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
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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)
