Don Medford Movies
- 1967
The F.B.I. begins its third season as Federal Inspector Lew Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) enters a poker game where the stakes are literally life and death. Working undercover, Erskine is playing with several high-ranking Mafia officers. His purpose: to prevent the assassination of mob chieftan Paul Nichols (Larry Gates)--and also to keep the unknown assassin from killing everyone else in the game! With this episode, William Reynolds becomes a regular as Special Agent Tom Colby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
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
- 1967
Originally telecast from 1963 to 1967, the classic TV series The Fugitive starred David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble. Wrongly convicted of his wife's murder, Kimble manages to escape while en route to Death Row. Given a second chance to prove his innocence, he begins a dogged pursuit of the One-Armed Man (Bill Raisch) who actually committed the crime--and, in turn, is pursued by relentless police lieutenant Gerard (Barry Morse). This video consists of the final two Fugitive episodes: "The Judgment" and "Final Judgment." When it is announced that the elusive One-Armed Man has been captured in Los Angeles, Kimble comes out of hiding to identify the man. What Kimble doesn't know is that the announcement is part of a trap laid by the cunning Lt. Gerard, who still intends to deliver his quarry to Death Row. When originally telecast August 29, 1967, "Final Judgement" drew a 72 percent share of the audience--a ratings record that remained unchallenged until the "Who Shot J.R." episode of Dallas on November 21, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) steps up his search for kidnap victim Bob Griswold (Dave Macklin). Meanwhile, Bob's ex-convict father Max (Arthur Hill) reluctantly launches the final stage of an elaborate robbery that will net the kidnapper a cool three million dollars. A wild seagoing chase caps this nail-biting suspenser. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
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
- 1966
During a flight from New York to Seattle, a passenger identifying himself as Ernest Putnam (Arthur Hill) hijacks the plane and demands to be flown to Manchuria. Inspector Erskine learns that "Putnam" is actually a scientist named Charles King, and that he is in possession of vital government information that must not fall into the hands of the Red Chinese. In a desperate effort to stop King and rescue the passengers, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) tries to intercept the plane during a refueling stopover in Alaska--but the situation is far from resolved! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
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
- 1966
Now posing as "Ed Sanders", Kimble (David Janssen) shows up at an electronics demonstration being held in a shopping mall, where he witnesses security guard Pete Dawes (Howard Da Silva) gunning down a teenage thief. Now Kimble must save an innocent man from being accused of the shooting--but he dares not make a move out of the mall for fear of being arrested. Caught in the middle of this dilemma is camera-store employee Marcia (Lois Nettleton), who has offered to provide Kimble a safe harbor from the authorities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
The FBI investigates a possible case of sabotage when a chemical plant is blown up. What Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) doesn't realize is that the "saboteur", research chemist Roger Mason (Bradford Dillman), was driven by neither politics or monetary gain, but by mental illness. A schizophrenic, Mason has cracked under the pressures of both his job and his home life--and worse, he has no idea of why he's behaving so monstrously, nor where he plans to strike next! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Beau Bridges guest stars as a wounded young man who stumbles into the Justice Department Building in Virginia, carrying half a million dollars in stolen cash. Awakening from a brief coma, the boy can remember nothing about what has happened to him nor how he came into possession of the loot. Though they suspect that "John Doe" is a thief and a possible killer, the Feds go through an elaborate charade of alerting the public that they are holding the money for its rightful owner. Predictably, the FBI offices are swamped with dozens of phony claimants--including two shady-looking gentleman who are determined to silence "John Doe" permanently! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
This film is essentially the original pilot for the popular 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It was expanded to 92 minutes and shot in color for theatrical release. Robert Vaughn plays the master spy and adept action hero Napoleon Solo. He works for a shadowy supra-governmental enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E. His partner is the suave Russian secret agent Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). In this pilot, a sinister organization called W.A.S.P. assassinates the president of an African republic and his assistants. Solo is enlisted to stop W.A.S.P.'s plans to take over the country and turn it into a dictatorship. The plot and action proceed at lightning speed against the backdrop of a brewing Cold War superpower confrontation. Through a series of mishaps, a housewife, Elaine May Donaldson (Pat Crowley) is dragged into the fight and helps Solo thwart the coup attempt. Also released as a film in 1966 was another expanded episode from the TV series, The Spy with My Face. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Vaughn, Luciana Paluzzi, (more)
- 1965
The FCC alerts Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) when several radio operators begin receiving strange, cryptic messages. Meanwhile, a deranged man named Joseph Walker (played by a young Robert Duvall) formulates a plan to destroy a new guided missile known as "Thor", which is slated to be delivered from an Arizona silo to a California launching site. It turns out that those bizarre radio signals are actually clues being provided by Walker in a perverse game of "catch me if you can"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Receiving a tip from a reliable source in St. Louis, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) dispatches his agents to arrest Harry Castle (John Milford) for passing over $500,000 in forged checks. Before long, however, Erskine begins to suspect that Castle is innocent--even though the tip was provided by an old friend of the Inspector. Meanwhile, the relationship between Erskine and his girlfriend Joanna (Lee Meriwether) reaches another impasse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
George Savano (Edward Binns), an auto-parts dealer with mob connections, hires a new employee named Chris Benson--who, of course, is really fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen). When his sister Stella Savano (Diana Hyland) shows signs of being attracted to Kimble, the fiercely protective George warns Kimble to lay off or else. What George doesn't know is that Stella has already had a torrid affair with another employee, Jesse Strangl (Joseph Campanella), which resulted in an illegitimate baby. To prevent George from killing Jesse should he ever learn the truth, the delusional Stella convinces herself that Kimble is the father of her child. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
When a wealthy man is found shot to death on a luxury liner, the ship's captain places Roger York (Skip Young), the victim's millionaire stepson, under arrest. But despite his suspicious behavior, is York the guilty party--and indeed, has a murder actually been committed? Investigating the case, FBI agent Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) must also confront a few of his own personal demons. Douglas Henderson appears in this episode as Special Agent Bryan Durant, a role later taken over on a recurring basis by Dean Harens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) receives a frantic call from Joe Cloud (Alejandro Rey), an Apache Indian who served under Erskine in Korea. Having returned to his reservation to find a man trying to rape his wife, Cloud has killed the attacker and taken it on the lam. Since the murder occurred on Federal property, Erskine has no choice but to hunt down and capture Cloud--all the while taking extraordinary precautions to make certain that the fugitive does no further harm, either to others or himself. Robert Blake makes his first of several F.B.I. guest appearances as Joe Cloud's brother Pete. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
The FBI swoops down when saboteur Maury Maddock (Mark Richman) attempts to blow up a Government warehouse full of supplies headed for Vietnam. Complicating the Feds' efforts is the curious behavior of Maury's fiercely loyal Japanese-born wife Akiko (Miiko Taka), who is totally unaware of her husband's criminal activities. Jason Evers appears as Special Agent Allen Bennett, a role later played on a recurring basis by Lew Brown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Forced into retirement, disgruntled truck driver Harold K. "Smitty" Smith (Arthur O'Connell) decides to get even with his employers. Assisted by two old friends, Smitty hijacks one of the company's trucks. It was supposed to have been a harmless gesture, but things become dangerous for Smitty when it turns out that the stolen vehicle contains a $500,000 shipment of furs--making him not only a fugitive from the FBI but also from some nasty professional thieves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
First telecast September 22, 1964, as the opening episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., "The Vulcan Affair" is actually the heavily retooled pilot episode for Solo, the series' working title. Hoping to foil an assassination plot against African leader Ashumen (William Marshall), UNCLE agent Napoleon Solo targets the supposed brains behind the scheme, an international industrialist named Andrew Vulcan (Fritz Weaver), head of a cartel in cahoots with sinister counterespionage organization THRUSH. Solo enlists the aid of Vulcan's former girlfriend, a "typical" American housewife named Elaine May Donaldson (Patricia Crowley). It turns out that the assassination scheme is a lot more complex than originally assumed -- and that the real target may not be Ashumen at all. Also in the cast is Ivan Dixon as the black leader's trusted aide Soumarin. Written by series producer Sam Rolfe, "The Vulcan Affair" was filmed in color, but telecast in black-and-white to conform with the rest of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. installments produced for the series' first season. In 1966, this episode was released theatrically by MGM as To Trap a Spy, its 60-minute running time expanded to 92 minutes with footage from another episode, "The Four Steps Affair." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
At great personal risk, Kimble returns to Fairgreen, Indiana, the home town of his late wife Helen. Having heard that his father-in-law Ed Waverly (Lloyd Gough) is on the verge of bankruptcy, Kimble hopes to somehow offer a helping hand. Though both Ed and his daughter Terry (Louise Sorel) have always believed that Kimble is innocent of Helen's murder, they are overruled by Ed's neurotic wife Edith (Ruth White), who refuses to accept any story but the "official" one about Kimble's guilt. Ultimately recognized by a local cop, Kimble must place his life in the hands of Ed and Terry--and somehow force Edith to face some very unpleasant truths about her "sainted" daughter Helen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Telly Savalas makes a return guest appearance to The Fugitive, this time in the role of Victor Leonetti. Having always held Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) responsible for the death of his child, Leonetti takes vindictive delight in recognizing the fugitive Kimble posing as hospital orderly "Harry Reynolds." When Kimble is wounded in a shootout and placed in the hospital emergency ward, Leonetti is certain that at last he has his old "enemy" just where he wants him...until... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Landing on a distant planet, astronauts Paul Ross (Jack Klugman), Ted Mason (Ross Martin) and Mike Carter (Frederick Beir) believe that they're the first earthlings to arrive on this unchartered world. At least, they assume that this is true until they come upon the wreckage of an American spaceship. Investigating, they find the bodies of three space travellers. This is disconcerting enough, but what really makes the astronauts' hair stand on end is the fact that the three dead men look exactly like Ross, Mason and Carter. Adapted by Richard Matheson from his own short story, "Death Ship" made its Twilight Zone premiere on February 7, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Klugman, Ross Martin, (more)
- 1961
After stealing a million dollars from the burning ocean liner "Morro Castle", Cuban thief Valentine Ferrar is pursued by by both Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) and underworld "judge" Foley (Richard Devon). Seeking a means of escape without detective, Ferrar answers a classified ad from widow Lucy Wagnall (Joan Blondell), who is seeking a driver for her annual cross-country trip to celebrate her wedding anniversary. Things take a macabre, Hitchcock-like turn when Mrs. Wagnall reveals that she has plans of her own for the unwitting Ferrar--leading to a fateful rendezvous between the duplicitous widow and the sinister Foley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Fully aware that the flower shop owned by Nick Acropolis (Lee Marvin in his first Untouchables appearance) is actually a front for a huge bookmaking operation, Elliot Ness has a tap put on Nick's telephone line. While eavesdropping on Acropolis, Ness' assistant Rossi (Nick Georgiade) overhears the murder of a bookie, a reckless act committed by Nick's deranged brother-in-law Frankie (Johnny Seven). Unable to kill Frankie in retaliation for fear of alienating his wife Stella (Contance Ford), Nick arranges for someone else to make the "hit". . .the first of several tactical blunders resulting in Nick being forced to take on a treacherous new partner, leading to an unpleasantly sticky showdown. This episode was originally titled "The Nick Metropolous Story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
