This Date in THE FBI History: Ralph Meeker, Paul Bryar, and Albert Salmi star in “The Plunderers,” airing Apr. 24, 1966. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available from Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 24, 2026 by admin

  1. THE PLUNDERERS
    Original Airdate: Apr. 24, 1966

Synopsis. Four men led by King Hogan pull off an elaborately planned bank robbery at a small branch in Baltimore that results in the fatal shooting of a security guard—but only $12,000 in stolen funds. (The bank’s vault, containing a fortune in cash, remained untouched.) The theft was actually a dry run for a much bigger heist in Butchers Bay, Virginia that’s worth two million dollars. The Bureau’s investigation reveals that Hogan’s M.O. follows that of the late Wendell Cummings, a notorious bank robber from the 1940s whom Hogan met when they were cellmates at Leavenworth. While Erskine looks into all previous prison mates of Cummings over the past fifteen years, a small coat button found in the debris of the practice job turns out to be the vital clue.

LEARN MORE about “The Plunderers” in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This date in MAVERICK TV History: John Dehner, John Hoyt, and Chad Everett star in the conclusion of “The Devil’s Necklace,” airing Apr. 23, 1961. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 23, 2026 by admin
  1. THE DEVIL’S NECKLACE, Part 2
    Original Airdate:     April 23, 1961

Synopsis. As Maverick lies unconscious, an enraged Bob Tallhorse leads the Apaches in a massive attack on Fort Distress.

The only two-part episode of the original Maverick series, “The Devil’s Necklace” features John Dehner (“Shady Deal as Sunny Acres”), Michael Forest (Star Trek), Steve Brodie (Macy on Bonanza), John Archer (father of actress Anne Archer), John Hoyt (When Worlds Collide, Blackboard Jungle), and Chad Everett (Medical Center). Everett had recently signed a three-year contract with Warner Bros. at the time he filmed this episode.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This date in MAVERICK TV History: “One of Our Trains is Missing,” the final episode of the original MAVERICK series, airs on Apr. 22, 1962. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 22, 2026 by admin
  1. ONE OF OUR TRAINS IS MISSING
    Original Airdate:     April 22, 1962

Synopsis. In Whipsaw, Kansas, Bart finds trouble in the form of Modesty Blaine and a neurotic safecracker named Justin Radcliff.

The last episode of the original Maverick series, “One of Our Trains is Missing” also features the final Pappyism of the series: “Any man who needs to make out a will isn’t spending his money properly.”

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This Date in THE FBI History: Charles Aidman, Edward Binns, Scott Marlowe, Paul Mantee, and Joanna Moore star in “The Tunnel,” airing Apr. 21, 1968. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available from Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 21, 2026 by admin

  1. THE TUNNEL
    Original Airdate: Apr. 21, 1968

Synopsis. Ray Pike (played by Charles Aidman) arranges for Bill Hollis (Edward Binns) and Gene Waring (Scott Marlowe) to break out of a state prison in Bend, Oregon and rendezvous with him in New York City. Pike needs Hollis’ expertise in tunneling as part of an elaborate scheme to rob a bank located in the New York Stock Exchange building of $15 million. When Waring dies from a cave-in just before the tunnel is complete, Pike wants to call off the job, but Hollis insists that they continue. Not only that, but Hollis wants Pike to eliminate Waring’s girlfriend (Joanna Moore) as a measure of insurance. What neither man realizes is that a tip from a third fugitive, Gerald Spain (Paul Mantee), has put Erskine and Colby on their trail.

LEARN MORE about “The Tunnel” in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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TV CONFIDENTIAL Show No. 733.1: Remembering Kimberly Johnson is now available for listening on demand for free wherever you find podcasts

Posted on April 20, 2026 by admin

Photo courtesy CBS / Landov

Remembering Kimberly Johnson
Original Airdates: Apr. 17-20, 2026
TVC 733.1: From March 2014: Kimberly Johnson, daughter of Russell Johnson, joins Ed, Tony, Donna, and guest co-host Bill Funt as TV Confidential remembers the life and career of the actor known around the world as The Professor on Gilligan’s Island. Kim shares a few memories of her dad, plus she’ll talks about her dad’s favorite episodes, her favorite episodes, and her dad’s take on the whole Gilligan’s Island pop culture phenomenon.

The son of Candid Camera originator Allen Funt, Bill Funt first came to know Kim Johnson and other Gilligan’s Island personnel (including series creator Sherwood Schwartz) as part of an effort to bring the three Gilligan TV-movies from the late 1970s to DVD.

We learned last week via Facebook that Kimberly Johnson passed away on Thursday, Apr. 2, 2026. We are replaying this program in her memory.

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This date in ROCKFORD FILES history: Rita Moreno and Hal Linden star in “If It Bleeds… It Leads,” the eighth and final Rockford reunion movie, airing Apr. 20, 1999. LEARN MORE in 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, available in softcover paperback and now as an eBook through Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 20, 2026 by admin
  1. IF IT BLEEDS… IT LEADS
    Original Air Date:     April 20, 1999

     Synopsis. Rita Capkovic (played by Rita Moreno) turns to Rockford one last time when her husband Ernie Lansdale (Hal Linden), a respected school teacher, is wrongfully suspected of being the West Side Rapist, the perpetrator of a series of brutal child molestations. When a police sketch of the rapist is leaked to the media, Ernie is immediately hounded by reporters because of his striking resemblance to the suspect depicted in the sketch. With Ernie’s reputation in tatters, Rockford’s only hope of restoring his friend’s good name is to find the real culprit.The Rockford Files ended its run on CBS with a surprisingly strong finish, earning the second-highest household rating (10.3) and share (16.0) among all network programs that aired on Apr. 20, 1999, the night it was originally broadcast. The movie drew 14,480,000 viewers, finishing a close second to the 14,540,000 viewers who tuned in to Dateline NBC. (Dateline that night devoted its entire hour to its coverage of the tragic shootings at Columbine High School in Denver, Colorado, which had occurred earlier that day.)If It Bleeds… also finished tied for fifteenth place in the overall Nielsens for the week. That marked the first time a Rockford reunion movie landed in the Top 20 since November 1994, when I Still Love L.A. placed fourth with a whopping 28 share.

    LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES, featuring more than sixty new pages of never before published information about both the original Rockford Files and the CBS reunion movies, including twenty new interviews and six new appendices. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. Plus… if you order 45 YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES directly from Black Pawn Press, you will receive an exclusive bonus gift. Go to Rockford45.com for more details.

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This date in MAVERICK TV History: Robert Webber, Marj Dusay, and Jameson Parker star in the conclusion of “Faith, Hope and Clarity,” a two-part episode of BRET MAVERICK that originally aired on Apr. 20, 1982. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 20, 2026 by admin
  1. FAITH, HOPE AND CLARITY (two-parter)
    Original Airdates: April 13 and 20, 1982

Synopsis. Everest Sinclair, a utopianist who hopes to make Sweetwater the center of his “new society,” purchases all of the town’s mortgages and immediately forecloses on them. In order to win back their land, the townspeople rally behind Maverick, who hatches an elaborate “sting” aimed at Sinclair.  

The third of three attempts to resurrect Maverick in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Bret Maverick (NBC, 1981-1982) saw James Garner reprise the role that originally made him a star. The premise of “Faith, Hope and Clarity” drew inspiration from one of the most famous Maverick episodes of all, “Shady Deal at Sunny Acres.”

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This Date in THE FBI History: Charles Bronson, Tim McIntire, James Doohan, Doris Singleton, and Crahan Denton star in “The Animal,” airing Apr. 17, 1966. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available from Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 17, 2026 by admin

  1. THE ANIMAL
    Original Airdate: Apr. 17, 1966

Synopsis. In Oregon, Erskine and Rhodes trail Earl Clayton (played by Charles Bronson), a convicted murderer who headed for the Northwest after breaking out of a federal prison in Las Casas, New Mexico, along with four other inmates. The escape took place on the night before Clayton’s scheduled execution. Though charming and amiable, Clayton is also exceptionally dangerous. Fellow fugitive Lambert Hayes (played by Tim McIntire) describes him as a cougar: the type of animal who kills more than he can eat, “just to be doing it.”

LEARN MORE about “The Animal” in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This Date in THE FBI History: Wayne Rogers, BarBara Luna, R.G. Armstrong, Carlos Romero, and Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. star in “The Extortionist,” airing Apr. 16, 1967. THE FBI DOSSIER is now available from Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 16, 2026 by admin

  1. THE EXTORTIONIST
    Original Airdate: Apr. 16, 1967

Synopsis. The first known outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the United States in nearly forty years puts Erskine on the trail of Tyler Cray (played by Wayne Rogers), a bigoted pharmacist who resents that his father (played by R.G. Armstrong) works for Mexican-American cattle rancher Ramon Avila (Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr.). Determined to ruin Avila—and knowing that most of Avila’s money is invested in his cattle—Cray injects a blood sample of a bull infected with FMD into one of the rancher’s bulls and threatens to contaminate the entire herd unless Avila pays him $200,000.

LEARN MORE about “The Extortionist” in THE FBI DOSSIER, everything you wanted to know—and more—about the long-running ABC-TV series produced by Quinn Martin and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

THE FBI DOSSIER is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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This date in MAVERICK TV History: Part 1 of “The Devil’s Necklace,” the only two-part episode of the original MAVERICK series, airs on Apr. 16, 1961. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press

Posted on April 16, 2026 by admin
  1. THE DEVIL’S NECKLACE, Part 1
    Original Airdate:     April 16, 1961

Synopsis. After his horse breaks down in the Arizona heat, Bart seeks shelter at Fort Distress, operated by his friend Major Reidinger. A greedy peddler named Luther Cannonbaugh suckers Bart into buying a wagon containing illegal whiskey—and the Indian squaw Tawny, whom Cannonbaugh kidnapped to sell into slavery. An angry Bob Tallhorse, the Apache warrior to whom Tawny is betrothed, threatens to attack the fort unless she is released. Maverick tries to return Tawny to her tribe, but Tallhorse captures him. Meanwhile, Cannonbaugh (whom the Apaches had also imprisoned) bargains his way out of trouble by offering Tallhorse “strong medicine”—a bear tooth necklace that supposedly makes its wearer impervious to bullets. The conniving Cannonbaugh demonstrates the neckpiece’s “power” by testing it himself (using blank cartridges). Bart warns Tallhorse of the fraud, but Cannonbaugh shoots him with a real bullet that grazes him in the temple.

LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available both in softcover and, very soon, as an eBook through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.

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