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
- 1966
An American Dream is adapted from the Norman Mailer novel of the same name. Stuart Whitman plays an acerbic TV talk show host who kills his wife Eleanor Parker during an argument. Whitman exerts his influence to cover up his crime, and the official verdict is suicide. But Whitman has not reckoned with the "Hell hath no fury" intensity of his cast-aside mistress Janet Leigh. When An American Dream bombed at the box office, the desperate distributors re-titled the film See You in Hell, Darling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1966
Switching from black and white to color for its fourth and final season, The Fugitive otherwise follows the patten established during its first three years on the air. Wrongly condemned to death for the murder of his wife, Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) has managed to escape custody, and is presently travelling all over the country, assuming innumerable aliases and tackling a variety of odd jobs, all the while searching for the real murderer, a one-armed criminal named Fred Johnson (Bill Raisch). Meanwhile, police lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), from whom Kimble had escaped during a train wreck, persists in his own lonely mission, to track down and recapture the fugitive doctor. Though enough evidence has surfaced to indicate that Kimble was telling the truth about the One-Armed Man, and despite his own gut feelings about the whole affair, the duty-bound Gerard is still determined to see that "justice" is served and that Kimble will be shipped off to Death Row. Throughout Season Four, the distance between Kimble and Fred Johnson, and between Gerard and Kimble, continues to narrow, leading inexorably to the now-legendary two part series finale, in which Kimble, learning that Johnson has been arrested in LA on a separate crime, agrees to surrender to Gerard. Unfortunately, Johnson escapes, and for a while it looks as though Kimble's goose is cooked. Instead, Gerard is persuaded to allow Kimble to chase after Johnson himself, in hopes of extracting a confession. The climax finds Kimble and Johnson perilously perched on a high water tower in a deserted amusement park. Johnson confesses to the murder, but before he can repeat his confession to Gerard, he falls to his death. Has Kimble finally run out of options? Don't be too sure. . . Originally telecast on August 29, 1967, The Fugitive's final episode was seen by 72 percent of all American viewers, establishing a ratings record that would remain unbroken for the next thirteen years! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Janssen, Barry Morse, (more)
- 1966
In this courtroom drama, a Mexican American judge must preside over the case of the town ne'er-do-well, who is accused of killing his wife. The film is set during the 1920s in the Southwest. The murderer is convicted and sentenced to hang, but on execution day, he has a fight and kills the hangman. At the same time, another man confesses. While this gets the first man freed for the first killing, he must now stand trial for the hangman's death. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Maharis, Laura Devon, (more)
- 1965
A scary old haunted house provides the setting of this spooky thriller that centers on a psycho-magician who cut off his wife's head during a performance. Twenty years pass and he finally dies. His daughter is to inherit his estate, but before she can claim it, she must spend seven nights in his mansion. A reporter decides to stay with her. It's a good thing too because her father isn't dead at all. He is hiding in the house waiting for a chance to lop off her pretty little head. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Connie Stevens, Dean Jones, (more)
- 1965
My Blood Runs Cold was a typically lurid horror chiller produced and directed by William Conrad during his 1960s tenure on the Warner Bros. staff. Heiress Joey Heatherton falls prey to the charms of a handsome young man (Troy Donahue) who claims to be the reincarnation of a legendary lothario. Troy further insists that Joey had been his lover in a previous life. Pretty soon Joey nearly has the opportunity to check out the veracity of Troy's story in the Hereafter, for Mr. Donahue is actually a psychopath who hopes to claim Ms. Heatherton's fortune and then bump her off. My Blood Runs Cold is silly enough to have been dreamt up by Bill Conrad while he was narrating Rocky and His Friends. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Troy Donahue, Joey Heatherton, (more)
In December of 1944, the Allied high command is convinced that German forces in Belgium are in a low state of readiness, and perhaps even about to withdraw. Only one officer on the front lines, intelligence specialist Lt. Col. Kiley (Henry Fonda), believes otherwise -- that the Germans are actually planning an attack. His opinion is rejected by his immediate superior (Dana Andrews) and his commanding general (Robert Ryan). Kiley spots several suspicious signs of German activity behind enemy lines on a reconnaissance flight, and he is at the front looking for evidence when the German counter-offensive starts. Taking advantage of Allied unpreparedness and a weather front that grounds all aircraft, their heavy tank units, supported by infantry, roll over the American forces, assaulting the lines at five different points in an attempt to ultimately divide the Allied forces in the west. The German top tank officer, Colonel Hessler (Robert Shaw), has planned his operation perfectly, but he is in a race against time, to take as much territory as possible before the weather front moves out and American aircraft can fly again, and to capture the American fuel supplies so that the offensive can continue right to the port of Antwerp. He has the total dedication of his men, but engenders doubts from his aide, Conrad (Hans-Christian Blech), who is weary of the fighting and wonders what it is all for. Meanwhile, Kiley is trying to uncover the weak spot in the German offensive, and he crosses paths with several other key players in this drama: Charles Bronson as a combat officer charged with the defense of the collapsing American position, James MacArthur as a neophyte lieutenant who becomes a leader, and Telly Savalas as a conniving sergeant in command of a tank who unexpectedly finds a nobler, less mercenary side of himself. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, (more)
- 1965
Brainstorm is a somewhat contrived but still well done and frightening thriller written and well-directed by actor William Conrad. Jim Grayam (Jeffrey Hunter) is a young scientist who saves Lorrie Benson (Anne Francis) from committing suicide. They fall in love, but Lorrie's husband Cort Benson (Dana Andrews), who had driven her to the brink of suicide before, discovers that Jim has had a history of mental instability and fabricates obscene phone calls and other actions to create the impression that Jim is unstable. The pair decide to murder Cort, using insanity as a defense. The film has a series of interesting plot twists and a plausible ending, and the performances are generally excellent with Conrad's direction maintaining a good pace and an excellent visual style aided by a good, simple musical score by George Duning. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Anne Francis, (more)
Season Three of The Fugitive finds the title character, Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen), still at large and on the run with a death sentence hanging over his head. Innocent of the murder of his wife, Kimble hopscotches from one community to another, assuming a vast array of identities and taking on a multitude of odd jobs as he searches for the genuine murderer, known only as the One-Armed Man. Dogging Kimble's trail at every turn is relentless police lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), from whom the fugitive had escaped during a train wreck. The season opener "Wings of an Angel" features a guest performance by Sue Randall, best remembered for her portrayal of schoolteacher Miss Landers on Leave It to Beaver; ironically, Diane Brewster, who had appeared on Beaver as Miss Landers' predecessor Miss Canfield, continues to make sporadic flashback appearances on The Fugitive in the role of Kimble's soon-to-be-murdered wife Helen. And in the two-part "Landscape with Running Figures", Barbara Rush appears as Marie Gerard, wife of the tireless Lt. Gerard; in characteristic fashion, Kimble puts his freedom on the line to save Mrs. Gerard's life--while, equally in character, Gerard refuses to give up the chase. Subsequent third-season episodes are distinguished by such familiar TV personalities as William Shatner James Doohan, DeForest Kelley (none of whom appear in the same episode, worse luck!), Larry Blyden, Marion Ross, Norman Fell, Lee Meriwether, Wayne Rogers and Steven Hill. And in the episode "Wife Killer", the viewer is afforded a rare full-face glimpse of the elusive One-Armed Man, aka Fred Johnson (Bill Raisch). Tumbling from its second-season perch as America's 5th most popular series, The Fugitive didn't even make the "Top Thirty" during Season Three, suggesting that audiences were growing as weary of the search for the One-Armed Man as Richard Kimble had become. However, the show's viewership would increase immensely during its fourth and last season, a fact attributable to its switchover from black and white to color, and especially its highly anticipated final episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Janssen, Barry Morse, (more)
- 1964
Wrongly sentenced to death for the murder of his wife, escaped prisoner Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssencontinues to travel all over the country in search of the elusive One-Armed Man who actually committed the crime in Season Two of The Fugitive. Assuming such aliases as "Frank Borden", "Pete Broderick", "Paul Kelly", "Jim Russell", "Jeff Parker", "Stu Manning", "Steve Younger" and "Bill Douglas", Kimble takes on a variety of temporary jobs in a multitude of cities and towns, profoundly changing the lives of the local citizens on each occasion. Invariably, Kimble must hastily depart each destination as his relentless pursuer Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse), from whom Kimble had escaped en route to Death Row, closes in. It was during the series' second season that a persistent urban legend surfaced. According to rumor, the final episode of The Fugitive had been filmed, revealing that the murderer of Helen Kimble was neither her husband Richard nor the One-Armed Man, but instead Lt. Gerard, who intended to bump off Kimble in order to cover up his crime! Although the series' creator Roy Huggins and producer Quinn Martin denied that any such episode had been shot, they did little to discourage circulation of the rumor,undoubtedly figuring that any publicity was good publicity. Ironically, The Fugitive did not require an unfounded rumor to sustain audience interest: Ranking as America's 28th most watched series during its first season, the program had skyrocketed to fifth place during its second year on the air. Among this season's guest stars is Ed Begley, who in the season opener "Man in a Chariot" plays a character based on F. Lee Bailey, onetime defense attorney for Dr. Sam Sheppard, who was reportedly the real-life role model for Richard Kimble. In the later "Ballad for a Ghost," Janis Paige appears as a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Kimble's late wife (and never mind that the unfortunate Helen Kimble was generally portrayed in flashback sequences by Diane Brewster!) Other well-known performers appearing this year are Suzanne Pleshette, Diana Hyland, Kurt Russell, Arthur O'Connell, Tuesday Weld, Phyllis Thaxter, Strother Martin, Warren Oates, Angie Dickinson, Dabney Coleman, Harry Dean Stanton, Shirley Knight and Celeste Holm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Janssen, Barry Morse, (more)
- 1963
The coroner rules that the wife of advertising executive Andrew Anderson (David Wayne) died in an accidental fall. But after receiving an anonymous letter, police detective Sgt. Cresse (William Conrad) becomes convinced that Anderson murdered his wife. Arranging an elaborate hoax, the relentless Cresse hopes to trap Anderson into breaking down and confessing -- but things don't quite work out that way. This episode was scripted by Richard Matheson, here billed pseudonymously as Logan Swanson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Wayne, William Conrad, (more)
- 1963
This western served as the pilot film for Warner Bros.' Temple Houston television series. It is the tale of a young, brash attorney (Jeffrey Hunter) in the Texas circuit court system. His old flame (Joanna Moore) is accused of murder. The case is resolved when Hunter reveals the real killer in contrived courtroom melodrama. A rather skimpy plot, but uncomplicatedly colorful and entertaining. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Preston S. Foster, (more)
- 1963
Through a bizaree a twist of fate--namely, a spectacular train wreck--Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen, wrongly condemned to death for the murder of his wife, is able to escape his captor, Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), and to embark upon a nationwide odyssey in search of the One-Armed Man who was the actual killer of the unfortunate Mrs. Kimble. Though this scenario does not constitute the action in the debut episode of The Fugitive's first season, the series' premise would be firmly established in the pre-credits "teaser" that ran at the beginning of each and every Season One episode, accompanied by the stentorian narration of William Conrad. As in subsequent seasons, the first 32 Fugitive episodes find Dr. Kimble taking on a variety of odd jobs and assuming a number of false identities as he travels from town to town, hoping to either catch up with the One-Armed Man or otherwise prove his innocence. Also in each episode, Kimble's trail is dogged by the tireless Lt. Gerard, who has made it his mission in life to recapture the fugitive and deliver him to "Death Row, State Prison." The premiere episode "Fear in a Desert City" finds Kimble, six months after his escape, travelling under the name of Fred Lincoln in Tucson, Arizona (Ironically, Tucson would serve as the locale for The Fugitive's legendary two-part series finale in August of 1967). Vera Miles and Brian Keith are the first of the series' multitude of guest stars, playing local citizens whose lives would be inexorably altered by Kimble's presence. In the weeks to come, Kimble would pop up in Missouri, West Virginia, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Alaska, Kentucky, Utah, Connecticut, Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana (Kimble's home state). Among the guest performers appearing during Season One are Sandy Dennis, Robert Duvall, Ruby Dee, Geraldine Brooks, Jack Weston, Leslie Nielsen, Jack Klugman, Bruce Dern, Telly Savalas, Eileen Heckart, Carroll O'Connor, Lee Grant and Gloria Grahame. In the episode "Home is the Hunted", Jacqueline Scott makes her first appearance as Kimble's married sister Donna Taft, who has always believed in his innocence and with whom he will sporadically remain in contact throughout the remained of the series. And in the two-parter "Never Say Goodbye", Kimble rescues Lt. Gerard from death, a selfless gesture that will occur time and again in the future--but which will not prevent the relentless Gerard from pursuing his former prisoner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Janssen, Barry Morse, (more)
- 1962
Astrologer Samuel H. Keel (Richard Boone) has predicted that someone named Seth Carter is destined to win a $500,000 lottery. In hopes of locating the elusive Carter, Keel hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to help in his search. Unfortunately, the first three people presumed to be linked to Carter are brutally murdered--and if the pattern continues, Paladin may be unable to prevent further bloodshed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
William Conrad, who also directed several episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, is here cast as Moses Kadish, a man who has isolated himself in order to conquer his alcoholism. After barely avoiding being shot by the taciturn Kadish, Paladin (Richard Boone) tries to help the man overcome his demons. This soon proves to be a difficult if not impossible task when the well on Moses' property suddenly starts gushing 100-proof moonshine whiskey! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The statue of St. Francis, standing in the courtyard of California's San Luis Rey mission, has been stolen. Father Clare (David Garner) prevails upon Paladin (Richard Boone) to retrieve the statue with the least possible amount of gunplay--a task that proves easier said than done, thanks to the omnipresence of a band of hostile Indians. Evidentally the only thing that can defuse this situation is a miracle--and a miracle is just what happens! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The sixth and final season of Have Gun, Will Travel opens with the series' long-overdue "origins" episode, explaining how soldier-of-fortune Paladin came to be...Paladin (though we still don't learn his real name). Richard Boone plays three roles, as the "contemporary" Paladin, his younger self, and an aging, world-weary gunfighter named Smoke. After preventing young Roderick Jefferson (James Mitchum) from killing him, Paladin learns that Jefferson isn't really a gunslinger, simply a luckless young man who'd agreed to the "hit" to pay off a gambling debt. With this, Paladin flashes back to his own youth, recalling how he too once tried to square a debt by offering to capture or kill a wily fugitive from justice. William Conrad, who directed this episode, also appears in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
It's late Thursday night at the local paper and a savvy city editor, a world-weary but upright writer, and a beleagured copy boy prepare to put the next day's paper to bed. Suddenly two stories come over the wire. In the first, a young girl has gotten lost in the city's storm drains, and her life is endangered when a terrible storm erupts and the sewers begin to fill with runoff. In the second, the grandson of the writer is among a team of missing Air Force pilots who were attempting to set a record flying from Hawaii to Washington, DC. This suspenseful, newsroom drama chronicles the ways in which these situations affect the workers as they try to get the paper out on time. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Produced by former radio star William Conrad, this taut psychological Western features Conrad as Chris Hamish, a lawman assigned to bring back from Mexico accused murderer Robert Kallen (Anthony Quinn). Locating Kallen in a small Mexican pueblo proves easy enough, but bringing him to justice becomes a major task, as Hamish and his prisoner must traverse a seemingly endless desert alive with hostile Apaches. Hamish has promised his girlfriend, Elena (Lita Milan), to return safe and sound, and Kallen plays on both Hamish's innate decency and the lawman's increasing paranoia, with the trek quickly turning into a game of cat and mouse. Until, that is, the duo comes across a young child (Ellen Hope Monroe) orphaned by the Apaches, whose presence helps bring out the last embers of decency in both hunter and hunted. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, William Conrad, (more)
- 1956
Coadapted by David Harmon from his own TV play, the psychological western Johnny Concho stars Frank Sinatra as the title character, a callow young punk who lives off the reputation of his gunslinger brother. Most of the townsfolk consider Johnny to be nothing more than a cowardly bully; only Mary Dark (Phyllis Kirk), who loves Johnny, and gunfighter-turned-preacher Barney Clark (Keenan Wynn) can see the scared little boy beneath his swaggering facade. When word comes down that Johnny's brother has been killed and that the killers (William Conrad and Christopher Dark) intend to take over the town, Johnny runs like a scared rabbit. Eventually summoning up his innate courage, Johnny returns, hoping to convince the citizens to help him rid the town of the despotic killers. As "zero hour" approaches, however, Johnny is forced to go up against his enemies all by himself. The political symbolism in Johnny Concho is impossible to ignore, though it is up to the viewer to decide if this is an anti-Red or anti-McCarthy tract. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Keenan Wynn, (more)
