Former private detective, Larry Edison (Bradford Dillman), has found himself on the other side of the law, heading to prison, and blackmailing a mobster – Edison has a film proving Vochek (Robert Ellenstein) committed murder. He’s hidden that film and the IMF wants it. Stone Pillow was penned by Howard Browne and first debuted on…
Tag: con
Mission: Impossible (1971) – Nerves, and Run for the Money
Lisa Casey (Lynda May George) has to put herself in harm’s way with her IMF assignment in Nerves. Written by Henry Sharp and Garrie Bateson, from a story by Sharp, it first aired on 4 December, 1971. Wendell Hoyes (Christopher George) is a paranoid criminal who has his hands on a slowly degrading canister of…
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) – Steven Soderbergh
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon are back for one last go-round as Danny Ocean, Rusty, and Linus in Ocean’s Thirteen. The story brings them back to Las Vegas after their globetrotting in the second film, and once again, it’s all about just settling back and having fun with a cast that seems to…
Mission: Impossible (1971) – Underwater, and Invasion
I’m not sure I cared for Underwater. Written by Arthur Weiss it first aired on 6 November, 1971 and features the IMF going after some crooks, their cash, and some stolen diamonds. Unfortunately, a thief has made off with them, and they have to get him to admit where they are and scoop them out…
The Frighteners (1996) – Peter Jackson
Michael J. Fox takes the lead in what was Peter Jackson’s first big studio film, with Bob Zemeckis serving as executive producer. While some of the special effects have not stood the test of time, it remains a fun film, trying to walk that balance between horror and comedy. Frank Bannister (Fox) is a con…
Mission: Impossible (1970) – Chico, and Gitano
Ken Pettus delivers a paint-by-numbers episode with Chico, which first aired on 25 January, 1970. It features a couple of things that are hard to forget, Leonard Nimoy trotting out a truly horrible Australian accent, and Phelps (Peter Graves) recruiting from the animal division of the IMF again, this time a little trained terrier named…
The X-Files (2000) – En Ami, and Chimera
William B. Davis, the Cigarette Smoking Man himself, pens En Ami, which pairs CSM with Scully (Gillian Anderson) in this episode that first debuted on 19 March, 2000. CSM approaches Scully after she and Mulder (David Duchovny) both recieve information about a supposed miraculous healing of a young boy who was suffering from cancer, but…
Mission: Impossible (1968) – The Contender: Part 1, and Part 2
Phelps’ (Peter Graves) and his IMF team go undercover to bring down a crooked fight promoter, Charles Buckman (Ron Randell), who not only has some serious control over the boxing ring, but is planning on spreading his influence over other sports as well, as part of a move by organised crime. The story ends up…
Mission: Impossible (1967) – The Survivors, and The Bank
The second season of Mission: Impossible continues to up its game with The Survivors. In fact, three episodes in, and I feel this second season has a completely different feel from the first. Sure, there’s the arrival of Phelps (Peter Graves) but, so far, the stories feel sharper, arguably more tense, and pretty damned enjoyable….
Mission: Impossible (1967) – The Widow, and Trek
Season two of Mission: Impossible launched on 10 September, 1967, with The Widow written by Barney Slater. Viewers knew right away that something had changed, Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) was replaced without explanation by Peter Graves, taking command of the IMF team as Jim Phelps, and Martin Landau finds himself in the opening credits, right…
The Mind Reels 