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Movies For Television A Brand New Life. Cloris Leachman, Martin
Balsam, Wilfred Hyde White, Gene Nelson. After 18 years of marriage, a
middle-aged couple has to face the prospect of having their first child.
Knowing how much their lives will change the couple faces the question if
they should have the child or not. Won an Emmy for ABC Television and
Tomorrow Entertainment. 1973 Color 74 minutes
A Bunny’s Tale Kirstie Alley, Delta Burke,
Cotter Smith. A dramatization of Gloria Steinem's undercover investigation
of the working conditions Bunnies faced at the Playboy Clubs.1985 Color 97
min. A Christmas Without Snow. Michael Learned,
John Houseman, James Cornwell. A divorced woman moves to a new city with
her child, trying to build her life again. She joins the choir of a local
church but has some personality conflicts with the choirmaster, a
curmudgeonly old gentleman who will accept nothing but perfection from his
group. As Christmas approaches and the choir practices for a big show and
the director pushes them all to their emotional limits, she contemplates
quitting the group. Made For TV. 1980 Color 95 Minutes.
A Hazard of Hearts. Diana Rigg, Eward Fox,
Helena Carter, Stewart Grangr. A Barbara Cartland Novel. When compulsive
gambler Sir Giles Staverley has lost his estate and all his money playing
dice, he realizes that he only has one thing left of value: his daughter
Serena. In a final game, he stakes his daughter's hand in marriage,
convinced that this time he will not lose. Unfortunately, however, he does
lose; to the evil Lord Wrotham. Unable to return home and tell his
daughter that he has lost her in a game of dice, Sir Giles kills himself
there and then. Lord Vulcan, who has witnessed the events, takes pity on
Serena Staverley, although they have never met. He challenges Lord Wrotham
to a game of dice in which the winner takes both Staverley Court and Miss
Serena. Lord Vulcan wins and simply pleased that he has saved someone from
the nasty Wrotham, he thinks no more about the event. One evening,
however, Vulcan's friend Lord Peter Gillingham insists upon them going to
Staverley Court to take a look at Vulcan's "prize." When
arriving there, Vulcan finds Serena Staverley more beautiful than he ever
imagined. A Piano for Mrs. Cimino. Bette Davis, Penny
Fuller, Christopher Guest.
Esther Cimino, a music teacher who has reached retirement age, finds that
her mental faculties are slipping somewhat. The film is a trenchant,
realistic study of the ravages and displacements, socially, physically,
and mentally, that are visited upon a once-proud, sensitive, and still
highly intelligent woman who is declared mentally incompetent by her
children. She is subjected to a hearing, where her blurred responses
prompt the judge to put her in a nursing home, and she begins to
deteriorate. However, her granddaughter who loves her rouses her back to
life and helps her learn how to live again. 1982
92 min. A Real American Hero ,The. Buford Pusser
Story' Brian Dennehy, Forrest Tucker, Ken Howard, Sheree North. Bufford
Pusser is the Sheriff of a Tennessee County who must go against a former
friend, and a group of women who use an old blue law to segregate a
recently freed prostitute. To fight them he uses other old laws that
aren't relevant today. Is he ready to face opposition, or will there be
any? The opening narration says, "The wrong kind of people have had
their say for too long and I want to remind them that somewhere in this
world there is a little law and order left - to let them know in the only
way their kind understands, that they can't bribe or threaten their way
and they will damn well pay dearly for every crime they commit." This
made for TV movie inspired the film "Walking Tall". Made by Bing
Crosby Productions for CBS Television. 1978 Color
A Small Killing. Steven Hilliard Stern;
Edward Asner; Jean Simmons, Sylvia Sydney, John Steadman.
An under cover investigation the murder of a bag lady falls in love
with a College Professor. copy
Made for CBS Television 1981 Color A Tattered Web. Lloyd Bridges, Broderick
Crawford, Ellen Corby, Frank Converse, Murray Hamilton. A detective
discovers his son-in-law is cheating on his wife. He confronts the other
woman and accidentally kills her, then tries to pin the crime on a local
derelict. Made for TV Movie on CBS. 1971 Color 90 Minutes
A Woman Accused. aka In The Glitter Palace
Chad Everret, Barbara Hershey, Howard Duff, Diana Scarwid, Ron Rifkin,
Anthony Zerbe,. An intriguing situation evolves between two ex-lovers. A
lawyer (Chad Everett) is approached by the woman (Barbara Hershey in an
early starring role) who left him for another woman to defend her lesbian
lover. This 1977 TV-movie murder mystery is filled with unspoken longing
and features a cast of many character performers. 1977 Color 97 minutes. Acceptable Risks. Brian Dennehy, Cicely Tyson.
Oakbridge, a mid-size midwest American city, is the site of a major
chemical disaster. At Citichem, the production manager (Dennehy), is
forced to shortcut his safety procedures to speed up the production of a
highly toxic and volatile chemical. Of course, as expected, an accident
occurs. A worker is killed and the town is exposed to calamitous impacts.
Cicely Tyson is the City Manager who has misgivings about the whole
operation. 1986 Color 92 minutes. Adventures of Heidi.
Burl Ives, Kathy Kurtzman.. Warm hearted retelling of the family
favorite. In this film Heidi leaves the Alps and goes to New York. Made
for CBS Television. 1978 COLOR 82 minutes.
Affair, The.
Natalie
Wood, Robert Wagner It was
love at first sight for Marcus Simon an attorney when he saw Courtney
Patterson a 32 year old composer crippled by polio. Marcus tries to slowly
and gently remove the emotion barriers Courtney built around herself and
give them both a chance at love and happiness. Spelling- Goldberg
Production. Made for TV (ABC) 1973 color 74 Minutes
All The Kind Strangers.
Stacy Keach, Samatha Eddar, John Savage, Robbie Bensen, Arlene
Farber. There is nothing more dangerous than a kind face. A couple
traveling through a backwoods area are held by a group of orphans who want
them to become their parents. Unfortunately, the kids have a habit of
killing adults who refuse that particular honor. Made for ABC TV. 1974
Color 97 minutes An Innocent Love. Melissa Sue Anderson, Doug McKeon,
Rocky Bauer A coming of age story of a educationally accelarated young
teenager that is accepted into college, falls in love with an older
college student, facing first love, and obstacles such as maturity, youth,
and a boyfriend. Shot at University of Washington.
1982 / 92 min. Anatomy of An Illness. Edward Asner, Eli Wallach,
David Ogden Stiers, Millie Perkins. Asner plays Norman Cousins who also
wrote the book. How Cousins credits laughter for his sure. Made for CBS
Television. 1984 Color 96 minutes.
Another Woman’s Husband. Gail O’Grady, Lisa Rinna.
Charming ladies man Johnny Miller is bored with his still committed wife,
swimming instructor Susan. Under the 'bachelor' alias Jake Miller he has a
relationship with psychologist Laurel McArthur, who has aquaphobia since
she witnessed her brother drowning 25 years ago. When Laurel joins Susan's
class in Atlanta, the women bond intimately and discover they have him in
common. 2000 91 min. Apocalypse, The. Richard Harris, Vittoria Belvedere,
Benjamin Sadler. It is 90 AD,
and the Roman Empire is being run by the Emperor Domitian, who has
declared himself to be God and ruler over heaven and earth. The
Christians, who do not recognize his divinity, are a thorn in his side #
and he is having them cruelly persecuted. The small village in Asia Minor
to which the aged apostle John has withdrawn is also attacked by Roman
soldiers. As if by a miracle, John is the only person to escape the
slaughter # and he receives divine orders to write down the visions he
will have and communicate them to the Christian communities in the Roman
provinces of Asia. The voice tells him that they should discover what is
and what will happen thereafter. Among the Christians of Asia Minor, who
believe that John is dead, everyone is deeply worried about being
persecuted. Gaius, the community elder in Smyrna, is concerned that only a
few believers still dare come to the ritual supper. Under these
circumstances, Christianity can no longer exist! But at this point the
young Irene appears at the secret meeting. She is convinced that John, who
could give the Christians back their courage, is still alive, because a
certain Theophilus, who is being held captive by the Romans. 2002 100 min.
Arch of Triumph, The. Anthony Hopkins, Lesley-Anne Down,
Donald Pleasence Anthony
Hopkins, is Ravic, is a German citizen who helped Jewish people escape
from the murderous anti-Semitic Fatherland. He spent time in a
concentration camp & has a horrible scar as a reminder. He lives
without papers in Paris, under a false name, aware always that the minute
the gendarmes near him he could be sent away or imprisoned as an illegal
alien. He dreams of the day he can revenge himself on the Gestapo officer
who sent him away, who tortured his friends & who tortured & raped
his only love, Sybil. Made for television. 1985 Color 95 minutes.
Assassin. Robert Conrad, Karen Austin, Jonathan
Banks. A retired agent from an Intelligence Agency is contacted by the
Agency in order to stop an ultra-secret robot who is killing some
government officials. That will be not an easy task, because the robot
looks human and it was specifically built to be an efficient killer, not
to mention that it is almost invulnerable. The retired operative, played
by Robert Conrad, trails the cyborg and tries to destroy it. Directed by
Sandor Stern. Made for TV 1986 Color 74 Minutes.
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
Cicely Tyson, Odetta. In February, 1962, as the civil rights
movement reaches Bayonne, Louisiana, a New York journalist arrives to
interview Jane Pitman, who has just turned 110. She tells him her story
dating back to her earliest memories before slavery ended, a long walk
toward freedom, marriage to Joe Pitman, her adopted son Ned's work as an
educator, helping to raise Jimmy, who returns as a civil rights worker,
and her own decision to become involved in contemporary issues. In between
the chapters of her life, the present-day struggles of Blacks in Bayonne,
urged on by Jimmy, are dramatized/ Emmy Award winning production. 1974
color. Barnaby and Me. Sid Caesar, Julliet MIlls, Sally
Boyden, Ivor Kants, Daws
Butler. The title character is
a talented Koala Bear, who is to Australian fans what Benji is to
Americans. Pausing in his escape from a vengeful mobster, American con
artist (Sid Caesar )falls in love with a mom (Juliet Mills )whose daughter
Sally Boyden keeps Barnaby as
her pet. The kooky koala teams up with Sid for a series of adventures.
Daws Butler famous cartoon voice for Warner Bros and scads of TV cartoons
supplies the voice for Barnaby. Made
for Australian Broadcasting Company Television in Australia . 1977
Color 90 minutes. Betrayal. Amanda
Blake, Dick Haymes, Trish Sterling, Sam Groom. In her first non-Gunsmoke
appearance in two decades, Amanda Blake plays Helen Mercer, a lonely,
middle-aged widow. Helen hires the deceptively sweet Adele Murphy (Tisha
Sterling) as her companion. What she doesn't know (but we do, thanks to a
rather violent prologue) is that "Adele" is really an
extortionist named Gretchen, in league with her homicidal con-artist
boyfriend Jay (Sam Groom). Singing star Dick Haymes makes his TV movie
debut in the third-billed role of Harold Porter. Based on a novel by
suspense specialist Doris Miles Disney. Made for TV. 1974, color.
Birds of Prey. David Jansen Ralph Meeker Elayne
Heilvell. Action Thriller. Harry Walker, X-military pilot, works for a
radio station in Salt Lake City as a traffic helicopter pilot. While on
his rounds he observes a bank robbery taking place and the abduction of a
female teller. He follows, 1st the criminals in their car, then they
transfer to a helicopter. Harry is running out of fuel so he stops on the
road to flag down a tanker truck, gets fuel then continues the pursuit.
Made for CBS Television. 1973 Color 89 minutes.
Black Brigade, The. Billy Dee Williams, Richard
Pryor, Robert Hooks, Moses Gunn, Roosevelt Grier Glynn Turman. A redneck
officer is put in charge of a squad of black troops charged with taking an
important bridge from the Nazis. Made for TV by Aaron Spelling who also
shared the writing credits with David Kidd. (ABC Television) The best
friend twosome of Pryor and Grier is formidable. From the Aaron Spelling
Danny Thomas TV series Carter's army. 1970 Color 90 Minutes. Blunt, The Fourth Man. Anthony Hopkins, Ian
Richardson. Based on true saga of four
British Spies at Cambridge. (Blunt, Burgess, Maclean, Philby and
Cairncross) and their impact on world history. Back in the late 1940's the
FBI detected that there was a Soviet spy in the British Embassy in
Washington D.C but could only narrow him down to a half dozen high ranking
members of the British Foreign Service or MI5. It wasn't until 1949 that
the spy code name "Homer" was identified as being Donald MacLean
(Michael McStay) and the FBI, together with the British Government, set a
trap to not just arrest him but those who he was in contact and working
with in the British Isles and it was there where the movie
"Blunt" begins, in late May 1951. Compelling drama. Made for BBC
Television. 1985 Color. Born To Be Sold.
Lynda Carter, Harold Gould, Dean Stockwell, Ed Nelson.
Lynda Carter plays a caring social worker that is suddenly drawn
into a horrid reality of underworld mayhem. Babies are bought from
troubled teenagers and then are placed into the hands of unstable parents
for a fee of $ 30,000. Can you believe it. The saddest part of all is that
this has really happened. While Lynda Carter investigates the businessman
believed to be responsible, she puts her own life in danger from the band
of villains working for him. She is threatened, manipulated and puts her
job in jeopardy desperately trying to crack the operation wide open. Made
for TV Thriller. 1981 Color 96 Minutes. Borrowers, The. Eddie Albert, Tammy Grimes,
Edith Anderson, Bernard Hughes, An
eight-year-old boy discovers a family of tiny people, only a few inches
tall, living beneath the floorboards of a Victorian country home. Made for
NBC Original music Rod McKuen. 1973 Color 83 Minutes. Bounty Man, The. Clint Walker, Richard Basehart Two
rival bounty hunters are after the same killer, but find they have to join
together to fight off his gang. Made by ABC Circle Films. 1972 Color 73
minutes. Boy In The Plastic Bubble. John Travolta. Glyniss
O'Conner, Robert Reed, Ralph Bellamy, Dianna Hyland, Karen Morrow. Based
on a true story, Tod Lubitch is born with a deficient immune system (not
unlike being born with AIDS). As such, he must spend the rest of his life
in a completely sterile environment. His room is completely hermetically
sealed against bacteria and virus, his food is specially prepared, and his
only human contact comes in the form of gloved hands. The movie follows
his life into a teenager. Produced by Aaron Spelling ABC Television. 1976
Color 100 Minutes. Brass Ring, The.
Dina Merrill, Sylvia Sydney, A
mother afflicted with depression comes into conflict with own mother and
children when she refuses to seek professional health care. Sylvia Sidney
also appears. Made for Television by Bob Balaban. Has played on
Show Time Cable. 1983 Color 81 minutes. Brotherhood of Justice. Keanu Reeves, Kiefer
Sutherland, Lori Loughlin /
1993 / 97 min. Callie & Son. Lindsey Wagner, Dabney Coleman and
Michelle Pfeiffer. An unwed mother forced to give up her child and is
cheated by a phony private investigator. Later she marries a wealthy
publisher and continues her search for her child. Made by Motown
Productions for CBS Television. 1981 Color 142 Minutes PG. Camille. Greta Scacchi, Collin Firth, John Gielgud. Camille
is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of
promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hope
of a career and position by marrying Armand, she acquiesces and leaves her
lover. However, when poverty and terminal illness overwhelm her, Camille
discovers that Armand has not lost his love for her. 1984 100 mins. Can You Hear The Laughter? Burt Brinckerhoff A
sensitive made-for-television drama about Freddie Prinze's rise to the top
of his profession and subsequent tragic suicide. 1979 color 96 minutes. Cape Town Affair, The.
Claire Trevor, James Brolin, Jacqueline Bisset, Bob Courtney, John
Whiteley, Gordon Milholland. Cartier Affair, The Joan Collins, David Hasselhoff,
Brad Buckner. 1984 9Curt
Taylor is a convict and owes Phil Drexler the number 1 convict in the
prison. Now to settle his debt Drexler sends Curt to be the secretary for
Cartier Rand so that he can steal her jewels. But he falls in love with
her, which complicates things. Children Of The Night. Kathleen Quinlan, Nicholas
Campbell, Mario Van Peebles. Fact-based
drama about a sociology graduate (Kathleen Quinlan) who starts working
with teen prostitutes in Hollywood. The film does not draw back on its
depiction of the brutality that the teens face nor of the exploitation
that occurs from the pimps and johns ho use them. Pat Benatar's song
"Hell Is For Children" is used to set the film's theme. Made for
CBS Television. 1985 Color 83 minutes. Christabel. Elizabeth Hurley, Stephen Delane,
Geoffrey Palmer, Ann Bell. An English girl marries a German lawyer in the
1930s and they try to live as normal a life as they can in Hitler's
Germany. When Allied bombs start falling on German cities, Christabel
takes her two young sons to a village in the mountains. Then she learns
that her husband and some of his friends have been arrested for plotting
to assassinate Hitler. She travels to the prison where he is held,
wondering if telling the commandant that she knows Winston Churchill will
help her husband or seal his fate. This
film is based on Christabel Bielenberg's historical memoir, "The Past
Is Myself," looking back on the years 1932-45, was the source for
this depiction of life in Germany during Hitler's rise.
Dennis Potter chose to dramatize their story because, "One,
it's a celebration of married love, and, two, it's the perfect answer to
the idea of collective guilt. They were confronted with this raving maniac
and yet managed to emerge without doing anything degrading." Made for
Television (BBC) 1988 Color 149 minutes. Christmas Stallion, The. Daniel Travanti, Lynette
Davis. Sixteen year old Gwen Davies adores the horses she and her
grandfather have raised on the beautiful Welsh Mountains. However, when
her grandfather dies her uncle must either sell the farm to a greedy land
developer, or allow Gwen to keep the farm, opening the wounds of his
tragic past in the process. Also The Winter Stallion.1992 94 min.
Christmas Wife, The.
Jason Robards, Julie Harris, Don Francks, James Eckhouse, Patricia
Hamilton, Afraid to spend the Christmas holiday alone, an aging widower
decides to hire himself a spouse to spend the vacation with him in his
lovely mountain retreat and finds true romance in this heartwarming
made-for-cable television drama that is based on a story by Helen Norris.
Jason Robards and Julie Harris are wonderful in this leisurely film that
is reminiscent of the great classic movies. 1988 color 73 minutes. Class of 63. James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, Jane Hackman.
A jealous husband uses a college reunion to take revenge on his wife's
former lover, who he is convinced is still having an affair with her. This
20th Century Fox production is one of ABC's best movie of the week
offerings in the 70s. The plot concerns the ten year reunion of a group of
college students, one of whom has homicidal intentions towards his former
classmates, stemming from a romantic slight. But it's not a by the numbers
revenge flick. The script is literate and intelligent, John Korty's
direction is very sharp, and the acting (especially by Cliff Gorman and
Joan Hackett) is surprisingly good. There is a haunting use of the song
"Louise," that contributes to the suspense. 1974 Color 74
minutes. Clinton & Nadine. Andy Garcia, Ellen Barkin,
Morgan Freeman. Andy Garcia plays Clinton, who is eager to find his
brother's murderer. To do so, he enlists the aid of Nadine, an expensive
call girl. Clinton and Nadine get sucked into a plot to smuggle guns to
the Contra forces in Nicaragua. Also known as Blood Money" 1988 91
minutes. Coach of The Year. Robert Conrad, Erin Gray A former
player for the Chicago Bears is paralyzed in the Vietnam War. He returns
to get a job coaching at a youth prison. Made for Television. 1980
Color 120 minutes. Cold Room, The. George Segal, Amanda Pays. A girl
brought to modern Germany experiences events that occurred during the
World War II era. 1984 /97
min. Concrete Cowboy. Tom Selleck, Jerry Reed,
Barbara Mandrell, Morgan Fairchild, Claud Aikens, Roy Acuff. Ex
cowboy (Tom Selleck) and his side kick (Jerry Reed) travel the highways
and byways of America in search of adventure. Along with Morgan Fairchild
they find plenty of it. Made for CBS Television. Also released as "Ramblin'
Man". 1979 Color 100 minutes. Conflict. Martin Sheen, Trevor Howard, Cyril Cusack.
In the near future, the Catholic church has joined with other western
religions in an ecumenical movement that has washed out much of the
original message of the religion. A group of Irish monks have begun saying
the mass again in Latin and have begun to have an international following.
Martin Sheen is sent from Rome to bring them to task and they must
confront what is truly essential in their worship and what is not. Made
for CBS Television. (aka Catholics) 1973 color 78 minutes. Congratulations it's a Boy. Bill Bixby, Diane Baker,
Jack Albertson, Ann Southern, Tom Bosley. A bachelor's life is interrupted
by the appearance of a teenager who claims to be his son. Bill Bixby
(America's favorite Dad from the series "Courtship of Eddies
Father") discovers he has a son he didn't know about and it changes
his 'swinger' image. Made for ABC Television. Produced by Aaron Spelling.
1974 Color 90 Minutes. Crossbar. Brent Carver, Kim Cattrall, Kate Reid, John
Ireland The story of an Olympic high jumper, played by Brent Carver,
who loses his leg and yet doggedly persists in his pursuit of athletic
glory. Released a year before Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope, this
made-for-Canadian-TV movie, which also stars Sex and the City's Kim
Cattrall, has been described as a tear-jerker. 1979 Color 78 Minutes. Cry of the Innocent.
Rod Taylor, Joanna Pettet, Nigel Davenport, Cyril Cusack. This is
an Irish film that premiered on American TV. It's a conspiracy story
involving industrial spying and a plane from Rome that crashes in Ireland.
It's Rod Taylor's family that is wiped out in the plane crash and,
outraged at discovering that it was no accident, he finds a way to gain
revenge on the people behind it. Taylor plays an American insurance exec
in Ireland with a background as a former Green Beret.
Cyril Cusack is a standout as the Irish police inspector. He is
rumpled, calm and casual, yet brilliant and
steals every scene. Made in Ireland for Television in America. 1980
Color 93 minutes. Cry Panic. John Forsythe,
Earl Holliman, Ralph Meeker, and Anne Francis
David Ryder( Forsythe) accidentally hits a pedestrian while on a
business trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. He examines the body to
find the man dead. He then walks to the nearest house to call the police.
He confronts a nervous woman who permits him to use her phone. Once the
cops arrive, no body is found. As the mystery deepens, Ryder learns that
the town is attempting to cover up a conspiracy of some kind. Ryder
becomes the target of those who see him as a danger to their covert
scheme.. Forsythe, heretofore known mainly for his rather bland role as
"Bachelor Father" and later of "Charlie's Angels"
fame, surprises the viewer with one of the best performances ever in a TV
film. The talented writer Jack B. Sowards, who helped write the screenplay
for the best of the Star Trek movies, "The Wrath of Khan," comes
up with a great story of a story. Made for ABC Television. 1974 Color 74
minutes. Curse of King Tut’s Tomb. The
Eva Marie Saint, Robin Ellis, Raymond
Burr. After an archeological expedition discovers the tomb of the Egyptian
king Tutankhamen, many of the scientists, engineers and workmen begin
mysteriously dying off. 1980
98 min. Curse of the Swamp Creature. John Agar, Francine
York, Jeff lexandar. Deep in the rural swamps of Texas the mad Dr. Simond
Trent is conducting experiments on the local swamp people in an attempt to
discover the secret of evolution. When a party of oil surveyors comes upon
his isolated laboratory he decides to take the final step and turn one of
them into a grotesque amphibious creature. 1966 80 min. Dark Forces. Robert Powell, David Hemming,
A modern-day politician is faced with an incomprehensible in this
mystical-fantasy. Senator Rast is a very powerful man. But his is nothing
compared to the extraordinary power of the enigmatic stranger who
mysteriously comes to "visit" him. Possessing uncanny magical
prowess and miraculous psychic abilities, the peculiar, but seemingly
benevolent, visitor quickly gains a spell-binding hold over the senator
and his family. But a power-lusting political backer is also vying for
control over the up-and-coming senator. And he would kill the influential
stranger, without question, for that power. But he and the senator are
about to be enlightened.1980 Color 96 minutes. Dark Night of the Scarecrow. Charles Durning, Robert
Lyons, Claude Earl. A
retarded man is unjustly accused of attacking a young girl. Disguised as a
scarecrow, he hides in a cornfield, only to be hunted down and shot.
Later, after it is revealed he saved the girl from a vicious dog attack,
members of the search posse are killed by a mysterious scarecrow. One of
the most frightening and suspensfull films made for televisision. 1981 96
min. David Copperfield. Richard Attenborough, Dame Edith
Evans, Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave, Pamela Franklin, Ralph
Richardson, Robin Phillips as David Copperfield. Charles Dickens' favorite
child was David Copperfield. His is the tale of success triumphing over
adversity. A must‑see
for the entire family. What a cast of stars! Made for NBC Television. 1969
Color 188 minutes. Deadly Recruits. Terence Stamp, Carmen DuSotoy. Michael Culver, Robin Sachs.
Stamp plays a most irritating government agent. an unusual and
unexpectedly intelligent spy thriller made for British television. A
motorcycle accident leads two government agents to investigate a series of
disappearances from among the best and brightest students at Oxford
University. The case takes some unexpected twists. Requires careful
attention as well as a nodding acquaintance with British slang on
occasions. There is also some nice dry English wit. The cast is good,
particularly Michael Culver, a familiar face from films including
Thunderball and The Empire
Strikes Back. 1986 Color 92 Minutes. Death at Love House. Robert Wagner, Kate Jackson,
Slyvia Sidney, Joan Blondell, Dorothy Lamour, Marianna Hill and John
Carradine. Donna and Joel
Gregory (Kate and Robert) are
staying at the estate of Lorna Love while researching a book about the
long dead Hollywood goddess. Joel, who's father had a passionate affair
with Lorna, becomes obsessed with her. His wife attempts to break the
spell which threatens their marriage and their very lives. TV horrors
produced by Aaron Spelling for ABC . 1976 Color 74 minutes. Death of Ritchie Robbie Bensen, Ben Gazzara This
powerful made-for-television drama made a memorable impact on audiences
(over NBC ) in the late '70s and has earned a cult following as a result.
The story focuses on Richie (Robby Benson), a well-meaning but emotionally
confused teen who finds it all too easy to turn to drugs when he feels the
world closing in on him. This brings him into conflict with his father,
George (Ben Gazzara), a stern man who loves his son, but has trouble
expressing his feelings. Both men make genuine attempts to meet each other
halfway, but their relationship worsens as social pressures and personal
failings drive Richie deeper into his drug addiction. The interaction
between father and son becomes violent, resulting in a tragedy for the
whole family. The Death of Richie attracted critical acclaim when it was
telecast in 1977 for its sensitive but unflinching treatment of difficult
family issues, as well as the impressive performances of Benson and
Gazzara. 1997 Color 97 minutes. Death Sentence. Cloris Leachman, Laurence Luckinbill,
Nick Nolte, Alan Oppenheimer A juror on a murder case begins to
believe that the man on trial is innocent of the crime - and then
discovers that the real killer is her own husband. Made by Twenty Century
Fox. Desperate For Love. Christian Slater, Tammy Lauren,
Brian Bloom. The story of murder among a trio of teenagers after a boy
breaks up with a girl and she runs into the arms of his vulnerable best
friend. 1989 Color 93 minutes. Destination Nightmare.
Boris Karloff. Made from a series of four short films hosted by
Boris Karloff. He also plays roles in each of them. The individual
sequences were meant to be episodes for a proposed TV series that was
never sold. The episodes weren't meant to be horror movies but series of
supernatural stories based on supposed real life occurrences. They were
meant to make you wonder and perhaps give you a little chill down the back
of your neck. It reminded me of the successful TV series "One Step
Beyond". 1958 B&W. Disappearance of Flight 412, The. Glenn Ford,
Bradford Dillman, Guy Stockwell, Greg Mullavey. David Soul. Ford stars as
Col. Pete Moore, the commander of a radar testing group. After
experiencing strange difficulties with the testing procedure, a group of
aircraft sent to investigate disappear mysteriously. Moore, anxious to
discover what has happened to his men, runs afoul of other government
agencies investigating the possibility of UFO activity in the area. This
film was originally broadcast on NBC in 1974, during a period of increased
production of TV movies. It stands out, however, for its taut editing and
effort by director Jud Taylor (a television veteran and former president
of the DGA) to maintain a photographic realism in a science fiction tinged
drama. A jet vanishes while chasing a UFO, and the subsequent
investigation reveals a huge conspiracy to cover up the event. Starring .
Made for TV.1974 Color 120 minutes. Divorce Hers. Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton The
story of the breakup of an 18-year marriage, as seen from the points of
view of both the husband and the wife. 1973 Color Presented in two parts
180 minutes Divorce His. Richard
Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Carrie Nye, Barry Foster. The story of the
breakup of an 18-year marriage, as seen from the points of view of both
the husband and the wife. 1973 Color presented in two parts. Dog Gone. Jack Wagner, Daphne Zuniga, Cory Parravano.
Kyle's a police officer, and his partner is his dog, Hunter. Hunter gets
killed in the line of duty, and his spirit comes back in the body of a
criminal named Howie. Howie, with the spirit of Hunter in him, helps Kyle
in solving a dastardly plot. Also released as Ghost Dog: A Detective
Tale. 2003 / 85 min. Dominique is Dead. Cliff Robertson, Jean Simmons,
Jenny Agutter. The wife of a
greedy man comes back to haunt him after he scares her to death in this
horror-thriller. He is after her money and must try several times before
he finally succeeds. Because she is mentally exhausted from being
frightened all the time, she commits suicide, but soon the husband begins
experiencing her ghostly presence. 1980
98 min. Dunera Boys, The. Bob Hoskins, Joseph Spano, Joseph
Furst. At the start of WWII the British Government decided to arrest all
Germans in the UK no matter how long they had been here. Among those
arrested were many Jewish refugees and many who were fully assimilated.
This film records the story of a group who were sent to a POW camp in
Australia aboard the Dunera. 1985 200 min. Escape From Sobibor. with Alan Arkin and Rutger Hauer.
Escape from Nazi death camp weeks before the end of World War II. An
important film well acted and authentic. Both Arkin and Hauer were
nominated for 1988 Golden Globe awards. Hauer won. Directed by Jack Gold.
This is one of the finest and most important films we offer. Made For CBS
Television Narrated by Howard K. Smith. 1987 Color 143 minutes.
Escapes. Vincent Price hosts. Featured are John
Mitchum, Todd Fulton and Jerry Grisham. An anthology of five tales of
terror, each originally produced for video. The titles are
"Something's Fishy," "Coffee Break," "Who's
There," "Jonah's Dream," and "Think Twice." 1986
72 min. F. Scott Fitzgerald & the Last of the Belles.
Richard Chamberlain, Blythe Danner, Susan Sarandon. F. Scott Fitzgerald
and "The Last of the Belles'" was a large budget and highly
publicized made for television movie apparently designed to capitalize on
interest in Fitzgerald because of the then current release of the
theatrical movie "The Great Gatsby" starring Robert Redford.
"Belles" is a story within a story. Fitzgerald and his wife,
Zelda, have returned from Europe. Through high living, he is deeply in
debt, while his wife Zelda has distanced herself becoming obsessed with
being a ballerina, even though she is 30 years old and never had a dance
lesson, which indeed was true of the real Zelda. Fitzgerald is out of
ideas for new stories and spends the empty hours carousing. Finally, the
seed of an idea for a story begins to emerge. The film then alternates
between Fitzgerald's life and his story of young soldiers from the north
at a training camp in the south during World War I and the southern belles
they court. Richard Chamberlain is Fitzgerald and Blythe Danner is Zelda,
while David Huffman and Susan Sarandon are the couple in the story.
Made for ABC Television. 1974 Color 93 Minutes.
Fair Play. Paul Ford,
Robert Middelton, Terry Wilson. A rather silly comedy western with
some kid appeal. Good for a Saturday morning. 1972 Color 83 minutes.
Father Kino Story, Mission on Horseback.
Ricardo Montalban, Cesar Romero,
Rory Calhooun, John Ireland, Victor Jory, Aldo Ray,
Kenan Wynn. Featuring an all-star television cast including Ricardo
Montalban of "The Love Boat" and Cesar Romero of "Falcon
Crest," The Father Kino Story is
based on the true story of Old West missionary Father Kino. A Jesuit
priest who dedicated much of his life to building missions for Native
Americans, Father Kino also helped these indigenous residents of
California, Arizona and Mexico sustain agricultural communities. This
made-for-TV movie chronicles his adventurous and exciting experience in
what was, at the time, a "savage" and unknown land. Following
the conventions of the Western genre, The Father Kino Story, aka
"Mission To Glory" is an edge-of-your-seat ride through unknown
territory! 1977 Color 117 Minutes.
Fer-de-Lance. David Janssen, Hope Lange, Ivan Dixon,
Jason Evers, Charles Knox Robinson An American submarine leaves Tierra Del
Fuego, and one of its crew has secretly brought aboard a container full of
poisonous snakes which escape storage and bite key personnel on the
submarine, causing an accident that cripples the vehicle so that it drops
to the bottom of the Southern Ocean. Worse still, the snakes are still at
large on the submarine and complicate the efforts of the crew to escape
the sunken vessel. One of the best made-for-TV
thrillers ever made. 1973 color 100 minutes.
Firehouse. Richard Roundtree, Andrew Duggan, Val
Avery, Vince Edwards, Sheila Frazer. Directed by Alex March. Tensions
arise when a previously all-white firehouse gets its first black fireman.
An African American youth must deal with both many physical tests and the
racism of his peers as he works to become a full-fledged fire fighter in
this drama that was originally made as a television pilot. As he is the
only black man in an all white unit, things are difficult, especially
after he learns that the man he replaced was killed in a fire set by a
black arsonist. Richard Roundtree gives an emotional performance as a
dedicated black firefighter who is a fish out of water in an all-white
firehouse. His character does not beat around the bush when it comes to
confronting his co-workers about the race issue. If you like Richard
Roundtree, you will enjoy this film. Made for ABC Television. 1972 Color
73 Minutes. Footsteps. Richard Crenna, James Woods, Ned Beatty.A
football coach is hired by a small college to shape up its football team,
and he finds himself in trouble with local gamblers who don't want the
team to improve. Also shown as Nice Guys Finish Last.
1972 75 min. Gargoyles. Cornel Wilde, Jennifer Salt, Garyson Hall.
After receiving word about a mysterious carcass/skeleton unearthed in the
Arizona desert, a father and his daughter decide to remove it from the
burial grounds for further study. Once they do so, they, as well as the
town, are besieged by a colony of gargoyles living in some nearby caverns.
1972 74 min. Gentle Ben. Dean Cain, Corbin Bensen, Jack
Conley. When shady oil tycoon Cal Stryker (Jack Conley) strikes a deal to
drill for oil near a wildlife preserve, ranger Jack Wedloe (Dean Cain from
TV's 'Lois & Clark') decides to do some investigating. He discovers
that more than oil drilling is going on, and finds that illegal toxic
waste dumping is occurring and is threatening the home of everyone's
favorite bear, Gentle Ben. It is up to Jack and his friends to right this
wrong. Made for TV. 2002 Color Get Christie Love! Teresa Graves, Harry Guardino,
Louise Sorel, Paul Stevens. She's one bad mamma jamma! A beautiful
policewoman goes undercover to break up a drug ring. A beautiful
policewoman goes undercover to break up a drug ring. Teresa Graves started
out as one of the bikini-clad dancers on 'Laugh-In' before she landed this
somewhat forgotten role. This was another ABC network pilot which seemed
to test well. It's significant in that she was the first black actress to
have a leading role in a prime time police drama. 1974 color 74
minutes. Girl That Came Gift Wrapped, The.
Farrah Faucett, Karen Valentine, Richard Long, Tom Bosley. A
small-town beauty queen is hired, as a joke, as a "birthday
present" for a magazine publisher. Spelling- Goldberg Production.
Made for TV (ABC) 1977 Color
74 minutes. Glass House, The Alan. Alda, Billy Dee Williams, Dean
Jagger, Vic Morrow, Clu Gulagher, A
young guard and a college professor convicted of manslaughter both start
their first day in prison. aka
"Truman Capote's the Glass House". Made for CBS Television by
Tomorrow Entertainment. 1972 color. Good Against Evil. Dack Rambo, Dan O'Herlihy, Richard
Lynch, Kim Cantrell ABC-TV
pilot about a writer, Rambo, teaming up with an exorcist, O'Herlihy, to
battle an exorcist, Lynch, and his group of Devil worshipers. Made for ABC
Television by 20th Century Fox. 1977 Color 78 Minutes. Guilty Conscience. Anthony Hopkins, Blythe Danner,
Swoosie Kurtz.. Criminal defense attorney Arthur Jamison wants to get a
divorce from his wife Louise Jamison. He knows that the downside would be
the hefty alimony payments his wife would receive from him. Instead of
facing this monetary dilemma, he comes up with an imaginary alter ego to
help him plan the perfect murder of his wife. 1985 Color 104 minutes. Guinevere. Noah Wyle, Sheryl Lee, Sean Patrick
Flanery and Donald Pleasance. The legend of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot and
Guinevere, told from a somewhat more feminist perspective.
1993 93 min. Gun and the Pulpit. Marjoe Gortner, Pamela Sue Martin, Estelle Parsons,
Slim Pickens, Geoffrey Lewis, David Huddleston. 1974.
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. Booth Powers,
Ned Betty, Diane Ladd, LeVar
Burton, Randy Quaid, James Earl Jones.
Based upon the true story of Jim Jones, a self proclaimed prophet.
Jim Jones had a loyal following of about 1000 people, who had donated
their entire life savings to him to join his commune. When possible
illegal activities came to the attention of the authorities, they started
to investigate. Rather that faces the charges, Jim Jones committed
suicide, and convinced virtually All of his followers to do the same.
James Earl Jones makes a small appearance as Father Divine. The dialogue
used in the mass suicide/murder scene near the end of the film was taken
almost word-for-word from an audiocassette found in a portable tape
recorder under Jim Jones' chair. The tape recorder had weak batteries and
was running at a much slower than normal speed, allowing the entire event
to be recorded. The song "Welcome" that the choir sings is taken
from a recording of the actual People's Temple Choir. Made for CBS
Television. 1980 Color 192 minutes.
Hands Of A Stranger. Paul Lukather, Joan
Harvey, James Stapelton. The line to advertise this film was ...
"They gave him the hands of a killer!" A surgeon must graft new
hands on a concert pianist to replace his badly mangled ones. However,
after the operation, the pianist comes to believe that his new hands have
a mind of their own, and are trying to force him to commit evil acts. This
film being shot in black and white was not made for TV but it was so
popular in TV in the 70's we added it to this collection. 1962 B&W 95
minutes. Hanged Man, The.
Steve Forrest, Dean Jagger, Will Geer, Sharron Acker.
A western with physic overtones. A gunfighter survives his own
hanging and discovers that he has the power to read people's minds. He
decides to use his powers to help people, and comes across a young widow
who is trying to keep a ruthless land baron from taking her ranch. Made by
Bing Crosby Productions for ABC Television. 1974 color 73
minutes. Hard Knox. Robert Conrad, Red West, Joan Sweeny, Bill
Erwin. A retired fighter pilot tough guy becomes head of his alma mater
military school. This two week experience is something the school will
never forget. There are lots of laughs, but the consequence is the
students are shaped up, the school takes on another military academy and
shines. Wild Wild West TV star Conrad plays Col Joe Knox and does the job.
Made for NBC Television. 1984
Color 93 minutes. Harvest. James Dean, Ed Begley, Dorothy Gish,
Robert Montgomery Narrator. This film presents a Thanksgiving story
portraying an American family. When the Zalinka's wheat crop is destroyed
by a hailstorm just before harvest, many of the family's dreams vanish.
Other problems arise as well. The youngest son, portrayed by James Dean,
loses his girlfriend, and Grandpa Zalinka passes away just short of his
100th birthday. "Yet this is a time of harvest for the people as well
as the crops. The Thanksgiving message makes for inspired viewing as well
as a chance to see James Dean in a role tailor-made for his talents".
Made by NBC for Television. 1953 B&W 53 minutes. Heidi Maxi million Shell, Jean Simmons, Walter Slezak.
A good adaptation of the oft told story that through no fault of its own,
became embroiled in a U.S. broadcasting brouhaha known to this day as the
"Heidi Bowl." On Sunday, 17 Nov 1968, the NBC television network
was scheduled to begin airing "Heidi" at 7pm Eastern Standard
Time, following coverage of an American Football League game between the
New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders. The game ran long; however, with
the Jets leading the Raiders, 32-to-29, NBC broke away to begin
"Heidi" on schedule. During the remaining minute of play (which
was extended by penalties and timeouts), Oakland managed to score two
touchdowns, and ended up beating New York, 43-to-32. Outraged football
fans inundated NBC switchboards. The network expressed regret, saying it
had intended to stay with the football game until it ended, and blaming a
series of miscommunications for the gaffe. A result of this fiasco is that
NFL television contracts require games to be televised in their entirety.
The film did win an Emmy for it's musical score. 1968 B&W 105 minutes.
Hijack. David Janssen, Keenan Wynn, Lee Purcell.
Arron Spelling produced this film about two truck drivers are hired to
transport a top-secret cargo from New York to Houston. Along the way they
must evade attempts by a terrorist group to hijack the material. 1973 74
min. Hit Lady. Yvette Mimieux, Dack Rambo,
Clu Gulager, Joseph Campanella, Keenan Wynn,. A beautiful young
artist moonlights as a syndicate killer. Produced by Aaron Spelling and
written by Yvette Mimieux, who stars it, plays a woman in a man's job -
she's a hit woman. Though very successful knocking people off, she gets
tired of it and, in love with Rambo, wants to retire from the business and
live with him in Mexico. Her costars, besides Rambo, are- basically all
men. Made for ABC Television. 1974 Color 74 Minutes. Hitler’s S.S. John Shea, Jose Ferrer, Carol Baker.
The story of Helmut and Karl Hoffmann. Both come of age at the start of
Hitler's power in Germany. Helmut joins the SS and eventually becomes a
successful flag rank officer. Karl joins the SA and experiences the darker
side of Nazism after the SA is disbanded and Karl is thrown into prison
and later conscripted into the German army. Brother is pitted against
brother until their relationship, and the Third Reich, stands in ruins.
1985 140 min. Hobbit, The. John
Huston Narrates this animated Classic.
Orson Bean, Richard Boone, Hans Conried provide voices. Bilbo
Baggins the Hobbit was just minding his own business, when his occasional
visitor Gandalf the Wizard drops in one night. One by one, a whole group
of dwarves drop in, and before he knows it, Bilbo has joined their quest
to reclaim their kingdom, taken from them by an evil dragon named Smaug.
The only problem is that Gandalf has told the dwarves that Bilbo is an
expert burglar, but he isn't. Lord of The Rings. 1977, 77 min. Home at Last. Frank Converse, Adrien Brody,
Caroline Lagerfelt, Sascha Radetsky. A heart-warming story about an
orphaned 13-year old NYC street urchin who is sent via the Orphan Train to
Nebraska where he is adopted by a Swedish immigrant family who recently
lost their older son to typhoid. Not everything is hunky-dory, of course,
and both orphan and family are forced to adjust to each other and remember
what it feels like to be a newcomer in a strange place. The story moves
along briskly, and there are two scenes in which Brody performs magic
tricks that earned him the name "the Amazing Adrien" when he was
growing up. An additional bonus is included in which discussion topics are
suggested for parents who wish to use this story as a teaching-tool with
their children. If you're a Brody fan and/or you grew up watching
"Little House on the Prairie," this movie will appeal to you.
Life in the 1800s on the peaceful Anderson homestead takes a turn after
they adopt and orphaned little boy named Billy. Family appeal movie. Made
for Public Television. 1988 Color 58 minutes. Home Fires Burning. Bill Pullman, Barnard Hughes,
Sada Thompson. A warm hearted Halmark television movie about the editor of
a newspaper in a small Southern town in 1944 who tries to settle his
differences with his estranged son and to come to terms with the
fast-changing world. 1985 96 min. Hondo and the Apaches. Ralph Taeger, Kathy Browne,
Michael Rennie. Renegade
Apaches capture frontier scout Hondo Lane who's trying to keep the peace
between the soldiers at Arizona's Ft. Lowell and the local Indian chief,
Vittorio. "Your dying will be slow and hard," the renegades tell
Hondo, just before staking him out and preparing to pour hot coals on his
bare chest. Vittorio arrives in time to save Hondo but troubles remain at
the fort. Hondo's forced to kill the husband of store-owner Angie Dow,
whose little boy adores him, and he must help protect a local mine owned
by a man named Gallagher. 1967 Color 90 min. Honor Thy Father. Brenda Vaccaro, Joseph Bologna.
Narrated by Joseph Campanella, Story of the rise and fall of the Bonanno
organized crime family. Based on the book by Gay Talese, Made for CBS
Television 1973 Color 100 minutes. Hotline. Lynda Carter, Nick Anselmo, James Booth. A
woman (Lynda Carter) who has worked for the crisis "Hotline" for
only two days receives bizarre calls from a deranged man reciting
riddle-like clues to the grotesque murders he's committed - clues that
reveal she is the next victim. Scarry. 1982
96 min. How Awful About Alan.
Anthony Perkins, Julie Harries, Joan Hackett, Kent Smith, Molly
Dodd. A young man who is tormented with guilt over his father's
death years before starts hearing strange voices and feeling the presence
of an unknown force that seems to be menacing him. Produced for ABC
Television by Aaron Spelling. 1970
Color 93 Minutes. Hurricane. Larry Hagman, Barry Sullivan, Jessica
Walter, Will Geer, Martin Milner. A relaxing weekend by the sea becomes a
battle for survival when a killer hurricane strikes. Tidal waves over
thirty feet high and thunderous, destructive winds batter the coastline.
An all-star cast fight overwhelming odds to escape the incredible
destructive power of the hurricane. Using actual footage of hurricane
"Camille" and a plethora of special effects,
"Hurricane" is a pulse pounding vision of nature's savage fury!
Made for ABC Television. 1974 color 74 minutes. Hustling. Lee Remick, Monte Markham, Jill Clayburgh,
Alex Rocco, Melanie Mayron, Hope Atkinson, Burt Young. Based on Gail
Sheehy's book, this film chronicles how a reporter for a New York City
magazine decided to investigate the city's prostitution industry to find
out just who was making all the money. What she found out caused a
firestorm of controversy--that many of the city's richest and most
powerful families and corporations benefited directly and indirectly from
the illegal sex business. 1975 color 98 minutes. I Will Fight Forever No More Forever. James Whitmore,
Sam Elliot, Ned Romero. Re-enactment of the story of Chief Joseph of the
Nez Percé Indians, who lived in the beautiful Wallowa Valley of Idaho and
Oregon. In 1877, President Grant opened the Valley to white settlement,
and the Nez Percé were given 30 days in which to move to the Lapwai
Reservation. The government sent the one-armed soldier-chief, General
Oliver Otis Howard, to clear all Nez Percé out of Wallowa Valley. Chief
Joseph, in a succession of shrewd military actions, outmaneuvered ten
pursuing units of the U.S. Army until his outnumbered band -- sick,
starving, and tired -- finally surrendered after a 1700-mile, 108-day
fighting retreat. On October 8, 1877, Chief Joseph made his noble speech,
"from where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
Made for TV by the prestigious David Wolper Productions for ABC this film
was nominated for two Emmy Awards. 1975 color 100 minutes. If Tomorrow Comes.
Patty Duke, Frank Michael Liu, Anne Baxter, James Whitmore, Anne
Baxter. California, a young
Caucasian girl and a Japanese-American boy defy local prejudices and
secretly marry--on Dec. 7, 1941, minutes before Pearl Harbor is attacked.
1971 Color 73 minutes. In Search
of America. Jeff Bridges, Carl Betz, Vera Miles and Sal Mineo. Directed by
Paul Bogart. The late 60's was a different and frightening time and place.
Adolescents and adults alike were questioning who they were, why they
existed, and whether these gosh-darned flower children kids might just
have something. This groovy time capsule movie shows all that as suburban
Dad, Carl Betz, flower child Jeff Bridges, loose-as-a-goose grandma Ruth
McDevitt take off for the road in search of America. Made for CBS
Television 1971 Color.
In The Year 2889.
Paul Peterson, Quinn O'Hara, Neil Fletcher, Bill Thurman.
Shot in 16mm and color and used to pad out one of American
International's television syndication packages. AIP gave the director
the script for _Day the World Ended (1956)
to use for this film. The result is an almost line-for-line remake.
A group of post A-war survivors, gathered together in a valley, are
menaced by cannibalistic human mutants with telepathic powers. They argue
and complain a lot, which doesn't really help their situation. PG elements
and has a reputation as being a very bad film. Made For TV by AIP. 1967
Color 80 minutes. In This House of Breede. Dianna Rigg. A well-to-do
London businesswoman gives up her comfortable life, including the man who
loves her, to become a cloistered Benedictine nun. The movie recounts the
quest for individual spirituality, grief, loneliness, the questioning of
one's personal decisions, jealousy, envy, discipline, and most
importantly, love. The character of Dame Phillipa (Diana Rigg) is one who
feels deeply, but builds up very thick walls for her own protection.
Rigg's performance manages to express pain, grief, and inner turmoil while
holding back the tears. Made for CBS Television. 1975 Color 105 Minutes. Incident on a Dark Street. William Shatner, James
Olsen, Richard Castellano A small-time hood is murdered just as he is
about to blow the whistle on an organized crime ring. Made for NBC
produced by 20th Century Fox Television. 1973 Color 93 Minutes.
Intimate Agony.
Anthony
Geary, Judith Light, Mark Harmon, Robert Vaughn. This filmed originally
aired on ABC Television in
1983 to deal with the stunning spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
The film is a morality play that deals with what was then a growing
epidemic, herpes as a sexually transmitted disease. Ironically, not long
after this film aired, the spread of AIDS was making worldwide headlines.
How tragic that these circumstances render "Intimate Agony"
nearly moot. Made For Television. 1983 Color 95 Minutes. It's Good To Be Alive. Lou Gossett Jr., Paul Winfield,
Ruby Dee. The story of former Brooklyn Dodger catcher Roy Campanella,
whose career was cut short in 1959 when he lost the use of his legs in an
auto accident. This made for CBS Television movies was directed by Michaek
Landon. 1974 color 100 minutes Jack Frost Christmas TV Special. Robert Morse, Buddy
Hackett, Larry Storch, Dave Garroway,
Dee Stratton, Debra Clinger and Paul Frees. Produced and Directed by
Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass. This is a love story told by a loveable
and wise old groundhog by the name of Pardon-Me-Pete. It's about a girl
that is so beautiful that she melts the heart of old Jack Frost himself.
There must be some Christmas magic in the snowflakes cause as Jack falls
head over heels in love with Elisa the prettiest girl in town of January
Junction, he turns into a real boy. Just as their love affairs starts to
flourish Elisa is captured by Kubla Kraus the Cossack and his hateful band
of mechanical men. Jack has to muster all his icy powers to vanquish the
enemy. This is surely one of
the most unique made for TV animated holiday specials. 1979 Color 48
minutes. James Dean. Michael Brandon, Meg Forster, Steven
McHathie, Candy Clark, Dane Clark, Jayne Meadows, Julian Burton. A
dramatization of the story of legendary movie actor James Dean. The film's
writer, William Bast, had roomed with Dean in the early '50s, when both
were trying to break into films as actors. Dean, played by the gifted
Stephen McHattie, has returned home to find his sensitive roommate sulking
in the dark over the sudden realization that the mercurial Dean is
broadening his horizons and slipping away from him. By no means unmoved,
Dean's response is to read aloud a particularly meaningful passage from
his favorite book "The Little Prince". And as he reads
consolingly, dramatically; you can see the joy he takes in forming the
words, the pleasure he derives from sharing them with an audience, the
immense respect he has for the piece itself. The scene plays out as a sort
of communion, with Dean seeming to re-absorb the passage as a way of
purifying himself. His roommate is mesmerized at this level of devotion to
craft and only then begins to appreciate what his friend is becoming, has
become. Made For Television. 1976 Color 94 Minutes
Jane Eyre. George C. Scott, Susannah York, Ian Bannen,
Rachel Kempton, Jack Hawkins, Jean Marsh, directed by Delbert Mann. Hailed
by critics as nearly as good as the early black and white release.
Although filmed in color with great production values, this is a darker,
more brooding and gothic version of the classic Bronte novel. Scott gives
a powerful performance as the tortured Mr. Rochester, and Jean Marsh of
"Upstairs Downstairs" fame does a turn as his first wife. Shown
in Europe on the big screen but only played on Television in the USA. 1974
Color 106 minutes. Kansas City Massacre. Dale Robeertson, Bo Hopkins,
Scott Brady. Gangsters free one of their colleagues being escorted to
prison and kill several FBI agents and local police officers in the
attempt. FBI agent Melvin Purvis puts together a special squad to track
down and capture the men responsible.
1975 97 min. Katherine. Sissy Spacek, Art Carney, Henry Winkler,
Jane Wyatt. A harrowing look
at the 60s and early 70s through the eyes of Katherine Alman, a wealthy
debutante who slowly, but inexorably spirals down into a fight for the
causes that shook a nation, leading a path to the underground life. Made
for ABC Television. 1975 Color 125 minutes.
Keeping the Promise. Keith Carradine, Annette
O’Toole, Brendan Fletcher.
Immigrated carpenter William 'Will' Hallowell hopes to make his family
wealthy, after a fire ruined them in Springfield, Massachusetts, by moving
to a claim in Maine territory. In order not to lose it, his son and
apprentice Matt (13), a greenhorn city boy, must stay there while Will
fetches spoiled wife and daughters, but an epidemic wrecks that plan. Matt
is robbed by white neighbor Ben Loomis, but saved by old Penobscott Indian
Sakniss, who demands in exchange mat teaches his grandson Attean to read.
From suspicion bordering on blind hatred, loyal friendship springs, yet
the winter is unforgiving. 1997 93
min. Killing of Randy Webster. Hal Holbrook, Dixie Carter,
James Whitmore Jr., Barry Corbin
A young man is shot and killed in an altercation with Houston
police. His father doesn't believe the police version of the incident and
starts digging around on his own. A psychologically abused teen, unable to
settle down, goes to another city and gets himself bumped off by the local
law. His distraught parents then spend several years trying to prove the
police had no business shooting the boy, who the police said had a gun at
the time of his death. Good drama about a pair of parents who were unfit
for their role as childraisers, but who cared enough to seek justice for
their child's death. 1981 Color 90 minutes. King and Queen of Moonlight Bay.
Tim Matheson, Sean Young, Kristen
Bell. Alison Dodge, a 17-year old raised by her mother, decides on
her own to spend her last summer before college getting to know her father
Al, who wasn't at all waiting for another eternally yapping, meddling,
domestic girl in his quiet, supporting life in Arizona backwater Moonlight
Bay, by a lake. After a rocky start, she stays and both are faced with
each-other and themselves. 2003 88
min. Lady and the Highwayman. Hugh Grant, Oliver Reed,
Michael York, John Mills, Emma Sands, Gordon Jackson, Claire Bloom. Based
on Barbara Cartland's romance novel. The young lady Panthea Vyne falls in
love with the handsome highwayman who saves her from her brutal husband.
He kills him in a fair duel. Later on when Charles the 2nd is reinstated
as King of England she attends the royal court. But here she becomes the
enemy of the kings former mistress and the plot against her thickens.
Gainsborough Pictures. Directed by John Hough. Made for Television. 1989
Color 100 Minutes. Lassie's Great Adventure. June Lockhart, Jon Provost
Lassie and her young master struggle for survival in the Canadian
wilderness. At one harrowing point in their adventures, they end up
sailing wildly through the air, as their hot-air balloon has become
unfastened by a windstorm! 1962 Color 103 minutes. Last Days Of Patton, The. George C. Scott
Eva Marie Saint. Following the close of World War II, General
George S. Patton is seriously injured in a car accident and not expected
to survive. "The Last Days of Last Song, The. Lynda Carter, Ronnie Cox, Paul Rudd,
Nicholas Pryor. Movie about a Love Canal like town, Landry Texas, that is
about to explode with long buried toxins seeping out of the ground and
effecting everyone there, man and animal alike, through the water supply
as well as the air itself. After a young boy was found dead at the bottom
of a shaft on the Buckhurst Industries site the owners of the company went
all out to prevent the truth from coming out. Lynda Carter plays the
singer, housewife, private investigator and action hero, or
heroine, not only playing detective to break the case wide open but also
flying up and down the skies of Texas with helicopter pilot Sid Pachanski
(Ronny Cox), to get the jump on the bad guys before the turn Lawery Texas,
by causing a tractor-trailer truck loaded with the deadly 10-45T to
explode and the area to become uninhabitable. Besides being the reluctant
heroine, at first all Brooke wanted to do is get out of town with her
young daughter and away from the hit men, Brooke also had a chance to sing
the title song "The Last Song" in the film. Produced by Motown
Productions and made for Television. 1980 Color 96 minutes. Lazarus Syndrome, The. Lou Gossett, Jr. , E.G
Marshall, Ronald Hunter, Laura Parker, Peggy McCay. An adulterous
newspaper reporter, who has just experienced a heart attack, pesters a
black doctor into investigating the questionable medical practices taking
place at the hospital where both are residing. Made for Television. 1978
Color 73 minutes. Legend of Valentino, The.
Franco Nero, Suzanne Pleshette, Judd Hirsch, Yvette Mimieux, Milton
Berle. A
"dramatization" of the life of actor Rudolph Valentino, widely
regarded as the screen's first male sex symbol. Franco Nero,is more than
credible as Valentino. Milton Berle appears as movie mogul Jesse Lasky.
Seldom seen since it's first broadcast on ABC. 1 975 Color 100 minutes. Letters from Three Lovers. June Allyson, Ken Berry,
Barry Sullivan, Juliet Mills, Lyle Waggoner. Three letters, whose delivery
has been delayed by a year, change the lives of the people to whom they
were addressed. Made for ABC Television 1973 Color 75 minutes. Little Christmas Burro. Lorne Greene Narrator. This
is a charming animated Christmas Story told by Lorne Greene. Made For
Television. lso shown as The Little Brown Burro. 1978 Color Little Ladies of the Night. David Soul, Lou
Gossett Jr., Carolyn Jones, Vic Tayback, Linda Purl. The sister of ex-pimp
and current Los Angeles Police detective Kyle York (David Soul) was
murdered working the streets a few years ago. Since his reform, he has
teamed with Officer Russ Garfield (Louis Gossett Jr.) to clear the streets
of under-age girls working in prostitution. Pretty, young runaway Hailey
Atkins (Linda Purl) has been turned out. Down deep she wants to go
straight but has had great difficultly escaping her pimp and doesn't even
have a place to go. York and Garfield go out on a limb to try and help.
Made for TV Aaron Spelling Production for ABC. 1977 Color 120 minutes. Littlest Angel, The.
Johnny Whitaker Johnny
Whitaker, Fred Gwynne, Tony Randal, Cab Calloway, Connie Stevens, James
Coco, John McGiver. Ten-year-old Johnny Whitaker was still playing little
red-headed "Jody" on the "Family Affair" television
series (with Sebastian Cabot and Brian Keith) when he portrayed a little
shepherd boy lured off the side of a cliff by a white dove sent by God (E.
G. Marshall) in this musical television special. Killed by the fall, the
boy wakes up in heaven, where he encounters a guardian angel named
Patience (Fred Gwynne), choir-leader Gabriel (Cab Calloway); ancient Greek
atomic theorist Democritus (Tony Randall)
and an attractive blonde angel known as "Flying Mistress"
(Connie Stevens). John McGiver and James Coco also appear in this
heartwarming story of a deceased child's gradual acclimation to his new
home in heaven. 1969 Color. Love is Forever.
Priscilla Presley, Michael Langdon, Jürgen Prochnow, Edward
Woodward. Film based in a real life event: the story of a foreign
journalist in Laos who is declared "non grata person" by the
Communist regime. Made for NBC Television. 1983 Color 96 minutes. Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring. Sally Field,
Eleanor Parker, David Carradine, Jackie Cooper.
The story of America's throw away kids. Dennie (Sally Field) has
returned from a year among the hippies to her superficial, image-conscious
suburban family. She must face their disapproval of her actions. They
refuse to even try to understand. She must also deal with an ex-lover, and
a beloved young sister who is following in her footsteps, wanting the
idealistic hippie life but making some rash decisions in the process.1971
Color 74 minutes. Mazes and Monsters. Tom Hanks, Wendy Crewson,
David Wallace, Peter Donat, Vera Miles. Seen on CBS Television as
Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters, a group of young people are bound
together by a desire to play the game Dungeons and Dragons. Robbie (Tom
Hanks) and his four college classmates decide to move the board game into
the local legendary cavern. Robbie starts having visions for real, and the
line between reality and fantasy fuse into a harrowing adventure. Also
known as Dungeons and Dragons. 1982 Color 100 minutes. Message To My Daughter. Robert Michael Lewis, Bonnie
Bedelia, Martin Sheen, Kitty Winn. A confused teenager discovers a stack
of tapes recorded years earlier by her dying mother. Made for Television.
1973 Color 76 minutes. Miracle on 34th Street. MacDonald Carey, Teresa Wright, Thomas
Mitchell. A 1955 one-hour television adaptation of the movie 40's
film starred Thomas Mitchell as Kris. This version did not show the
drunken Santa at all. It aired as an episode of The 20th
Century Hour. It was later re-run as "Meet Mr. Kringle".1955
46 min. Mission Monte Carlo. Tony Curtis, Roger Moore,
Susan George, Laurence Naismith.
Actually two episodes from the popular TV series spliced together as a
made for TV movie. Entertaining reminder of the action series from the
70's. 1974 color 102 minutes, Mistaken Identity.
Melissa Gilbert, Rosanna Arquette, James
McCaffrey. On the same night, Milford maternity delivers Morgan,
businessman James and Sarah's son, and Linda's boy Luke Wells, whose
father Darryl Moncton left town never having wanted kids, so they will
live with her parents, but a nurse switches the babies' name tags. Two
years later, Darryl returns but denies paternity; he accepts a DNA test if
she promises to leave his life anyway, revealing neither is Luke's
biological parent. What must happen now?
Also known as Switched At Birth. 1999
89 min. Moon Of The Wolf, The
David Jansen, Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, John Davis Chandler.A
Louisiana sheriff investigates a series of horrifying killings in the
depths of the bayou. . Creepy atmosphere, good story, fine direction,
excellent photography and effective music. Made for ABC TV.
1972 Color 75 minutes. Munsters Revenge, The. Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Yvonne
DeCarlo. Guest stars are Sid Caesar and Howard Morris. The owner of
a wax museum has an exhibit dedicated to the Munsters. When he uses robots
that look like Herman and Granpa to pull a jewelry heist, everyone thinks
that the real Herman and Grandpa did it. They must prove their innocence
and uncover the real thieves. 1981 96
min. Murder on Flight 502.
Robert Stack, Poly Bergan, Ralph Bellamey, Dane Clark, Theodore
Bikel, Hugh O'Brien, Walter Pigeon, Farrah Faucet, Fernando Lamas, Sonny
Bono, Laraine Day, George Mararas. A
jumbo jet leaves New York. After the plane has departed, a note is found
in the first class lounge with an ominous message left by a passenger
threatening to kill some of the passengers. At first it is thought to be a
sick joke, but soon a man posing as a priest and a stewardess are killed.
It is up to the captain to find the killer before the body count
increases. Made for TV (ABC) Spelling-Goldberg Productions 1975 Color 100
Minutes. Murder Once Removed. John Forsythe, Barbara Bain,
Joseph Campanella, Richard Kiley, The perfect crime was death by
prescription. A doctor and the wife of one of his wealthy patients hatch a
plot to get rid of her husband so they can be together and get his money.
AKA The Obsessive Doctor. Seen on CBS TV produced by Metromedia. 1971
Color 90 Minutes. Murder Story. Christopher Lee, Bruce Boa. Tony Zonis
wants to write the next great suspense thriller, so he decides to study
the work of master crime writer, Willard Hope (Christopher Lee). Together,
they pick through newspaper stories, looking for the unusual event that
will make a good thriller. What they find is murder. A government
cover-up...an international scandal...and the bodies are just beginning to
fall into place. Now Tony isn't just writing the next best-seller....he's
writing his own obituary. 1989 Color 98 minutes. Murders in the Rue Morgue, The. Val Kilmer, George C.
Scott, Rebecca De Mornay.
The mysterious and grisly murders of a mother and daughter leave
police investigators puzzled. Few clues were left behind. The killer could
not have fled via the windows as they were nailed shut. Nor was the killer
observed leaving by neighbors. It seems the only person with the skills to
solve the crime is Auguste Dupin, who has been released from the police
department by the new prefect. After much persuasion from his daughter,
whose fiancé is charged with the crime, Dupin begins to investigate the
case on his own, and puts together quite an interesting scenario in
solving the crime. 1986 100 min. New Adventures of Heidi, The. Burl Ives, Katy
Kurtzman, John Gavin, Marilyn Mason, Sean Marshal.
Heidi leaves the mountains of Switzerland for a trip to New
York City. Burl Ives plays Grandfather who is going blind. Originally
shown as a "NBC Thanksgiving Holiday Special Presentation. There are
some touching Christmas scenes in this film including, This is Christmas.
1978 Color 98 minutes. New Daughters of Joshua Cab, The. John
McIntire, Jack Elam, Jeanette
Nolan. Three young women who posed as the daughters of an elderly
homesteader find out that he has been falsely accused of murder, convicted
and sentenced to hang. They hatch a plot to smuggle him out of prison.
1976 73 min. No Place To Run.
Herschel Bernardi, Scott
Jacoby, Steffaine Powers, Larry Hagman, Tom Bosley. An adopted boy's
parents are killed, and to keep him from returning to the state's custody,
he and his grandfather run. This ABC "Movie of the Week" was a
real tear-jerker, about a young boy (very well played by Scott Jacoby) and
his renegade grandfather (the incomparable Herschel Bernardi), running
away to Canada (close parallels there to the extant Vietnam War), in order
to escape parental authority. The theme song (by the talented, now veteran
songwriter, Paul Williams) still rings in my head: "Leave us alone,
we live in the country...etc." Get out the hankies, maybe old,
recycled ones, nevertheless, prepare to cry. 1972 Color 73 minutes. Of Mice and Men.
Robert Blake, Randy Quaid, Pat Hingle. A TV adaptation of
John Steinbeck's novel. George and Lenny travel through the Depression-era
west working at odd jobs, hoping to make enough money to buy their own
farm. George must always watch over his mentally retarded friend, and keep
him out of danger, both to himself and to others. After they take a new
job at a ranch, Lenny gets into far more trouble than George can talk his
way out of, leaving George to decide whether to help him, or leave him to
his fate.1981 117 min. Only with Married Men. Dom Deluise, Gavin MacLeod,
Michelle Lee. A girl decides that she will only date married men, and she
runs into a bachelor who tells women that he is married in order to avoid
long-term commitments. Aaron Spelling Production. 1974
70 min. Out of the Wilderness. David Carradine, Robert
Caso, Peter Jason. In this family adventure, a young girl's life is saved
by a baby raven. Years later the raven's life is endangered because its
neighbors find it to be a public nuisance. 2001 98 min. Over The Hill Gang.
Pat O'Brien, Ricky Nelson, Edward
Buchannan, Chill Wills, Gypsy Rose Lee, Andy Devine. Classic comedic
western, Captain Oren Hayes (Pat O'Brien) of the Texas Rangers takes a
break to visit his daughter in a neighboring town. When he arrives he
find's his daughter Hannah's (Kristin Harmon) husband Jeff (Ricky Nelson)
is running for Mayor against a corrupt town boss, Nard Lundy (Edward
Andrews). Lundy has no intention of allowing the free election of the
honest Jeff Rose, so he has his henchmen beat them up. Hayes then calls
for the help of some his old buddies in the Rangers. Upon arriving in
town, they realize quickly that age has caught up with them and they must
rely on their sheer wits to out-smart and defeat Lundy. Made for ABC
Television. 1969 Color 75 minutes. Over The Hill Gang Rides Again.
Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchannan, Parley Baer, Andy Devine, Chill
Wills, Fred Astaire, Lana
Wood. Walter Brennan is back
as the clever and funny over the hill Texas Ranger Nash Crawford. This
time the gang must face corruption in their own home town. The gang put
their heads together to clean up their town, take back the rule of law and
rehabilitate the town lush (played by Fred Astaire) along with way. Made
for ABC Television 74 minutes. Panic in Echo Park. Dorian Harewood, Robin Gamwell,
Regis Cordic, James Hong. A
young black M.D. tries to prove that the community of Echo Park is
endangered by a deadly epidemic. But he has to fight his superior in the
hospital and city government who accuse him of just causing panic. Made
for NBC Television. 1977 color 72 minutes.
Paper Man.
Dean Stockwell Stephanie Powers, James Stacey. Early techno thriller that
foresaw the whole issue of identity fraud when national credit cards were
just a few years in existence. Four college students take advantage of a
credit card mistakenly issued to someone who doesn't exist, then use their
university's computer to erase the charges they run up. But the computer
seems to have some ideas of its own ... Seen in theaters first and then
released by Twentieth Century Fox to CBS Television. 1971 color 75
minutes. Payback. Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner. Kathryn runs a
restaurant but one night she calls the police after she sees a suspicious
man waiting in his car. However Kathryn sees one of the three police
officers, Kaleen, assault the man with their sticks and kicking them.
Under advice from Jack, the police internal investigator, she tells a
court and Kaleen is put on suspension and kept to his rank for the rest of
the career. However Kathryn gets weird phone calls, her son is arrested
for murder and her teaching husband's career is threatened by checks on
his record. All of this is because Kaleen is out for revenge and he plans
to use the law and his friends in the police to do it. Only Kathryn, her
family and Jack stands in his way. 1997
94 min. People, The. William
Shatner, Dan O'Herlihy. "The
People" is based entirely on one of Zenna Henderson's short stories,
"Pottage", which appeared in the brilliant book
"Pilgrimage: The Book of the People" back in the '60s.
"Pottage" is the darkest of the stories, centering on a group of
people living in fear and isolation in the tiny town of Bendo, and the
teacher, Melody, who learns the truth of their origins and the secrets
they keep. Kim Darby plays Melody with warmth, but the frustration,
determination, and courage in the story is somehow muted in her
performance. William Shatner plays Dr. Curtis, who has a somewhat expanded
role in the movie version. Dan O'Herlihy's performance as the stern Sol
Deimus is the best translation of the character to the screen. 1972 Color
74 Minutes. Pied Piper of Hamlin, The. Van Johnson, Kay Starr,
Claude Rains, Jim Backus, directed by Bretaigne Windust, produced by Hal
Stanley. Colorful musical adaptation with Van Johnson as the forlorn piper
seeking to have Hamelin's Mayor, Claude Rains, keep his promise of payment
for ridding the village of its rodent population by threatening to rid the
town of all its children as well. Made for Television. 1957 Color 87
minutes. Pinocchio. Sandy Dennis, Flip Wilson and Danny
Kaye. Charming made for TV musical. This tuneful children's adventure
offers another retelling of the classic tale of a marionette who achieves
his dream of becoming a real live boy. Color USA 1976 76 minutes. Pioneer Woman. William Shatner, Jonna Pettet, Helen
Hunt. In 1867 a Wyoming family
faces the ultimate tragedy as the father is killed and the mother must
carry on and determine the fate of the family. A story of hope and courage
oft repeated by pioneers. One of the first choice the wife must decide is
to whether to remain or take her son and daughter back East. Made for NBC
Television. 1973 Color 74 minutes. Pope John Paul II.
Albert Finney, Crompton & Robert Austin.
Bio-drama tracing the life and career of Polish cardinal Karol
Wojtyla from his days as a young activist in Poland to his rise and
installation in 1978 as Pope of the Catholic world. 1984 150 min. Portrait of a Show Girl.
Rita Moreno, Lesley Ann Warren, Dianne Kay, Tony Curtis. An
interesting melodrama as three dancers of differing skill levels who are
hired for a new revue in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace, where the picture
is set, and focuses upon various travails within their private lives as
they prepare for the opening of their show, with the eponymous Warren's
character deservedly garnering the most screen time. As a Broadway dancer
recruited for the engagement, Warren plays high-stepping Jillian Brooks,
whose need for success upon the stage is altered by her affairs of the
heart, while Moreno portrays a veteran hoofer whose husband (Tony Curtis)
is a sucker for entrepreneurial scam artists, and Kay is an inexperienced
beauty queen from the Midwest. Made for CBS TV. Color 1982 94 minutes. Powderkeg. Rod Taylor, Dennis Cole, Michael Ansara.
A Mexican bandit is about to be executed in the United States. So
his brother takes over a train and holds the passengers as hostages unless
his brother is released. Now both the Americans and Mexicans are baffled
as to what to do. But one of the passengers, who wrote the letter for
their captor, has a suggestion; call Hank Brackett and Johnny Reech, two
mercenaries. Which they do. And as expected they do come up with a plan
but the President of the Railroad is not sure if it will work.1970
94 min. Power, Passion and Murder. Michelle Pfeiffer, Darren
McGavin and Stella Stevens Set during the '30s, this made-for-television
sudser tells the melodramatic tale of a beautiful Hollywood starlet who
throws away her promising career for the love of a married man.
1978 Color 102 minutes. Pride of Jesse Hallum, The. Johnny Cash, Brenda
Vaccaro, Eli Wallach There are 25 million functional illiterates in the
United States, and this film made for television is purportedly based upon
events in the life of one of them, Jesse Hallam, portrayed by Johnny Cash,
primarily about Hallam's troubles after moving to a large city
(Cincinnati). Hallam, a miner since 14 from the Coal Fields sector of
Western Kentucky in Muhlenberg County, has no choice but to leave his
country home when his young daughter requires spinal surgery in the Ohio
metropolis, paid with cash in advance obtained from the sale of his
property after his wife's death. He pits his native intelligence and work
ethic against the problem of not being able to read or write, and
discovers that in order to support himself and his two children, he must
become literate; scenes involving the methods used in developing his new
skills are the most engrossing of the production. Brenda Vaccaro plays
Marion Galucci, vice-principal of the high school which Jesse's son Tully
attends. One must appreciate the spirited performance of veteran Eli
Wallach as her father Sal, employer and sponsor of the erstwhile coal
miner. Made for CBS Television. 1981 Color 97 Minutes. Prisoner in the Middle. David Janssen, Karin Dor. A
weapons expert is reluctantly sent on a mission to a middle-east warzone
to locate a lost nuclear warhead and dismantle it before it falls into the
wrong hands. But before he can complete his work, he is taken prisoner and
thrust into the conflict, and finds himself looking out for more than just
the warhead. This is also shown as Warhead. 1974
87 min. Promise of Love. Shelly Long, Craig T. Nelson,
Valerie Bertinelli, Jameson Parker In this comment on the tragic effects
of The Vietnam War. Ms.Bertinelli plays a young widow of a US Marine. Who
is killed during America's intervention into Vietnam.
With her husband dead and the military trying to force her to
return to her family. Ms. Bertinelli refuses to give up her home and be
treated like a pampered child. Unable to work with the military's
unsuccessful social programs. She gets a job with the director of the
base's rec center (played by Parker Stevenson. Best remembered for his
previous TV efforts on "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" and
for playing one half of "Simon & Simon. Who not only helps her
enjoy her life again but gives her the strength to move on. The plot is
predictable. But Valerie Bertinelli performances makes this film an
enjoyable flick worth watching. Made for CBS Television. 1980 Color 76
Minutes. Punch and Jody. Glenn Ford, Parley Baer, Billy Barty,
Ruth Roman, Kathleen Widdoes, Don 'Red' Barry. Glen Ford as a circus
grafter who meets a young woman claiming to be his daughter. Made for NBC
Television 1974 Color 78
minutes. Rehearsal for Murder. Patrick McNee, Robert Preston,
Lynn Redgrave. A noted playwright is devastated by the apparent suicide of
his fiancée, a famous film actress, after her Broadway debut in one of
his plays. On the first year anniversary of her death, he arranges a
reunion of cast and crew from that fateful opening night. He asks them to
read for parts in his new play, but in reality he believes that his fiancée
was murdered, and that someone at the rehearsal is the killer. Made for
CBS Television.1982 Color 96 minutes. Rescue From Gilligan's Island.
Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jim Bacus, Russel Johnson. When a decaying
Russian satellite crashes on the island, the Professor uses a key
component for a barometer. With that device, he learns that a massive wave
is going to swamp the island. In desperation, the castaways lash their
huts together into one structure in order to have any chance to ride the
disaster out. The wave strikes the island and the hut is swept out to sea.
Once there, Gilligan accidents starts a fire trying to cook a meal and
nearly burns the floating hut down. Occupied with stopping the fire, the
gang fails to notice that the smoke caught the attention of a naval
helicopter who summoned a ship to rescue the castaways. In triumph, they
return to Hawaii, only to learn that things have changed over the years
and they will have trouble fitting in. To further complicate matters, two
Russian spies are after that the key component that Gilligan now wears as
necklace. 1978 Color 95 minutes. Return From Fantasy Island. Ricardo Montalban, Herve
Villechaize, Adrenne Barbeau,
Pat Crowley, Joseph Campanella, Karen Valentine, Laraine Day, Joseph
Cotton, Cameron Mitchell. Mr
Roarke and Tatoo are back in this nicely done 1978 TV Movie. These are NOT
from the TV series. The stories are darker and more mysterious than the TV
series. where 3 fantasies are
brought to life 1.A couple ventures to meet the daughter that they gave up
for adoption 12 years ago as long as they don't divulge their identity to
her which Mr.Roarke has taken strict measures to enforce.2.A beautiful
executive is lured to the island under false pretenses assuming that she
is striking a lucrative business deal but is tricked by her employee who
wants to confess his love for her.3.A young couple whose wife suffers from
amnesia caused by a mysterious incident 4 years ago. Their past is
recreated as a cure for her sickness. 1978 Color 94 minutes. Right of Way. James Stewart, Bette Davis. Miniature
Dwyer is named after her mother, who was making miniature doll houses when
Minnie was born. Minnie, too, has built doll houses for years, and when
she learns that she is terminally ill, she and her husband Teddy begin
planning their joint suicide. She makes sure that her dolls are placed
with people who will appreciate and cherish them. The couple refuse to
allow their grief-stricken daughter or the solicitous social worker or
anyone else to forestall the death they are determined is right for them.
1983 102 min. Rogue Male. Peter O'Toole, John Standing,
Alastair Sim. Early in 1939
Sir Robert Thorndyke takes aim at Adolph Hitler with a high powered rifle,
but the shot misses its mark. Captured and tortured by the Gestapo and
left for dead, Sir Robert makes his way back to England where he discovers
the Gestapo has followed him. Knowing that his government would turn him
over to German authorities, Sir Robert goes underground in his battle with
his pursuers. The plot is marvelously gritty, with a brutal struggle for
survival and a sense of desperation rarely seen in British films. Made for
BBC Television. 1976 Color 103 Minutes. Room Upstairs, The. Stockard Channing, Sam
Waterston, Linda Hunt. The life of a lonely and isolated woman is
transformed when she opens herself up to the outside world and to a
gentle, romantic relationship. 1987 97
min. Run Simon Run. Burt Reynolds, Inger Stevens.
Burt Reynolds stars in this TV-movie as a Papago Indian, who returns to
his people after serving a long sentence for a crime he didn't commit. To
clear himself of the murder of his own brother, Reynolds begins a long and
bloody search for the actual killer. Also known as The Tradition of
Simon Zuniga. 1970 75 min. Saigon, Year of the Cat. Judy Dench, Frederick
Forrest, Roger Rees, E.G. Marshall. The movie takes place just before the
complete fall of Saigon. Judi Dench plays a British bank employee having a
sexual affair with a CIA employee from the American Embassy. When this
agent gets information from reliable sources that the fall of Saigon is
very near, The American ambassador does not listen to any advice, until
the last moment when the evacuation of the embassy employees, the military
personnel, and some Vietnamese become a horrific nightmare yet a reality.
The movie shows the exact real panic in the Embassy, the city and its
residents who helped the Americans throughout the years, yet felt left
behind in hostile hands. The last American Helicopter leaves Saigon while
some more Americans are still calling the Embassy personnel with no one on
the other line, waiting in remote places in the city for the Helicopters
to come to their rescue. Made for British Television. 1983 Color 105
minutes. 1983 146 min. Sandcastles. Hershel
Bernadi, Jan Michael Vincent, Bonnie Belinda, Marriette
Hartley. A young man who dies in an auto accident returns from the
dead to meet up with the young woman who tried to save him. A spellbinder
love story made for CBS
Television. 1972 Color. Santa and The Three Bears. Hal Smith, Robby Rea, Jean
Vander Ply, Joyce Taylor. Full
length animated Christmas Special with real juvenile appeal. Directed and
written by Tony Benedict. Distributed in Canada by Cineplex and in the USA
by Warner Bros (home) and Stellar Film Associates (television.) 1970 Color
76 minutes. Satan's School for Girls. Cheryl Ladd, Kate Jackson
Pamela Anderson, Roy Thinnes. David Lowell Rich's "Satan's School for
Girls" is an atmospheric, early 1970's horror/mystery which has
plenty of atmosphere and some reasonably suspenseful moments. The film is
completely bloodless, so fans of gore will be disappointed. The acting is
good with familiar TV cast to boost. So if you like horror movies
from early 70's check out "Satan's School for Girls"-still it
beats most of the weak stuff being
put out today. Highly recommended. Made for ABC Television and Produced by
Aaron Spelling. 1973 Color 78 Minutes. Savage Journey. Maurice Grandmaison and Richard
Moll, This is the story of the founding of the Mormon Church and their
trek across America to found Utah. Richard Moll is cast as Joseph Smith
the founder of the church. The role is so very different than what we know
him for, Bull on Night Court and monsters in low budget horror movies.
1983 96 min. Scandal Sheet. Burt Lancaster, Pamela Reed, Robert
Urich, Lauren Hutton, Frances McDormand. Similar to his legendary role in
Sweet Smell of Success", Burt Lancaster plays a sleazy tabloid
publisher in Scandal Sheet. Interested only in selling papers, Lancaster
sees an easy target in a recovering alcoholic actor (Robert Urich) trying
to make a comeback. Reporter Helen Grant (Pamela Reed) is in serious
economic trouble, and Lancaster hires her to dig up dirt on the actor due
to her close friendship with his wife (Lauren Hutton). Helen must now
choose between her friendship and journalistic integrity on one hand and
her desperation and Lancaster's persuasive ways on the other. Here is a
critical look at the seedy and
base world of sensationalist journalism in the made for Network Television
film. 1985 color 101 minutes. Sea Wolf, The. Charles
Bronson, Christopher Reeve, Catherine Mary Stewart. Jack London's brutal
Wolf Larson brings a shipwrecked aristocrat and a con woman aboard his
doomed ship, the Ghost. 1993 93
min. Shattered Silence. Michael Douglas, Ben Gazzara,
Elizabeth Ashley, Helen keeps
on receiving phone calls from a child, who claims being her nephew Michael
- but Michael died 15 years ago... Also known as, When Michael Calls. Made
for ABC Television. 1972 Color 90 minutes. She Waits. Patty
Duke, David McCallum, Dorothy McGuire, Beulah Bondi.
A murdered woman seeks revenge, possesses her husband's new
wife.1972 74 min. Shell Game. John Davidson, Tommy Atkins, Robert
Sampson, Maria O'Brien. A
convicted con artist sets out to expose the head of a charity fund who has
been embezzling money to cover his huge gambling losses. Made for CBS
Television 1975 Color 90 minutes. Sleep Murder Jason Priestley, Kristen Booth. An Inuit
man is accused of the brutal double murder of his mother and brother, but
he claims no memory of the crime. Big city lawyer Peter Radwell (Priestley)
is sent up North to defend him. Together with psychiatrist Macy Olsen, he
discovers a risky and unusual defense. 2004
91 min. Small Killing. Ed Asner, Jean Simmons, Sylvia Sidney,
Andrew Prine An undercover cop
and a college professor fall in love investigating the murder of a bag
lady. 1981 Color 93 minutes. Snowbeast. Bo Svennson, Clint Walker, Sylvia Sydney,
Yvette Mimieux. In this made
for TV film, an enormous and angry bigfoot creature begins to terrorize a
Colorado Ski Resort during a winter carnival, by eating several skiers. At
first everyone insists it is just a bear, until ski patrolman Tony Rill
(Robert Logan) sees a white shadowy beastly shape disappearing into the
woods. Although Tony's grandmother Mrs. Sticking Together. aka Wonderland Cove. Clu
Gulager, Sean Thomas Roche, Lori Walsh Cuda Weber is a Hawaii beach bum
who finds himself the surrogate uncle to five orphaned children and tries
to keep them together as a group. 1978 Color 73 minutes. Stranger in 7 A, The.
Andy Griffith, Ida Lupino, Michael Brandon A building
superintendent and his wife are held hostage in their apartment by a
sadistic would-be bank robber and his spaced-out accomplices. Made for CBS
Television. 1972 Color 74 minutes. Strike Force. Richard Gere, Joseph Spinell, Cliff
Gorman, Marilyn Chris. In one of his first screen roles, Richard Gere
stars in a "French Connection"-like thriller, as a New York
detective, a state trooper and a federal agent team up to bust a narcotics
ring. With Joe Spinell, Cliff Gorman. Made for Television. NBC had hopes
of making a series based on the pilot movie. AKA: "Crack." 1975
Color 74 Minutes. Stunts. Robert Forester, Gary Davis, Fiona Lewis,
Jonna Cassidy. On a movie location shoot, someone is killing the stuntman.
This neat little sleeper of a movie, which is a pre-cursor to the more
mainstream, "The Stuntman", grabs you from the first
few minutes and takes you on a wild ride right up to the end. When
stuntman Greg Wilson (Gary Davis) meets a grisly end while on location
with a film company, his brother Glen (Robert Forster) shows up to
complete the film in his place, and find out what really happened. Seen on
HBO as "Who Is Killing the Stuntmen". 1977 Color 89 minutes. Territorial Men. Brenda Vaccaro, Bert Kramer.
A young, independent schoolteacher in the Colorado Territory
towards the end of the 19th century finds her involvement with a cattle
ranch operator is complicated by two of her students. Brenda Vaccaro and
Sam Groom star in this feature-length frontier drama culled from the hit
TV series "Sara."1976 / 97 min. Terror on the 40th Floor. John Forsythe, Joseph
Campanella, Aniette Comer. A
number of businesspeople, keeping the Christmas Eve office party going
longer than was originally intended, are beset by a fire that starts in
the basement of their office building and creeps up at them from floor to
floor. This is the backdrop as John Forsythe and Anjanette Comer edge
toward an adulterous romance, Don Meredith and Joseph Campanella are
helping themselves to proffered charms from others of the secretarial
staff as the holocaust
approaches. While actual New York City firemen struggle manfully with the
encroaching blaze, flashbacks are utilized so that we may fully appreciate
the risks, romantic and otherwise, milked by the threatened sextet. Made
for NBC Television. 1974 Color. Texas Justice. Based on a true story, Texas Justice
recounts the events surrounding Texas millionaire T. Cullen Davis (Peter
Strauss). Jealous, bitter, and vengeful, Davis was forced to stand trial
for attempting to murder his ex-wife (Heather Locklear) in addition to
actually taking the lives of people who were close to her. Features a
standout supporting turn from Dennis Franz as Davis' flamboyant lawyer
Richard "Racehorse" Haynes. Dennis Franz, Heather Locklear,
Chris Mulkey, Linda Hart, Ned Vaughn. 1998 Color Presented in two parts
204 minutes. They Call It Murder. Jim Hutton, Ed Asner, Leslie
Nielson, Jessica Walter, Lloyd
Bouchner. Vic Tayback.. A small-town district attorney is saddled with
several major investigations, including a gambler's murder and a possible
insurance scam. Based on an Earl Stanley Gardner novel that exercises the
grey-matter. Produced by 20th Century Fox and aired on NBC TV. 1972 Color
120 Minutes. Thriller Episode: (The Return of Andrew Bentley)
Boris Karloff 1960 B&W 49
min. Thursday's Game. Gene Wilder, Bob Newhart, Rob Reiner,
Valerie Harper, Nancy Walker, Ellen Bursten. Norman Fell. Two friends keep
seeing each other long after the regular Thursday night card game breaks
up. Then the wives find out. Written by James L. Brooks. Made for ABC
Television. 1974 color 100 minutes. To All My Friends Ashore. Bill Cosby, Dennis Hines,
Gloria Forster The Cos' had just finished his TV run as Coach Chett
Kincaid on "The Bill Cosby Show" when He wrote the music for
this made-for-TV movie. He produced. He acted. He even supplied the
"original idea". It's about .East Coast Ghetto Project dwellers
struggling to escape... Mom works as a maid...she's a nursing student,
too...Dad works odd jobs and is a talented "scavenger". Dad is
scrimping and saving to buy the house of his dreams. Unfortunately, in the
process, Dad is missing out on his son's growing-up years. Dad is so
cheap, saving every nickel for their escape house dreams. Mom and Dad are
busy fussing and fighting...and then the kid gets sick...real sick. Not a
comedy this is about good people stuck in hard times. Made for CBS
Television. 1972 Color 72 minutes. True Women. Dana Delany, Annabeth Gish, Angelina Jolie.
True Women is a sweeping saga of love, war and adventure. Spanning five
decades from the Texas Revolution through the Civil War, Reconstruction
and beyond, True Women is the story of the love, friendship, survival and
triumphs of Sarah Ashby McClure, Euphemia Ashby King and Georgia Lawshe
Woods. 1997 180 min. Virus. Glen Ford, George Kennedy, Chuck Connors,
Sonny Chiba, Olivia Hussey, Robert Vaughn, Henry Silva. A
military-engineered virus, released during a plane crash, kills the entire
human population. The only survivors are scientists in Antarctica. Made
for Japanese Television. Also released in the USA as Day of Resurrection.
1980 Color 108 Minutes. Voyage Of The
Yes. Desi Arnaz, Jr., Della Reese,
Mike Evans, Beverly Garland, Skip Homeier, Scoey Mitchel, Disk
Powell, Jr. This is one of those movies that left you wanting more. Desi
Arnaz Jr. puts in a surprisingly good performance and pretty much steps
out of the shadow of his famous parents. Michael Evans also showed how
good an actor he was. This film pretty much dealt with a lot of issues
from race relations to trust. You really see that close to the end as Cal
(Arnaz's character) tries to keep Orlando (Evans' character) alive after
the encounter with the shark. I often felt that this could have made a
great series with the two youths traveling from port to port and showing
the different encounters they had with people they met along the way. Made
for CBS Television by Bing Crosby Productions. 1973 Color 75 minutes. Wackiest Wagon Train in the West, The.
Bob Denver is a role much like his sea going character plagues a
wagon train heading west. This comical western chronicles the silly
adventures of a bumbling wagon master and his klutzy assistant as they
attempt to take seven passengers across the prairie. Among the passengers
are two wealthy Bostonians, an aspiring showgirl, a teacher, and bachelor.
(Sound familiar?) The story is adapted from Dusty's Trail, a television
sitcom 1977 Color 86 Minutes. Wake Me When The War is Over. Ken Berry, Eva Gabor,
Jim Backus, Werner Klemperer, Hans Conried . During the latter days of WW2
an American Lieutenant (Berry), accidentally falls out of an airplane that
he was on and falls into German territory. He is taken in by a Baroness (Gabor).
She is taken with him and doesn't want him to leave, so she doesn't tell
him that the war has ended. So, for nearly five years he thinks that the
war is still going on, and so when he leaves her estate he thinks that he
has to do what he can to defeat the Germans, cause he can't find anyone
who speaks English or is willing to tell him that the war is over. Made
for ABC. 1969 Color 74 minutes. Wanted: The Sundance Woman. Katherine Ross, Lucille
Bensen, Warren Berlinger, Michael Constantine, Stella Stevens,
Hector Elias.. The Sundance Kids widow Etta Place joins up with Pancho
Villa. Made by 20th Century Fox for ABC Television. 1976 Color 100
minutes. When The Bough Breaks. Ted Danson, Richard Masur,
Rachael Tictotin, James Nobel. This is a good adaptation of the popular
Jonathan Kellerman Novel. Danson and Masur are very genuine and accurate
in their portrayals of the dynamic private detective and shrink duo. Danson
this serious in a role, and was very surprised at how good he is. Masur is
very much Milo, both capture the bantering dialog that is the duo's
hallmark. If you like the Alex Delaware mysteries by Jonathan Kellerman,
you'll enjoy this film. Made for Television. 1986 Color 100 minutes. Where Have All The People Gone?
Peter Graves, Kathleen Quinlan, Verna Bloom.
A strange series of solar flares proves fatal for inhabitants of
the Earth, except for the fortunate few who are somehow immune from the
effects. Animals go insane and human beings turn to white powder, leaving
behind only empty clothing. A handful of survivors attempt to rebuild
their lives on the de-populated Earth. Made for NBC Television. 1974 Color
74 minutes. Who am I This Time? Susan
Sarandon and Christopher Walken. As a play within a play (contains scenes
from Streetcar Named Desire) it is a showcase for the range of these
excellent actors -- Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken. It is also a
sensitive tale of lonely people finding each other and their hearts.
Walken plays a hardware store clerk becomes the character he plays in a
local little theater group. Made for PBS Television. 1981 Color 60
minutes. Winner Take All. Shirley Jones, Joyce Van Patten,
Parley Baer, Silvia Sydney, Joan Blondell, Bill Luckenbill. Shirley Jones
plays an average American housewife who just happens to be addicted to
gambling. The story chronicles how her problem is destroying her
"ideal" suburban life and that of her family. It's a stretch to
say that the picture is a remake of "The Lady Gambles", but
certain elements of that classic Stanwyck flick are present here. This was
a highly rated NBC Television Movie Of The Week. 1975 Color 120 minutes. Woman Hunter, The. Barbara Eden, Robert Vaughn,
Stuart Whitman, Sydney Chaplin. Barbara Eden stars as a rich heiress
vacationing in the Bahamas with husband Robert Vaughn. It seems that
Stuart Whitman is following her and recording her every move on his tape
recorder. Barbara finds the
tape recorder and fears Whitman wants to kill her. But, the police
won't take her seriously. Made for CBS Television by Bing Crosby
Enterprises. 1972 Color 90 minutes. Wrestler, The. Ed Asner, Elaine Giftos, Dusty Rhodes,
Lord James Blears, Superstar Billy Graham, Verne Gagne and Odd Job from
the James Bond Movies.. An arrow-straight promoter whose once secure
stranglehold on the wrestling world is being muscled in on by the mob and
its hired henchmen on the mat. 1973 Color 95 Minutes. Yuma. Clint Walker, Barry Sullivan, Edgar Buchanan,
Kathryn Hays, Bing Russell, Peter Mark Richman Morgan Woodward. Clint
Walker pins on a badge to bring law and order to a rough town in this
explosive classic western filmed on location in Yuma, Arizona. 1971 Color
73 minutes. Zontar, The Thing From Venus. John Agar A
misguided scientist enables an alien from Venus named Zontar to come to
earth in order to help solve man’s problems. However, Zontar has other
ideas, like disabling the power supply of the entire world and taking
possession of important officials with mind control devices. Not our best
flick. 1966 Color 80 minutes. Contact: Victor m. Ives |
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