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- 1978
In the opening episode of The Rockford Files' fifth season, Jim Rockford (James Garner) wants to know why his dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.), temporarily employed as a delivery driver, was forced off the road and his cargo--consisting of breakfast sausages--was hijacked. The main culprit would seem to be the sausage company's front man, country-western singer Charlie Strayhorn (Taylor Lachman). But Charlie turns out to be a mere pawn in a widespread smuggling scheme masterminded by the real villain of the piece. The title song for this episode was written (but not performed) by Willie Nelson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
The major difference between the original Hanna-Barbera/DC Comics cartoon series Super Friends and its successor The All-New Superfriends Hour is the latter series' expanded cast. Old Justice League of America favorites Superman, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman are back in harness, along with a pair of brand-new junior members: the Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna, who had the ability to morph into icelike statues, in case the job at hand required such a talent. During the series' first (and only) season, each major Superfriend appeared in his or her own adventures, usually in the company of a "guest" superhero, with all the main characters rallying together for a climactic "League of Justice" component. Four different stories are presented per episode, bearing such titles as "Invasion of the Earthors," "The Brain Machine," "City in a Bottle," "The Marsh Monster," "Doctor Fright," "Super Friends vs. Super Friends," "Planet of the Neanderthals," "Attack of the Giant Squid," "The Tiny World of Terror," and "The Mummy of Nanza." All told, the single season of All-New Superfriends Hour features 14 thrill-packed sixty minute installments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Woodson, Bob Lloyd, (more)
- 1977
- R
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Without ever revealing the diagnosis, this film chronicles the inner life and outer circumstances of Deborah Blake (Kathleen Quinlan), a young mental patient. As the film opens, she is being accompanied by her subdued parents to yet another mental hospital. This one looks clean and cheerful, at least. Her treatment is handled by Dr. Fried (Bibi Andersson), a very skillful therapist who gets past her deranged defenses and reveals that Deborah harbors some very violent fantasies about some of her relatives. The movie is based on the best-selling autobiographical novel by Joanne Greenberg. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bibi Andersson, Kathleen Quinlan, (more)
Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson star as two pro-football pals who both fall for the team-owner's very rich daughter. Kind of goofy, kind of funny, and somewhat endearing--those are the qualities that surface in this light-hearted comedy built upon an extremely predictable scenario. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, (more)
- 1977
It appears to be a clear-cut case of brain damage when young boxer Luke Stokes (Rodney Hoston) collapses and dies right after a championship bout. But the boxer's widow (Lynne Moody) insists that her husband was drugged just before the match. Medical examiner Quincy investigates, only to find that his own life is in jeopardy if he makes the "wrong" diagnosis. Legendary heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis appears as himself in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Alice (Linda Lavin) manages to land an extra job as a nightclub singer. Unfortunately, our heroine's foray into moonlighting takes its toll on her day job at Mel's Diner. Before long, the other staffers must cover for Alice, who can barely stay awake long enough to walk across the floor. Legendary "joke machine" and Dick Van Dyke Show regular Morey Amsterdam appears as Herman in this episode, in which star Linda Lavin sings "But Not For Me". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Several teenage lawbreakers from a so-called honor farm escape their captors while appearing in court. The kids hijack a bus and take two police officers as hostage. As the escapees demand a plane to Cuba, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) tries to straighten out the tense situation with a minimum of violence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1976
There's a new man in the life of Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin). Unfortunately, the new man isn't really new at all--at least not so far as Alice's coworker Flo (Polly Holliday) is concerned. Seems that the man in question is "Big Daddy" Dawson (Norman Alden), Flo's first husband, a race-car driver whom she is thinking of rewedding--despite his reputation for being just as "fast" off the track as on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In the first episode of Adam-12's two-part series finale, Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord), frustrated that a heroin user he has placed in jail is now free and back on the streets, decides that the best way to handle druggies is through understanding and rehabiliation. With this in mind, Jim enrolls in a month-long narcotics course, hoping to be of better service to the community. Unfortuanelty, the dangers of Jim's regular job interfere with his good intentions--and at the same time, his partner Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) is seriously wounded in the line of duty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In the conclusion of Adam-12's two-part series finale, Officer Jim Reed has earned the Medal of Valor for putting his life on the line. Worried that Jim's luck is running out, his wife Jean (Kristin Nelson) urges him to give up his prowl-car duties and take the investigator's exam, which would assure him permanent desk duty. Meanwhile, Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), slowly recovering from a serious wound, is none too happy with the prospect of losing his longtime partner Reed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Gil Weaver (Roger Robinson), one of Kojak's best young detectives, learns to his dismay that his ex-classmate Richie Linden (James Watson) is now a fence for a gang of diamond thieves. At the same time, Kojak (Telly Savalas) maps out a scheme to recover $1,000,000 in stolen gems and to capture the thieves. This plan would require Weaver to set up Linden as the fall guy--but is he a good enough cop to "betray" his lifelong friend? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In an episode clearly inspired by Serpico, Stone (Karl Malden) is temporarily partnered with flamboyant, iconoclastic undercover narcotics cop Al Wozynsky (Tony Lo Bianco) while his usual partner Keller (Michael Douglas) is recovering from gunshot wounds incurred during a skirmish with drug pushers. Though Wozynsky seems to be getting results with his unorthodox "lone wolf" methods, Stone suspects that there's something not quite right about his new partner--in fact, there's every possibilty that Wozynsky is in the pocket of the drug kingpins. Prolific voiceover actor Vic Perrin (the "control voice" on the original Outer Limits) delivers a compelling cameo as Woyznsky's father in this final episode of Streets of San Francisco's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this made-for-television disaster film, seven officer workers find themselves trapped in a towering inferno after a drunken janitor accidently torches the high-rise in which they work. Believing that they will surely die, the seven begin sharing their deepest secrets. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Forsythe, Anjanette Comer, (more)
- 1974
In this made-for-TV movie, a driver is involved in a hit-and-run accident. By the time the guilt-ridden fellow returns to the accident scene, the body has mysteriously disappeared. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Forsythe
- 1974
Cindy Britton (Belinda Balaski), a teenaged girl from a small town, runs away from home. She ends up in the seedy Venice Beach district of Los Angeles, alone, hungry, and very frightened. Teaming up with a streetwise younger boy named Francis (Claudio Martinez), Cindy endeavors to survive her daunting new environment as best she can -- while the authorities conduct a frantic search for the girl. This Emmy-winning ABC Afterschool Special was filmed on location. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Belinda Balaski, Claudio Martinez, (more)
- 1974
Taking time off from his villainous duties as "Wo Fat" on Hawaii Five-O, Khigh Deigh is no less sinister in this episode as a Hong-Kong based "fence" named John Chong. After a gang of hijackers led by Stan Chasen (Henry Silva) goes to a lot of trouble--including attempted murder--to steal an airborne cargo of blank travellers' checks, Chong double-crosses them by offering only a fraction of what he promised to pay for the checks. Meanwhile, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.conducts a wide-ranging search for the crooks, which comes to a rousing climax on the docks of Seattle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
When one of the key witnesses in a mob trial is murdered, Stone intensifies his protection of sole remaining witness Roy Chaffee (Sandy Kenyon). Stone and Keller install Chaffee in a nondescript house across the street from the apartment of shy, spinsterish English teacher Mary Rae Dortmunder (Shirley Knight). At the same time, Mary Rae is being ardently courted by a kind, soft-spoken gentleman (Steve Forrest)--actually a contract killer who hopes to use the woman's living room as a stakeout, the better to murder the hapless Chaffee! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Prolific character actor Joe Don Baker is evil incarnate in the role of Leonard Collier Cord, a convicted rapist, torturer and murderer. Paroled after twelve years, the unrepentant Cord vows to get even with Mike Stone (Karl Malden), the detective who sent up. With fiendish calculation, Cord decides to hit Stone where it will hurt the most--by killing Mike's daughter Jeannie (Darleen Carr). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
While Raquel Welch was a household name and an international sex symbol through much of the 1960s'and 1970s, Hollywood didn't seem sure about what to do with her; this was one of her more unusual vehicles from this period, in which Welch plays K.C. Carr, a divorcee with two children who becomes romantically involved with Burt Henry (Kevin McCarthy). Burt is the owner of a roller derby team, the Kansas City Bombers, and convinces K.C. that a career on the rink might be just the thing for her. K.C. soon discovers that the sport is rougher than she imagined, and her teammate Jackie (Helena Kallianiotes) is convinced that K.C. is out to replace her as the Bombers' star attraction. But another member of the team, Horrible Hank Hopkins (Norman Alden), shows K.C. the ropes and stands up for her. When Hank gets traded to another team, K.C. has to learn to fend for herself against Jackie as well as Burt. Raquel Welch did all her own skating for this film; an accident while filming one of the derby sequences left her with a broken wrist that shut down production for six weeks. Legendary singer and songwriter Phil Ochs was tapped by the producers of Kansas City Bomber to write a theme song for the film; it wasn't used, though it was released as a single and appeared on the compilation CD The War is Over: The Best of Phil Ochs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raquel Welch, Kevin McCarthy, (more)
- 1972
Carl Betz) guest stars as Jeff Williams, a respected college professor who is being shaken down by a seedy blackmailer. During the payoff, tempers flare and the blackmailer shoots Williams in the shoulder. Terrified that an investigation will cause him to lose a much-needed promotion--to say nothing of his job--Williams not only refuses to cooperate with the police, but puts his own life in peril by concealing his bullet wound. Geraldine Brooks costars as Williams' beleagured wife Alice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Syndicate loan sharks Ollie Shanks (Paul Koslo) and Rudy Blake (Lou Antonio) must be intercepted before they can transfer $10 million from Hawaii to California. Assigned to put Shanks and Blake out of business, IMF agent Willy ends up being captured himself. As the villains inject Willy with near-fatal doses of truth serum, his fellow agents race against time to complete his mission before their cover is blown. Scripted by Jackson Gillis and Laurence Heath from a story by Gillis, "Double Dead" originally aired on February 12, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
Ross Martin essays the title character in this, the 200th episode of The F.B.I.. Martin is cast as George Barrows, also known as "the wizard" because of his uncanny genius for plotting intricate acts of larceny. Fresh from an embezzlement scheme that has netted him $800,000, Barrows barely pauses for breath as he plunges into a major heist that will reap millions. Can Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) outthink the "Wizard", or has he met his match at last? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- R
Where Does It Hurt? is a hospital comedy which is carefully designed to leave no interest group unoffended. In the broadest of broad comic manners, it recounts its tale of greed, ignorance and corruption in the medical profession. Dr. Albert T. Hopfnagel (Peter Sellers), a hospital administrator, is a doctor who is expert in the arts of bill-padding, unnecessary surgery, and kickbacks. His assistant (Jo Ann Pflug) has finally had enough of his destructive and dishonest shenanigans and gets him sent to prison. He is released a little too soon for comfort, however. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- PG
This sequel to the rampaging-rodent chiller Willard stars Lee H. Montgomery as young Danny Garrison, a neglected kid who finds a new little friend in Ben -- an intelligent rat whose furry minions managed to slaughter most of the cast of the previous film. Proving that one can't teach an old rat new tricks -- just variations on the old ones -- Ben displays his affection for Danny by directing his posse to off anyone who torments him... in the sweetest possible way, of course, since this is a PG-rated endeavor. This film's reputation was secured primarily by the inclusion of Michael Jackson's saccharine title tune, which seems to resonate more profoundly when regarded as a love song for a big greasy rat. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, (more)
- 1971
Marlyn Mason returns as leggy German chanteuse Lily Frankel, who moonlights as an Allied agent. With Lily's assistance, Hogan hopes to destroy a trio of mobile guided-missile launchers. The problem: How to evade a veritable minefield of German radio detectors. Written by Arthur Julian, "Rockets or Romance" originally aired April 4, 1971, as the 168th and final episode of Hogan's Heroes (though it was actually the 156th episode to be filmed). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
