Jack Elam Movies
A graduate of Santa Monica Junior College, Jack Elam spent the immediate post-World War II years as an accountant, numbering several important Hollywood stars among his clients. Already blind in one eye from a childhood fight, Elam was in danger of losing the sight in his other eye as a result of his demanding profession. Several of his show business friends suggested that Elam give acting a try; Elam would be a natural as a villain. A natural he was, and throughout the 1950s Elam cemented his reputation as one of the meanest-looking and most reliable "heavies" in the movies. Few of his screen roles gave him the opportunity to display his natural wit and sense of comic timing, but inklings of these skills were evident in his first regular TV series assignments: The Dakotas and Temple Houston, both 1963. In 1967, Elam was given his first all-out comedy role in Support Your Local Sheriff, after which he found his villainous assignments dwindling and his comic jobs increasing. Elam starred as the patriarch of an itinerant Southwestern family in the 1974 TV series The Texas Wheelers (his sons were played by Gary Busey and Mark Hamill), and in 1979 he played a benign Frankenstein-monster type in the weekly horror spoof Struck By Lightning. Later TV series in the Elam manifest included Detective in the House (1985) and Easy Street (1987). Of course Elam would also crack up audiences in the 1980s with his roles in Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II. Though well established as a comic actor, Elam would never completely abandon the western genre that had sustained him in the 1950s and 1960s; in 1993, a proud Elam was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Two short years later the longitme star would essay his final screen role in the made for television western Bonanza: Under Attack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
None of the original cast members of the long-running (1959-73) TV western series Bonanza are on hand for the 1993 TV movie Bonanza: The Return. However, Michael Landon Jr., son of the series' "Little Joe," shows up as Joe's son Benj Cartwright; and Dirk Blocker, son of Dan "Hoss" Blocker, has a supporting role as a journalist. One of the Cartwrights in this film is a woman. Her name is Sara Cartwright, and she's portrayed by Emily Warfield. Set in 1905, the descendants of the original Ponderosa bunch take on an evil strip-mining tycoon, played by Dean Stockwell. A well-directed climax aboard a speeding train caps this enjoyable "retro" film. When it was first telecast on November 28, 1993, Bonanza: The Return was preceded by a nostalgic one-hour special devoted to the old series, Back to Bonanza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Johnson, Michael Landon, Jr., (more)
- 1993
- R
With its story of an old man (Jack Elam) leading eight men to a sacred mountain to dig for gold, Uninvited straddles the lines of horror and Western movie genres. On their way to the site, the gold diggers wind up trespassing on a sacred Indian burial ground, thereby angering the ghosts that dwell in the area. Slowly, the prospectors are stalked and killed by the ghosts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Something stinks in tiny Norman, Texas and New York detective Kelly, who has come to attend the funeral of his brother-in-law, is determined to find out what it is. Much of the problem stems from the control a San Antonio gangster has over the town's lawmen. This actioner chronicles Kelly's crusade to clean up the dirty little town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A vehicle for popular wrestling celebrity Hulk Hogan, Suburban Commando is an inoffensive science-fiction fantasy. Hogan plays Shep Ramsey, a well-sculpted if somewhat dimwitted intergalactic hero. On vacation from fighting crime on other planets, he has a fight with an alien enemy and his spaceship is damaged. He seeks refuge on Earth until his ship can be revived. Trying to look inconspicuous as an ordinary human being without special powers, he is befriended by a suburban family headed by Charlie Wilcox (Christopher Lloyd) and his wife Jenny (Shelley Duvall). Ramsey's stay isn't peaceful because he has such a keen sense of justice, which he dishes out to muggers, reckless drivers, and even smart-aleck paper carriers. In the end, he has to defend the family against his bold nemesis. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hulk Hogan, Christopher Lloyd, (more)
Nearly three decades after climbing the top-ten charts with his ballad "Big Bad John", Jimmy Dean stars in a film version of the song. Dean doesn't play the title character, though; that honor goes to ex-footballer Doug English. After killing a man who needed killing, Big Bad John loses himself by going to work in a treacherous Colorado coal mine. A whole slew of plot complications later, the film finally gets around to the gist of the song, with Big Bad John saving the lives of his fellow miners at the price of his own. For the record, Dean plays a sheriff who reluctantly pursues the fugitive John all over the country. Also in the cast is Ned Beatty, playing an abusive father to end all abusive fathers, and Jack Elam and Bob Hopkins, doing their usual. Big Bad John was directed by Burt Kennedy, an old hand at backwoods melodramas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two 19th Century outlaws attempt to outrun a variety of pursuers after stealing a large cache of gold in this high-energy caper starring Willie Nelson, Delta Burke, Alfonso Arau, and Jack Elam. It's not easy to outrun pursuing Indians, bandits, and Federal Agents when you're being weighed down by a substantial stash of precious ore, and after being taken into custody by Mexican authorities the quick thinking thieves enlist the aid of a scheming madam and her loyal band of prostitutes in reclaiming their treasure and eluding the long arm of the law. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Dynamite & Gold is the videocassette title of the made-for-TV western comedy Where the Hell's That Gold? Willie Nelson plays a bank robber, Delta Burke his "moll" and Jack Elam and all-around gol-durned sidewinder. The three stars scrounge for a hidden fortune in stolen gold, fending off other outlaw gangs and Mexican revolutionaries (among them famed Latino actor/director Alfonso Arau). The story's high point, a wild train ride, takes place somewhere in mid-film. Where the Hell's That Gold was written and directed by western stalwart Burt Kennedy; it originally aired November 13, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
The made-for-TV Once Upon a Texas Train offers us the once-in-a-lifetime teaming of Richard Widmark, Willie Nelson and Angie Dickinson. Nelson plays a veteran outlaw who robs a bank less than 6 hours after being paroled from jail. He uses the money to reunite his old gang, then sets about to repeat the train robbery that had gotten him arrested 20 years earlier. This time, however, Nelson is himself targetted for theft by a young, hungrier band of desperadoes. Widmark plays the lawman who caught Nelson before and intends to do so again. Written and directed by the reliable Burt Kennedy, Once Upon a Texas Train premiered January 3, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
Hawken (Peter Fonda) is an itinerant wanderer, currently traversing the West. Upon meeting Indian girl Serene Hadin, Hawken immediately falls in love with her. He then takes it upon himself to avenge the brutal murder of Serene's family. In the late 1980s, Peter Fonda seemed determined to remain forever outside the Hollywood mainstream, and films like Hawken's Breed certainly helped him achieve that goal. Jack Elam and Bill Thurman also contribute their expertise to this ponderous exercise. Barely released theatrically, Hawken's Breed enjoyed a moderately successful second life on video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Barry Bostwick is top-billed in the made-for-TV western Down the Long Hills, but the largest role in the film goes to Thomas Wilson Brown, playing Bostwick's teenaged son. Travelling westward by wagon train, Brown and fellow teen Lisa McFarlane find themselves the sole survivors of an Indian massacre. The two youngsters head into the wilds of Utah in the company of a magnificent red stallion. The situation is hardly idyllic: Brown and McFarlane must not only elude a pair of rustlers (Bo Hopkins and Michael Wren) who covet the horse, but also must steer clear of a huge, rampaging grizzly bear. In honor of contractual commitments, this film was originally telecast on the Disney Channel cable service under the title Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In this actioner, good ninjas bring an international diamond smuggler to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Jack Elam enjoys a rare top-billed starring role in The Aurora Encounter. The heavily bearded Elam plays a 19th century Texas eccentric who besottedly welcomes a space alien (Mickey Hays) into his home. Upon learning of these nocturnal visits, newspaper editor Carol Bagdasarian (the wife of Alvin and the Chipmunks producer Ross Bagdasarian Jr.) begins writing them up in her paper. She then reports these curious sightings to the governor, played by none other than former Little Rascal Spanky McFarland. The Governer feigns disbelief, but sends ranger Will Mitchell to investigate, with orders to shoot any and all extraterrestrials on sight. Meanwhile, the space visitor proves to be a friendly one by rescuing three locals from a mine cave-in. Bagdasarian and the townsfolk attempt to signal the visitor and let him know that they mean him no harm, but they haven't reckoned with the trigger-happy Mitchell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Elam, Peter Brown, (more)
(Burt Reynolds) as J.J. McClure takes off across the country again in this rickety sequel to Cannonball Run. A sheik has offered $1,000,000 to the first driver to reach a destination in Connecticut from Redondo Beach, California, inspiring J.J. and others to go for the gold. With cameos from more name performers than any dozen films together, (Frank Sinatra and the rat pack, Telly Savalas, Susan Anton, Shirley MacLaine, Jackie Chan, Sid Caesar, Marilu Henner, Catherine Bach, etc., etc., etc.), the movie becomes a pastiche and is executed as though no rehearsals were required, or ever happened. A disparate group of people racing to get a lot of money was first successfully exploited in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a much better film, and with just as many cameos, in fact. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1983
- PG
One of the precious few westerns produced in the 1980s, Sacred Ground aspires to be a social statement. Tim McIntire plays a white settler who weds Indian woman Serene Hedlin. The couple is ostracized by the white and Indian community alike, and are forced to pull up stakes. En route to their new home, the pregnant Serene suddenly gives birth. Unfortunately, the couple's child is born on sacred burial ground, making their already precarious place in society all the more shaky. Sacred Ground represents the last film appearance of onetime Wagon Train regular Tim McIntire, the son of actors John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Set during Prohibition in a tiny Southern town filled with colorful characters, this all-star comedy follows the exploits of a hard-working sheriff who tries his darnedest to keep things peaceful and above board. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Silent Sentence was originally released as A Knife for the Ladies. Either way, it was no cause for dancing in the streets. The film is set in a western mining town. The generally unseen villain is a serial killer of prostitutes. And you thought that Jack the Ripper was British! Jack Elam and Ruth Roman are among the able actors picking up pocket change in Silent Sentence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Jinxed is an apt name for this disastrous project which, sadly, turned out to be Don Siegel's final film. The film takes place in Reno, where blackjack dealer Willie Brodax (Ken Wahl) becomes an innocent victim of a broken-down gambler named Harold Benson (Rip Torn). Such is Willie's luck that when he sees Benson sit down at his blackjack table, he realizes that he will soon be out of a job. Benson is also giving his girlfriend Bonita Friml (Bette Midler) a difficult time. When she notices Willie and sees how Bensen is putting him through the wringer, she begins to fall for him and gets him involved in a scheme to kill her boyfriend. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Midler, Ken Wahl, (more)
- 1981
This made-for-TV follow-up to 1980's The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything stars Lee Purcell and Philip MacHale as Bonnie Lee Beaumont and Kirby Winter, roles created in the earlier film by Pam Dawber and Robert Hays. Once more, the hapless Kirby is the possessor of a magic watch that can stop time all around him--and once more, the watch causes him and his fiancee Bonnie Lee nothing but trouble. This time, hero and heroine are pitted against evil land baron Hoover Hess III (Burton Gilliam), who isn't above committing foul play to get what he wants. What Hoover wants, by the way, is a patch of valuable land owned by Bonnie Lee's mother (Carol Lawrence). Among the singular pleasures in this whimsical adventure yarn is the appearance of Jerry Mathers, Beaver Cleaver himself, as one of the bad guys! Based on characters created by John D. MacDonald, The Girl, the Gold Watch and Dynamite was first syndicated to local TV stations May 21, 1984, as part of the "Operation Prime Time" series. It was offered as both a 2-hour movie, and as a series of five half-hour programs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham team up for the fourth time, this time bringing an all-star cast of characters on a cross-country car race in the vein of 1976 release The Gumball Rally. The police are the least of the Cannonballers' worries as they push the pedal to the metal in a race from Connecticut to California. Reynolds stars as J.J. McClure, a speed-loving racer disguised as an ambulance driver to outsmart the police. He is paired up with Dom Deluise, who plays his dimwitted sidekick Victor and who, on occasion, dons the suit of Captain Chaos. Rat Packers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. join the lineup as Ferrari-driving priests, while martial arts expert Jackie Chan takes on one of his first U.S. film roles driving a souped-up Subaru. Among the many other stars are Roger Moore doing a parody of his 007 character, complete with secret devices and weapons, Farrah Fawcett as Pamela, a woman McClure and Chaos pick up, and Jamie Farr as a deranged Islamic sheik. Jack Elam joins the cast as a crazed proctologist along for McClure's ambulance ride, and Needham makes a cameo as a patient. ~ Rachel Koetje, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, (more)
An ethnically mixed cast, and a curious political point of view, brings a little variety into a tired old formula. African American William Freeman plays the chief ninja this time out. Freeman spends his time rooting out gangsters in Taiwan. He then beats them senseless while dispensing quotations from Chairman Mao. The action scenes are well up to par, though the proselytizing is a little precious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The made-for-television western The Sacketts combines the plotlines from two seperate Louis L'Amour novels, The Daybreakers and The Sacketts. In this film, the three Tennessee-raised Sackett brothers migrate to the West following the conclusion of the Civil War. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
The presence of Paul Lynde, in a small role, reveals more about the quality and tone of this film than the three top names. A farce with plenty of slapstick, it offers Kirk Douglas as a road agent dealing with a naive hero (a young Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is seemingly out of western serials in the '40s and a beautiful, sexy saloon girl (Ann-Margret). The silly jokes are the point, not the plot, though Needham includes some impressive stunts. Some of the most notable draw blatantly on Warner Brothers roadrunner and Daffy Duck cartoons; notably, the film came from Columbia, not Warner. The film's attempt at satire is too heavy-handed to have bite. ~ Bill Wu, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, (more)
