Robert J. Wilke Movies

Ricardo Montalban is well cast as legendary Mexican bandit Joaquin Murietta in Desperate Mission. As in most previous filmed adaptations of the life of this controversial character, Murietta is depicted as a South of the Border Robin Hood, more sinned against than sinning. The storyline is open-ended enough to suggest that this made-for-TV movie was intended as the pilot for a weekly series. If this was indeed the case, the producers needn't have bothered. Lensed in 1969, Desperate Mission didn't get a TV playdate until December 3, 1971 (though it was released theatrically outside the US in 1970). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Candy makes good his long-standing promise to quit the Ponderosa to join his longtime sweetheart Lila Holden (Elizabeth MacRae) in the town of River Bend. His dreams of starting life anew are shattered when he is arrested on a trumped-up charge and held without bail. Hoping to help Candy out, the Cartwrights enter into a dangerous confrontation with murderous, graft-grabbing Sheriff Booker (Robert Wilke and his equally disreputable deputy Horn (Steve Brodie). Written by David Lang, "Trouble Town" originally aired on March 17, 1968, then was afforded a special "encore presentation" by NBC in the Spring of 1972. At present, two differently edited syndicated versions exist of this title. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While employed at the winery owned by Pete Crandall (James Gregory), Kimble (David Janssen) happens to be on hand when the leader of a grape picker's strike is murdered by Crandall's treacherous son Carl (Roy Thinnes). As the only witness to the killing, Kimble could easily clear his fellow worker Morales (Carlos Romero), whom Carl has framed for the crime. Unfortunately, Kimble dare not contact the police for fear of being arrested himself, so he enlists the aid of Morale's wife Elena (Pilar Seurat)--while Carl dispatches a team of hired thugs to make certain that no one will ever tell anyone that he pulled the trigger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Held in thrall by a gang of rustlers, the local cattleman's association hires a professional gunman named Simmons (Robert Wilke) to deal with the outlaws. The Cartwrights vote against engaging the services of Simmons, fearing that he will cause more harm than good. Their predictions apparently come true when one of the rancher's wives is mysteriously killed. Also appearing are Earl Holliman as Clegg and Don Collier as Tatum. First telecast January 31, 1965, "The Flannel-Mouth Gun" was cowritten by actor Leo Gordon and Paul Leslie Wilke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First telecast March 22, 1964, "Return to Honor" served to introduce onetime Zorro star Guy Williams in the role of Ben Cartwright's nephew Will-a potential replacement for Adam Cartwright, should Pernell Roberts make good on his repeated threats to leave Bonanza. As the story opens, Ben receives word that Will has been murdered in the neighboring town of Pine City. In truth, the wounded Cartwright cousin is hiding out from a gang of counterfeiters whose engraving plates he has "borrowed." Others in the cast include Arch Johnson (Butler), Robert Wilke (Marshal), Hugh Sanders (Doctor), Gregg Palmer (Gannett) and Bill Clark (Jenner). "Return to Honor" was written by Jack Turley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode is unusual in that there is no defendant as Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) attempts to solve a murder during a coroner's inquest in the mining town of Gold Gulch. Having learned that someone has been selling phony gold mines in the area, Perry disguises himself as a prospector to draw out the culprit. Meanwhile, Perry's associate Paul Drake, searching for clues, stumbles upon the body of James Bradisson. Former light-heavyweight boxing champ Archie Moore plays a supporting role in this episode, which was based on a 1943 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In hiding ever since his gang was wiped out in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Bugs Moran (George J. Wilke) is surprised when he is visited by a dead man. Actually, Eddie O'Gara (Michael Connors) is very much alive; it's just that everyone assumed he'd been killed by his fellow hoodlums when he dropped out of sight three years ago. Though Moran dismisses O'Gara as a two-bit punk, he is most receptive when Eddie comes up with a plan to put Bugs back on top again. Meanwhile, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) searches high and low for both Moran and O'Gara, certain that at least one of them will be mad enough at their former enemies to help the Feds smash the Chicago Underworld once and for all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Once again, Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) crosses swords with rival gangster Bugs Moran (previously played by Lloyd Nolan, here enacted by Robert J. Wilke). To avoid an all-out gang war, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) begin confiscating all the machine guns owned by the two mobsters' torpedoes. To keep himself armed, Nitti makes a deal for a dozen Tommy guns with Polish gunsmith Jan Tobek (Kevin Hagen). Trouble is, once Nitti and Moran agree to call off the war, both Tobek and his wife Eva (Salome Jens) will be eminently expendable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Theft is the pivotal element of this drama which was based on a Brink's robbery. A gang of thieves decide to pull a major heist. They carefully prepare, including a trip inside to pinpoint the alarms and guards while making key impressions. The actual robbery is shown as is the chaos which follows. Soon, the criminals are fighting over how long to wait before using the cash and stealing from one another in an attempt to get more than their share. Still, it takes nearly three years before the crime is solved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai (1954) is westernized as The Magnificent Seven. Yul Brynner plays Chris, a mercenary hired to protect a Mexican farming village from its annual invasion by bandit Calvera (Eli Wallach). As Elmer Bernstein's unforgettable theme music (later immortalized as the "Marlboro Man" leitmotif) blasts away in the background, Chris rounds up six fellow soldiers of fortune to help him form a united front against the bandits. The remaining "magnificent six" are played by Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and (the one that everybody forgets) Brad Dexter. Though jam-packed with action, William Roberts's screenplay pauses long enough to flesh out each of its characters, allowing the audience to pick their own favorites. The Magnificent Seven was followed by three sequels, not to mention dozens of imitations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is a rebellious slave purchased by Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov), owner of a school for gladiators. For the entertainment of corrupt Roman senator Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier), Batiatus' gladiators are to stage a fight to the death. On the night before the event, the enslaved trainees are "rewarded" with female companionship. Spartacus' companion for the evening is Varinia (Jean Simmons), a slave from Brittania. When Spartacus later learns that Varinia has been sold to Crassus, he leads 78 fellow gladiators in revolt. Word of the rebellion spreads like wildfire, and soon Spartacus' army numbers in the hundreds. Escaping to join his cause is Varinia, who has fallen in love with Spartacus, and another of Crassus' house slaves, the sensitive Antoninus (Tony Curtis). The revolt becomes the principal cog in the wheel of a political struggle between Crassus and a more temperate senator named Gracchus (Charles Laughton). Anthony Mann was the original director of Spartacus, eventually replaced by Stanley Kubrick, who'd previously guided Douglas through Paths of Glory. The film received 4 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Ustinov. A crucial scene between Olivier and Curtis, removed from the 1967 reissue because of its subtle homosexual implications, was restored in 1991, with a newly recorded soundtrack featuring Curtis as his younger self and Anthony Hopkins standing in for the deceased Olivier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An Indian chief (Anthony Caruso) whose son has been sentenced to be executed by the Army seeks out the help of Paladin (Richard Boone). The chief does not want his son released, but merely to make certain that the boy is afforded the proper tribal burial rites. Upon reaching the Army outpost, Paladin fully intends to carry out his assignment, only to be sidetracked by his growing suspicion that the chief's son has been framed for murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide