Ray Danton Movies
Handsome leading man Ray Danton trained for an acting career at Carnegie Tech. In films from 1952, Danton made an excellent impression as a hot-tempered Native American in Chief Crazy Horse (1954), but would not star in a film until Outside the Law (1956). Projecting an image of dangerous unpredictability, he was effectively cast in such roles as sex maniac Stan Hess in The Beat Generation (1959). During Hollywood's gangster cycle of the early '60s, Danton played the title roles in The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) and The George Raft Story (1960). As time went by, he began buoying his villainous characterizations with a wry sense of humor: Explaining his treachery to girlfriend Judi West in the 1965 Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV episode "The Discotheque Affair," Danton smoothly comments, "Darling, I forgot to tell you...I'm a cad." A more pleasant (but no less roguish) Danton was seen as one of the leads of the weekly Warner Bros. TVer The Alaskans (1959-1960). Unhappy at being typecast, Danton turned to directing in 1972 with the theatrical feature The Deathmaster. He later directed episodes of such TV weeklies as Cagney and Lacey, Fame, Quincy, and Dallas, and served a supervising producer of The New Mike Hammer (1984-1987). Ray Danton was married to Julie Adams, with whom he co-starred in Tarawa Beachhead (1958). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1991
This video is made up of four mini-thrillers from a popular television anthology series. The first is "People Don't Do Such Things," about a soured marriage; "Youth from Vienna," centering on a fountain of youth that gives unexpected results; "Skeleton in the Cupboard," about a man with a terrible secret; and "Bird of Prey," the mystery of a dead parrot's giant egg. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Vietnam War Story is a feature-length "omnibus" film culled from the three-episode TV series of the same name. The film consists of a trio of playlets involving members of the American armed forces during the Nam era. In "The Mine," a soldier (Eriq LaSalle) is unable to accept his best friend's death. In "Home," a paraplegic soldier tries to adjust to his war-related injuries. And in "The Pass," three GIs spend their "R and R" time at a sleazy bar. Originally telecast on the HBO cable service between August 29 and September 20, 1987, Vietnam War Story was followed by a sequel series one year later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Magnum (Tom Selleck) is anxious to get all his friends involved in his latest venture, a tourist business called The Great Hawaiian Adventure Co. Unfortunately, the detective's pals all have other things on their mind. T.C. (Larry Manetti), for example, is pursuing a romance with Magnum's perennial nemesis, "reformed" call girl Cleo (Phyllis Davis). And on a more serious note, T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) is worried about his son Bryant (Shavar Ross), whose ties with a teenage gang have gotten him into trouble with the authorities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
While assisting Deputy DA Carol Baldwin (Kathleen Lloyd) with her prosecution of a very wealthy and powerful man, Magnum is hired by an elderly woman (Celeste Holm) to locate the birth certificate for the child she'd given up for adoption nearly three decades earlier. What Magnum finds is evidence that Carol Baldwin herself is that child--and that there is a terrible secret regarding her birth parents. Is this devastating revelation somehow tied in with Carol's current court case. . .and what will be the ramifications? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
The made-for-TV Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer was so named for two reasons. For one, this 1986 production appeared after two previous "Hammer" TV movies and a brief weekly series. For another, star Stacy Keach was returning to American television after a British prison term for possession of narcotics. Keach settles into the Hammer role as though he'd never left, taking on the assignment of protecting the young daughter of a movie star (Lauren Hutton). The child is kidnapped right under Mike's nose, and while trying to retrieve her, Hammer discovers that there's a lot more to the case that either the movie actress or the authorities have told him--including a Deep Dark Secret that reaches back to the jungles of VietNam. As with the Mike Hammer series itself, Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer seems to owe more to Ross ("Lew Archer") McDonald than to Spillane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Quincy (Jack Klugman) notices many discrepancies in the "official" evidence when his friend Ted Locke (Rudy Solari) is charged with setting his own business on fire to collect the insurance, killing an employee in the process. Unfortunately, Locke has been hauled before a Federal Grand Jury, and is at the mercy of relentless U.S. Attorney Philip St. Johns, who is determined to strike a blow against the Mob by using Locke as a pawn. Wielding his prosecutorial power like a club, St. Johns makes certain that Locke can neither defend himself, nor be defended by consul, against the charges levelled against him--and not surprisingly, Quincy is hopping mad. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
In an episode clearly based on a well-documented event in the life of comedian Richard Pryor, Roger Miller guest stars as JJ Chandler, a country-western entertainer whose act is rife with "humorous" drug references. But no one is laughing when, while freebasing cocaine between shows, Chandler sets himself afire and is nearly killed. In his efforts to get past the wall of silence erected around Chandler by his friends and handlers, Quincy (Jack Klugman) tackles the greater challenge of curbing wholesale drug use in the entertainment industry--and somewhere along the line, manages to find time to propose to his sweetheart Emily (Anita Gillette). Featured in the pivotal role of Ginger Reeves is a young actress named Kelly Palzis, better known in later years as Kelly Preston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
After a teenager named Zack (Kelly Ward) dies while slam-dancing at a busy disco, it is determined that the cause of death was a stabbing. But Quincy (Jack Klugman) isn't satisfied by this verdict: he claims that the real villain is Punk Rock, whose "suicidal" lyrics have transformed otherwise normal kids into ticking time bombs. Things get personal when Zack's girlfriend Abby, a patient of psychiatrist Emily Hanover (Anita Gillette), falls under the spell of a particularly venal punk-rock group called "Mayhem." "Next Stop, Nowhere" is to Quincy, M.E. what the "Blue Boy" episode was to Dragnet--a well-intentioned expose of a public "menace" that has in recent years become a camp classic, to be mocked and ridiculed by the allegedly more enlightened viewers of the present day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
After several deaths have occurred during routine surgical procedures, Quincy (Jack Klugman) begins an investigation of eminent surgeon Dr. Stanley Royce (Jose Ferrer), who had allegedly performed the fatal operations. It isn't that Royce has lost his touch--it's simply that he is signing off on surgeries in which he had no part. Confirming that Royce has been using less qualified resident surgeons as "ghosts" for operations which he was scheduled to perform himself, Quincy mounts a campaign to charge Royce with medical manslaughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
When his undercover-detective friend Michael Moroshima is killed in the line of duty, Quincy's assistant Sam (Robert Ito) recognizes the dead man's wound as having being made by a knife commonly used by the Yakuza, the "Japanese Mafia." Sam believes that Moroshima's killing is but the tip of the iceberg in a large-scale operation involving both the Yakuza and organized crime in America. Enlisting the aid of Quincy (Jack Klugman), Sam races against time to bust up this cartel--and to prevent Michael's grieving father (Mako) from exacting his own brand of vengeance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
The owner of the Institute of Equestrian Therapy, a horse farm catering to handicapped youngsters, is brutally murdered--and the only witness is a mute youngster named Gabe (Ronnie Scribner). Quincy (Jack Klugman) is brought on the scene by way of his boss Dr. Astin (John S. Ragin), whose physically challenged foster son Andy (Brian Andrews) is also a patron of the Institute. Slowly but surely, Quincy determines that the murder was committed by a relative who is determined to take charge of the Institute and close it down...but the only way to prove this is to break through the wall of silence surrounding young Gabe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Quincy (Jack Klugman) performs an autopsy on a truck driver who turns out to have died of hydrogen choloride poisoning. Enlisting the aid of the trucker's widow (Salome Jens), Quincy investigates the likelihood that the victim was involved in the illegal dumping of toxic waste. But he'd better hurry: Unless he finds the source of the poison, an upcoming heavy rain will create a huge toxic cloud which will contaminate thousands upon thousands of helpless citizens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Quincy (Jack Klugman) is the technical advisor on a movie which is dramatizing an infamous murder case involving onetime socialite Victoria Sawyer (Carolyn Jones). Noticing several discrepancies in the script, Quincy begins to doubt that Victoria was guilty of the murder for which she is currently serving in prison; he also fears that the real killer may still be alive and at large. But to prove his findings, he needs the cooperation of Victoria herself--cooperation that the woman absolutely refuses to give. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
It's a personal matter for Quincy's boss Dr. Astin (John S. Ragin) when his teenage niece Melody (Karlene Crockett) is charged with vehicular homicide. An alcoholic who suffers from lapses of memory, Melody may have been behind the wheel in the car crash that claimed the life of her best friend. Making matters worse, Astin himself is obliged by law to make a ruling on the case. Reluctant to pass judgment on his own flesh and blood, Astin asks Quincy to temporarily switch places with him, leading to some surprising complications. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Performing an autopsy on a man in his eighties, Quincy determines (Jack Klugman) that the victim was physically abused before his death--possibly by his own son-in-law. Subseqeuntly, another old person shows up with similar symptoms, suggesting to Quincy that there may be a link between the two cases. Ulitmately, the crusading coroner unearths a rather nasty scheme cooked up by a nefarious nephew against a pair of elderly ladies (one of whom is played by 97-year-old Estelle Winwood, who when this episode was filmed had been a stage and screen star for over seventy years). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The hospital where Quincy (Jack Klugman) works is in full security-lockdown mode when President Sarejo (Rudy Solari), a Latin American dictator, is rushed to the emergency room for a serious operation. It soon becomes apparent that a group of radicals has also arrived in Los Angeles, possibly planning to assassinate the ailing leader. But before this can happen, two members of the President's cabinet die of apparent heart failure--whereupon Quincy swings into action to determine if the deaths were mere happenstance, or the result of a vast and insidious conspiracy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
While visiting his Native American foster son Chester (Eddie Garcia) at an Arizona Indian reservation, Quincy (Jack Klugman) notices that the boy is showing symptoms of bubonic plague, a devastating illness that has already taken the life of his best friend. Quickly, Quincy alerts the local authorities in hopes of staving off a statewide epidemic. Unfortunately, those authorities are more concerned with an upcoming golf tournament at an expensive new country club called Paradise Palms--and they're willing to go to any lengths to avoid sacrificing the tourist trade to a medical emergency. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
An autopsy X-ray reveals that the corpse of a murdered courier contained a sack of diamonds worth $2,000,000, hidden within a pacemaker. Under pressure from a team of U.S. Customs officials, Quincy (Jack Klugman) agrees to go undercove in hopes of flushing out a dangerous gang of international jewel smugglers. This explains why Quincy shows up at a Las Vegas beauty contest ("Miss Coroner", no less), offering to sell the diamonds to a notorious gangster...and acting very, very nervous about the whole thing. The climax of this episode bears a striking resemblance to the film noir classic D.O.A. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Having solved many a crime in the past, Quincy finds himself in the uneviable position of being accused of criminal behavior. The family of 21-year-old kidney donor Jack Murphy insist that Quincy declared the man dead prematurely in order to harvest his organs. In his efforts to clear his name, Quincy butts heads with sleazy, ambulance-chasing malpractice attorney Raymond Morrison (Granville Van Dusen), who will go to any lengths to win a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the entire LA Coroner's Office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
After a woman whose face was horribly disfigured in a bungled cosmetic operation commits suicide, Quincy investigates Emile Green (Garnett Smith), the doctor who performed the surgery. Though Green is not a qualified plastic surgeon, the current medical laws allow him to perform such operations whether he's capable of doing them or not. Outraged, Quincy vows to move heaven and earth to plug up this legal loophole--or at the very least, to bring Dr. Green to justice before he destroys any more lives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Veteran police officer Tommy Bates (Neville Brand) catches Billy Harris (Richard Stanley), a young car thief whose wild behavior indicates that he is high on "angel dust." During the arrest, Harris dies, and his accomplice Steve (Michael Horton) accuses Bates of choking the boy to death. Lt. Monahan (Garry Walberg), an old friend of Bates, pressures Quincy (Jack Klugman) to speed up the autopsy on Harris to learn the truth--while a cop-hating civil rights attorney named Charlie Trusdale (William Daniels) is likewise breathing down Quincy' neck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Performing an autopsy on a teenage prostitute who has committed suicide, Quincy (Jack Klugman)characteristically takes a personal interest in the case. It seems that the victim had been killed after seeing "Uncle Harry" (Alan Manson), the man who led her into prostituation, persuading an even younger girl to appear in a pornographic film. Taking it upon himself to break up an insidious kiddie-porn ring, Quincy simultaneously tries to save a group of runaway kids from falling into the clutches of the "Uncle Harrys" of the world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
A race horse goes berserk in its stable, trampling a jockey to death. Though it looks like a tragic accident, Quincy (Jack Klugman) suspects a murder has been committed--especially since he'd previously witnessed a heated argument between the victim and another jockey. In a typically unorthodox move, Quincy performs an autopsy on the "killer" horse, and in the process uncovers a crooked conspiracy involving the illegal application of amphetamines at the racetrack. Real-life jockey Chris McCarron appears in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Quincy (Jack Klugman) and Sam (Robert Ito) are abducted by the minions of mob boss Vince DiNardi (John Vernon), who makes an offer that our hero can't refuse. DiNaldi has been poisoned, and the doctors have given him only 24 hours to live. With Sam's life being used as a bargaining chip, Quincy is ordered to find out who has administered the fatal dose to DiNaldi, so that the doomed Mafioso can exact a final vengeance. This is the last episode of Quincy, M.E.'s third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Quincy (Jack Klugman) positively identifies the charred remains of a motel-fire victim as being the body of Jessica Ross (Jessica Walter), the most popular and highest-paid female journalist in the country. Imagine Quincy susprise when, while appearing on a televised press conference to announce his finding, Jessica herself waltzes into the room, very much alive. Though advised to keep a low profile after this humiliating experience, Quincy intends to prove that the woman claiming to be Jessica is an impostor--and that a murder may have been committed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
