Paul Playdon wrote Catafalque, which first aired on 6 February, 1971, and features John Vernon as Ramone Fuego, who gets manipulated by the IMF in an attempt to get sensitive information into the hands of the American government. And while most of the story is really engaging, as Phelps (Peter Graves) and his team set…
Tag: john vernon
Mission: Impossible (1970) – The Falcon: Part 2, and Part 3
Paul delivers the second part of his The Falcon trilogy on 11 January, 1970, and there is a lot going on as Phelps (Peter Graves) and his team work to free Nicolai (Noel Harrison) and his sister, Francesca (Diane Baker) and their imprisoned brother, from the grasp of General Sabbatini (John Vernon) and Colonel Vargas…
Mission: Impossible (1969/1970) – The Amnesiac, and The Falcon: Part 1
Robert Malcolm Young and Ken Pettus pen the teleplay for The Amnesiac from a story developed by Young. It first aired on 28 December, 1969, and features a few return guest stars, including Steve Inhat in his third and final M:I appearance, and Anthony Zerbe in his third of five appearances! Phelps (Peter Graves) IMF…
Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Exchange, and The Mind of Stefan Miklos
The first mission for the IMF team this week is a bit of a different one, and three seasons in, it’s a bit of a surprise that the idea hadn’t been explored before. The Exchange was penned by Laurence Heath, and had an original airdate of 5 January, 1969. Unlike other episodes, we join the…
Topaz (1969) – Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock takes on Leon Uris’ novel Topaz in this film adaptation of the same name. It’s not quite on the level of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller, but the subject material, centring around the Cuban Missile Crisis and a Russian spy ring within the French intelligence community is pretty engaging stuff. Unfortunately, for me, it ended…
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) – John Landis
Ten Bad Dates With De Niro brings me this John Landis comedy classic from the late 70s for my viewing enjoyment. It tops the list of Unlikeliest Films Ever Judged ‘The Best of All Time.’ And while the film is brilliantly funny, boasts an all-star cast and has made the song Louie, Louie iconic, there…
War of the Worlds (1988) – The Walls of Jericho, and Thy Kingdom Come
The war of the worlds truly gets underway this week as the aliens attempt to cement their position on the planet, and come up with a way to survive the radiation poisoning plaguing them (by constructing creepy looking suits). The Walls of Jericho was written by Forrest Van Buren (an alias, most likely for Greg…
Point Blank (1967) – John Boorman
Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson headline the next stop in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book as we return to the Thriller & Crime genre. Marvin is Walker, a criminal left for dead when he is double-crossed by his partners, Reese (John Vernon) and his own wife, Lynne (Sharon Acker). He sets…
Heavy Metal (1981) – Gerald Potterton
I remember seeing issues of Heavy Metal on the magazine rack when I would buy my Starlog and movie magazines growing up on CFB Kingston. I was young, I was there when I was ten and eleven, but I remember being intrigued by the covers I saw. They were appealing, fantastic art, beautiful women, and…
Batman: The Animated Series (1994) – Harlequinade, Bane and Second Chance
Gotham is in trouble again as things get underway this week with the episode Harlequinade. With an original airdate of 23 May 1994, this episode closed out the second season and saw Batman (Kevin Conroy) enlisting the help of Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin). Arranging to have her released from Arkham Asylum, the Dark Knight…
The Mind Reels 