Bill Raynor Movies

Much to his dismay, Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) must rely on the Dukes for protection when he is slated to testify against a racketeer in a Federal trial. With the blessings of FBI agent Pryor (R.G. Armstrong), Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) offers to hide Boss from the racketeers' hired gunmen, who have arrived in Hazzard County disguised as Bible salesmen in order to shut Hogg's yap permanently. Meanwhile, Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (James Best) basks in the glory of being totally in charge of Hazzard County for the first time since he turned crooked. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Veteran stock-car racer/designer and NASCAR champ Cale Yarborough appears as himself in this episode. The Duke boys (Tom Wopat, John Schneider) are thrilled when their idol Yarborough reveals his plans to test a new secret turbocharger in an upcoming race. Likewise thrilled, but for less savory reasons, is Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke), who promptly arrests the Dukes for breaking parole so that he'll be able to conspire with the crooked Jethro brothers (Tom McFadden, William Watson) to steal the turbocharger without any interference. This is the episode in which the lucky viewers are treated to the sight of not one, not two, but THREE "General Lee"s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Boss Hogg's bank has received $1,000,000 worth of old, frayed bills, which have been slated to be burned at the Federal Reserve. Not one to let such a golden opportunity slip through his finger, Boss (Sorrell Booke) conjures up a scheme to steal the million for himself, rob his own armored truck to collect the insurance, and frame the Duke boys (Tom Wopat), John Schneider) in the bargain! Without giving everything away, it can be noted that episode's closing gag is adroitly ripped off from the original 1960 version of Ocean's Eleven. Also, Rick Hurst makes his first appearance as soon-to-be deputy Cletus Hogg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Once again cooking up a fund-raising scheme for San Tanco, Sr. Bertrille wants to use the convent's kitchen facilities-plus a huge new oven-to make and distribute bread. As always, Carlos Ramirez gets mixed up in the scheme, and as expected, slapstick havoc ensues. Future MASH costar Jamie Farr appears as a policeman. First telecast on March 20, 1969, "Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters" was written by William Raynor and Myles Wilder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Written by William Raynor and Myles Wilder, "The Blood Line" opens as Luke Grayson (played by former B-western star Allan Lane) goes on a violent drunken rampage, forcing Ben Cartwright to shoot and kill the man. Grayson's son Todd (David Macklin), newly arrived from the East, swears vengeance against Ben and the entire Cartwright clan. The powerful supporting cast includes Jan Sterling as Dianna Jordan, Lee Van Cleef as Appling, Norman Leavitt as Bert, and science-fiction film habitue Thomas Browne Henry as Jenkins. "The Blood Line" was originally seen on December 31, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A handful of youthful rock & roll fans take on organized crime in this vintage rock musical. A rundown Dallas dance hall has been rented by a pack of high-school kids who've turned it into the Texas Hot Rock Club, where they host jam sessions and dance the bop to their favorite records. However, money has been tight for the teens, and after they fall two months behind in their rent, they get a warning from their landlord and a visit from some suspicious characters who make it clear they want to take over the place. The Hot Rock kids decide to hold a benefit to pay off the bills, and approach well-known rock & roll dancer Kay Lee (Kay Wheeler) to appear at the show. When Kay's lawyer hears about the club's troubles and the repeated (and increasingly menacing) appearances of some tough-talking thugs, he does some investigating and learns the prospective new tenants are actually gangsters setting up a wire operation with the Detroit mob. Produced on a shoestring budget with a mostly non-professional cast, Rock, Baby, Rock It has gained a passionate cult following among fans of '50s rock for the hot boppin' dance moves of the teenage cast and energetic musical performances by some great Texas acts, including frantic rockabilly rebel Johnny Carroll, R&B stompers Rosco Gordon and Preacher Smith and the Deacons, and up-tempo harmonies from the Belew Twins, the Five Stars, and Don Coates and the Bon Aires; also keep an eye peeled for Kay Wheeler's swinging dance number. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A must-see for students of 1950s pop culture, Rock, Pretty Baby was Universal-International's earliest acknowledgement of the rock 'n' roll craze. John Saxon plays 18-year-old high schooler Jimmy Daley, who intends to pursue a musical career despite the objections of his physician father (Edward C. Platt). Daley organizes a student band, then tries his best to obtain bookings. One of Jimmy's musical cohorts is none other than Rod McKuen, cast as one "Ox Bentley". Inevitably, the film comes to a noissome conclusion during a televised "bandstand" show, hosted by LA deejay Johnny Grant. The supporting cast of Rock, Pretty Baby runs the age gamut from teenaged Sal Mineo to veteran film favorite Fay Wray. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Killers from Space in this low-budget sci-fier are a group of aliens bent on conquering the earth. To this end, they overtake the mind and body of atomic scientist Peter Graves, using the poor man as a combination spy and saboteur. When Graves realizes this, he tries to warn mankind, but no one believes him. Marching defiantly back to the aliens' Bronson Canyon headquarters, where the slimy villains are busily syphoning off electrical power from a nearby generator, Graves vows to stop the extraterrestrials at any cost...including his own life (or what there's left of it). The makeup used for the aliens is laughable, but the film works so long as it concentrates on Graves' plight. Produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder, the brother of the more celebrated Billy Wilder, Killers from Space was distributed in the US by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Target Earth was adapted from Paul W. Fairman's short story Deadly City. Set in, of all places, Chicago, this sci-fier concentrates on four people who've congregated in the deserted city after a sudden and mysterious evacuation. The ill-matched foursome are Vicki Harris (Virginia Grey), a flashy, trashy blonde; Nora King (Kathleen Crowley), a young widow; Frank Brooks (Richard Denning), a handsome fellow with a questionable past; and Jim Wilson (Dick Reeves), a brutish transient. Though they don't get along at first, the four strangers are compelled to unite against a common enemy: an invading Venusian army, using huge robots to do their dirty work. Nothing spectacular, Target Earth works well within its modest limitations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A courageous Mountie and his trusty dog Chinook traverse the Northwest Territory, through blizzards and other travails in search of illegal trappers in this adventure. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A heretofore unexplored chapter in the saga of female western desperado Belle Starr is detailed in this fanciful sagebrusher. Keith Larsen plays the title character, a young man forced into a life of crime because of his mom's reputation and because he's been framed on a holdup charge. Hoping that he can eventually get the goods on the man who set him up, the "Kid" joins up with a corrupt sheriff (Myron Healey). Participating in a gold robbery, the "Kid" absconds with the money, intending to use it to finance the search for his betrayer. By the time he's caught up with the real crook, however, he has himself become a hardened criminal. There's a lesson in all this, somewhere. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Monogram's on-and-off "Northwest Mountie" series was on again with 1952's Northwest Territory. Ostensibly based on a James Oliver Curwood story, the film stars Kirby Grant as RCMP officer Rod Webb and Webb's dog Chinook as "himself." Left in charge of the grandson of a murdered prospector, Webb vows to bring in the killers. This he does, but not before encountering all sorts of perils in the Great North. The heroine is played by Gloria Saunders, an actress normally associated with such exotic roles as "The Dragon Lady" on the TV version of Terry and the Pirates. Star Kirby Grant would later achieve TV fame as the star of Sky King. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi