Norman Jolley Movies

It is hardly a fond reunion when Ironside (Raymond Burr) is summoned to his home town by a letter from his former high school classmate Alice Schmidt (Fay Spain). Upon his arrival, the Chief learns that Alice never wrote the letter--and that her husband John has been murdered. When another member of the Class of 1940, Dick Gillis (William Bryant), likewise turns up dead, Ironside follows a trail of clues leading to an accidental killing that occurred 34 years earlier...thereby setting himself up as the murderer's next victim! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

What would a late-1960s detective series be without the obligatory "flower child" episode? After Detective Ed Brown (Don Galloway) busts a Haight-Ashbury drug house, he is accused of beating a hippie to death. To clear Ed's name, Ironside (Raymond Burr) follows a trail of clues to a group of outwardly clean-cut students in a private school--and runs up against a vast and sinister conspiracy of silence, involving not only "the kids" but also a few grownups. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, the FBI squares off against La Cosa Nostra (evidently J. Edgar Hoover had finally acknowledged the fact that Organized Crime really did exist!) Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is hoping that dissension within the ranks of the Mob will cause the hierarchy to collapse under its own weight. He may be right: A power struggle involving Mafia chieftan Ed Clementi (Telly Savalas) currently threatens to spark a full-scale turf war. Originally telecast March 12 and 19, 1967, the two parts of "The Executioners" were later combined and released theatrically overseas as Cosa Nostra, Arch Enemy of the FBI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, the FBI continues to exert pressure on La Cosa Nostra, even while a bitter turf war between two mob families threatens to destroy the organization from within. Things come to head when gangland boss Leo Roland (Walter Pidgeon) orders the murder of potential federal witness Ed Clementi (Telly Savalas)--and picks Ed's own nephew to pull the trigger. Fans of The Godfather will appreciate the presence of Robert Duvall in a supporting role. Originally telecast March 12 and 19, 1967, the two parts of "The Executioners" were later combined and released theatrically overseas as Cosa Nostra, Arch Enemy of the FBI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Using the alias Stephen Fitzgerald, con artist Andrew Cook (James Daly) has married the widow of a bank owner, embezzled the bank funds, and murdered his wife--a pattern he has followed for years in several other cities. Now the homicidal Cook has targeted wealthy Amy Hunter (Margaret Leighton) as his next victim, with both Amy's life and a million-dollar "prize" at stake. Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must figure out the reason behind Fitzgerald's modus operandi in order to stop him before he can steal--and kill--again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released theatrically in Europe, Cosa Nostra, Arch Enemy of the FBI originated as "The Executioner", a two-part episode of the weekly TV series The FBI. The series' usual stars Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Philip Abbott and Stephen Brooks are joined on this occasion by guest artists Walter Pidgeon, Celeste Holm, Telly Savalas and Susan Strasberg-and, way down on the cast list, Robert Duvall. The story concerns double-crosses within the inner circles of La Cosa Nostra. The story concludes as mob boss Pidgeon orders the death of witness Holm-with the victim's nephew Savalas as the hit man! "The Executioner" first aired on two consecutive Sundays: March 12 and 19, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) finds himself on the horns of an ironic dilemma. Pornographer Bert Anslem (James Gregory), against whom the FBI has been trying to build a case for months, has been kidnapped by career criminal Nick Kirby (Robert Doyle), who demands a $100,000 ransom. This places Erskine in the position of having to rescue Anslem--while simultaneously preventing the man's inevitable flight from the FBI's jurisdiction. Jill Haworth, who created the role of Sally Bowles in the original Broadway production of "Cabaret", appears as Anslem's daughter. (Note: some sources have incorrectly identified this episode as "To Free Mine Enemy"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the wife of Chaplain Craig Fletcher (Leslie Nielsen) is killed on an Army base, suspicion immediately falls upon PFC Byron Landy (Bruce Dern), a lifelong troublemaker and malcontent who has already beaten one murder rap. The angry locals demand immediate retribution against Landy, proof or no proof. It is up to Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to defuse this volatile situation and to make certain that the actual murderer is brought to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A tall horseman (Jock Mahoney) rides into the small town of Arborville, deserted except for redheaded Jody (Luana Patten), who's uncomfortable about it. Outside town, the rider finds all the townspeople working on an oil rig on a small ranch. They're led by Cal Moore (Charles McGraw), and include brothers Aaron (Claude Akins) and Adam Grant (Lee Van Cleef). The stranger asks a few questions, rousing the ire of the hot-tempered brothers, who toss him into a pool of oil. Glossy black but unconcerned, the stranger ambles out and rides back to town. Jody helps him clean up, so he tells her he has come to meet an old Indian who lived on the property where the oil well now is; he's clearly surprised when she refers to the old man, now missing, as Joe Dakota. Meanwhile, the townspeople gather, and we learn that Cal is a newcomer to town, an oil expert who decided to cast his lot with Arborville. We also learn that something happened to the old Indian, and that the townspeople were involved. The townspeople later are horrified when the stranger announces that he owns the land where the oil well is, and that his name is Joe Dakota.

Later, Jody comes to see Joe at the ranch, and reveals that the old man was her friend; she often came out to visit him. Joe tells her that the old man, whom he'd known well some years before, had simply borrowed his name. Jody says that the last time she'd visited the old Indian, he'd been drunk and had attacked (but not raped) her. Egged on by Cal, the townspeople had lynched him. The next day, Joe hangs a noose on the Arborville town sign, and puts a cross on the old man's grave. He explains that he was a captain in the infantry, and the old man was the finest scout he'd ever known. Everyone gathers at the oil well, where Joe explains that it was Cal who had attacked Jody, framing the old man for the crime to get the town to lynch him. He and Cal have a fight, but the townspeople, ashamed of what they've done, side with Joe.

Universal-International turned out quite a number of well-down, medium-budget westerns in the late 1950s, often starring Audie Murphy. This time, however, the lead is former stuntman Jock Mahoney, whom the studio was trying to groom as a star; his easy-going but very masculine personality made him ideal for roles such as this. The movie, co-written by Perry Mason's "Hamilton Burger," (William Talman), seems to owe something to Bad Day at Black Rock, but the plot works well in this context, too. There are good small details, like a wine store instead of a saloon, the town's beloved water trough, and the stranger's midnight shave. Richard H. Bartlett's direction is as low-key as the movie -- scarcely a shot is fired, and few wear guns -- and as likable. Joe Dakota is "just another movie," but it's a very good example of its long-gone kind. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide

The "Bridey Murphy" craze of the 1950s was the catalyst for I've Lived Before. Jock Mahoney plays a contemporary pilot who survives a plane crash. Upon awakening, he is under the delusion that he is another airman, who died during the first World War. The authorities pass this insistence off as delirium, until Mahoney starts recounting events and intimacies that only the long-dead pilot would know. Ann Harding portrays the ageing former lover of the soul trapped within Mahoney's body. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Love leads a man to his most evil deeds and forces him to change his ways in this Western. After being handed a dishonorable discharge during the Civil War, Mike McComb (Errol Flynn) becomes a professional gambler and follows a path of ruthless action to get what he wants. After moving out West and making a killing prospecting silver, McComb becomes a wealthy and powerful man, and he finds himself infatuated with beautiful Georgia Moore (Ann Sheridan). However, Georgia is married to Stanley Moore (Bruce Bennett), who works for McComb, so he arranges for Stanley to be given a dangerous assignment; Stanley is killed, and McComb sweeps the widowed Georgia off her feet. Georgia weds McComb, but in time she finds out the ugly truth about her second husband, leaving him behind. Devastated, McComb sets out to mend his ways and win Georgia back by serving more noble purposes. Silver River was the seventh Flynn vehicle directed by Raoul Walsh; it would also mark the last time they worked together. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

After a brief mid-1940s burst of originality, Monogram's Johnny Mack Brown western series settled back into the commonplace with such entries as Flashing Guns. In this outing, Brown tries to save his pal Shelby (Raymond Hatton) from being thrown off his ranch by crooked banker Ainsworth (James E. Logan). To do this, our hero must prove that the banker is in cahoots with the local gambling boss (Douglas Evans). This he does, and as a bonus exposes the banker as the secret head of an outlaw gang. Good location photography keeps this rubber-stamp western afloat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide