Annotated Vic Morrow TV and
Movie Credits
by Nancy Durgin
© Copyright 1995,1996 by Nancy Durgin. All Rights Reserved.
This is an annotated listing of Vic Morrow's TV and Movie appearances. It's not a
complete listing (only includes the appearances I have in my collection). In alphabetical
order, divided into TV and Movies categories. WARNING: You'll find some spoilers
(plot details revealed).
TV Shows:
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
PRESENTS - (1957) A Little Sleep
Vic plays the slow-witted psycho killer who has a talent for putting people "to
sleep." Personally, I thought his last victim kind of deserved it. Vic looks good in
his rustic plaid flannel shirt.
B.A.D. CATS - (1980)
Umm... Noteworthy as Vic's only other regular role in a TV series. This series only lasted
six weeks, and for good reason! It's about a group of cops who track down stolen cars. Vic
is the police Captain who ran the group. The pilot episode is shown sometimes as a TV
movie.
BONANZA - (1960) The Avenger
[available at Amazon.com]
BONANZA - (1961) The Tin Badge
Both of these appearances are worth checking out, with "The Avenger" being my
favorite of the two. In "The Tin Badge," Vic plays a clean-cut bad-guy who helps
set up Little Joe to be the (he hopes) incompetent sheriff of a small town where he and
his buddies plan to pull a scam. The role isn't really much different than some of his
early "mobster" roles.
In "The Avenger," Vic plays a young man who's on a quest to find all the men
who were involved in lynching his father. He helps Joe and Hoss rescue Ben and Adam from
being unjustly hanged, but the episode really focuses a lot on his character -- it almost
seems like a failed pilot for a series. See also THE OUTLAWS episode, also titled
"The Avenger," where Vic plays the *same* character!
BROTHER'S BRANNIGAN - (late '50s/early '60s) This is one of Vic's rarer TV
appearances it doesn't show up on some of his credits list. The "Brother's
Brannigan" are a team of private detective. Vic plays an armored car robber, in his
usual bad-guy role. The plot has some interesting twists, including an escape on horseback
and the use of plums as a major plot element.
CHARLIE'S ANGELS - (1978) Angels in Vegas
CHARLIE'S ANGELS - (1980) Angel in Hiding
Vic has decent roles in both of these two-hour episodes. Both episodes were written and
produced by Edward J. Lakso, who wrote about 30 Combat! episodes.
In "Angels in Vegas," Vic guest-stars with Dean Martin, who plays a Vegas
casino owner. Vic's character operates a rival casino, and he's out to bankrupt Dean
Martin. Vic plays a tough-guy, but not the real bad-guy, for a change. He's looking good
here, sporting a moustache and a Saunders-ish hairstyle. He looks best when he sheds the
suit and puts on a car-racing jacket.
"Angel in Hiding" is a season premiere that introduces a new Angel (Tanya
Roberts). Vic plays her mentor, a private detective. He's looking pretty good, but has a
stupid hairstyle (some horrible perm or something). Vic's character dies tragically at the
end of the first hour, leaving the new Angel free to join up with Charlie.
I've also seen a listing in Vic's TV credits for an episode from November 1980 called
"From Street Models to Hawaiian Angels," but haven't been able to locate this
episode. Since this source doesn't list "Angel in Hiding," maybe somebody got
those episodes confused.
COMBAT! - (1962-67) Is there a Vic Morrow fan who hasn't seen him in Combat!?
Vic was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy for his performance in "Survival." He
also directed six episodes, including the excellent "Hills are for Heroes."
DAN AUGUST - (1970) Union Forever Vic plays a union boss who is
(unknowingly?) involved in some shady dealings.
DEATH VALLEY DAYS: A
Matter of Honor (1963) Vic plays an Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant who
has to make a moral decision. He looks good in the uniform.
THE EVIL TOUCH - (1972-73) Murder's For the Birds
THE EVIL TOUCH - (1972-73) The Fans (Morrow also directed)
This was a bizarre little show. Another obscure one that doesn't show up on many of Vic's
credit lists. I think it was actually an Australian production. Vic has a major (and
fairly bizarre) role in both episodes. Worth checking out.
FANTASY ISLAND - (1982) The Challenge with Kim Darby. This was Vic's last
TV appearance. He plays a man who challenges Mr. Roarke for ownership of Fantasy Island.
Not a bad appearance, for his last one.
G.E. THEATRE - (1961?) The Iron Silence Oh, this is a fun little
episode. It's a Cold War tale, also guest starring Ronald Reagan. They both play Soviets
in an occupied Eastern European country. Vic is the womanizing martinet who gets himself
murdered. Ronnie is the sympathetic Russian (unrealistically sympathetic to the point of
blatant propagandizing, but it *was* the height of the Cold War, after all....).
HAWAII FIVE-0 - (1971) Two Doves and Mr. Heron See Vic play a
perverted accountant who's escaped to Hawaii with his swindled loot. If only he hadn't
tried to come on to hippie John Ritter, who bops him on the head and steals his money. One
of Vic's less flattering roles, but he does okay with it.
THE IMMORTAL - (1970) The Rainbow Butcher Vic plays a crooked
sheriff who's running one of those work/prison deals (arrest the random drifters who come
into town, convict them on trumped up charges, and force them to do manual labor on a
project that will profit Vic's character). of course, who should stumble into his hands
but the hero of the series, played by RAT PATROL's Christopher George. I call this one
"The Dueling Sergeants." of course, Chris George wins out in the end, but Vic
gives him a run for his money.
IRONSIDE - (1972) Five Days in the Death of Sergeant Brown This is
a 2-part episode. Vic plays a doctor who is needed to save Sgt. Brown's life, but is being
blackmailed by the bad guys into screwing up the operation. I think they kidnapped his
daughter or something. Not a bad role.
JOHNNY RINGO - (1959) Kid With a Gun aka The Mine Vic
actually plays a good-guy! He's young Bill Stoner, whose father kills their partner when
he comes to claim his share of a mine. Vic comes to a rescue of the dead man's young
daughter, managing to get shot in the head by his own father in the process (but it's just
a flesh wound...). My hero!
THE LAW and MR. JONES - (1961) A Very Special Citizen No
bad-guy role here! Vic plays a young country doctor who is facing a malpractice suit. Note
that Conlan Carter (Doc #2) was a regular in this series, playing James Whitmore's geeky
legal assistant (Whitmore is "Mr Jones"). In this episode, Vic's character is a
school chum of Conlan's, so they have many scenes together. Good episode!
MANNIX - (1971) Days Beyond Recall Vic plays a journalist
who used to be a rising star, but has fallen into hard times, and is now an alcoholic.
Mannix tries to help him kick his problems. Worth checking out, if only for the sauna
scene.
McCLOUD - (1972) A Little Plot in Tranquil Valley Vic's a bad guy
who gives McCloud a hard time. Not a particularly big role, but Vic probably had fun with
it. His character had a cold.
THE MILLIONAIRE - (1956) The Joey Diamond Story A must-have for
all Morrow fans. This was his first TV appearance. He plays the title character, a young
punk who turns his life around after getting the requisite million dollars (the series
premise). Vic is a real cutie in this one, and we get to see him take his pants off in
front of the camera (nice undies, Vic!). The story itself is rather cornball and
melodramatic, but so what?
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - (1972) Two Thousand Vic has stolen and
hidden a chunk of plutonium or somesuch. The IMF team pulls an elaborate scam to make him
think it's 40 years later, there's been a nuclear war, and he's about to be terminated.
All a ruse to get him to reveal where he hid the whatever-it-was.
THE NAKED CITY - (1959) The Shield (1/2 hour) One of my absolute
favorites. Vic plays a young, not-too-bright, kid whose father (Jack Klugman) is a cop.
All his life, Vic's character (David) has wanted to be a cop, but he keeps failing his
civil service exam. A great bittersweet ending. Vic is great in this.
OUTLAWS - (1960) Beat The Drum Slowly
OUTLAWS - (1961) The Avenger
OUTLAWS - (1961) No Luck On Friday
This is a western about a marshall and his two deputies, though it tends to be a showcase
for the guest star characters. Vic has excellent roles in all these episodes. He's in a
fourth episode, "Ballad for a Badman" (1960), which I haven't seen.
In "Beat the Drum Slowly," Vic plays Joe Cannon. He and his brother (Dean
Jones) are two basically honest cattle drovers who get cheated out of $3500 (which belongs
to their partner) by a casino. A sleazy ex-judge (played by Ray Walston) convinces them to
help him rob the casino and get their money back. As you might guess, things don't quite
work out, but in Vic's dying breath, he makes sure the $3500 will get to its rightful
owner.
For info on "The Avenger," see BONANZA above (same character in a different
adventure). Vic plays Tommy Dodge, a 30-year old out to avenge his lawman father's death.
Also appearing this episode are Martin Landau, Jeanette Nolan (the head nun from "The
Infant of Prague") and Burt Freed (the kindly German Sergeant from
"Odyssey"). Vic's basically the focus of the episode, and he does a great job
with it. Like the BONANZA episode, this seems like it could be the pilot for a new series,
as Vic's character rides off into the sunset with his new sidekick, in search of his next
target. In a bit of a COMBAT!-preview, I noticed the following dialog:
(Young outlaw): I won't be here long. I'm goin' to France!
(Vic) : It's a long way to France....
"No Luck on Friday" must have been filmed only a few months before the
COMBAT! pilot. Vic looks just like the Sarge here, except most of the time he manages a
passable Western drawl, instead of Saunders' midwestern/Bronx accent. He plays Tim Sawyer,
a struggling homesteader who is talked into holding up the bank's weekly money shipment.
His wife, Mary, is played by Vic's real-life wife, Barbara Turner.
OWEN MARSHALL, COUNSELOR AT LAW - (1972) Vic Morrow played
Andy Capaso in the episode "Eight Cents Worth of Protection"
PARIS - (1979) pilot episode Vic guest stars in the pilot episode for the
short-lived Steven Bochco series which starred James Earl Jones as a police captain. Vic
plays a city councilman whose wife has been murdered. Guess who the prime suspect is?
Almost all of Vic's scenes are one-on-one confrontations with James Earl Jones.
POLICE STORY - (1974) Slow Boy (two hour
pilot)
POLICE STORY - (1974) Countdown (two hours)
Most people seem to think Vic's appearances in POLICE STORY were some of his best
post-COMBAT! work, but I've heard dissenting opinions. He plays the same character in each
2-hour movie -- a cop who's trying to deal with various personal problems, as well as some
crisis at work.
THE RESTLESS GUN - (1957) Duel at Lockwood Vic plays Wes Singer, a
young punk out to earn his reputation as a fast gun. Wes is bad-guy -- so bad that even
his own grandmother begs our hero (Vint Bonner, played by John Payne) to kill him. Vint
solves the problem by shooting Vic in his gun hand, thus ending his gunfighting career.
Frank Gorshin is also in this episode as one of Vic's sidekicks. I believe this episode
was the pilot for the series.
RICHARD DIAMOND - (195?) The Ed Church Case Vic plays a
mobster. Not a big role.
THE RIFLEMAN - (1958) The Angry Gun
Check
US price
Check Canadian
price
THE
RIFLEMAN - (1959) Letter of the Law
Two episodes worth watching. Vic plays an outlaw in both of them, but he's an outlaw with
style. See him do the famous Saunders hat tip and saunter in "Letter of the
Law."
STONE - (1979) pilot movie (2hrs) Pilot episode for the short-lived
"Stone" TV series, which starred Dennis Weaver as a police detective who writes
crime novels on the side. Vic plays a detective who is the leader of a group of vigilante
cops. Joby Baker ("Kelly" in 3 COMBAT! episodes) is also in this movie, as
Stone's lawyer.
THE STREETS of SAN FRANCISCO - (1973) The 24 Karat Plague Vicand a
band of thieves plot to steal some radioactive gold. Watch Vic chuckle heartlessly as one
of his cohorts (Anthony Zerbe) dies of radiation poisoning. Typical post-COMBAT! bad-guy
role.
TRACKDOWN - (1957) Man and Money This series stars Robert Culp as
a Texas Ranger. Vic plays Stoney Buckram, an all-around despicable character. Buckram has
robbed a bank, and Robert Culp tracks him down and tricks him into showing him where he
hid the money. Apparently in practice for his later role as Saunders, Vic starts the
episode with a bullet in his shoulder.
TRAVIS LOGAN, DA - (1971) I think this was the failed pilot for a TV
show. Vic plays the title character, in a pretty decent role and a decent performance.
THE UNTOUCHABLES - (1960) The Tommy Karpeles Story
THE UNTOUCHABLES - (1962) The Maggie Storm Story
Of course, Vic played a mobster in both of these. He was a fairly vanilla thug in
"The Tommy Karpeles Story." In "The Maggie Storm Story" he plays the
representative of the NY Mob who is trying to cut in on Patricia Neal's nightclub action.
Movies/Miniseries
THE BAD NEWS BEARS - (1976) Vic got a bit of
acclaim for his role here as the coach of the opposing little league team, but
unfortunately it didn't seem to have any positive effect on his stumbling movie career.
Definitely worth checking out.
(VHS)
and (DVD)
(VHS)
and (DVD)
THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE - (1955) with Glenn Ford, Sidney Pottier Vic's
breakthrough role, as young punk Artie West. A must-see!
Check
US price Check Canadian price
BRONX WARRIORS - (1990)
Check US price
Check Canadian price
CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS (1976 TV miniseries) Vic has a small
supporting role in this epic rags-to-riches tale of a poor Irish immigrant who gains
wealth and power in 19th-century America. 9-part series in a 5-tape boxed set.
VHS
VHS
CIMARRON - (1960)
(in VHS) (VHS)
DEATH STALK - (1975 TV) with Vince Edwards, Larry Wilcox
One of those escaped prisoners chase the good-guys down the river movies (a
"Deliverance" rip-off). Not a particularly noteworthy venture. Vic is the head
bad-guy, and he does have his moments.
FUNERAL FOR AN ASSASSIN - (1977) Set in apartheid South Africa, Vic
Morrow stars as a professional assasin seeking revenge on those responsible for his past
prison sentence. By disguising himself as a black man, he plots his revenge.
Check US price
THE GHOST of CYPRESS SWAMP - (197?) with Tom Simcox, Jeff East One of
Vic's strangest roles, and for some reason, I really like him in it. He plays the title
character -- actually a hermit who is living in a swamp. This is a Disney movie -- boys,
dogs, happy endings. Note that co-star Tom Simcox appeared in one of my favorite COMBAT!
episodes, "The Good Samaritan" (but he andVic don't really appear onscreen
together).
THE GLASS HOUSE - (1972) with Clu Gulager, Alan Alda Another one worth
checking out. Alan Alda is a regular nice-guy who ends up in prison, andVic plays the
prison inmate who is running things. One of Vic's nastiest roles, but he does quite well
with it.
(VHS)
and (DVD)
DVD only
GOD'S LITTLE ACRE - (1958) with Jack Lord Jack Lord and Vic Morrow as
hillbilly brothers. Vic is the dumb one.
(VHS)
and
(DVD)
(VHS)
and (DVD)
HELL'S FIVE HOURS - (1958) See more images.
HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP - (1980) with Doug McClure. Produced in Japan.
(VHS) and (DVD)
KING CREOLE - (195?) with Elvis
Presley, Walter Matthau Wow, Vic and Elvis! Vic is the young punk who gives Elvis a
hard time, much to his (fatal) regret. A pretty big role for him.
(VHS)
or (DVD)
(VHS)
(DVD)
IT'S A DOG'S LIFE - (1955) (Morrow narrates) Vic narrates this, acting as
the voice of Wildfire, the dog. One of his most unique roles.
Check
US price Check Canadian
price
A MAN CALLED SLEDGE - (1970) (Morrow directed and co-wrote) This movie
was one of Vic's pet projects, and its failure was one of the major disappointments of his
later career. Vic has a small cameo appearance, though I'm not sure if I spotted it or
not. The movie stars James Garner in the title role, and it's from the point-of-view of a
band of outlaws. Former COMBAT! guest stars Dennis Weaver and Claude Akins both have major
roles.
Check US price
Check Canadian price
MEN IN WAR - (1957) Oh, check this one out. It's about a platoon of
infantry soldiers in the Korean War. Vic plays this really spacy soldier. Sounds similar
to Combat!, but not at all like it!
(VHS)
and (DVD)
Check Canadian DVD
price
MESSAGE FROM SPACE - (1978) This was a Japanese production. Basically a
STAR WARS rip-off, though the character archetypes are spread around enough so that it
takes a while to notice. Vic plays a general who is a reluctant hero to the cause (part
Han Solo, I guess). He has a robot sidekick who is mildly amusing. When Vic finally gets
into the action he's wielding a weapon that looks amazingly like a Tommy Gun, yelling "cover
them!" (so the other part is Sergeant Saunders...). This is really a very bad movie,
but Vic's role isn't *too* horrible, all things considered (just fast-forward through most
of the rest of it -- you already know the plot.... Oh, except for the Space Walnuts.
That's new).
PORTRAIT of A MOBSTER - (1961) (title
role) Vic plays the title role -- mobster Dutch Schulz. Vic's a real scumbag, but
it's a big role, and he's good in it. You'll spot more than one Tommy Gun in this one. Oh, andVic sings
*twice* in this movie. It's a good thing he stuck to acting.....
(Below, Spanish-language lobby card for "Portrait of a Mobster")
ROOTS - (1977) Vic plays the Slave Master who "tames" Kunta Kinte. I
think he appears in only 1 or 2 segments of the series (towards the beginning). He's a
nasty dude, but he carries it off quite well.
VHS
or DVD
THE SEEKERS - (1979) This was a miniseries/movie about some pioneers heading
west. Vic plays a scumbag they meet along the way. He appears in episode 4.I believe he
meets an untimely death (by knifing?).
VHS
Check Canadian price
A STEP OUT of LINE - (1971) with Peter Falk Three financially
down-and-out buddies plot to pull a bank robbery to cure their financial woes. Vic plays a
geeky engineer working for a big corporation. Worth checking out. Below is photo of ad run
by Vic's publicist to promote a special showing of the film for Emmy consideration.
TOM SAWYER - (1973 TV) with Jane Wyatt Would you believe, Vic as Injun
Joe? Works for me!
TRIBUTE TO A BAD MAN - (1956) with James Cagney This is a western, mainly
about James Cagney, of course. Vic has a fairly minor role as a boy whose father is James
Cagney's enemy. Some good scenes with Vic as the kid who stands up to James Cagney. Worth
watching.
VHS
Check Canadian price
TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE - (1982) (last role) What can I say. As Vic's
last work in front of the camera, this belongs in every fan's collection.
VHS
Check Canadian price
Also on this level of the website:
|