his parents' house and into his own apartment. Before long, Wally (Tony Dow) is being regaled with Eddie's stories about his new-found independence, his posh living quarters, and his unlimited accessibility to pretty girls. Ward (Tony Dow) and June (Barbara Billingsley) are worried that impressionable Wally will want to follow Eddie's example -- but a visit to the fabled "bachelor pad," and a revealing conversation with the landlady, brings Wally down to Earth in a hurry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having endured any number of setbacks, Charles (Michael Landon) can stand no more when a tornado wipes out his crops. Thoroughly discouraged, Charles decides to sell the farm and return to Wisconsin -- but he doesn't tell his family about this decision. On a happier note, Charles' daughter Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) and Mr. Edwards' (Victor French) adopted son, John Jr. (Radames Pera), share their first kiss. This was the final episode of Little House on the Prairie's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The story of America's most notorious gangster mother is chronicled in this crime drama. The tale starts in Oklahoma during the Depression. It is she who encourages her sons to become criminals. So sage is her advice, that other infamous mobsters such as Dillinger, and Machine Gun Kelly come to her for advice. She and her outlaw progeny go on the lam until the police finally corner her in her richly appointed Florida hide-out. A bloody shoot-out ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Fed up with crowded big-city living, advertising executive Mr. Blandings (Cary Grant) decides to seek out a big, roomy house in the country. Armed with more enthusiasm than common sense, Blandings causes many a headache for his lawyer/business manager Melvyn Douglas, who tries to keep the costs within a reasonable amount. Alas, Blandings bulls ahead on his own, first purchasing an estate on the verge of collapse, then opting to build his dream house from scratch. An unpleasant legal squabble over the fact that Blandings purchased his new property without checking with the prior owners throws even more good money after bad. The construction of the new Blandings digs is slowed down to a walk by doors and windows that don't fit, plumbing that fails to function, doorknobs that break upon contact with human flesh, temperamental workmen, and various and sundry other homeowners' nightmares (if all this sounds like the much-later Tom Hanks/Shelley Long comedy The Money Pit, it only shows to go how little has changed in forty years--except, of course, for the costs of things). Attempting to keep a level head throughout the proceedings is Mrs. Blandings (Myrna Loy), though even she is guilty of pretensions and excess, especially in the classic "choice of colors" scene. The humor in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House springs so naturally from the central situation that it seems intrusive when the scriptwriters throw in an arbitrary French-farce scene wherein Blandings suspects that his wife and his lawyer are fooling around (a plot point that the original Eric Hodgins novel did just fine without). One of the best bits comes near the end, when Louise Beavers, the Blandings' cook, saves the day for everyone by ad libbing "If you ain't eating Wham, you ain't eating Ham." Why should we spoil your enjoyment by explaining that line? Now you'll have to see the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide