Plot Summary:
Amos Troop (Kelley) spearheads a gang whose clever strategy is to kidnap a wanted man from jail, use him as their front man until his bounty maxes out, kill him, collect the reward and go get a new wanted man. As the story opens, the National Detective Agency sets their agent Bob Gifford up under the name of wanted outlaw Judd Tanner, as bait for the gang. Troop falls for it and kidnaps "Tanner," killing the deputy for good measure because he had seen Troop's face. Gifford's colleague Nielson trails them to their lair at the Circle W Ranch. At the ranch, Troop explains that Tanner can be their front man or be dead. Ranch owner Asa Winton explains that he can stay away from his granddaughter Janie or be dead. Also in the gang are trigger-happy Jed Hayden and young Bill Carter, who wants out, but won't leave for fear of Troop and love of Janie. Gifford learns that the gang have an outside man who sets up the jobs. A few robberies later, Tanner's bounty gets tempting, and Troop nabs a new wanted man, Reno Waller. Knowing the gang will kill Tanner soon, Nielsen tells Marshal Shearer about the operation. Tsk, tsk; the marshal is, of course, the mystery ringleader and informs Troop that either Tanner or Waller is an agent. Not wishing to be wasteful and kill them both, Troop devises a test - he catches Nielson and orders Tanner to shoot him. Nielson runs at Hayden; Hayden shoots him; Troop slaps Hayden around for screwing up the experiment. Troop goes to plan B: they'll rob the Comanche Creek bank in the morning, and Shearer will shoot both new guys as they leave. Troop then makes the obligatory stupid bad-guy mistake: he leaves young Carter on guard and Tanner convinces him to go to Marshal Shearer for help. Shearer shoots Carter, explaining to the townfolk that the crazy young fellow pulled a gun on him. Next day, the bank robbery goes off according to Troop's plan, and Shearer shoots Reno but misses Gifford, who has found a gun and returns fire. This gets the attention of agent Bill Peters and his buddies, and there is a general shootout. Troop and Hayden surrender. A crowd gathers and Gifford asks Shearer what happened to Carter. Shearer makes his obligatory stupid bad-guy mistake: he denies having seen the boy. Abbie points out that not only did he see him, he killed him. This leads to more gunplay as a result of which Hayden is killed, Troop and Shearer are wounded and taken off to jail, and Gifford goes back to romancing Abbie.

Notes:
Standard B western with good guys, bad guys, fisticuffs, & gunplay, plus annoying narration, and not a heck of a lot for any of the actors to work with. Kelley plays a straight-forward mean heavy, laying it on thick and tossing in some nice little touches like talking with a whiskey cork in his teeth.
Guyer (1991) notes that this is a remake of the 1957 film Last of the Badmen.
Kelley noted that Amos Troop as filmed was an even more unlovely character than we see on screen -- there was a cut scene in which Troop rides into town, a dog starts barking at his horse's heels, and Troop shoots the dog in the street.

Sources: viewing; IMDB; Maltin; Asherman Reviews: Variety 3/4/64

Plot Summary:
Architect Luke Miller receives word that his fifteen-year-old daughter Dani is being held on suspicion of stabbing her mother's lover to death. The story unfolds in flashbacks of Luke's disastrous marriage to wealthy sculptress Valerie Hayden:
      Luke meets Valerie at an art show while on leave to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Mrs. Hayden decides that a war hero son-in-law would be just the thing and sets about arranging the match, inviting Luke to dinner. Promiscuous Valerie, however, makes a date with art critic Sam Corwin (Kelley); when he tells her not to be late or he'll be angry, she points out that he's "more interesting that way." At dinner, however, Luke stands up to Mrs. Hayden, apalled by her attempt to buy him. At this Valerie forgets about Sam, falls in love with Luke, and they get married. All is going Mom's way. As a wedding present to Valerie, she bribes corruptible Sam with a lucrative agenting contract for seeing to it that Valerie receives a prestigious art award. Luke goes back to the war. Sam scoffs at Valerie's insistence that she will be faithful and urges her to "keep it in the family" by coming to him when she needs to. However, a year later, Luke has survived the war and Valerie has been faithful, though Sam notes that her work is becoming dull and superficial. Mrs. Hayden provides the couple a house she has selected, designed and furnished. She also successfully conspires to prevent him from obtaining any work as an independent architect, forcing him to take a position in her firm. Valerie is distraught that they are under her mother's control again, and their marriage goes to hell despite a baby, with Luke drinking and Valerie taking a string of lovers. Her work gets better, though, and Sam brings her a commission from the U.N. As the marriage continues to dissolve, Mrs. Hayden decides it will be best for the family name if Valerie gets a divorce, and manages it so that Luke is denied visitation.
      Returning to the present, Dani's assault is judged justifiable homicide, but she is held for psychological evaluation and a custody hearing. Blackmailers send word that they have love letters to Valerie's lover Rick from both Dani and Valerie. Sam offers to help deal with the blackmailers; he also admits that he was one of Valerie's lovers for a time, but he was thrown out because he was fond of Dani. Valerie buys and burns the letters, but Sam turns up a couple more and buys them for Luke. Mrs. Hayden petitions for custody; at the hearing Valerie declares that she will do anything to keep Dani out of her own mother's clutches. Luke shows the letters to the court and accuses Valerie of killing Rick out of jealousy and getting Dani to take the blame. Valerie then relates what really happened: she and Rick had just become engaged; when they told Dani, the girl was furious at her mother for taking one more thing she loved away from her, grabbed a chisel and attacked her. Rick jumped to protect Valerie and was killed. Valerie insists that the only one fit to have Dani is Luke, then races home, slashes her mother's portrait and stabs herself to death with the sculpting chisel. (Ick.) At the funeral, Luke swears to keep Dani far away from Mrs. Hayden.

Notes:
The New York Times reviewer hated this movie, calling it "cheap, gaudy, mawkish and artificial" and bemoaning the idea that Bette Davis should have fallen so low. It also states that only Kelley and Jane Greer "keep some shreds of dignity." It's not that bad, though certainly lurid. Kelley rather shines in his several short scenes as a debonair and genial rogue, the only really likeable character in the film.
      Kelley noted in interviews that this was his first chance to break out of the "heavy" roles he'd been stuck in for a decade.
For Trekkers:
Whit Bissel played Station Commander Lurry in "The Trouble with Tribbles."

Sources: viewing; IMDB; Maltin Reviews: NYT 11/3/64; Variety 10/14/64

Role: ** Gregg Wilson
Episode: 1.12           Airdate: 12/7/64
Commercial Recording: None known

Episode Summary: Not viewed. From TV Guide:
"Capital newsman Frank Radcliff breaks a story implying that someone who had knowledge of House Committee decisions on highways took a bribe. When Radcliff refuses to reveal his source for the item, he faces loss of his press credentials."

Sources: Brooks & Marsh; Martindale; Classic TV Archives website; TV Guide (Oregon ed.)

Role: * Lab Chief Green
Episode: pilot           Airdate: 9/8/67
Commercial Recording: None known

Episode Summary: Not viewed; seeking information.

Notes
Kelley credited this show with leading to his Star Trek role. He reports that Roddenberry had wanted him for the doctor in both Star Trek pilots, but the studio turned him down, having typecast Kelley as a heavy. When they saw him in Police Story and he received a good audience reaction, they were able to picture him in a new light, and accepted him for the McCoy role.
For Trekkers:
Grace Lee Whitney played Yeoman Janice Rand in the first season of Star Trek.
Steve Ihnat played Garth in "Whom Gods Destroy."
Malachi Throne played Commodore Mendez in "The Menagerie."

Sources: Terrace (1986); Van Hise (1992); Shatner & Kreski 1993