James Westerfield Movies

Having accumulated $67,000 from a gold strike, prospector Chris Keller (Christopher Connelly) finds himself the target of virtually every confidence trickster in the country. To save himself and his cash, Chris hides out at the Ponderosa, only to be lured into the open by lovely Charity McGill (Elaine Giftos). By an amazing coincidence, sweet Charity needs $65,000 to pay for her dear father's medical expenses. The Cartwrights are certain that Charity is yet another con artist-but is she? Ralph Waite of The Waltons fame appears in the supporting role of Hoby. Written by Preston Wood, "The Lady and the Mark" first aired February 1, 1970, then was chosen by NBC for an encore presentation in June of 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the better Disney features of the late 1960s, Smith relies not upon humanized Volkswagens or singing bears but on the considerable talents of its cast. Glenn Ford stars as Smith, a tenacious modern-day rancher who comes to the aid of a fugitive Native American boy (Frank Ramirez). When a sadistic sheriff (Keenan Wynn), anxious to railroad the boy into jail on a trumped-up murder charge, begins stomping upon the basic civil rights of everyone within his reach, Smith vows to see that justice is done. Acting as the boy's defense counsel, Smith profoundly moves the jury with an impassioned speech about the wrongs done the American Indian in the name of "The Law." As good as Glenn Ford is (and this is one of his finest and subtlest performances), Smith is stolen by its hand-picked supporting cast, including Warren Oates as an Indian turncoat and Jay "Tonto" Silverheels in a minor role. Many of the bit parts are expertly filled by members of the Indian Actors Workshop of Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ex-lawman turned rancher Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is moving a small herd of cattle when a group of nine men on horseback, led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley Sr.), ride up and accuse him of having stolen the cattle and killed their owner. Refusing to believe his account, they string him up by the neck and leave him for dead, but they don't do the job right. Cooper is dangling there, barely alive, a few minutes later when Deputy U.S. Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson) spots him and cuts him down. He survives the next few days in Bliss' tumbleweed wagon with the other prisoners, and is later cleared of any wrongdoing and released by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), just in time to witness the hanging of the man who really murdered the owner of the cattle and took Cooper's money. Cooper still wants revenge on the nine men who tried to hang him, but Fenton insists that he leave the bringing of them to justice to his deputy marshals. As it happens, Fenton is in desperate need of deputy marshals for the territory that he oversees, and he also knows that Cooper was a good lawman. Cooper, in turn, is now broke and in need of a job, and does want to see justice done. They strike an uneasy bargain, Cooper agreeing to wear a badge and bring in the men he's looking for -- alive -- for trial. The latter proves easier said than done, however, when the first of them that he spots tries to draw on him when he makes the arrest. One of the hanging party, Jenkins (Bob Steele), soon turns himself in and provides the names of the others. Cooper takes Stone (Alan Hale Jr.) alive, but the hapless blacksmith is later shot by the local sheriff (Charles McGraw) while trying to escape. The other men, led by Wilson, have no intention of dying, or even being brought to trial, without a fight. Two of them go on the run out of the territory, while Wilson and two of the others decide to take the law into their own hands once again. Meanwhile, Cooper becomes a hero when he single-handedly brings back a trio of rustlers who are also guilty of murder. This leads to Cooper's first confrontation with Judge Fenton, who, in a gripping scene, explains why it is essential that he be as seemingly quick to hang a man as he is. Unless the people are convinced that the law will do its job -- including hanging men who deserve it -- they will keep taking the law into their own hands and there will be more lynch mobs like the one that tried to kill Cooper. In the course of his quest for justice, Cooper also makes the acquaintance of Rachel (Inger Stevens), a young woman with her own search for justice, haunted by her own ghosts, and the two of them are drawn together, no more so than when Wilson and two of the others try to gun Cooper down in cold blood. The final confrontation between Cooper and Wilson escalates in violence to its savage, irony-laced conclusion. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

James Westerfield hams it up as Dr. Marvello, the pitchman for a travelling space circus that shows up to entertain the Robinsons--in exchange for a meal. Unfortunately, the food supply is perilously low, so Marvello ends up seeking another form of payment. The crafty showman sets his sights on Will Robinson (Billy Mumy), who has suddenly attained the power to materialize whatever he wants--and as such would be a wonderful attraction in Marvello's freak show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, an aspiring actress pays her bills by working as a maid for various households. One of her employers is a wealthy and prominent publisher. After accidentally running into each other a number of times on the New York streets without recognizing each other, they begin to fall in love. She wants to take him home, but she is ashamed of her humble quarters. Believing that the publisher is out of town, she decides to take the lover to that apartment and pretend that it is hers. The lover/ publisher did have a business trip, but it was canceled. He decides to go along with her ruse and pretends that he has never been in his own apartment before. The trouble is, he now has no home to go home to; instead, he begins bunking with his business partner. In the end, both would-be lovers learn the truth, but they still refuse to tell each other that they know. Things get a little crazy, especially when the maid has all her girl friends dress up as hookers and come for a wild party at his apartment. He has the last laugh when they end up in jail. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Taylor household is turned on its ear when Aunt Bee's sister Nora (Maudie Prickett), brother-in-law Ollie (James Westerfield) and their obnoxious children arrive for an extended visit. Andy Taylor's patience is sorely tested by Ollie's constant bragging, especially when the big blowhard claims that he'd make a better lawman than Andy. A convenient jailbreak-fabricated by Andy and his pals-has the salutary effect of shutting Ollie up once and for all (or so we hope!) First telecast on October 5, 1964, "Family Visit" was written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roger Willoughby (Rock Hudson) is a super salesman of sporting goods who sells fishing equipment but knows nothing about the sport. Roger's boss Cadwalader (John McGiver) gets an idea from publicity director Abigail (Paula Prentiss) to enter him in a fishing contest, and the inept angler has a series of comic consequences before he wins the contest with some help from a bear. When Roger admits that his winning the event was merely luck, he turns in the prize and loses his job. Roger eventually wins Abigail's heart and gets his job back. Howard Hawks directs this slapstick comedy with his typical flair -- witty dialogue and effective sight gags included. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In an effort to help railroad owner Paul Sutton (James Westerfield) escape his financial woes, Bart (Jack Kelly) enters into a poker game with the somewhat shady San Francisco investors who covet Sutton's train line. Alas, his opponents cheat spectacularly, and Bart ends up even deeper in debt than poor Sutton. Sentenced to work as a butler for the Cushman family, Bart tries to turn the situation to his advantage by pulling off a sting operation to expose the villains. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First telecast March 3, 1961, this is a deft reworking of the first-season Twilight Zone episode "Mr. Bevis." Making his second appearance on the series, Burgess Meredith stars as Luther Dingle, a mild-mannered salesman whom a pair of Martians select for a most unusual experiment. The aliens endow Dingle with the strength of 300 men, a gift which he eventually abuses and loses. The ending of this one is a beaut. Don Rickles costars as an obnoxious horse player, displaying the same comic invective with which he infested his nightlclub act. Written by Rod Serling, "Mr. Dingle, the Strong" would be remade, after a fashion, as the third-season Twilight Zone entry "Cavender Is Coming." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location in the Tennessee Valley, Wild River is set in the early 1930s. Montgomery Clift plays an idealistic TVA agent, assigned to convince the locals to move from their property so that a beneficial dam can be built. The principal holdout is feisty octogenarian Jo Van Fleet, who refuses to budge from her land, convinced that she will die if she ever gives an inch. Her prophecy turns out to be true, as Van Fleet becomes yet another sacrifice to progress. Clift also runs into opposition because of his fair treatment of the local black population. Lee Remick costars as Van Fleet's granddaughter, who comes to love and understand the sensitive Clift. Some dated fuzzy-headed liberalism aside, Wild River is a masterful recreation of a difficult, complex period in American history. Watch for an uncredited Bruce Dern in his film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Plunderers is a fairly slow-paced, uneven western about a group of young toughs who run amok until they are brought up short by a one-armed Civil War vet. The leader Jeb (Ray Strickland) is accompanied by his three cohorts, Mule (Roger Torrey) a hulking Paul Bunyan type, Rondo (John Saxon), and Davy (Dee Pollack), the most innocent of the quartet. When the young men arrive in the small town, they take it over and rule the roost like four despots. Sam (Jeff Chandler), a shell-shocked veteran of the Civil War, slowly gets his act together and begins to take the four down, one at a time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Outlaw Johnny Logan (Dick Davalos) has sworn to kill a sheriff (James Westerfield) who is also named Logan-and who happens to be Johnny's father. Travelling under the alias of Sam Jackson, Johnny signs on as a Ponderosa drover, intending to murder Sheriff Logan when the Ponderosa herd passes through the sheriff's town. Also appearing is Edgar Buchanan as Hallelujah Hicks. Written by Carey Wilbur, "The Trail Gang" was first telecast on November 26, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide