James Neilson Movies

This much-laundered adaptation of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer was first presented as a 90-minute TV special on March 23, 1973. Josh Albee is Tom, Jeff Tyler is Huckleberry Finn, Jane Wyatt is Aunt Polly and Buddy Ebsen is Muff Potter--all acceptable but antiseptic shadows of the Twain original. Only Vic Morrow, oozing venom from every orifice as Injun Joe, conveys the raw energy of the novel. The film was shot in Ontario, with the St. Lawrence river subbing for the Mississippi. Tom Sawyer was carefully scheduled to premiere several months in advance of the expensive Disney theatrical film version starring Johnny Whittaker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) goes undercover in hopes of smashing a particularly venal drug ring. He receives unexpected assistance from drug-addicted folksinger Kathy Royal, played by future General Hospital diva Leslie Charleson. Also in the cast is jazz musician-cum-actor Bobby Troup, who less than two weeks after this episode originally aired would emerge as a regular on another Jack Webb-produced series, Emergency! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In his second Adam-12 guest appearance, singer Trini Lopez plays Steve Hernandez, a compassionate parole officer. When Larry Ciprio (John Roper) a once-promising basketball player turned drug addict, violates his parole, Steve does everything he can to help the man get back on the right path. Assisting Lopez in this not inconsiderable task are police officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This week, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) try to stem an epidemic of reckless drag-racing in the streets of LA. Their hotheaded colleague Ed Wells (Gary Crosby) is all for locking up the culprits and throwing away the key, but Jim and Pete are of the opinion that the drivers' energy can be rerouted to the safer confines of a local race track. The multifaceted Dick Clark appears as a compassionate racing promoter in this episode, another of several Jack Webb productions produced with the endorsement of the National Hot Rod Association. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bernie Simmons (Charles Robbinson), onetime high school classmate of Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) has gone on the run after being accused of assault. While investigating the case, Ed is reunited with his former sweetheart Ann Garfield (Ann Garfield), now a lonely widow. Inevitably, the couple's romance is rekindled, putting Ed on the spot when it turns out that Ann knows more about Bernie than she's willing to admit. This episode was originally scheduled to air on November 16, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The initials in the title stand for "Law Enforcement Manpower Resources Allocation System"--or more simply, the LAPD computer system (the 1971 edition, that is). LEMRAS arranges for dedicated police officers like Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) to fill in the departmental manpower gaps whenever necessary. Tonight's case load includes a string of burglaries committed by a gang of elusive cyclists, an attempted kidnapping, and a hostage crisis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An attempted kidnapping and rape in a bad part of town is one of several tough cases on tonight's log for Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner). The two mobile cops also stumble upon a restaurant robbery in progress, which proves to be bad news for the robbers. They also follow up a report on a brutal child beating. The supporting cast includes popular nightclub entertainer Beatrice Kay, future soap opera diva Susan Seaforth Hayes, and Ronne Troup, the daughter of future Emergency! star Bobby Troup. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Veteran movie heavy (and prolific screenwriter) Leo Gordon guest stars as Jennings Thornton, a wealthy "police buff" who proves to be a pain in the neck for Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner). Not only is Thornton convinced that he is better a catching crooks than the police, but he also somehow manages to keep one step ahead of Jim and Pete as they answer their calls. Featured in the cast as Jenny Carson is Gordon's real-life wife Lynn Cartwright, a familiar presence in such B-pictures as Cry Baby Killer and Viking Women and the Sea Serpent. Also, watch for a young, pre-Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Pro wrestler H.B. "Hardboiled" Haggerty is but one of many colorful characters appearing in this episode. Summoned to break up a disturbance in a bar, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) end up trying to subdue a patricularly violent patron (Haggerty, of course)--who happens to be confined to a wheelchair. This incident does not, however, deter the two cops from conducting an ongoing robbery investigation. Also making cameo appearances are such reliable Hollywood character actors as Allen Jenkins, Stubby Kaye, Robert Emhardt and the unforgettable Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales (of whom Groucho Marx once quipped that it was the first time he'd ended up getting third billing after one person). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This evening's case log includes a family of grifters who have been cheating elderly residents out of their money with a phony house-repair racket. The scam comes to an abrupt end when Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) arrive on the scene. Elsewhere, the two patrol officers investigate an arson attempt, haul in a drunk driver, and contend with a well-meaning but bungling "Good Samaritan." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Another bomb threat occupies most of the time of Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) in this episode. The two mobile cops also contend with a group of grown men who get their jollies out of playing with dynamite (literally), and a vituperative lady drunk. The episode's title refers to a precocious 11-year-old boy (Stephen Hudis), whose photographic memory comes in handy as Jim and Pete pursue a burglary investigation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When one of his prisoners escapes, sadistic prison-wagon boss Price Buchanan (Denver Pyle) abducts Hoss Cartwright and forces him to take the missing convict's place. Facing five years at hard labor, Hoss formulates an escape plan with another railroaded prisoner, Madge Tucker (Salome Jens). Others in the cast included George Murdock as Stuart Getty, Jonathan Lippe as Kyte, Lee Jay Lambert as Jase, Stuart Randall as Sheriff Brody, and Bob Vanselow as Fred Quinn. Written by Ken Pettus, "The Wagon" originally aired on October 5, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Three teenage boys yearn for their first sexual experience in The First Time. Kenny (Wes Stern) is sent to Buffalo for the summer to visit his grandmother. Terminally bored, he writes letters back home to his friends telling them what a good time he is having. Of particular interest is a bordello called Rosie's across the Canadian border. Kenny had overheard the conversation of two men describing Rosie's and his imagination runs wild in one of his letters. Soon his pals Mike (Rick Kelman) and Tommy (Wink Roberts) arrive on their way to camp wanting Kenny to show them the famed bordello. The trio drive around until Kenny identifies an abandoned Canadian warehouse as Rosie's. They meet Anna (Jacqueline Bisset), and believe since she has no passport, she must be a prostitute. The four go back to the U.S. where they check into a motel reserved by Mike and Tommy. Comedy ensues when the inexperienced young men are reduced to behaving like scared little boys when they realize they are not ready to take the plunge. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi