Reviews

Growing up, Mission: Impossible was my favorite show. Lynda Day George joins in Season 6 as Casey. Not Lisa Casey. She will always be Casey to me. The character's name is wrongly credited here.

This is how it came to pass. The first run of this show ended in 1973. Fifteen years later, the 1988 writers' strike led to a revival of Mission: Impossible. Actress Terry Markwell played a character also named Casey. She only lasted a single season before being killed off. But when Lynda Day George made a guest star appearance in 1989, on the episode 'Reprisal,' they decided to rename her Lisa Casey so as not to confuse viewers of the revival series who knew Terry Markwell as Casey.

It was a total mistake.

It's interesting that Dr. Kimble is often nervous around police but never around criminals. Here he's faced with four bad guys. He helps the one with the bullet wound. And then three others show up to meet up with their friend, with Ed Asner and Robert Doyle being rather menacing. The great character actor Val Avery is always good. He's solid and steady, delivering his lines with such ease and believability as the third bad guy who shows up unexpectedly.

David Janssen was really one of the greatest, most underrated actors ever. Every time I see him, I marvel at his strength. Four years into his run, he is, of course, tired. While the action centers around him, this episode gave him a number of good supporting actors and Janssen always allowed his guest stars to shine.

As portrayed by Janssen, Dr. Kimble is a noble man though he is accused of a heinous crime. It's a good hour of television.

A young Tuesday Weld is delicately beautiful in this episode and everything revolves around her. This is a gripping story, shot beautifully in black and white, with atmosphere and mood, and mounting violence. Writing this review 56 years after "Dark Corner" first aired, I'm still hesitant to give too much away. A first-time viewer should be allowed to see this as I did years ago, with no pre-knowledge of how the action will unfold.

The Braydons are dairy farmers in South Dakota. Poor, hard-working, salt of the earth. There's Papa and his two daughters, Clara and Mattie. Papa is a sweet old man who dotes on his daughters, especially Mattie, blind since an accident when she was 8 years old. And there's also Bob who lives in the house; he's Clara's fiancé. The men in this family are weak, easily manipulated, while the women are deceptively strong. Even the sheriff and his deputy are easily fooled.

While everyone else is busy working the farm, Mattie sculpts in her studio. She's lonely, isolated, yet all the action is centered on her. With her ethereal blonde hair and soft voice, Mattie is a sympathetic figure. Everyone but Clara underestimates her. But Kimble of course eventually figures her out after initially developing a closeness based on shared loneliness. He's the one who helps unravel the family secrets and allows the truth to be uncovered.

The role of Mattie was a dramatic challenge and Tuesday Weld, at age 21, was convincing in it. She matches David Janssen's intelligent portrayal of their central characters. It's why The Fugitive, five decades on, remains one of the best things to have ever graced the TV screen.

I really hate this episode of The Fugitive, and for someone who loves the series, that's hard for me to say. It's got nothing to do with David Janssen's great character work and wonderful acting. The story and the supporting characters are just written so poorly, especially the women. The first half is actually good. The scorned girlfriend goes running off and is now missing. It tugs at the audience's heartstrings a little. But it falls apart in the second half and is unsatisfying, to say the least, with how the missing woman goes from being the victim to being someone who "asked for it".

At the start, we meet Dr. Kimble as he's working and joking with his fellow crewman on a Nevada construction site. No one is yet in pursuit and Kimble has a stable job. He even puts his medical training to use as the crew's first aid man. Throughout the episode, we see that the men work well together and are able to count on each other, including Kimble in their fraternity.

The explosions and heavy construction look great. Trapped underground, inhabiting a small space, heroic Kimble saves them all by crawling through rubble to reach an air vent. It has the makings of a gripping story. But it's all spoiled by Nan Martin, who plays a one-dimensional congresswoman. She's nasty, totally unlikeable, and charmless, wielding an almost casual abuse of power. But the wonderful Christine White, as the secretary to the congresswoman, has an interesting supporting role and was pivotal to Kimble's crisis and eventual escape. It's because of her that Dr. Kimble realizes that Lt. Gerard is on the scene. And later, the congresswoman, who had earlier said, "She's like my own sister," realizes that her secretary isn't really her friend. White's a good actress and provides a little spark in each of her scenes. Who could blame her for her moment of disloyalty to her employer?

This episode would have fared better with someone other than Martin playing the congresswoman, or if the character had been written a little differently. Unfortunately, it wasn't unusual to have career women portrayed negatively on TV and film in the 1960s. But not all is lost.

Jack Weston plays his role well as the title character ("Fatso"). His portrayal has a lot of dimensions, from his eagerness to please to his nervousness around those who disparage him. He works great with David Janssen, and together they elevate this episode that's at once poignant, humorous, and uplifting. Credit also goes to director Ida Lupino, who helmed three episodes of The Fugitive, with this being her first.

Davey "Fatso" Lambert is described as a slow learner, somewhat below average mentally. His mother loves him but his brother is jealous. Davey's the first-born. He's David Lambert, Jr. – named after his father. So his brother makes sure to turn his father against Davey. Coming from this family dynamic, Davey is rather starved for approval and friendship. When nice Dr. Kimble shows up (sharing a jail cell with him) and doesn't belittle him like others but instead offers friendship, Davey responds with enthusiasm. He sticks with Kimble when Kimble makes a break for it and even offers to hide him out at his family's large ranch. Kimble in turns helps Davey, getting him to understand that he turns to food and alcohol to ease the pain of his emotional wounds.

The director captures Davey's angst well. One of my favorite scenes is when Davey looks to Kimble for reassurance and silently pleads for help and Kimble silently nods back. Davey is sometimes childlike. Kimble openly observes Davey throughout the episode. In this episode, Kimble's not the one who's scared. Actress Glenda Farrell plays Davey's mother, a warm, friendly, motherly type who's rather wonderful in her role. This is a great hour of television, showcasing actors and a director who are at the top of their game.

Sandy Dennis was poised at the beginning of a string of successes at the time of this episode. And it's easy to see why she was highly acclaimed. She plays Cassie, a slightly offbeat though strong and capable young woman who finds Kimble hiking up the mountain trying to escape the local sheriff. Her character is fantastically written and given some great lines. Sandy Dennis gives a very sensitive portrayal. Cassie's scenes with Dr. Kimble are great, but so is her one scene with the character Dell Jackson. She's no mouse, she's just young and unworldly. She so desperately wants to get away from her life that when she finds Kimble, she holds onto him until she gets up the courage to ask him to take her with him.

R.G. Armstrong was also great as the sheriff, in a smaller role. He's a natural and he delivers his lines in an easy manner with a bit of a swagger. David Janssen, as always, gives a performance that's filled with emotional depth. As Dr. Kimble, after running from the sheriff, his remaining scenes are entirely with Cassie and Cassie's grandmother. That part of the story, rather than the fight at the beginning of the episode, is the engaging part. Though Sandy Dennis and David Janssen do the heavy lifting in this episode, they have such a light touch, it doesn't seem like acting.

Full of sentimentality, this episode follows Harry around Los Angeles as he tries to help his ex-wife simultaneously pay off a blackmailer and avoid a murder rap, against the backdrop of a heartbreak story of two people in love who can't live together.

The story begins with Harry's former partner from the San Diego Police Department getting murdered in a motel room in Los Angeles. Harry's ex-wife Elizabeth is somehow involved. Through flashbacks, Harry recalls their happy courtship but also her dissatisfaction with his police work. The present-day story is about finding out who murdered Harry's partner John. The evidence leads to Elizabeth, who had hired John to be the go-between to pay off her blackmailer. It also involves Elizabeth's current husband, who's about to be appointed to the state supreme court. Harry ultimately tracks down the blackmailer and saves the day.

Harry Orwell was a wonderfully fleshed out character. His scenes with Elizabeth, with Lt. Trench, and even with John's wife Jessie provide insight and details about him. And actor David Janssen's portrayal was a thing to behold.

What's eventually revealed is that Elizabeth had to make the hard decision of leaving Harry because his job was coming between them. She cares deeply for Harry, and with hindsight, seems to regret giving up on their life together. Throughout the episode, we sense Harry's sadness over his failed marriage. And in the end, he watches her walk away from him again, and silently and somberly looks down in thought.

Diamond's reputation is on the line and he's intense in his single-minded approach to finding a stolen gem. He was paid a day's fee for safeguarding a diamond necklace while it was on loan to a fashion model modeling it for a TV show. When he goes to return it, it's discovered that the diamond is fake. The Beverly Hills jeweler who supplied the gem berates Diamond, blaming him for the theft. The local police tell him it's out of his hands and warn him not to try anything on his own or they'll yank his detective's license. After he uncovers a clue from the model's roommate, he goes undercover at a casino, the Onyx Club, to continue his investigation. His tough guy routine lands him a job at the casino although it earns the wrath of a jealous co-worker. He romances the girlfriend of the casino owner to see what she knows about the model and the stolen gem.

David Janssen as Richard Diamond is handsome, masculine, fit and tough. His laconic coolness is featured magnificently in this episode which kind of has a mini spy movie-like quality to it. He looks great in a suit and Marcia Henderson looks great dressed up in fancy evening wear as the moll. There's a suave elegance to David Janssen and he's a pleasure to watch.

Diamond goes to the Flamingo Dance Palace to meet a new client – she's a dance hall hostess. Before the stunningly beautiful Audrey (actress Marian Collier) is able to stammer out the details of why she needs protection, she gets pulled away to dance with a patron. Diamond watches in amusement and waits while she reluctantly dances until it's time for her break. As Audrey heads out the door ahead of Diamond, gentleman that he is, Diamond holds the door for another woman, and Audrey is shot dead a few feet away from him. Diamond knows only that Audrey wanted protection, but not from whom and not why. Even though his client is now dead, Diamond still wants to do a good job for her. He questions her roommate Claire, who seems not to care at all that Audrey's dead. Diamond continues to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding Claire and why she too works as a hostess at the dance hall.

It's interesting how this story plays out. It's not at all clear who's good and who's bad and where the audience's sympathy should lie. And I couldn't feel contempt for the killer after hearing the killer's motivation. Everyone's bad to some degree.

What a slick and fun episode. Richard Diamond is at his smooth talking best with four different women in this show.

He's at home waiting for his date Nancy to show up. Vivian calls him - she's his phone service but he doesn't recognize her at first and proceeds to flirt with her. She tells him a new client wants to see him. So he leaves to go meet client George Dale but when Diamond gets to the hotel, there's no client. Instead Madge is there. They banter, she tricks him, and he ends up getting knocked over the head and he's out like a light. When he comes to, a couple of hoods take him to the waterfront and work him over. (His smooth talker skills don't work as well on men.) He and Lt. McGough head back to the hotel to see if any clues have been left behind in the room. A new hotel guest has checked in. Sally from Boston is very cute; it's her first night in New York and Diamond is charm personified as McGough looks on amusedly. Later, Diamond tracks down Dolly, the girlfriend of the guy who beat him up. Dolly's a waitress at a beer joint. At first she doesn't want to serve him. But by the end of their conversation, he's talked her into opening the kitchen and making him fresh coffee. In the middle of all this, there's a case to be solved involving a stolen painting.

In the end, McGough visits Diamond at his apartment and interrupts Diamond having dinner with Sally. Diamond's handsome, Sally's beautiful, and they're dressed to the nines. It's a well paced show and David Janssen, Regis Toomey and all the female guest stars do a great job delivering their lines.

This is a story about a woman who can't seem to let go of the Old South and its traditions. Regina Wainwright used to be married to a man from "the right kind of family" and lived in a big plantation house called Fair Oaks that was in her husband's family for generations. Now her husband is deceased and the estate's money ran out a long time ago. She lives in a rooming house, is confined to a wheelchair, and gets regular visits from her brother and her daughter who's a school teacher. It's her daughter that she depends upon for money and care. Tradition, family, and breeding are important to Mrs. Wainwright. She keeps a picture of her elegant old home on the wall of her living room.

Her daughter Margaret meets Peter Miller (actor David Janssen), a young engineer in town for a couple of weeks working at an oil field. Mrs. Wainwright finds out that Peter was raised by an aunt after his parents died when he was a baby. And he's not interested in tradition or learning about his Boston roots. Mrs. Wainwright isn't impressed. Margaret and Peter fall in love after a one-week courtship and Peter asks Margaret to marry him. It's very romantic and David Janssen in his prime is swoon-worthy. Yet Margaret feels obligated to stay with her mother. And Mrs. Wainwright is selfish enough to keep Margaret by her side rather than allow her daughter to follow her heart.

Kimble's working for Charlie, a former night club comedian who now owns Priority Laundromat. Charlie has written to his long-ago girlfriend Paula, asking her to come join him. He had walked out on her eight years before that to spare her the life of a struggling comedian. Now, though he's as poor as ever, Charlie wants her back and gives her the impression that he's rich, hoping that will provide the incentive for her to join him and marry him. It works. She travels from Detroit to meet him, but inadvertently leads the New York syndicate right to Charlie. The prior year, the New York Crime Commission had called Charlie as a witness. So the mob wants to kill him.

After several encounters with Paula, Kimble gains an understanding of her character and lack of scruples. Paula knows that Charlie loves her, and she seems to like him as an old friend, but she's tired of being broke and her loyalty can be bought. Charlie's desire for her, and her desire for money, combine to bring danger upon Charlie. And Kimble's friendship with Charlie brings danger upon Kimble.

The episode has the star power of Mickey Rooney and it's got a great script. It does a good job with Charlie's and Paula's backstory and character motivation. And Nita Talbot is sublime, giving a multi-dimensional characterization as Mickey Rooney's love interest.

The first episode of "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" sets the table nicely for what this show is about. It's stylish, with an energetic lead character and an older, folksy supporting character. Richard Diamond (actor David Janssen) is tough-talking, loyal, and competent. With a hint that he's going to be a ladies man. There's so much promise here.

The story is about a crook who's wounded in a police shootout and before he dies, he hires Diamond to protect his girlfriend from his partner in crime. As the show builds to a climax, we're introduced to his police lieutenant friend and his faceless switchboard operator. We get a taste of the banter that'll become a trademark for this show along with the guns and fisticuffs.

This episode starts off well but descends into gloom quickly. Harry arrives home from shopping one day to find his front door locked and a woman in his home. Marilyn has escaped from Los Robles Sanitarium. She protests that she's sane and was committed against her will, but she gets picked up and is sent back there. Harry feels guilty about it so he checks it out with her family and with her doctor. Harry proposes getting temporarily committed to the hospital so that he can talk to Marilyn. However, once inside, Harry can't get out.

The acting is good. Diana Ewing shows quite a bit of vulnerability and sweetness as Marilyn. Harry's first interaction with her, when he finds her trespassing in his home, is gentle. She's heartbreakingly, desperately alone and afraid. "Won't you just take me on faith?" she asks hopefully, when Harry asks her name. Though seemingly gruff, Harry is compassionate, caring, and soft-spoken. This is a unique episode, albeit the writing is very downbeat. There's a pervasive feeling of sadness throughout.

Betty Jo is young, unmarried and pregnant. The setting is a small town in Florida, 1965, a time when single parenthood was still frowned upon if not a scandal. What's somewhat surprising is that there's no moralizing in this story. The townspeople welcome her home. The police sergeant is sweet on her. The police chief is kind. The only one who disapproves of Betty Jo is her father, who brings her back home from the prison town of Raiford, where her boyfriend is set to get out of jail on parole. It's on that train ride that Dr. Kimble crosses paths with Betty Jo and her father, Roy T. Unger (actor Crahan Denton in one of his five appearances on The Fugitive).

Talented actress Barbara Dana plays Betty Jo with poise and an emotional depth. She's in love and dreams of marriage and family but the boy's no good and she just doesn't know it yet. She's vulnerable and you care about her. There's a sense that Betty Jo has faced her father's disapproval all her life and is starved for love. She's no mouse though. You also see her strength. And when Kimble helps expose the truth about her boyfriend and she finally finds out about his true character, she chooses to go it alone rather than lie for him.

This episode works because of Barbara Dana. And of course David Janssen, who can always be counted on for a great performance. They're both so good. And so are the supporting cast of Crahan Denton as Betty Jo's father, Richard Roat as Glen the police sergeant, Len Wayland as the police chief, and James McCallion in a bit part as Kimble's seatmate on the train. It's Dana and Janssen though who elevate this script with their portrayal of the central characters in this story.

Dr. Kimble's living and working at a Georgia plantation. For a change, he's not working a menial job. His college education doesn't seem out of place this time. When the owner invites him for dinner and drinks in celebration of his daughter's homecoming, Kimble evidently enjoys dinner conversation with a judge and they talk about where they went to college.

Kimble's interaction with the daughter Janice is very gentle. After suffering a breakdown and spending time in a sanitarium, she's fragile. So Kimble is very protective of her. And she needs protection - from her new stepmother, who thinks of her as a threat to her position as lady of the house; from the unwelcomed advances of a persistent suitor, who happens to be the county sheriff; and from the terror of barking dogs, who remind her of the mauling death of a little boy. When Janice's stepmother Dorina realizes that Kimble is sympathetic to Janice, she gets the sheriff to threaten him.

There is a certain Southern charm to this episode. Kimble doesn't look stressed out or overly tired like he does sometimes. He's pretty calm. We see him listening to the radio, reading, taking walks. Outside of Dorina and the sheriff, everyone's pretty nice to him.

This episode opens with Dr. Kimble walking through a playground/park near some boys practicing baseball. He clearly enjoys the atmosphere. He looks around and smiles broadly. Normally, you can feel Kimble's fear and awareness of his surroundings, always looking over his shoulder. But for five minutes at the beginning of this episode, he's relaxed and almost happy, talking to Carole about a custodian job. Until he finds out that her husband Tony (actor William Shatner) is an ex-policeman who hopes to return to working as a cop again soon.

Actress Julie Sommars plays Carole as a really nice lady who runs a boys' baseball club. She rides a bicycle back and forth from her home to the park. Kimble ends up at baseball practice when Tony fails to show up. We see him hitting pop ups and ground balls to the kids. However, only one day on the job and he ends up in the middle of a spree of killings. Three policemen have been murdered.

This episode presents two classic noir characters: Tony, who has committed sin and is immersed in guilt, and Dr. Kimble, an innocent man wrongly accused. Yet only one delivers, because when the drama kicks up, Shatner can't help but overact, which is tough to watch. David Janssen, meanwhile, is brilliant as always.

Lila Bradley walks into Richard Diamond's office and he immediately takes notice – she's beautiful, of course. She announces that she wants to hire him as a body guard for a young lady named Jolie, just in from Paris. She gives Diamond three days' advance pay and asks him to meet her that night at 9:00 at the Hotel Trenton so that he can get acquainted with Jolie. When Diamond arrives, he finds Lt. Kile already there. Lt. Kile introduces Diamond to Jolie, a French poodle.

Soon after, Diamond gets a visit from a Mr. Lattimer, who wants to make sure that he can handle showing the prized French poodle at an upcoming dog show. He's also contacted by a woman who's looking for "a package" that she thinks Ms. Bradley left with Diamond. Three murders later, the whole thing wraps up tidily as usual. David Janssen as Richard Diamond is suave, charming, funny, and handy with his fists.

Reminiscent of Marlon Brando's look in A Streetcar Named Desire, David Janssen here has a couple of scenes in a very tight-fitting T-shirt. And just like Brando, Janssen oozes with confidence and masculinity.

Other than that, it's not a great show. David Janssen plays a college student with one more year to go. He gets a summer job working a farm. The owner is an over-protective father of a 17-year-old girl. She's very sheltered. Dad beats up anyone who shows interest in his daughter. David and Rosemary fall quickly in love. Dad objects. David fights for her. Dad tricks Rosemary and David. After David gets his million dollars, everything works out. It's not a great message.

A great series comes to an end with an uneven episode.

Harry is hired to investigate the doctor of a recently deceased old man. His widow has sued the doctor for malpractice. David Janssen continues to be eminently watchable. And Ruth Roman, who plays the mother-in-law of the deceased, is actually pretty good. She's funny. However, Denise Galik, the young widow, is like a block of wood. And the case is solved after an extended car and foot chase. It's too bad. A car chase shouldn't be the lasting image of Harry O. Harry's defining qualities are his intelligence and introspection. The very last scene that wraps up the series, though, is a good one. It's a show of Harry's sentimentality, which is fitting.

Harry O was a unique character and David Janssen played him perfectly. He had a great costar in Anthony Zerbe. And Farrah Fawcett was sweet as Sue. The clothes and the plots may be dated, but the character and ultimately the show have stood the test of time.

Using pretty much the same premise as Dog Day Afternoon, this hour of Harry O is pretty entertaining. All the essential elements are there. Instead of a bank robbery gone wrong, it's a liquor store robbery. Instead of needing money for an operation, the burglar needs the money for his girlfriend to get into a detox program. There's a hostage situation with a cop who's been shot and needs a doctor. A team tries to bust in through the back door. Media is camped out front broadcasting the situation live.

The burglar (actor John Rubinstein) exchanges two of the hostages for Lt. Trench, so Trench is inside the store negotiating with the burglar while Harry's on the outside doing all the legwork. Harry spends most of his time looking for the burglar's junkie girlfriend. But the bad guys are looking for her too. Harry's got two hours to find her or Trench dies.

While not entirely without merit, this episode doesn't belong. There were only 44 regular season episodes of Harry O and it's a shame this is one of them. This one is all about Lester. They should have just made a TV movie featuring Lester and Fong. Instead, we have this, and it's one less hour of Harry O for the archives. Harry and Trench are hardly in this episode. Actually, it's kind of similar to "The Last Heir" from season 1 in that one by one a member of a wealthy family is being killed off. It's a whodunit. Really a waste of time. Viewers watch Harry O for David Janssen. Not a show heavy on forensic evidence with a character that's OK as a sidekick but can't carry an entire episode.

This episode starts with a murder in a shower and unfolds as a whodunit. It is somewhat complex and plot driven. But the more interesting part of the show is the interaction between Harry and Lt. Trench. They have great dialogue and are a lot of fun to watch. The scenes with Harry and Breda (actress Joanna Pettet) are also good. They have an easy rapport.

The list of suspects are part of a therapy group run by Dr. Breda Beach. There's a Vietnam vet, a paralyzed former stuntman, the victim's girlfriend, and others. During the investigation, Harry goes undercover and joins the group. He's roughed up, another murder is committed, and an attempt is made on the psychiatrist's life before Harry solves the case.

David Janssen, Anthony Zerbe and Joanna Pettet are particularly good. They are at the top of their game in this.

Richard Kimble is working at the Evergreen Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin. He has a run-in with the local sheriff, who becomes suspicious and finds out who Kimble is. While on a road trip with his son, Lt. Gerard is notified. When he and the sheriff go to apprehend Kimble, Phil Jr. hides in the back seat of the car so he can watch the takedown. However, Kimble outsmarts them and takes the sheriff's car, with Phil still hiding in the back of the station wagon. Kimble and Phil Jr. end up camping in the mountains all day and night. Phil Jr. keeps leaving clues for his dad to pick up his trail.

It's really a fine episode. A 13-year old Kurt Russell is great as Phil Jr. He believes Kimble is guilty because that's what his dad has told him. And he spends a lot of effort trying to help his dad catch Kimble. But in spite of it all, he grows to like Kimble. It's a common theme. Kimble's innate goodness draws people to him. Phil Jr. and Richard Kimble are on opposite sides, but Kimble stops to heat up canned soup for Phil, he stays with him when Phil says he's scared of the dark, he helps Phil when Phil steps on a trap, and every time Kimble catches him trying something new, Kimble doesn't get angry at him. Phil is his dad's son, and he does spend all his time thinking up ways to capture Kimble, but he also recognizes that Kimble is a good person.

This episode features really, really good interactions between David Janssen and Kurt Russell. They're great together.