Herbert Voland Movies

This videocassette consists of "The Secret Jade of Kuan Yin," an episode from the weekly Hardy Boys TV series (1977-78). While snorkeling, teenaged detectives Joe and Frank Hardy (Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson) come across a jade statuette. Before long, the boys discover that the artifact was stolen by an extortionist. It all ties in with a plan to gain a mob stranglehold on the city's Chinese community. Rosalind Chao, Richard Loo and Richard Lee Sung co-star in this 48-minute adventure, which originally aired May 15, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Feeling that Darrin has been rude to her, Endora retaliates with a magic spell that transforms Darrin into a perfect gentleman. Unfortunately, his excessive gallantry arouses suspicion rather than admiration from his friends and associates. Mala Powers, the actress who played Darrin's old girlfriend, Mary Jane, in the fourth-season episode "No Zip in My Zap," is here cast as Adrienne. Scripted by John L. Greene from a story by Arthur Alsberg, "Instant Courtesy" first aired on December 26, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This comedy finds American writer Lawrence Colby (Robert Wagner) augmenting his scribing income by smuggling Swiss watch parts into France. Martine (Mary Tyler Moore) enlists his help to find her friend Sabine (Glynis Johns), an author of erotic novels. Sabine is vacationing in Greece, but crooks kidnap her beautiful ghost writer (Barbara Rhoades) by mistake. Sabine's nervous agent Merriman Dudley (Harvey Korman) feels the pressure from the book publishers for the deadline on the new book, still unfinished. Martine and Lawrence help the ghost writer escape, but she is accused of murdering a notorious gangster. The thug conveniently appears and is promptly arrested, as the writers all try to get back to work. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

A young widow with three children and a sheepdog marries a widowed man with a young daughter and a French poodle in this amusing comedy. Abby (Doris Day) is the owner of a lumberyard who falls for Jake (Brian Keith) when her sister Maxine (Pat Carroll) introduce the two at a party. The couple is initially reluctant and somewhat embarrassed over the blatant matchmaking attempt but meet later at an all-night store. The two marry and deal with constant canine and sassy sibling rivalries. Jake falls out of the family trailer on vacation, leading Abby to recruit a group of hippies to find her lost husband. Jamie Farr is the far out hippie, Barbara Hershey is Jake's daughter Stacey, comedian George Carlin plays Herbie Fleck, owner of a local hamburger stand, and Alice Ghostley is the harried housekeeper in this engaging romp. The Grass Roots provide some of the music in this feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This hilarious oater finds Jesse Heywood (Don Knotts) as a Philadelphia dentist who leaves his home to open a new practice on the western frontier. The hapless dentist is saved by the expert gun handling of Penny (Barbara Rhoades), a reformed bandit trying to earn a pardon by intercepting gun shipments to hostile Indians. After several more situations in which Penny saves the nervous newcomer, Jesse believes he has exceptional firearms prowess and believes himself to be a hero. Comedy ensues when the jumpy Jesse faces a bevy of bad men and nervously clutches a six shooter with a very unsteady hand. Penny has to help the pseudo-hero out of even more trouble before they can ride off together into the sunset. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

While on a test of new equipment -- for which only Nelson (Richard Basehart), Crane (David Hedison), and eight scientist-observers are aboard -- the Seaview loses all power nearly a mile below the surface. The 10 people aboard are trapped, unable to launch the Flying Sub and too deep to escape using diving gear or the mini-subs, and then they start getting killed off one by one, in what initially look like accidents. It's clear that one of them is stalking the others, but which one, and to what purpose? Nelson and Crane must find the identity of the murderer and the reason for the sabotage of the ship before it's too late. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Taking time off from Lost in Space, Billy Mumy guests as Custer Jamison, an 8-year-old neighbor boy who considers astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) as his personal hero. Dropping in unannounced at Tony's house, Custer witnesses Jeannie (Barbara Eden) floating about in mid-air. When the kid tells his parents about this, Dr. Bellows (Hayden Rorke) offers to psychoanalyze Custer, hoping to prove once and for all that something very strange is going on the Nelson household. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi