Norman Alden Movies
General purpose actor Norman Alden was first seen by filmgoers in 1960's Operation Bottleneck. Most often seen in take-charge roles, Alden was critically acclaimed for his portrayal of a middle-aged retarded man in the NYC-filmed Andy (1965). The actor's series-TV credits include the thankless role of "Frank" on the "Electra Woman/Dynagirl" segments of Saturday morning's The Krofft Supershow. More artistically satisfying was Norman Alden's brief tenure as lawyer Al Cassidy on the Lee Grant TV sitcom Fay (1975). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1957
This classic first-season episode was written by Clifford Goldsmith, the man who created the character of trouble-prone teenager Henry Aldrich in the Broadway play What a Life. It's also the one and only episode in which June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley) mops the kitchen floor while wearing high heels -- and not by choice! In dire need of money for baseball uniforms, Wally (Tony Dow) and Beaver (Jerry Mathers) seek out odd jobs around the neighborhood. Hired to mow a lawn, Wally thinks he's pretty smart by working very slowly so that the hourly rate will increase. But in the end, it's Beaver who's the smart one: armed with the knowledge that the neighborhood's water supply is about to be temporarily shut off by the city, Beav amasses a small fortune selling water to one and all! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis de Sales, Katherine Warren, (more)
- 1959
The premiere episode of The Untouchables takes place just after the events of the series' two-hour Desilu Playhouse pilot, as Chicago gang boss Al Capone is escorted to Federal prison on a tax-evasion charge. With "Scarface" out of the picture, several Capone lieutenants compete for the honor of occupying their boss' empty chair, including his chief lieutenant Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti (Bruce Gordon) and the brutal-but-businesslike mob bookkeeper Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik (Nehemiah Persoff). Meanwhile, Federal agent Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) invites a new member to his "Untouchables" team: Enrico Rossi (Nick Georgiade), a former assistant barber who has witnessed a brutal ganglang slaughter masterminded by Nitti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Determined to win Claire Allison (Mala Powers) for himself, no-good Martin Selkirk (Dennis Patrick) has Claire's boyfriend Dirk Benedict (Robert Rockwell) beaten up, and also besieges Claire with threatening news clippings. Thus, when Selkirk is murdered (and if anyone "needed killing", it was him), Claire is charged with the crime. While putting together Claire's defense, Perry is surprised to learn that even Selkirk's five-year-old son (David Brady) might have had "motive and opportunity"--not to mention a toy gun that is anything but a toy! This episode is based on a 1959 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, though the ending has been considerably altered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Nehemiah Persoff, who appeared in the premiere Untouchables episode as mob accountant Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, returns to the series in the role of crooked gambler Johnny Fortunato. Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is reunited with his former school chum Frank Barber (Jack Warden), now the owner of the Chicago Sports Palace--and one of many entrepreneurs forced to pay tribute to Fortunato. A series of violent incidents convince Ness that Barber and his girlfriend Chickie (Madlyn Rhue) are in desperate need of police protection. What Elliot doesn't know is that old buddy Frank is setting him up as a dupe in an elaborate scheme to blackmail Fortunato and his flunkeys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
In this crime drama, a man serves five years in the state pen for armed robbery. Upon his release, the man is anxious to retrieve the $260,000 in loot he hid before he went to jail. Unfortunately, he is still pursued by both the police and his former gang mates. He ends up severely beaten, robbed, and ultimately cheated by his own lover. Despite these set-backs, the fellow remains content because he now has the love of his former partner's widow. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
To escape her strict and oppressive father Sheriff Kincaid (Val Avery), headstrong Dolly (Myrna Fahey) rebelliously courts disaster by associating with disreputable men. On this occasion, Dolly skips town with rakishly charming Vince Dagen (John Ericson), blissfully unaware that Vince is an outlaw. Joe Cartwright tries to catch up with the fleeing couple before Dolly suffers the consequences of her defiance. Also appearing are Hal Baylor as Clegg and Norm Alden as Poke. Written by David Lang, "Breed of Violence" was originally broadcast on November 5, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1960
"Little Egypt" is what they call the town of Morraine, Illinois, which is ruled with an iron hand by Major Charlie Byron, a former military officer turned mob boss. Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) sends his fellow "Untouchable" Cam Allison (Anthony George) undercover to get the goods on Byron, and to send messages back to Chicago via carrier pigeon. Meanwhile, exotic dancer Hazel Stanley (Susan Cummings) is ordered by Byron's flunkeys to play up to Allison to see if he can be trusted--and in the process, she finds herself falling for the big lug. Majel Barrett of Star Trek fame appears unbilled as a waitress in this episode, which was loosely based on the life of Charlie Birger, the last gangster to be hanged in the state of Illinois. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Based on the novel I Cover the Waterfront, this uninspired crime melodrama stars Ron Foster as Skip Hanlon, a reporter who inadvertently gets involved in tracking down a criminal operation on the waterfront. Hanlon falls in love with Janey Fowler (Merry Anders) whose father is a sea captain doing some questionable work for the Mafia. When one of the mafiosi gets too hot to stay in the U.S., the elder Fowler (Barry Kelley) ships them out of the country. After the reporter decides to blow the whistle on the sea captain, circumstances lead him closer to danger and farther from the object of his affection. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Foster, Barry Kelley, (more)
- 1961
Prolific director Joseph Pevney is better known for his next venture -- the Star Trek television series -- than this conventional docudrama on mobster "Dutch" Schultz (played by Vic Morrow). Rather than take the focus of 1997's Hoodlum, in which Schultz's attempt to move into Harlem is thwarted, the events leading to the demise of the nearly illiterate, Bronx-born, "king of beer" are stressed. His affair with Iris Murphy (Leslie Parrish) also gets front-and-center treatment when Iris leaves her policeman husband to hook up with Schultz, only to degenerate into alcoholism. To the credit of the director, the repugnant Schultz (whose real name was Arthur Flegenheimer) is not romanticized, even though the legend of his "buried treasure" and the literary non-sequitur of his famous, 1935 deathbed ramblings would tend to lure anyone into digressions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vic Morrow, Leslie Parrish, (more)
- 1961
Joe Cartwright's life is saved by chain-gang prisoner Danny Kidd (Dean Jones), who has spent virtually his entire life behind bars. Out of gratitude, Joe manages to secure Danny's freedom. The rest of the episode deals with Danny's trials and tribulations as he makes the difficult and painful transition to life on the "outside." The supporting cast includes Janet Lake as Ann Carter and Edward Faulkner as Bob Stevens. Written by Frank Chase, "The Friendship" was originally telecast on November 12, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1961
In this WW II drama, a unit of paratroopers attempt to a colleague after he is captured by the Japanese during a mission in Burma. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Professor Julius F. Kelp (Jerry Lewis) is an addle-brained, absent-minded chemistry instructor always incurring the wrath of the university administration by continually blowing up the classroom laboratory. The shy guy has his eyes on the student body of Stella (Stella Stevens). When a football-playing bully humiliates him, Kelp tries to concoct a chemical to help him gain physical strength and stature. The potion turns him into the handsome, hard-edged nightclub singer named Buddy Love. The mild-mannered professor's alter ego becomes a self-absorbed campus favorite at the Purple Pit, a hangout for hip cats and kittens. Stella falls for the enigmatic entertainer who wows the crowd with his jazzy, breezy delivery and cool demeanor. Buddy mixes it up with the bartender (Buddy Lester), who is instructed on how to mix the latest drinks by the professor-turned-party animal. The drawback of the potion is that it wears off at the most embarrassing an inopportune times for Buddy, turning him back into the helpless Kelp. Buddy performs at the annual student dance, and while on the dais, the elixir starts to wear off. The students and staff watch in amazement as he changes back into the professor. He gives an impassioned plea that people must learn to like themselves before others can like them in return. Stella still wants to be the teacher's pet, and the two make future plans together. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Paula Prentiss, (more)
- 1963
Applying for a driver's license, Martin (Ray Walston) is unable to provide copies of his fingerprints--mainly because he hasn't any. Thinking quickly, he "borrows" the print of the man standing next to him in line. Unfortunately, that man turns out to be notorious jewel thief Brian Henley (Howard Morton)...and when Tim (Bill Bixby) writes an in-depth article about Henley's latest heist, both he and Martin face some serious prison time! Madge Blake, later seen as Aunt Harriet on Batman, is here cast as a giddy, bejeweled dowager. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) is obliged to help two fellow Americans, Cpl. Kanger (James Coburn) and Lt. Comstock (Dan Stafford), as they deliver a captured German officer to the authorities for questioning. What Saunders doesn't know (but the audience does!) is that both Kanger and Comstock are German spies posing as Americans, determined to halt the Allied advance or die trying. This episode marks the TV dramatic debut of boxing champ Rocky Marciano, in the small role of a friendly GI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
An exercise in "black humor" bordering on the tasteless, Bedtime Story stars Marlon Brando and David Niven as a pair of womanizing confidence tricksters, operating up and down the Riviera. Pooling their talents, Brando and Niven pull off several scams, many of these requiring Brando to pose as a mental or physical defective. Their current "mark" is soap heiress Shirley Jones, who isn't quite as gullible as she seems. The film's highlights-or low points, depending on one's point of view-feature Brando pretending to be a mentally challenged man with a Napoleon complex, and a paraplegic who is "cured" by Jones' love (remember that this is the same actor who so sensitively portrayed a genuine paraplegic in The Men). Created by the same folks who brought you such TV favorites as Green Acres and Beverly Hillbillies, Bedtime Story was remade in 1988 as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with Steve Martin, Michael Caine, and Glenne Headley in the roles originally filled by Brando, Niven and Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, David Niven, (more)
1963's The Sword in the Stone is Disney's animated take on Arthurian legend. In the midst of the Dark Ages, when England has no rightful ruler, a sword imbedded in a stone mysteriously appears in a London churchyard, bearing the inscription "Whoso pulleth out the sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of England." Scores of would-be kings travel to London to attempt the feat and thereby claim the throne. They all fail. Years later, in the English countryside, an 11-year-old squire nicknamed Wart (Rickie Sorensen) is devotedly helping his incompetent foster brother, Kay (Norman Alden), train to become a knight, when he meets the great magician Merlin (Karl Swenson). The well meaning, but absentminded, wizard declares himself Wart's mentor and claims that he will lead the boy to his destiny. Spirited and full of spunk, Wart (whose real name is Arthur) approaches Merlin's lessons with the same determination that he applies to Kay's hopeless training and to the monotonous chores he is assigned by his guardian. He soon finds himself accompanying Kay to London for a jousting tournament that will determine England's new king. There, Wart forgets to bring Kay's weapon to the joust, but finds an abandoned sword in a nearby churchyard -- which he effortlessly pulls out of a stone. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- 1964
While stopping at a rest camp, Kirby (Jack Hogan) is shaken out of his temporary complacency by a surprise German attack. Making his escape, Kirby teams up with Harry White (Mickey Rooney), a pugnacious truck driver who jealously guards the locked duffel bag in the back of his vehicle. It turns out that Harry has been systematically stealing silverware at every opportunity--and he's not going to let a little thing like the German army stop him from stealing again! Also in the guest cast are singer Claudine Longet, then the wife of Andy Williams, and former silent movie headliner Ramon Novarro, who'd starred in the original 1926 production of Ben-Hur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Toward the end of Jerry Lewis's Paramount studio period, Lewis slapped together this bitter comedy about Hollywood phoniness and fame that has to be the most rancid portrait of the Hollywood star system in the Rat Pack era this side of Clifford Odets. When a famous entertainer suddenly is killed in an airplane crash, his team of flunkies -- producer Caryl Fergusson (Everett Sloane), writer Chic Wymore (Phil Harris), press agent Harry Silver (Keenan Wynn), director Morgan Heywood (Peter Lorre in his final film role), valet Bruce Alden (John Carradine), and secretary Ellen Betz (Ina Balin) -- decide to continue their life style by finding a complete unknown and manufacturing him into a Hollywood star. That unknown turns out to be the nervous and inept bellboy Stanley Belt (Jerry Lewis). They train Stanley to become an over-night singing sensation, and despite a disastrous recording session and a failed nightclub performance, the public relations blitz makes Stanley's recording of "I Lost My Heart in a Drive-In Movie" a smash single. So much so that Stanley is given a shot at appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Expecting the worst, Stanley's management team abandons him right before his performance. But Stanley musters up enough confidence to go on the live program alone and manages to surprise his pessimistic ex-staff. A collection of Hollywood celebrities circa 1964 --George Raft, Ed Wynn, Ed Sullivan, Mel Torme, Rhonda Fleming and Hedda Hopper -- make cameo appearances. High spots include an apocalyptic music lesson with voice teacher Dr. Mule-rrr (Hans Conried), Ed Sullivan performing a bizarre impersonation of himself, and an ending that would make even Jean-Luc Godard blush. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Ina Balin, (more)
- 1965
Legendary director Howard Hawks revs up and hits the track in this drama about race car drivers and the women who love them. Pat Kazarian (Norman Alden) is a racing driver who also oversees a team of racers, among them Jim Loomis (Anthony Rogers) and Mike Marsh (James Caan). Jim is engaged to marry Holly McGregor (Gail Hire), but after she arrives in Daytona to be with her man, Holly learns Jim died in a crash. With no where else to do, a shattered Holly takes a job at a restaurant owned by her friend Lindy (Charlene Holt). Ned Arp (John Robert Crawford) is tapped to replace Jim, who quickly makes a reputation for moving fast on the track. He also becomes known for moving fast with the ladies, which doesn't please Pat when he learns Ned has his eyes on Julie Kazarian (Laura Devon), his younger sister. After a few early successes, Ned breaks off from Pat's team, and Dan McCall (James Ward) steps in in his place. Dan arrives with his girlfriend, French beauty Gabrielle (Marianna Hill), but soon finds himself infatuated with Holly. Mike begins to fall for Gabrielle, and becomes angry with the shabby way Dan has treated her, going so far as to take his anger out on his teammate on the track. Red Line 7000 includes plenty of superb racing footage and some unusual rock and roll interpretations of classic folk songs; keep an eye peeled for George Takei (Mr. Sulu on Star Trek) in a minor role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Laura Devon, (more)
- 1965
Under the influence of Martin's "benevolence light", brash, sarcastic Detective Brennan (Alan Hewitt) suddenly becomes warm and lovable. Unfortunately, the "nicer" Brennan proves to be a most ineffectual law enforcement officer. Martin (Ray Walston) scrambles to restore Brennan to his usual nasty self lest the detective allow a desperate bank robber to slip through his fingers. This episode was written by frequent Star Trek contributor Gene L. Coon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
When Newkirk gets Schultz drunk as part of an underground mission, the corpulent sergeant is discharged for incompetence. The new camp sergeant -- a sharp-witted, no-nonsense type named Krebs (Norman Alden) -- poses a serious threat to Hogan's espionage activities. The POWs plot to discredit Krebs and restore the dumb and harmless Schultz without exposing their covert operations. Written by Laurence Marks, "Happiness Is a Warm Sergeant" originally aired on November 26, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1965
This sensitive and realistic drama follows the daily dramas faced by a middle-aged retarded man living in the slums of New York City. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Alden, Tamara Daykarhanova, (more)
- 1966
Feeling trapped by his new parental responsibilities, Bill (Brian Keith) takes the advice of his old pal Dave (Norman Alden) and leaves New York to accept a project in faraway Mexico. In Bill's absence, Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) is suddenly taken ill, and the kids insist upon waiting on the poor fellow hand and foot. This crisis, coupled with Bill's inability to establish telephone contact between Mexico and his Manhattan apartment, leads him to regret his temporary "escape". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
- R
This biker gang exploitation picture from director Roger Corman and co-writer and editor Peter Bogdanovich earned critical respect in Europe for its gritty documentary style. Peter Fonda stars as Heavenly Blues, the leader of a wild, roving band of leather-clad bikers. When his best friend Loser (Bruce Dern) is injured in the midst of an attempt to steal a police motorcycle, the boys kidnap their debilitated buddy from the hospital, raping a black nurse and trashing the place in the process. Blues and his friends believe they've set Loser free, but he dies not long after the escape. Staging a funeral and drunken orgy in a small town church, the gang flees is set upon by the enraged locals, leaving Blues alone to face the law. Nancy Sinatra and a then-pregnant Diane Ladd co-star; a number of real-life Hell's Angels were hired to appear in scenes, adding authenticity to the picture. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, (more)
