Leslie Martinson Movies

The worst has happened: The United States has been invaded and occupied by an unfriendly foreign power. At least, that is what the IMF wants American turncoat Whitmore Channing (Kevin McCarthy) to believe. The purpose of this charade is to prevent Channing from handing over top secret information to the Enemy. The real fun in this episode lies in watching guest star Kevin McCarthy undergo the same paranoia he earlier exhibited in the classic sci-fi film Invasion of the Body Snatchers) (1971). First telecast on November 13, 1971, "Invasion" was written by James L. Henderson and Sam Roeca. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Raquel Welch breaks the surly bonds of Earth and loves every minute of it in this lighthearted spy spoof. Fathom Harvill (Welch) is an American skydiver touring Europe with a U.S. parachute team when she's approached by Douglas Campbell (Ronald Fraser), a Scottish agent working with American intelligence. According to Campbell, a triggering mechanism for nuclear weapons has gone missing in the Mediterranean, and Douglas wants Fathom to help find it. After encountering Chinese operative Peter Merriweather (Anthony Franciosa), Fathom discovers that Campbell is actually a private eye and that she's been tricked into helping him snag some jewelry. But what's the whole truth, and whose side is Fathom supposed to be on? ~ Rovi

While on a plane, a bomb is located in a businessman's luggage. ~ All Movie Guide

In this beach movie, a group of teenagers hang out at the Silver Palms everyday after school. Because things can get quite raucous in the club, the protagonist's grandfather wants to shut it down. When the clever kids discover that grandpa used to be a bootlegger, they blackmail him into keeping it open. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A group of wildcatting oil drillers battle an Oklahoma oil baron for the rights of a potentially high yield field. The roughnecks fight on the job and in the saloons while hoping for the big gusher that will make them all rich. A catastrophic accident threatens to wipe out the hard work of the speculators. Their progress is monitored by the local oil magnate who waits for the right time to step in and take credit for the potentially big discovery. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Bart (Jack Kelly) is determined to force George Parker (Alan Hewitt), the crooked town boss of Parkersville, to repay an outstanding gambling debt. Hoping to get rid of his nemesis without getting his own hands dirty, Parker prevails upon the notorious gunslinger Doc Holliday (Peter Breck, making his first appearance in this role) to kill Bart. But Holliday turns out to have an agenda of his own: He takes out a huge life insurance policy on Mr. Maverick--knowing full well that Parker owns the insurance company. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When the Army pulls out of a frontier fort, Chief Running Horse (Paul Clarke) and his braves kill off the "leftovers" and move in. Unbeknownst to the Chief, there are three survivors still lurking about: Sgt. Baines (James Westerfield), Cpl. Daggott (Ted Otis) and Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly). After delivering a poignant speech lamenting the necessity of playing the hero so he can go on living as a coward, Bart tries the old "Beau Geste" strategy of fooling the Indians into thinking that the fort is still heavily guarded...but Running Horse may already be wise to his ruse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Wayde Preston took a break from his starring duties on the Warner Bros. western series Colt. 45 for a guest stint in this episode of Maverick. Preston is cast as Waco Williams, a trigger-happy gent who manages to get into trouble even when he goes out of the way to avoid it. Riding into Bent City with Waco at his side, Bret (James Garner) soon finds himself in the middle of a range war between cattlemen and homesteaders. Though Bret tries to broker a peace between the two warring factions, his efforts are scuttled by the troublesome Waco, who in addition to his other shortcomings happens to be an outlaw with a price on his head. Future Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher does an ingenue turn in this episode, which earned Maverick its highest-ever ratings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In another of scriptwriter Marion Hargrove's "westernizations" of classic literary material, this episode is based on 18th century British playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan's drawing-room comedy "The Rivals". In the original 1775 play, two young men, Jack Absolute and Ensign Beverly, exchange identities so that the wealthier Jack can win the heart of heroine Lydia Languish, who would otherwise reject him because of his wealth. In the Maverick version, Bret Maverick (James Garner is the "Beverly" counterpart, trading places with British playboy Jack Vandergelt (played by future Maverick costar Roger Moore), who pines for the beautiful Lydia Linley (Pat Crowley). The supporting cast includes Neil Hamilton (Batman's "Commissioner Gordon") as Jack's irascible father, who shows up at precisely the wrong time; Barbara Jo Allen (aka "Vera Vague" of radio fame) as language-mangling Mrs. Mallaver, the Maverick equivalent of the original play's imperishable Mrs. Malaprop; and Dan Tobin as Mrs. Mallaver's would-be suitor Lucius Benson ("Lucius O'Trigger" in the Sheridan play). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The fourth season of Maverick gets under way minus the series' popular star James Garner, who'd vacated the role of frontier gambler Bret Maverick after a contract dispute with Warner Bros.. Garner's costar Jack Kelly is still on hand as Bret's brother Bart Maverick, along with a newcomer to these parts: future "James Bond" Roger Moore in the role of Bart's British cousin Beau Maverick, the "white sheep" of the Maverick clan. No sooner has Beau arrived in the American West than he agrees--for a price, of course--to pose as Freddie Bogner (Robert Casper, scion of a wealthy and aristocratic European family. But the $4000 that Beau is to collect for this assignment may not be worth the danger involved when he is kidnapped by an ill-tempered gent with a long-standing grudge against the real Freddie. Featured in the cast is Max Baer Jr., still two years away from TV immortality as Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flamboyant character actor Hans Conried delivers a surprisingly low-key performance as Homer Eakins, the black sheep of a prominent family. Hoping to claim his share of his clan's estate, Homer asks Bret to impersonate him and pay a visit to wealthy General Eakins (Will Wright). Thoroughly convinced that Bret is Homer, the Colonel takes a liking to him, much to the dismay of Eakins' greedy relatives. Before long, the heirs to the Eakins fortune are being bumped off one by one, and Bret finds himself a murder suspect...and the most likely next victim. This episode is narrated by Bret's brother Bart (Jack Kelly), who otherwise does not appear. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Arriving in a cattle town, Bret (James Garner) is bullied by a pair of cowboys, who then proceed to kill the town's marshal. A powerful rancher who intends to take over the town through violence and intimidation is being both the bullying and the killing. Fearlessly, Bret sets about to thwart the rancher--by standing aside and persuading the townsfolk to do something about the situation. Of course, Bret does ultimately take a hand in things himself, albeit with the considerable input of a somewhat more courageous newspaperman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi