Ronald Howard Movies

Jim Brown and Fred Williamson team up for this violent western, directed by Antonio Marghetti under the name of Anthony M. Dawson. Brown plays Pike, a stonefaced cowboy who meets up Tyree (Fred Williamson), a jocular and dishonest gambler. Together with a mute Indian scout Kashtok (Jim Kelly), the trio attempts to transport $86,000 across hundreds of miles of Western wasteland to deliver it to the widow of Pike's former employer. Along the way, they are pursued by bounty hunter Kiefer (Lee Van Cleef) and corrupt sheriff Kane (Barry Sullivan). Dana Andrews also appears in a cameo role as Pike's boss Morgan. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In this drama a young urban boy must cope with his disappointment after he discovers that his uncle's ranch is nothing but a dusty, tumble-down operation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Koroshi combined the final two episodes of the Patrick McGoohan series Secret Agent (aka Danger Man), "Koroshi" and "Shindo Shiba," into one feature-length film that was released theatrically into overseas markets. They were also the only two episodes of the series filmed in color, and even the original "Koroshi" episode had slightly different credits from the rest of the series and featured two credited directors: Michael Truman and Peter Yates. John Drake (McGoohan) arrives in Tokyo to investigate the death of a British agent (Yoko Tani). He doesn't for a moment believe that the death was from natural causes, and follows up on the origins of a distinctive amulet photographed near the body. He finds that the image is the emblem of an ancient Japanese murder cult that, as far as anyone knew, was wiped out hundreds of years earlier. Following the trail, he discover a young woman now living in the dead agent's home; she becomes his link to Mr. Sanders (Ronald Howard), who displays a morbid fixation on what he calls "the poetry of death," as depicted in Kabuki theater. The cult is, in turn, connected to events on the remote island of Shindo Shiba ("Murdered Island"), whose inhabitants have been driven off by a series of unexplained deaths. Drake crosses paths with an unexpected ally who nearly gets him killed, and is forced to mount a direct assault on the stronghold from an unexpected quarter. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

This cheap, but colorful British period horror piece follows an ill-fated archaeological expedition to the cursed tomb of the pharaoh, Ra-Antef, whose sarcophagus the team's leader opts to sell to a smooth-talking American promoter who intends to set it up as part of an exploitive side-show attraction. No sooner has the tomb reached the States than the foul-tempered pharaoh is released; he then begins stalking and strangling all those who have desecrated his resting place. The bandaged one's vendetta doesn't stop there; he also has a score to settle with the reincarnation of a man who betrayed him eons ago. This rather dull mummy muddle was originally double-billed with Hammer Studio's superior chiller The Gorgon. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

You Must be Joking? draws its laughs from an Army endurance test. Over a 48-hour period, five officers in the British army-including American transplant Michael Callan-must wend their way through a maze, retrieve a hood ornament from a Rolls Royce and steal a lock of hair from beauteous pop singer Gabriella Licudi. There's a big prize in store for the officer who finishes the test first, and since the other contestant include such middle-aged huffers and puffers as Lionel Jeffries and Denholm Elliot, it doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to figure out who the victor will be. Director Michael Winner was still in his "mad mod" period when he lensed the wacky goings-on of You Must Be Joking? His Death Wish pictures of the 1970s were in 1965 as remote as another galaxy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, British infantry officer Captain Johns (Ronald Howard) continues to defy his superiors' orders by standing his ground against a German attack, forcing Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) and his men to fight alongside their British counterparts. Though he manages to repulse the first wave of enemy soldiers, Johns is heavily outnumbered, and his hitherto loyal followers have begun to question his sanity. Finally acknowledging the hopelessness of the situation, Johns still insists upon remaining at his post, but gives Saunders the opportunity to pull out--but by now, Saunders and his fellow Americans have vowed to "stay the course." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this WW II drama set during a weekend in June of 1940, German invaders force British troops to flee Dunkirk. The French soldiers stationed on a nearby beach also want to withdraw so they too can battle the Germans, but they have been ordered to stay in place and the British are to use the boats first. Though it is a bloody conflict and many innocent residents are killed, one young woman, Jeanne (Catherine Spaak) refuses to evacuate her home. She becomes friends with one of the French soldiers, Julien (Jean-Paul Belmondo) who later saves her from being raped. The situation on the beach grows increasingly tense as the waiting soldiers are easy targets for German warplanes. Julien tries to persuade Jeanne to leave this dangerous place. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Fate Takes a Hand is a throwback to the British "portmanteau" films of the 1950s. One solitary incident leads to ramifications for several different people, whose triumphs or travails are dealt with individually. In this instance, the catalyst is a mailbag, which pops up after a 15-year disappearance. The letters are finally mailed, with a variety of results for five of the mail-ees. Fate Takes a Hand didn't get much play in the US, but its basic premise was good for at least two made-for-TV movies in the 1970s, The Letters (73) and Letters From Three Lovers (73). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dumpy, dough-faced British comedienne Margaret Rutherford was not precisely the physical type Agatha Christie had in mind for the prim, tweedish sleuth Miss Marple. Still, Rutherford's first "Marple" movie Murder, She Said did so well at the box office that there was no question she would continue appearing in the role in the inevitable sequels. In this initial effort, Marple witnesses a murder being committed on a speeding train. She informs the authorities, but they find no evidence of a killing and write off Marple as a doddering eccentric. Determined to prove that she's not imagining things, Marple investigates the area around the stretch of railroad track where the murder occurred. She winds up on the estate of James Robertson-Justice, disguised as a maid. Many family skeletons are exhumed by Miss Marple before she proves that she indeed saw a murder and pinpoints the guilty party. Stringer Davis, Margaret Rutherford's husband, makes his first appearance as Miss Marple's chaste companion Mr. Stringer. Based on Agatha Christie's 4:50 From Paddington, Murder, She Said was released in some markets as Meet Miss Marple. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A group of British children discover an ancient Malaysian egg that hatches into a bizarre but friendly creature. Soon the kids are struggling to protect the beast from a greedy circus manager while trying to help it find its way home. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

This mystery is based on a 1954 play by Agatha Christie. It tells the story of an ambassador's wife who must hide the corpse of her husband from his daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Released to video as Pattern for Plunder, the British Bay of Saint Michel top-bills Hollywood's Keenan Wynn. A group of ex-Army commandos are reunited several years after the war. Their former leader has it on good authority that the Nazis have hidden a huge treasure somewhere in Normandy. Employing their wartime tactics and strategies, the male protagonists -- together with distaff aide Mai Zetterling -- "invade" the coast of France and set about searching for the booty. Bay of Saint Michel was reissued at the height of the "007 craze" as Operation Mermaid. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this crime drama, a young man must prove himself innocent of murder to clear his name and marry the daughter of a baronet. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi