British mass murderer John Reginald Christie (Richard Attenborough) lures Beryl Evans (Judy Geeson) to his flat with the promise of performing an abortion. When he strangles and rapes her, Evans's husband, Timothy (John Hurt), is wrongly convicted and hanged for the crime. Attenborough's chillingly banal portrayal of Christie is a highlight in this adaptation of the real-life case, which led to Britain's abolition of the death penalty.
Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt, Pat Heywood.
A dramatization of the incident in 1972 when Arab terrorists broke into the Olympic compound in Munich and murdered 11 Israeli athletes. The first and one of the very best films on this subject.
William Holden, Franco Nero, Shirley Knight, Richard Basehart, Anthony Quayle.
(Pilot)A private investigator is hired to find and protect a singer who witnessed the murder of a union official and is being stalked by the killer. What he doesn't know is that he has actually been hired by the killer himself. (aka: Girl on the Run)
Based on Harold Robbins' wonderfully trashy novel of same name. This miniseries tells of a poor New York teenager of the mid-1930 who is forced into prostitution despite sincere efforts to make a living and ultimately becomes the city's most famous madam. Many famous faces pop up throughout this decadent, 1970s TV treat!
Lesley Ann Warren, Marc Singer, David Dukes, Polly Bergen, Jack Weston, Michael Constantine, John Saxon, Peter Marshall, Barbara Barrie, Alex Rocco, Scott Jacoby, Lloyd Haynes, Albert Salmi, Robert Webber, and Raymond Burr.
Robert Urich stars as a wealthy business executive whose 20-year-old daughter is abducted by sociopathic Peter Strauss. The kidnapper seals his victim in a small box and buries it deep underground, with an air-tube as her only conduit to the outside world. Strauss threatens to never reveal the girl's whereabouts unless Urich ponies up half a million dollars.
Peter Strauss, Robert Urich, Paul Winfield, Samantha Mathis.
Police drama which aired on NBC during the 1961-62 television season. The show was based on a series of detective novels written by Ed McBain concerning the trials, tribulations, and personal lives of the detectives stationed at the 87th Precinct located in the fictional city of Isola. Robert Lansing, Ron Harper, Gregory Walcott, and Norman Fell starred as the detectives. Gena Rowlands had a recurring role as the deaf mute wife of Lansing's character. Ed McBain himself wrote the scripts for several of the episodes and many others (though not all) were taken directly from his 87th Precinct novels.
Series set of 22-complete episodes transfered off of 16mm.
Robert Lansing, Ron Harper, Gregory Walcott, and Norman Fell and Gena Rowlands.
This touching film stars Fred Astaire and Helen Hayes as a retired married couple. Always proud of his independence and resilience, Astaire suffers a sudden heart attack. Though he recovers, Hayes is unable to care for Astaire herself, so she and her husband are compelled to move in with son Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and daughter-in-law Pat Crowley. Astaire's heart problems persist, and the family must face the unpleasant alternative of placing him in a nursing home. Patty Duke co-stars as Astarie and Hayes' emotionally wrought daughter. Though A Family Upside Down threatens to become an uninterrupted wallow in misery, the film takes several unexpected twists and arrives at a reasonably upbeat conclusion. Produced by the legendary Ross Hunter this film is also noteworthy for bringing Fred Astaire the last of his many Emmy awards.
Fred Astaire, Helen Hays, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Patty Duke, Pat Crowley.
Ingredients essential to this made-for-TV movie are a famous former pro football player, an interracial romance, and a brutal murder. Yes, the football player is O.J. Simpson, but the film was made a full 17 years before the death of Nicole Brown Simpson. In this film,Simpson is cast as police detective Woody York, who is partnered with white female cop Viki Eaton (Elizabeth Montgomery) to solve a mysterious killing. In the course of the assignment, Woody and Viki fall in love.
Elizabeth Montgomery, O.J. Simpson, Rosalind Cash, Dean Stockwell, Priscilla Pointer, Dolph Sweet, Charles Robinson, Todd Bridges.
A hostile youngster who will stop at nothing to break up his mother's marriage is suspected of homicide, and his stepfather fears that he may be the boy's next victim.
Based on the best-selling book by William Stevenson, this three-part NBC miniseries begins in 1939, just before the outbreak of WWII. With his warnings of Hitler's treachery going ignored, out-of-power politician Winston Churchill (Nigel Stock) approaches patriotic Canadian industrialist Sir William Stephenson (David Niven) with an unusual request. Sir William is asked to use his own funds to secretly organize an Allied espionage network, to be set in motion the moment Hitler shows his hand. Joining in this covert operation is American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who, risking possible impeachment, encourages Sir William to establish a training base for spies in Ontario. Other concerned parties include the courageous French expatriate Madelaine (Barbara Hershey) and Sir William's right-hand man Evan Michaelain (Michael York). Location-filmed in England, Norway, and Canada, "A Man Called Intrepid" was originally broadcast from May 20 to 22, 1979.
David Niven, Michael York, Barbara Hershey, Nigel Stock, Paul Harding, Gayle Hunnicutt, Flora Robson.
Dissatisfied with the family architectural business, a man and his wife pack up and move out to his great-grandfather's old house in the country. While trying to patch it up, the house starts to make it clear to him that it doesn't want him there, but the local church -- with some off-kilter practices of their own -- seems to take a shine to him.
A cynical detective and a Roman Catholic bishop team up to investigate the reported miraculous powers of a 17-year-old girl being held captive in the home of her father, an ailing syndicate kingpin.
Robert Wagner, E.G. Marshall, Kathleen Quinlan, Lloyd Nolan, William Windom.
The always-touchy issue of euthanasia has provided source material for films since the silent era. 1980's "Act of Love" stars Ron Howard as the brother of Mickey Rourke, who has been left paralyzed by a motorcycle accident. Howard kills Rourke with a shotgun, claiming his brother begged him to do it. He willingly gives himself up to the authorities and stands trial, hoping more for understanding than exoneration. This fine film was based on a true story, chronicled by author Paige Mitchell.
Ron Howard, Robert Foxworth, Mickey Rourke, Jacqueline Brookes, David Spielberg, Mary Kay Place.
Elizabeth Montgomery is a liberal reporter whose views are challenged after she becomes the victim of random crime. Montgomery stars as Katherine McSweeney, a divorced, single-mother news reporter assigned to cover crime in her lower-middle-class neighborhood. After being mugged in her hallway, Katherine finds little sympathy from her colleagues or the police who feel her left-wing tendencies left her wide open for crime. The film shows how she transforms from a tolerant woman into a frightened and judgmental citizen, who is angry at her loss of innocence, but determined not to give in to her fear.
Elizabeth Montgomery, James Sloyan, Ed Bernard, Dolph Sweet, Ruth Manning, and Linden Chiles.
"Adam" is the heartbreakingly true story of the disappearance of 6-year-old Adam Walsh at a South Florida shopping mall. Adam's anguished parents John and Reve Walsh (Daniel J. Travanti and JoBeth Williams) turn to the FBI for help in finding their son, only to discover that the federal organization does not involve itself in such cases. As hope for Adam's return fades, the Walshes begin an organization to aid and comfort other families of missing children. The story does not end happily for Adam or his parents, but as a result of this tragedy, Congress passes the Federal Missing Children Act in 1983. This made-for-TV drama, originally telecast October 10, 1983, was followed by a sequel three years later. The real-life John Walsh later hosted the popular "reality-based" TV series America's Most Wanted.
Daniel J. Travanti, JoBeth Williams, Martha Scott, Richard Masur, Paul Regina, Mason Adams.
Linda Purl stars as Nellie Bly, famed 19th century female journalist, in this "Classics Illustrated" TV movie. A tireless crusader, Nellie exposes corruption amongst the rich of New York and miserable working conditions amongst the poor. In her most famous exploit, Nellie decides to emulate Jules Verne's Phineas Fogg by travelling around the world in 80 days-or less. Linda Purl, Gene Barry, Ray Buktenica, J.D. Cannon, John Randolph, Elayne Heilveil, Milton Selzer, Fran Ryan.
Created for the "dime novels" in 1886, scientific detective Nick Carter has been transferred to film and radio several times in the past six decades, though most of these projects have tended to update his adventures. 1972's terrific made-for-TV "Adventures of Nick Carter" restores the turn-of-the-century surroundings of the original stories. Robert Conrad (somewhat older than his literary counterpart) portrays Nick Carter, a New York private investigator hired to locate the missing wife of a wealthy "robber baron" playboy. He also devotes some time to locating the murderer of a close friend. Though hampered by a tight budget, the film does a nice job recreating a 19th century world of crooked cops, graft-greedy politicians, all-powerful plutocrats, raggedy paper boys and Lower East Side lowlifes. "Adventures of Nick Carter" was one of three pilots for a projected "rotating" series of TV detective shows based on famed literary sleuths; the other two series in this aborted project were to have spotlighted the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hildegarde Withers.
Robert Conrad, Shelley Winters, Broderick Crawford, Pernell Roberts, Brooke Bundy, Neville Brand, Pat O'Brien, Dean Stockwell, Laraine Stephens, Sean Garrision, Sorrell Booke.
A madman hijacks the luxury cruise liner, S.S. Queen, and threatens to blow it up unless a millionaire pays him the the contents of a safe deposit box. Neat little thriller complete with a very cool surprise plot twist. Produced by Irwin "Master of Disaster" Allen.
Robert Stack, David Hedison, Lara Parker, Ralph Bellamy, Bradford Dillman, Russell Johnson.
First telecast May 16, 1977, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn is the gender-switch follow-up to the 1976 TV movie Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. While Dawn concentrated on the sordid descent of a young girl into crime and prostitution, Alexander devotes its time to the exploits of a teenaged boy (Leigh J. McCloskey), whose character was introduced in the earlier film. A former Oklahoma farm boy, Alexander takes to the streets of LA, where he becomes a hustler and gigolo. After falling in love with Dawn (Eve Plumb), Alexander strives to escape his dead-end world and begin life anew. Director John Erman uses moody overtones to capture the darkness and despair of Alexander's life. Erman, an accomplished director of television movies, also directed the highly-acclaimed, touching AIDS drama, An Early Frost.
Leigh McCloskey, Eve Plumb, Juliet Mills, Jean Hagen, Earl Holliman.
Judge Charles Raleig is a widower and has four daughters. Because of different reasons, they end up having a quadruple wedding. The grooms all are of different religions: Jewish, Presbyterian, Zen Buddhist and Atheist. The wedding organizer Miss Freeling has a hard time because as soon as she organizes the wedding, another daughter decides to be wed on the same day.
Robert Young, Eve Arden, Sharon Gless, Raymond Massey, Darlene Carr, Bruno Kirby and Virginia Gregg.
Paul Baumer is a young German who, along with his graduating high school classmates, enlist in the German Imperial Army during the First World War. Originally thinking war would be a great adventure, Paul and his friends discover exactly the opposite as the war drags on and one by one the members of the class are killed in action until only Paul remains. Exceptional remake of the 1930s classic directed by Delbert Mann (Marty, Seperate Tables).
Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Holm, Patricia Neal, Donald Pleasence.
A couple traveling through a backwoods area are held by a 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.
Stacy Keach, Samantha Eggar, John Savage, Robbie Benson.
When the Chief of Police transfers tough police captain Janet Hamilton to "The Sewer," a crime-infested inner-city precinct, she suspects that many of her own men have been thriving in this lawless wasteland-though she has no idea how deep the corruption goes. Compelled to investigate after a sergeant is mysteriously murdered, Janet discovers that some of Pittsburgh finest are caught up in one of the most explosive and shocking scandals the City of Pittsburgh has ever seen.
Suzanne Pleshette, Danny Aiello, Jon Tenney, Joe Morton, Georg Stanford Brown, Frank Converse, Tony Shalhoub.
The saga of a driven man who amassed wealth and recognition as a Hollywood mover and shaker, aviation giant and man of mystery who in the end would up losing his soul as well as his mind. Tommy Lee Jones gives a remarkable performance as Hughes. (125 min.)
Tommy Lee Jones, Ed Flanders, Tovah Feldshuh, James Hampton, Lee Purcell, Ed Harris.
Peter Parker has a laboratory accident that changes his life. He finds himself with greatly increased strength, the ability to stick to walls to climb them without needing hand and footholds and a "spider-sense" (presented in this series as clairvoyance) that allows him to sense danger. Designing a costume and a webshooter that allows him to fire a strong artificial web, he fights crimes as Spider-Man.
Complete series set of 13-episodes plus the pilot film.
Nicholas Hammond, Robert F. Simon, Ellen Bry, Chip Fields.
Amber Waves is the tale of two radically different personalities, united by crisis. Dennis Weaver plays a midwestern wheat harvester, coarsened by his lifelong struggle with poverty and the elements. Kurt Russell plays an obnoxious Manhattan-based male model, who has coasted through life on his charm and has never gotten his hands dirty. When Russell finds himself facially disfigured and penniless, he takes a job on Weaver's farm. Though the two men dislike each other at first, they reach a common ground when Weaver suffers a serious personal dilemma. Beautifully lensed in Alberta, Canada, Amber Waves was one of the high points of the 1979-80 TV movie season and was the recipient of countless Emmy nominations.
Dennis Weaver, Kurt Russell, Mare Winningham (Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actress), Wilford Brimley.
The most satisfying of all the Earhart film biographies follows the life of the famed woman pilot Amelia Earhart, including her marriage to a famous publisher and her disappearance during a flight in 1937. Susan Clark turns in a steller performance as the doomed heroine.
Susan Clark, John Forsythe, Stephen Macht, Susan Oliver, Jane Wyatt, Charles Aidman.
Amos Lasher loses his wife and home in an accident, finding himself in the care of the state, or specifically speaking, the Sunset Nursing Home. Here he finds the head nurse, Daisy Daws, ruling the cowed patients with an iron hand, but as his determination to get out of Sunset grows, the more sinister his situation becomes.
Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Montgomery, Dorothy McGuire, Pat Morita, Ray Walston.
(Pilot) Amy Prentiss is a beautiful thirty-something detective on the San Francisco police force who was unexpectedly promoted to chief following the sudden death of her predecessor. Between solving the city's most perplexing crimes and battling sexism within the department, Amy raises her pre-teen daughter Jill. Jessica Walter won a well deserved Emmy for her powerful portrayal.
Jessica Walter, William Shatner, Helen Hunt, Art Metrano.
Humanitarian, lecturer and "Saturday Review" editor, Norman Cousins' controversial decision in the mid-1960's to cure himself of a debilitating spinal disorder after the medical community gave up hope provides the thrust of this dramatization of his book. Despite the physical disparity between Cousins and himself, Ed Asner offers a convincing portrait of a man taking drastic measures to regain control of his life.
Ed Asner, Eli Wallach, Millie Perkins, David Ogden Stiers, Claudia Wells.
Based on a true story of a young woman who is the only survivor of a plane crash in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and her struggle to get to safety despite her injuries, below-freezing temperatures and rough, and at times impassable, terrain.
Blair Brown, David Ackroyd, Vera Miles, G.D. Spradlin, Pat Corley.
Partially filmed in Hawaii and Tahiti, "And the Sea Will Tell" was a two-part TV movie based on a real murder case. A wealthy couple (James Brolin and Deidre Hall) are killed on their yacht off the coast of a secluded South American island called Palmyra. The suspects are a hippyish pair (Hart Bochner and Rachel Ward) whom the rich folks had befriended. It's fairly clear that the hippies were involved in the crime: The question is, did the man do it while the girl looked on helplessly, or was she a willing accomplice? Richard Crenna plays real-life defense attorney Vincent Bugliosi, upon whose book "And the Sea Will Tell" was based.
James Brolin, Rachel Ward, Richard Crenna, Susan Blakely, Diedre Hall, Hart Bochner.
George C. Scott directed this powerful dramatization of the 1865 war-crimes trial of Henry Wirz, commandant of the notorious Confederate POW camp at Andersonville, Georgia.
William Shatner, Jack Cassidy, Richard Basehart, Cameron Mitchell, Martin Sheen, Buddy Ebsen, Charles McGraw, Alan Hale Jr.
An old-fashioned, lakeside hotel targeted for purchase by an unsavory gambling casino promoter and situated next to a construction site, is attacked by an army of poisonous ants. Efforts to contain the ants and rescue those trapped in the hotel are hampered by the progress of the creepy crawlers upward from floor to floor.
Robert Foxworth, Suzanne Somers, Myrna Loy, Lynda Day George, Bernie Casey, Karen Lamm.
A photographer plans to murder his rich young wife after she catches him cheating on her and threatens to divorce him so as not to get any of her money.
Stewart Granger, Lois Nettleton, Joseph Campanella, Dana Wynter, Katy Jurado, Marion Ross, Tom Tully.
This musical version of All About Eve tells the story on an aspiring actress, whose sugar-coated appearance belies her ruthless drive, worms herself into the life of an aging star and schemes to replace her on the stage as the star of a new play. The original Broadway production of "Applause" on which this television production is based opened at the Palace Theater in New York on March 30, 1970, ran for 896 performances and won the 1970 Tony Award (New York City) for the Best Musical. Using the London cast, this filmed production cast includes Lauren Bacall, Penny Fuller and Robert Mandan from the original Broadway cast plus Larry Hagman. (NOTE: Because this rarity comes from a studio master print a time code appears at the bottom of the picture.)
Well made thriller about a teenage girl who is plagued by harassing phone calls. Her fear mounts when she's babysitting at a neighbor's home one evening and the caller rings her at that number.
Kathleen Beller, Dennis Quaid, Blythe Danner, Tony Bill, Ellen Travolta.
This sprawling miniseries details the trial of Lee Bishop, an Aspen man who was arrested, tried and sentenced to die for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl--a crime for which Bishop is not guilty. As the years pass and Bishop sits on death row, his attorney, Tom Keating, does everything in his power to clear Bishop's name and find the true killer. An awesome mini-series drama with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Sam Elliott, Gene Barry, Tony Franciosa, Perry King, Joseph Cotten, Michelle Phillips, Jessica Harper, Bo Hopkins and John Houseman.
Aboard the nuclear submarine USS Anthony Wayne -- its commander is leading the Wayne to an unknown destination for a top-secret mission, but on their way his recurring headaches and seemingly ill health (and psyche) worries the crew.
Joseph Cotten, Leonard Limoy, Lloyd Haynes, William Windom, Keenan Wynn, Sam Elliott, Malachi Throne.
This excellent fact-based film is a dramatization of the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. The FBI, personified herein by southern operative Wayne Rogers, is brought in to investigate the trio's disappearance. Upon the discovery of the bodies on August 2, 1964, the feds follow a trail of (admittedly skimpy) evidence which leads to the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, headed by the virulent Glen Tuttle (Rip Torn). The film was based on the book by Don Whitehead.
Wayne Rogers, Ned Beatty, Peter Strauss, Dabney Coleman, Marlyn Mason, Rip Torn, Ed Flanders, Andrew Duggan, John Beck, Geoffrey Lewis, Virginia Gregg, Mills Watson.
"Attica" is a probing, no-nonsense TV-movie re-creation of the tragic events which followed the Attica (New York) Correctional Facility rebellion of September 9, 1971. Inmates demanding better food and living conditions used jerry-built weapons to take 38 guards as hostage. Negotiations begin immediately, only to continually break down thanks to uncompromising stubbornness on both sides. Four days into the crisis, the rebellion ends in a bloodbath, with state troopers firing on the prisoners-- killing several of the guards in the process. Based on the eyewitness reporting of the New York Times' Tom Wicker (here played by George Grizzard), who was one of the civilian negotiators during the stalemate, "Attica" was first telecast on March 3, 1980.
Henry Darrow, Charles Durning, Morgan Freeman, George Grizzard, Andrew Duncan, Glynn Turman, Joel Fabiani, and Anthony Zerbe.
In February, 1962, as the civil rights movement reaches Bayonne, Louisiana, a New York journalist arrives to interview Jane Pittman, 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 Pittman, 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. A perfect film, TV doesn't get any better then this.
Cicely Tyson, Michael Murphy, Richard Dysart, Rod Perry, Thalmus Rasulala, Katherine Helmond.
(Pilot) Ex-race car drivers Ocee and Nick are recruited by the LAPD for their B.A.D. C.A.T. squad: Burglary Auto Detail, Commercial Auto Thefts. Burning more rubber and breaking more rules than most of the criminals they chase, Ocee and Nick, along with their gorgeous partner Samantha (Michelle Pfeiffer) and crusty boss Captain Nathan (Vic Morrow), do their best to keep the streets clear of car thieves.
Beautifully filmed story of Babe Didrickson, who won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics and returned to become a world champion golfer, her battles to be accepted as a woman in a man's sports world, and her fight against cancer. Susan Clark nabbed herself a well-deserved Emmy for her tour-de-force portrayal as Babe.
Susan Clark, Alex Karras, Slim Pickens, Ellen Geer, Ford Rainey, Arch Johnson.
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour "Backstairs at the White House" was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979.
Leslie Uggams, Louis Gossett Jr., Olivia Cole, Robert Hooks, Leslie Nielsen, Cloris Leachman, Paul Winfield.
When a shy teenager accidentally kills a mocking peer his mother helps him hide in a secret room in their house. Problems arise when the mother goes for an operation and dies, and the house is sold to a new family, with the teen still living inside.
Scott Jacoby, Kim Hunter, Dabney Coleman, John Larch, Cindy Fisher, Lisa Eilbacher.
Freak fatal accidents force a widow to realize her precocious 9-year-old daughter was born to kill. A nifty little remake of the classis 1956 classic of the same name.
Blair Brown, Lynn Redgrave, David Carradine, Carrie Wells, David Ogden Stiers and Richard Kiley.
A returning Vietnam veteran finds out that while he was gone his girlfriend has been forced into marrying someone else, his small business is in ruins and that those he once thought were his friends are in short supply.
Lee Majors, Joey Heatherton, Jimmy Dean, Bobby Hatfield, Marvin Gaye, Agnes Moorehead.
Kicked off the pro circuit for alleged cheating, a down on his luck playboy golf pro is forced to hustle for a living. Moving from one Country Club to another he uses his talents to hustle golf and women while trying to stay one step ahead of an irate loan shark.
Robert Wagner, Jill St. John, James Farentino, Gene Hackman, Susan Clark, Guy Stockwell.
The 1971 pilot for this short-lived TV series finds Robert Forster exceptionally well cast as a 1930s private eye, excessively loyal to his down on his luck pal (Herb Edelman) and maintaining a confrontational but respectful relationship with copper Darren McGavin. The film does a good job of recreating its period (at least as it was presented in the movies of the era), the pacing is good, and the entire cast is well-chosen (Forster, McGavin, and Anjanette Comer are especially good). This might have even succeeded as a theatrical release.
Also included is the episode "The Murder Game" with guest stars Gregory Sierra and Skye Aubrey.
Robert Forster, Darren McGavin, Herb Edelman, Anjanette Comer.
19th-century government agent and master of disguise Jeff Cable operates out of a secret room in a San Francisco casino owned by his best pal Cash Conover. Conover is sort of a dandy, and would rather avoid trouble at all costs, but Cable's persuasiveness coupled with Cash's sense of duty and a weakness for the fairer sex shared by both men usually leads them into dangerous missions. This series is a lot of fun, especially the byplay between Shatner and McClure.
This set includes the pilot film plus the 4-episodes, "Jesse Who?", "Crazy Cats", "The Ballad of Redwing Jail" and "Guns for a Queen".
William Shatner, Doug McClure, Dennis Cole, Richard Kiel.
Barnaby Jones was a former private eye who temporarily came out of retirement to track down the killer of his son Hal, who had taken over the family business. After bringing Hal's murderer to justice (with the assistance of fellow CBS gumshoe Frank Cannon), Jones decided retirement just wasn't his bag after all, and rehung his shingle with the assistance of daughter-in-law Betty, who ran the office and Barnaby's personal crime laboratory, and (later) young distant cousin Jedidiah, who did the cases' legwork.
Series set of 100-episodes.
Buddy Ebsen, Lee Meriwether, John Cater, Mark Shera.
Gritty drama of three interweaving stories of three women of various backgrounds and ages whose marriages are complicated by spouse-abuse by their husbands.
Karen Grassle, Mike Farrell, LeVar Burton, Joan Blondell, Howard Duff, Diana Scarwid.
Former Los Angeles police lieutennant Bill Battles is hired by Hawaii State university to not only become head of the campus police, but assistant coach in charge of special teams for the school's football team. However, a few days after he arrives, his brother Allan dies in a suspicious car accident. Bill then finds out that his brother was working on a forty year old murder mystery. With the aid of Allan's daughter Shelby, her quarterback boyfriend Deacon and the team's kicker, a hustler named Tuliosis, Bill continues his brother's investigation. However, Bill and his team might just become the killer's next victims.
William Conrad, Marj Dusay, John Hillerman, Robin Mattson, Edward Binns, Don Porter and Jose Ferrer.
Who'd have thought that we'd ever watch Debbie Reynolds and Suzanne Pleshette playing grandmothers? Yet, grannies they are-and very glamorous ones-in the made-for-TV. A pre-Friends Courtney Cox plays a young mother who decides to go back to work to help pay the bills. Cox's mother, Pleshette and her mother-in-law Reynolds battle over who will have the honor of looking after the baby while the new mom is away. A few "very special" dramatic scenes aside, this is essentially harmless froth, in the tradition of 1950s TV sitcoms.
Debbie Reynolds, Suzanne Pleshette, Courtney Cox, Doug McClure, Mary Jo Catlett.
(Pilot) Mercenaries Johnny Reach and Hank Brackett cruise the American Southwest in 1914 in their Stutz Bearcat in search of action and adventure. They often take dangerous assignments for pay; their fee is usually a blank check, and after the mission, they just fill in whatever amount they think the job was worth. In the opening film "Powderkeg" 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. Reach and Brackett to the rescue!
Rod Taylor, Dennis Cole, Fernando Lamas, Michael Ansara, Tisha Sterling, Reni Santoni.
Widespread panic grips a small community after a tanker truck crashes through a fence at a wild animal park, freeing dozens of dangerous beasts. Completely mindless but a lot of fun to watch!
Carol Lynley, Dale Robinette, Billy Green Bush, Philip Michael Thomas, Anna Lee.
The "before" version of Patty Duke is obese and slovenly. Emerging from a "fat farm," the "after" version of Patty Duke discovers that her husband has been playing the field while she's been trying to shed her excess poundage. Duke then takes up with a handsome artist, who gives her new incentive to lose weight, even though he's made it clear that her physical appearance isn't all that important to him. His jealousy aroused, Duke's hubby tries to win her back, but she soon learns that he hasn't really changed a bit.
Patty Duke, Bradford Dillman, Barbara Feldon, Art Hindle, Betty White, Jean Smart, Kenneth Mars.
This classic TV-movie stars Mike Connors, Michael Cole and Kent McCord as three ex-cops, disabled while on duty. Having trouble finding regular work, the three men team up to steal a valuable statue from a museum. Connors has no legs, Cole no hands, and McCord is blind: but when they're working together, they're a lean mean stealing machine. "Beg, Borrow, or Steal" is actually better then it sounds, and has the novelty of three popular TV detective-show stars pooling their resources on the opposite side of the law.
Mike Connors, Michael Cole, Kent McCord, Joel Fabiani, Russell Johnson, Ron Glass, Roger Perry.
Belle Star (Elizabeth Montgomery) is a bandit with an itch to ride with the outlaw legends, the James gang, the Youngers and the Dalton boys. A fun little western especially if you are a fan of Elizabeth Montgomery. Cliff Potts (who raped her in 1974's "A Case of Rape") is also very good as her partner in crime. I won't tell you what happens at the end but it's a nice surprise.
Elizabeth Montgomery, Cliff Potts, Fred Ward, Geoffrey Lewis.
In Berlin in 1961, an American soldier and a German engineer join forces to build a tunnel under the Berlin Wall in order to smuggle out refugees, including the soldier's East German girlfriend.
Richard Thomas, Horst Buchholz, Jose Ferrer, Ute Christensen, Eva Ingeborg Scholz.
A young girl's dangerous dance with dieting leads to near disaster in this exceptional made-for-television drama. In one of the earliest treatments of the subject, Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Casey Powell, the quiet daughter of an overbearing mother and milquetoast father. Feeling pressure to be the good girl of the family after her troublesome older sister gets pregnant, Casey retreats into her secretive world of self-starvation. When arguing fails to produce results, her parents Charles Durning and Eva Marie Saint send her to a hospital where she meets a spunky fellow patient and a caring therapist (Jason Miller). Casey's road to recovery is not as simple as merely eating though, and she and her family realize that together they must confront the deeply-rooted familial issues that lay at the heart of Casey's affliction. Jennifer Jason Leigh is utterly compelling in the lead role.
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Charles Durning, Eva Marie Saint, Jason Miller, Melanie Mayron, Ally Sheedy.
A lonely widow hires a young woman as her companion. What she doesn't know is that the woman and her boyfriend are extortionists, who are planning on making her their next victim, then killing her when they get her money.
Amanda Blake, Tisha Sterling, Dick Haymes, Sam Groom.
Gena Rowlands won an Emmy for her towering portrayal of former first lady Betty Ford. After surviving breast cancer, the feisty Ford earns the love and admiration of the entire country. This makes it all the harder for her to keep private her biggest personal battle -- against alcohol and prescription-drug addiction. This sensitive but candid story was an adaptation of Betty Ford's autobiography The Times of My Life. (w/o/c)
Gene Rowlands, Josef Sommer, Nan Woods, Concetta Tomei, Kenneth Tigar, Bradley Whitford, Joan McMurtrey.
Bill is a retarded man who ventures out into the world for the first time. Having spent most of his life in a dreary inner city Institution. He is taken in by a kind family and learns what it means to love for the first time in his life. Mickey Rooney won a well deserved Emmy award for his heartwarming portayal of Bill.
Mickey Rooney, Dennis Quaid, Largo Woodruff, Anna Maria Horsford.
After fully recovering from her near fatal bout of bionic rejection, Jaime Sommers, the first female cyborg, is assigned to spy missions of her own.
As most of you die-hard fans already know this collection is only available uncut and commercial free in the UK on Region-2 format. This complete 1st Season on 4-Discs has been CONVERTED over to a REGION FREE FORMAT for in all its digitally re-mastered grandeur and it looks and sounds amazing! REPEAT: THIS SET IS A 100% CONVERSION OF DVD MASTERED DISCS AND NOT A TV DUPE. They are the BEST of what's available – CLEAN, COMMERCIAL FREE and COMPLETELY UNCUT.
Lindsay Wagner, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks.
After fully recovering from her near fatal bout of bionic rejection, Jaime Sommers, the first female cyborg, is assigned to spy missions of her own.
As most of you die-hard fans already know this collection is only available uncut and commercial free in the UK on Region-2 format. This complete 1st Season on 4-Discs has been CONVERTED over to a REGION FREE FORMAT for in all its digitally re-mastered grandeur and it looks and sounds amazing! REPEAT: THIS SET IS A 100% CONVERSION OF DVD MASTERED DISCS AND NOT A TV DUPE. They are the BEST of what's available – CLEAN, COMMERCIAL FREE and COMPLETELY UNCUT.
Lindsay Wagner, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks.
Harry Walker, ex-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. Harry follows in hot pursuit but as he starts running out of fuel things turn desperate.
A young college girl becomes pregnant, and she and the baby's father are targeted by a black-market adoption ring that is out to get the baby at all costs.
Linda Purl, Desi Arnaz Jr., Bill Bixby, Jessica Walter, David Doyle, Annie Potts, Tom Bosley.
An occult Western about a circuit-riding minister and his wife who are caught up in a web of witchcraft involving a mute beauty and a satanical gunfighter. Wonderfully old-school scary with a terrific cast.
Roy Thinnes, Yvette Mimieux, Ray Milland, Gloria Grahame, Lynn Loring, Henry Silva and Hank Worden.
A scuba team, a marine archaeologist and a Mexican historian join forces to reach the wreck of an historic Spanish galleon and it's rare treasure ahead of a well-armed dilettante and his associates.
Keir Dullea, Ricardo Montalban, Bradford Dillman, France Nuyen, Lana Wood.
A woman marries her boyfriend on his deathbed for his money so she can move on to the next guy. When he turns up mysteriously ill the police step in and investigate the strange circumstances.
Elizabeth Montgomery, David Clennon, John M. Jackson, Grace Zabriskie, Bruce McGill, Guy Boyd, Katy Boyer.
Alexander Blacke is a retired magician who comes out of retirement, at the behest of his con-man/gambler father, Leonard, to perform on stage and solve mysteries in this series that mixes the magical antics of "The Magician," the con-game schemes of "The Sting," "Switch," and "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe", and the intricate mysteries of "Columbo" and "Murder She Wrote."
Complete series set of 12-episodes including the pilot film.
Bumper Morgan (William Holden) is a veteran Los Angeles Police Department street cop. He is due to retire after 20 years on the job, but is not letting up on the criminal element on his beat. Holden won a well-deserved Emmy for his tough-as-nails portrayal.
William Holden, Lee Remick, Joe Santos, Sam Elliott, Eileen Brennan, Anne Archer and Vic Tayback.
After many years of service as a Los Angeles police officer, Bumper Morgan (George Kennedy taking over from William Holden) remains a uniformed officer who walks a beat every day. This is not to denigrate his abilities as a policeman, since he has often been offered promotions, but Bumper prefers his life on the street. He knows everyone in his neighborhood, and is even willing to overlook minor transgressions if it will keep his beat relatively safe. But life is the city of angels can turn from tranquil to a war-zone quicker then the blink of an eye with Bumper there every step of the way.
Series set of 4-rare episodes plus the pilot film.
George Kennedy, Robert Hays, Alex Rocco, Verna Bloom, Glynn Turman, John Steadman.
This compelling pro-literacy tract stars Dennis Weaver as a blue-collar family man who has earned his own keep for 40 years. He holds down a well-paying job at a Massachusetts factory--until one day, when he is summarily dismissed. The reason? Weaver has spent his adult life harboring a terrible secret: he has never learned to read or write.
Dennis Weaver, Janet Carroll, Michele Little, Robert Sean Leonard, Cleavant Derricks.
In this spoof of Jaws (1975), nearly fifty comedians are mysteriously attacked and swallowed up, apparently by a great white shark. Filmed in around Hope's Toluca Lake estate this special wasn't a brilliant piece of timeless television art, but it was a lot of fun and a showcase for some of the greatest entertainers of the twentieth century -- some in their final television appearances.
Bob Hope, Don Adams, Jack Albertson, Marty Allen, Steve Allen, Desi Arnaz, Billy Barty, Rona Barrett, Milton Berle, Foster Brooks, Les Brown, George Burns, Red Buttons, Pat Buttram, John Byner, Sammy Cahn, Glen Campbell, Jack Carter, Charo, Jerry Colonna, Mike Connors, Scatman Crothers, Bill Dana, Angie Dickinson, Phyllis Diller, Jamie Farr, George Gobel, Jim Hutton, David Janssen, Arte Johnson, Alan King, George Kirby, Don Knotts, Fred MacMurray, Dean Martin, Groucho Marx, Jan Murray, Wayne Newton, Vincent Price, Freddie Prinze, Don Rickles, Harry Ritz, Telly Savalas, Phil Silvers, Larry Storch, Abe Vigoda and Johnny Carson.
This TV-movie focuses on the life of actor Humphrey Bogart, particularly the part of his life when his marriage to actress Mayo Methot was breaking up and his relationship with future wife Lauren Bacall was just beginning.
Kevin O'Connor, Kathryn Harrold, Ann Wedgeworth, Richard Dysart, Patricia Barry, Ross Elliott.
Four terrific series under one great title!The original concept was for a high-quality thoughtful, rotating 1-hour drama series set in several prestigious professions -- Doctors, Attorneys, Police Chief "protectors", and a Senator.
An almost complete series set of 80 out of 87-episodes.
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969-1973) starred actors E. G. Marshall, David Hartman, John Saxon and Robert Walden.This segment was the longest lasting of the four series.
The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969-1972) starred Burl Ives, James Farantino and Joseph Campanella.
The Bold Ones: The Protectors (1969-1970) starred Leslie Nielsen as a Chief of Police and Hari Rhodes as a District Attorney fighting crime in a Northern California coastal community.
The Bold Ones: The Senator (1970-1971) starred Hal Holbrook as an idealistic U.S. Senator.
The Borgia Stick opens with a funeral: the "guests of honor" are also the film's stars, Don Murray and Inger Stevens. In flashback, we learn that Murray and Stevens were for all intents and purposes a happily married suburban couple. Before long, we discover that the couple wasn't married at all, nor were they particularly happy. In fact, Murray and Stevens were employees of an all-powerful crime syndicate, plunked down in suburbia to lay the groundwork for a mob takeover. When the couple decides to go straight, they sign their own death warrant....maybe. A tremendous improvement over the handful of made-for-television films that preceded it, The Borgia Stick was the first TV movie to enjoy favorable notices from the critics. Its first telecast on February 25, 1967, was one of the highest-rated events of the 1966-67 season.
Inger Stevens, Don Murray, Barry Nelson, Ralph Waite, John Randolph, Kathleen Maguire, Barnard Hughes.
(Pilot) Based on the hit 1966 movie of the same name this drama chronicles the adventures of George and Joy Adamson, a married couple who serve as game wardens in Kenya. Not only did they care for and keep track of the wildlife, but they sometimes had to deal with poachers or other unsavory humans who were threatening the natural way of life in the jungle.
This set includes the pilot plus 1-rare episode "Death of a Hunter." (avq: 7/10)
A constant runaway is given over to the care of the state and finds herself in a remand centre for girls. She is soon caught between the uncaring bureaucracy, the sometimes brutal treatment from her peers and her own abusive family, and only one care worker sees her potential to rise above her tragic circumstances.
Linda Blair, Joanna Miles, Kim Hunter, Richard Jaeckel, Nora Heflin.
Based on the true story of Tod Lubitch, a child born with a deficient immune system. 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. This excellent film follows his life into a teenager.
John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Robert Reed, Diana Hyland, Ralph Bellamy, Buzz Aldrin.
Entertaining look and the behind the scenes going-on at the fictitious Century Studios in Hollywood, headed by the (initially) unseen John Bracken. This one episode available is entitled "Package Deal" and guest stars Shelley Fabares and Tim O'Connor.
Eleanor Parker, Peter Haskell, Dennis Cole, Laraine Stephens, Linda Harrison, Warren Berlinger.
After 18 years of marriage, a middle-aged couple has to face the prospect of having their first child. An entertaining story that won Cloris Leachman a well-deserved Emmy.
The Chief of Detectives (Carroll O'Connor) of the New York Police Department, is a tough cop who has worked his way up the ladder from lowly beat-cop. When a boyhood buddy and fellow officer finds himself facing dismissal, the Chief finds himself at odds with his fellow officers. Meanwhile he is also working two cases involving the murder of senior citizens and a series of homicides occurring after kidnapings.
Carroll O'Connor, Lois Nettleton, Vincent Gardenia, Marcia Cross, Richard Bright, Paul Shenar, Anita Gillette.
An ambitious attempt to translate the satirical Aldous Huxley 1932 novel of a futuristic society where no one there ages past thirty-five, babies are mass produced on an assembly line, and "engagings" (sexual trysts) are compulsory. Keir Dullea heads the cast as Thomas Grahmbell, "director of hatcheries". Not everybody is satisfied with society's lack of humanity and feeling; thus a revolt begins brought on by free-thinking dissidents. In keeping with the style of the original book, the script's newly-minted characters are given names of pop-culture icons (Disney, Maoina, Stalina, and so on).
Bret Maverick is back and better than ever! Set in Sweetwater Arizona in the 1880s with solid citizen Bret owning a ranch and part of the Red Ox Saloon. Terrific ensemble cast with varying stories, often centered on conflict between the ambitious sheriff and everyone else.
Complete series set of 18 episodes including the pilot film.
James Garner, Jack Kelly, Stuart Margolin, Darleen Carr, Ed Bruce, Marj Dusay and Robert Webber.
Gale Sayers joins the Chicago Bears and is befriended by Brian Piccolo, an over-achieving running back. Although they compete for the same spot on the team, and despite the fact that Sayers is black and Piccolo white, they become roommates on the road and very close friends, especially when Sayers is injured and Piccolo helps his recovery. Later, they and their wives must both deal with the harsh reality of Piccolo's cancer. Simply one of the finest films ever made.
James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Bernie Casey, Shelley Fabares, David Huddleston.
This film represented the first speaking role for hearing-impaired actress Marlee Matlin. A happy wife and mother, Matlin is grief-stricken when her husband is killed in a car accident. Still not fully recovered after several weeks, Matlin must rely on her mother Lee Remick to care for her young daughter. As Matlin struggles to put her life back together she must fight Remick's efforts to gain full legal custody of Matlin's daughter.
Lee Remick, Marlee Matlin, Michael O'Keefe, Phyllis Frelich.
The story of famous frontiersman Jim Bridger, who is given 40 days to cut a trail through the Rocky Mountains to the California coast and told that if he can't do it, the territory will be lost to England.
James Wainwright, Ben Murphy, Sally Field, William Windom, John Anderson, Dirk Blocker.
Wealthy white-bread Bridget Fitzgerald and lower-class cabdriver Bernie Steinberg meet, fall in love and marry. Even though their love for each other is never in doubt, both are constantly forced to deal with their parents, who are uncomfortable with their kids' differences in social status and religion.
22 of 24-complete series episodes.
David Birney, Meredith Baxter, David Doyle, Audra Lindley, Harold J. Stone, Bibi Osterwald.
Pith-helmeted Buck is a Great White Hunter who here (unlike the real one from the 1940s) works out of the Raffles Hotel bar in Singapore during the 1930s fighting all kinds of bad guys in pre-war Malaya. Inspired by the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark this series had all the right elements packed with a perfect mix of thrills and adventure.
Complete series set of 18-episodes including the pilot film.
Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, Clyde Kusatsu and Ron (Superfly) O'Neal.
A New York City cop who has retired to a small Western town is drawn into the local case of an Indian who is accused of murdering a sheriff. Like McCloud in reverse, Richard Widmark is excellent (natch) as the fish out of water and tough-as-nails cop determined to solve the case.
Richard Widmark, Henry Darrow, Beth Brickell, David Huddleston, Pat Morita, Will Geer, Jean Allison.
Sensitive, pipe-smoking cop Alex "Bronk" Bronkov (Jack Palance), who spends much of his time caring for his crippled daughter Ellen -- who was injured in the same car crash that took the life of Bronk's wife --, is hired by Ocean City, California mayor Pete Santori to clean up the corruption of the city. Although he is given the rank of lieutenant, Bronk answers to Mayor Santori, and is often able to cut through bureaucratic "red tape" in hurry if need be. Carroll O’Connor created this terrific, well-remembered shortlived series.
Two complete and uncut episodes transferred off a rare 16mm print -- "Line of Fire" wtih guest starsMark Hamilland Eugene Roche and"Death With Honor"with guest star Vic Tayback.
A successful professor has his life disrupted by a secret from his past - in his college days he became a member of a powerful secret society, and now the society has a job for him.
Glenn Ford, Rosemary Forsyth, Dean Jagger, Maurice Evans, Will Geer, William Conrad.
Based on a novel by David Morrell and filmed entirely in New Zealand, this terrific film is unabashedly old-fashioned escapist espionage fare. Peter Strauss and David Morse play polar-opposite CIA agents, code names Romulus and Remus. Their superior-and father figure-is crusty CIA official Robert Mitchum. Though Romulus and Remus are devoted to Mitchum, he is only concerned with the greater good of the service-a philosophy that has become despotic over the years. Now Mitchum has determined that Romulus is expendable. Escaping from CIA assassins, Romulus and Remus stumble into a vast rule-the-world conspiracy called The Brotherhood of the Rose. This is the orginal, UNCUT 180-minute version.
Robert Mitchum, Peter Strauss, Connie Sellecca, David Morse, James B. Sikking, M. Emmet Walsh, Veronica Hamel.
(Pilot) Tom Selleck and Robert Urich are members of the "Bunco" squad the squad in charge of nabbing con men, cheats, and swindlers. Most of their time is spent dealing with penny-ante street-corner crooks. But their investigations start to reveal a larger con game in progress.
Tom Selleck, Robert Urich, Donna Mills and Arte Johnson.
Our girl Farrah Fawcett earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of Francine Hughes in the television movie "The Burning Bed".The film is structured as a series of flashbacks while Francine's character endures a murder trial after she poured gasoline on her sleeping spouse and burned him to death. Her husband Mickey (Paul Le Mat) drove her over the edge after years of physical and emotional abuse when he rapes her. The always underrated Fawcett parlayed her work in this film into a series of more serious movies, including Extremities and Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story.
Farrah Fawcett, Paul Le Mat, Richard Masur, Grace Zabriskie, Penelope Milford, James T. Callahan, James Hampton.
As the United States and the Soviet Union enter an era of friendly relations, a fanatical opposition group detonates a nuclear missile over a Russian city. Suddenly, a chain reaction of accusations and actions begin the groundwork for World War III and two Air Force pilots are poised to perform the "grand tour" - a systematic bombing of the political and military infrastructure of the USSR. An excellent film in the grand tradition of Fail Safe.
Powers Booth, Rebecca De Mornay, James Earl Jones, Martin Landau, Rip Torn, Peter MacNicol, Daniel Benzali, and Darren McGavin.
"Cade’s County" was a curious cross between TV western and contemporary cop show. Sam Cade (Glenn Ford) is the tough but sensitive Sheriff working out of the town of Madrid, California, and was responsible for law enforcement throughout the county. And Unlike a great many TV westerns, this series treated Native Americans, the Indians, with the utmost reverence. Thus, between chases and shootouts, episodes dealt with a number of relevant '70s issues such as the plight of the American Indian.
Series set of 15-episodes. (7/10)
Glenn Ford, Edgar Buchanan, Taylor Lacher, Victor Campos, Peter Ford.
A high school girl who needs a ride accepts one from a boy she doesn't know. He then forces her to participate in a robbery, in which a clerk is killed. They are soon caught, and the girl, despite her protestations of innocence, is convicted of first-degree murder and sent to prison. Once she gets there, she finds out that her troubles are just beginning.
Susan Dey, Sam Bottoms, Michael Brandon, Katherine Helmond, Karen Carlson.
A sadistic small-town sheriff has a habit of deliberately forcing speeders to their deaths on the mountain roads leading into town. The brother of one of the victims rolls into town in his hot rod to investigate his brother's death.
Martin Sheen, Vic Morrow, Michelle Phillips, Stuart Margolin, Janet Baldwin and Nick Nolte.
A federal agent recruits a computer whiz to try to free a Mafia witness who has been kidnapped and held in a heavily fortified compound. Solid action/drama with Peter Graves heading a terrific cast.
Peter Graves, Diana Muldaur, Michael Ansara, Tina Louise, Steven McNally, John Anderson, Ina Balin, and Clu Gulager.
The weekly adventures of Frank Cannon (William Conrad), an overweight, balding ex-cop with a deep voice and expensive tastes in culinary pleasures, who becomes a high-priced private investigator. Since Cannon's girth didn't allow for many fist-fights and gun battles (although there were many), the series substituted car chases and high production values in their place.
Complete series of 121-episodes plus the pilot film.
When a commercial artist is almost murdered by spies looking for his late father's secrets, he is saved in surgery when the FLAG formula is injected into him. This serum not only healed him but also gave him tremendous strength and lightening reflexes. To help him retaliate for his attack, a government agency equipments him with a special motorcycle loaded with gadgets and a detachable shield is not only bulletproof, but can be thrown as a offensive returning weapon. Thus armed, he battles against the nation's enemies as the Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America.
Reb Brown, Steve Forrest, Heather Menzies, Connie Selleca.
Joseph Armagh was a poor Irish immigrant who came to the United States in the mid-19th century, and proceeded, through struggle, heartache and hard work, to become one of the richest and most powerful men in the country. This nine-part miniseries details Armagh's path to success -- it's a rich saga, from the first episode to the last you can't help being drawn to the characters.
Richard Jordan, Perry King, Patty Duke, Blair Brown, Henry Fonda, Ann Sothern, Jane Seymour, Pernell Roberts, Burl Ives, Robert Vaughn, Linda Kelsey, John Houseman, Celeste Holm, Ray Bolger, John Carradine, Barbara Parkins, Charles Durning, Vic Morrow.
A redneck officer is put in charge of a squad of black troops charged with taking an important bridge from the Nazis. Their failure would delay the Allies advance into Germany, thus prolonging the war. (aka: "Black Brigade")
Stephen Boyd, Richard Pryor, Billy Dee Williams, Moses Gunn, Robert Hooks, Susan Oliver, Roosevelt Grier, Glynn Turman, Paul Stewart.
When she was raped, Ellen thought it was the worst thing to ever happen to her. But what was worse, was the treatment by the hospital staff, police and the court system, when she reported it, and the man was caught.
Elizabeth Montgomery, Ronny Cox, William Daniels, Cliff Potts, Rosemary Murphy, Tom Selleck.
When a rich man dies, some items from a collection of his are stolen-- an ancient Egyptian gold amulet and the mummy that was wearing it. The police consult scholars from the local University to help with the investigation, which is taking a more serious turn as people connected with the case are killed by wounds that seem to be from a housecat.
Meredith Baxter, David Hedison, Gale Sondergaard, Stuart Whitman, John Carradine, Keye Luke.
This was the premiere of Laurence Olivier's "Tribute to American Theatre," offering an adaptation of Tennessee Williams' 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the conflicts, weaknesses, and strengths of a Mississippi family, portrayed, with three exceptions -- Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, and Maureen Stapleton -- by an all-British cast.
Laurence Olivier, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Maureen Stapleton.
Irwin "Master of Disaster" Allen produced this TV flick about a party of tourists -- including a state senator, a park ranger who was her one-time lover, a cantankerous professor, and an escaped convict -- all trapped deep inside the caverns of an unnamed national park and the rescue attempts to save them.
Susan Sullivan, Leslie Nielsen, Dennis Cole, Ray Milland, James Olson, Julie Sommars, Lonny Chapman.
Though top billing goes to Shirley Knight and Tony Lo Bianco, the real stars of this winning little film are Jimmy McNicol and Joy Leduc. McNicol and Leduc play a pair of skaters who aspire to compete in the National Figure Skating Championships. As the two train together, their friendship blossoms into love. The death of one of the skaters nearly destroys the other's will to persevere, but there's a happy (or at least satisfying) finale.
Shirley Knight, Tony Lo Bianco, Jimmy McNichol, Joy Leduc, Jennifer Warren, Richard Jaeckel, Missy Francis.
Charlie Grace, played by Mark Harmon, is a Los Angeles private eye with a daughter named Jenny, works along with other cops, including his partner - Crawford (Robert Costanzo) - to solve different multiple mystery cases in each episode. This is great detective/mystery series created Robert Singer, that briefly aired on ABC during the 1995-1996 season, but was suddenly cut off after a few episodes because of the usual network stupidity.
Complete series set of 6-episodes.
Mark Harmon, Robert Costanzo, Leelee Sobieski, Harley Jane Kozak and Don Stark.
Don Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxford professor) Carl Hyatt.
This series tells the story of a southern town's police chiefs and the serial murderer who confounds them. Will Henry Lee is the first chief, an easy going man who works to establish the position while the murderer begins his havoc. The second is a violent racist who stumbles about his job as the murderer continues his. Tyler Watts is the final chief, an african-american cop who must deal with the virulent racism of his community while he puts together the pieces to finally bring the murderer to justice.
Charlton Heston, Keith Carradine, Billy Dee Williams, Wayne Rogers, Tess Harper, Paul Sorvino, Brad Davis, Stephen Collins, Victoria Tennant, Danny Glover, Paula Kelly, Lane Smith, John Goodman.
Excellent dramatization of the true account of a fundamentalist sect in Arizona that practices polygamy, with returning Korean war veteran Christopher Atkins' rebellion against his father when learning that he plans to increase his stable of wives by adding the 15-year-old girl (Diane Lane) with whom his son is romantically involved.
Diane Lane, Christopher Atkins, Conrad Bain, Helen Hunt, Kiel Martin and Dee Wallace.
Marshal Jim Crown (Stuart Whitman) patrolled the Oklahoma panhandle area known as the Cimarron Strip in the last 1880s. Francis Wilde (Randy Boone) was a photographer who often helped out the Marshal. Dulcey Coopersmith (Jill Townsend) ran, what else, the Wayfarer's Inn. This solid 90-minute western was an attempt by CBS to duplicate the success of NBC's The Virginian but unfortunately only lasted just the one season.
Complete series set of 23-episodes.
Stuart Whitman, Randy Boone, Jill Townsend, Percy Herbert.
A group of 21st-century colonists inhabit an underwater city called Pacifica. Originally intended as a purely scientific installation, the U. S. government wants to stash all its gold reserves from Fort Knox there, along with a fantastic new radioactive element. The brother of Pacifica's returning former commander plans to steal the gold and on top of that, the city faces destruction by an asteroid from outer space. (avq: 7/10)
Stuart Whitman, Robert Wagner, Rosemary Forsyth, Richard Basehart, Joseph Cotten, James Darren, Robert Colbert, Paul Stewart, Whit Bissell, Susana Miranda, Sugar Ray Robinson, Tom Drake.
David Janssen plays Vince Perrino, a burned-out newspaper writer who's goated by his ruthless boss, publisher Harrison Crawford III (Robert Vaughn), into tracking the moves of Tony Plate, a vicious serial killer through a big city.
David Janssen, Robert Vaughn, Perry King, Susan Sullivan, Mickey Rourke and William Daniels.
Long ago, Los Angeles, California was nicknamed the "City of Angels" since it was believed to be the last honest city in America. Not so for private detective Jake Axminster, who operates out of L.A. during the '30s, and will take almost any case as long as it pays. Frequently pushing the ethical envelope in following leads and slapping around witnesses, Jake frequently calls upon his lawyer Michael Brimm and his police contact Lt. Quint for assistance. Dizzy blonde Marsha is his secretary; she also operates an escort service out of Jake's office.
Complete series set of 13-episodes.
Wayne Rogers, Elaine Joyce, Clifton James, Philip Sterling.
A pyromaniac, ex-employee of a city oil refinery creates an explosion at the facility which starts a chain-reaction of fires that engulf the entire city. Super 70's cheesy fun!
Barry Newman, Ava Gardner, Henry Fonda, Susan Clark, James Franciscus, Shelley Winters and Leslie Nielsen.
This terrific shortlived series attempted to revive the genre of movie serials in a made-for-TV format. Each hour-long episode was divided into three 20-minute segments featuring different storylines (see below). During the series' run, three serials were featured - a mystery, a science fiction/western hybrid, and a horror story. One of the great TV rarities of all time! (7/10)
The Curse of Dracula
In 1979, Count Dracula is alive...er, well, sorta...and well and teaching college in Southern California. With his youthful appearance, suave demeanor, nice hair and job teaching European history, Drac doesn't have much trouble finding nubile young women to whom to deliver his bite. Still on his trail after all these years is the von Helsing family, now in the personage of Kurt von Helsing, grandson of the original, and Mary Gibbons, daughter of one of Dracula's victims.
The Secret Empire
In this homage to the cliffhanger serials of the '30s and '40s, 19th Century Wild West Marshal Jim Donner stumbled upon a secret underground city known as Chimera while chasing a gang of robbers. Chimera is lorded over by an evil despot named Thorval. Donner teams up with the resistance rebels in their effort to overthrow Thorval's cruel reign, while simultaneously investigating the gold robberies on the surface.
Stop Susan Williams
Susan Williams is a journalist whose investigation of her reporter brother's murder takes her around the world in pursuit of bad guy Anthony Kort. Susan narrowly escapes death episode after episode.
Susan Anton, Michael Nouri, Geoffrey Scott, Stephanie Kramer and Ray Walston.
"Climb an Angry Mountain" revives the reliable 'country cop vs city cop' concept, with Fess Parker and Barry Nelson on either side of the argument. New York City officer Nelson wants to use state-of-art methods to track down a fugitive Indian criminal who is hiding out on California's Mount Shasta. Local rancher/sheriff Parker wants to handle the case on his own, since his son is the fugitive's hostage. The rival authority figures eventually come to the "united we stand" understanding in trailing their quarry. Aside from it's actors this film also benefits mightily from extensive location shooting. (avq: 7/10)
Fess Parker, Barry Nelson, Stella Stevens, Marj Dusay, Arthur Hunnicutt, Joe Kapp, Clay O'Brien.
Jim Brandon is former star athlete, now a wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet. The embittered, self-involved Brandon is hired to coach a team of teenagers at a correctional facility. Once he's "reached" these so-called incorrigibles, Brandon begins to see his own life in a different light.
Cocaine and Blue Eyes was the pilot film for a TV detective series starring former footballer O.J. Simpson (who also produced the film). Playing a private eye in San Francisco, Simpson is hired by a man who ends up seriously dead. The deceased client had wanted Simpson to locate a former girl friend, and in carrying out his assignment Simpson unearths a deadly (and very well connected) cartel of drug dealers. This film gathered dust until Simpson's murder trial in 1994. After that, this TV movie became a staple of "Late Late Shows" everywhere.
A real estate salesman with career and marriage problems gets hooked on cocaine, and finds that not only does it not help him cope with them, but it makes them much, much worse. Dennis Weaver gives his usual standout performance.
Dennis Weaver, Karen Grassle, Pamela Bellwood, James Spader, Lauren Hutton, Jeffery Tambor, Denise Crosby.
The adventures of a Hawaii-based government counter intelligence agency run by the indomitable Aunt Mary and their number one operative Johnny Paul (alias Diamond Head), who has to prevent the evil Tree from stealing a deadly nerve toxin gas and selling it to foreign powers. To help Diamond Head is the Dragon Lady and Zulu.
Roy Thinnes, France Nuyen, Lulu, Ian McShane, Eric Braeden, Dennis Patrick.
Joe Rorchek was a 30-year veteran of the Los Angeles City Fire Department who specialized in arson investigations. His sons were also firemen - Ted on the ground and Chris from the air, as a helicopter pilot. Other cast members included: Haley, a young woman trying to prove herself as the city's first female "smoke eater," and Danny, a homeless 13-year-old boy adopted by the Rorcheks. Of course, he joined the Fire Department's Explorer Program so he could fight fires as well. Along with lessons in fire safety, the audience saw examples of the work of rescue operations, paramedics and even scuba diving for underwater fire protection - a danger most people didn't even know existed.
Complete series set of 11-episodes plus the pilot film.
Lorne Greene, Julie Adams, Andrew Stevens, Sam J. Jones, Martina Deignan, Adam Rich.
Essentially as an all-female A-Team and they were worthy adversaries. These super-gals included former CIA agent Elizabeth Thorne, who organized this bunch of crack female operatives, Maggie Bryan and Danny O’Toole. In this film the “Foxfire” go after Elizabeth’s ex-lover when he threatens to explode a nuclear warhead and bring him back to justice.
Joanna Cassidy, Sheryl Lee Ralph, David Rasche, Henry Jones, Max Wright, Courtney Cox, Robin Johnson.
The early 1970s produced some wonderful TV movies and one of the best was this spooky little item. It is set in an isolated primate research station somewhere in northern Alaska and stars Robert Culp and Eli Wallach. Apart from the first 5 minutes or so, these two are the only human actors throughout the film, even though there is the feeling that someone else is present and watching. A taut, nervy and very atmospheric film. (aka: "The Chill Factor")
Actress Joanne Woodward made her (surprisingly unheralded) directorial debut with lovely little TV-movie. Estelle Parsons stars as a freewheeling woman who decides to start over completely when her husband dies. Before leaving town, she sells everything she owns and burns all her bridges behind her. Parsons sets up residence in a faraway burg under a new name, where she pursues her first love--the occult. The 60-minute film was based on an unpublished short story by Shirley Jackson.
A swinging bachelor's life is interrupted by the appearance of a teenager who claims to be his son. Lighthearted and shallow but great 1970s fun. A definite must-have for Bixby fans!
Bill Bixby, Diane Baker, Darrell Larson, Jack Albertson, Ann Sothern, Tom Bosley, Judy Strangis.
Young and shy Jeff discovers his attraction to men. After struggling with himself he comes out to his parents. Mum eventually listens to his son and tries to understand his feelings, but his Dad would rather die - which, in the end, he really does, leaving behind a mother, her son and his friend to work those things out Jeff and his Dad had never the courage to talk about.
Marlo Thomas, Martin Sheen, Barry Tubb, Talia Balsam.
A husband-and-wife detective team investigate the existence of lethal Satanic cults, while the husband battles with his Orthodox Jewish parents who haven't forgiven him for marrying a Gentile woman.
Michael Constantine, Barbara Rhoades, Norman Burton.
The partner and best friend of a tough New York detective is murdered by killers working for a local mob. Infuriated at the inability of the Police Department to bring in the murderers, he decides--with the help of a few of his fellow detectives--to operate on his own, using whatever means necessary, to destroy the gang. Frank Sinatra's only TV-movie finds him right at home with his no bullshit, tough-as-nails persona playing the "Detective".
Frank Sinatra, Martin Balsam, Verna Bloom, Harry Guardino, Henry Silva, James Luisi, Michael Nouri.
(Pilot) "Mask of Marcella" - Private investigator Jefferson Keyes, who charges a cool million bucks for his services, is hired to find the daughter of a recently deceased tycoon.
This set includes also includes 2-bonus episodes "Hunt for a Lonely Girl" and "The Million Dollar Misunderstanding".
James Farentino, Ray Milland, Kim Darby, John Vernon, Christine Belford, Jackie Coogan, Patrick O'Neal.
A hit song is the inspiration for this movie. In 1948, an aspiring songwriter, Tony, is working as a pianist in a bar; he meets Lola who wants to make it in show business. Tony is immediately smitten with the beautiful woman. At Manhattan's Copacabana lounge, they both start finding fame. However, fate steps in and she is swept to Havana to work in a splashy night club act where she is convinced she will find her stardom. Instead she finds Rico, a suave gangster who manages the club.
Barry Manilow, Annette O'Toole, Joseph Bologna, Estelle Getty, James T. Callahan, Cliff Osmond.
This fun, intriguing action flick tells the tale of a ragtag group of disillusioned Boston police officers who, in 1980, got together and pulled one of the largest bank heists in American history.
Ray Sharkey, Edward Asner, George Kennedy, James Keach, Sharon Mann, Steve Railsback, and Joe Santos.
A strong-willed teacher, determined to educate the poor and illiterate youth of an impoverished Welsh village, discovers one student whom she believes to have the seeds of genius in him. Katharine Hepburn is her usual amazing self in this touching, and quite simply wonderful story. This was 80 year-old director George Cukor's ninth film with Ms. Hepburn and proved that some things do get better with age.
Katharine Hepburn, Ian Saynor, Anna Massey, Dorothea Phillips, Bill Fraser.
A man is shot and his body dumped in the East river, it looks like just another crime in New York. Only this man doesn't die. As he awakes into his time of recovery, he discovers that he can not remember his name, who he is or was, and why someone tried to kill him. The only thing in his mind are the words: Coronet Blue. Using the name Michael Alden, the man sets out to recover his memory and find out his identity, only to be pursued again by his attackers.
For those familiar with Bram Stoker's novel, this adaptation follows the book quite closely in most respects. Jonathan Harker visits the Count in Transylvania to help him with preparations to move to England. Harker becomes Dracula's prisoner and discovers Dracula's true nature. After Dracula makes his way to England, Harker becomes involved in an effort to track down and destroy the Count, eventually chasing the vampire back to his castle.
A TV adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel. Edmond Dantes is falsely accused by those jealous of his good fortune, and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the notorious island prison, Chateau d'If. While imprisoned, he meets the Abbe Faria, a fellow prisoner whom everyone believes to be mad. The Abbe tells Edmond of a fantastic treasure hidden away on a tiny island, that only he knows the location of. After many years in prison, the old Abbe dies, and Edmond escapes disguised as the dead body. Now free, Edmond must find the treasure the Abbe told him of, so he can use the new-found wealth to exact revenge on those who have wronged him.
Richard Chamberlain, Trevor Howard, Louis Jourdan, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan, and Tony Curtis.
Widower Tom Corbett must raise his son Eddie (originally seven) who is always scheming to get his dad remarried. Tom is a magazine publisher, Mrs. Livingston is his housekeeper, Tina is Tom's secretary, Norman is a photographer, and Joey is a friend of Eddie's.
Complete series set of 73-episodes.
Bill Bixby, Brandon Cruz, Miyoshi Umeki, Kristina Holland, James Komack and Jodie Foster.
Cover Girls isn't really a Charlie's Angels rip-off. Honest! Look: there are three girls in Charlie's Angels and only two girls (Jayne Kennedy and Cornelia Sharpe) in Cover Girls. Besides, the Angels are private eyes, working on behalf of boss John Forsythe; the Cover Girls are fashion models, doubling as secret agents on behalf of boss Don Galloway. Just because Cover Girls premiered on May 18, 1977, six months into Charlie's Angels' fabulous first season, doesn't mean that there was any conscious copycatting. Does it? File this one under really bad, but extremely fun 1970's television.
Jayne Kennedy, Cornelia Sharpe, Don Galloway, Don Johnson, George Lazenby, Vince Edwards, Ellen Travolta.
Natalie Wood in an unsung tour-de-force, playing relatively ordinary housewife and mother who has a mental collapse. Adaptation of Joyce Burditt's popular book, this TV-movie attempts to deal with touchy subject matter in a straightforward, mature, non-exploitive manner, and for the most part is quite successful. While in recovery mode, Wood is unblinking and unblushing, whether relaying her character's personal feelings or describing childhood haunts. Natalie's work is blessedly unaffected and heartfelt.
Natalie Wood, Perry King, Peter Haskell, Shelly Long, Vivian Blaine, Juliet Mills.
True story recounting the crash of Eastern Airlines flight 401, which crashed in the Everglades while on approach to Miami in December 1972. Accurate in many respects, the movie goes through the events leading up to the crash, the crash itself, and the rescue effort afterwards.
William Shatner, Eddie Albert, Ed Nelson, Adrienne Barbeau, Sharon Gless, Artie Shaw.
Cheryl Ladd stars as the wife of an airline pilot (Doug Sheehan), who is killed along with 127 other people in a mysterious crash. The authorities, egged on by a gonzo newsman, rush to judgment and chalk up the tragedy to pilot error. Ladd can't go along with this, and insists that the investigation be reopened. Were this made-for-TV film an episode of Charlie's Angels, Ladd would be force to endure a last-act showdown with the real culprit. But Crash: The Mystery of Flight 150 is based on fact, and is reasonably faithful to the truth.
Cheryl Ladd, Doug Sheehan, Jim Metzler, Peter Jurasik, Paula Preston.
A childless middle-age couple adopt a troubled youth they find living in their crawlspace and attempt to get him to rejoin society with tragic results.
The second and last TV pilot film to bear the Crime Club title, the 1975 Crime Club once again involves a state-of-the-art crime solving organization whose members are professional investigators from various public and private sectors. The principal characters are a detective (Scott Thomas), a reporter (Eugene Roche) and a criminal lawyer (Robert Lansing). The crime in question in this pilot concerned a social outcast who seeks public notoriety by confessing to a series of grisly ice pick murders. The three protagonists combine their brain power to solve the case, but their efforts failed to convince any network to pick up the project as a TV series.
Robert Lansing, Eugene Roche, Scott Thomas, Barbara Rhodes, Kathleen Beller, M. Emmet Walsh, Carl Gottlieb.
A dramatic production about school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the 1960's when the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the school to admit nine black students. Racist white mobs abused the students, both verbally and physically.
Joanne Woodward, Charles Durning, Irma P. Hall, William Russ, Regina Taylor.
A million dollar-cast was assembeled for this high-gloass TV movie. While the police investigate the latest in a series of mysterious disappearances of older women, they are led to a matchmaking service run by Mrs. Stanton where the last victim was a client. Meanwhile, the service's newest client, Laurita Dorsey, begins a relationship with Rex Willoughby, an elegant gentleman she met through the service. But neither Laurita nor Rex are exactly who they appear to be.
Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rosalind Russell, Maureen O'Sullivan, Ross Martin, Michael Murphy, Kent Smith and Dick Van Patten.
Two San Francisco detectives investigating a murder committed on one of the city's famous cable cars discover that the victim was the son of a shipping tycoon. The trail leads to a drug dealer, a shady physician and a nervous police captain. (aka: "The Cable Car Murders")
Robert Wagner, Robert Hooks, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Jose Ferrer.
Danielle Steele's WWII soap opera is given the epic treatment! At the film's beginning, an industrialist (Lee Horsley) meets the wife (Cheryl Ladd) of a French ambassador (Christopher Plummer) on a transatlantic voyage to Europe. As time and the war progresses, she returns to America when Paris becomes occupied by the Nazis and again encounters the industrialist. An affair ensues. Meanwhile, her husband is rumored to be a Nazi collaborator, but whose side is he really working for?
Cheryl Ladd, Lee Horsley, Christopher Plummer, Jane Seymour, Stewart Granger and Joan Fontaine.
An aura of mystery and tales of supernatural activity surrounds Crowhaven Farm,when it comes into the possession of Ben and Maggie Porter,a couple moving to the farm to try for a chance to save their troubled marriage. Maggie,immediately senses that all is not right,and that perhaps the farm's reputation for being haunted by restless spirits and being the home of an ancient coven of witches is true.
Hope Lange, Paul Burke, Lloyd Bochner, John Carradine, Virginia Gregg, Ross Elliott.
An Egyptian sarcophagus that is cargo on a pleasure cruise ship has a secret - it contains the son of Satan, and its effects start to make the ship's passengers behave strangely.
John Forsythe, Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Frank Converse, Lee Meriwether, Ray Milland, Stella Stevens, Dirk Benedict, Hugh O'Brien
A talk-radio host, who specializes in abusing and insulting his audience, gets a call from a disturbed teenage girl who says she is going to commit suicide. He frantically tries to get his listeners to help find the girl before she makes good on her threat.
Robert Culp, Elayne Heilveil, Ken Swofford, Bruce Boxleitner, Jean Allison, Chuck McCann, Michael Lerner.
The little coastal town of Clark's Harbor seems like the perfect place for psychiatrist Brad Russell and his wife to get a little peace and spend more time with each other. But the locals don't seem very friendly and, every time a storm rolls in, another mysterious death occurs... Could an ancient Indian legend of ghostly tribes and human sacrifice have anything to do with it?
Patrick Duffy, Cindy Pickett, Brian Keith, Lawrence Pressman, Jeff Corey,
Based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth and filmed in Ireland, this action-packed TV movie stars Rod Taylor as an American insurance executive on a grim mission. A private plane has exploded, killing Taylor's wife and children. Also on board was a scientist who was the target of the criminals who engineered the tragedy. The "maguffin" is a secret formula worth untold millions, and aiding Taylor in bringing the murderers to justice is journalist (Joanna Pettet), who bears a close resemblance to Taylor's ex-wife.
Rod Taylor, Joanna Pettet, Nigel Davenport, Cyril Cusack.
A man accidentially runs over and kills a pedestrian outside a small town. He begins to suspect that the locals, including the sheriff, are keeping secrets about the victim.
John Forsythe, Earl Holliman, Ralph Meeker, Norman Alden, Claudia McNeil and Anne Francis.
When archaeologists open up the tomb of the Egyptian pharoah Tutenankamen, they see an inscription that places a curse on anyone who violates the tomb. Soon people who were involved with the excavation begin dying mysteriously.
Raymond Burr, Eva Marie Saint, Wendy Hiller, Paul Scofield.
Tony Franciosa plays a detective who's on the trail of a murderer whose mutilated and predominantly male victims are found encased in silken cocoons. He eventually tracks the killer's path to Los Angeles, where he discovers her true identity - a woman who was bitten by black widow spiders as a child, ...but that's only the beginning of the story.
Tony Franciosa, Donna Mills, Patty Duke, June Allyson, June Lockhart, Vic Morrow.
Action-packed and tightly paced, Dan August was set in the small Southern California community of Santa Louisa. A great many of the cases August (Burt Reynolds) handled involved friends, relatives and acquaintances. Accordingly, he tended to become more personally involved in cases than his big-city counterparts. The ethnic mix of the coastal town, which was heavily Hispanic often led to some explosive moments, as well.Also starring Richard Anderson Norman Fell, Ned Romero and Ena Hartmann.
16-complete and uncut episodes: In the Eyes of God, Murder of a Small Town, Love is a Nickel Bag, When the Shouting Dies, The Union Forever, The Soldier, The Law, Quadrangle for Death, When the Shouting Dies, Color of Fury, Epitaph for a Swinger, The Titan, The Worst Crime, Prognosis: Homicide, Death Chain, Dead Witness to a Killing.
One of the best pilot films ever made for television. Told in flashbacks, L.A. detective Lieutenant Dan August (Christopher George) investigates the disappearance of housewife, Marian Ord (Janet Leigh) whose extramarital activities possibly provide clues to her absence. The police believe she has been murdered by her distraught husband George (Tim O'Connor) but they can't come up with a corpse and thereby hangs the mystery. The steller supporting cast includes Julie Harris, Ed Asner, Eve Plumb, Walter Pidgeon, Barry Sullivan, Keenan Wynn, Lynda Day George, William Windom, Peter Mark Richman.
*When this film was picked up as a series Christopher George was busy with another series "The Immortal", so Burt Reynolds was brought in to take over the role of August.
Circa 1946: Sent to keep an eye on a studio head's girlfriend at a Northern California film shoot, hardboiled P.I. Dan Turner, is forced to go into hiding when someone shoots his best girl and a police buddy with his gun. Turner must figure out who shot his friends or take the rap.
Marc Singer, Tracy Scoggins, Nicholas Worth, Clu Gulager, Arte Johnson, Bethany Wright.
Willie Dante carries his shady history, and old-time buddies Biff and Stewart, into the operation of his legit San Francisco nightclub. Neither the cops nor the badguys really believe he's done with the underworld however. Based on the radio series starring Dick Powell this series is an excellent example of great TV noir.
Set of 24 of 26 series episodes.
Howard Duff, Alan Mowbray, Tom D'Andrea, Robert Strauss, Patricia Medina and Charles McGraw.
This drama, based on the true story of Gene LePere, chronicles the terrifying experiences of an American divorcee (Lee Remick in her final film) who went on vacation to Turkey. As she tried to leave she found herself wrongfully accused of smuggling antiques. To her horror, she is sent to a dreaded Turkish prison.
Lee Remick, Roy Thinnes, Tony Goldwyn, John Standing.
A TV producer with a terminal illness is given the strength to keep going by her love for her doctor. A remake of the 1939 Bette Davis classic with Elizabeth Montgomery turning in her usual powerhouse performance.
Elizabeth Montgomery, Anthony Hopkins, Michelle Lee, Janet MacLachlan, Michael Lerner, Vic Tayback.
When a scientist at a research lab is passed over for a promotion, he creates a clone of himself to attempt to seduce the wife of the man who got the job. This is the kind of fun 1970's TV fare that you just don't see anymore.
The Daughter of Darkness is an atmospheric, sub-hallucanegenic venture into the world of the unknown. The enigma facing the young woman is the identity of her father. Unfortunately for her she becomes drawn into a small Romanian underworld of brooding menace, darkness,torture chambers and bizzarely over make-overed vampires.
In this terrific chiller mixing espionage and the supernatural, a professor of cybernetics comes to believe that his dead daughter is communicating with him from the netherworld.
Don Murray, Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, Ed Asner, John Carradine.
A spinoff from a two-part Police Story movie this shortlived series followed the exploits of twenty-something officer Dan Shay, who operated undercover in the Los Angeles youth scene as a one-man Mod Squad. Also starring Simon Oakland.
Complete series set of 10-episodes plus the Police Story pilot movie "A Chance to Live".
15-year old Dawn runs away from what she feels is an intolerable home life. In the big city, she ends up turning to prostitution when she is unable to get a job due to her age. Life at home was never this bad.
Eve Plumb, Leigh McCloskey, William Schallert, Bo Hopkins, Georg Stanford Brown, Lynn Carlin.
Emmy Award-winning made-for-TV movie about the aftermath of a total global thermonuclear war. Taking place in Lawrence, Kansas, The Day After is a bleak look at the effects such a war would have on humanity by using the inhabitants of this small town as a microcosm of the world. Decidedly grim, Nicholas Meyer's film is graphic and disturbing, one that polarized an entire generation's attitude towards nuclear war.
Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, John Lithgow, Amy Madigan, Jeff East.
Jackie Cooper and Cleavon Little star as aerial photographers who spot a few threatening cracks in the San Andreas fault. Will anyone listen? No. Do they suffer in the subsequent quake? Yes, but not as expensively as the all-star cast in Earthquake. Still, "The Day the Earth Moved" (from producer Irwin Allen) doesn't aspire to be anything more than a modest made-for-TV disaster flick, and within its own limits it succeeds nicely.
Divorce as seen through the eyes of a young girl on the eve of her own marriage and her teenage sister, both overwhelmed by the separation of their once-loving parents. Expertly acted by all involved.
Dennis Weaver, Valerie Harper, Dominique Dunne, Sam Groom, Ally Sheedy.
A wife with young family finds life becoming unbearable with her successful, but violent and abusive, husband. After filing for divorce, she quickly learns that her husband, through fear of his personal life embarrassing his clients, has commissioned an assassin to murder her before going to court. Unfortunately, for him, the hired assassin turns out to be an FBI agent. The FBI convince her that she must "pretend" to have been murdered in order to prove her husband's involvement. Based on a true story.
Cheryl Ladd, Jameson Parker, Hope Lange, Matt Clark, G.W. Bailey.
Photographer Christopher George is mistaken for an assassination target by paid killers. Since the actual victim-to-be is now safe, George cannot count on the protection of the authorities, so he takes it on the lam. He is sheltered by former girlfriend Judy Carne, who is kidnapped and threatened with death for her troubles. George decides to take matters in his own hands when it becomes impossible for him to separate the good guys from the bad. This made-for-TV movie would dearly love to be a Hitchcock film; it falls short of this goal, but is diverting fun all the same.
Christopher George, Judy Carne, Richard Andrerson, Patricia Barry, Kevin Hagen, Joan Shawlee, Lincoln Kilpatrick.
This neatly told anthology tells three stories: a man buys a car that takes him back and forth through time; a tale of vampires; and a distraught mother asks for her drowned son to come back to life and gets more than she bargained for. Directed by the great Dan Curtis.
Patrick Macnee, Joan Hackett, Anjanette Comer, Ed Begley Jr., Horst Bushholtz, Ann Doran, Elisha Cook Jr.
A journalist sets out to report on a minor earthquake in the Australian outback, and finds that the tremor was a result of a small nuclear explosion - part of an extortion threat that has the government fearing nuclear blackmail. With the help of local reporters, and despite the harassment of the security agencies, he sets out to avert the crisis.
A scientist keeps having dreams that he is marked for murder by a mysterious tribunal for something that he's not aware that he's done, and that his wife and his friends are part of the conspiracy. Soon he's not sure which is the dream and which is reality. (avq: 7.5/10)
Lloyd Bridges, Janet Leigh, Carl Betz, Arlene Dahl, Leif Erickson, Richard Jaeckel.
Larry Hagman is terrific as a heroic ex-military helicopter pilot who helps a former girlfriend escape from a mafia boss. Director William A. Graham (who also the made the copter classic "Birds of Prey") has made an exciting ariel classic that boasts exceptionally inventive and often daring airborne stunts.
Larry Hagman, Susan Anspach, James Gammon, Tim O'Connor.
The real-life story of Charles Whitman's shooting spree is re-told in this gripping made-for television drama. Kurt Russell stars as Charles Joseph Whitman, a University of Texas student who has a history of violent outbursts. In August 1966, after killing his wife and mother, Whitman climbed to the top of the school's tower and opened fire on passers-by, killing 13 and wounding many others. This well-made re-creation shows how a brave cop and a private citizen helped to bring the siege to an end. (aka: "Sniper")
Kurt Russell, Ned Beatty, Richard Yniguez, John Forsythe, Pernell Roberts, Clifton James.
This film tells the story of "California sound" rock-n-rollers Jan and Dean. Richard Hatch plays Jan Berry, while Bruce Davison is seen as Dean Torrence. The meat of the story is Jan's grueling efforts to fully recover from a disastrous 1966 auto accident. The film's most powerful scene occurs when the still-shaky Jan attempts a concert comeback, only to be booed offstage when the audience realizes that he's lip-synching. A good film (as TV biopics go) seasoned with cameo appearances by Dick Clark, Wolfman Jack, and Beach Boys Mike Love and Bruce Johnson.
Richard Hatch, Bruce Davison, Susan Sullivan, Pamela Bellwood and Jan Berry.
Donna and Joel Gregory 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 attemts to break the spell which threatens their marriage and their very lives.
Robert Wagner, Kate Jackson, Sylvia Sydney, John Carradine, Joan Blondell, Bill Macy.
A Beverly Hills socialite embarks on a love/hate relationship with a psychotic businessman who murdered her fiance and then raped and terrorized her which leads to a bizarre trial.
Cheryl Ladd, Sam Elliott, Alexis Smith, Fritz Weaver.
An overworked executive vacationing in Hawaii finds that his romance with an attractive businesswoman he meets there is threatened by the supernatural powers of a strange native curse. A wonderfully creepy tale!
Robert Foxworth, France Nuyen, Joe Penny, Dolph Sweet, Charles Haid, Debalee Scott, Barbara Trentham.
The editor of a small-town newspaper has his past unexpectedly catch up with him: he finds out that a Soviet agent who knew him when he was a spy has been sent to the U.S. to kill him. An excellent and exciting thriller with Doug McClure turning in a first-rate performance.
Doug McClure, Darren McGavin, Rosemary Forsyth, Dana Elcar, Meg Foster, Jean Allison, and Richard Basehart.
A sensitive but confused teenager feels pressure on him from all directions and turns to drugs, which causes problems for him in school and at home. Along with 1973's Go Ask Alice this film is an expertly made cautionary tale of the evils of teenage drug use and its devastating effects on not only the user but the family at large.
Ben Gazzara, Eileen Brennan, Robby Benson, Lance Kerwin, Cindy Eilbacher.
Based on a true story of a young woman who was stabbed to death in an alley while several people witness it. Because of their inaction, the killer gets away and begins a wave of terror in which one woman is almost raped and another woman is raped and killed. Can the police stop him before he strikes again? A stellar cast makes this TVM a must have.
Raul Julia, Edward Asner, Art Carney, Diahann Carroll, Kate Jackson, Cloris Leachman, Tina Louise, Nancy Walker, Eric Braedon, Helen Hunt, Thelma Houston.
When petty criminals start turning up murdered, a detective discovers they are being killed by a group of his fellow officers who think the criminals were treated too leniently by the courts.
Robert Forster, Michelle Phillips, Claude Akins, Melvyn Douglas, Mark Goddard, Julie Cobb.
The whitewater raft trip of two couples is interrupted by a visit from four prison escapees who take the women hostage to aid in their escape. The husbands break free from their bonds and raft down the river in hopes of rescuing their wives.
Vince Edwards, Carol Lynley, Vic Morrow, Anjanette Comer, Robert Webber, Norman Fell, Neville Brand.
Death takes a human form and visits Earth to try to find out why humans want so desperately to cling to life and unexpectedly falls in love with a beautiful young woman. A beautiful, winning film on every level.
Twin sisters -- one a European jet-setter, the other an unhappy New Jersey housewife -- impulsively decide to swap lives and identities for a week, with unforseen results. Stefanie Powers, in both roles, had an actress' field day in the film adaptation of the romantic drama by Judith Michael, a pseudonym for the husband and wife writing team of Judith Barnard and Michael Fain.
Stefanie Powers, Barry Bostwick, Jeremy Brett, Sam Wanamaker, Brenda Vaccaro, James Faulkner, and Gina Lollobrigida.
A cantankerous widower who is virtually living the life of a recluse is forced to rejoin his community when his Godchild gets in trouble and a childhood friend, a black tenant farmer, refuses to belatedly accept a Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery in World War II.
James Garner, Judith Ivey, Ruby Dee, Bill Cobbs, Laurence Fishburne.
Johnny 'Joker' Johnson and Cullen Monroe are two convicts on a chain gang who hate each other. After a truck prison accident, they flee and are pursued by the police. While they're chained, the two are dependent on one another. When they eventually get rid of their chains, their hostility has been changed into fellowship and respect.
Robert Urich, Carl Weathers, Ed Lauter, Barry Corbin, Laurie O'Brien.
Five men hiking in the mountains discover an injured skyjacker who parachuted from a plane with $600,000. They kill him, then start fighting each other over the money.
George Kennedy, Jan-Michael Vincent, Bradford Dillman, Jack Weston, Jim Davis, Charles Aidman.
(Pilot) A government agent with a photographic memory is assigned to solve the disappearance of an entire fleet of old Air Force planes. In this thinking person's spy-mystery-comedy, clever is the byword. Twists and turns, constantly thought-provoking word-play, and always keep your wits about you. Luckinbill, Holm, and Crane are all magnificent. And the supporting cast is uniformly terrific especially Jagger. But, this was a star-making opportunity for Luckinbill and he made the most he possibly could out of it.
Laurence Luckinbill, Celeste Holm, Dean Jagger, Cameron Mitchell, Bob Crane, Joanna Pettet.
Dominick Delvecchio is an integrity-minded, honest police detective who works out of the Washington Heights division of the Los Angeles Police Department. When not screeching tires, rousting bad guys and trading quips with his burly partner Paul Shonski, Delvecchio can usually be found at his father Tomaso's barber shop or cracking the books studying for the bar exam, which he has already flunked more than once. His hard-nosed yet sympathetic boss is Lt. Macavan.
Stylishly told tale about a notorious outlaw being escorted to prison by a homesteader and his wife who turns out to have satanic powers. He uses them on the man's wife to try to possess her and help him escape.
Gene Barry, James Drury, Janice Rule, Charles McGraw, and Slim Pickens.
This amusingly cheesy made-for-TV opus pits a relatively normal suburban family against a slavering, demonically-possessed German shepherd whose hunger for human souls far exceeds that of the normal household pet. Although not above resorting to the usual throat-maulings, the satanic psycho-pup's preferred method of attack is to supernaturally cause the deaths of various friends and neighbors, in a style reminiscent of The Omen. Though the gory potential of this scenario is obviously dulled by the TV-movie format, there are enough implied shocks and chills to keep up the pace -- particularly a grueling scene in which Dad finds himself unable to resist the urge to plunge his hand into a spinning lawnmower blade, while the possessed pooch looks on with tongue-wagging glee.
Richard Crenna, Yvette Mimieux, Kim Richards, Ike Eisenmann, Victor Jory, Ken Kercheval, R.G. Armstrong.
This second film version of Frederick Knott's suspense play stars Christopher Plummer as a wealthy Londoner, who works out a meticulous scheme to murder his wife (Angie Dickinson) and escape undetected. The plan goes awry when the wife fights off the man hired to commit the murder, killing her attacker with a pair of scissors. Thinking quickly, Plummer manages to convince the police that his wife is guilty of premeditated murder. The woman is sentenced to hang for her "crime", but a diligent police inspector (Anthony Quayle) has second thoughts about her guilt.
Christopher Plummer, Angie Dickinson, Anthony Quayle, Michael Parks, Dwight Schultz.
From 1942 to 1944, in a Nazi occupied Amsterdam, a thirteen year-old German Jewish girl Anne Frank lives hiding from the Nazis in an attic of a condiment factory with her sister, her parents, three members of another family and an old dentist. Along more than two years, she wrote in her diary, her feelings, her fears and relationship with the other dwellers. This excellent TV remake boasts some truly wonderful performances from all involved, especially young Melissa Gilbert who is heartbreaking.
Melissa Gilbert, Maximilian Schell, Joan Plowright, James Coco, Doris Roberts, Clive Revill, Scott Jacoby.
In 1926, famous evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappeared for six weeks. When she surfaced, she claimed that she had been kidnapped and held prisoner in Mexico. Others claimed that she was off carrying on an affair with a married man. This movie dramatizes the court hearing held to determine exactly what happened.
Faye Dunaway, Bette Davis, James Woods, James Sloyan.
An Air Force colonel is trying to learn what happened to two jets that vanished while pursuing a reported UFO, despite orders from above to forget the incident. Ford investigates the occurrence anyway, and uncovers more than he bargained for.
Glenn Ford, Bradford Dillman, David Soul, Guy Stockwell, Ken Kercheval.
It's Airplane on the rails in the made-for-TV Disaster on the Coastliner. A crazed engineer holds his employers responsible for the deaths of his wife and daughter. He gets even by setting two passenger trains on an irrevocable collision course. Salvation comes from a most unexpected corner in this otherwise thoroughly predictable, but nevertheless highly entertaining disaster flick. (7/10)
Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr, Yvette Mimieux, Robert Fuller, E. G. Marshall, Pat Hingle, Harry Caesar, and William Shatner.
The story of the breakup of an 18-year marriage, as seen from the points of view of both the husband and the wife. Not a great film but highly watchable due to (A) the breathtaking Rome locations (B) the parallels of the films characters and the real life going-ons at the time of the worlds most famous couple, Liz and Dick.
Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Carrie Nye, Barry Foster, Gabrielle Fezetti.
Dixie Cabot, a woman of sensual grace, is the proprietress of Dixies, a very successful New Orleans bordello. When Dixie is suddenly arrested for running a "house of prostitution," the judge shocks Dixie with an unusual sentence: she will be placed in the custody of a convent for 90 days. There she will follow the rules of the nuns or else it's jail! At the convent, Dixie is met by Sister Eugenio and Sister Agnes, who have very mixed reactions to their surprise "guest". At the beginning Dixie hates everything of it, but more later she changes and, with help of Agnes, learn to life of a better way respecting herself.
Four elderly ladies with a lot of time on their hands get the idea to create a fictional "girl" for a computer dating service. However, things take a turn for the worse when their description of the "girl" attracts a psychopath.
Myrna Loy, Helen Hayes, Vince Edwards, Mildred Natwick, Sylvia Sidney, John Beradino.
Sgt. Jack Ramsey was an undercover detective with the Los Angeles Police Department who found himself teamed with an extremely sexy but very green partner named J.Z. Kane. Together they formed a friendship and trust--completely platonically--that led to them capturing many of L.A.'s criminals. Lt. Kipling was their boss. "Dog and cat" is a slang term used by police officers to denote a male-female partnership.
1-rare and completely uncut episode entitled "Live Bait".
Lou Antonio, Kim Basinger, Tracy Brooks Swope, John Karlen, Alan Feinstein.
A very funny special featuring Don Rickles in his live comedy act at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, mixed with footage of Rickles "on the loose" across the state of California. With cameo appearances by Jerry Lewis, Bob Newhart, Dick Martin, Ann Jillian, Tommy Lasorda, Pedro Guerrero, Bill Madlock, Steve Sax, Bill Russell, Robin Leach, Adrian Zmed, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Merv Griffin.
When a prank played on a young girl by her sisters inadvertently results in her death during a car accident, the child comes back from the dead for revenge on her family.
Dennis Weaver, Valerie Harper, Ruth Gordon, Robert Webber, Claudette Nevins.
A grim incident from American pioneer history is recreated as a determined group of settlers, facing almost insurmountable odds, struggles to reach California in 1846. Already divided by internal dissension over the choice of a leader and the selection of a route, the wagon train is soon decimated by Indian raids, a scarcity of food and water, and the unrelenting forces of nature. Finally after months of hardship, the party reaches the High Sierras, only to be stranded in the middle of the pass by an early snowstorm. And as fear of an agonizing death from starvation forces the abandonment of conventional rules of human behavior, the pioneers face a new enemy - each other.
Robert Fuller, Andrew Prine, Michael Callan, Diane McBain, Cindy Eilbacher, Whit Bissell, Royal Dano.
A bomb is planted on board an airplane with an altitude-sensitive trigger. Unless a ransom demand is paid it will explode when the plane descends through the altitude of 5,000 feet. Written by the great Rod Serling this movie still stands today as one of the best of the disaster genre.
Jack Lord, Van Johnson, Edmond O'Brien, Katherine Crawford, Edward Asner, Greg Morris.
A scheming wife lures an insurance investigator into helping murder her husband and then declare it an accident. The investigator's boss, not knowing he's involved in it, suspects murder and sets out to solve it.
Richard Crenna, Lee J. Cobb, Samantha Eggar, Robert Webber, Kathleen Cody, John Fiedler.
Dr. Cook is a small town physician with a little something to hide. Outwardly gentle and compassionate, Cook is less politely inclined to those in his Vermont community whom he regards as disposable. When a young man whom Cook has raised as a son returns to the community, he begins to suspect that his father-figure is keeping secrets. The young man learns that the good Doctor has been murdering those patients whom he regards as useless, and then burying the victims in his meticulously kept garden.
Bing Crosby, Frank Converse, Blythe Danner, Barnard Hughes.
Old-time Hollywood director Vincent Sherman brings a glossy studio-bound look to The Dream Merchants, a two-part, three-hour adaptation of Harold Robbins' novel. The story follows the career of a pioneer filmmaker (Mark Harmon), who comes to Hollywood in the early 20th century with a pocketful of dreams and helps build the sleepy California orange-grove community into the world's entertainment capital. Typical of the Harold Robbins ouevre, most of the characters are based on real-life movie personalities: Robert Goulet's vainglorious matinee idol is a combination of John Barrymore and Douglas Fairbanks, while Vincent Gardenia's vitriolic mogul can be taken as a low-budget Louis B. Mayer. The Dream Merchants was a profitable entry in the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series of TV specials. (avq: 7/10)
Mark Harmon, Vincent Gardenia, Morgan Fairchild, Eve Arden, Red Buttons, Jose Ferrer, Robert Culp, Kaye Ballard, Fernando Lamas, Robert Goulet, Carolyn Jones, Howard Duff, Morgan Brittany, Jan Murray and Ray Milland.
Producer Roy Huggins and director Douglas Heyes, "Maverick" veterans both, reteamed for the made-for-TV Drive Hard, Drive Fast. Brian Kelly stars as a race car driver who would have been better off sticking to the track. Upon hopping out of his slicked-up auto, Kelly gets mixed up in an unsavory love triangle involving Joan Collins and Joseph Campanella. Before long, Kelly has to keep peeking over his shoulder to avoid being hacked to piece by a machete-wielding assailant. Completed in 1969, Drive Hard, Drive Fast was not telecast until September 11, 1973.
Brian Kelly, Joan Collins, Joseph Campanella, Henry Silva, Karen Ericson.
David Mann is just what his name suggests: an everyman with a mediocre job who has trouble standing up for himself. While driving through the desert to an important appointment, he passes a slow-moving, rusty tanker truck. The driver proves to have a severe case of road rage and takes offense at this action, devoting the rest of his day purely to killing Mann. The malevolent driver is never seen, giving the impression that it's the truck itself that is the agressor. One of the great TV-movies of all time directed by Steven Spielberg.
Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lucille Benson.
Traveling on a deserted desert road at night a married couple stops at a diner. The husband goes to the men's room and never returns leaving the wife to suspect serious foul play.
Cloris Leachman, Ross Martin, Louise Latham, Dabney Coleman, Dana Elcar, Ned Beatty.
(Pilot) If you were facing a murder charge and your chances of beating the rap were slim and none Eddie Capra (Vincent Baggetta), a brilliant but unconventional young attorney, was your man to call. Capra wasn't the type of defence attorney who was satsified merely with clearning his client of a murder charge -- Capra's job wasn't complete until the real villian was safetly behind bars.
In the opening film "Nightmare at Pendragon's Castle", Capra tries to catch the culprit in the murder of an arrogant publisher feared - and hated - by his many associates. Also starring Wendy Phillips, Ken Swofford, Robert Vaughn, Lois Nettleton, Stella Stevens, Robert Walker and George Hamilton.
Eddie Capra was an impulsive and unorthodox attorney with the Los Angeles firm of Devlin, Linkman & O'Brien who seemed to see his job as being as much of a detective as a lawyer. Every episode would chronicle a strange and puzzling murder, the perpetrator of which would be doggedly tracked down and captured by Eddie using his skills as an investigator and the assistance of secretary Lacey and legman Harvey.
(Pilot) Earl Eischied was the very tough and very "hands-on" Chief of Detectives of the New York Police Department. Although he was a firm believer in law and order, Eischied wasn't above bending the law here and there if it got results, much to the chagrin of the fussy Deputy Commissioner Kimbrough. Eischied's occupation was mainly a desk job, but he's much rather be on the streets busting heads than pushing pencils in an office. Earl's pet cat was named P.C. (for Police Commissioner).
Joe Don Baker, Desi Arnaz Jr. Scott Brady, Christine Belford, Patrick O'Neal, Eartha Kitt, Louis Gossett Jr.
The story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, from early youth to his election as President of the United States and all through their 12-year stay at the White House, as told from Eleanor's point of view. A remarkable miniseries in every sense of the word with powerhouse performances from both Jane Alexander and Edward Herrmann. This complete miniseries set includes both "Eleanor and Franklin: The Early Years" (1976) and "Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years" (1977).
Jane Alexander, Edward Herrmann, Pamela Franklin, Ed Flanders, Linda Purl, Linda Kelsey, Mark Harmon, Anna Lee, Blair Brown, Donald Moffat, Priscilla Pointer.
Legendary ballplayer and humanitarian Lou Gehrig and his relationship with his stalwart wife, Eleanor are portrayed in this film that focuses on the Hall of Famer's life off the baseball field. Featuring unflinching looks at the Gehrig's relationship, as well as Lou's feud with Babe Ruth.
Blythe Danner, Edward Herrmann, Ramon Bieri, Jane Wyatt, Patricia Neal, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Lainie Kazan.
A private eye sets out to stop a mad scientist who's created a virus that can transform people into murderous zombies. A classic "Movie of the Week" entry.
Christopher George, William Windom, Marlyn Mason, Avery Schreiber, John Vernon, Gloria Grahame.
Biography of the famed motorcycle daredevil in the midst of his 70s' heyday, much of which was filmed in his home town of Butte, Montana. The film depicts Knievel reflecting on major events in his life just before a big jump. A lot of fun and much better then the dreary 2004 remake.
George Hamilton, Sue Lyon, Bert Freed, Rod Cameron, Dub Taylor, Ron Masak.
Vicious terrorists invade the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, and demand that French officials release their friends from a Paris prison. Ironically, this attack comes as Hollywood producer Jesse Craig plans a film about a terrorist invasion.
Glenn Ford, Shirley Jones, Vince Edwards, Erin Grey, Eddie Albert.
The meanest villain in the West falls for a pretty schoolteacher and tries to change his ways, but a determined (and egomaniacal) singing sheriff is out to capture him. Very funny and with an all-star cast to boot.
John Astin, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Henry Gibson, Milton Berle, Edie Adams, Pat Morita, Penny Marshall, Buttram, Dom DeLuise, Ed Begley Jr., Jerry Paris.
The story of Eddie Slovik, who was executed by the Army in 1945, the only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the Civil War. First-rate from beginning to end with Martin Sheen turning in one of the all-time great performances as Slovik.
Martin Sheen, Ned Beatty, Mariclare Costello, Warren J. Kemmerling, Charles Haid, Matt Clark.
Based on the true story of murderer Gary Mark Gilmore, spanning the last nine months of his life (May 1976-January 1977) in which at age 35, after being released for serving a long prison term in Utah for armed robbery, the unstable Gilmore murdered two men in two seperate and senseless robberies in which after a brief public trial in October, he was sentenced to death by firing squad which drew a lot of media attention when Gilmore insisted that his execution be carried out and he became the first man to be executed in the USA since the government reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
Tommy Lee Jones, Rosanna Arquette, Christine Lahti, Eli Wallach, Steven Keats.
A young Iowa schoolteacher, thinking she is dying of leukemia, goes to San Francisco, where she hires a mob killer to take her life. However, she soon changes her mind, and with the help of the local police, tries to find the killer before he fulfills his part of the bargain. Another winner from the Quinn Martin pipeline.
Ricardo Montalban, Jack Warden, Elizabeth Ashley, Dane Clark, Charles Dierkop, Burr DeBenning.
On the day before she retires, a teacher discovers that a student she had flunked ten years previously is out to kill her. A tightly wound and suspenseful gem of a film with an excellent cast!
Jane Wyman, Dana Andrews, Dean Stockwell, Murray Hamilton, Tim O'Connor, Priscilla Pointer, Paul Henreid.
In this pilot movie "Fame is the Name of the Game" an investigative reporter looks into the murder of a call girl. His investigation unearths her diary, with the names of many prominent people in it. He sets out to find her killer from among the names contained in it.
Tony Franciosa, Jill St. John, Jack Klugman, Jack Weston, Susan Saint James, Nanette Fabray, Robert Duvall.
During a flight from San Diego to Florida, the Carlyle family is overtaken by a weather front in the Rocky Mountains. They have to do an emergency landing in a Mexican desert, with their plane severely damaged. Latent tensions in the family interfere with the efforts to solve their desperate situation.
Rod Taylor, Dina Merrill, Kristoffer Tabori, Janet Margolin, Ed Begley Jr., Gene Nelson.
Charles Bronson stars as a Police Commissioner rallying his family when his daughter is framed for a murder she did not commit. They must track down the real killer, even if it means going outside the law. This film was so successful that Bronson reprised his role as the tough-as-nails Commissioner Paul Fein in two follow up TV-movies.
This set includes all (3) films: "Family of Cops", "Family of Cops II: Breach of Faith", and "Family of Cops III: Under Suspicion".
Charles Bronson, Lesley-Anne Down, Simon MacCorkindale, Barbara Williams, Angela Featherstone, Joe Penny, and Diane Ladd.
An upstanding schoolteacher retires and takes a bus trip across the country. Little does she know that the free bus pass she has been given is part of a plot by a large developer to remove her family-oriented influence from her charming New England town.
Bette Davis, John Shea, David Huddleston, Kathryn Walker, J. Ashley Hyman.
Fact based drama about one of the internment camps used by the American military during World War II to detain some 100,000 Japanese Americans (most of them U.S. born) following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. A beautifully made Class-A production from start to finish.
Mako, Pat Morita, James Saito, Gretchen Corbett, Clyde Kusatsu, Nobu McCarthy.
This well made-for-TV biopic stars a heavily-wigged Ken Howard in the title role. Father Damien was a Belgian priest who, in 1873, was assigned a far-from-desirable congregation: the leper colony of Molokai in the Hawaiian islands. At first appalled by the colony and its denizens, Damien devoted his life to administering to their needs and improving their living conditions. He died in 1889 at the age of 49, having long earlier contacted leprosy himself. When originally telecast October 27, 1980, "Father Damien: The Leper Priest" was dedicated to the memory of David Janssen, who before his death was slated to portray Father Damien.
Ken Howard, Mike Farrell, David Ogden Stiers, Irene Tsu, William Hyde-White, and William Daniels.
A father struggles to raise his two boys after their mother dies suddenly. Together, the three of them learn much about the qualities of understanding and responsibility. A potent film that depicts in a realist manner the terrible crisis a family will go through after a major drama.
Hal Linden, Timothy Hutton, Martha Scott, Cassie Yates, Jeremy Licht, Betty McGuire.
A psychiatrist specializing in the occult becomes involved in the case of a man who is possessed by a spirit in an antique mirror. The man's fiance discovers that the mirror is able to bring back her former boyfriend, who had been killed in a car accident, from the dead. (avq: 7/10)
Louis Jourdan, Carroll O'Connor, Bradford Dillman, Lynda Day George, Wilfred Hyde-White.
A cross-up of the film "The Sting" and the Robert Wagner/Eddie Albert series "Switch", "The Feather and Father Gang" was all about the "con". Toni "Feather" Danton was a gorgeous Los Angeles attorney with the firm of Huffaker, Danton and Binkwell who often turned to her con man father Harry for assistance in investigating crimes. "Feather" and Harry often sought to "sting" the bad guys into giving themselves up; on those occasions, they turned to Harry's old partners (including Michael, Murphy, Enzo, Margo & Lou) for help, sometimes using disguises and elaborate playacting. This series is a lot of fun!
Complete series set of 12-episodes plus the pilot film.
Stefanie Powers, Harold Gould, Joan Shawlee, Frank Delfino, Monte Landis, Edward Winter.
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.
David Janssen, Hope Lange, Ivan Dixon, Richard LePore.
In his TV-movie debut, Jerry Lewis plays Dr. Abrams, an Ohio optometrist, whose beloved 6-year-old daughter falls victim to a rare form of epilepsy. The traditional means to keep the girl's seizures under control fail to work, putting a strain on the Abram's (Lewis and Patty Duke Astin) marriage. The couple then learns of a little-known drug called sodium valporate, which has had salutary effects upon epileptics in Britain. Unfortunately, the drug has not been approved for use in the United States; thus, by utilizing the drug to save their child from agony, the Abrams are in effect breaking the law. The cause celebre that follows forms the nucleus of Scott Nisor and Tom Nesi's fact-based screenplay. Essaying a rare dramatic role, Jerry Lewis is excellent: in fact, he's much more credible than Barry Morse as the doctor who develops the miracle drug.
Jerry Lewis, Patty Duke, Morgan Freeman, Jaclyn Bernstein, and Barry Morse.
Cary Maxwell is a private investigator and owner of Maxwell Unlimited. MU specializes in helping people find their lost loves. Each week Maxwell, along with Daisy Lloyd and Rita Hargrove, manage to help yet another heartbroken person reunite with someone from their past.
Complete series set of 22-episodes plus the pilot film.
Tony Franciosa, Deborah Adair, Anne Jeffreys, Richard Kantor.
(Pilot) Cary helps the very wealthy and famous business man James Osborne find Catherine Connolly, the woman he left at the alter when he was put in jail for two weeks two days before their wedding. Cary eventually finds Catherine, but finds out she is married. Even though he warns Osborne to keep his distance, Cary must try to keep Osborne from revealing his identity to Catherine. (w/o/c)
Tony Franciosa, Deborah Adair, Anne Jeffreys, Steve Forrest, Hope Lange, Monte Markham, Melissa Sue Anderson, Michael Constantine.
A convict starts a fire in a forest to cover his escape, but the fire goes out of control and threatens to destroy a small mountain community. An excellent example of small-screen disaster flick from The Master, Irwin Allen.
Ernest Borgnine, Vera Miles, Patty Duke, Lloyd Nolan, Donna Mills, Alex Cord.
The White House faces an unprecedented crisis as Secret Service agent Alex McGregor, a former personal guard to the President, is charged with saving the President's daughter, Jess after she is kidnapped by an American militia group. A veteran agent, McGregor is all too familiar with the White House rules on hostages: no negotiations, no concessions and failure is not an option. With the help of a river guide, Grant, McGregor must get her out alive - but first they have to find her. A real chiller!
The story of television news correspondent Betty Rollin and her battle with breast cancer, and how her subsequent mastectomy changed her marriage, her philosophy and her entire life. Mary Tyler Moore gives her usual knock-out performance as Betty.
Mary Tyler Moore, Anthony Perkins, Jennifer Warren, Richard Dysart, Don Johnson, Patricia Barry, and Richard Crenna.
Five sexy graduates of an exclusive girl's college (are there any other kind?), meeting together for a reunion on a remote island find themselves stalked by an unseen deranged madman.
Robert Conrad, Stefanie Powers, Bradford Dillman, Joan Hackett, Anjanette Comer, Denise Nicholas, Julie Sommars.
Based on the novel and 1949 film of the same name, this prime-time soap detailed the lives of haves and have-nots in the sleepy Southern hamlet Truro, Florida. The haves live in huge mansions on Flamingo Road, while the rest of the characters did anything (blackmail, murder, voodoo) to obtain that address as well.
Complete series set of 37-episodes.
Morgan Fairchild, Mark Harmon, Howard Duff, Christina Rains, Kevin McCarthy, Stella Stevens and John Beck.
After several weeks of heavy rainfall, the dam above Brownsville is short from running over. However the mayor refuses to open it's gates, because he fears for the fishes in the lake... and paves the way for disaster.
Robert Culp, Martin Milner, Barbara Hershey, Roddy McDowall, Teresa Wright, Richard Basehart, Carol Lynley, Cameron Mitchell.
Jaclyn Smith is a curious choice to play the title character in the made-for-TV biopic "Florence Nightingale". This fact, however, never enters into the consciousness of the viewer, thanks to Smith's excellent performance. Some liberties are taken with the details of the life of "The Lady with the Lamp," notably the addition of a largely speculative romance between Florence and her young swain (Timothy Dalton). The best scenes--and the most accurate--occur during the Crimean War sequences and during Nightingale's strenuous efforts to form the Red Cross.
Jaclyn Smith, Timothy Dalton, Claire Bloom, Jeremy Brett, Timothy West, Ann Thornton.
(Pilot) Pam, Marcy and Lisa were three very gorgeous airline stewardesses, who worked for Sun West Airlines based in Los Angeles. Their plane was piloted by bumbling ladies' man Captain March, while Raymond was the airline's PR man. One never knew the lives of stewardesses could be so thrilling, as our heroines frequently got into one romantic, adventuresome or humorous scrape after another.
Connie Sellecca, Pat Klous, Kathryn Witt, Rita Wilson, Marcia Wallace and Jim Hutton.
This adventure series focused on the exploits of two footloose freelance magazine writers living in Hawaii. Pursuing stories which usually landed them in trouble until they got bailed out. Fun show!
6-episodes including the pilot transferred off a rare 16mm print. (7/10)
Barry Coe, Gary Lockwood, Brett Halsey, Robert Vaughn, Jane Darwell, Mark Miller, Diane Baker, Joanna Moore, Keenan Wynn, Ivan Dixon.
William Shatner and Jessica Walter dazzle in "For the People", a precursor of "Law and Order". David Koster is an obsessive New York City assistant district attorney who gets into trouble because of his passion for justice. His boss, Anthony Celese, tries to keep him under control while New York police detective Frank Malloy helps him solve cases. Koster's wife Jessica is a viola player in a string quartet and her own life's priorities come into conflict with David's.
2-episodes transferred off a rare 16mm print. (6.5-7/10)
William Shatner, Howard Da Silva, Lonny Chapman and Jessica Walter.
This film is based on true events about Henry Ford's life. His marriage with the always understanding Clara, his tempestuous relationships with his son, mistress and right-hand man, but specially his hardships on the way to success.
Cliff Robertson, Hope Lange, Heather Thomas, Michael Ironside, R.H. Thomson.
The "joys and anguish" of teenage romance. The teenage romancers herein are played by Stephanie Zimbalist and Dean Butler. It is the first serious relationship for both, and so far as they are concerned, it will be the only such entanglement in their lives. The script, based on Judy Blume's novel, details in bittersweet fashion how "forever" is a relative term when one is very young and impressionable.
Stephanie Zimbalist, Dean Butler, John Friedrich, Diana Scarwid, Woody Chambliss, Erika Chambliss.
Annie Nations (Jessica Tandy) has spent her whole life in the Blue Ridge Mountains, most of it with her husband, Hector (Hume Cronyn). He's gone five years now, buried back in the orchard, but he's never far away, slipping into her thoughts watching her do her chores, still thinking he knows best even now when her country singer son (John Denver) is pressuring her to sell the farm. But in the autumn of her life, Annie Nations will decide herself whether to hold on to what she's always known or follow her heart to the other side of the mountain.
Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, John Denver, Gary Grubbs, Harriet Hall, Collin Wilcox Paxton.
Excellent retelling of the story of Francis Gary Powers, a U-2 pilot for the CIA who was shot down in his spy plane over Russia, captured and imprisoned.
Lee Majors, Noah Beery Jr., Brooke Bundy, Nehemiah Persoff, William Daniels, Jim McMullan.
Excellent retelling of a scientist obsessed with creating life who steals body parts to put together his "creation." For my money this is the very best of all the Frankenstein films, thanks largely to "Dark Shadows" producer Dan Curtis who knows how to scare an audience better then anyone.
Robert Foxworth, Susan Strasberg, Bo Svenson, John Karlen.
Muhammad Ali made his TV-movie dramatic debut in this adaptation of Howard Fast's novel Freedom Road. Though some of the names are changed, the story concerns the true-life efforts of senators Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens to bring political order and racial equality to the post-Civil War South. Ali is cast as Gideon Jackson, an ex-slave who is elected to the U.S. senate during the Reconstruction Era. Interestingly enough, the character upon whom Jackson is based was depicted as the villain of D.W. Griffith's 1915 Civil War epic Birth of a Nation. Just as Griffth offered his own biased slant on the facts, so too did Fast rewrite history to promote his own political ideology. As for Muhammad, his performance is no threat to Olivier, but he acts with sincerity and a commendable lack of bravado.
Kris Kristofferson, Muhammad Ali, Ron O'Neal, Edward Herrmann, Ossie Davis, Grace Zabriskie, Alfre Woodard, Sonny Shroyer.
A stunning, sobering look at the crumbling lives of a heartland farm couple who are forced to deal with governmental apathy and red tape to learn the truth behind their eldest son's death in Vietnam. Superbly written and directed with careful detail as to period and attitude, this already rich and poignant production is all the more enhanced by powerhouse performances from both Carol Burnett and Ned Beatty.
Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton, Sherry Hursey, Dennis Erdman, William Jordan.
The made-for-TV "Fugitive Family" questions the efficacy of the government's witness protection program. After sending syndicate kingpin Anthony Durano (Mel Ferrer) to prison, undercover agent Brian Roberts (Richard Crenna) and his entire family is marked for death by Durano's successor Peter Ritchie (Don Murray). Roberts and his brood are forced to change their names and move to a faraway city, there to start life anew. Vintner Olan Vacio (Eli Wallach) hires Roberts as a field worker, eventually making him his partner. This puts Vacio in the line of fire when Ritchie's hoods come calling.
Richard Crenna, Diane Baker, Eli Wallach, Don Murray, Mel Ferrer, Ronny Cox, Robin Dearden.
An anthropologist/paleontologist and his daughter, while traveling through the southwestern US, stumble upon a colony of living, breathing gargoyles who in the end only want to be left alone.
Cornel Wilde, Jennifer Salt, Bernie Casey, Scott Glenn, Grayson Hall.
"Get Christie Love" followed the adventures of a beautiful black, female, undercover police detective on the Los Angeles Police Department (Special Investigations Division). The pilot told of the busting of a notorious drug ring was an ABC Movie Of The Week (1-22-74) and based on the novel The Ledger by Dorothy Uhnak.
Also included are 4-episodes "Market for Murder", "Bullet from the Grave", "From Paris, With Love" and "A High Fashion Heist".
Teresa Graves, Jaclyn Smith, Peter Mark Richman, Don Galloway, Harry Guardino, Ron Rifkin.
A charming, quirky little film about a man who falls madly in love with a pretty newscaster and goes all out to win her heart and her hand in marriage before she weds another man. A terrific cast!
Richard Thomas, Bess Armstrong, Mark Harmon, Van Johnson, Katherine Helmond, Mimi Kennedy, Fabian, Audra Lindley, Richard Deacon and Vic Tayback.
Sebastian Cabot originally hosted this thriller/horror anthology series. As Winston Essex, he welcomed the audience to his stately manor, Essex House, where he'd introduce that week's story. As the tale unfolded, it would take an unexpected turn towards the macabre. Starting with the January 5, 1973 episode, the narrator was dropped and the title was changed to Circle of Fear. At that point, some non-horror suspense stories started to be included. (8/10)
Shortlived but well-remembered series starring Louis Gossett Jr. as Oliver, an anthropology professor who uses his knowledge of other cultures to solve mysteries. Gideon Oliver was one of three rotating series telecast in 1988-89 under the umbrella title The ABC Monday Mystery Movie; the other components were B.L. Stryker and old reliable Columbo. When the Mystery Movie was picked up for a second season, Gideon Oliver was not retained.
True story of the incarcerated Clarence Gideon and his fight to be appointed counsel at the expense of the state. This landmark case led to the Supreme Court's decision which extended this right to all criminal defendants. As Gideon, Henry Fonda gives his usual '10-plus performance as do the rest of this legendary cast.
Henry Fonda, Jose Ferrer, John Houseman, Fay Wray, Sam Jaffe, Dean Jagger, Lane Smith.
This spinoff from "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." features the adventures of sexy spy April Dancer, who works for an international agency called the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, which is dedicated to protecting the world from evil doers such as those who work for THRUSH. April's sidekick is the Brit Mark Slate, and their boss is the crusty Mr. Waverly.
The police chief of a small town begins an investigation after a young woman, who was supposed to have died several months previously, shows up at the funeral of her parents, who had been murdered.
Andy Griffith, James Cromwell, Claude Earl Jones, Sharon Spelman, Edward Winter, Mitzi Hoag.
A television producer decides to find out the whereabouts of a former movie actress whose career has long since faded. His inquiries however set off a string of murders.
Don Murray, Laraine Stephens, Yvonne De Carlo, Van Johnson, Gloria Grahame, Ralph Meeker, Cameron Mitchell, John Ireland, Walter Pidgeon, Joe Santos, Mary Ann Mobley.
A charming tale of intrigue and love in the business place as four women employed by a chic department store discover that they must choose between love and a career.
Susan Saint James, Barbara Eden, Tony Roberts, Penny Peyser, Robyn Douglass, Joe Penny.
The riveting story of a young guard and a college professor convicted of manslaughter both starting their first day in prison. A beautifully written script by Truman Capote and a mesmerizing performance by Alan Alda make this one of the richest and realistic films about incarceration ever made.
Alan Alda, Clu Gulager, Vic Morrow, Billy Dee Williams, Dean Jagger, Luke Askew.
Inadvertently, a 16-year-old girl in the late American 1960's counter-culture is sucked into an odyssey of sex and drugs. She eventually seeks help. Based on a true story.
William Shatner, Ruth Roman, Julie Adams, Jaime Smith-Jackson, Robert Carradine and Andy Griffith.
A female New England reporter and the widow of a cavalry officer team up to go out West, and wind up trying to evade outlaws, gamblers and the law. This neat little film plays like "Thelma and Louise Go West".
Karen Valentine, Sandra Will, Stuart Whitman, Richard Jaeckel, David Dukes, Charles Frank.
An elderly, venerable priest, goes over the Golden Gate bridge and everyone except his nurse, Sister Benecia, believes that it was suicide. Sister Benecia finally convinces the police department to assign a detective, the cynical, irascible Paul Silver, to investigate. The "Mad Nun" and the "Mad Cop" become a formidable investigative team -- and much, much more.
David Janssen, Susannah York, Kim Hunter, Tim O'Connor and Lloyd Bochner.
First telecast February 4, 1980, Golden Honeymoon is an easygoing adaptation of the Ring Lardner short story. James Whitmore and Teresa Wright play a New Jersey couple who celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a second honeymoon. Their Florida idyll is disrupted when the couple's old acquaintance Stephen Elliott shows up. Elliot had been engaged to Teresa 52 years earlier, a fact that prompts Whitmore to behave in an uncharacteristically obnoxious nature. Calculated to put Elliott in his place, Whitmore's boorishness succeeds in alienating Teresa as well. Scripted by Frederic Hunter, the 60-minute Golden Honeymoon was the second-season opener of PBS' American Playhouse.
James Whitmore, Teresa Wright, Stephen Elliott, Nan Martin.
When Dorothy has left the group known to the layperson as the Golden Girls, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia buy themselves a hotel. But what do they know about running a hotel? For that particular reason, they fall back on the experience of the trusted manager and the funny cook.
Complete series set of 22-episodes.
Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin.
Based on a novel by Alistair MacLean, the plot concerns high-sea terrorism aboard the Caribbean Star, a combination cargo ship and floating casino. In the midst of the high rollers and spinning roulette wheels appears Luis Carreras (John Vernon), an amoral mercenary who hijacks the ship. Taking his marching orders from a mysterious mastermind, he installs an atomic device mid-ship, holding both the passengers and the bomb hostage, hoping to exchange them for the gold bullion of an U.S. Treasury ship. All seems to be going according to Luis's plan until First Officer John Carter (Richard Harris), the ship's owner Charles Conway (David Janssen), the attractive Susan Beresford (Ann Turkel), and Dr. Marston (Gordon Jackson) arrive to put a crimp in Luis's escapade.
Richard Harris, David Janssen, Ann Turkel, Gordon Jackson, John Vernon, Burgess Meredith, John Carradine, and Dorothy Malone.
During World War II the passenger liner "Goliath" is sunk by a German submarine. Portions of the ship's hull remain airtight, and some of the passengers and crew survive. Over the decades they build a rigidly regulated society completely isolated from the surface world, until in contemporary times a diving team begins to explore the wreck. Intriguing premise handled intelligently and very well acted. (97 mins.)
Mark Harmon, Christopher Lee, Jean Marsh, Eddie Albert, Robert Forster, Emma Samms, Alex Cord, John Carradine, John McIntire, Jeanette Nolan, Duncan Regehr, Frank Gorshin, John Ratzenberger.
Top flight TV-noir as gruff gumshoe Francis Hogan is hired by a mysterious woman to find her boyfriend who has gone missing. With his perpetually hungry partner in tow, Hogan must untangle a web of intrigue involving the criminal underworld and a dead courier. One double-cross follows another as Hogan investigates the whole sordid affair.
Richard Boone, Barbara Bain, Michael Dunn, Victor Buono, Gianni Russo.
Instructed by her boss to take over the gossip column previously written by Hedda Hopper-clone Alma Llewellyn, journalist Dina Moran (Kim Cattrall) becomes a veritable Rona Barrett almost overnight making and breaking careers.
Kim Cattrall, Robert Vaughn, Martha Raye, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Sherman, Dick Sargent, Sylvia Sidney, Richard Deacon and Lyle Waggoner, along with such guest stars as Steve Allen, Jim Backus, Jack Carter, Allen Ludden, Jayne Meadows, Rip Taylor and Betty White.
The fairy tale story of the actress who became a princess is told in this biography that traces her rise from Philadelphia socialite to Hollywood movie star.
Cheryl Ladd, Lloyd Bridges, Diane Ladd, Ian McShane, Christina Applegate, Alejandro Rey.
A comedy-drama about a New York couple who decided to dump the hassle of the big city, pack up the kids and move to what they think is the easy life of suburbia. Carol Burnett made her TV-movie debut in this film which followed her departure from the grind of weekly television after ten years of "The Carol Burnett Show."
Carol Burnett, Charles Grodin, Linda Gray, Alex Rocco, Eric Stoltz.
George Kennedy shines as an aerospace engineer who is laid off and faces the economic realities of middle-class living, going through the agony of fruitless job interviews and mounting debts while seeing his wife go back to work and his marriage dissolve.
George Kennedy, Vera Miles, William Windom, Kevin McCarthy, Hilary Thompson, Natalie Trundy, Tony Dow, and James Woods.
A terrific biographical dramatization of the life and times of the world-renowned illusionist and escape artist whose glittering career masked a deep obsession with the occult, culminated by a vow that he would one day speak from the beyond, a promise he made to his wife on his deathbed in 1926. Ruth Gordon won an Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Houdini's mother.
Paul Michael Glaser, Sally Struthers, Ruth Gordon, Vivian Vance, Maureen O'Sullivan, Peter Cushing, Nina Foch, Jack Cater, Adrienne Barbeau, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Geoffrey Lewis, Barbara Rhoades, and Bill Bixby.
In this utterly charming comedy-drama, President Lincoln temporarily abandons his inaugural tour to visit a little girl who wrote him a letter asking him to grow a beard.
Dean Jones, Ann Sothern, Dennis Weaver, Isabel Sanford, John McGiver, John Hillerman, Charles Lane.
An embittered old man obsessed with conquering the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, endangers his sons' lives by forcing them to challenge the falls by going over them in a barrel.
Richard Boone, Randy Quaid, Jennifer Salt, Burt Young.
The true story of the Great Wallendas, a family of circus acrobats famous for their seven-person high wire pyramid act and the one night ended in tragedy.
Lloyd Bridges, Britt Ekland, William Sadler, Cathy Rigby, Taina Elg, Ben Fuhrman.
Britt Reid, daring young owner/publisher of "The Daily Sentinel," dons a mask and fights crime as The Green Hornet. While the police and public believe the Hornet to be a ruthless criminal, the District Attorney knows Reid's secret identity, and welcomes his assistance in fighting racketeers and criminals. Also assisting Reid in his crusade are his secretary, Lenore Case, and his faithful valet, Kato, who is a kung fu expert and who drives the sleek "Black Beauty," the Hornet's well armed car.
Complete series set of 26-episodes.
Van Williams, Bruce Lee, Wende Wagner, Walter Brooke, Gary Owens.
Jeff Griffin is dying of cancer. Sarah Phoenix is suffering from terminal leukemia. Ignored or reviled by their respective families, Griffin and Phoenix turn to each other for emotional support. Deciding to live their last months to the fullest, they indulge in outrageous, childish public behavior and vent their anger at their conditions full-force, knowing full well that they won't have to answer for their silliness or rage. They also fall in love with each other.
Peter Falk, Jill Clayburgh, John Lehne, Dorothy Tristan and Sally Kirkland.
When a secret government space installation explodes leaving only one survivor who remembers nothing, an overbearing security official (George Peppard) must do everything in his power to make the ex-spy (Michael Sarrazin) talk so as to learn the details of the confidential project. The cat-and-mouse game that ensues between Peppard and Sarrazin is what gives this film it's spark. (Widescreen version)
George Peppard, Michael Sarrazin, Christine Belford, Cliff Potts, James Olson, Tim O'Connor.
A romantic comedy about a divorcee who wakes up one morning to find her penniless ex-husband, his new wife, their eight-week-old baby and their lion-chasing dog camped on her doorstep looking for a place to call home for a while.
Barbara Eden, Dean Jones, Kenneth Mars, Susanne Benton, Reta Shaw, Todd Lookinland.
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.
Anthony Hopkins, Blythe Danner, Swoosie Kurtz, Donegan Smith, Ruth Manning.
In the days of the "Wild West", a gunslinger, with a price on his head, discovers the body of a traveling minister who has been killed in an ambush. Fearing those who are following him, he assumes the dead minister's identity.
Marjoe Gortner, Slim Pickens, Estelle Parsons, David Huddleston, Geoffrey Lewis and Pamela Sue Martin (yum!).
A woman is unjustly accused of murder when she kills a man who breaks into her house with an accomplice and attempts to rape her. Her innocence is established when the remaining hoodlum later returns to the scene of the crime.
Sally Struthers, Millie Perkins, David Ackroyd, Allan Rich, Jeffrey Tambor, Missy Francis.
The story, set during World War II, follows the exploits of Shelly Alhern and Ted Brinkerhoff, U.S. Army captains who undertake dangerous assignments behind enemy lines. Their cover: posing as gypsies with a man named Ganault, his daughter Lela, and his son Androck. In this pilot for a proposed series, Alhern and Brinkerhoff seek to retrieve a deadly toxin that is capable of killing millions of people from French scientists.
Tom Selleck, James Whitmore Jr., Joseph Ruskin, Lina Raymond, Michael Lane, Ted Gehring.
Paul Hagen (Chad Everett) was a lover of the great outdoors, a hunter and an accomplished tracker. Carl Palmer (Arthur Hill) was a well-known San Francisco attorney, cosmopolitan and attuned to the legal system's subtle nuances. Merging their respective skills, they teamed to solve difficult criminal cases. Hagen did most of the legwork and Palmer handled the legal complications. Mrs. Chavez (Carmen Zapata) was Palmers's housekeeper, and Jody (Aldine King) was his secretary. Only 8-episodes were produced for this shortlived series.
This set includes the two episodes "Hear No Evil” with guest starsStephanie Zimbalist and Wendy Phillips, and “More Deadly Poison” with guest starsDawn Wells, Andrew Duggan and Mercedes McCambridge.
A gunman who believes his friend has been murdered sets out to get the people who killed him and finds himself enmeshed in corrupt labor union politics. An excellent noir film, made even better by an exceptional cast, particularly Robert Culp who's never been better.
Robert Culp, Edmond O'Brien, Vera Miles, Gene Raymond, Brenda Scott, J. Carrol Naish.
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.
Steve Forrest, Dean Jagger, Will Geer, Barbara Luna, Cameron Mitchell, Sharon Acker and Hank Worden.
A man comes home to find that his wife has sold their ranch and run off with a Mexican revolutionary. Well told tale of graft, corruption and survival on the western plains.
Clint Walker, Stefanie Powers, Pedro Armendariz Jr., Alex Karras.
Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon's first collaborative effort in 28 years -- and their first work for television -- resulted in this romantic comedy about a construction worker in New York with two passions, girl-watching and gambling, and the sex education teacher he has been ogling for days.
Kevin Dobson, Sharon Gless, Raymond Serra, Jacqueline Brooks, Ruth Gordon, Bobby Short.
One of two "Harlow" film biographies that appeared in 1965, this rare version stars Carol Lynley in the title role that begins as Jean Harlow, a bit player in Laurel and Hardy comedies, through her super-stardom years as Hollywood's "Platanum Blonde", to her untimely death at the age of 26. Filmed in "Electronovision" (staged as a live TV show, and recorded as a kine-scope).
Carol Lynley, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Barry Sullivan, Hurd Hatfield, Lloyd Bochner, Hermione Baddeley, Audrey Totter, Michael Dante, Jack Kruschen and Ginger Rogers (who replaced Judy Garland) as Harlow's Mama Jean.
On January 4th, 1969, a gang of punks broke into a liquor store in San Diego; Officer Harry Orwell and his partner arrived to stop them, but Harry was shot and his partner killed. Forced to retire from the department, Orwell now ekes out a modest living on his police pension and as a private investigator - $100 a day plus expenses plus mileage. In such capacity he was hired several years later by one of the young punks who shot him and eventually succeeded in arresting the entire gang, before moving from San Diego to LA. Now his services are available to anyone who asks, even though he often proves a bane to by-the-book Lieutenant K.C. Trench of the LAPD.
Complete series set of 44-episodes includes both pilot films.
David Janssen, Anthony Zerbe, Henry Darrow, Farrah Fawcett-Majors.
David Janssen stars as private eye Harry Orwell in the made-for-TV "Smile, Jenny, You're Dead". Investigating the murder of his friend's son-in-law, Harry sizes up the dead man's wife Jenny (Andrea Marcovicci) as the most likely suspect. The actual killer--and we're really not giving anything away here--is Zalman King, a psycho photographer who carries a torch for Jenny. There's a particularly exciting rooftop climax in this one, made doubly so by Andrea Marcovicci's depiction of stark, raw, terror. First telecast February 3, 1974, "Smile, Jenny, You're Dead" served as the second pilot for the David Janssen TV series Harry O.
David Janssen, Jodie Foster, Andrea Marcovicci, Clu Gulager, Howard da Silva, Zalman King, Tim McIntire.
(1st Pilot) Harry Orwell is a LA cop who is retired due to a bullet in his back. Now a Private Detective, Harry is hired by the man who shot him (Martin Sheen) to find the other man (Sal Mineo) who was involved in the shooting. Mineo is trying to kill Sheen and also keep his heroin business alive. Harry Orwell wants to bring both to justice.
David Janssen, Martin Sheen, Margot Kidder, Sal Mineo, Will Geer, Kathleen Lloyd.
The pilot film for a series that starred Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers the wealthy, happy married couple Jonathan and Jennifer Hart. He's a self made millionaire, CEO, she's a journalist; together they solve crimes. In this first escapade, the Harts tackle the case of a friend's death at a fancy health spa.
Robert Wagner, Stefanie Powers, Roddy McDowall, Jill St. John, Stella Stevens, Eugene Roche.
The story of a beautiful woman who is loved by two very different men - one her husband, and the other, the spirit of a man who once lived in her house. Made for television.The story of a beautiful woman who is loved by two very different men - one her husband, and the other, the spirit of a man who once lived in her house. A very sexy and eerily made thiller.
Jane Seymour, Gerald McRaney, Millie Perkins, Ruth Nelson, Ivan Bonar.
A group of people, all of whom, we can only assume, are Very Rich, are on a plane flying to an island resort. When they land, they are greeted by a mysterious black man (Moses Gunn), and the plot thickens. We come to find out that just before setting off on their journey, each of the "guests" had narrowly escaped death -- or had they?
Lloyd Bridges, Donna Mills, Ed Asner, Cloris Leachman, Robert Reed, Anne Francis, Moses Gunn.
First in a series of three TV-movies, that also spawn the shortlived series, that tells the story of four couples who are about to have children using the Lamaze method.
Desi Arnaz Jr., Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Guardino, Helen Hunt, Vicki Lawrence, Ronny Cox, Karen Valentine, Jessica Walter, Linda Purl, Jan Sterling.
The story of various couples who get caught up in the personal and emotional crises of birth, adoption and hospitalization, and also of the hospital and health care workers who take care of them.
Susan Sullivan, Wayne Rogers, Carol Lynley, Cliff Gorman, Tony Bill, Lee Meriwether, Paula Prentiss, Cassie Yates, Nicholas Pryor, Rosanna Arquette, Rhea Perlman.
The third part of this sage once again finds Dr. Julie Farr getting deeply involved with the couples she cares for as they become first time parents and grandparents.
Susan Sullivan, Patty Duke, Richard Mulligan, Rue McClanahan, Mitchell Ryan, Kathleen Beller, Michael Lembeck, Phil Foster, Teri Nunn, Jamie Smith-Jackson.
John Hawk was a full-blooded Iroquois employed as a special detective with the New York City District Attorney's office. With partner Dan Carter, Hawk was assigned to all sorts of different cases, ranging from murder to arson to organized crime. Because of his background, he occasionally dealt with racism inside and outside the department.
Billy Jim Hawkins was a very clever defense attorney, whose drawl and laid back manner often fooled his adversaries into underestimating his skills as an attorney. Billy Jim's office was located in a small town in West Virginia, although his cases often took him to other places around the country. R.J. was Billy Jim's cousin and associate who did most of Billy Jim's legwork.
Complete series set of 8-episode movies.
James Stewart, Strother Martin, Robert Webber, Sam Elliott, Tyne Daly.
(Pilot) The defence of a heiress accused of triple murder will take every bit of savvy Hawkins (James Stewart) can muster, particularly in light of the fact that the girl is rumored to be insane and admits she hated each of the victims. aka: "Hawkins on Murder".
James Stewart, Strother Martin, Bonnie Bedelia, Robert Webber, Dana Elcar.
New York urologist Harold Lear gets a taste of his own medicine when he suffers a heart attack and is confronted with a medical institution which doesn't seem equipped to help. Wife Martha steps in to fight the system and get a measure of service and compassion. Ultimately the greatest battle is not waged against the medical profession, however, but against Lear's own failing body and his own mortal fears.
James Garner, Mary Tyler Moore, Sam Wanamaker, Wendy Crewson.
Ben Murphy plays a young clerk and Bonnie Bedelia portrays his young and pregnant wife. During a record-breaking hot spell, the power in their mountain community goes out, and the water supply is dirty and stagnant. The balance of the film concerns the couple's attempt to escape the heat by descending the surrounding hills.
Ben Murphy, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, David Huddleston, Robert Hogan, Dana Elcar, Naomi Stevens, John Anderson.
Ex-gunfighter Hec Ramsey decided to settle down in New Prospect, Oklahoma, where he took a job as deputy to young Sheriff Stamp. Ramsey had become tired of settling disputes with his pistols, so he began studying the new art of criminology, learning about fingerprints and ballistics and contemporary methods of solving crimes. Amos Coogan was Hec's barber pal, and Norma the beautiful woman Hec was kinda "sweet" on.
Series set of 9 of 10-movie episodes.
Richard Boone, Harry Morgan, Charles Aidman, John Anderson.
(Pilot) "The Century Turns" - The stagecoach in which Hec (Richard Boone) is riding while enroute to his new deputy is held up and Sheriff Stamp arrests Hec based on his gun-slinging past.
Richard Boone, Harry Morgan, Sharon Acker, Dick Van Patten, R.G. Armstrong.
A superb fourth film version of the all-time favorite children's novel and the first in a series of movies based on literary classics put together by Frederick Brogger and James Franciscus (through their Omnibus Productions) and director Delbert Mann (Marty, Separate Tables). This film, is most remembered for cutting off the final minutes of a 1968 American Football League regular-season game between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets (angering sports fans nationwide), which forever became known as "The Heidi Game".
Maximilian Schell, Jean Simmons, Jennifer Edwards, Michael Redgrave, Walter Slezak.
Set in 1898, Cambridge, Massachusetts, this moving story depicts Annie Sullivan Macy supporting her student Helen Keller at Radcliffe College. Absolutely superb performances by Blythe Danner and Mare Winningham.
Blythe Danner, Mare Winningham, Perry King, Vera Miles, Jack Warden, Peter Cushing.
Chilling story of the investigation and trial of Charles Manson, leader of a strange cult which under his direction and 'control' committed numerous murders in Los Angeles, 1970.
George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, Christina Hart, Linden Chiles, Rudy Ramos, Nancy Wolfe.
The Cannon family runs the High Chaparral Ranch in the Arizona Territory in 1870s. Big John wants to establish his cattle empire despite Indian hostility. He's aided by brother Buck and son Billy Blue. When Blue's mother was killed (in the first episode) John united his family with the powerful Montoyas by marrying their daughter Victoria (whose brother Manolito now lives with them as well).
Complete series set of 98-episodes.
Leif Erickson, Cameron Mitchell, Linda Crystal, Mark Slade and Henry Darrow.
A park ranger (David Janssen in his final role) clashes with an egotistical army officer over how to handle a rescue operation to save three rock climbers stranded on a high elevation ledge of a mountain in Washington state.
David Janssen, Tony Musante, Madge Sinclair, Gretchen Corbett, Dorian Harewood, Katherine Cannon.
This is the sort of TV movie that could only have been made in the fuzzy-headed 70s. David Birney is a blue-collar type whose wife and daughter are killed in a no-knock drug bust. Nasty narcotics officer Mike Connors refuses to admit that he's made a mistake. Connors tries to cover up his own ineptitude, and eventually targets Birney for elimination. With the help of sympathetic cop Christine Belford, Birney avenges his family's murder. It's not likely that a TV movie in which a narcotics cop is the villain will get much play in 2009, but High Midnight is a nonetheless fascinating time capsule.
Mike Connors, David Birney, Christine Belford, Kathleen Lloyd, Granville Van Dusen, Noah Hathaway.
What may seem like an ordinary group of people from the small town of Bear Valley, are anything but as they risk their lives to perform heroic rescues in the rugged Sierra Mountains. Excellent family series with lots of great actions.
Complete series set of 7-episodes plus the pilot feature.
Robert Conrad, Dee Wallace, Chad McQueen, Wil Shriner, Kelly Curtis, Martin Hewitt.
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.
David Janssen, Keenan Wynn, Lee Purcell, Jeanette Nolan, William Schallert.
At a Texas barbecue, a pretty woman chats up a wealthy rancher, and soon they're off on a horseback ride. Before she shoots him on an isolated road, she gives him a minute to reflect on who he might have offended on his rise to the top. She's Angela de Vries, a contract killer based in L.A. She wants this to have been her last job; her contractor wants one more death, a national union leader, made to look like an accident. Is there any way that she can get out of the game before it's too late?
Yvette Mimieux, Joseph Campanella, Clu Gulager, Dack Rambo, Keenan Wynn, Roy Jenson.
A Los Angeles woman, on her way to visit her sister in San Fransisco, picks up a hitchhiker who has just killed his stepmother. Charmed by him, she fails to notice his strange behavior until it is too late. A nifty little "danger on the road" suspense thriller.
Cloris Leachman, Michael Brandon, Henry Darrow, Cameron Mitchell, Sherry Jackson, Linden Chiles.
A three-part, 5-hour adaptation of Jackie Collins' book about a group of very wealthy, attractive, snobbish women who are caught up in the low life and high society of Hollywood.
Anthony Hopkins, Candice Bergen, Stefanie Powers, Steve Forrest, Suzanne Somers, Joanna Cassidy, Rod Steiger, Angie Dickinson, Robert Stack, Mary Crosby.
An ailing man summons his three daughters home for Christmas and asks them to kill his new wife, who he suspects is poisoning him. Written by Joseph Stefano who also wrote another minor, scary film called "Psycho".
Eleanor Parker, Sally Field, Jessica Walter, Julie Harris, Jill Hayworth and Walter Brennen.
In this tender made-for-TV drama, four children are effectively orphaned when they are deserted by their mother. With nowhere else to go but some institution, the kids manage to locate their estranged grandmother. A bitter, and seemingly cold-hearted loner, the woman reluctantly takes the waifs into her farmhouse. They then do their very best to ingratiate themselves and make her love them. Unfortunately, this grandmother has a very tough outer shell and it will take plenty of hard work on the part of the kids.
Anne Bancroft, Bonnie Bedelia, Kimberlee Peterson, Trevor O'Brien, Hanna Hall, Roger Dunn.
A divorced man and his estranged, incurably ill teenage son get together for a final summer vacation and end up at the father's vineyard where they try to reconcile their differences.
David Soul, Moosie Drier, Barnard Hughes, Judith Penrod, Jeff Corey, Carmen Zapata.
While vacationing with her husband in Italy, a middle-aged woman wakes up one morning to find that the man in bed with her is not her husband but an imposter. He, however, claims he is her husband, and she cannot get anyone to believe her.
Janet Leigh, Rossano Brazzi, Cesare Danova, Eric Braeden, Barbara Steele.
Loosely based on the Clark Gable/Lana Turner/Claire Trevor 1941 movie (at least the character names of the principals match), this light-hearted Western follows the exploits of two hapless con-men operating in the boom towns of the Old West.
Richard Crenna, Margot Kidder, Stella Stevens, Geoffrey Lewis, Will Geer, John Dehner, James Luisi.
This wonderfully silly '70s movie-of-the-week involves a demonically-possessed Druid artifact from an English monastery coming to supernatural life aboard a transatlantic airline flight, taking control of one of the passengers, and causing lots of made-for-TV mayhem. Panicked personnel include William Shatner as a besotted former priest, Buddy Ebsen as a boisterous tycoon and Chuck Connors as the gung-ho pilot. Even Gilligan's Island alum Russell Johnson is along for the ride. (avq: 7/10)
Chuck Connors, Buddy Ebsen, Roy Thinnes, William Shatner, Tammy Grimes, Paul Winfield, Lynn Loring, Darleen Carr, France Nuyen, H.M. Wynant, Brenda Benet, and Russell Johnson.
A drag-racer enters a local championship race and runs up against the town boss, a corrupt sheriff who has already made arrangements to ensure that his own son wins the race.
Pernell Roberts, Gregg Henry, Robin Mattson, Robert Culp, Ed Begley Jr., Grant Goodeve.
One of the great ghost stories of all time. This movie centers on Ruth Bennett and her niece Sara Dunning. They move into the house of Ruth's recently deceased aunt and shortly thereafter they learn the house is possessed by two ghosts of the original owners who were from the time of the Revolutionary War. Shortly after arriving Ruth discovers a family Bible hidden in a secret compartment of a roll top desk. Contained within is the name of the original owner which includes the name of his deceased wife and also a name that has been crossed out in ink. As the movie progresses we learn the identity of this person and the reason for it being obliterated through the possession of niece Sara and Pat McDougal.
Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Egan, Michael Anderson Jr. Kitty Winn, Doreen Lang.
After a fire which killed his father and scarred his sister, a gilt-ridden victim of psychosomatic blindness (Anthony Perkins) is released from a mental hospital and goes to stay with his estranged sister. However, it appears that someone is out for revenge and wants to drive him crazy. Teleplay by Henry Farrell ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?").
Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris, Joan Hackett, Kent Smith.
An offbeat thriller (well received in Great Britain where it was shown theatrically under the title Deadly Roulette) tells of a ne'er-do-well with an obsession that he is the victim of a conspiracy after compiling a dossier on the activities of a mysterious billionaire. An excellent Robert Wagner displays some great acting chops.
Robert Wagner, Peter Lawford, Jill St. John, Walter Pidgeon, Lola Albright, Michael Ansara.
Housewife Barbara Eden loses her husband Peter Bonerz to seductive Liberty Williams. After the divorce, Eden becomes incensed that Williams is flaunting her victory. To get even, Eden begins dating notorious playboy Hal Linden. Now it's Bonerz' turn to suffer the pangs of jealousy.
Barbara Eden, Hal Linden, Peter Bonerz, Marcia Rodd, Harold Gould, Chuck McCann, Carl Ballantine, Fred Willard.
The millionaire of the title is Joan Rivers, an over-aged Beverly Hills brat whom many of the film's characters want to see dead or in rags. Armed with only her mile-a-minute mouth, Rivers fends off con men, fortune hunters, and would-be murderers--among them, possibly, her own husband (Alex Rocco). Thank heaven for her faithful household staff, headed by manic chef Meshach Taylor. The villains include Morgan Fairchild and David Ogden Stiers, for whom the audience may be rooting after fifteen minutes or so.
Joan Rivers, Telma Hopkins, Alex Rocco, Morgan Fairchild, David Ogden Stiers, Carmen Zapata, and Meshach Taylor.
A disillusioned housewife on a vacation in the woods is disturbed by her husband continually trying to get her to come home and, more ominously, a mysterious howling at night.
Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Vera Miles, John Rubinstein, Tyne Daly, Ruta Lee.
An undercover policewoman finds herself framed for murder by a crime. Forced to flee for her life, she determines to clear her name and bring the real killers to justice.
Donna Mills, Lawrence P. Casey, Robert Reed, Andrew Duggan, Will Sampson.
This was the first of two pilots for the action-drama "Hunter". A successful young attorney is falsely accused, convicted and unjustly imprisoned for eight years. While in the penitentiary, he's divorced by his wife. Now released, Jim Hunter is on the trail of the mysterious, manipulative millionaire who made him an "an ex-con, ex-lawyer and an ex-husband". Excitement builds as Hunter faces a rampaging tank, a hidden time bomb, and a salvo of other deadly dangers. Shot primarily on location at the legendary, now sadly demolished Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
James Franciscus, Linda Evans, Broderick Crawford, Ned Beatty and Frank Aletter.
A man comes home after serving time in prison to claim his share of his deceased mother's estate. However, his stepfather, who holds him responsible for his own son's death, intends to fight him for everything.
Burt Reynolds, Melvyn Douglas, Suzanne Pleshette, Martin Balsam, Larry Storch, Jill Banner.
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!
Martin Milner, Larry Hagman, Barry Sullivan, Jessica Walter, Michael Learned, Frank Sutton, Will Geer, Patrick Duffy.
This was a TV revival of Phillips Lord's old radio series. The three adventure-loving heroes are Jack, Doc and Reggie, insurance investigators hired to tackle a mystery at a remote island mansion. Ida Lupino plays a domineering matriarch whose billionaire husband is missing, and who seems to know more than she's letting on.
Ida Lupino, David Hartman, Jack Weston, Terry-Thomas, Deanna Lund, Melodie Johnson.
A suburban wife begins to resent the pressures she sees society putting on her as a wife and mother, and leaves her family to find the meaning of her life.
Hope Lange, Earl Holliman, Michael Murphy, Patricia Smith, Mary Murphy, Milt Kogan, and Madge Sinclair.
Time passes and things change. So have Scott and Robinson. Scott has become a college professor and Robinson holds a high enough position with the S.S.A.. Actually, their children are now the agents. It is their first mission and they must babysit some Russian scientists But the loving fathers that they are, they follow them to make sure their babies don't get hurt. What happens next is a mix of action and comedy involving the CIA, the KGB, China, and old friends from the old world.
Robert Culp, Bill Cosby, George Newbern, Salli Richardson.
Moments before being surprised at an anniversary garden party thrown by her husband and their family and friends, Carol Sherwood (Susan Saint James) shocks him by saying she wants a divorce and during the course of the party, she has three separate fantasies with three different men in attendance of being married to them. The first is with eogtistical real estate magnate Craig Wyler (Adam West). The second is with milquetoast English professor David Koenig (John Rubinstein). The third is with her best friend Elaine's (Dee Wallace) husband Phil (Brian Dennehy).
Susan Saint James, John Rubinstein, Adam West, Brian Dennehy, Dee Wallace, Nan Martin.
A 15-year-old girl becomes pregnant by her boyfriend and decides to keep the baby and raise her on her own, instead of initially choosing abortion at the insistence of her boyfriend, or raising the baby at home with her meddling mother. One of the first, and very best of the ever-popular teen pregnancy TV-pics made memorable by Mariel Hemingway's heartbreaking performance.
Mariel Hemingway, Susan Anspach, Vincent Baggetta, Rhea Perlman, John Megna.
Based on the true story of Barbara Graham, who struggled and fought to escape the gas chamber after being condemned with capital punishment because of her participation in a hold up in which a person was killed.
Lindsay Wagner, Martin Balsam, Pamela Reed, Seymour Cassel, Harry Dean Stanton, Dana Elcar.
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" has the texture of a Norman Rockwell painting and the ambiance of William Saroyan's The Human Comedy. Set in Rockport, Massachusetts (where this TV movie was filmed), the story takes place during World War II. Hal Holbrook and Eva Marie Saint are the parents of three grown children, all of whom are involved in some capacity with the defense program. Oldest son Whip Hubley is a bomber pilot, daughter Nancy Travis is a "Rosie the Rivetter," and younger son Jason Oliver has just enlisted. The film doesn't miss a trick, from the presence of the daughter's soldier-boy sweetheart to the crucial wire from the War Department. Its expected cliches aside, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is meticulous in its recreation of the Yuletide of 1944; the film is perfect Christmas Eve TV fare, and never mind that it originally premiered on December 12, 1988.
Hal Holbrook, Eva Marie Saint, Courtney Cox, Peter Gallagher, Nancy Travis, Whip Hubley, Jason Oliver, David Moscow.
When a woman's husband is struck down by a debilitating illness, she sets out to become a career woman at a local television station producing a popular children's show. Yet another standout performance by Suzanne Pleshette who doesn't hit a false note.
Suzanne Pleshette, Don Murray, Tony Roberts, Arte Johnson, Chuck McCann.
In 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.
Patty Duke, Frank Michael Liu, Anne Baxter, James Whitmore, Mako, Beulah Quo.
The fanatically uncompromising Len Rowan and his family insult and terrorize the citizens of a small town for years. One day the comment of a saleswoman about Len's son not being able to pay his sweets triggers off his persecution complex. As revenge for the believed insult, the whole family starts stalking the shop owner and her husband... until this escalates and the old man gets badly injured. Len is arrested, but gets off, free on bail. His clever attorney delays the court session for more than a year - while Rowan keeps threatening the witnesses. But then, the people feel they've had enough of this and decide to take the law in their own hands.
Brian Dennehy, Cloris Leachman, Chris Cooper, Marcia Gay Harden, John Anderson.
The trials and tribulations of a successful 29-year old San Francisco lawyer who falls in love with a 43-year old legal investigator. John Ritter and Karen Carlson both give winning performances in this touching little film.
John Ritter, Karen Carlson, Robert Mandan, Jeff Altman, Jamie Rose, Robert Townsend.
A legal drama that originally aired on NBC in 1973, INCIDENT ON A DARK STREET has a number of television veterans both in front of and behind the camera. Director Buzz Kulik helmed numerous TV movies, most well known among them BRIAN'S SONG. The cast includes TV actor James Olson and the famous...This gritty legal drama was directed by Buzz (Brian's Song) Kulik and boasts an impressive cast. The story centers on the murder of a mob stool-pigeon, brutely killed on the eve of his testimony. The attorneys involved in the case must then pick up the pieces, and the investigation leads to a discovery of corruption amongst local officials with ties to the mob.
William Shatner, James Olson, David Canary, Robert Pine, Murray Hamilton, Gilbert Roland, Kathleen Lloyd, Richard S. Castellano, David Doyle, Susan Stafford, John Kerr, Eddie Quillan.
A female doctor returns from the city to her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia in the 1930s, intending to bring modern medical care to the area's impoverished and ill-educated residents. However, she finds herself going against the local "medicine woman," who believes that her simple, backwoods remedies and methods are sufficient and distrusts the new doctor's "big-city" ways.
Lindsay Wagner, Jane Wyman, Gary Lockwood, Brock Peters, James Woods and Dorothy McGuire.
Charming remake of the 1958 Cary Grant/Ingrid Bergman classic about a British movie star who falls for an American diplomat. Unfortunately, he is still married...or so she believes. It turns out that his claims of marriage are just a way of ensuring his bachelorhood.
Robert Wagner, Lesley Anne-Down, Maggie Henderson, Robert McBain.
A teacher has taught about evolution in a small town in Tennessee but has violated state law by doing this. Two great lawyers appear, one to assist in his defense, the other to help prosecute him. The town is divided in many ways which become apparent as the trial progresses. This is a dramatization of the Scopes Monkey Trial that pitted William Jennings Bryant against Clarence Darrow in a real case. Douglas, Robards and McGavin are all nothing short of brilliant.
Kirk Douglas, Jason Robards, Darren McGavin, Jean Simmons, Kyle Secor, Megan Follows.
A withdrawn young girl joins an unpopular sorority in college. It turns out she has psychic and telekinetic powers, and she uses them against a rival sorority.
Kay Lenz, Shelley Winters, Tony Bill, Morgan Fairchild, Robert Hays, Morgan Brittnay.
The autobiography of Albert Speer, Adolf Hitler's personal architect, supplied Chomsky with his World War II follow-up to Holocaust (1978) with another look at the intimacies behind the war machine that turned the world upside-down at midcentury. This miniseries "Inside the Third Reich" was based on the extraordinary revelatory (if self-serving) autobiographical book by Albert Speer. Played superbly herein by Rutger Hauer, Speer is a young man of privilege in pre-Hitler Germany who happens to be a brilliant architect. Becoming a member of Hitler's inner circle, Speer is appointed the Nazi regime's master builder. According to this film, Speer is egomaniacal and ambitious, but somewhat blinded to the inherent evils of Nazism. Though he'd later claim to be ignorant of Hitler's horrific policies aimed at the Jews, he was certainly aware of the use of Jewish prisoners as slave labor: as Germany's armaments minister during World War II, Speer exploited these enslaved unfortunates as much as anyone, if not more so. The cast includes Derek Jacobi as Hitler, Blythe Danner as Speer's wife Margarethe, Sir John Gielgud as Speer's father, and Ian Holm as Goebbels.
Rutger Hauer, John Gieldgud, Trevor Howard, Blythe Danner, Maria Schell, Ian Holm, Derek Jacobi, Robert Vaughn, Elke Sommer, Randy Quaid and Viveca Lindfors.
Family Ties matriarch Meredith Baxter plays the titular heroine in an early TV movie appearance. In the film, Baxter's Carol Enders is inhabited by the spirit of a murdered woman who needs a human vessel to tell the world that she was murdered. Carol and the victim team up to solve the mystery. A perfect blend of being darkly twisted and spooky as hell.
Meredith Baxter, Charles Aidman, Christopher Connelly, George DiCenzo John Karlen, Patricia Hindy.
Bill Bixby delivers another excellent performance as a free-spirited Bostonian recently arrived in the West who teams up with a crusty Wyoming cowboy to stop a land baron's attempts to drive out a group of small ranchers and take over their property.
Bill Bixby, Bo Hopkins, Billy Green Bush, M. Emmet Walsh, Mills Watson, Luke Askew and John Hillerman.
This curious made-for-TV movie stars Alan Alda as a police detective in a small New England town. The community's elderly are dying at an unusual rate, prompting Alda to investigate. He deduces that the old folks are being murdered, but can't find a motive (there are no robberies involved, and none of the victims have any enemies to speak of). The hunt for the killer becomes personal when Alda's best friend, police chief Lloyd Nolan, falls victim to the unknown assailant. With the help of his funky girlfriend Louise Lasser, Alda assembles the clues and arrives at a startling conclusion. Isn't It Shocking? is enhanced by the presence of several veteran character actors, including Ruth Gordon as a disheveled cat fancier.
Alan Alda, Edmond O'Brien, Louise Lasser, Ruth Gordon, Will Geer and Lloyd Nolan.
(Pilot) "Magnificent Thief" - Alexander Mundy - smooth, suave, sophisticated - is the world's greatest cat burglar. Finally arrested after years of pilfering, he strikes a deal with American agent Noah Bain: a full pardon if Mundy agrees to use his skills to steal for the SIA, an American espionage agency. Technically under house arrest, Mundy travels all over the world performing daring acts of thievery in the name of Uncle Sam.
Robert Wagner, Senta Berger, Malachi Throne, James Drury, Susan Saint James, John Saxon, Joe Lewis.
Alexander Mundy - smooth, suave, sophisticated - is the world's greatest cat burglar. Finally arrested after years of pilfering, he strikes a deal with American agent Noah Bain: a full pardon if Mundy agrees to use his skills to steal for the SIA, an American espionage agency. Technically under house arrest, Mundy travels all over the world performing daring acts of thievery in the name of Uncle Sam.
Complete series set of 66-episodes.
Robert Wagner, Malachi Throne, Ed Binns and Fred Astaire.
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. Directed by Michael Landon.
Paul Winfield, Louis Gossett Jr., Ruby Dee, Ramon Bieri.
This is the film based on the true adventures of Izzy and Moe, two retired vaudeville performers who became two of the best prohibition enforcement agents of the 1920's. Gleason's and Carney's terrific performances make this an entertaining movie that's certainly worthy of their considerable talents.
Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Cynthia Harris, Zohra Lampert, Drew Synder.
Jaclyn Smith stars as the former First Lady of the Land in the made-for-TV-movie. The daughter of socialites "Black Jack" Bouvier (Rod Taylor) and Janet Lee (Claudette Nevins), Jackie spends her early adulthood at the posh Newport estate of her stepfather, Louis Auchincloss (Donald Moffat). In 1953, 24-year-old Jackie marries Senator John F. Kennedy (James Franciscus), himself a child of privilege. The film follows the King and Queen of "Camelot" through Kennedy's 1960 election as President, the tragedy of Jackie's highly publicized miscarriage in the summer of 1963, and the JFK assassination in the fall of that year. All things considered, Jaclyn Smith does a pretty creditable job capturing the "public" Jackie Kennedy, even if the "private" Jackie remains as elusive as she was in real life.
Jaclyn Smith, James Franciscus, Rod Taylor, Claudette Nevins, Stephen Elliott, Donald Moffat, Dolph Sweet, Eve Roberts.
Robert Mitchum is absolute perfection as an old retired private eye who can't get the bloodhound out of his system as he is sucked into one last case. He enlists the aide of a group of senior citizens to help him find an ex-mobster's daughter. The film opens with b&w clips of Mitchum back in the day and sports a great supporting cast.
Robert Mitchum, Ernest Borgnine, Stella Stevens, Sheree North, Edie Adams, John Mitcum, Nita Talbot, James Mitchum, Terry Moore, Dick Van Patten, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
(Pilot) A 15-year-old whose family moves from Oregon to Boston misses the girlfriend he left behind, so he runs away to see her. On the way he hooks up with a female art student in her 20s who is also hitchhiking across the country, from whom he learns some valuable lessons about life.
Lance Kerwin, Kate Jackson, Kim Richards, Melissa Sue Anderson.
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.
Michael Brandon, Stephen McHattie, Brooke Adams, Candy Clark, Dane Clark, Katherine Helmond and Amy Irving.
Jane Doe, played by Karen Valentine, is an amnesiac with no clue as to her true identity. She does know that she's recovering from a brutal attempted murder. She also knows that a psychopath--a serial killer known as the Roadside Strangler--is tracking her every move. But why? William Devane plays the detective on the case, David Huffman appears as Doe's husband, Stephen E. Miller is sufficiently menacing as the Strangler. But don't be lulled into complacency: there's a surprise ending.
Loni Anderson portrays Mansfield in this made for TV-movie that traces Mansfield's path to fame and her eventual decline. Anderson successfully captures the essence of Mansfield, aptly portraying the drive and determination that helped Mansfield accomplish all she did before dying tragically in a car accident in 1967.
Loni Anderson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ray Buktenica, Kathleen Lloyd, G.D. Spradlin.
Angie Dickinson has a tour-de-force starring in three separate stories -- as a rich woman competing with her sexy daughter for the man she (Dickinson) married; as a beauty who marries a billionaire and becomes insanely jealous of his other love; and as a country singer who is forced to choose between a career and a possessive boyfriend.
Angie Dickinson, Paul Michael Glaser, Richard Mulligan, David Carradine, France Nuyen, Julianne Phillips, Bo Svenson.
Michael Mann's debut feature is a story about striving for greatness even when there is no chance to succeed. Rain Murphy is a hardened convict serving a sentence for murder. The world of prison is breaking him down day by day, but Murphy finds hope in long distance running and attempts to compete for the Olympics while still a prisoner. Peter Strauss won a Best Actor Emmy Award for his powerful portrayal.
Peter Strauss, Roger E. Mosley, Brian Dennehy, Geoffrey Lewis, Ed Lauter, Beverly Todd.
(Pilot) A short-lived television drama starring Lindsay Wagner as Dr. Jessie Hayden, a psychiatrist employed by a Southern California police department. The series only ran from September 18 to November 13, 1984 and its short run included several pre-emptions that no doubt hastened the show's demise.
Lindsay Wagner, Tony Lo Bianco, Celeste Holm, William Lucking, Jonathan Banks.
In this wild thriller, a man awakens in a strange apartment and finds a dead woman floating in the bathtub after he suffered an LSD-flashback the night before. Finding blood upon his hand, he can only wonder how he is involved in the woman's death. He hires private detective who has him take another dose of LSD in order to see if he can remember what had happened. From then it's one bizarre counter-culture rollercoaster ride after another to get at the truth. A lost TV gem if ever there was one.
Bradford Dillman, Harry Gaurdino, Hope Lange, Michael J. Pollard, Susan Saint James, Diana Hyland, Victor Jory, Pat Hingle, James Doohan.
(Pilot) Lt. Frank Dain (James Wainwright) worked for the California State Police as a dogged investigator of missing persons cases. No one was better at piecing together clues and solving mysteries, as Dain's cases took him all over the Golden State. In the terrific and fast paced pilot film for the 1972-73 series, Dain is accused of murder after being found unconscious in the apartment of a murdered state official. Wainwright proved to be a rather unlikely though likeable TV series hero.
James Wainwright, Vera Miles, Edmund O'Brien, Richard Kiley, Marsha Hunt and Andrew Duggan.
No one was better at solving puzzles than Los Angeles police detective John St. John. That's why he was handed the nickname "Jigsaw", as his amazing deductive abilities and interpretation of clues led him to solve a series of baffling murders. Sam Donner was St. John's younger partner, and Maggie was an elementary school teacher whom Jigsaw dated. Jack Warden's perfect blend of wry humor and old-school grit make this shortlived series a real classic.
Series set of 13 of 14 episodes.
Jack Warden, Alan Feinstein, Pippa Scott, James Hong.
Hot from the success of his hugely popular "Baretta", Robert Blake starred in a series of TV-movies as hard-boiled Los Angeles private eye Joe Dancer. The three Joe Dancertwo-hour films have everything one might expect from Blake with equal amounts of casual brutality, humor, and old-school pathos.
This set includes the (3) films: "The Big Black Pill", "The Big Trade" and "The Monkey Mission".
(Pilot) Lloyd Bridges stars as plainclothes policeman Joe Forrester. When a gang of robber-rapists besiege his old beat, Forrester voluntarily returns to uniform duty. He hopes that his presence will encourage the frightened residents to help bring the gang to justice, but the most immediate results of Joe's return are several attempts on his life.
Lloyd Bridges, Pat Crowley, Jim Backus, Dane Clark, Dean Stockwell, Edie Adams, Della Reese, Janis Paige, Tom Drake, Eddie Egan, Don Stroud, Robert Ginty, Gordon Jump.
In this excellent remake of the 1948 Jane Wyman-Lew Ayres film (based on the 1940 Broadway play), Richard Thomas is a do-gooder in a poverty stricken rural area with VISTA where he encounters Rosanna Arquette, whom everybody believes to be retarded but he soon discovers to be deaf. A tentative romance blossoms between the two of them, but violence intervenes when she is terrorized and raped by the local bully. Except for the elimination of the climactic courtroom scene of the Wyman film, this version is a faithful contemporization of the original.
Richard Thomas, Rosanna Arquette, Dennis Quaid, Candy Clark, Fran Ryan, Billy Drago.
Clinton Judd was a high-priced, high powered criminal attorney modeled along the lines of such real-life legal superstars as F. Lee Bailey and Percy Foreman. Based in Houston, Texas, he traveled all over the U.S. defending wealthy tycoons. With the craziness of the time this series is a reminder that in some ways, even the late '60s were highly conservative by today's standards. Carl Betz won both an Emmy and Golden Globe in 1968 for outstanding dramatic actor in this role.
A light-hearted whodunit involving a retired lady judge (Bette Davis), who is a hypochondriac now running a private detective agency, with a charming ex-con (Doug McClure) as her leg man and various parolees helping in the day-to-day operation. Chalk up another winner from the great writing duo of Richard Levinson and William Link (Columbo, Mannix).
Bette Davis, Doug McClure, Eric Braeden, Joan Van Ark, Gary Conway.
In 1930s Alabama, nine young black men are accused of raping two white women. The judge in the case, unlike the rest of the town, comes to believe that the boys are innocent, and against all advice from his friends and family, sets them free, which turns the entire community against him.
Arthur Hill, Vera Miles, Ken Kercheval, Sonny Shroyer, Susan Lederer.
Jolted out of his self-pity by a friend who teaches him to ski, a wounded Vietnam vet comes to look on his double amputation not as a "handicap" but rather "just a little inconvenience." A truly inspiring film with real life amputee James Stacy giving a standout performance.
Lee Majors, James Stacy, Barbara Hershey, Jim Davis, Lane Bradbury, Charles Cioffi.
Kane and Abel are born on the same day the same year on each side of the Atlantic. William Kane are born in one of the richest families of Boston and grows up to be a banker on Wall Street. Abel Rosnovski is born in the Polish countryside and has to spend many years in Siberian prison camps before he travels to New York and eventually creates one of the world's largest chains of hotels. The confrontation between these two men, both striving for power and success, will make the finance capital of the world tremble.
Peter Strauss, Sam Neill, Ron Silver, David Dukes, Fred Gwynne, Jill Eikenberry, Richard Anderson, Alberta Watson and Veronica Hamel.
Gangsters free one of their colleagues being escorted to prison and kill several FBI agents and local police officers in the attempt. Tough-as-nails FBI agent Melvin Purvis puts together a special squad to track down and capture the men responsible.
Dale Robertson, Bo Hopkins, Scott Brady, Matt Clark, Lynn Loring, John Karlen, Harris Yulin.
This Western adventure, inspired by the Kenny Rogers hit song, tells how gambler Brady Hawkes, going in search of a young son he never knew he had, teams up with an impetuous young admirer and a shady lady on his journey, which also involves him with an arrogant railroad owner and a gang of villains.
Kenny Rogers, Bruce Boxleitner, Lee Purcell, Harold Gould, Christine Belford, Clu Gulager.
Cheryl Ladd seemed bound and determined in the early 1980s to prove that she was a Charlie's Angel no more; we probably would have taken her word for it even if she hadn't tried so hard and stridently. Made for television, "Kentucky Woman" found Ladd as a poverty-stricken waitress who becomes a coal miner, despite male opposition, damp boots and squealing rats. She does this to support her fatherless son and her miner dad (Ned Beatty), who is incapacitated by black lung disease. "Kentucky Woman" was filmed on location in Paintsville, Kentucky.
Cheryl Ladd, Ned Beatty, Tess Harper, Peter Weller, Sandy McPeak, and John Randolph.
Produced for the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" anthology, The Key to Rebecca is a two-part adaptation of the Ken Follett novel. Cliff Robertson stars as a British major who is determined to capture an elusive German spy during World War II.The spy in question, played by David Soul, has disguised himself as a British subject and is squirreled away somewhere in Cairo. Robertson hopes to draw Soul out with the help of exotic dancer Lina Raymond and the more "wholesome" but no less attractive Season Hubley. Soul responds to this by kidnaping Hubley, hoping to use her as a shield while he makes his escape.
Cliff Robertson, David Soul, Season Hubley, Anthony Quayle, Lina Raymond, David Hemmings and Robert Culp.
A single mother is overprotective of her mentally challenged son which has made him angry and difficult, while she denies herself a social life. Things change for the better when the boy gains self-esteem training for the Special Olympics and his mother learns to let go.
Susan Saint James, Beau Bridges (who also directed), Loretta Swit, Fred Dryer, Rene Auberjonois, Lynn Carlin.
A Police inspector uncovers one incredible fact after another as he tracks down the 'Killjoy' who murdered a young woman in a large metropolitan hospital. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America's annual Edgar award.
Kim Basinger, Robert Culp, Stephen Macht, Nancy Marchand, John Rubinstein, Ann Dusenberry.
The story of "red light bandit" Caryl Chessman, previously dramatized in the 1955 film Cell 2455, Death Row (based on Chessman's own book), was adapted for television as Kill Me If You Can. In a radical departure from his usual duties as MASH's Hawkeye Pierce, Alan Alda plays Chessman, who in 1948 was found guilty of robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault. Under the laws of the era, Chessman was sentenced to die in the gas chamber. But by studying the law and publishing four books on his plight, the brilliant (albeit still repugnant) Chessman managed to forestall his execution for 12 years. Though no effort is made in the film to make the sociopathic Chessman any better than he was, John Gay's script comes out squarely in opposition of capital punishment. Alda's performance is nothing short of brilliant.
Alan Alda, Talia Shire, John Hillerman, John Randolph, Barnard Hughes, Maxine Stuart, James B. Sikking.
While working on the island the work crew finds a large blue rock that they can not move. Unknown to them is that it is a meteorite that fell to earth (Seen at the very opening of the movie). When one of the workers rams the rock (meteor) with a Cat D9 a large blue light is emitted which cause the D9 to stop running. Later when one of the workers goes to use the D9 it starts running on its own and starts killing the workers.
Clint Walker, Carl Betz, Robert Urich, Neville Brand, James Wainwright.
A father convinces his three young sons that he has been unjustly accused of murder and that they should break him out of jail. However, when his sons succeed in the jailbreak attempt, the father brings along his cellmate, and soon the sons find themselves involved in the pair's murderous crime spree.
Robert Mitchum, James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Catherine Mary Stewart, Stuart Margolin, Lance Kerwin.
The passengers on a cruise ship are seized by panic when a deadly virus begins killing off passengers and crew.
Patty Duke, George Hamilton, Jayne Seymour, Claude Akins, William Daniels, Susan Howard, Frank Converse, Bonnie Bartlett, Murray Hamilton and Beatrice Straight.
After his wife was killed in a mysterious bomb explosion, a cop leaves the department and starts a charter boat service. When an undercover agent who is a close friend is killed, he is asked to look into it, and discovers a web of espionage and murder.
Mike Connors, Samantha Eggar, Mariette Hartley, Patrick O'Neal, Clu Gulager, Robert Hooks, James Shigeta, Philip Ahn.
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.
Hal Holbrook, Dixie Carter, James Whitmore Jr., Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Anthony Edwards.
Michael Landon's directorial debut tells the story of a man sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit but is freed ten years later, and must begin to rebuild his life. Landon obviously knew how to pull our heartstrings and this top-notch drama is no exception.
Gil Gerard, J.D. Cannon, Jim Davis, Corinne Camacho, Matthew Laborteaux, Nehemiah Persoff.
After a hugely successful four-year run on “Highway Patrol”, Academy Award winnerBroderick Crawford returned to series television as John King, a tough as nails, grouchy private detective who worked for firms in the diamond industry. He worked out of a New York City office with Casey O’Brien as his hotshot young associate.Despite its enormous popularity this series was sadly cancelled after only one season and 39-episodes due to its expensive production cost.
2-rare episodes “The Wizard of Ice” (pilot)with guest stars Telly Savalas, Lola Albright and John Marley and “Commando Tactics”with guest starGerald Mohr. (avq: 7/10)
Lieutenant Theo Kojak teams up with Dana Sutton, a comely federal agent, to uncover a conspiracy reaching back to the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union.
Telly Savalas, Suzanne Pleshette, Max von Sydow, Alan Rosenberg, George Savalas.
Simply one of the finest TV movies of all time that won a slew of Emmys in 1973 and set the stage for the hugely successful series that followed. This film is based on a real case, the Wylie-Hoffert murder of 1963. A case that led to a fundamental change in the US legal system. Two young girls are found murdered in their apartment in East Manhattan and Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas) heads up the investigation. When a black ghetto youth is arrested and confesses to the murder Kojak is suspicious. Getting a lead from a junkie, Kojak goes on to prove the innocence of one man and the guilt of another. Guest stars: Ned Beatty, Jose Ferrer, Marjoe Gortner.
NOTE: This is the ORIGINAL, UNCUT 180 MINUTE PILOT and not the re-edited re-release. This film is seperate from the series and not included in other box sets.
Set in Los Angeles circa: 1947, this murder mystery centers around private eye Dol Bonnor whose latest investigation hits close to home when her partner's guardian is killed.
Crystal Bernard, Annabeth Gish, Roy Thinnes, Polly Bergen, Barbara Luna, Rob Estes, Dan Castellaneta.
Based on the incredible true story of the life of Sally Stanford, who operated a bordello in the northern California town of Sausalito in the 1930s and 1940s, and eventually went on to be elected mayor of the town.
Dyan Cannon, Armand Assante, Zohra Lampert, Susan Tyrrell, Colleen Camp, Christopher Norris.
(Pilot) Terrific pilot film for the subsequent shortlived TV series based on Harry Kemelman's novels about crimesolving Rabbi David Small. Stuart Margolin plays the Rabbi, while Art Carney is top-billed as the police detective who frequently relies on Small's intuition. This initial episode, adapted from Kemelman's "Friday the Rabbi Slept Late" concerns the murder of a woman whose body is discovered on the steps of the Rabbi's California synagogue. The mystery is given equal time with Small's concern over his pregnant wife, who is about to give birth at any minute. (avq: 7/10)
Art Carney, Stuart Margolin, Janis Paige, Janet Margolin, Lorraine Gary, Andrew Robinson and Robert Reed.
The Last Child takes place in America in 1994, a time in which a massive, chronic overpopulation crisis has resulted in the passage of Draconian laws, declaring that no couple can have more than one child, and that nobody over the age of 65 can receive any but the most superficial medical treatment. Michael Cole and Janet Margolin play a young married couple whose first child died; she is pregnant again, and they now find themselves hounded by the authorities when she refuses to submit to a legally mandated abortion. Chased across country by Population Control agent Edward Asner they plan to escape to Canada but find the border closed. They receive unexpected help from Van Heflin, in his final screen performance, portraying retired U.S. Senator Quincy George, who opposed the Population Control Laws. He shelters Cole and Margolin at great risk to himself, using what political clout and respect he still commands in his own state to block Asner's pursuit. They must find a means of escaping the country, however, as the authorities close in even on this momentarily safe haven.
Michael Cole, Janet Margolin, Van Heflin, Harry Guardino, Edward Asner, Barbara Babcock, Kent Smith.
A completely satisfying ensemble story of human/historic events influencing/effecting people's lives. Really, thoroughly enjoyable; placing the World War II generation at their starting point and how they have so profoundly--in a positive sense--fashioned American life.
Deborah Raffin, Edward Albert, Bruce Boxleitner, Sharon Gless, Kim Darby, Perry King, Vic Morrow, John Houseman.
Sharon appears to be a normal 17 year old girl with good grades, many friends, and a wonderful personality - hardly someone you think would be considering suicide. Her home life is constrained by the pressures and expectations of her parents. She slowly spirals downward, her mother at one point telling her that she has no business being unhappy. So, she gulps down a bottle of sleeping pills. She is saved, but for how long?
Linda Purl, Shirley Jones, Tony Lo Bianco, Grant Goodeve, Karen Lamm, Delta Burke, Cindy Eilbacher.
Fact based story set in Saigon in April, 1975 shortly after the US combat troops have withdrawn and immediately before the Communist forces over run the city. American citizens try to help South Vietnamese refugees escape on the last commercial flight that will be permitted to leave the city. A truly excellent film with terrific performances especially James Earl Jones and Richard Crenna.
Richard Crenna, James Earl Jones, Rosalind Chao, Barry Corbin, Molly Hagen, Arliss Howard, James Hong.
During the French and Indian War in colonial America, a white scout, with two of his Indian brothers, helps a British officer escort two women through dangerous territory, with both French troops and hostile Indians after them. Beautifully told tale for the whole family.
Steve Forrest, Ned Romero, Andrew Prine, Michele Marsh, Whit Bissell.
A light-hearted view of the Dalton Gang's legendary raid on Coffeyville, Kansas and the years leading up to it as the brothers form themselves into a gang of horse thieves, train and bank robbers with their arch enemy, Detective Will Smith, constantly on their heels. Director Dan Curtis scores yet again!
Dale Robertson, Jack Palance, Bo Hopkins, Sharon Farrell, Cliff Potts, Randy Quaid, Larry Wilcox.
Warm and winning comedy stars Katharine Hepburn as the title character, a famed author who, as part of a wager, moves out of her Manhattan penthouse to live with a typical suburban family, and is soon running her new household's lives.
Katharine Hepburn, Joel Higgins, Karen Austin, Brenda Forbes, Nicolas Surovy.
Former policewoman Dorothy Uhnak wrote the book upon which this 150-minute TV movie was based. The central characters of "Law and Order" are the male members of an Irish-American family--three generations of police officers. The bulk of the drama concerns the conflicts between Deputy Chief of Public Affairs Brian O'Malley (Darren McGavin) and his Vietnam-vet son, who has become a beat cop. In addition to his problems at home, Chief O'Malley must contend with rumors of departmental corruption. This film was designed as the pilot for a Police Story-style series with a family slant.
Darren McGavin, Suzanne Pleshette, Keir Dullea, Robert Reed, James Olson, Teri Garr, Jeanette Nolan, Will Geer, Scott Brady, Alan Arbus, Whitney Blake, James Whitmore Jr.
Originally called "The Deputies," this pilot movie for a prospective series (referred to as "The Rookies on Horseback") follows a frontier lawman and his young deputies in their frantic search for a psychopath with a vendetta against prostitutes. Solid Western fare from the writing/producing/directing team of the epic miniseries Centennial.
Jim Davis, Don Johnson, Barbara Parkins, Nicholas Hammond, Darleen Carr, Moses Gunn, Andrew Prine, Glenn Corbett, Jim McMullan, Charles Martin Smith.
(Pilot) Shortly after the Civil War, a man pulls himself out of a grave in the South wearing Southern clothing but carrying Northern gold and carrying a US Army revolver. He has no memory save for some gorgeous brunette and being beaten over the head by a man in a derby just before John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln. He calls himself "Lazarus" after the man Jesus resurrected until he can figure out who he is and why he was buried alive and left for dead.
A man has been buried alive in Texas, but manages somehow to muster up the strength to pull himself out of the grave. However, he now suffers from amnesia. All he knows of his former life are the brief images that keep flashing into his mind. He sets out to uncover his identity, but soon realizes that there are many people who want to see him buried again -- this time permanently.
Complete series set of 20-episodes plus the pilot film.
Randy Quaid avoids caricature and cliché in his multifaceted portrayal of Lyndon Baines Johnson in "LBJ: The Early Years". This made-for-TV film chronicles the years 1934 through 1963, tracing the beginnings of Johnson's public career, chronicling his reputation for down-and-dirty politicking, and following his progress from congressman to senator to majority leader to vice president. Staunchly at LBJ's side through thick and thin is faithful-wife Lady Bird (Patti LuPone), whose fidelity remains unshaken even while Johnson dallies with other women. Charles Frank co-stars as John F. Kennedy, whose assassination catapults the reluctant Johnson into the presidency that he'd always wanted to win on his own merits.
Randy Quaid, Patti LuPone, Charles Frank, Kevin McCarthy, Pat Hingle, Frances Conroy.
(Pilot) A delightful series about Claire McCarron, a private detective and former assistant DA, who uses her cunning, effervescence, and good looks to get to the bottom of things, as she runs her own New York-based agency. In the pilot Claire obtains evidence for an insurance agent showing that three of his clients are fraudulently receiving insurance benefits. Before she can collect her money, and in her presences, the insurance agent is killed.
Margaret Colin, Frances McDormand, Patrick James Clarke, John Pankow, and Marisa Tomei.
Elizabeth Montgomery stars as Lizzie Borden, a 19th-century Massachusetts woman, who is put on trial for the brutal slaughter of her father and step-mother in the family mansion. She is accused of hacking up her parents with an ax after carefully removing her clothes to avoid bloodstains. Based on fact and considered shocking at the time for a TV-movie.
Elizabeth Montgomery, Ed Flanders, Katherine Helmond, Fritz Weaver, Don Porter, Bonnie Bartlett.
A "dramatization" of the life of actor Rudolph Valentino, widely regarded as the screen's first male sex symbol. A better then average star biopic with terrific performances by Franco Nero as Valentino and Suzanne Pleshette as famed screenwriter June Mathis. (7/10)
A portrait of the rise and fall of this New York real estate monarch who ruled Harry Helmsley's life and empire with the cold-hearted style that earned her the title - The Queen of Mean. Score yet another bulls-eye for the great Suzanne Pleshette, who is so rivitingly good as Helmsley that she makes the audience sympathatic for the ever disturbed and distasteful Leona.
Suzanne Pleshette, Lloyd Bridges, Joe Regalbuto, Bruce Weitz, Marcia Diamond, Raymond Singer.
Made for television, "A Letter to Three Wives" is a modernized version of the classic 1949 theatrical film of the same name. While on a charity picnic, the wives of three well-to-do men each receive a letter from a fourth woman, a flashy divorcée named Addie (who is never seen). With calculated sweetness and sympathy, Addie informs the ladies that she is about to run off with the husband of one of them. In flashback, each wife recalls her marriage, wondering if it is she who is about to be divested of her husband (and simultaneously asking herself why this might be happening).
Loni Anderson, Ben Gazzara, Michele Lee, Stephanie Zimbalist, Michael Gross, Doris Roberts and Ann Sothern.
This was the "unofficial" Liberace biopic, as opposed to the error-ridden "official" Liberace (telecast one week earlier in October of 1988). The star of Liberace: Behind the Music is Broadway actor and "Alias" star Victor Garber. Again, this is an unauthorized TV movie based on the recollections of the pianist's business manager, giving scriptwriter Gavin Lambert far more leeway in delineating the title character, warts and all. The closing sequences delve much deeper into the AIDS question than was possible in the family-approved "Liberace". Liberace: Behind the Music could have descended into tabloidism ("Behind the rumors and the secrets" read the advertising copy), but emerges as a work of conspicuous dignity and (reasonably) good taste.
Victor Garber, Maureen Stapleton, Saul Rubinek, Michael Dolan.
Excellent retelling of the fact-based story of the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jr., son and namesake of the famed pilot, and ensuing trial of accused and convicted killer, Bruno Hauptmann. A powerful tour-de-force performance by Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Cliff De Young, Anthony Hopkins, Sian Barbara Allen, Martin Balsam, Dean Jagger, Laurence Luckinbill, Tony Roberts, Helen Page Camp, Keenan Wynn, Joseph Cotton, Ellen Geer, Michael O'Keefe and Walter Pidgeon.
A two-part TV adaptation of Barbara Goldsmith's 1980 best-seller. The film concerns the true-life custody battle over the daughter of millionaire Reggie Vanderbilt (Christopher Plummer) and his "child bride," Gloria Morgan. When the over-imbibing Reggie dies, Gloria enjoys the high life as a wealthy widow, leaving her daughter in the care of her sister-in-law, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (chillingly portrayed by Angela Lansbury in her TV-movie debut). Gloria's personal income, predicated on the child's inheritance, is severely cut, whereupon Gloria sues the indomitable Vanderbilts for custody of her daughter.
Bette Davis, Martin Balsam, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Plummer, Maureen Stapleton, John Hillerman, Glynis Johns, Barnard Hughes, Michael Gross.
A 15-year-old runaway falls into the sordid world of prostitution, but a police aid takes an interest in her and helps her struggle to a life of decency despite the dirty-doings of a corrupt cop.
David Soul, Linda Purl, Louis Gossett Jr., Clifton Davis, Carolyn Jones, Paul Burke, Kathleen Quinlan, Vic Tayback, Katherine Helmond, Dorothy Malone.
This made-for-TV biopic covers the life of teenaged tennis star Maureen Catherine Connolly (Glynnis O'Connor), better known as "Little Mo." Making a spectacular debut during the 1951 US Open, 16-year-old Maureen goes on to become the first female ever to win the Grand Slam of Tennis. But in 1953, her career was tragically cut short by illness, culminating in the cancer that would take her life at age 34 in 1969. To fill out the film's nearly three-hour running time, writer John McGreevey weaves in a number of non-tennis details, including her love-hate relationship with tennis instructor Eleanor Tennant (Michael Learned) and her romance with Olympic equestrian Norman Brinker (Mark Harmon). Anne Baxter is cast as "Mo"'s mother, replacing Lana Turner. Little Mo first aired September 5, 1978 on NBC.
Glynnis O'Connor, Michael Learned, Anne Baxter, Martin Milner, Leslie Nielsen, Mark Harmon, Anne Francis, Claude Akins, Ann Doran, Tracy Gold.
After being cryogenically frozen for more than 30 years, a woman wakes to find her husband an old man and her children older than she is. She also wakes to find that her daughter is crazy and wants her dead.
Donna Mills, Walter Pidgeon, Vera Miles, Mike Farrell, Cliff Potts and Geraldine Page.
When a young frontier couple elope, and are chased by the girl's father and brothers, they join up with an escaped convict and get mixed up with a charlatan preacher. A lot of fun with a great cast!
Tim Matheson, Belinda J. Montgomery, Claude Akins, Jack Albertson, Neville Brand, Burgess Meredith, John Beck, Mills Watson, Charles Dierkop, Joe "Curly Joe" Di Reda.
Hardly a person is now alive who does not remember the 1978 ecological disaster at the chemical-waste deposits in Love Canal, New York. This absorbing made-for-TV film stars Oscar nominee Marsha Mason as housewife Lois Gibbs, who suspects that her children have fallen ill due to leakage of toxic waste at the nearby deposits. The New York State Department of Health closes down the elementary school, but for Lois and nearly 700 of her neighbors, this just isn't enough. Lois begins a loud and aggressive movement to force the United States Government to relocate the residents of Love Canal, and to reimburse them for the loss of their property.
Marsha Mason, Bob Gunton, Penny Fuller, Roberta Maxwell, Jeremy Licht, Louise Latham, Robert Picardo.
In this worthy follow-up sequel to the wonderful "When Every Day Was the Fourth of July", a Jewish family fights prejudice in their New England community in the years before World War II.
Dean Jones, Joan Hackett, Louanne, John Karlen, Donald Moffat and Andrew Duggan.
A teenager is injured while out on a school field trip. Eventually one of her legs has to be amputated. She also has some memory loss. While she struggles to get used to her new (artificial) limb, she also tries to remember what she has forgotten. Her recovery places some stress on her parents.
Mike Connors, Cloris Leachman, Stephanie Zimbalist, Katy Kurtzman.
During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, an assorted group of refugees, including an American soldier, an Army nurse, a priest and a group of local children, try to make their getaway aboard a rattletrap, creaky bus. A rousing, old-fashion, action adventure film from start to finish!
Doug McClure, Katharine Ross, Ricardo Montalban, Helen Thompson.
James Franciscus played Michael Longstreet, a New Orleans insurance investigator who was blinded in an attempt on his life in which his wife, Ingrid, was killed. With help from his best friend Duke (who heads the Great Pacific Casualty Company), his assistant/companion Nikki, and guide dog Pax, Longstreet continues at his job. Bruce Lee had a reoccuring role in the series teaching Longstreet jeet kune do, a Chinese form of improvisational combat.
Complete series set of 23-episodes plus the pilot movie.
James Franciscus, Marilyn Mason, Peter Mark Richman, Bruce Lee.
This sequel to Roman Polanski's 1968 chiller traces the growth to adulthood of the half-human/half-demon child whose life is a macabre battleground between human and satanic forces. Ruth Gordon recreates her original film role, and Patty Duke Astin and George Maharis take over where Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes left off.
Patty Duke, George Maharis, Ruth Gordon, Stephen McHattie, Broderick Crawford, Donna Mills, Lloyd Haynes, Tina Louise, and Ray Milland.
This is a compelling story of the experiences of three young women who attended the University of California at Berkeley and became caught up in the tumultuous changes of the Sixties. Sara Davidson follows the three--Susie, Tasha, and Sara herself--from their first meeting in 1962, through the events that "radicalized" them in unexpected ways in the decade after the years in Berkeley. Susie navigates through the Free Speech Movement and the early women's movement in Berkeley, and Tasha enters the trendy New York art and society scene. Sara, a journalist, travels the country reporting on the stories of the sixties.
The private lives that Davidson reconstructs are set against the public background of the time. Figures such as Timothy Leary, Mario Savio, Tom Hayden, and Joan Baez are here, as are the many young people who sought alternatives to "the establishment" through whatever means seemed worth exploring: radical politics, meditation, drugs, group sex, or dropping out. Davidson's honest and detailed chronicle reveals the hopes, confusion, and disillusionment of a generation whose rites of passage defined one of the most contentious decades of this century.
Christina Raines, Season Hubley, Theodore Bikel, John Getz, June Lockhart, David Wayne and Stephen Macht.
Lloyd Bridges is the captain of a downed airliner who must help his crew and passengers survive on a deserted jungle island in the midst of a power struggle - an adult version of "Lord of the Flies".
Lloyd Bridges, Anne Francis, Ralph Meeker, Bobby Van, Billy Dee Williams.
After everyone on the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" got fired, Lou Grant went to Los Angeles and became city editor of the L.A. Tribune, owned by Mrs. Pynchon, with whom Lou often has loud but sympathetic arguments. Lots of social causes and interpersonal relationships
Complete series set of 114-episodes.
Ed Asner, Linda Kelsey, Robert Walden, Mason Adams Jack Bannon and Nancy Marchand.
The story of how jazz great Louis Armstrong got his start playing in Chicago clubs, how he was framed on a drug charge, and his travels throughout Europe where he first gained worldwide fame.
Ben Vereen, Red Buttons, Margaret Avery, Janet MacLachlan, Bill Henderson.
Corbin Bernsen plays a hard-boiled 1940s private eye operating in the 1990s. No, he's not a senior citizen: he's dead. It is the ghost of Bernsen who teams with the very much alive, Jaclyn Smith (yum) a contemporary PI. She's trying to solve the decades-old homicide case which Bernsen was working on when he was sent into the Big Sleep by persons unknown. Topper Returns, anyone?
Jaclyn Smith, Corbin Bernsen, Cliff De Young, Nicholas Pryor and Anne Francis.
Ryan O'Neal plays Russ Emery, a glib engineer who steals the heart of a fashion model named Sheila Blunden. She in turn leaves her jet setter fiance who turns out to be a psychotic who will not let go of Sheila that easily.
Ryan O'Neal, Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Haskell, Henry Jones.
A lawyer finds herself in love for the first time in her life with her client, a convict who's killed an inmate in self-defense. When she learns that his life is in danger and that his chances for acquittal are slim, they engineer a daring escape.
Stephanie Zimbalist, Alec Baldwin, Howard Duff, Constance McCashin, Ernie Hudson.
Two different alien races are at war. Representatives of each race have landed on Earth to battle it out here, but they're being sneaky about it: They've taken human form and they can only spot other aliens through the use of special glasses. A true lost classic!
Lloyd Bridges, Angie Dickinson, Daniel J. Travanti, Pepper Martin.
This outrageous carbon copy of "Gone With the Wind" had a petulant, self-centered Southern belle fighting not only to keep herself the center of attraction among her countless beaux but also to hold on to the family homestead when the Union Army comes marching through, and then it veers off into a search for a cache of gold and a look at prison camp life under the bluecoats. Not since "Gone With the Wind" has there been a romantic drama with the epic sweep of "Love's Savage Fury" a voice intoned solemnly before the letters of the title, ripping a page from the classic to which its producers dared compare it, swept majestically across the TV screen.
Jennifer O'Neill, Perry King, Raymond Burr, Robert Reed, Connie Stevens, Ed Lauter, Debbi Morgan.
(Pilot) A Hawaii beach bum finds himself surrogate uncle to five orphaned children in this pilot movie for the shortlived TV series which turned up briefly in the spring of 1979 as "The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove." Filmed entirely on location on the island of Oahu.
Clu Gulager, Sean Thomas Roche, Talia Balsam, Keith Coogan, Lori Walsh, Sean Marshall.
Alex Karras is pulls out all the stops as an embittered professional wrestler, convinced that his life has no meaning outside the ring, meets a beautiful woman. Unlike most of the women he has known, she seems to be interested in him for himself rather than his fame or his money, and he finds himself becoming attracted to everything she has to offer.
Alex Karras, Susan Anspach, Nicholas Colasanto, Elisha Cook Jr., Dennis Burkley, Mike Mazurki, Regis Philbin.
Bette Davis is Madame Sin, a sinister-looking, totally evil, half-Chinese woman who indulges in endless machinations. Ensocnced in a Scottish castle that is packed with an array of spy gadgetry, she runs afoul with counter spy, American CIA agent Anthony Lawrence (Robert Wagner), who is out to counter her plots for control of a Polaris submarine.
Bette Davis, Robert Wagner, Denholm Elliott, Catherine Schell, Roy Kinnear.
Biography of the curvaceous and sharp-witted actress who scandalized Broadway and Hollywood in the 1920s-30s with her frank approach to sex. Ann Jillian is top-notch as Mae.
Ann Jillian, James Brolin, Piper Laurie, Roddy McDowall, Chuck McCann, Ian Wolfe.
A young couple from Milwaukee moves into the fabled, high-society Malibu beach community and becomes involved with the lives of the various people living in the community.
Kim Novak, James Coburn, Eva Marie Saint, Steve Forrest, Chad Everett, Ann Jillian, Anthony Newley, Richard Mulligan, Valerie Perrine, William Atherton, Susan Dey, George Hamilton, Jenilee Harrison, Troy Donahue.
Fact-based comedy drama recounting Hollywood's legendary feud between gossip queens Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper during filmdom's golden era. Jane Alexander's depiction of Hedda Hopper won her an Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Actress.
Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Alexander, Tim Robbins, Richard Dysart, Joyce Van Patten, Bonnie Bartlett, John Pleshette.
George Peppard reprises his role as Sergeant Frank Doakey, an honest police detective who is fighting to keep organized crime out of Los Angeles in the 1940s. In this sequel, Doakey follows a trail of murder which leads him to uncover a prostitution ring operated by mobsters in Chinatown.
George Peppard, Charles Haid, Ursula Andress, Richard Bradford, Julia Nickson, Norman Alden.
In this utterly charming holiday season fantasy, Fred Astaire turns up as eight different characters to help change the lives of three total strangers who have made their way to a costume shop to rent Santa Claus outfits for various reasons, and he introduces a new song, "That Once a Year Christmas Day."
Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, Harold Gould, Gary Burghoff, Bert Convy, John Byner, Brooke Bundy.
Man on a String was a derivation of Tightrope, a 1959-60 TV series starring Mike Connors as an undercover agent. Despite high ratings, Tightrope was forced off the air due to its excessive violence, but its producers held out hopes that someday they'd be able to revive the property. This 1971 TV-movie attempt stars Christopher George as a government undercover man, answerable only to his superior William Schallert. Guest-star Joel Grey plays a psychic criminal, called in to help solve a series of murders. Man on a String was first telecast on February 18, 1972; its ratings were respectable, but a series was not forthcoming.
Christopher George, Jack Warden, Joel Grey, Keith Carradine, Kitty Winn, William Schallert.
See why Katharine Hepburn's quick wit and smart charm is truly timeless. Here, she plays an independent, elderly woman living alone who discovers an escaped convict hiding in her attic. She could turn this man in to the authorities, but what fun would that be? Instead, this senior rebel befriends the outlaw. Only she could make you believe that a little old lady could take down a convicted felon. The interaction between her and Ryan O'Neal is very natural and most endearing. The enjoyment they took in each other comes through loud and clear in their performances. O'Neal definitely holds his own against Ms. Hepburn.
Katharine Hepburn, Ryan O'Neal, Henry Beckman, Helena Carroll.
A boozy, burnt-out animal trainer sets a pair of deadly Bengal tigers free so they can terrorize a quiet California suburban hamlet. It's up to amiable detective Tom Skerritt and rugged hunter Steve Forrest to bag the bloodthirsty beasts before things get too out of hand. A highly enjoyable 70's made-for-TV killer animal flick.
Tom Skerritt, Steve Forrest, Diana Muldaur, Dabney Coleman, G.D. Spradlin, Harry Morgan.
Det. Lt. Howard Finucane is a hard-nosed policeman with the San Diego, California Police Department while Ben Andrews is a reporter with the Chronicle newspaper. Both men worked well together and helped each other's causes. The musical score was very slick with up-to-date jazz of the period a la Peter Gunn.
One of the hippest, most violent detective series in TV history, "Mannix" tells the weekly adventures of private eye Joe Mannix, who originally worked for a high-concept computerized firm known as Intertect, but later opened his own agency at 17 Paseo Verde, Los Angeles, California. Peggy Fair was his secretary, who was frequently kidnapped. Lots of shootings, car chases, fights, and crashes -- everything a great private eye should be!
This hilarious comedy stars Bob Newhart as a middle-aged suburbanite with a great home and a loving wife. After encountering a beautiful runner and becoming utterly smitten with her, he goes to extremes -- including participating in the grueling New York Marathon -- in order to grow closer to her.
Bob Newhart, Leigh Taylor-Young, Herb Edelman, Anita Gillette, John Hillerman, Dick Guatier.
This series follows doctors Marcus Welby, a general practitioner of the old-school and Steven Kiley, Welby's young assistant. The two try to treat people as individuals in an age of specialized medicine and uncaring doctors.
Series set of 155-episodes.
Robert Young, James Brolin, Elena Verdugo, Pamela Hensley.
The swishing fop Don Diego de la Vega becomes the swashbuckling masked hero Zorro when tyranny threatens his people in nineteenth-century California. Delightful, very sensual take on the Zorro legend... Frank Langella is unforgettable.
Frank Langella, Ricardo Montalban, Gilbert Roland, Yvonne De Carlo, Louise Sorel, Robert Middleton and Anne Archer.
Based on the same novel that inspired the Mel Gibson film Tim, "Mary & Tim" chronicles the unlikely love that blooms between a lonely widow (Candice Bergen) and the mentally challenged young man (Thomas McCarthy) she teaches to read.
Candice Bergen, Thomas McCarthy, Richard Kiley, Kelli Williams, Louise Latham, and Shirley Knight.
Susan Dey stars as a young mother with a history of mistreating her 3 year old daughter. Ms. Dey's erratic behavior is rooted in her own unhappy childhood and her failed marriage. Tricia O'Neil plays the doctor who endeavors to help both Dey and her daughter, despite the interference of well-meaning bureaucrats. Joanna Lee's script for this TV-movie is more effective then one might think for this type of TV fodder.
Susan Dey, John Vernon, Kevin McCarthy, Tricia O'Neil, Bernie Casey, Priscilla Pointer, Rhea Perlman.
Journalist William Allen White, the Pulitzer Prize-winning sage of Emporia, Kansas, lost his beloved 16-year-old daughter Mary when she was killed in a horseback-riding accident in 1921. The grieving White then wrote a newspaper editorial celebrating his daughter's life, which he printed in his own Emporia Gazette and which has since attained classic status. The film uses the editorial as a reference point for a series of flashbacks, recalling Mary's last year on earth. The events are put in context with the social temper of the times, as both father and daughter fight against such exigencies as segregation and in favor of Women's Suffrage. Refreshingly free of phony sentimentality, this moving, inspirational film is a triumph in visual storytelling.
Ed Flanders, Kathleen Beller, Fionnula Flanagan, Tim Matheson, Donald Moffat, Diana Douglas, Kaki Hunter.
(Pilot) A former secret agent, now a private investigator, is hired to protect a beautiful film star and gets involved with black marketeers and gun runners.
Tony Franciosa, Ann Turkel, Patrick Macnee, Laraine Stephens, John Vernon, Gene Evans, Hari Rhodes, Catherine Bach.
Matt Houston, heir to an oil fortune, used his money and free time to persue his passion: detective work. With fancy cars and helicopters at his disposal, and a bevy of bikini-clad beauties often on screen, he worked with lawyer friend C.J. (and later uncle Roy) to solve mysteries, often involving others who were rich and famous like himself. While the 1st season often included the down-to-earth Novelli clan (Matt's best friend and police detective Vince and his mother Rosa), who added a touch of warm family goodness to the show, the 2nd and 3rd seasons concentrated more heavily on the action and mystery.
Complete series set of 70-episodes.
Lee Horsley, Pamela Hensley, Buddy Ebsen, John Aprea, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Dennis Fimple, Penny Santon.
Matt Lincoln was a Los Angeles psychiatrist practicing "preventive psychiatry" - struggling to assist people in the early stages of emotional distress in order to avoid further, more complicated treatment. Each episode's title is the first name of that episode's patient.
4-very rare episodes edited into two TV-movies:
(1) THE CLIFF: Sheila / Charles (7/10)
(2) REMEMBER: Lia / Adam (9/10)
Vince Edwards, Patty Duke, Dean Jagger, Martin Sheen, Harold Gould, Herb Edelman, Katherine Crawford, Natalie Schaffer, Walter Brooke.
At the height of the counter-culture, Dennie has returned from a year among the hippies to her superficial, image-conscious suburban family that perpetuates an even wider generational gap. A definite MUST SEE for early 70s pop culture buffs!
Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Jackie Cooper, David Carradine, Lane Bradbury.
Mayday at 40,000 Feet is a classic 1970s, regulation crisis-in-the-air TV movie distinguished by the accomplished direction of Robert (Hill Street Blues) Butler. Our man David Janssen pilots a 747 chock full of guest stars, battling a snowstorm in order to find his way back to the airport. The plane develops engine trouble, threatening to dump its celebrity cargo in the icy drink. Adding to Janssen's growing list of problems is a maniac who goes on a shooting rampage in the first-class section. A terrific cast adds to the suspense. (8/10)
David Janssen, Christopher George, Don Meredith, Lynda Day George, Broderick Crawford, Jane Powell, Tom Drake, Marjoe Gortner, Christopher Norris, Hari Rhodes, Al Molinaro, and Ray Milland.
Inspired by the explosive sex-for-sale scandal that rocked Manhattan in 1984, the infamous Sydney Biddle Barrows, a driven young socialite, opens an exclusive escort service catering to the wealthy and affluent. From Sydney's rise to become a million-dollar, modern-day madam to her notorious plummet into bankruptcy and public disgrace, experience a private glimpse into the forbidden world of high-class prostitution-where money talks...pleasure sells...and discretion is everything.
Candice Bergen, Chris Sarandon, Chita Rivera, Jim Antonio, Caitlin Clarke, Debra Rogers.
San Francisco attorney Stewart MacMillan is named commisioner of the San Francisco police department. With his pretty, but somewhat cooky, wife Sally, his hard drinking housekeeper Mildred and his assistant, the somewhat dimwitted, Seargent Charlie Enright, Mac manages to solve some of San Francisco's most baffling crimes.
Complete series set of 39-episodes.
Rock Hudson, Susan Saint James, Nancy Walker, John Schuck.
(Pilot) In this excellent television pilot film for the shortlived series about a tough-as-nails female deputy district attorney (Susan Clark), here assigned the task of trying to pin a murder rap on a modern-day "saint," a beloved religious crusader (Vera Miles) accused of killing her young lover. The subsequent series ran for only three episodes.
Susan Clark, Vera Miles, Ricardo Montalban, Ralph Bellamy, Mike Farrell, James T. Callahan, Louise Lathamand Harold J. Stone.
Located in the Los Angeles area, Medical Center was an otherwise unnamed hospital complex that was part of a large university campus. Dr. Paul Lochner was the chief of staff, an experienced, professional, compassionate man. Dr. Joe Gannon was a young associate professor of surgery and a close friend of Dr. Lochner. / 20-episodes
(Pilot) U.M.C. - The initials stand for University Medical Center, where this TV movie was set (the University was actually UCLA, though not so named). The heads of the institution are Dr. Joseph Gannon (Richard Bradford), and Gannon's mentor and best friend Dr. Lee Forestman (Edward G. Robinson). Gannon performs a heart transplant on Forestman, a procedure that lands him in court. The plaintiff is the heart donor's widow, who claims that Gannon allowed her husband to die to save Forestman. When U.M.C. developed into the long-running weekly series Medical Center, Edward G. Robinson was busy elsewhere, Chad Everett replaced Richard Bradford as Gannon, and James Daly, third-billed in U.M.C., had been appointed the med center's chief of staff.
Edward G. Robinson, Richard Bradford, James Daly, Kim Stanley, Kevin McCarthy, Shelly Fabares, J.D. Cannon, William Windom.
A very rare two-hour special from the golden age of television. In kinescope, this was a live TV remake in of the 1944 MGM film. Utterly charming and lively you would never know it was not an actual film, the actors are all letter perfect with their lines and singing and dancing. Myrna Loy and Walter Pidgeon are the parents, they could practically have been in the original as they were both MGM stars at the time, so it is nice they got to be in this one. They even sing in one number, "You and I". Also there is Jeanne Crain in one of her few live TV performances, very pretty still in her early thirties playing a teenager. But perhaps best of all is Jane Powell in Judy Garland's old role, and in great voice singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "The Trolley Song", "The Boy Next Door" and giving a terrific performance. A special treat is also Patty Duke in the Margaret O'Brian role; she was possibly the best of an excellent bunch, very bratty and cute.
Agent Melvin Purvis is placed in charge of running down notorious killer Machine Gun Kelly, and sets out to do just that. This is an excellent first go-around for director Dan Curtis and star Dale Robertson who teamed up again the following year for the sequel "The Kansas City Massacre".
Dale Robertson, Harris Yulin, Dick Sargent, Margaret Blye, Matt Clark, John Karlen, Steve Kanaly.
A movie based on the true case of Roswell Gilbert, a 75-year-old retiree living in Florida, who, in 1985, shot his wife Emily to death, after she suffered from Alzheimer's disease for the last seven years of their 51-year marriage. Gilbert was charged with first-degree murder for the mercy killing.
Robert Young, Frances Reid, Eddie Albert, Marshall Colt, Michael Learned, Paulette Attie.
In this legendary segment of the great daytime talk-show, Mike co-hosts with James Stewart and welcomes Fred MacMurray and Frank Capra as they reminisce about their careers and old-Hollywood. (NOTE: Because this rarity comes from a studio master print a time code appears at the bottom of the picture.)
A lonely and aging man (Martin Balsam) is in for quite a change in his life when his granddaughter, an advisor at a center for young wayward girls, gets him to foster a feisty teen (Mackenzie Phillips) who has come to call the center home. Two people very troubled in their own way and separated by a generation gap come together to share love, laughter, and heartache.
Martin Balsam, Mackenzie Phillips, Kitty Winn, Pamela Ferdin, Tom Atkins, Elizabeth Wilson.
Jericho and Dora Adams, along with their infant son, are captured by American Indians seeking revenge for Jericho killing the chief's son. The chief intends raising the Adams' son as his own, but when Dora tells them the story of Jesus, tensions between the them are reduced.
Kris Kristofferson, Kim Cattrall, John Dennis Johnson, Rino Thunder.
The fact-based story of how the U.S. Olympic hockey team beat the Soviets at the 1980 Lake Placid, N.Y., winter Olympics, then went on to win the gold medal. Wonderful retelling of one of the greatest events in sports history.
Karl Malden, Andrew Stevens, Steve Guttenberg, Jessica Walter, Eugene Roche, Jerry Houser.
Young Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, is in danger of being sent to an institution. Her inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" named Annie Sullivan to tutor their daughter. Through persistence and love, and sheer stubbornness, Annie breaks through Helen's walls of silence and darkness and teaches her to communicate. Trivia note: Patty Duke who played Helen in the 1962 version (and winning a much deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar) here plays Annie Sullivan and also winning a Best Actress Emmy for another powerful portrayal.
Patty Duke, Melissa Gilbert, Diana Muldaur, Charles Siebert, Anne Seymour, Stanley Wells.
After winning a beauty contest in Texas, a teen-aged girl is unprepared for the demands of travel, press conferences and interviews that go with winning the title and participating in a national beauty pageant.
Diane Lane, Cloris Leachman, David Dukes, Jayne Meadows, Brian Kerwin.
Without becoming didactic, The Missiles of October does an outstanding job of presenting many points of view on the Cuban missile crisis. The film humanizes Kennedy's near impossible task of avoiding war without compromising national security. The earnestness of this 1974 made-for-television dramatization is intense from start to finish and a crew of excellent character actors flesh out the story and reveal the psychological games behind the language of diplomacy. William Devane takes on the difficult task of playing John F. Kennedy and effectively conveys the president's deep worry and determination to avoid war. Martin Sheen plays an engaging Robert Kennedy and Michael Lerner, oddly enough, manages to make Pierre Salinger absolutely fascinating.
William Devane, Martin Sheen, Ralph Bellamy, Howard Da Silva, John Dehner, Dana Elcar, Dennis Patrick.
An emotionally disturbed teenager whose father is a research scientist takes a rat from his father's laboratory that is infected with an incurable virus that can kill 100 million people in three weeks.
Ed Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, George O'Hanlon Jr., José Ferrer, Kathleen Quinlan, Marjorie Lord.
Dan Briggs is the head of a super-secret government agency ("Impossible Missions"), and is often given secret anonymous covert missions to attempt; quite often they are unmasking of criminals or the rescuing of hostages. He picks his team depending on which tasks need to be done. One thing is vital on an Impossible Mission: the mission must be carried out in entire secrecy, often relying on high-tech equipment and elaborate deceptions.
(Pilot) Briggs assembles a team that includes a master of disguise, a femme fatale, an electronics whiz, an incredibly strong man and a safecracker. Briggs will need all their skills to steal two atomic bombs from a hostile South American country.
Steven Hill, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Wally Cox.
Young people in trouble with the law (wealthy Pete stole a car; Linc arrested during Watts riots; Julie ran away from her San Francisco prostitute mother) can avoid jail by infiltrating the counter culture and exposing badguys who prey on other kids.
Complete series set of 123-episodes plus the 1979 reunion film "Return of Mod Squad".
Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III, Peggy Lipton, Tige Andrews.
When Captain Greer is seriously wounded by three phony cops, and four suitcases of heroin are stolen, the Squad goes to work. The series 100th episode became this excellent 2-hour movie entitled The Connection with guest stars Ed Asner, Cesar Romero, Robert Reed, Bradford Dillman, Richard Pryor, Barbara McNair, Cleavon Little and Stefanie Powers.
Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III, Peggy Lipton, Tige Andrews.
Based on the novel of the same name by author Les Whitten, Moon of the Wolf is a surprisingly well-crafted made-for-TV thirller from the 70s. Set in the isolated Louisiana marshland, the story revolves around the local Sheriff's efforts to uncover the truth behind a young girl's mysterious and grisly death. Was she killed by wild dogs, or by an ex-lover's revenge? Acting is very good all-around, with David Janssen well-cast as the no-nonsense but likeable sheriff and Barbara Rush as the Southern Belle with a few secrets of her own.
David Janssen, Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, John Beradino, Royal Dano, and Geoffrey Lewis.
Dick Van Dyke turns in a powerful performance as a successful public relations man whose refusal to admit his alcoholism jeopardizes his career, his family and his life. (avq: 7/10)
Dick Van Dyke, Lynn Carlin, Don Porter, Joshua Bryant, Linda Lavin.
In this series wealthy Mr. Arcane (Ralph Bellamy) teams with former military intelligence officer Jonathan Croft (George Maharis) and beautiful criminologist Vanessa Smith (Yvette Mimieux) to solve unusual murders.
4-episodes, "Breakdown", "Lady from Praha", "War Games" and "Photo Finish". (w/o/c) / (avq: 6.5-7.5/10)
"Most Wanted" (1976) In this pilot for the short-lived Robert Stack series, a specialized police unit, made up of a dedicated homicide detective, a lady psychologist, an undercover cop and an electronic gadgetry expert, tracks down the merciless killer whose victims have included Catholic nuns. Also starring Tom Selleck, Shelly Novack, Leslie Charleson, Sheree North and Percy Rodriguez.
"The Blue Knight" (1975) Veteran cop Bumper Morgan searches the Los Angeles barrio for the killer of an aging colleague in this pilot for the 1975-76 series. George Kennedy took over the role originated in the 1973 telefeature by William Holden. Also starring Alex Rocco, Verna Bloom and Glynn Turman.
Veteran director King Vidor had long harbored hopes of directing a filmization of Ann Head's novel Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones, but couldn't get backing from a major studio. The book was finally filmed in 1971 but as a TV movie rather than a theatrical feature and with Robert Day in the director's chair. Desi Arnaz Jr. and Miss Christopher Norris play a couple of lovesick teenagers who are forced to get married when the girl becomes pregnant. Arnaz can't support his wife, Norris isn't really ready for motherhood, and the rest of the community nearly smothers the newlyweds in misguided advice. This little film was easy to take, but might have had a better chance of being truly memorable under the guiding hand of King Vidor.
Desi Arnaz Jr., Christopher Norris, Dan Daily, Dina Merrill, Susan Strasberg, Tom Bosley.
(Pilot) The adventures of a gambler nicknamed Mr. Lucky (John Vivyan) who ran a gambling ship called the Fortuna. Staying beyond the 12-mile limit, where he could operate a gambling ship legally, Mr. Lucky played host to a wide variety of people, all of who came to make use of his extravagant facility. Helping him run the ship was his good friend Andamo (Ross Martin). When he got into situations that required police intervention, Lt. Rovacs usually provided the assistance. The series was produced by future big name director Blake Edwards and famed composer Henry Mancini provided the excellent musical score.
This set includes the pilot "The Magnificent Bribe" plus 3-bonus episodes "They Shall Not Pass", "The Money Game" and "That Stands for Pool".
A well-to-do widow (Katharine Hepburn) shocks her snobbish WASP family when she announces that she has fallen in love with her Jewish doctor (Harold Gould). His family is equally devastated by the news leading both individuals to have to fight the prejudices of their families and of their narrow-minded neighbors.
Katharine Hepburn, Harold Gould, Denholm Elliott, Brenda Forbes, David Ogden Stiers, Bibi Besch, Charles Frank.
In this poignant drama, Ellen Burstyn plays a mentally disabled woman who desperately attempts to retain custody of her orphaned grandson, whose future is in the hands of bureaucrats.
Ellen Burstyn, Walter Matthau, William Schallert, Ryan Todd, Kathleen Garrett.
Wealthy international mentalist Arthur Sinclair (Hal Holbrook) has an ailing heart and he must wear a pacemaker. His seemingly devoted wife, Allison (Katherine Ross), Devises an intricate plot to kill her husband by shocking him into a cardiac arrest. Allison seeks the help of her two lovers to help plan this perfect murder. Her plan in place, Allison sets the stage for the kill. But Allison doesn't realize the mental powers her husband really possesses. The perfect plot turns into a nightmare of terror!
A county sheriff goes after the richest man in the county, who has committed murder and considers himself to be rich and powerful enough to get away with it. Surprisingly good, well acted Southern Gothic police procedural.
Johnny Cash, Andy Griffith, Earl Hindman, June Carter Cash.
Based on a true story, this film tells of a plastic surgeon who was suspected of causing the death of his first wife, the daughter of a wealthy member of Houston society. The doctor then marries his mistress, whom he had been keeping during his marriage. His former father-in-law, convinced that his daughter was murdered, determines to see the doctor punished.
Katherine Ross, Sam Elliott, Farrah Fawcett, Andy Griffith, Craig T. Nelson.
Based on the Agatha Christie novel this tricky mystery concerns an American computer whiz and an elderly woman who meet on a London-bound train. She reveals she's discovered the identity of a serial killer in her village and is going to report it to Scotland Yard. When she's murdered after disembarking the train. Williams vows to pursue the case himself.
Bill Bixby, Lesley-Anne Down, Olivia de Havilland, Helen Hayes, Jonathan Pryce.
After a jumbo jet has departed from New York, 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.
Robert Stack, Hugh O'Brien, Farrah Fawcett, Fernando Lamas, Polly Bergen, Ralph Bellamy, Laraine Day, Dane Clark, George Maharis, Brooke Adams, Sonny Bono, Theodore Bikel, Molly Picon, Vincent Baggetta, Walter Pidgeon.
This still timely story tells of an eminent physician, accused of his wife's mercy-killing, who is defended by a retired attorney and his ambitious lawyer son. This film's plot more than vaguely resembles 1948's "An Act of Murder" that starred Fredric March, but still packs a wallop with top-billed Melvyn Douglas.
Bradford Dillman, Melvyn Douglas, Mildred Dunnock, Denver Pyle, Robert Webber, Bonnie Bartlett, Don Porter, and David Birney.
After her father's death, a Midwestern teenage girl travels to San Francisco to look up the mother she never knew, only to discover that she is a high-priced call girl who is both unable and unwilling to alter her lucrative lifestyle to become a regular mother.
Loni Anderson, Paul Sorvino, James Sotorius, Amanda Wyss.
Based on the true story of Bill W. (James Woods), a successful stock broker whose life falls apart after the stock crash of the 20's and how he comes to grips with his alcoholism. Along with a fellow alcoholic (James Garner) he forms a support group that would eventually become Alcoholics Anonymous.
James Woods, James Garner, JoBeth Williams, Gary Sinise, Fritz Weaver.
Adapted from Ernest Hemingway's short story of the same name by Jerome Kass. Hemingway's story told of a down-on-his-luck horse trainer who is given a second chance at making something of his life by his son. This made-for-TV version changed the son to a daughter, played by Kristy McNichol; the "old man" was portrayed by Warren Oates. Eileen Brennan also stars as a waitress who acts as surrogate mother for McNichol--and who'd like to act as wife to Oates. Filmed at Saratoga Springs, New York.
Kristy McNichol, Warren Oates, Eileen Brennan, Joseph Maher, Howard E. Rollins Jr.
A pregnant white Southern girl and a black New York lawyer, both on the run in rural Texas, meet up in a boarded-up, abandoned house and realize they both need each other in order to survive.
Patty Duke, Al Freeman Jr., Ford Rainey, Noble Willingham.
This lively if rather questionable adaptation of Errol Flynn's autobiography, mixing the usual television amalgam of real-life figures, fictitious ones and those with "names changed to protect the innocent (and guilty)" had a relative unknown Canadian actor (and fair lookalike) Duncan Regehr swashing and buckling quite acceptably -- previously, he had starred on American television in the series "Wizards and Warriors" in which a young Flynn might have found himself under other circumstances. Doris Keating, who produced and co-wrote the movie, felt eminently at home with her subject; Flynn had been her godfather. It won Emmy Award nominations for art direction, set decoration and hairstylings.
Duncan Regehr, Barbara Hershey, Darren McGavin, Lee Purcell, Hal Linden, Michael Callan, George Coe, Denise Crosby.
Story about gymnast Nadia Comaneci from her childhood beginning as a gymnast and how she was discovered by coach Belya Karolyi. Nadia is the only gymnast to receive 7 perfect 10's in the Montreal Olympics.
Talia Balsam, Jonathan Banks, Joe Bennett, Conchata Farrell, Marcia Frederick.
Set in Kenya, this adventure chronicles the courageous attempts of a safari guide to stop avaricious ivory poachers from slaughtering elephants. In order to succeed though, the guide must reconcile with his estranged son who is still angry that his father stole the young man's former wife.
Charlton Heston, John Savage, Maud Adams, John Rhys-Davies.
(Pilot) Nakia Parker is an American Indian deputy sheriff caught in the middle of a community dispute when the tribe tries to save an historic mission from a housing developer.
Robert Forster, Arthur Kennedy, Linda Evans, Stephen McNally, Christopher Stone.
Set in Davis County, New Mexico, this crime series details the exploits of Deputy Nakia Parker, a Navajo who sometimes finds his heritage and beliefs clash with the law he is sworn to uphold.
Series set of 9-rare episodes plus the pilot film.
Robert Forster, Arthur Kennedy, Gloria DeHaven, Victor Jory.
This unique series had three rotating stars, who were featured in independent episodes tied together by a loose common theme. The commonality was Howard Publications, the self-made publishing empire of Glenn Howard. Episodes featuring Howard focused on his business and political confrontations and his flamboyant lifestyles. Other episodes featured Jeff Dillon, a crusading investigative reporter, or Dan Farrell. Farrell was a retired FBI agent who used his position as the editor of "Crime Magazine" to wage a literary war against organized crime. The series had several semi-regulars who were featured in one or more of the plot threads, including editorial assistant Peggy Maxwell, and junior reporters Joe Sample, Andy Hill and Ross Craig. (7-9/10)
All individual episodes $7.50 each. / *NOTE* As you complete your order please be sure to list the name of the individual episode(s) you're purchasing in the ORDER COMMENT box.
All the Old Familiar Faces
Appointment in Palermo
Beware of the Watchdog
The Brass Ring
Break Out to a Fast Buck
A Capitol Affair
Chain of Command
Cynthia is Alive and Living in Avalon
The Garden
The Glory Shouter
Goodbye-Harry
High on a Rainbow
The Inquiry
Incident in Berlin
The Incomparable Connie Walker
Keep the Doctor Away
The King of Denmark
Laurie Marie
A Love to Remember
Little Bear Died Running
The Other Kind of Spy
The Perfect Image
Pineapple Rose
The Prisoner Within
The Protector
Shine On-Shine On Jessie Gil
The Showdown
So Long-Baby-and Amen
Swinger's Only
The Taker
The Takeover
Tarot
The Third Choice
The Time is Now
The Tradition
The White Birch
Why I Blew Up Dakota
Witness
A Wrath of Angels.
Gene Barry, Robert Stack, Tony Franciosa, Susan Saint James.
This set of 46-episodes includes the pilot feature film starring Gene Barry, Robert Stack, Tony Franciosa and Susan Saint James. Included are the following titles...
3-episodes "Ordeal", "A Hard Case of the Blues" and "Nightmare" starring Robert Stack.
Robert Stack, Susan Saint James, Farley Granger, Martha Hyer, Sal Mineo, Martin Balsam, Russ Tamblyn, Jessica Walter, Cloris Leachman, Norman Fell, Troy Donahue, Larry Storch, Sharon Farrell.
A widowed LAPD detective comes to Nashville and teams up with his old partner to stop rising gang problems headed by a dangerous man. A great reunion for Martin Milner & Kent McCord, plus Garth Brooks!
Martin Milner, Kent McCord, Rosemary Forsyth, Garth Brooks.
A housewife and her teenage daughter, fleeing their boring lives, stops in a diner in the California desert. They runs up against the diner's owner, a gruff, beer-drinking artist whose life's work are the neon sculptures he creates and attaches to the ceiling. Unusual but beautifully written and acted film of life's surprises and where those surprises take you when one least expects them.
Lee Grant, Gig Young, Denise Nickerson, Herb Edelman.
(Pilot) Rex Stout's corpulent, orchid-loving detective Nero Wolfe would eventually headline his own 1980s TV series, courtesy of star William Conrad. This earlier unsold TV pilot stars Thayer David, whom some Stout devotees consider the best of the many media Wolfes (which included Walter Connolly and Sidney Greenstreet). Frank D. Gilroy wrote and directed this adaptation of the Stout novel The Doorbell Rang, in which Wolfe protects his client (Anne Baxter) by taking on "the whole damned federal government". As always, Wolfe remains in his easy chair to do the brainwork, while his faithful assistant Archie Goodwin (Tom Mason) handles the rough stuff. Nero Wolfe tested well in the ratings, and might well have gone on immediately to a regular weekly series, but the sudden death of star Thayer David put the whole project in mothballs--until William Conrad was available.
Thayer David, Anne Baxter, Brooke Adams, Tom Mason.
The adventures of portly detective Nero Wolfe, who would rather eat and tend to his orchids than hit the streets tracking down leads. That's why he hired hunky Archie Goodwin, who provides the brawn that complements Wolfe's brains.
Complete series set of 14-episodes plus the pilot film.
First of many excellent series about law enforcement from executive producer Quinn Martin and his production company, QM Productions. This police series starred Leslie Nielsen and John Beradino and was set in the Metropolitan Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. This series is a real time capsule of an L.A. that unfortunately no longer exists. Unlike many of Martin's sub-sequent series, this one only lasted for the 1961-62 season. (avq: 7/10)
Series set of 14-rare episodes.
Leslie Nielsen, John Beradino, Byron Morrow, John Clarke, Greg Roman.
In 1975, Disney released the original black and white "Mickey Mouse Club" episodes to syndicated television. They were so well received by young audiences of the time that Disney was convinced to bring back the show as "The New Mickey Mouse Club", starting in January, 1977. Though it was never as popular as the original the show nevertheless aired for 2 solid seasons and is a lot of fun in it's own right.
This set contains 15-rare episodes.
Lisa Whelchel, Julie Piekarski, Todd Turquand, Scott Craig, Kelly Parsons, Billy "Pop" Atmore, Mindy Feldman.
(Pilot) "The New People" was a short-lived ABC television series, which aired from September 22, 1969 to January 12, 1970 (17-episodes). This Aaron Spelling/Danny Thomas production about a band of young college students who, on their way home from a goodwill tour to South East Asia and crashed on a deserted South Pacific island named Bomao. The island had previously been used by the Atomic Energy Commission as a bomb test site, and so was complete with buildings, cars, provisions and test-dummy mannequins. This series was developed for television by the great Rod Serling. This pilot was transferred off a very rare 16mm print. (avq: 7/10)
Richard Kiley, Tiffany Bolling, David Moses, Zooey Hall, Jill Jaress.
"Nichols" was a rather unusual Western in several respects. Its setting, the fictional town of Nichols, Arizona, in 1914, was rather late for a Western. It also accounted for the main character, a sheriff, riding on a motorcycle and in an automobile rather than on the traditional horse. "Nichols" was also unusual in that unlike most Westerns, the hero, if that is truly what he was, did not carry a firearm and was generally opposed to the use of violence to solve problems, preferring other means. Nichols' main concern was not usually law enforcement but rather a way of getting rich with little effort; the character was not far removed, particularly in this regard, from the one Garner had played over a decade earlier in "Maverick".
Complete series set of 24-episodes.
James Garner, Margot Kidder, Stuart Margolin, Neva Patterson, Alice Ghostley.
Will David Janssen never stop being a fugitive? In the made-for-TV "Night Chase", he's a Los Angelino on the lam after shooting his wife's lover. Believing he's killed the man, Janssen boards Yaphet Kotto's taxi and orders Kotto to head for Mexico. The film's level of suspense holds up until the end, when the logic holes begin widening."Night Chase" went into production with the more appropriate title The Man in the Back Seat. (aka: L.A. Cab)
(Pilot) In the 90-minute pilot film for the subsequent TV "occult" anthology, series creator Rod Serling hosts three macabre short stories, introducing each with a framed portrait in a nocturnal art gallery. The first story stars Roddy McDowall as a covetous nephew who murders his uncle, suffering the consequence of being possessed by a family painting. The second story (directed with youthful bravado by 21-year-old Steven Spielberg) stars Joan Crawford as a blind, thoroughly despicable millionairess who purchases the eyes of down-and-out gambler in order to enjoy 12 precious hours of sight. The final tale involves a Nazi war criminal who attempts to evade his pursuers by escaping into a painting in a museum.
Joan Crawford, Barry Sullivan, Richard Kiley, Roddy McDowall, Ossie Davis, Sam Jaffe, Tom Bosley.
Based on Jack Higgins' acclaimed novel, this World War II adventure filled with explosive wartime excitement involves double-crosses, bombs, and duping the Nazis, as an American soldier with knowledge of the top secret D-Day invasion finds himself washed ashore behind enemy lines. Two special agents lead a high-risk mission to reacquire him before he falls into German hands.
George Peppard, Deborah Raffin, Michael York, John Mills, David Birney, Juliet Mills.
A man and his wife find themselves stranded in a small western town. He discovers that a strange force has turned the residents into zombies, and runs into a beautiful woman who he believes is the key to the mystery.
James Franciscus, Lee Grant, Scott Marlowe, Leslie Nielsen, Sharon Gless, Andrew Prine.
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak, investigating a string of gruesome murders in Las Vegas in which the victims are drained of blood, concludes that a vampire is on the loose. Since the mayor, the police chief and his own editor think he's off his rocker, it's up to Kolchak to stop the bloodsucker himself. One of the greatest movies made for television ever!
Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Claude Akins, Ralph Meeker, Charles McGraw.
The incredible true story of the night that Orson Wells broadcast his version of H.G. Welles' classic 'The War of the Worlds' on the radio. Designed to be as realistic as possible, many people were fooled into thinking that an alien invasion was actually taking place. Paul Shenar is simply perfection as the great Wells.
Paul Shenar, Meredith Baxter, Vic Morrow, Cliff De Young, Eileen Brennan, Michael Constantine, Tom Bosley, Will Geer, John Ritter, Linda Dano, Ron Rifkin, Casey Kasem.
Movies' "disaster master", Irwin Allen, was the man behind this adventure yarn that strands a group of motorists and fleeing bank robber, Desi Arnaz, Jr., and his girlfriend, Char Fontane, on a bridge that is collapsing because of shifting sands near the pylons. Its unique history is more interesting than its premise: made in 1979 as a two-part four-hour film called "The Night the Bridge Collapsed", it was set to premiere in early January 1980. Pulled from the schedule at the last minute, it was given its first showing in this form in Australia several months later. Subsequently cut to three hours as a single-part film, it was re-scheduled for a mid-October 1980 showing but was pre-empted by the World Series. It then went into limbo until finally being dragged off the shelf for its ultimate U.S. premiere in early 1983. Its star, James MacArthur, hot off "Hawaii Five-0", at the time the film was shot long had been in semi-retirement from acting.
James MacArthur, Desi Arnaz Jr., Barbara Rush, Leslie Nielsen, Eve Plumb, Gregory Sierra, Philip Baker Hall, Richard Gilliland.
A rarely-seen holiday classic, The Night They Saved Christmas captures the true spirit of the season, with warmth, emotion and faith. When an oil company decides to drill at the North Pole, Santa Claus realizes his entire operation is in peril; his only hope is to enlist the help of a woman and her three children, who must convince her husband, an executive at the oil company, to drill elsewhere. Thus they embark on a wondrous journey to the North Pole, where they explore Santa's toy factory, learn Santa's secrets and discover that giving is the greatest gift of all.
