Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Movies
The son of world-famous violinist Efrem Zimbalist and opera star Alma Gluck, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. received an expensive prep-school education in New England, and at age 16 he briefly studied at Yale University. He became a page at the NBC radio studios in New York City, then took acting lessons at Neighborhood Playhouse. Just before serving in World War II (in which he earned a Purple Heart), Zimbalist married another aspiring performer, Emily McNair. After the war, he began toting up Broadway acting credits, and in 1949 made his film debut as Richard Conte's brutish brother in House of Strangers (1949). After his wife died of cancer in 1950, Zimbalist briefly retired from acting, moving with his two children to Philadelphia; there he became a researcher at the Curtis Institute of Music, where his father was director. Shortly after returning to acting in 1954 with a recurring role on the TV soap opera Concerning Miss Marlowe, Zimbalist married East Coast socialite Stephanie Spaulding; the union produced a daughter, also named Stephanie, who grew up to become a popular actress in her own right (Zimbalist's son, Efrem III, has likewise earned a place in "Who's Who" as a publishing company executive). Signed to a long-term Warner Bros. contract, Zimbalist achieved full stardom in the role of suave private detective Stuart Bailey on the weekly TV series 77 Sunset Strip (1958-1964). He went on to another popular Warners series in 1965, playing inspector Lew Erskine in the long-running (nine seasons) The FBI. His later TV roles included Charles Cabot in the 1986 episodes of Hotel, Don Alejandro de la Vega in the first-season installment of the Family Channel's Zorro (1990-1992), and silver-tongued con artist Daniel Chalmers on his daughter Stephanie's weekly series Remington Steele (1982-1987). Generally cast in sophisticated or serious roles, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. has on occasion been permitted to display his flair for zany comedy, as witness his villainous portrayal in the 1990 action-flick satire Hot Shots! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
House of Strangers is the first of three film versions of Jerome Weidman's I'll Never Go Home Any More, each of which was scripted by Philip Yordan. Edward G. Robinson plays a Giannini-like Italian-American banker, Gino Monetti, who runs roughshod over his four grown sons. The ruthless Gino engages in several illegal activities to build up his business, and is arrested as a result. Though the sons have always been fully aware of their father's questionable business practices, they refuse to help him stay out of prison; led by oldest son Joe (Luther Adler), three of the sons take over the business and kick their father out. Only son Max (Richard Conte) remains loyal to his father, whereupon his three brothers conspire to have Max thrown into prison as well. Max promises the dying Gino that he'll exact vengeance on the treacherous sons; but when he is released, Max hasn't the stomach for revenge, not even after one of his brothers (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) tries to kill him. Max leaves his brothers to stew in their own juices, and heads to California for a new life with his fiancée, Irene Bennett (Susan Hayward). Subsequent film versions of the Jerome Weidman novel included Broken Lance (1954) and The Big Circus (1961). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Susan Hayward, (more)
Created by Roy Huggins and debuting September 22, 1957 on ABC, the weekly, hour-long Maverick started out as a relatively straightforward western series with a slight twist: The main characters were professional gamblers rather than lawmen or gunslingers. James Garner and Jack Kelly starred respectively as Bret and Bart, the Maverick brothers, who traveled throughout the west in search of poker games and other such lucrative pursuits. Though both of the Mavericks were fairly adept at fisticuffs, they tended to avoid violence and confrontation (a good thing too, since neither brother could by any stretch of the imagination be described as a "fast gun"), preferring to use their wits and the words to wriggle out of jams--and, conversely, to win over the pretty girls they met along the way. Originally, the episodes were evenly divided between the two brothers, with Bret or Bart alternately handling the plotlines, sometimes teaming up when the going got rough. By the end of the first season, however, James Garner had emerged as the more popular of the two stars--and as a bonus, Garner was possessed of a deft comic touch that such scriptwriters as Marion Hargrove and such directors as Douglas Heyes were quick to capitalize upon. As a result, the stories became more humorous and satirical in nature, with star, writers and directors unafraid to emphasize the more cowardly and larcenous aspects of Bret Maverick's character. One of the series' most endearing motifs was Bret's habit of relying upon the pearls of wisdom passed down to him by his grey-haired "Pappy"--who, when he finally appeared on camera, was portrayed by a heavily made up James Garner. By season three, the pattern of Maverick was fairly well set, with Jack Kelly handling the more serious and action-oriented episodes (which became fewer and farther between) and Garner doing the funny stuff. In keeping with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the series, the writers had a field day spoofing such rival western shows as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, and even such non-westerns as Dragnet. In addition, there were the occasional westernized adaptations of "the classics", notably Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Rivals. After James Garner left the series over a contract dispute in 1960, Maverick's home studio Warner Bros. tried out a brace of potential replacements. During season four, future "James Bond" Roger Moore was introduced as Bret and Bart's British cousin Beau Maverick; and later that same season, Robert Colbert showed up as the hitherto unrevealed third Maverick brother, Brent. But by the time the series entered its fifth and final season, the only Maverick on screen was old reliable Bart, who starred in the handful of episodes that were filmed to fill out what had essentially become a portfolio of reruns from the James Garner days. The final episode of Maverick was telecast on July 8, 1962; however, the property would be revived on TV in 1979 as Young Maverick, with Charles Frank playing cousin Ben Maverick, and in 1981 as Bret Maverick, with James Garner reviving his original role. And in 1994, Garner shared billing with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster in a delightful theatrical-feature version of Maverick, which nostalgically showcased a number of familiar western actors in cameo roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on a novel by Robert Penn Warren, this Southern potboiler stars Yvonne DeCarlo as Amantha Starr, the daughter of a wealthy Louisiana plantation owner. When her father unexpectedly dies, Amantha discovers that her father was deep in debt and the family is penniless, and she is forced to drop out of the exclusive girls' school she was attending. What's more, it is discovered that Amantha has a small amount of African-American blood, and under the laws she is to be sold into slavery in New Orleans. Amantha is purchased by Hamish Bond (Clark Gable), a dashing, wealthy, but mysterious landowner. While Amantha is at first terrified by her new situation, in time she grows fond of Hamish and becomes romantically involved with him. However, the outbreak of the Civil War leads to Union forces taking New Orleans; RauRu (Sidney Poitier), Hamish's trusted overseer, joins the Northern forces as the Rebels go down in defeat. RauRu hates Amantha for literally sleeping with the enemy, and Hamish for the corrupt system he represents, but his last remaining threads of loyalty prevent him from taking them prisoner. With his crops destroyed, Hamish must rebuild his empire from the ground up, and, as he joins forces with his former associate Capt. Canavan (Torin Thatcher), he must reveal a shameful secret to Amantha: he once earned his living as a slave trader. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, (more)
- 1957
Karl Malden plays an air force sergeant who is tempted by a better-paying civilian job. Malden's daughter Natalie Wood is in love with a young colonel (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) whom her father regards as an insolent hothead. The younger man proves his worth during jet maneuvers, while Malden decides that he's of more value in the service than as a working stiff. Bombers B-52 has some excellent moments, including a well-staged variation of the obligatory "breaking the news to the pilot's widow" scene. The film earned latter-day notoriety in the 1980s when a prominent movie historian analyzed the script (by Irving Wallace) and found an overabundance of sexual innuendo--including such in-flight dialogue as "She's unable to receive fuel" and "Request jet penetration!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, (more)
- 1957
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. makes the first of several guest appearances as Dandy Jim Buckley, a gentleman gambler best described as "Bret Maverick without scruples." After they're both tossed off a riverboat, Jim and Bret (James Garner) head to Deadwood in hopes of getting even with bare-knuckle boxer Battling Krueger (Pat Comiskey), the man responsible for their ignominious plight. Our heroes end up wagering heavily on a boxing match between Krueger and brawny backwoodsman Noah Perkins (Mike Lane)--but when Noah fails to show up for the bout, the hapless Bret ends up in the ring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this drama, six daring truckers must transport unstable, highly explosive rocket fuel through a dangerously bumpy, rugged country. The film centers on their individual reasons for making the trip. These are presented via flashback. Though most of them need the money, one of the truck drivers is actually the fuel's inventor. During the fuel's development, a freak accident caused the death of his family. All but one of the drivers safely make it to their destination. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, Dick Foran, (more)
- 1958
In one of Maverick's all-time greatest episodes, Bret (James Garner) is cheated out of $15,000 by "respectable" banker John Bates (John Dehner). Since Bret is unable to reclaim the money through legal means, his brother Bart (Jack Kelly) devises an elaborate sting operation to beat Bates at his own game. Participants in this grand-scale swindle include an honor roll of the series' most popular (and sneakiest) recurring characters: Gentleman Jack Darby (Richard Long), Dandy Jim Buckley (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), Samantha Crawford (Diane Brewster), Cindy Lou Brown (Arlene Howell) and Big Mike McComb (Leo Gordon). And what about Bret? Well, he spends virtually the entire episode sitting on a hotel porch, calmly whittling away at a block of wood...and when anybody asks what he's doing about his problem, he replies casually that he's "workin' on it." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Too Much, Too Soon was adapted from the warts-and-all autobiography of actress Diana Barrymore, the troubled daughter of "great profile" John Barrymore. As played by Dorothy Malone, Diana is a basically decent young lady who suffers mightily from lack of parental love. Her famous father, played with boozy bravado by Errol Flynn, is the soul of graciousness and affection when sober, but a human monster when drunk -- which is often. Her poetess mother, Michael Strange (Neva Patterson), is too preoccupied by her bitterness against Barrymore to pay much attention to Diana. Striking out on her own as an actress, Diana vainly seeks personal happiness with several husbands: actor Vincent Bryant (actually Bramwell Fletcher), played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr.; jealous, possessive tennis player John Howard (Ray Danton); and another actor, alcoholic Robert Wilcox (Ed Kemmer). Unable to find satisfaction in her work or her private life, Diana follows family "tradition" by turning to liquor; this leads to extended sanitarium stays and innumerable suicide attempts. It is suggested at the end of the film that she is on the road to recovery, thanks in part to her biographer Gerold Frank (Robert Ellenstein); the sad truth is that two years after the release of Too Much, Too Soon, Diana Barrymore killed herself at the age of 39. This filmed version of Diana's tragic life seldom rises above soap-opera level, save for Errol Flynn's knowing performance of his old friend and drinking companion John Barrymore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Malone, Errol Flynn, (more)
- 1958
Against his better judgment (which is the way he usually does things), Bret (James Garner) lends $2000 to duplicitous gambler Dandy Jim Buckley (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), which Jim claims will be used to start a horsetrading business. Not long afterward, Bret discovers that Dandy Jim is stuck in jail after attempting to swindle an entire town. In order to recoup his investment, Bret must devise a scheme to break Jim out of his cell. Future Bonanza costar Dan Blocker plays an oafish gunslinger in this lighthearted episode, which is capped by a delicious plot twist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The conflict between duty and conscience is explored in the WWII drama The Deep Six. Alan Ladd stars as Naval gunnery officer Alec Austin, a Quaker whose sincere pacifist sentiments do not sit well with his crew members. When he refuses to fire upon an unidentified plane, the word spreads that Austin cannot be relied upon in battle (never mind that the plane turns out to be one of ours). To prove that he's worthy of command, Austin volunteers for a dangerous mission: the rescue of a group of US pilots on a Japanese-held island. The ubiquitous William Bendix costars as Frenchy Shapiro (!), Austin's Jewish petty officer and severest critic. If the film has a villain, it is Keenan Wynn as ambitious Lt. Commander Edge, who seems to despise anyone who isn't a mainline WASP.The Deep Six was based on a novel by Martin Dibner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, William Bendix, (more)
- 1958
Wearing a curiously (and perhaps deliberately) unattractive blonde wig, Jean Simmons stars in the tense psychological drama Home Before Dark. Having just recovered from a nervous breakdown, Charlotte Bronn (Simmons) returns from a mental institution to the home she shares with her academician husband Arnold (Dan O'Herlihy). Though he tries his best to help Charlotte re-adapt, his efforts are undermined by the insensitive meddling of her stepmother Inez (Mabel Albertson) and stepsister Joan (Rhonda Fleming) who may or may not have been carrying on a romance with Arnold in Charlotte's absence. The untenable situation at home leads Charlotte into a romance with college professor Jake Diamond (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), who as an ongoing target of anti-semitism has plenty of his own emotional baggage to deal with. What is remarkable about Home Before Dark is that it is a film without a villain: even the most unpleasant characters are drawn as three-dimensional human beings, who behave badly because they really don't know any better. The film was adapted by Robert and Eileen Bassing from Eileen's same-named novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Dan O'Herlihy, (more)
- 1958
While working in a South Dakota gold-mining camp, Bart (Jack Kelly) and Dandy Jim Buckley (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) befriend Genessee Jones (Frank Ferguson), a grizzled old prospector with a hefty bankroll. Later on, Jones gets into a poker game with two miners (one of them a young Martin Landau) and wins big--only to turn up murdered a few hours later. Sheriff Bald Bill King (Dan Sheridan) arrests the miners for murder, whereupon Bart stands up and confesses to the crime--not because he really did it, but because he hopes to flush out the real killer. Unfortunately, Bald Bill isn't in on the plan, and now Bart is a prime candidate for a quick hanging. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In flashback, the Maverick brothers explain to Dandy Jim Buckley (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) why it wouldn't be healthy for them to set foot in Texas. It seems that, back during the Civil War, both Bret (James Garner) and Bart (Jack Kelly) had signed on as trail bosses for a cattle drive. After meeting resistance from female rancher Laura Miller (Aline Towne), our heroes are forced to shoot one of Laura's hired guns--and soon they're on the lam from the law, charged with murder. The Mavericks' search for a mysterious "tall man" who may have witnessed the shooting is a fascinating precursor to Richard Kimble's pursuit of the elusive "One-Armed Man" on the later TV series The Fugitive--which, like Maverick, was produced by Roy Huggins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
A navy jet piloted by Captain Dale Heath (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and carrying an enlisted man (Troy Donahue) has already taken off when Heath realizes that both his radio and his navigation equipment have malfunctioned. They might be on the right course, but he can't tell if they're at the right altitude -- 500 feet too high or too low would put him in the path of a plane headed in the opposite direction -- and he can't get through to ground control to get a fix. Heath is quietly terrified at the prospect of what may happen, not just for the obvious reason but also because he's experienced this situation once before and saved himself at the cost of the other plane and its crew. Meanwhile, flying in the opposite direction on the same course is a DC-7 commercial airliner flown by Dick Barnett (Dana Andrews, a veteran pilot, and carrying a full load of passengers, each with their own worries. Much of the first 85 minutes of this thriller is devoted to the passengers and crew of the airliner struggling with their personal problems, told in extensive flashbacks. Both Barnett and Heath have their personal trials, the latter including an unhappy marriage to a faithless wife (Rhonda Fleming); Barnett's troubles are more complicated, and concern long-time problems with his co-pilot, Mike Rule (John Kerr), whose own personal conflicts involve his artist father, his own conflicting love of flying and art, and his relationship with head stewardess Anne Francis (who never looked better than she does in this movie). The extensive flashbacks will push the patience of modern audiences almost to the breaking point, but they do pay off -- and except for the archaic late 1950s slang (which, ironically, was intended to make the movie seem up-to-date) that litters the dialogue, and a silly subplot involving a Broadway method actor on his way to Hollywood, the material is worth watching, despite the soap-opera-ish elements, as the suspense gets ratcheted up gradually. The movie piles on hints and clues (some of them false) about the impending danger that turn the last 20 minutes or so into a neat cinematic thrill-ride for its time. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, (more)
- 1961
In this routine political drama by Vincent Sherman, a murder trial is converted into one piece in the complex interaction between three candidates for governor. Judge Hoffman (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) is a solid, anchoring presence in his courtroom, qualities which should stand him in good stead when election day arrives. Senator Simon (Don Ameche) has all the scruples of a hungry ferret and tries to bribe the judge to take on a position in the federal judicial system in lieu of his candidacy. The District Attorney, Dan Callahan also has an ethics-free approach to politics and is not likely to change. Complicating matters is the fact that the Senator's wife Cathy (Angie Dickinson) was once in love with Judge Hoffman. By the time these protagonists get through dealing with the race for governor and each other's scruples -- or lack of them -- circumstances have drastically changed the picture. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Angie Dickinson, (more)
- 1961
There's always something simmering beneath the quaint and placid surface of small-town New England lives -- and that includes the usual maladies of alcoholism, rape, and suicide. At least this is the case if you go by the tortuous tale told in By Love Possessed, a Peyton Place knock-off, directed with glossy intensity by the usually reliable action director John Sturges (Bad Day at Black Rock and The Magnificent Seven). The tale chronicles the miserable lives of Arthur Winner (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), Julius Penrose (Jason Robards Jr.), and Noah Tuttle (Thomas Mitchell) -- legal counseling partners in a law firm that could probably use some good counseling themselves. Arthur's wife Clarissa (Barbara Bel Geddes) has nothing but contempt for poor Arthur because she considers their marriage as more a business deal than a love match. Then there's Julius's wife Marjorie (Lana Turner) who has become a full-time alcoholic ever since Julius has been rendered impotent by an automobile accident. Arthur and Marjorie's frustrations both gel into an illicit romantic union. Arthur certainly needs some kind of diversion since his son Warren (George Hamilton) refuses to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a lawyer. As if that weren't enough, he also refuses to marry Helen Detweiller (Susan Kohner), the girl Arthur wants him to marry because she is rolling in money and is also the ward of Noah. Instead, Warren runs off with the local town whore (Yvonne Craig), who accuses Warren of raping her. Despondent, Helen resorts to desperate measures when she is rejected, and Arthur realizes that he must begin to reconsider his life choices. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lana Turner, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., (more)
- 1962
George Cukor directed this sanitized version of Irving Wallace's tawdry best-seller concerning a survey of the sexual habits of American women. Psychologist George C. Chapman (Andrew Duggan) arrives in a Los Angeles suburb with his assistant Paul Radford (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) in tow. They are looking for volunteers for their sex survey, and four women raise their hands: Sarah Garnell (Shelley Winters) is a middle-aged woman who is having an affair with young theater director Fred Linden (Ray Danton); Teresa Harnish (Glynis Johns) is a happily married woman who becomes attracted to brawny football player Ed Kraski (Ty Hardin); Naomi Shields (Claire Bloom) is an alcoholic nymphomaniac who takes up with an unsavory jazz musician; and Kathleen Barclay (Jane Fonda) is a young widow who thinks she is frigid -- that is, until Radford makes her his personal project. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1964
While traveling by train to a clandestine meeting with his married mistress, London stockbroker George (Roddy McDowall) befriends another passenger (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). It soon develops that the other fellow is traveling to London for a rendezvous with his own married girlfriend -- and this isn't the only thing that the two men have in common. Once it is established that the stranger is also the husband of George's sweetheart, and that she had arranged this meeting in hopes that the stranger would murder George, a brand-new murder plan is hatched...or rather, two brand-new murder plans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roddy McDowall, (more)
- 1965
The first season of ABC's longest-running adventure series The F.B.I is slightly different in content from future seasons, in that viewers were permitted a few glimpses of the personal life of hard-working F.B.I. Inspector Lew Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). It is explained that Erskine's wife was killed in a shootout with a felon, leaving Lew to raise his pretty daughter Barbara (Lynn Loring) all by himself. In several of the earliest episodes, it is established that Barbara is the girlfriend of Erskine's handsome young coworker, Agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks). Also introduced during Season One is another of Erskine's frequent sidekicks, Agent Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott). The first of the season's 31 episodes is "The Monster", guest starring Jeffrey Hunter as escaped Federal Prisoner Francis Jerome. Subsequent guest stars of note include Jack Klugman in "Image in a Cracked Mirror", Dabney Coleman and Lee Meriwether in "Slow March Up a Steep Hill", Robert Duvall in "The Giant Killer", Beau Bridges in "An Elephant is Like a Rope", Leslie Nielsen in "Pound of Flesh", Kevin McCarthy in "The Spy Master", Colleen Dewhurst in "The Baby Sitter", Wayne Rogers and Kurt Russell in "The Tormentors", Charles Bronson and James Doohan in "The Animal", and Dana Wynter and Paul Lukas in the two-part "The Defector". Closing out Season One is "The Bomb That Walked Like a Man", directed by Christian Nyby of The Thing fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Stephen Brooks, (more)
- 1965
Director Serge Bourguignon coadapted the screenplay for The Reward from a novel by Michael Barrett. Efrem Zimbalist Jr., usually cast on the right side of the law, is here a fugitive from American justice hiding from a murder rap in Mexico. Zimbalist and his girlfriend Yvette Mimieux try to avoid those who'd like to collect the $50,000 dead-or-alive price on his head. Police chief Gilbert Roland captures Zimbalist alive, promising to divvy up the reward with his men. But the police officers greedily turn on each other, leaving the audience to sort out for themselves just who's the real "bad guy" hereabouts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Yvette Mimieux, (more)
- 1965
Hurriedly assembled to capitalize on the Paramount feature of the same name, Magna Pictures' Harlow was shot in less than two weeks, utilizing a glorified TV-kinescope process called Electronovision. Carol Lynley is physically an excellent choice to play 1930s Hollywood "platinum blonde" Jean Harlow, though she has little of Harlow's casual charisma. Pushed into a movie career by Mama Jean (Ginger Rogers) in order to support her dysfunctional family, Jean rises from 2-reel comedies to big-budget features in the space of a year. Though one of the highest-priced stars at MGM, Jean's fortune is rapidly depleted by her high-living (and, it is hinted, incestuous) stepfather Marino Bello (Barry Sullivan). Seeking happiness and security, Jean marries producer Paul Bern (Hurd Hatfield), only to have him commit suicide due to his impotence. Just when her misery is about to be ended by her marriage to movie star William Mansfield (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)--a thinly disguised William Powell, who refused to allow his name or likeness to be used--Jean dies of uremia at the age of 26. If you can get past those miserable Laurel & Hardy imitators at the beginning of Harlow, you might be able to survive the rest of the picture, which gives a whole new meaning to the word "cheap." Watch for boxing champ Sonny Liston in a one-scene bit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Lynley, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., (more)
- 1966
Released theatrically in Europe, Cosa Nostra, Arch Enemy of the FBI originated as "The Executioner", a two-part episode of the weekly TV series The FBI. The series' usual stars Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Philip Abbott and Stephen Brooks are joined on this occasion by guest artists Walter Pidgeon, Celeste Holm, Telly Savalas and Susan Strasberg-and, way down on the cast list, Robert Duvall. The story concerns double-crosses within the inner circles of La Cosa Nostra. The story concludes as mob boss Pidgeon orders the death of witness Holm-with the victim's nephew Savalas as the hit man! "The Executioner" first aired on two consecutive Sundays: March 12 and 19, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Despite the formidable competiton of CBS' The Ed Sullivan Show and NBC's Walt Disney anthology, the ABC series The F.B.I. proved popular enough with action fans to warrant a second season in the same Sunday-evening timeslot. But while fans enjoyed the show and were fond of series star Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Inspector Lew Erskine, they had not responded well to the decision during Season One to provide the hard-working Erskine with a home life, replete with a pretty daughter named Barbara (Lynn Loring). Apparently, the viewers preferred to see Erskine on the job rather than at home, so Barbara was written out of the show--an act which would eventually result in the elimination of Erskine's young assistant Agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks), whose primary function was to have been as Barbara's love interest. But though Rhodes would exit the series at the end of Season Two, his slightly more mature colleague, Agent Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott), remained with the show until its cancellation in 1974. The Season Two opener "The Price of Death" provides a juicy role for young Robert Blake as a neurotic kidnapper. Other guests stars this season include Dean Jagger, William Windom and Ted Knight in "The Assassin"; Jack Lord in "Collision Course"; Fritz Weaver in "The Camel's Nose"; Suzanne Pleshette in "List for a Firing Squad"; Gene Hackman in "The Courier"; Michael Rennie and Phyllis Thaxter in "The Conspirators"; Jessica Walter, Louis Jourdan and Peter Graves in "Rope of Gold"; Charles Grodin in "Sky on Fire"; James Franciscus in "Force of Nature"; and Robert Duvall, Telly Savalas, Walter Pigeon, Susan Strasberg and Celeste Holm in the two-part "The Executioners". One prescient episode, "Anatomy of a Prison Break", features William Reynolds as Special Agent Kendall Lisbon, one year before he joined the regular F.B.I. cast in the role of Agent Tom Colby. The F.B.I closed out its second season as the 29th most-watched program in America, sharing this honor in a three-way tie with The CBS Thursday Night Movie, I Spy and My Three Sons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Stephen Brooks, (more)
