Leslie Martinson Movies
Boston born and bred, onetime newspaper journalist Leslie H. Martinson settled down in Hollywood in 1936, accepting a long-term job as an MGM script clerk. He eased into directing with a handful of inexpensive TV western series in the early 1950s, then made his big-screen directorial bow in Republic's The Atomic Kid, a lumpy Mickey Rooney vehicle. Most of Martinson's subsequent features were equally second-rate, though not all were treated as such by distributors. The director's PT 109 (1963), Batman (1966) and Fathom (1967), low-budgeters all, were promoted as "A" features on the basis of their topicality (John F. Kennedy was still in the White House when PT 109 was released), trendiness (Batman was the hottest TV series of 1966) and star power (Fathom had Raquel Welch; enough said). Martinson's final theatrical film was Mrs. Pollifax: Spy (1971), which also served as the cinematic swan song of Rosalind Russell. Thereafter, Leslie H. Martinson became one of the busiest TV-movie purveyors, directing such small-screen esoterica as Rescue From Gilligan's Island (1978) and the Gary Coleman vehicles The Kid With the Broken Halo (1982) and The Kid With the 200 IQ (1983). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1989
The tranquil jungle life of the Mallory family is placed in jeopardy when a rebellious clan causes unrest. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1987
Television star Gary Coleman gives the kids a lesson on how to live and play safely in their neighborhoods. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- 1984
The made-for-TV Fantastic World of D.C. Collins is curiously not a pilot film, despite the presence of the principal character's name in the title. D. C. Collins (played by Gary Coleman) is the son of a U.S. diplomat. His own life is deadly dull, so D.C. escapes into fantasy. At various junctures, he imagines himself to be space traveller Dwight Cloudclimber and archaeologist Alabama Smith (these character names are a tip-off to the film's level of wit). Collins gets a chance to act out his fantasies when he becomes embroiled in a real-life adventure involving stolen documents. The eclectic supporting cast includes Jason Bateman, Michael Ansara, and George Gobel! Fantastic World of D.C. Collins premiered February 10, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
Nick Newell (Gary Coleman) doesn't like being called a "genius," but the word certainly fits. The 13-year-old is starting as a freshman at Brighton University, and he's excited to be in a class taught by his idol, famous astronomer Jason Mills (Robert Guillaume). He gets along great with his roommate, Steve (Dean Butler), and gains the friendship of a pretty co-ed named Julie (Kari Michaelsen). Unfortunately, Nick's brain power doesn't prepare him for the problems that arise from being younger than everyone else on campus. Anxious to make a good impression on Professor Mills, Nick tries too hard and only embarrassess himself, plus his grades are slipping for the first time in his life. Nick also develops a massive crush on Julie, who considers him more of a younger brother than a love interest. When Julie and Steve become interested in each other and Professor Mills criticizes an extra-credit project, Nick despairs and decides to take a bus back home. He's surprised to find out how much he's loved, though, when his friends follow and beg him to return. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi
- 1982
Gary Coleman stars as a teen-age angel who must return to Earth to help out three troubled families in order to earn his wings. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1980
A drug-dealing lawyer is murdered by mobsters, who go to great lengths to make his death look like an accident. When this fails, the killers blackmail the son of Dr. Gilbert Moore (Harry Townes) in order to force Moore to "rig" the autopsy of the dead man. Needless to say, the beleagured doctor is an old and trusted colleague of medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman), who ends up putting in a lot of overtime to save Moore from disgracing himself and to bring the murderers to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Eleven years after the network cancellation of Gilligan's Island, the crew and passengers of the ill-fated S. S. Minnow returned to the small screen in Rescue from Gilligan's Island. The cast remains the same, with one significant change. Bob Denver plays inveterate bumbler Gilligan, Alan Hale is the long-suffering Skipper, Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer are the fabulously wealthy Mr. and Mrs. Thurston Howell III, Russell Johnson is the resourceful Professor, and Dawn Wells, as perky as ever, is Mary Ann. Tina Louise wanted no part of any Gilligan's Island reunion, so her role-perennial starlet Ginger Grant-is filled by Judith Baldwyn. The premise: a huge tidal wave transports the seven castaways back to civilization. While they're thrilled to be back in the real world, none of the seven are able to adjust to life outside the island....least of all Gilligan, who on top of all his other problems must contend with a pair of enemy agents (Vincent Schiavelli and Art LeFleur). Conceived as a two-hour pilot film for a weekly revival that never materialized, Rescue from Gilligan's Island was originally telecast in two ratings-grabbing 60 minute installments, shown on October 14 and 21, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Cruise Missile takes its time getting to its much-anticipated climax, but by and large it's worth the wait. Peter Graves heads a special task force, assigned to literally save the world. A wacko has gotten hold of a nuclear cruise missile, and has threatened to touch off World War 3. What possible benefit this will have for the villain is never completely explained; it's enough that it provides a consistent level of suspense. Curt Jurgens and Michael Dante costar in this apocalyptic nailbiter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
- PG
Filmed on location, Escape from Angola stars Stan Brock as a courageous game farmer. Armed with little more than good intentions, Brock endeavors to rescue African wildlife from predatory humans. He also has his hands full rescuing himself from political terrorists. Anne Cowlings costars, while veteran movie producer Ivan Tors makes his acting debut as "Lars" (in fact, the whole Tors family shows up on screen!) Escape from Angola was also released as Return to Africa. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Return of Charlie Chan was subtitled Happiness is a Warm Clue, which should be warning enough for the discriminating viewer. Ross Martin, the disguise-happy "Artemus Gordon" of The Wild Wild West, here plays Earl Derr Biggers' scrupulously polite Chinese sleuth. Chan is dragged out of retirement to solve a baffling case, made less baffling by the guest star line-up (the killer all but wears a neon sign reading "IT'S ME!"). The victim is a possessive Greek shipping tycoon, who isn't named Onassis but you can't fool us. Rocky Gunn, Virginia Lee, Soon Teck-Oh and Ernest Harada are among the many actors playing Charlie's offspring, none of them any brighter than the "Number One" and "Number Two" sons in the old Charlie Chan B pictures. Return of Charlie Chan was the pilot film for a projected "Chan" TV series, but it was shelved due to pressure-group complaints over the casting of a Caucasian in the lead. The film was released theatrically in Europe in 1973, but didn't make it to American television until 1979. No pressure groups complained this time, mainly because no one was watching. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Elizabeth Ashley, whose guest-star turn as a pathetic alcoholic on the sixth-season Mission:Impossible episode "Encounter" won her the praise of critics and viewers alike, again tackles a difficult and demanding role in the seventh-season entry "The Question." This time, Ashley is cast as IMF agent Andrea, who poses as an operative of the "Federal Intelligence Service" to find out if alleged defector Nicholas Varsi (Gary Lockwood) is telling the truth to his Federal captors. George O'Hanlon, best known to TV fans as the voice of cartoon favorite George Jetson, appears as Captain Douglas. First broadcast on January 19, 1973, "The Question" was written by Stephen Kandel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1973
Laraine Stephens guest-stars as Eve Vayle, who masterminds the death of her mobster husband Johnny (Charlie Guardino) in order to steal the records of Syndicate boss Stanley Luchek (Ronald Feinberg). Though forced to hide from the mob, Eve hopes to eventually extort millions of dollars from Luchek and his family. In order to put both Eve and Luchek out of business, the IMF relies on one of its most time-honored ploys: The recreation of a dead man, fingerprints and all. Written by Howard Browne, "Boomerang" was originally telecast on January 12, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1973
Art thief Van Cleve (Ed Nelson) steals $5 million worth of priceless pre-Columbian artifacts. To determine the hiding place of the precious booty, the IMF hatch a scheme whereby Van Cleve becomes convinced that he has precognitive powers. Essential to the mission's success is an outsized simulated earthquake. Originally telecast on March 2, 1973, "The Western" was written by Arnold Peyser and Lois Peyser. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1973
Somewhat reminiscent of the 1965 film The Satan Bug, And Millions Will Die is a thriller based upon the premise of germ warfare. A lunatic plans to extort millions of dollars by threatening to unleash a deadly nerve gas upon the citizens of Hong Kong. He prepares to make good his threat--but then dies before he can reveal the underground location whence the gas will be released. Richard Basehart, the villain in Satan Bug, switches sides to play frenzied scientist who races against time to unearth the lethal gas in And Millions Will Die. Given its foolproof premise, the film is disappointedly bereft of suspense, though the Hong Kong scenery is lovely. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
"Leona" was the name of the late wife of Syndicate chieftan Joe Epic (Robert Goulet). In order to rescue a captured undercover agent, the IMF must force a schism in the new partnership between Epic and his former gangland rival Mike Apollo (Mike Apollo). The Mission: to convince Epic that Apollo was responsible for Leona's murder --- after having a torrid affair with the unfortunate woman. Written by Howard Brown, "Leona" made its network TV debut on October 7, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
In a reversal of the situation in the sixth-season episode "Encore," in which a gangster was persuaded that he had gone back in time from 1971 to 1937, the IMF must jump forward some 27 years in the seventh-season Mission:Impossible entry "Two Thousand." Vic Morrow guest-stars as master thief Joseph Collins, who has stolen 50 kg of plutonium. To find out where Collins has stashed the deadly material, the IMF contrives to convince Collins that he has been in hibernation until the year 2000 --- and that a nuclear holocaust has tranformed the US into a police state. Most of this episode was filmed on location in the ruins of a hospital leveled by the California earthquake of February 1971. Written by Harold Livingston, "Two Thousand" first aired on September 23, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
Syndicate boss Charles Rogan (Robert Webber) has salted away $5,000,000 in order to finance a mob-benefiting political coup in the Carribean nation of Camagua. Commandeering a Navy patrol boat, the IMF stages a characteristically elaborate scam (including the "murder" of agent Barney) in order to locate the key to Rogan's hidden millions. Barbara Anderson makes her second appearance as temporary IMF agent Mimi Davis. Originally telecast on September 30, 1972, "The Deal" was scripted by George F. Slavin and Stephen Kandel, from a story by Slavin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
Scripted by Rick Husky from a story by Sam Roeca, "Trapped" is a radical departure from the usual Mission:Impossible format. Things start traditionally enough, as the IMF sets about to recover an $8 million army payroll from a family of smugglers: Joe, Arthur and Doug Stafford (Tom Tully, Jon Cypher, and Bert Convy). But the odds change dramatically when Phelps is hit on the head and loses his memory--then wanders straight into a trap set by the crooks. "Trapped" first aired on February 26, 1972, as the final episode of Mission:Impossible's sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
Although crooked private eye Larry Edison (Bradford Dillman) has been thrown into prison, he still wields a great deal of power over Syndicate boss Vincent Vochek (Robert Ellenstein). Edison has in his possession a roll of film proving Vochek's involvement in a recent murder. The IMF hopes to get its hands on the film and turn it over to the Feds, and this requires a massive--but phony--prison break. First broadcast on January 8, 1972, "Stone Pillow" was written by Howard Browne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1971
The alternate title for this TV pilot film is the more appropriate The Scavengers. Peter Deuel and Clintin Greyn play two soldiers of fortune who work outside the law in order to reclaim stolen goods for their rightful owners. The stolen item in this case is a jet plane, swiped by a Latin American dictator. This plotline resulted in a second alternate title, How to Steal an Airplane. Only One Day Left Before Tomorrow was scheduled to premiere over NBC on December 10, 1972, but was preempted by a Bing Crosby special and thus went straight to syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
James Shigeta guest stars as Toshhio Watari (James Shigeta), a famous Japanese kabuki dancer now confined to a wheelchair as the result of an accident. When several attempts are made on Tosshio's life for no apparent reason, his son Tsutomu (played by former Star Trek) regular George Takei) summons the aid of his dad's old friend--and fellow paraplegic--Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr). Most of this episode was filmed on location in Tokyo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Shot during a jewelry-store holdup, Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) owes his life to a man (Michael Callan) who rushed to his aid--and then disappeared into the crowd. It soon develops that the good samaritan is actually an AWOL Vietnam veteran who may or may not have killed a comrade in arms. Convinced that the soldier is blameless, Ed puts his life on the line--again--to clear the man's name. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Crusty Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) exhibits the warmer side of his personality when his foster daughter Chong Lee (Miko Mayama) arrives from Korea. The girl announces her plans to marry Korean youth Kwangsoo Yung (Soon-Teck Oh), and asks the Chief to stand up at her wedding. But Ironside suspects that Chong Lee's cash-poor fiance is not the fine, upstanding boy that she thinks he is--and that he may in fact be inextricably linked to a recent robbery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Rosalind Russell plays Mrs. Pollifax in this film, thus joining together a well-loved movie star and a well-loved fictional spy. Based on Dorothy Gillman's novel The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, the story concerns a widow who, feeling she has nothing much to lose, volunteers her services to the CIA saying "I am ready to die for my country." The CIA does not leap at this curious offer, but she is persistent, and eventually she is picked to play the role of tourist, accompanied and protected by a "real" CIA agent (Darren McGavin). The purpose of her trip is to pick up some much-sought-after microfilm. When she and her protector are captured and taken to Albania, her charm and wits save the day. This is one of Rosalind Russell's final films and not a well-regarded one. However, she must have wanted to do it very much, as she wrote the screenplay (under the penname C. A. McKnight). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1971
Rosalind Russell plays Mrs. Pollifax in this film, thus joining together a well-loved movie star and a well-loved fictional spy. Based on Dorothy Gillman's novel The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, the story concerns a widow who, feeling she has nothing much to lose, volunteers her services to the CIA saying "I am ready to die for my country." The CIA does not leap at this curious offer, but she is persistent, and eventually she is picked to play the role of tourist, accompanied and protected by a "real" CIA agent (Darren McGavin). The purpose of her trip is to pick up some much-sought-after microfilm. When she and her protector are captured and taken to Albania, her charm and wits save the day. This is one of Rosalind Russell's final films and not a well-regarded one. However, she must have wanted to do it very much, as she wrote the screenplay (under the penname C. A. McKnight). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
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