Robert Brubaker Movies

This performance of Sergei Prokofiev's opera as performed by the National Opera De Paris was conducted by Gary Bertini. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Quincy (Jack Klugman) is still work hand in glove with idealistic pre-med student Marty Herrera in his efforts to bring a shady, drug-pushing doctor named Mason Colella to justice. Hampering Quincy's efforts is the fact that young Herrera's method of "curing" college-age addicts is not only extreme, but illegal. Making matters worse, Colella is murdered--and Marty is arrested for the crime. Both parts of this episode originally aired in a single, two-hour timeslot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

SFPD homicide inspector Robbins (Richard Hatch) falls in love with attractive public defender Susan Harper (Linda Kelsey). Unfortunately, the course of romance proves to be a bumpy one when Susan champions the cause of a murder suspect whom has been charged on the basis of prima facie evidence. Ultimately, Susan manages to spring the suspect, resulting in plenty of trouble for herself and Robbins. Prominent in the supporting case is character actor William Benedict, perennial Western Union delivery boy in many an A- and B-picture of the 1930s and 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The two-hour final episode of Ironside's seventh season serves as the pilot film for the spinoff cop series Amy Prentiss. Jessica Walter plays the title character, a hardworking San Francisco police woman who aspires to the position of Chief of Police. Though up against a lot of resistance from the all-male establishment, Amy has a staunch supporter in the form of former chief Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr. Originally telecast as a single extended episode, "Amy Prentiss: AKA The Chief has been divided into a brace of one-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gilbert Wright's novel Madman's Chain had already been adapted to television by Alcoa/Goodyear Theatre by the time that Cry in the Wilderness premiered March 26, 1974. While the first version, titled Chain and the River, was a moderately suspenseful half hour, Cry in the Wilderness manages to keep viewers on the very edges of their seats for a full 74 minutes. George Kennedy stars as a farmer who is bitten by a rabid skunk. To protect his family from the madness that he is sure will overtake him, Kennedy has his wife Joanna Pettet chain him to a post in their barn. Left alone, Kennedy discovers that the dam has burst, and that his farm will soon be consumed by flood. The climactic deluge was largely (and superbly) created in the lab by special effects maestro Albert Whitlock. Cry in the Wilderness premiered March 26, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A pre-Dallas Donna Mills is cast as Mary Ann Collins, a rather empty-headed rich girl in search of excitement. Poor Mary Ann gets far more excitement than she bargained for when she hitches a ride with Jerry Williams, an AWOL soldier with delusions of grandeur who has just robbed a bank and seriously wounded a guard. Williams is played by a young Michael Douglas, who was helpfully identified in the original TV Guide synopsis as "Kirk Douglas' son". Within a year the up-and-coming Douglas would be more gainfully employed by F.B.I. producer Quinn Martin as Karl Malden's costar on Streets of San Francisco. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally telecast on May 26, 1968 as Bonanza's 300th episode, "The Stronghold" finds Joe Cartwright and Ponderosa hand Candy chasing Josh and Mike Farrell (Michael Witney and Paul Mantee), the two men who swindled them out of a herd of cattle. Joe and Candy catch up with the duplicitous brothers at their hideout in Arizona, where a deadly game of cat-and-mouse ensues. The only hope for a happy ending lies with the Farrells, who are slowly but surely growing sick of each other's company. "The Stronghold" was written by John Hawkins and W.R. Burnett. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ben Cartwright protects longtime family friend Mary Farnum (Diane Baker) from the drunken rampages of her brutal husband Russ Wharton (Paul Richards). Misinterpreting Ben's kindness, the long-suffering Mary falls desperately in love with the Cartwright patriarch. Also in the cast are Dennis Cross as Monk and Raymond Guth as Goliath. Written by Joel Murcott, "A Woman in the House" originally aired on February 19, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In Part Two of "Ride the Wind", Curtis Wade (Rod Cameron takes over from the late Charles Ludlow as head of the new Pony Express service. Determined to keep the service running and to finish the route despite attacks by the Paiutes, Wade is driven not so much by duty as by his ego, which has been fuelded by exploitive Eastern journalist Tully (DeForrest Kelley. Wade's delusions of grandeur may prove fatal for Joe Cartwright, who has signed on as a Pony Express rider despite the protests of his father Ben. Tom Lowell appears as Charles Ludlow's son Jabez, who ends up as the story's eleventh-hour problem solver. Written by Paul Schneider, the second half of the two-part "Ride the Wind" was originally broadcast on January 23, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) is a listless Manhattan businessman who lives with his wife in the New York suburbs. One day, he runs into an old friend (Murray Hamilton) whom he thought had died. The friend leads him to The Company, a secretive operation run by The Old Man (Will Geer). The Company is a high-tech service which, for a price, provides older men with plastic surgery, a beefed-up body, and a fresh start in life. To cover the "disappearance," a middle-aged male cadaver is "killed" in a hotel fire. Hamilton submits to the operation that will turn him into a "Second," and when the bandages are removed, he's shed twenty years, renamed Tony Wilson and portrayed by Rock Hudson. The Company creates a new identity for Hamilton, relocating him in a hedonistic California beach community with an identity as a painter. Celebrating during a local wine festival, Hamilton has his revelry cut short when he learns that all his new young friends are Seconds like himself and suddenly feels trapped in these surroundings. Unfortunately, finding a way out isn't nearly as easy as it was to find a way in. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Written by Thomas Thompson and Marc Michaels, "The Pursued" was the second of Bonanza's two-part stories. In Beehive, Nevada, the Cartwrights arranged to buy horses from Mormon rancher Heber Clawson (Eric Fleming). Soon they become involved in Clawson's stubborn determination to remain in Beehive with his two wives Susannah (Dina Merrill) and Elizabeth Ann (Lois Nettleton), despite religious persecution from the townsfolk in general and a fanatical self-ordained minister (Booth Colman) in particular. Things go from bad to worse when ruthless town boss Grant Carbo (Vincent Beck) falls in love with Elizabeth Ann. Part One of "The Pursued" originally aired on October 2, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Stumbling upon a satchel containing $250,000 in stolen bank money, Barney uses the dough to bring the bandits out into the open. Alas, Barney's master plan comes undone when the money is claimed by an "FBI agent"-who turns out to be one of the crooks. Featured in the cast are Al Checco as Hennessy, Robert Brubaker as Brewster, Byron Foulger as Fred, and Hank Patterson as the fleeing hobo who sets the plot in motion. Written by Bob Ross, "If I Had a Quarter Million" originally aired on February 15, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi