Walter Burke Movies
Diminutive Irish-American character actor Walter Burke kicked off his film career in 1948. Burke's weaselly, cigarette-dangling-from-lips characterization of political flunky Sugar Boy in the Oscar-winning All the King's Men (1949) set the tone for most of his later roles. Though often afforded meaty roles on television -- he was one of several actors who subbed for William Talman during the 1960-1961 season of Perry Mason -- Burke had no objection to accepting tiny but memorable bits, such as the cockney who warns Eliza Doolittle, "There's a bloke be'ind that pillar, takin' down every word that you're sayin'!" in the opening scene of My Fair Lady (1964). In another unbilled assignment, Burke convincingly voice-doubled for narrator Walter Winchell in a handful of early-'60s episodes of The Untouchables. Closing out his film career in the early '70s, Walter Burke moved to Pennsylvania, where he became an acting teacher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1976
In search of a career criminal named Fred Cavanaugh (Billy Green Bush), Stone (Karl Malden) is hampered by the persistence of the fugitive's precocious daughter Chris (Pamelyn Ferdin), who is likewise looking for her errant daddy. The difference is that Stone knows all too well about Fred's underhanded activities, while Chris is blissfully unaware of her father's transgressions--but a bitter disillusionment is not long in coming. Veteran character actor Walter Burke scores in a cameo role as a childlike casino owner. Originally scheduled to air on March 18, 1976, this final episode of Streets of San Francisco's fourth season was ultimately shown on April 29. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Taking time off from his villainous duties as "Wo Fat" on Hawaii Five-O, Khigh Deigh is no less sinister in this episode as a Hong-Kong based "fence" named John Chong. After a gang of hijackers led by Stan Chasen (Henry Silva) goes to a lot of trouble--including attempted murder--to steal an airborne cargo of blank travellers' checks, Chong double-crosses them by offering only a fraction of what he promised to pay for the checks. Meanwhile, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.conducts a wide-ranging search for the crooks, which comes to a rousing climax on the docks of Seattle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- R
The John Gardner novel A Complete State of Death became this bloody crime flick that united frequent action genre collaborators Charles Bronson and director Michael Winner. Bronson stars as Detective Lieutenant Lou Torry, a grizzled undercover New York City cop who ruins his career when he is caught going violently overboard while apprehending a ghetto punk. As punishment, Torry is banished all the way to the L.A. Police Department, where he begins investigating a mysterious chain of events involving ex-soldiers that seem to be Mob related. It turns out that Don Alberto Vescari (Martin Balsam), an aging Mafia chieftain, is planning the use of mentally disturbed Vietnam vets as assassins in a campaign of murder. With one broad, gory stroke, Vescari schemes to wipe out his underworld enemies, retaliating for a massacre that wiped out a generation of Sicilian mobsters 40 years earlier. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Martin Balsam, (more)
- 1972
The FBI and the Reds are both on the prowl for traitorous scientist Frederic Scott (Richard Kiley). While on assignment for the spy ring to whom he has sold out, Scott suddenly dashes off to parts unknown in search of his estranged wife Margaret (Marian McCargo). This clash of priorities threatens to prove fatal for both the traitor and his wife. Featured in the cast is Hurd Hatfield, best remembered for his saturnine portrayal of the title character in the 1945 film version of The Picture of Dorian Gray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Humorist Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, makes his third Bonanza appearance, this time in the person of actor Ken Howard (fresh from his Broadway and Hollywood triumph in the musical 1776). As editor of the Virginia City Enterprise, Clemens is determined to prove that a government assayer is guilty of fraud and murder. Because he won't reveal his source in court, Clemens loses a libel suit, whereupon he enlists the aid of Ben and Joe Cartwright to bring the villain (who in the interim has committed another killing) to justice. The episode's closing scene, involving an outraged lady stagecoach passenger, is priceless. The supporting cast includes Dana Elcar as Merrick, Phil Kenneally as McNabb, Walter Burke as Campbell, Staats Cotsworth as Judge Hale, Richard Bull as Goodman, and Stacy Keach Sr. as Lawyer Prentiss. Written by Stanley Roberts, "The 26th Grave" was the first Bonanza episode to be filmed for the series' fourteenth season, but was shown as the eighth installment on October 31, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1972
The IMF's mission: To retrieve a list of crooked public officials from fleeing vice lord Emil Gadsen (George Voskovec), and to utterly destroy both Gadsen and his boss Thor Coffin (Warren Stevens). The strategy: To convince Gadsen that he has a long-lost twin brother named Bruno. Future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti, here billed as "Dan Travanty", plays a minor hood named Tony. Written by Sam Roeca and James L. Henderson, "Image" was first networkcast on January 15, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
This episode focuses on one of Adam-12's most stalwart supporting players, William Boyett as Sergeant "Mac" MacDonald. While on assignment, Mac knocks down a pedestrian in his squad car. Although Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) testifies that it was an unavoidable accident, Mac is accused of reckless driving by four different eyewitnesses. "Back-Up One L-20" was written by a young Stephen J. Cannell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This Western action/comedy is told in the same tongue-in-cheek manner as its predecessor, Support Your Local Sheriff. Goldie (Marie Windsor), a madam, is a formidable woman, and Latigo Smith (James Garner) knows perfectly well that his disreputable ways will be trimmed considerably should she succeed in marrying him. Instead, he escapes from her and winds up in the town of Purgatory. The town's inhabitants have been expecting the arrival of Swifty Morgan (Chuck Connors), the famous gunfighter. All things being equal, Latigo is happy to be mistaken for Morgan's sidekick, while Jug May (Jack Elam) impersonates Morgan himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1971
Racketeer Rudy Walden (Peter Mark Richman) has managed to corrupt several members of a college basketball team, bribing them to shave points and "fix" certain games. By the time the FBI has gotten wind of Walden's activities, star player Billy Blaik (Anthony Costello) has been added to his list of potential accomplices. Before the story reaches its climax, the villains have resorted to kidnapping--with murder the next item on the menu. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Hoping to expose a card sharp named Martino (Herbert Rudle), Tony (Larry Hagman) insinuates himself into a card game along with Roger (Bill Daily), Dr. Bellows (Hayden Rorke) and Gen. Schaeffer (Vinton Hayworth). But thanks to the intervention of Jeannie (Barbara Eden), Bellows and Schaeffer become convinced that Tony is the cheater, and not Martino. Worse still, a mobster muscles into the action, relegating poor Roger to a dunk in the ocean with his feet in cement! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The FBI suspects a case of jury tampering when, after the acquittal of notorious mob figure, juror Steven Harber (Robert Hooks) suddenly becomes conspicuously wealthy. Eventually, Harber's conscience kicks in, but it may already be too late. Not only is Harber being shaken down by a blackmailer who witnessed the payoff, but there is also a mob hitman at large who has killed two other jurors in his efforts to make sure that no one talks. Seen as Harber's anguished wife is Cicely Tyson, making the most of a rather thankless role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
James Garner is a nothing short of a delight in this western spoof that stands western clichés on their ears. The film takes place in the small western town of Calender, a town that experiences a gold rush when gold is discovered in an open grave by Prudy Perkins (Joan Hackett). As gold prospectors flood in and out of town, the Danby clan, anxious to take advantage of the situation (since their ranch blocks the main road out of town) levies a 20% tribute on every gold shipment that passes through. Three sheriffs have been dispatched by the Danbys, and they control the town. Into this situation, on his way to Australia, rides Jason McCullough (Garner). McCullough is an easy-going sort who just happens to be a crack shot. The town rapidly makes him sheriff. His first line of business is to break up a fight and to arrest Joe Danby (Bruce Dern) for murder. As McCullouch settles down in the Perkins boarding house, Pa Danby (Walter Brennan) plots to spring his son from jail. But when all his mechanizations fail to gain Joe's release, Pa Danby gathers together all the Danbys in the surrounding countryside to head into Calender to get rid of McCullough. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Joan Hackett, (more)
- 1968
Policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson) is faced with a profound personal crisis when she shoots and kills an armed robber in self-defense. It turns out that the victim was only 17 years old, regarded as a "model kid" by friends and loved ones alike. Tortured by guilt and self-doubt, Eve must rely upon Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) to determine if her instincts were correct when she pulled the trigger. This episode was cowritten by famed crime novelist Evan Hunter, whose screenwriting credits include the landmark "J.D." drama The Blackboard Jungle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Elvis Presley plays Guy Lambert, a musician (so far, so good) who is touring Great Britain (something Elvis never managed in real life). Jill Conway (Annette Day), a wealthy heiress, is a big fan of Guy's who has developed a very serious crush on him; her family wants to keep her away from the romantically-inclined singer, so they send her to Belgium, not realizing that Guy has a string of gigs set up there. En route to Brussels, a pair of hapless jewel thieves (Norman Rossington and Chips Rafferty) hide their loot in Guy's luggage, which makes the singer the unwitting target of three equally inept detectives (Harry, Herbert, and Sylvester Wiere). While wooing Jill and avoiding her treacherous uncle Gerald (John Williams), Guy also finds himself pursued by the worldly Claire Dunham (Yvonne Romain). Elvis sings nine songs along the way, including "Long Legged Girls with Short Dresses On" and "Baby, if You Give Me All Your Love." 18 months after Double Trouble was released, Presley's career was revitalized by his 1968 comeback special, though he would also release four more films before it aired. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Annette Day, (more)
The President's Analyst is James Coburn, whose position makes him privy to any number of delicate government secrets. Thus Coburn becomes a most desirable prize for several secret-agent organizations, including the CEA and the FBR (we know who these folks are really supposed to be, even though the phony names were crudely dubbed onto the soundtrack after the film was completed). When Coburn becomes expendable, he finds a pair of strong allies in the form of likeable political assassin Godfrey Cambridge and gay Soviet spy Severn Darden. The main plot involves an insidious, unnamed concern that wishes to harness Coburn's talents in order to brainwash the president -- and everyone else in America -- into submission. The President's Analyst is a terrific, on-target satire of virtually every sacred cow of the late 1960s; the satire was so potent, in fact, that when the NBC network broadcast the film in the early 1970s, it was compelled to remove the picture's punchline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Coburn, Godfrey Cambridge, (more)
- 1967
Here's the obligatory Irwin Allen "mad toymaker" episode, which begins when the Celestial Department Store ordering Machine malfunctions (again!) and Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) is turned into a toy clown. Disaster will befall everyone else unless John (Jonathan Harris) and the Robot can rescue Smith, who along with Will (Billy Mumy) is trapped in a fourth-dimension toyshop run by an elderly artisan (Walter Burke) who doesn't recognize his guests as human. Fritz Feld returns as the imperious Celestial Department Store head man Zumdish ("Pop!"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
The Plainsman was a Technicolor remake of the 1936 Cecil B. DeMille film, all about the fictional romantic triangle of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill. DeMille had the advantage of a topnotch cast: Gary Cooper as Hickok, Jean Arthur as Calamity (complete with a Wally Westmore cosmetic job!) and James Ellison as Buffalo Bill. David Lowell Rich, director of the 1966 The Plainsman, had to make do with Universal contractees Don Murray, Abby Dalton and Guy Stockwell. Denied DeMille's budget, Rich turned out a cut-rate western, wherein the "big" Indian attacks look more like Disneyland exhibits. The usually reliable Abby Dalton further weakens the film with a Southern accent that wouldn't convince a prairie dog. Originally made for television, The Plainsman was instead released theatrically--then went promptly to the small screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
This episode was designed as a lead-in for the CBS special Lucy in London, which aired on October 24, 1966. Having entered the winning jingle for the Arf Arf Dog Food company, Lucy (Lucille Ball) wins first prize: An all-expense-paid trip to London. This being her first overseas flight, Lucy is understandably nervous, which results in a truly bumpy ride for her unwilling travelling companion--Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon). Pat Priest of The Munsters fame is seen as a harried stewardess. The opening "conveyor belt" gag was written by longtime I Love Lucy scriveners Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll Jr., who also penned the script for the Lucy in London special. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Jane Croft, Ben Wrigley, (more)
- 1966
When two strangers, Sonny (Dick Peabody) and Jesse (Walter Burke), help Ben Cartwright get his wagon out of the mud, Ben invites them to supper at the Ponderosa, then secures them both jobs. Ben's son Hoss immediately bonds with Sonny, who has the strength of Hercules but the mind of a child. A crisis develops when Sonny cannot comprehend the fact that Jesse has been killed-and, according to Sheriff Coffee, Sonny has been known to turn killer himself when he gets confused. The Steinbeckesque teleplay was written by Robert Baron. "Destiny's Child" first aired on January 30, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1966
Newly arrived in Utah under the alias "Jim Corman", Kimble (David Janssen) meets unwed mother Ruth Simmons (Kim Darby), whose baby is seriously ill. In his efforts to treat the infant, Kimble meets strong opposition in the form of Ruth's father Joshua (Harry Townes), a religious zealot who objects to any sort of medical treatment. Adding to Kimble's burden of woe is an ambitious deputy named Pete (Tom Skerritt) who is using a team of bloodhounds to track down the fugitive. This episode was originally slated to air on October 11, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Klink's old friend Major Kronman (Antony Eustrel) is captured by the Gestapo and charged with conspiring against Adolf Hitler. In true "guilt by association" fashion, Klink is likewise targeted for arrest and execution. Thus it is that Klink agrees to allow Hogan to steal the evidence against Kronman from the camp's safe -- a job requiring the special skills of Newkirk's old friend, professional cracksman Alfred "Alfie the Artist" Burke (Walter Burke). Written by Laurence Marks, "The Safecracker Suite" originally aired on March 25, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1966
Nasty gossip columnist Danny Shine (John Lasell) has been murdered, and Greg Stanley (Douglas Henderson) is charged with the crime. The only person who can provide an alibi for Stanley is Alex Tanner (Gary Collins)--but Tanner insists that he must remain silent, or else his kidnapped baby will be killed. Agreeing to defend Stanley in court, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) unearths a shocking secret concerning Tanner's neurotic wife Patricia (Anne Whitfield). Cloris Leachman delivers a bravura performance as the murder victim's vengeful spouse...and wait until you hear Gary Collins' curtain speech! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Samantha is appointed entertainment chairman for the annual hospital benefit show. Having heard of a wonderful magician named Zeno (Walter Burke), Sam tries to hire the man -- only to discover that Zeno is a washed-up loser suffering from a huge inferiority complex. Also appearing is Cliff Norton as Walter. Written by Tom Waldman and Frank Waldman, "It's Magic" first aired on January 7, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
- 1965
En route to a desert hospital, Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) and woman doctor Evelyn Cole (Carole Rossen) rescue a wounded Cavalry officer (Joseph Perry). Taking a rest stop at a way station, Jason and Everlyn hope to quench the officer's thirst with some well water. Unfortunately, the station has recently been decimated by an Indian raid--and the well might have been poisoned in the process. Prolific character actor Walter Burke chews the scenery in his customary fashion as the half-deranged Luke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
