Victor French Movies
The son of a movie stunt man, Victor French made his screen entree in westerns, where his unkempt beard and scowling countenance made him a perfect heavy. He carried over his robbin' and rustlin' activities into television, making multiple appearances on such series as Gunsmoke and Bonanza. It was former Bonanza star Michael Landon, a great friend of French's, who "humanized" the veteran screen villain with the role of farmer Isiah Edwards in the weekly TV drama Little House on the Prairie. French temporarily left Little House in 1977 to star in his own sitcom, Carter Country, in which he played an affable Southern sheriff who tried his best to accommodate the ever-changing racial relationships of the 1970s. In 1984, Landon cast French as ex-cop Michael Gordon, whose bitterness at the world was softened by the presence of a guardian angel (Landon), in the popular TV series Highway to Heaven. French directed every third episode of this series, extending his directorial activities to the Los Angeles theatre scene, where he won a Critics Circle award for his staging of 12 Angry Men. In contrast to his earlier bad-guy roles, French went out of his way in the 1980s to avoid parts that required him to exhibit cruelty or inhumanity. Victor French died in 1989, shortly after completing work on the final season of Highway to Heaven. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1990
In the 102nd and final episode of ALF, the titular alien is thrilled to learn that his fellow Melmaccians Skip and Rhonda are going to establish a new colony on another planet--and he's been invited to join them if he can come up with a security deposit. This means that ALF will have to leave the Tanners, a prospect he faces with both sadness and regret (mostly over not being able to raise money for that deposit). Alas, just as he's prepared to make his final farewells, ALF is captured by the Alien Task Force! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
For its fifth and final season on NBC, Highway to Heaven was moved from its familiar Wednesday-night timeslot, first to Tuesdays at 9 PM (EST), then to Fridays at 10 PM. No matter where could be found on the dial, probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) persisted in his earthly mission to help and provide comfort for those undergoing crises in their lives -- and, all the while, he continued holding out hope that he would one day earn his wings. As ever, Jonathan was accompanied in his perambulations by ex-cop Mark Gordon (Victor French), who though still a mortal could pass as a genuine "angel" any day. Season Five's thirteen hour-long episodes include the two-part "Hello and Farewell," in which Jonathan and Mark come to the aid of a nurse who cannot get over her experiences in Vietnam, and also help the teenaged son of a flight chief come to terms with some startling news about his past; "The Reunion," wherein Jonathan tries to bring some happiness and contentment into the troubled lives of his former schoolmates; "Summer Camp," starring former Three's Company leading lady Priscilla Barnes as a grotesquely disfigured actress who finds a new purpose in life as teacher of blind children; and "It's a Dog's Life," an outlandish yarn in which Mark must take over Jonathan's duties when the latter is transformed into a dog! Telecast August 4, 1989, the very last Highway to Heaven, "Merry Christmas from Grandpa," finds Jonathan transported to a horrifying future in which three men are given the power to prevent the world from being destroyed by pollution. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Victor French, (more)
- 1987
Remaining in its familiar Wednesday-night slot on NBC, Highway to Heaven entered its fourth season with probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) still hoping to earn his wings by performing good and noble deeds on earth -- with his mortal sidekick Mark Gordon (Victor French) still sharing every one of Jonathan's adventures. This season begins with the two-part story "Man's Best Friend," in which Jonathan and Mark reunite an orphan boy with his beloved dog -- twice. Subsequent episodes of note include "Amazing Man," wherein Jonathan assumes the identity of a comic book hero to console a lonely youngster who is grieving over the death of his father; "In With the 'In' Crowd," in which the well-meaning Mark nearly causes disaster to befall an undercover narcotics cop, and another "Mark story" titled "Back to Oakland," which finds the former cop simultaneously returning to duty and trying to purge his ex-partner of racial prejudice; the two-part "A Dolphin Song for Lee," the saga of a teenage cancer victim who has vowed to devote what little time she has left to the rescue of dolphins; and the season finale "The Whole Nine Yards," in which Jonathan and Mark combine their talents to help a female junior high school student find a place on an all-male football team. The hands-down best episode of season three is the Halloween yarn "I Was a Middle Aged Werewolf," a genial lampoon of series star Michael Landon's most notorious film appearance in 1957's I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Ratings-wise Highway to Heaven was unable to crack the Top 30 Shows during the 1987-1988 season, though the series' fans remained loyal and loving. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Victor French, (more)
Probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) still hasn't earned his wings by the time Highway to Heaven enters its third season, but that does not stay him from his earthly mission to perform good deeds and straighten out the problems of troubled mortals. And, as in seasons past, Jonathan is accompanied in his wanderings by a "living angel," crusty ex-cop Mark Gordon (Victor French). Per tradition, the season opens with a two-part episode, "A Special Love," which finds Jonathan juggling two "assignments" at once -- to wit, convincing a physically handicapped youngster to enter the Special Olympics and comforting a married couple who has just learned they can never have children. Among the season's subsequent 23 episodes, several are standouts: "That's Our Dad" is a study in frustration and disillusionment as the star of a popular TV sitcom proves to be less genial in real life than he does on his show; the two-part "Love and Marriage," in which Jonathan gives three bickering couples a chance to rectify the events which led them to their present unhappiness; "Oh Lucky Man," wherein Mark settles accounts with a pair of con artists who are pulling a charity scam; "A Night to Remember," the story of a choice assignment for Jonathan which may result in his being forced to sever his ties with Mark; and "Ghost Rider," a full-blooded homage to spy thrillers featuring a "new" ghost on the horizon. The season finale is "The Gift of Life," putting Jonathan in the interesting position of trying to redeem a ruthless businessman after the latter's death -- all the while hoping to score points with Heaven himself. Having ranked as the 19th most popular network show in 1984-1985 and as 13th in 1985-1986, Highway to Heaven closed the 1986-1987 season in 24th place -- not as much of a comedown as one might think, considering that the series' competition included such ratings champs as The Cosby Show, Cheers, 60 Minutes, and Falcon Crest. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Victor French, (more)
Probational angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) and his mortal sidekick Mark Gordon (Victor French) continue helping unfortunate souls and perform earthly good deeds as Highway to Heaven flutters into its second season on NBC. This years kicks off with the two-part episode "A Song for Jason," wherein Mark and Jonathan endeavor to reunite a young cancer victim with his celebrity father. In subsequent episodes, Jonathan temporarily endows Mark with heavenly powers -- and in exchange, just as temporarily experiences life as a mortal; Jonathan and Mark settle a labor dispute and foil a big-time polluter in one fell swoop; our heroes help forge a strong bond between of a mentally challenged runaway and a wealthy young invalid; a misfit angel (played by Ed Asner) tries to win his wings after two centuries of foul-ups; Mark is given the opportunity to atone for all his past sins but with a daunting "price tag" attached; and the two do-gooders save a concentration camp survivor from a vicious gang of neo-Nazis. Highway to Heaven caps its second season with "Friends," in which Jonathan brings together a handsome but thickheaded high-school jock and a brilliant but lonely young girl. In the course of the season's 24 hour-long episodes, Highway climbed in the ratings to 13th place, one notch ahead of the CBS sitcom Kate and Allie. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Victor French, (more)
- 1985
This episode of Highway to Heaven reunites star-writer Michael Landon with his former Little House on the Prairie co-star Matthew Laborteaux. Be that as it may, the episode's emphasis is on guest performer Lew Ayres, cast as elderly widower Harry Haynes. Placed in a retirement home by his daughter-in-law, Harry has all but given up the will to live. It will take the divine intervention of angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) -- with a little help from the old man's grandson (Matthew Laborteaux) -- to convince Harry to give life a second chance. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1985
Angel-in-training Jonathan (Michael Landon) is assigned to straighten out the problems of Lori Parks (Carrie Wells), a famous and rather contentious child movie star. Jonathan's first step is to find the runaway Lori and return the girl to her parents. His next step -- which does not become obvious until Lori has been returned -- is to wean Mr. Parks (Gerald S. O'Loughlin) away from his booze habit and convince Mrs. Parks (Trish VanDevere) to stop behaving like the proverbial stage mother from hell. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1985
The angelic Mark (Victor French) is reunited (after a fashion) with his old Air Force buddy, who is now a border drug-enforcement agent. Unfortunately, Mark's friend has been murdered, but not before uncovering a dope-smuggling ring that is using model airplanes as a means of transportation. In the course of events, several other lives are threatened, including that of a young model-plane enthusiast (played by future Married...With Children co-star David Faustino). ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
A baby kidnapping strikes the Ingalls family in this made-for-television movie which was based on the popular series Little House on the Prairie. In this story, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and her husband Almanzo's (Dean Butler) baby, Rose, is kidnapped during the Christmas holiday season. The family goes in search of the child and finds a woman who stole the baby because she wanted a child of her own. In keeping with the show's family-values tone, they try to help the woman find a needy child at an orphanage. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1984
The 2-hour pilot for Michael Landon's celestial TV weekly Highway to Heaven was first shown on September 19, 1984. Landon stars as Jonathan Smith, a novice Guardian Angel sent to earth to do good deeds. Jonathan is far from perfect, as he proves on his first assignment, wherein he tries to save a retirement home from being sold out from under its elderly residents, including Special Guest Overactor Helen Hayes. Along the way, Jonathan renews the faith of ex-cop Mark Gordon, who as played by Victor French would remain a regular on the subsequent Highway to Heaven series. Though that series was always very careful in depicting its spirituality, the name of God was somewhat tastelessly invoked in the print ads for the initial Highway to Heaven pilot film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Premiering as a two-hour TV movie on September 19, 1984, the weekly, 60-minute Highway to Heaven was star Michael Landon's third NBC series -- and like Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie before it, the program was a huge success for both star and network. Landon, who also functioned as executive producer and (sometimes) writer/director, was cast as Jonathan Smith, a "probational" angel. In life, Smith had been a lawyer named Arthur Morton, who, at the time of his death at age 38 in 1948, was an aloof and unfulfilled human being. As an angel, Smith was sent to earth to bring love, harmony, and understanding to people undergoing severe problems -- and in so doing, our hero learned a lot about his own potential for goodness and compassion. Of course, Jonathan had not yet earned his wings and would not do so until the Powers Above determined that he had fulfilled his mission. Jonathan was accompanied on his earthly missions by a "living angel," hardbitten ex-cop Mark Gordon, played by Landon's former Little House on the Prairie co-star Victor French. Originally a surly, embittered man, Mark had "seen the light" thanks to Jonathan and was thereafter dedicated to helping his spectral sidekick get his wings. As often as possible, Jonathan and Mark relied upon their wits and resourcefulness to help those in distress; although he possessed supernatural powers, Jonathan preferred not to use them. Although the series was essentially dramatic in nature, several of the stories had a tongue-in-cheek quality to them. There were also innumerable references to Michael Landon's previous TV and movie credits, including guest appearances by such Little House regulars as Matthew Laborteaux and Richard Bull, not to mention a 1987 Halloween episode which spoofed Landon's notorious starring role in the 1957 horror flick I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Managing to combine the best elements of whimsical fantasy and down-to-earth dramatic reality, Highway to Heaven lasted five years and 111 episodes, ending its NBC run on August 4, 1989. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Victor French, (more)
Probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) launches his campaign to earn his wings by performing good deeds on earth as Highway to Heaven begins its first network season. Jonathan is accompanied on his journeys by rough-edged former cop Mark Gordon (Victor French), who, though still alive, can be just as much an "angel" as his celestial companion (and will be referred to as such in the individual episode synopses, for the sake of brevity). In the series' opening two-hour episode, Jonathan establishes his habit of taking odd jobs in places where his services are needed most -- in this instance, a dismal retirement home where the residents are in dire need of some cheering up. In subsequent episodes, Jonathan and Mark patch up several broken families: A minister estranged from his single-mom daughter, a movie star who tries to substitute money for love in dealing with his children, a burned-out country & western singer reunited with the husband and daughter whom she ran out on years earlier, an American teenager who refuses to accept the fact that he has a Vietnamese half-sister, and so on. They also find time to battle drug dealers and street gangs, melt the heart of a Scrooge-like used-car salesman during the Yuletide season, come to the aid of an illiterate high-school basketball star, and convince a quadriplegic named Scotty (played by semi-regular James Troesch) that he will find the love of his life despite his handicap. On his own, Jonathan falls in love with a mortal woman while trying to steer her son away from big trouble while Mark flashes back to the events of his own childhood and in so doing saves his grandfather's ranch from foreclosure. The season ends with the two-part episode "Thoroughbreds," guest-starring Helen Hunt as a stableman's daughter who falls in love with the son of her dad's millionaire employer. By the time this episode aired, Highway to Heaven was the 19th most popular network program on the air. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Victor French, (more)
- 1984
Little House: The Last Farewell was the third and last TV movie based on the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder (which also inspired the long-running TV series), though it was telecast out of sequence, shown before the second film, Little House: Look Back to Yesterday. This valedictory adventure of the Ingalls family finds their hometown of Walnut Grove being purchased by an evil miner (the ancestor, no doubt, of the evil land developers seen in all those Spielberg-produced films). Rather than allow themselves to be thrown off their land, Pa and Ma Ingels (Michael Landon and Karen Grassle), in concert with the rest of the townsfolk, take arms against a sea of troubles. But when ordered to evacuate the premises by the Law, the Walnut Grove residents exact a more spectacular method of getting even with the miner. The "surprise" ending of The Last Farewell, in which Walnut Grove is dynamited into oblivion, was the worst-kept secret of the 1983-1984 season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Having never forgiven his wife Evelyn (Ronee Blakley) for deserting him and their daughter Sarah (Michele Greene) to pursue a career as a country & western singer, embittered single dad Tim Higgins (Jerry Hardin) has convinced Sarah that Evelyn is dead -- and he is violently opposed to Sarah's own aspirations of singing stardom. It is up to angels Jonathan (Michael Landon) and Mark (Victor French) to reunite Tim and Sarah with Evelyn, who is now an alcoholic singing in cheap dives under the stage name of Patsy Maynard. In the process of helping the Higgins family, the angels also come to the aid of long-suffering Trudy, who works as a cook in the honky-tonk where Patsy is currently performing. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
The wife (Jenny Sullivan) of Vietnam veteran Richard Gaines (James Whitmore Jr.) is delighted when Richard's 15-year-old Vietnamese daughter Nguyen (Denice Kumagai) comes to the United States to live with their family. Alas, Richard's spiteful son Brad (Billy Jayne) wants nothing to do with his "new" half sister, and before long his hostility has spread to everyone else in his sphere of influence. It is up to Jonathan (Michael Landon) to defuse Brad's anger and bitterness. Longtime fans of series star Michael Landon will enjoy the many "inside" jokes made at his expense in this episode. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1983
Although the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie ran its course in March of 1983, producer/star Michael Landon managed to extend the property's life for an additional year with the aid of three expensively mounted TV-movie sequels. The first of these was Little House: Look Back to Yesterday, in which 19th century farmer Charles Ingalls (Landon) paid a return visit to Walnut Grove. During his stay, Charles learns to his horror that his son Albert (Matthew Laborteaux), a doctor in training, has contacted a blood disease that nearly always results in a slow and painful death. The other citizens are sympathetic, but have problems of their own -- namely, an economic recession that threatens to destroy the community. Of the original cast members, only Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls) was conspicuous by her absence, while Victor French pulled double duty as the film's director and in his familiar role of Isaiah Edwards (NBC publicity at the time suggested that Landon himself directed, though all print ads gave credit where credit was due). Look Back to Yesterday first aired on December 12, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Richard Gere plays Zack Mayo, an aloof, taciturn man who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he's arrived at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.). Mayo --or "Mayonnaise," as he is dubbed by the irascible Foley -- is an excellent cadet, but a little cold around the heart. Foley rides Mayo mercilessly, sensing that the young man would be prime officer material if he weren't so self-involved. Zack's affair with working girl Paula Pokrifi (Debra Winger) is likewise compromised by his unwillingness to give of himself. Only after Mayo's best friend Sid Worsley (David Keith) commits suicide over an unhappy romance does Zack come out of his shell and mature into a real human being. Take away the R-rated dialogue and the sex scenes, and Officer and a Gentleman could have been a 1937 MGM flick, maybe with Robert Taylor as Zack, Wallace Beery as Foley, and Jimmy Stewart as Sid. An Officer and a Gentleman was nominated for 7 Oscars, with wins to Gossett and to the hit song "Up Where We Belong." The closing scene has surely become a classic of movie romance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Debra Winger, (more)
- 1982
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Little House on the Prairie commences its ninth season with a new title -- Little House: A New Beginning -- and minus the series' longtime stars Michael Landon and Karen Grassle. When Charles Ingalls (Landon), his wife, Caroline (Karen Grassle), and their younger children (both "natural" and adopted) leave the family farm and move to Burr Oak, IA, the only Ingalls left in Walnut Grove is daughter Laura (Melissa Gilbert), now the wife of Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler). The Ingalls' old farm is sold to blacksmith John Carter (Stan Ivar) and his wife, Sarah (Pamela Roylance). Having recently given birth to daughter Rose, Laura becomes surrogate mother to her orphaned niece, Jenny (Shannen Doherty), and of necessity must give up her teaching job to new schoolmarm Etta Plum (played by Leslie Landon, daughter of Michael Landon). Meanwhile, the bitter loneliness of the Ingalls' longtime friend Isaiah Edwards (Victor French) is relieved when Edwards adopts an abused young sideshow performer named Matthew (Jonathan Hall Kovacs). In other developments, Laura begins her literary career; her adoptive brother Albert (Patrick Laborteaux) shakes a serious morphine addiction and makes plans to become a doctor; and the formerly bratty Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim) returns to town for a confrontation with her youthful "clone," Nancy (Allison Balson). Although the nine-year Little House saga ends on a bittersweet note, the property would return for a trio of uplifting and forward-looking TV movies, produced during the 1983-1984 season. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1982
In the conclusion of a two-part story, James (Jason Bateman) remains in a coma after being shot in a bank robbery. Everyone has given up hope for the boy's recovery except his adoptive father, Charles (Michael Landon), whose obsessive belief that a "miracle" will occur alienates him from his family and all but drives him insane. Ultimately, Charles builds an altar and places James upon it, hoping against hope that God will save the boy. An astonishing climax caps this, the final episode of Little House on the Prairie (though the series would be revamped in the fall of 1982 under the title Little House: A New Beginning). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1982
In the first episode of a two-part story, James (Jason Bateman) heads to the Sleepy Eye bank to make a deposit. The bank is robbed and James is shot, leaving him comatose. Seething with grief and rage, James' adoptive father, Charles (Michael Landon), persuades his friend Mr. Edwards (Victor French) to help him track down the outlaws. As they set out on their mission, Charles and Edwards order Albert ( Matthew Laborteaux) to stay behind -- an order he disobeys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1982
Still grieving over the death of his son John, Mr. Edwards (Victor French) has begun drinking again. Ordered out of his own home by his long-suffering wife, Grace (played by Corinne Camacho, replacing former series regular Bonnie Bartlett), Edwards returns to Walnut Grove and his friends the Ingalls, hoping to start life anew. Alas, he is unable to give up the bottle, and while drunkenly making a delivery to Sleepy Eye, he causes an accident that seriously injures Albert Ingalls (Matthew Laborteaux). His best friends having all but given up on him, Edwards must regain his inner strength on his own -- though he still has some "special help" from a higher source. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1981
Snowed in by a Christmas blizzard, the Ingalls family, including married daughters Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) and their respective husbands, Almanzo (Dean Butler) and Adam (Linwood Boomer), pass the time by telling stories about their lives. Also on hand is family friend Hester-Sue (Ketty Lester), who imparts a fascinating yarn of her own. This episode features excerpts from the 1974 Little House on the Prairie TV-movie pilot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
Director Silvio Narizzano totes out a Sunday morning public affairs programming style in this it-could-happen-to-you drama about a popular high-school student who finds that he has what some consider a disability. Paul Carafotes plays a high-school student who loves to play football and music. But when the school doctor determines that he is partially deaf, he is barred from the football team. In order to hide his disappointment, the high schooler changes his outlook to one of disinterest, and he rapidly falls in with a tough gang that is making trouble around the high school. Demi Moore appears in a small supporting role in this film -- her first film role. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Carafotes, Victor French, (more)
- 1981
Victor French returns to the series in the role of Isaiah Edwards. When his adopted son John a copy boy with a big Chicago newspaper, dies under mysterious circumstances, Edwards is comforted through his grief by his old friend Charles (Michael Landon). By and by, several clues indicate that John was murdered -- whereupon Charles and Isaiah head to the Windy City, there to join forces with a crusading editor to bring the killer or killers to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
- NR
When girls are first allowed to attend a military academy, the dead founders rise up to protest. ~ All Movie Guide
