Ben Starr Movies

Mike is determined to assert his independence. He chooses to do so by claiming to be too tired to attend a party with Gloria and then going off on a skiing excursion with his friends. Mike's defiant move sparks another of those marathon All in the Family arguments. Written by Ben Starr and Charles Stewart, "Mike Goes Skiing" was originally telecast on January 22, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Archie is driven crazy by the persistent yapping of the dog owned by his neighbor Barney Hefner. Things get worse when Archie accidentally runs over the dog with his car, and tries to rush the animal to the vet without Barney knowing anything about it. As the episode draws to a conclusion, Archie's attitude towards animals in general and dogs in particular undergoes a few remarkable changes. Written by Charles Stewart, Ben Starr, Mort Lachman, and Milt Josefsberg, "Archie's Dog Day Afternoon" originally aired on March 12, 1977, as the final episode of All in the Family's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mike's liberalism is once more put to the test when he is faced with the iniquities of Real Life. Up for a prestigious teaching position at a Minnesota College, Mike may lose out to a black candidate thanks to what would later be called "affirmative action." Surprisingly, a gloating Archie agrees with the school's equal-opportunity policy. David Downing plays Mike's competitor, John Kasten, while Lee Bergere is cast as Dean Winslow. Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ben Starr, "Mike's Move" originally aired on February 2, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first episode of a two-part story, Archie suffers the humiliation of being fired from his job -- just as Mike is given a promotion. But this blow is a minor one compared to the heartache Archie endures when he makes his first trip to the unemployment office. Future Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham appears as the clerk. Written by series stalwart Ben Starr, part one of "The Unemployment Story" originally aired on October 6, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Mike is finally able to pry the in-labor Gloria loose from a restaurant telephone booth and rush her to the hospital. Thanks to innumerable delays, it is grandparents Archie and Edith who arrive at the hospital first -- with Archie still in blackface from his lodge minstrel show, creating quite a spectacle indeed. The only calm member of the family is expectant mother Gloria, who keeps her cool all through the delivery while Mike suffers his own version of labor pains. This program made history as the first sitcom episode to show an actual live birth (courtesy of a pre-taped sequence). Best line: "Not now, Michael, I have a headache." Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ben Starr, Part two of "Birth of the Baby" first aired on December 22, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this adventure, a plucky young lad with a treasure map boards a boat and begins an exciting quest. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this spooky comedy, a couple and their adolescent son move into a quiet New England summer cottage. Soon their arrival, a series of strange and increasingly destructive occurrences begin to happen. Not believing in poltergeists, the puzzled parents immediately suspect their son. The real perpetrators are a trio of angry ghosts who want the cabin all to themselves. When the mortal family refuses to move, the ghostly trio (two women and a man) sink two boats belonging to the couples' wealthy uncle. Once again the poor boy is blamed and this nearly drives him insane for he can see the ghosts. More trouble follows when one of the lady spirits falls in love with the handsome uncle. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Invited to a school party, Opie is terrified to learn that he'll be expected to dance. Hoping to allay the boy's fear, Andy and Helen offer to teach Opie how to trip the light fantastic. Problem is, the adults aren't too good at cutting a rug themselves. Ben Starr's teleplay blithely ignores the fact that Opie had ostensibly learned to dance in the fifth-season episode "Opie Loves Helen." "Look Paw, I'm Dancing" first aired on February 14, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dean Martin stars as an amiable gunrunner in the tongue-in-cheek western Texas Across the River. Martin teams up with fugitive from justice Alain Delon, a Spanish nobleman engaged to the beautiful Rosemary Forsyth. Amidst several Indian attacks, hairbreadth escapes and wild chases, Martin does his utmost to steal Rosemary away from Delon. If you were entertaining thoughts of taking this thing seriously, please bear in mind that Joey Bishop co-stars as a very urban-looking Indian. Watch for future character star Richard Farnsworth as a Native American medicine man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tim (Bill Bixby) may lose an inheritance because the lawyer handling the estate questions the authenticity of Tim's "Uncle" Martin (Ray Walston). This prompts Martin to utilize the CCTBS machine to go back in time for the purpose of creating an Earthbound identity for himself. Unfortunately, upon returning to the Present, Martin finds that he has "reinvented" himself as a notorious thief and murderer--and now he must go back even further in time to set things right! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

James Coburn stars as super-spy Derek Flint in this action comedy which takes the tongue-in-cheek wit of the James Bond series and shifts it into high gear. Flint is an ultra-sophisticated operative of international intelligence agency Z.O.W.I.E. He's a master of martial arts, electronic gadgetry (his cigarette lighter can perform 83 special functions), languages both human and animal (he can communicate with dolphins in a pinch), and even gives ballet lessons to the dancers of the Bolshoi. So when his fellow agents begin dropping like flies, Z.O.W.I.E. assigns Flint the task of finding out who the killers happen to be. Eventually, Flint discovers that the killings are all part of the wicked machinations of G.A.L.A.X.Y., a cadre of world-wide villainy that plans to take over the world through weather control. Our Man Flint also stars Lee J. Cobb, Gila Golan, and Edward Mulhare. A sequel, In Like Flint, followed two years later, and in 1976, the character was revived for a TV movie, Our Man Flint: Dead on Target, with Ray Danton taking over the role of Derek Flint. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A familiar old sitcom ploy is given a new twist in this episode. After being accidentally struck on the head with a wrench, Uncle Martin (Ray Walston) suffers from total amnesia. This of course means that, among other things, he refuses to believe that he's a 450-year-old visitor from Mars! Tim (Bill Bixby) races against time to restore Martin's memory so that he can link up with a rocket expert who may be able to help him return to his home planet. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi