Alan Hale, Jr. Movies

Ex-lawman turned rancher Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is moving a small herd of cattle when a group of nine men on horseback, led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley Sr.), ride up and accuse him of having stolen the cattle and killed their owner. Refusing to believe his account, they string him up by the neck and leave him for dead, but they don't do the job right. Cooper is dangling there, barely alive, a few minutes later when Deputy U.S. Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson) spots him and cuts him down. He survives the next few days in Bliss' tumbleweed wagon with the other prisoners, and is later cleared of any wrongdoing and released by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), just in time to witness the hanging of the man who really murdered the owner of the cattle and took Cooper's money. Cooper still wants revenge on the nine men who tried to hang him, but Fenton insists that he leave the bringing of them to justice to his deputy marshals. As it happens, Fenton is in desperate need of deputy marshals for the territory that he oversees, and he also knows that Cooper was a good lawman. Cooper, in turn, is now broke and in need of a job, and does want to see justice done. They strike an uneasy bargain, Cooper agreeing to wear a badge and bring in the men he's looking for -- alive -- for trial. The latter proves easier said than done, however, when the first of them that he spots tries to draw on him when he makes the arrest. One of the hanging party, Jenkins (Bob Steele), soon turns himself in and provides the names of the others. Cooper takes Stone (Alan Hale Jr.) alive, but the hapless blacksmith is later shot by the local sheriff (Charles McGraw) while trying to escape. The other men, led by Wilson, have no intention of dying, or even being brought to trial, without a fight. Two of them go on the run out of the territory, while Wilson and two of the others decide to take the law into their own hands once again. Meanwhile, Cooper becomes a hero when he single-handedly brings back a trio of rustlers who are also guilty of murder. This leads to Cooper's first confrontation with Judge Fenton, who, in a gripping scene, explains why it is essential that he be as seemingly quick to hang a man as he is. Unless the people are convinced that the law will do its job -- including hanging men who deserve it -- they will keep taking the law into their own hands and there will be more lynch mobs like the one that tried to kill Cooper. In the course of his quest for justice, Cooper also makes the acquaintance of Rachel (Inger Stevens), a young woman with her own search for justice, haunted by her own ghosts, and the two of them are drawn together, no more so than when Wilson and two of the others try to gun Cooper down in cold blood. The final confrontation between Cooper and Wilson escalates in violence to its savage, irony-laced conclusion. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Gilligan's Island enters its second season with two small but significant changes: the series, previously filmed in black and white, is now in color, and regulars Russell Johnson (the Professor) and Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), have been promoted to full starring status, right along with top-billed Bob Denver (Gilligan), Alan Hale Jr. (the Skipper, too), Jim Backus (the Millionaire), Natalie Schafer (and his wife), and Tina Louise (the movie star). Otherwise, it's business as usual, with the seven castaways industriously making a home-away-from-home of their tropical island prison, but never tiring of seeking various ways and means of returning home to civilization. As before, although the seven principals seem to be permanently marooned, a number of guest stars manage to find their way on and off the island. This years' crop of "visitors" includes Nehemiah Persoff as deposed Latin American dictator Pancho Rodriguez, Richard Kiel as a towering ghost, Vito Scotti (who showed up in the previous season as a Japanese soldier) in the role of mad scientist Dr. Boris Balinkoff, and the singing group the Wellingtons (who, of course, also perform the ballad that opens each episode) as three members of a mop-topped rock quartet called "the Mosquitoes." Gilligan's Island also becomes a family affair from time to time during season two, with regular Jim Backus' wife, Henny Backus, and star Bob Denver's son Patrick Denver making cameo appearances. ~ All Movie Guide

No one liked Gilligan's Island but the public. Roundly condemned by critics as the worst sitcom in TV history when it first signed on the CBS schedule in the fall of 1964, the weekly half-hour series nonetheless struck a responsive chord with the viewing public, who were thoroughly amused and delighted by the premise of seven diverse personalities shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island, managing to make the best of things while never giving up hope of being rescued. The series' premise was laid out each and every week by the theme song "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," co-written by producer Sherwood Schwartz and performed by the singing group the Wellingtons. Caught in a sudden storm at sea, the S.S. Minnow, a tiny charter boat manned by "Skipper" Jonas Grumby (Alan Hale Jr.) and his daffy first mate, Gilligan (Bob Denver), was washed up on the shore of a flyspeck island somewhere in the South Pacific. Marooned along with Gilligan and the Skipper were five tourist passengers: voluptuous movie star Ginger Grant (Tina Louise); multimillionaire Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus) and his wife, Lovey (Natalie Schafer); high-school teacher Roy Hinkley (Russell Johnson), better known as "The Professor"; and wholesomely sexy secretary Mary Ann Summers (Dawn Wells). With the Minnow damaged beyond repair, the seven castaways resourcefully transformed their island into a home away from home, replete with solid shelters, handmade eating and kitchen utensils, jerry-built furniture, and even a farming and irrigation system. Even so, our heroes and heroines yearned to go back to civilization, but they never quite managed to make it, usually thanks to the ineptitude of the feckless Gilligan.

Although the seven principals were more or less trapped in their environment, quite a few guest stars managed to find their way on -- and off -- the island, including Hans Conried as klutzy pilot Wrong-Way Feldman, Vito Scotti as mad scientist Boris Balinkoff, and Phil Silvers (who owned a piece of Gilligan's Island in real life) as Hollywood mogul Harold Hecuba. The fact that, for all his brilliance, "The Professor" was never able to figure out how to build a new boat or notify the authorities of the castaways' whereabouts was only a part of the farcical fun; Gilligan's Island was, to overstate the obvious, not exactly like real life. A prime example of good, clean, harmless slapstick, Gilligan's Island confounded its many detractors by remaining on CBS for three seasons, then enjoying a spectacularly successful afterlife in rerun form -- not to mention its many feature-length TV "sequels" (such as The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island), two separate TV-cartoon spin-offs, and a multitude of latter-day video retrospectives. It's difficult to argue with that kind of success. ~ All Movie Guide

A pre-Gilligan's Island Alan Hale Jr. appears in this episode as Omar Keck, an eccentric millionaire who has financed an experimental missile which he intends to send to Mars. Not surprisingly, Uncle Martin (Ray Walston) is the first to volunteer to pilot the vessel into space. In anticipation of his flight, Martin allows Tim (Bill Bixby) to publicly reveal his true Martian identity--but only after he has safely begun his homeward journey. Needless to say, things don't go quite as expected! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stingy Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) refuses to provide funds for the Danville Volunteer Fire Department, arguing that fire captain Lucy (Lucille Ball) and her all-girl battalion are the epitome of ineptitude. Down but not out, Lucy cooks up a scheme to prove that the Fire Department is not only efficient, but necessary. The plan calls for Lucy to start a phony fire in the bank so that she and her brigade can rush to the rescue...and any further elaboration on the plot is surely unnecessary! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alan Hale Jr. guest-stars as farmer Big Jeff Pruitt, who has come to Mayberry in search of a bride. Deputy Barney offers to help out, only to stand by in horror as his own girlfriend Thelma Lou is chosen by the bombastic Jeff. Outraged, Barney prepares to settle his dilemma with a fistfight, despite the fact that Jeff is literally twice his size. But Andy and Thelma Lou cook up a scheme to scare off Jerry without any undue bloodshed. The closing scene is a riot! First shown on January 1, 1962, "The Farmer Takes a Wife" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While playing poker with Big Jim Watson (Alan Hale Jr., Bart (Jack Kelly) again comes face to face with his old friendly enemy, versatile con artist Pearly Gates (Mike Road). Actually, he comes face to face with Pearly's gun, as Mr. Gates robs the card players so that he and his girlfriend Marla (Kathleen Crowley) can afford to get married. Blowing his stack, Big Jim threatens to kill Pearly and Marla unless Bart can retrieve the money--and for good measure, Jim warns Bart that if he fails, he'll wind up dead too. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Talented action film director William Witney shows the depth of his skills in turning this one-week-in-production wonder into a passable, entertaining, one-hour western. The focus of attention is a trial in a town with no respect for the law, where the federal judge (Hugh Marlowe) valiantly tries to buck the current and carry on according to normal standards. At issue is the murder of the brother of a prominent, despotic land baron. The accused is an impoverished Mexican (John Alonso) who is not going to get acquitted unless the real murderer can be found. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A football tryout is turned upside down by an 11-year-old who disrupts City Hall hotshots. ~ All Movie Guide

In the first episode of Walt Disney's two-part miniseries Moochie of Pop Warner Football, diminutive Moochie Morgan (Kevin Corcoran) has put baseball aside to concentrate on the gridiron. Alas, in order to meet the 60-pound weight requirement to join Pop Warner Football League, Moochie must gain five pounds. Should he fail, he'd be forced to play in the Peewee league -- and their current isn't a team for that league in his small town. Then another crisis develops, this one of a political nature. "The Peewees vs. City Hall" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology and was later serialized on the syndicated version of The Mickey Mouse Club. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide