Hal Smith Movies
Character actor Hal Smith (born Harold John Smith) cut his acting teeth in various touring road companies. Before serving in the Air Force during World War II, he had amassed impressive credits as a band singer, radio disc jockey, and writer. In the postwar years, he decided to try his luck in Hollywood, although holding down a real-estate job so he'd have a financial cushion between acting jobs. His first recurring TV role was on the vintage sitcom I Married Joan (1952-53). (It was a different actor who appeared in the bit role of Anne Baxter's suitor in O. Henry's Full House [1952].) He spent most of the '50s playing guest stints and providing voice-overs for cartoon characters, and was briefly Hal the Bartender, a commercial spokesman for a popular brand of beer. In 1960, he was signed for the semi-regular role of town drunk Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show, essaying this hilarious (if politically incorrect) characterization with expertise, although he often insisted, "I don't think I've ever really been drunk in my whole life." Since Otis did not appear in every Griffith episode, Smith had time aplenty to free-lance, playing such film roles as a drunken Santa in Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960) and an effeminate Roman emperor in The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962), and supplying voices for such cartoon programs as Davey and Goliath and The Flintstones. By 1962, he was making 50,000 dollars per year, a tidy sum in those days. During the 1970s and '80s, Smith was most closely associated with Disney, replacing the late Vance "Pinto" Colvig as the voice of Goofy and providing voices for series ranging from Winnie the Pooh and Friends to Ducktales. Smith died in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
On his 81st birthday, grandpa George Burns, bemoans the fact that he's wasted his life, and wishes he had it to do all over again. He gets his wish when he and his 18-year-old grandson Charles Schlatter are involved in an auto accident. When he awakens, Burns' personality has been transferred to Schlatter's body, and vice versa! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Burns, Charlie Schlatter, (more)
- 1969
In his efforts to talk a man out of committing suicide, Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) commits a serious breach of police protocol, whereupon Sgt. MacDonald (William Boyett) rakes the veteran patrolman over the coals. In a less traumatic moment, a woman (Katherine Squire) insists that Malloy and his partner Jim Reed (Kent McCord) drop whatever they're doing and fix her TV antenna (remember TV antennas?) This episode was originally scheduled to air on January 25, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An American Tail is a beautifully rendered animated flim that tells an overly familiar story in terms children can easily understand. Fievel Mousekewitz and his family of Russian-Jewish mice escape from their homeland in the late 1800s, boarding a boat headed toward America to evade the Czarist rule of the Russian cats. Fievel, however, is separated from his family upon his arrival in New York City, and he discovers to his horror that there are cats in America too (his father said there weren't). Fievel meets his share of friendly and hostile mice, and he eventually befriends a cat as well. Former Disney animator Don Bluth co-produced and directed this often heartwarming yarn, the first animated feature presented by Steven Spielberg, and it has its charms despite a number of cliché situations. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cathianne Blore, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1991
Based on a popular brace of children's books, the 30-minute cartoon Bad Cat was originally telecast as an episode of the ABC Weekend Special anthology. Recognized as the "King of Fulton Street," Bad Cat is not really all that terrible, despite his name and reputation. In fact, when his human family, the Harrisons, move to another city, Bad Cat wants nothing more than to be accepted by the local feline populace. Alas, our hero runs afoul of a genuine "bad cat" named Riff, who challenges B.C. to a down 'n' dirty mouse-catching contest. Produced by Ruby-Spears, Bad Cat made its initial appearance on April 14, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bart Braverman, Hal Smith, (more)
Beauty and the Beast is widely considered the best animated Disney feature of the studio's 1980s/1990s renewal of the form. Based on the classic French fairy tale, it tells the story of Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara), an intelligent young woman scorned by her townspeople for being a bookworm, weary of fighting off the advances of the arrogant Gaston (Richard White), and dreaming of escape. When her father gets lost in the woods and captured by the forbidding Beast (Robby Benson), a once-handsome prince turned into a monster by a witch, Belle goes off to rescue him. Taken with her, the Beast agrees to release Belle's father if she agrees to stay with him forever. Initially repulsed, Belle soon finds much to appreciate in the Beast's hidden, tender nature. The Beast's servants -- a clock (David Ogden Stiers), a teapot (Angela Lansbury), and a candlestick (Jerry Orbach) -- see Belle as their salvation: if the Beast and a woman fall in love before his 21st birthday, he will be free from the curse. The songs are first-class, the tale is told with sincerity but not sentimentality, and the characters of Belle and the Beast, complex individuals who defy stereotyping and change over the course of the story, are more three-dimensional than in most live-action movies. The eye-popping animation is beautifully rendered, and Beauty and the Beast certainly deserves its place amongst Disney's animated classics. In 2002, a special 89-minute edition of the film was released in IMAX theaters with the addition of a newly animated song, ""Human Again."" ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, (more)
- 1948
Black Eagle was based on The Passing of Black Eagle, a short story by O. Henry. William Bishop stars as Jason Bond, who stays out of trouble by the simple expedient of avoiding other people. Unfortunately, the plot dictates that Bond must come into contact with several characters, all of whom end up fleecing our hero in one way or another. Even so, Jason manages to enjoy a brief romance with pretty Ginny Long (Virginia Patton) before returning to his life of carefree vagabondage. A very minor film, The Black Eagle makes the most of its excellent supporting cast, including Gordon Jones, Trevor Bardette, Will Wright and stuntman extraordinaire Richard Talmadge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Bishop, Virginia Patton, (more)
- 1959
Legendary stage actress Adah Isaacs Menken (Ruth Roman) brings her celebrated Mazeppa troupe to Virginia City. Ben Cartwright welcomes the opportunity to renew his longstanding friendship with the "lady in pink tights." As for Ben's sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe, they become convinced that Adah is trying to ensnare their father into marriage. Also in the cast is Don Megowan as Adah's persistent would-be suitor John Regan. Written by Donald S. Sanford, "The Magnificent Adah" was originally telecast on November 14, 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1950
William Eythe is the Customs Agent in this brisk Columbia programmer. The plot finds Bert Stewart (Eythe) stationed in China, where he goes undercover to join a gang of dope smugglers. His plan is to stop the wholesale stealing of valuable streptomycin, which the crooks are peddling to drug addicts. Marjorie Reynolds will surprise fans of her work in TV's The Life of Riley with her portrayal of the gang-leader's moll. Another TV favorite, Jim Backus, co-stars as one of the good guys. Customs Agent makes no demands upon the intellect but does succeed as slam-bang entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Eythe, Marjorie Reynolds, (more)
- 1946
In this drama, it is up to two young lawyers to save a business executive who has been framed for embezzlement. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
In this drama, set during WW II, a teacher at a military school is derided by his students because he has not joined the military. The man is deeply disturbed by their ridicule and disrespect and so pleads with the draft-board to reconsider his "essential" status and allow him to join. He is allowed to enlist, but still, because he has a punctured ear-drum, is not allowed to join. Unable to face his students, the teacher gets a job at a shipyard, then deceives his students into believing that he is at war by having a buddy at boot camp forward their letters to him. Soon ugly rumors begin to circulate amongst the suspicious students. One is that their teacher went AWOL. The other is that he is really a Nazi spy. The students' actions threaten to destroy the teacher's new romance with a female welder. In the end everything comes out hunky-dory when the teacher proves himself a courageous hero during a shipyard fire. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edgar Buchanan, Jess Barker, (more)
- 1966
The Hooterville telephone directory (two full pages this year!) comes out, and Oliver (Eddie Albert) is upset that Lisa (Eva Gabor) has listed him as "Attorney at Law." Oliver is worried that he will receive so many calls for his services that he'll never get his farm chores done -- and remember, every time the phone rings, he has to climb up a telephone pole to answer it! But the biggest crisis in this episode arises when Lisa tries to bake a pound cake, which turns out to be even heavier than her legendary hotcakes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Eddie Albert plays a dual role in this episode, as gentleman farmer Oliver Douglas, and Oliver's exact double, a bank robber named Charlie. When Charlie checks into a local hotel with his sexy gun moll Blanche (Chanin Hale), the neighbors are convinced that Oliver is cheating on his wife Lisa (Eva Gabor). One misunderstanding leads to another, and by episode's end both Oliver and Charlie are locked in the same jail cell -- and it is up to a very confused Lisa (Eva Gabor) to figure out who's who! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Albert, Chanin Hale, (more)
- 1971
While staying with Oliver and Lisa Douglas (Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor), Arnold the pig witnesses a bank robbery. Normally, he'd be able to "squeal" to the cops concerning the crooks' identity -- but alas, Arnold is suffering from laryngitis. Meanwhile, holdup men Danny (Milton Selzer) and Charlie (Al Lewis) decide to kidnap Arnold -- but end up with handyman Eb (Tom Lester) instead. (Gee, anyone could have made that mistake!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milton Selzer, Al Lewis, (more)
- 1970
This episode begins at the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service, where the agents take time from bleeding taxpayers dry to recall the case of the "Hooterville Refund Fraud." The whole mess was inadvertently caused by Oliver Douglas (Eddie Albert), who had encouraged his fellow farmers to contact the IRS with refund requests. Though Oliver's intentions were honest, most of the requests were not -- and as a result, the citizens of Hooterville became the delighted (and undeserving) recipients of a 500,000 dollar tax refund! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Jostyn, Hal Smith, (more)
- 1970
This week, the bane of gentleman farmer Oliver Douglas' existence is Irene, a local cow who has been trampling his crops. In high dudgeon, Oliver (Eddie Albert) declares that he must get rid of Irene. As usual, wife Lisa (Eva Gabor) misinterprets Oliver's words and intentions, and soon has convinced the townsfolk of Hooterville that her long-suffering husband is a ruthless "cow killer." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Smith, Allan Melvin, (more)
- 1969
The town of Hooterville is gripped with melancholy when its population drops from a bustling 68 to a pitiful 46. It appears that, while there are plenty of middle-agers and oldsters in town, the "kids" are steering clear of the place. Oliver Douglas (Eddie Albert) expansively suggests that Hooterville attract younger residents by building a youth center -- but he didn't intend for the center to be erected on his own farm! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Smith
- 1960
Reluctant to bring in his own son Billy (Andrew Prine) on a murder charge, a town marshal (Ken Lynch) hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to do the job. Venturing into treacherous mountain country, Paladin seeks out Billy in hopes of persuading the young man into surrending peacefully and standing trial. Unfortunately, Paladin's trail is dogged by a bloodthirsty posse, none of whose members is inclined to bring Billy back alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Crooked "sportsman" Billy Joe Kane (Lawrence Dobkin) is promoting a race in the Mojave desert, in which he is wagering that his posse will be able to track down any contestant before reaching the finish line. Accepting the challenge, Paladin (Richard Boone) enters the race--and, confirming his suspicions, he quickly finds that Kane is willing to commit murder rather than pony up the prize money. Thus it is that Paladin bends the rules a bit by utilizing a unique form of transportation: a US Army camel! This is the first of several Have Gun--Will Travel episodes written by future Star Trek maven Gene Roddenberry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Wealthy Morgan Gibbs (Robert F. Simon) hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to locate Gibbs' son David (Bud Slater), a fugitive from justice, and bring him back alive. Shortly thereafter, Paladin returns with David's dead body in tow. Accused of murdering the boy in order to collect a $500 body, Paladin is himself put on trial--and the jury has been hand-picked by the vengeful Morgan Gibbs. One of the best episodes of the series' third season, this one is a real treat for movie buffs, filled to overflowing with an abundance of familiar faces in the supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this animated film, the Littles--a family of half-man, half-mouse creatures living in the walls of human houses--aid a young boy whose parents have vanished. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy E. Keegan, Bettina Bush, (more)
Daws Butler provides the voice once again for the wacky titular bear. Between bouts of wit with Ranger Smith, Yogi juggles a little romance with Cindy Bear. Because of her fondness for Yogi, Cindy finds herself the victim of an evil circus impresario. He has her performing dangerous feats on a high wire while his demented pooch looks on with mad laughter. It is up to Yogi and his sidekick Boo Boo to save her. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In order to destroy a German ammunition factory, Hogan and his men go undercover as workers in the target factory. Their plans to blow up the place hit a snag when, through a fluke, Newkirk is drafted into the German army. Hal Smith, best known for his portrayal of town drunk Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffth Show, is here seen as Hans Spear. Written by Art Baer and Ben Joelson, "The Swing Shift" made its first network appearance on February 3, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1958
In this violent drama, a young juvenile delinquent gets into more trouble when he gets involved with a gang that steals auto parts and resells them on the black market to pay for their beer parties. It looks as if he might actually turn his life around after he meets a good-hearted woman, when he decides to run a final game of chicken against a juvenile delinquent girl who gets killed in the ensuing crash. The terrified boy then takes his girlfriend and splits. He is later shot-down by the police. Later the authorities learn that the boy was set upon his crooked path by policemen who beat him when he was younger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Bakalyan, June Kenney, (more)
It Came From Beneath the Sea was the first of several fruitful collaborations between producer Charles H. Schneer and special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. "It" is a giant, six-tentacled octopus, which is galvanized into action by an H-bomb test. Worse still, the monster is highly radioactive, rendering useless the normal means of defense against it. Scientists Donald Curtis and Faith Domergue team with atomic-submarine commander Kenneth Tobey to halt the creature's progress before it begins to attack major coastal cities. Alas, the monster manages to reach San Francisco, wreaking havoc on the Golden Gate Bridge, the Ferry Building, and Market Street before Tobey figures out a way to destroy it. The stop-motion animation utilized by Harryhausen in It Came From Beneath Sea is convincingly frightening, but before long he'd top this achievement with such superb projects as Earth vs. Flying Saucers and Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, (more)
- 1960
Season four of Leave It to Beaver begins as Beaver (Jerry Mathers) refuses to eat the Brussels sprouts his mom June (Barbara Billingsley) has served him. Pleading, cajoling, and threatening do not work -- Beaver will not eat the vegetable no matter what his parents do to him. Anxious to defuse the situation, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) forces Beaver to promise to eat Brussels sprouts the next time they are served. Not long afterward, the family goes to a fancy restaurant -- and guess what's first on the bill of fare? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Osmond, Netta Packer, (more)
