Byron Paul Movies

Adapted by Larry Gelbart from the novel by Avery Corman, the film stars John Denver as Jerry Landers, the assistant manager of a grocery store who is chosen by God (George Burns) to spread the Word to the rest of the world. Not surprisingly, Jerry is soon labelled a basket case: even his loving wife Bobbie (Teri Garr) doubts her husband's sanity. But there's enough evidence on Jerry's side for a panel of prominent clerics to demand that the hapless fellow prove in court that he's the agent of God. Donald Pleasence was supposed to have an extended supporting role in the film, but the first cut ran too long, and Pleasence's dialogue was eliminated -- but not Pleasence himself, who retains his prominent billing and is seen doing precisely nothing in several scenes. Netting $30 million on its first run, Oh God was followed by two lesser sequels, both featuring Burns. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dick Van Dyke stars as U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Robinson Crusoe in one of Disney's weakest comedies. Like in the Daniel Defoe story, Crusoe finds himself alone on a deserted island, but this time he arrives there after ejecting from his disabled plane on a mission in the South Pacific. He befriends a chimp who is part of the space program and long thought to be lost at sea. Soon he meets his girl Wednesday (Nancy Kwan), and the duo is chased by her tribal chieftain father (Akim Tamiroff) who wants his daughter to marry Crusoe. Only the popularity of Dick Van Dyke from his television show and his wonderful performance in Mary Poppins could attribute for the $8 million this misfire brought in at the box office. The highlights of the feature are the special effects. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Martin (Ray Walston) is no longer able to move objects at will; his levitation finger has gone haywire thanks to overexposure to solar rays (or in other words, the finger has a sunburn!) When things begin levitating out of control around the house, a worried Mrs. Brown (Pamela Britton) brings in paranormal investigator Professor Clemmons (Vaughn Taylor). The presence of Clemmens makes it difficult if not impossible for Martin to cure himself before his problem becomes permanent! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Martin's metabolism is adversely affected by a splinter in his finger: now everything he touches disappears. Even worse, Martin (Ray Walston) has lost his identity disk, which contains all of his personal information. As her furniture vanishes item by item, Mrs. Brown (Pamela Britton) is convinced that she is being systematically robbed, and summons Detective Brennan (Alan Hewitt)--who stumbles upon the precious ID disk! An amusing "turnaround" caps this hectic episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hanley (Rick Jason) is ordered to take three of his men on a mission into German territory to rescue Hoby Jabko (Howard Duff), a commander of the 465th Bombing Wing. Forced to parachute out of his crippled plane, the wounded Jabko is being hidden in a French farmhouse by the Resistance. Though help is on the way, Jabko is reluctant to leave his new sweetheart, farm girl Denise (Maria Machado). But circumstances will forever alter cases--especially when the Resistance fighters discover that there's a traitor in their midst. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Twice every year, wealthy mountaineer Shep Montrose (Roy Barcroft) invades a small town, throws money in every direction, and wreaks havoc upon the townsfolk and their property. The locals like the fact that Shep is so generous, but they're tired of cleaning up the damage he leaves in his wake. With Shep scheduled to make another of his calamitous weekend visit, Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to curb the mountain man's predilection for violence--if he can survive the assignment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi