William Conrad Movies
Actor/director/producer William Conrad started his professional career as a musician. After World War II service, he began building his reputation in films and on Hollywood-based radio programs. Due to his bulk and shifty-eyed appearance, he was cast in films as nasty heavies, notably in The Killers (1946) (his first film), Sorry Wrong Number (1948) and The Long Wait (1954). On radio, the versatile Conrad was a fixture on such moody anthologies as Escape and Suspense; he also worked frequently with Jack "Dragnet" Webb during this period, and as late as 1959 was ingesting the scenery in the Webb-directed film 30. Conrads most celebrated radio role was as Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, which he played from 1952 through 1961 (the TV Gunsmoke, of course, went to James Arness, who physically matched the character that the portly Conrad had shaped aurally). In the late 1950s, Conrad went into the production end of the business at Warner Bros., keeping his hand in as a performer by providing the hilariously strident narration of the cartoon series Rocky and His Friends and its sequel The Bullwinkle Show. During the early 1960s, Conrad also directed such films as Two on a Guillotine (1964) and Brainstorm (1965). Easing back into acting in the early 1970s, Conrad enjoyed a lengthy run as the title character in the detective series Cannon (1971-76), then all too briefly starred as a more famous corpulent crime solver on the weekly Nero Wolfe. Conrad's final TV series was as one-half of Jake and the Fatman (Joe Penny was Jake), a crime show which ran from 1987 through 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1980
In this drama, a famous criminologist draws from his amazing bag of scientific and technical tricks to locate a psycho-killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
The Rebels was the second "Operation Prime Time" miniseries to be based on author John Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles (the first was The Bastard). The saga of Philip Kent (Andrew Stevens), illegitimate son of a British blueblood, picks up with Kent fighting in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Part One of this two-part endeavor busies itself with setting up characters, places and events; Part Two finds Kent and his pal Judson Fletcher (Don Johnson) teaming up to prevent the assassination of General George Washington (Peter Graves). The enormous all-star cast includes Richard Basehart, Doug McClure, Joan Blondell, Tom Bosley, Macdonald Carey, Robert Vaughan, William Daniels and Nehemiah Persoff; William Conrad does off-screen duty as narrator. The Rebels was syndicated to local TV stations beginning the week of May 14, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Expectant mother Susan Saint James goes into labor and is carted off to a somewhat forbidding hospital. When she awakens, she is told that her baby has died. The grieving Saint James reluctantly resumes her life as a schoolteacher. But not long afterward, she is haunted by bizarre dreams, indicating that her child is in fact alive. Someone knows the whole truth: is it her helpful husband Michael Parks, jovial doctor William Conrad, slyly smiling nurse Dolores Dorn, or sinister Cathleen Nesbitt? The made-for-television Night Cries first spooked its way into American living rooms on January 29, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
The 1978 season was one for the record books for the New York Yankees. First they came back from 14 games behind the Boston Red Sox at the end of July. Then, after a home run by shortstop Bucky Dent led them to the World Series against the L.A. Dodgers, the Yankees came from two games behind to win the Series. With a strong team lead by outfielder Reggie Jackson, catcher Thurman Munson, third baseman Graig Nettles, and 25-game winner Ron Guidry, manager Billy Martin watched his team achieve baseball's top prize. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Also known as Behind the Lines, Keefer was a bargain-counter Casablanca geared to fans of TV's Cannon. William Conrad stars in this busted pilot as the proprietor of a Lisbon bar during World War II. As we've all learned from Hollywood movies, Lisbon is a veritable hotbed of wartime intrigue, meaning that Keefer is also active in the local branch of the OSS. His job: Destroy a German radar base. Keefer looked and sounded a lot like the mid-1950s TV series Foreign Intrigue, which likewise was inspired by Casablanca. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Discover the technical magic that makes the technology of Star Wars and the workings of the Force seem real. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1977
Alcatraz: America's Toughest Prison unfolds the fascinating history of this legendary federal prison established to house the nation's most notorious criminals. Situated on an island surrounded by the shark-infested waters of the San Francisco Bay, the facility incarcerated 1,545 men from 1934 to its closing in 1963. This documentary looks at some of the celebrity criminals who were housed at Alcatraz, including gang leader Al Capone. Capone spent more than four years in Alcatraz cells. Another famous resident, Machine Gun Kelly, remained at Alcatraz for 17 years. Inmate Robert Franklin Stroud, known as "The Birdman" of Alcatraz, developed an international reputation while imprisoned. The violent Stroud received his nickname for his devotion to his hobby, the study of birds. The film also features interviews with ex-cons and actual footage of the 1960s takeover of Alcatraz by Native Americans. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide
- 1977
- PG
Banking on his renewed "leading man" status vis-a-vis Enter the Dragon, John Saxon plays J. B. Johnson in Moonshine County Express. The villain is racketeer Starkey (William Conrad), who has bumped off likeable moonshiner Pap Hammer (Fred Foresman). Now Starkey must do away with Hammer's toothsome daughters Dot, Betty and Sissy (Susan Howard, Claudia Jennings and Maureen McCormick). The girls receive unexpected help from Starkey's flunkey J.B. Moonshine County Express represents perhaps the best screen work of the late Playboy model Claudia Jennings, who evinces an intuitive acting ability. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Saxon, Susan Howard, (more)
- 1976
The Macahans is a two-hour TV movie utilizing characters originally created for the 1962 Cinerama extravaganza How the West Was Won. In his first post-Gunsmoke project, Zeb Macahan stars as frontiersman Zeb Macahan, who in the early 1860s returns to Virginia to visit his family. It takes only the slightest encouragement for Zeb's brother (Richard Kiley) to agree to bring his family along with Zeb on another westward trek. Eva Marie Saint, the brother's wife, isn't keen on leaving her cozy Southern household, but neither is she anxious to be in Virginia when the Civil War breaks out. Narrated by William Conrad (who had coincidentally starred on the radio version of Gunsmoke) and jam packed with action, The Macahans served as the pilot for the subsequent James Arness TV series How the West Was Won, which ran from 1978 to 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Attack on Terror: The FBI Versus the Ku Klux Klan is a fact-based, two-part TV movie. The film is a dramatization of the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. The FBI, personified herein by southern operative Wayne Rogers, is brought in to investigate the trio's disappearance. Upon the discovery of the bodies on August 2, 1964, the feds follow a trail of (admittedly skimpy) evidence which leads to the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, headed by the virulent Glen Tuttle (Rip Torn). The first part of Attack on Terror was originally telecast February 20, 1975. The film was based on the book by Don Whitehead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ned Beatty, John Beck, (more)
- 1973
When the blame of murder is placed on his friend, a private detective attempts to clear his reputation in a small cattle community. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1971
William Conrad stars as corpulent private eye Frank Cannon in this 2-hour pilot for the subsequent Cannon series. He responds to a plea for assistance from ex-flame Vera Miles (an actress who was in practically every pilot film made between 1965 and 1975). She is the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, and has also become the target of vicious anonymous phone calls. Cannon's investigation unearths a hotbed of small-town corruption. Cannon was first telecast March 26, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Conrad
- 1970
Conspiracy to Kill was one of two pilot films for the Jack Webb-produced TV series The D.A. Robert Conrad stars as LA deputy district attorney Paul Ryan. This time around, Ryan reopens a case that he's already won. New evidence indicates that a supposedly victimized drugstore owner (William Conrad) was the brains behind a robbery and murder that occurred at his own establishment. The D.A. series proper ran from September 17, 1971, through January 7, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Glenn Ford plays a man who joins a mysterious fraternity, "The Brotherhood of the Bell", while in college. Upon attaining wealth and prominence, Ford discovers that the Brotherhood has been keeping tabs on him, and expects certain favors from him in the private sector. It dawns on Ford that the Bell is a sinister, subversive organization bent on world domination. When he tries to bring this to the attention of the public on a TV program hosted by a "gonzo" talkshow star (William Conrad), he is mocked and humiliated. Realizing that the Brotherhood of the Bell is too big and powerful to be defeated by conventional methods, Ford attempts to take on the organization in his own way. The Brotherhood of the Bell was previously presented as a "live" hourlong television drama in the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Power originated as an episode of the weekly, 90-minute TV adventure series Name of the Game. Robert Stack, in his usual role of Crime magazine senior editor Dan Farrell, sets about to investigate corruption on the waterfront. Farrell finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between two brothers battling for control of the longshoreman's union. William Conrad and John Ireland costar as the feuding siblings, while Broderick Crawford makes his second Name of the Game appearance in the role of Bianchi. Power was first telecast December 12, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Insurance investigator Richard Cutting (Patrick O'Neal) is summoned to look into the sinking of some ships owned by wealthy shipping-magnate Curt Valayan (John Gielgud). Traveling to Switzerland, he interviews the owner and finds that his henchmen Matt (Herbert Lom) and the Big Man (Leon Greene) may be on Curt's payroll but are definitely looking out for their own interests. One agent has already been killed, and the local police inspector Ruff (Oscar Homolka) briefs Richard on the situation. Dominique (Joan Hackett) is on her way to provide some valuable information before being violently murdered. Richard tries to keep himself alive in a foreign country as he tries to solve the crimes in this dramatic mystery. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick O'Neal, Joan Hackett, (more)
- 1968
Chubasco (Christopher Jones) is a wayward youth who is given a choice by the presiding judge. His choices are go to jail or take an honest job on a fishing boat. He chooses to set sail, leaving behind his girl Bunny (Susan Strasberg) and her father Sebastian (Richard Egan), who obviously has it out for the wayward teen. He works on a tuna boat, learning to break free of a life of crime. He also meets a bordello madame named Angela (Ann Sothern) who may or may not be his mother. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Egan, Christopher Jones, (more)
- 1968
- NR
Improvisational director Robert Altman hadn't yet found his cinematic "voice" when he helmed the conformist, stick-to-the-script Countdown. James Caan is top-billed as a scientist who is chosen over astronaut Robert Duvall for the upcoming NASA moon shot. In their haste to beat the Russians to the moon, the NASA folks have tried to sidestep several safety measures, but doctor Charles Aidman sees to it that every possible precaution is taken. When Caan makes it to the lunar surface, he stumbles upon gruesome evidence that the Russians had sent up a secret expedition themselves--and had fatally ignored all those extra security precautions which he's been subject to. Ted Knight, who received some of his best pre-Mary Tyler Moore roles in Altman's TV work, co-stars in Countdown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Joanna Moore, (more)
- 1967
This musical comedy pokes fun at the music industry as it tells of the romantic travails of two popular singers thrust together by an ingenious promoter/matchmaker as a publicity stunt. The young male needs to revive his flagging career while the female singer is trying to get her big break; so both of them reluctantly go along with their manager's harebrained scheme. You can guess what happens next. Songs include: "The Cool Ones," "A Bad Woman's Love," "Whiz Bam Opener," "This Town," "High," "Up Your Totem Pole with Love," "Tantrum," and ""Where Did I Go Wrong?"" ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roddy McDowall, Debbie Watson, (more)
- 1967
In this WW II drama, a tough-as-steel Medal of Honor-winning Marine finds himself training recruits on a stateside base and waiting for his wife to bear their first child. Unfortunately, he feels bad about being home when so many other soldiers are dying in the Pacific Theater and so asks to be sent there. He becomes an officer and is assigned to command a regiment on the front line. Unfortunately, once there, he finds himself nearly paralyzed by fear and indecision until a much tougher sergeant reminds him what he is really made of. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chad Everett, Marilyn Devin, (more)
