Mitch Vogel Movies

In this exciting adventure, three California kids are traveling cross country when their van is stolen. They ask a small-town sheriff for help, but he refuses, so they decide to bring the thief to justice themselves. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Brock Peters plays the central figure in this story, a man charged by Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) with a murder that he didn't commit. Unfortunately, once he surrenders his fingerprints to the authorities, he will be exposed as the same person who ran away from a homicide investigation 25 years earlier. Also in the cast are a pre-stardom Dabney Coleman) and onetime Bonanza regular Mitch Vogel, here playing father and son, and future Lou Grant regular Robert Walden. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Born Innocent, originally telecast September 9, 1974, concerns the plight of a teenaged reform-school inmate, played by Linda Blair in her first important post-Exorcist role. Committed for being a habitual runaway, Blair is, for all her surface toughness, unworldly and naïve. All this changes in the reformatory, with Blair rapidly becoming as hard, callous, and irredeemable as her fellow detentionees. Even upon her probationary release, she shows no sign of being "cured" by her incarceration. The film's most notorious scene -- Blair's rape by broom-handle -- was all the more horrifying because there was no pre-show warning issued by the network. So disturbing was the sequence that it was removed from all subsequent network telecasts of Born Innocent. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Had Bonanza been moved from its familiar Sunday night time slot to a less preferable Tuesday evening berth any earlier than its 14th season on the air, the show might have managed to survive the change and continue to prosper. This, however, proved not to be the case, and the reason was both simple and tragic: Dan Blocker, the series' beloved Hoss Cartwright, had unexpectedly died just before the beginning of season 14. This stunning loss, coupled with Bonanza's ever-eroding ratings opposite CBS's Maude and Hawaii Five-0, tolled the series' death knell -- an ignominious finale for the second longest-running Western series in TV history. Even so, many of Bonanza's final episodes were among the series' best, notably the season 14 opener "Forever," which details the pathetically short-lived marriage between Joe Cartwright (Michael Landon) and his bride Alice Harper (Bonnie Bedelia) (this episode was to have focused on Hoss Cartwright, but Dan Blocker's death forced star/producer/director Landon to hastily -- and regretfully -- rewrite the action). A later episode, "Riot!," introduces Tim Matheson in the recurring role of ex-convict Griff King, who, after saving the life of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), is given a chance to turn his life around as a ranch hand on the Ponderosa. "The 26th Grave" guest stars Ken Howard as Mark Twain, the last of the many real-life historical characters who cross paths with the Cartwrights. "The Sound of Loneliness" marks the return of former series regular David Canary in the role of taciturn ranch hand Candy. And the final episode to be telecast, "The Hunter," is basically a two-man show, sans dialogue for the most part, with Joe Cartwright being stalked by an unhinged huntsman named Tanner (Tom Skerritt). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jamie's new bird dog April, an Irish setter, is denigrated as a "bucket dog" by Tim Riley (Don Knight), an employee of the man responsible for bringing this particular breed of dogs to the United States. As such, April may well be destroyed if unable to prove its mettle. To save the dog's life, Jamie agrees to allow April to participate in a grueling three-hour field trial-an ordeal which the setter may not survive. William Sylvester of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame is seen as imperious dog breeder Horace Kingston. Originally telecast on December 19, 1972, "The Bucket Dog" was written by John Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Robert Lansing guest-stars as Dundee, an ex-convict determined to prove that he spent five years in prison as the result of a frame-up. Ben Cartwright's efforts to help Dundee adjust to his new-found freedom are thwarted by the coldness of Dundee's wife Elizabeth (Fionnula Flanagan), and the casual betrayal perpetrated by the man's so-called friends. Written by Don Ingalls, this episode was largely filmed on location at Sonora. "Heritage of Anger" was first broadcast on September 19, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sian Barbara Allen guest-stars as the tenacious-and very pregnant-Teresa Burnside. Despite the imminent birth of her child, Teresa defiantly stands up to a gang of outlaws, who plan to use her as a pawn in a holdup scheme. As the crooks hold Teresa's husband Vance (James Olson) hostage, Ben Cartwright assumes the responsibility of delivering her baby. Also in the cast are Murray McLeod as Zachariah and Albert Salmi as Stretch. First shown on October 24, 1972, "Ambush at Rio Lobo" was written by Joel Murcott. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Three of the Cartwright men-Joe, Hoss and Jamie-head to the town of Upright to sell a rundown saloon. They decide to hold onto the property when it develops that a fortune in gold might be hidden on the premises. The boys' insistence upon retaining the saloon messes up Ben's business deal with Miss Frost (Anne Seymour), a leading light of the Temperance movement. A pre-MASH Loretta Swit appears as Ellen Sue. Written by Joseph Bonaduce, "A Visit to Upright" originally aired on March 26, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The fourteenth and final season of Bonanza began on September 12, 1972 with a special two-hour episode. As originally written by series star Michael Landon (who also directed), "Forever" was supposed to have focused on the ill-starred marriage between Hoss Cartwright (Dan Blocker) and Alice Harper (Bonnie Bedelia). The tragic death of Dan Blocker forced Landon to rewrite the story as vehicle for his own character, Joe Cartwright-and the result was one of the series' most heartbreakingly poignant episodes, not so much because of what was seen on camera, but because of the emotional baggage brought to the set by surviving Bonanza regulars Landon and Lorne Greene (Ben Cartwright). In the final version of "Forever," the happiness of the union between Joe and Alice is clouded by the fact that the girl is pregnant by another man-and by the criminal activities of her ne'er-do-well brother John Harper (Andy Robinson). Exquisitely photographed on location in the High Sierras, the episode was enhanced by David Rose's haunting musical score, elements of which were later heard in Landon's subsequent starring series Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven. This episode also marked the return of Rose's original Bonanza main theme, after a two-season absence. The ending of "Forever", in which both Joe and Ben quietly weep over their respective losses, is guaranteed to move even the most jaded viewer to tears. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charles Chioffi plays the title character in the thrill-packed Bonanza installment Shanklin. Hoss Cartwright is shot by a band of ex-rebel soldiers who want Ben Cartwright to finance the formation of a Second Confederacy. Only Shanklin, the man who pulled the trigger, can save Hoss' life-and he refuses to do so unless Ben forks over $25000 immediately. Rance Howard, father of Ronnie, appears as Bogardus. First telecast on February 13, 1972. "Shanklin" was written by William Felley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Roscoe Lee Browne guest-stars as Joshua, the crippled grandfather of a black youngster killed in a bank robbery. Struggling to overcome his bitterness against the white race in general, Joshua accepts the assistance of Joe Cartwright and Jamie in tracking down his grandson's killers. Featured in the cast is Richard Farnsworth as Troy. Michael Landon, who plays Joe Cartwright, also wrote and directed this compelling episode. "He Was Only Seven" made its network broadcast debut on March 5, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Made-for-TV, this originally aired in 1971 under the title Bayou Boy. Mitch Vogel plays an orphan who inherits a tiny silver bell, made by his late father. Vogel loses the precious heirloom somewhere in the treacherous waters of a Louisiana Bayou. Together with his cousin Mike Lookinland, Vogel sets out to recover the bell, facing challenges ranging from animal (specifically an alligator) to human. Boy From Dead Man's Bayou premiered as a 2-part episode of The Wonderful World of Disney. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Neta (Jewel Blanch), a teenaged friend of Ben Cartwright's adopted son Jamie, witnesses the murder of Mr. Trunkett, but is too frightened to say anything about it. Meanwhile, the murderer, a man named Bannon (Bradford Dillman), impersonates the dead man in order to inherit a fortune. The danger to Neta intensifies when the incognito Bannon is hired by the Cartwrights. Originally shown on November 14 1971, "Face of Fear" was written by Ken Pettus. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi