Ida Lupino Movies

Ida Lupino guest stars as Gloria Gibson, a former movie queen who hopes to stage a spectacular comeback. Alas, someone seems determined to sabotage Gloria's return by systemically driving her mad -- and stealing all her valuable artwork in the process. Investigating, the Angels discover that there is much more to the case than first meets the eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

I Love a Mystery was a campy TV revival of Phillips Lord's old radio series. The three adventure-loving heroes are Jack, Doc and Reggie (Les Crane, David Hartman and Hagan Beggs), insurance investigators hired to tackle a mystery at a remote island mansion. Ida Lupino plays a domineering matriarch whose billionaire husband is missing, and who seems to know more than she's letting on. The mystery's ingredients include the eerie nocturnal sound of a crying baby and a series of related murders and kidnappings. The heroes are occasionally distracted from their work by Lupino's nubile daughters Faith, Hope and Charity (Karen Jensen, Deanna Lund and Melodie Johnson). The script for I Love a Mystery was based on Philips Lord's classic radio serial "The Thing That Cries in the Night," but there's nothing classic or even remotely entertaining about the derisive, patronizing treatment of the source material herein. This made-for-TV "busted pilot" gathered dust for seven years before its 1973 premiere, and not without just cause. A further note: Though Don Knotts is advertised as one of the "stars," he shows up to sputter one miserable line at the end of the film! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Letters begins with the crash of a U.S. mail plane. One year later, cheerful postman Henry Jones delivers the long-delayed letters. These overdue missives profoundly affect the lives of (a) a man who's deserted his wife; (b) a woman anxious to break up her daughter's romance; and (c) a pianist who'd sell his soul for success. The guest star roster of this TV movie includes John Forsythe, Jane Powell, Lesley Ann Warren, Ida Lupino, Ben Murphy, Pamela Franklin, and Leslie Nielsen. Both Letters and its sequel Letters From Lost Lovers (1973) were intended as pilot films for a never-sold TV anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of Terrence Malick's early screenwriting efforts, this loosely-structured road movie finds a questionably sane long-distance trucker named Cooper (Alan Arkin) winding his way through the heart of America. An employee of a questionable hauling outfit who has been assigned to drive a newly hijacked rig to an as-of-yet undisclosed-location, Cooper quickly ditches his partner and points his eighteen-wheeler westward. Picking-up a hitchhiker (Paul Benedict) for some company in the cab, the unstable trucker's journey westward grows increasingly surreal as he runs into numerous eccentric characters, portrayed in cameo roles by such noted names as Ida Lupino, George Raft, Charles Durning, Loretta Swit, Richard Kiel and future director John Milius. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Perfect Image stars Gene Barry as Crime magazine publisher Glenn Howard. Howard has recently been instrumental in getting Hal Holbrook elected as mayor of Chicago. Recently uncovered evidence, however, suggests that Holbrook is in bed with the Mob. Howard and Crime magazine researcher Peggy Maxwell (Susan St. James) try to weed out the truth. Diana Hyland plays Holbrook's wife, while Clu Gulager, Stephen McNally and Ida Lupino round out the guest-star list of this November 7, 1969 episode of the TV series Name of the Game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ida Lupino guest stars as Lady Marchwood, a very wealthy English widow. Her Ladyship makes quite an impression on Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), who can remember when she was a humble London barmaid named Maude--and, incidentally, French's sweetheart. Now Lady Marchwood has summoned French back to England, hoping to pick up their romance she where they left off! This episode proved popular enough to warrant a sequel, "The Return of Maudie", likewise costarring Ida Lupino. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Phil Silvers, whose own Gladasya Productions held a controlling interest in Gilligan's Island, appears in this classic episode as celebrated Hollywood producer Harold Hecuba. While on a world-wide talent search for his latest epic, Hecuba lands on the Castaways' island. Hoping to persuade the producer to rescue them, Gilligan (Bob Denver), the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.) et. al. mount their own stage production, a musical version of "Hamlet" (sung to the tune of "Carmen"!) The climactic scene, in which Phil Silvers assumes control of the production and plays all the roles himself, is one of the great moments in TV Sitcom History. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Laid low by a virus, Darrin is home in bed -- and Samantha is worn to a frazzle waiting on her husband hand and foot. Hoping for a little peace and quiet, Sam secretly endows Darrin with some of her magical powers so that he can fend for himself. But as everyone knows, a little witchcraft can be a dangerous thing in the hands of amateurs. Written by Earl Barret and directed by actress Ida Lupino, "A Is for Aardvark" originally aired on January 14, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The only person on the island who knows how to repair the radio transmitter is the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.). Unfortunately, the Skipper can only rememeber the instructions when he's asleep and dreaming. As the possibility of rescue in the form of the famous aviatrix "The Vagabond Lady" looms large, everyone does everything within their power to keep the Skipper in dreamland, with the Professor (Russell Johnson) working hardest of all as an amateur hypnotist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Holly Westra (Charles McGraw) has been chief "enforcer" for gangster Victor Kurtz (John Anderson) for years, but age and infirmity may be catching up with the old gunman. In fact, there's a strong possibility that Holly may not have enough nerve to defend Kurtz from a rival gangster--especially since he has fallen in love with a girl named Rita (Gail Kobe), who abhors violence. Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) hopes to exploit the friction between Holly and Kurtz by making it appear that the old "torpedo" is on the verge of double-crossing his boss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Now travelling under the name "Sanford", fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen) takes a job at the Long Island estate of wealthy Harlan Guthrie (Robert Webber). It doesn't take Kimble long to figure out that Guthrie only married his long-suffering wife Ann (Peggy McCay) for her money, and that his new boss would rather dally with Ann's younger sister Carol (Pippa Scott). What no one knows is that Guthrie is planning to murder his wife--and pin the blame on Kimble. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arrested for a traffic violation in a small town, Kimble (David Janssen), alias "Bill Carter," finds himself sharing a cell with Davy "Fatso" Lambert, who'd been hauled in on a charge of public drunkenness. Friendless and completely lacking in self-esteem, Davy pathetically latches onto Kimble when the latter breaks out of jail. Upon reaching Davy's hometown, Kimble is surprised to discover that his companion is from a wealthy family, whose members--except for his loyal mother (Glenda Farrell)--treat Davy with hostility and disdain. At the risk of his own freedom, Kimble endeavors to patch up the cracks in the Lambert family unit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide