Will J. White Movies

Welcome to Westworld, where nothing can go wrong...go wrong...go wrong....Writer/director Michael Crichton has concocted a futuristic "Disneyland for adults", a remote resort island where, for a hefty fee, one can indulge in one's wildest fantasies. Businessmen James Brolin and Richard Benjamin are just crazy about the old west, thus they head to the section of Westworld populated by robot desperadoes, robot lawmen, robot dance-hall gals, and the like. Benjamin's first inkling that something is amiss occurs when, during a mock showdown with robot gunslinger Yul Brynner, Brolin is shot and killed for real. It seems that the "nerve center" of Westworld has developed several serious technical glitches: the human staff is dead, and the robots are running amok. Suddenly promoted to the film's hero, Benjamin (who seems as surprised and shocked as the audience) must first avoid, then face down the relentless Brynner. Much of Westworld was lensed on the expansive grounds of the old Harold Lloyd estate in Beverly Hills, so it's no surprise that there's something Lloydlike about Dick Benjamin's instinct for self-preservation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The made-for-television No Place to Run stars Herschel Bernardi as a seriously ill 73-year-old grandparent. Despite his many ailments, Bernardi is roused into action when he is denied custody of his orphaned grandson (Scott Jacoby). Grandpa and grandson decide to skip town together, with the authorities hot on their heels. Ironically, production of No Place to Run had to shut down briefly when star Herschel Bernardi fell ill for real. During this period, original director John Badham had to leave for another commitment; the film was completed by Delbert Mann, who receives sole directorial credit. Advertised as a "touching film drama" (well, it was!), No Place to Run debuted on September 19, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A trio of Las Vegas go-go dancers are pursued by a homicidal maniac in this suspenseful murder thriller. Alan Morris (Luke Askew) murders his wife when she seeks a divorce then goes after her three friends. Believing the women have turned his wife against him, Alan hunts down the dancers and kills one of them. A terrified Michele (Raquel Welch) flees to Los Angeles where she takes a job at a club called The Losers. She falls for the parking-lot attendant Joe (James Stacey) and romance blossoms between the two. Unfortunately, the vengeful husband Alan tracks her down and threatens to kill Joe before her eyes, but Michele is ready for him; she douses the killer with gasoline and lights a match. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Ironside (Raymond Burr) and Mark (Don Mitchell) have a bitter falling out over Mark's friendship with ex-convict Sam Noble (Mel Scott). While the Chief is convinced that Noble is a murderer, Mark can only remember the man's kindness to him during his troubled childhood. Things come to a head when, out of loyalty to Noble, Mark quits Ironside's team cold--a move he may regret in more ways than one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two escaped killers, Carter (John Saxon) and Bains (Don Stroud), burst into Ironside's office apartment, holding the Chief (Raymond Burr) and his policewoman assistant Eve (Barbara Anderson). The captives' only hope for survival rests with Ironside, who agrees to help the desperate fugitives formulate a foolproof escape plan. This nailbiting episode takes place entirely within the walls of Ironside's police-building headquarters (hence its title). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perry Mason's one-and-only color episode is a loose adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. The "Fagin" character is slimy art collector Benjamin Huggins (Victor Buono), who with the assistance of henchman Bill Sikes (Scott Graham) masterminds a teenage car-stripping gang. Murder rears its ugly head when 18-year-old gang member Lennie Beale (Kevin O'Neal) is charged with killing Sikes, apparently as retaliation for Sikes' shooting of Lennie's girlfriend Robin Spring (Lisa Seagram). Even though he had previously been robbed by Lennie, Perry (Raymond Burr), in true "Mr. Brownlow" fashion, agrees to defend the boy in court. One of the seventy-six Perry Mason episodes removed from the series' original 1966 syndication package, "The Case of the Twice-Told Twist" was finally rebroadcast on cable TV in the early 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

For this episode, host Alfred Hitchcock pointedly dispenses with his traditionally humorous prologue and epilogue, explaining that the subject matter is far too serious for any such jocularity. Adapted by Harlan Ellison from his own semi-autobiographical 1961 book Memos from Purgatory, the episode stars an up-and-coming James Caan as the Ellison counterpart, here named Jay Shaw. In order to research a book about juvenile delinquency, Shaw goes undercover and becomes a member of The Barons, a vicious Brooklyn street gang headed by a psychotic youth named Tiger (played by a decidedly pre-Star Trek Walter Koenig). Quickly ingratiating himself with the mercurial Tiger, Shaw earns the distrust of the rest of the gang, who ultimately manage to blow his cover. The result is explosive, violent, and tragic -- and as is often the case in such matters, the principal casualty is the one who is least responsible for the situation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Housewife Marcia Fowler (Felicia Farr) has become the target of an obscene telephone caller, but the authorities are unable to catch the culprit. Marcia suspects that her tormentor is Roy Bullock (Bruce Dern), a shifty-eyed young man new to the neighborhood, who has all the characteristics of a peeping Tom. Trouble is, Roy has managed to ingratiate himself with Marcia's husband, Jack (David White), who begins to wonder if his wife is only imagining those phone calls. At her wit's end, Marcia makes a desperate move to expose Roy once and for all. This episode represents the first collaboration between producer Alfred Hitchcock and actor Bruce Dern, who ultimately starred in Hitch's final theatrical feature Family Plot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Everybody knows the "punchline" of this classic Twilight Zone episode, but that doesn't make this entry any less entertaining. Told in flashback (a last-minute decision, judging by the original script), this is the story of the Kanamints, a race of giant space aliens who arrive on Earth, ostensibly on a mission of goodwill. The Kanamints offer all manner of scientific advancements; all they ask in exchange is that the earthlings trust them without question. Meanwhile, a team of scientists, headed by Dr. Chambers (Lloyd Bochner), work day and night to translate a Kanamint book, the title of which is, of course, "To Serve Man." Richard Kiel, the 7-foot-plus actor who gained fame as "Jaws" in the James Bond series, appears as the Kanamint leader (though his voice is dubbed by Marvin Miller. Scripted by Rod Serling from a short story by Damon Knight, "To Serve Man" was originally telecast March 2, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wally (Tony Dow) persuades Ward (Tony Dow) to let him borrow the new family car in order to attend the prom. Wary Ward warns Wally to be very, very careful. He tries his best, but somehow one of the headlights is smashed to bits. Desperately, Wally and his pals scramble about to repair the damage before Ward finds out. It is very nearly a "clean getaway" -- until Wally's conscience kicks into gear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cat Burglar is an unofficial reworking of 1953's Pickup on South Street. Burglar Jack Hogan steals a briefcase which, unbeknownst to him, contains a valuable secret scientific formula. The owner of the briefcase was on the verge of selling the formula to an unnamed (but somewhat slavic-sounding) foreign power. Thus it is that the burglar has the owner, the spies, and the police on his tail. Directed by former Republic western specialist William Witney, Cat Burglar was independently produced by Roger Corman's brother Gene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Richard L. Bare made an impressive Twilight Zone debut with this classic episode. Fritz Weaver and Joe Maross star respectively as scientist William Sturka and test pilot Jerry Riden, who, aware that their country is on the brink of nuclear war, conspire to rescue themselves and their families by blasting off in an experimental spaceship. But first, the fugitives-to-be must escape the watchful eye of odious government functionary Carling (Edward Andrews). Though the episode's punch line is tipped off by its title, "Third from the Sun" scores points with some truly remarkable camerawork, courtesy of director Bare and cinematographer George Clemens. Scripted by Rod Serling from a short story by Richard Matheson, this episode first aired January 8, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the darkest days of World War One, four French soldiers (one of them played by a young, pre-Bonanza Pernell Roberts) see a strange light in the sky--whereupon they throw down their weapons and apparently desert their posts. Assigned to defend the soldiers during their court martial, Capt. Emil Tremaine (Bruce Gordon) can neither believe nor sympathize with the defendant's claims that they were motivated to "desert" by circumstances beyond their control. Only on the eve of the soldiers' execution does Tremaine undergo a paranormal experience, proving that there is sometimes a "greater truth" than what meets the eye. (Curiously, "The Vision" is misidentified as the earlier One Step Beyond episode "Emergency Only" by several public-domain DVD merchants). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide