Stanley Adams Movies

First telecast November 4, 1996, this Deep Space Nine episode was a harkback to the classic 1967 Star Trek installment "The Trouble with Tribbles." Charlie Brill, a holdover from the original episode, reprises his role as renegade Klingon agent Arne Darvin, who sets the plot in motion by hurtling the Defiant and its crew some 105 years into the past. Upon getting their bearings, the crew finds themselves on board the original Enterprise, where they come face to face with James T. Kirk, not to mention thousands and thousands of those pesky and prolific Tribbles, one of which has been booby-trapped. "Trials and Tribble-ations" was scripted by Ronald D. Moore and Rene Echevarria from a story by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two sisters (Jane Johnstone, Kathy McHaley) seek vengeance when they are evicted from their farmhouse and a gunslinging sheriff shoots down their moonshining father. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Also released under the titles El Salvejo, 40 Graves for 40 Guns, Savage Red, and Outlaw White, this western takes place in New Mexico when a group of outlaws are attacked by a force led by a man who is half Native American. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

The 1932-vintage fire engine purchased by Roy (Kevin Tighe) and John (Kevin Tighe) a few episodes back has been fully restored, and is ready for the annual California Fire Fighters Parade. First, however, the paramedics will have to tackle a few emergencies, among them a department store fire with several casualties, a car accident caused by a heart patient, and a bitter child-custody battle which pours over into the hospital--with potentially tragic results. Featured in the supporting cast is buxom B-picture icon Yvette Vickers (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman etc.) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This sleazy exploitation feature from director Robert Kelljan (Count Yorga, Vampire) is more noteworthy for its cast than its content. The plot concerns a group of five women who learn martial arts and team up to avenge their violations by a rapist (Peter Brown) who forced them to sing Jingle Bells while molesting them. Caligula's Anneka di Lorenzo, Richard Pryor's ex-wife Jennifer Lee, and Hullabaloo dancer Lada Edmund, Jr. co-star in this drive-in favorite, also released as Act of Vengeance. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Woody Allen's in-name-only adaptation of the once notorious sexual reference guide by Dr. David Reuben contains seven episodes based on "helpful" questions answered in the book. In "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?", Allen appears as a court jester who uses a love potion to spark the erotic interests of the Queen (Lynn Redgrave). "What Is Sodomy?" stars Gene Wilder as a doctor who throws away his marriage, career, and position in the community when he falls madly in love with an Armenian sheep named Daisy. "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" is a parody of stylish Italian films of the '60s in which a slick playboy (Woody Allen) discovers his wife (Louise Lasser) can climax only when they make love in public places. In "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?," Sam (Lou Jacobi) has his little secret revealed at a most inopportune moment. "What Are Sex Researchers Actually Accomplishing?" features John Carradine in a great parody of his mad-scientist roles as Dr. Bernardo, whose research into human sexuality has led to a fearsome mutation -- a 50-foot tall female breast! "What Are Sexual Perversions?" takes us to a broadcast of the popular game show What's My Perversion?, in which Jack Barry leads a panel of celebrities (including Regis Philbin and Robert Q. Lewis) in guessing the erotic obsessions of their guests. And "What Happens During Ejaculation?" takes the audience inside the body of a man in the throes of passion; The Brain (Tony Randall) guides the body's functions, with the help of his assistant (Burt Reynolds), while Allen plays a nervous sperm cell not sure if he can make the big jump. While the quality of the episodes is uneven, the best rank with the funniest moments of Allen's career, especially Gene Wilder's touching romance with the sheep ("I think we can make this work, Daisy") and the final sequence inside the male body ("What if he's only masturbating? I'll end up on the ceiling somewhere!"). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Banyon is an A-number-one detective yarn set (very accurately) in the 1930s. Robert Forster, emulating John Garfield in virtually every scene, plays private eye Miles C. Banyon. Right now he's in dutch because a beautiful young woman has been found murdered--and Banyon's gun was the murder weapon. This state of affairs plunges the detective into a maelstrom of deceit and double-cross involving (among many elements) a Winchell-style radio commentator (Jose Ferrer), a paroled big-time gangster, a scar-faced assassin, and a Nazi Bund camp. Once he solves the main mystery, Banyon is faced with the unhappy Maltese Falcon task of exposing a close friend as a murderer. First telecast March 15, 1971, Banyon spawned a brief TV series one year later, with Robert Forster still in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Russ Meyer followed-up his delirious Beyond the Valley of the Dolls with this surprisingly straighforward drama, which offered little of Meyer's traditional tongue-in-cheek humor or remarkably proportioned women in favor of a serious message about the evils of censorship. A bookstore sells a copy of a notorious erotic novel, entitled The Seven Minutes, to a teenager who is later arrested for rape. A prosecutor on a crusade against pornography seizes upon this as an opportunity to have the book declared obscene, and the trial sparks a heated debate about the issue of pornography vs. free speech, as well as revealing a startling revelation about the novel's true author. Adapted from a novel by Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes featured one of Meyer's more interesting casts, including veteran character actors John Carradine and Alexander D'Arcy, a post-Munsters Yvonne de Carlo, a pre-Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck, lounge comic Jackie Gayle, and Wolfman Jack as himself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fast paced and violent, this Mexico-set western chronicles the bloody struggle over a stolen gold cross. The murderous Harris gang started the trouble by stealing the icon from a Tecate church in a terrifying raid that left many townsfolk dead or brutalized. The head Federale assigned to bring the gang in realizes he is dealing with monsters and that to catch them he must fight fire with fire by enlisting the aid of the most notorious crook in prison with the promise of a pardon if the outlaw and his men are successful. When the two ruthless gangs finally clash, amidst considerable furor and treachery, unparalleled bloodshed and chaos ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Having survived seventy years and outlived four wives, old Mr. Montero is as spry and lively as ever. Thus it comes as surprise to the nuns when Montero insists that they arrange his funeral, insisting that he will be dead by the end of the week. Sr. Bertrille quickly deduces that Montero is not ill but lonely, and she begins flying about in search of Mrs. Montero Number Five. Written by Stanley Adams and George F. Slavin, "No Tears for Mrs. Thomas" originally aired April 3, 1970, as the final first-run episode of The Flying Nun. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Back during the Korean War, Carlos Ramirez adopted a 2-year-old orphan girl named Kim, whom he has supported, sight unseen, ever since. Now it is 1970: Kim (Mike Kayama) is 19 years old, a stunning beauty-and intent upon marrying Carlos! Once again, it's Sr. Bertrille to the rescue. Written by actor Stanley Adams in collaboration with George F. Slavin, "Papa Carlos" originally aired on February 27, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A cagey and none too honest merchant named Antonio (Titos Vandis) saddles the nuns with a burro named Hector. Before long, the convent has been all but reduced to rubble by the contentious and destructive beast. But with a little "boost" from Sr. Bertrille-coupled with a curiously convenient streak of bad luck-Antonio begins to see the error of his ways. First telecast on November 12, 1969, "Hector and the Brass Band" was written by actor Stanley Adams in collaboration with George F. Slavin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Elvis Presley plays Guy Lambert, a musician (so far, so good) who is touring Great Britain (something Elvis never managed in real life). Jill Conway (Annette Day), a wealthy heiress, is a big fan of Guy's who has developed a very serious crush on him; her family wants to keep her away from the romantically-inclined singer, so they send her to Belgium, not realizing that Guy has a string of gigs set up there. En route to Brussels, a pair of hapless jewel thieves (Norman Rossington and Chips Rafferty) hide their loot in Guy's luggage, which makes the singer the unwitting target of three equally inept detectives (Harry, Herbert, and Sylvester Wiere). While wooing Jill and avoiding her treacherous uncle Gerald (John Williams), Guy also finds himself pursued by the worldly Claire Dunham (Yvonne Romain). Elvis sings nine songs along the way, including "Long Legged Girls with Short Dresses On" and "Baby, if You Give Me All Your Love." 18 months after Double Trouble was released, Presley's career was revitalized by his 1968 comeback special, though he would also release four more films before it aired. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi