Ray Milland Movies
Welsh actor Ray Milland spent the 1930s and early 1940s playing light romantic leads in such films as Next Time We Love (1936); Three Smart Girls (1936); Easy Living (1937), in which he is especially charming opposite Jean Arthur in an early Preston Sturges script; Everything Happens at Night (1939); The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940); and the major in Billy Wilder's The Major and the Minor opposite Ginger Rogers. Others worth watching are Reap the Wild Wind (1942); Forever and a Day (1943), and Lady in the Dark (1944). He made The Uninvited in 1944 and won an Oscar for his intense and realistic portrait of an alcoholic in The Lost Weekend (1945). Unfortunately, it was one of his last good films or performances. With the exception of Dial M for Murder (1954), X, The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1953), Love Story (1970), and Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), his later career was made up of mediocre parts in mostly bad films. One of the worst and most laughable was the horror film The Thing with Two Heads (1972), which paired him with football player Rosie Grier as the two-headed monster. Milland was also an uninspired director in A Man Alone (1955), Lisbon (1956), The Safecracker (1958), and Panic in Year Zero (1962). ~ All Movie Guide- 1987
Often trailers and coming attractions are of as much or more interest to viewers than the actual movie. Included here are some of the trailers and coming attractions seen in the Academy Award-winning Best Pictures from 1927's Wings to 1959's Ben Hur, also including The Bridge on the River Kwai, On the Waterfront, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Lost Weekend and others. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This fantasy-adventure is geared to the younger set. The saga begins when an American military plane is forced to explode an atomic bomb in the ocean, which brings up an ancient sea monster from his deep hibernation. When poor Capt. Barrios (Timothy Bottoms) is taking the watch on his ship, the monster surfaces and scuttles the vessel. A fellow sailor, mad as a hornet, accuses the Captain of being drunk and Barrios is stripped of his rank and threatened with a criminal trial. Anxious to prove he was right about the sea monster, the much-maligned Capt. Barrios sets out to locate a woman who has seen the beast, and to contact an expert who might be able to help. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Bottoms, Taryn Power, (more)
- 1984
Twenty-seven years after Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), Peter Cushing makes a belated return to the role of Sherlock Holmes in the made-for-television Masks of Death. Befitting his age, Cushing plays Holmes in retirement, content to play his violin and look after his bees. He is dragged back into action by a series of baffling East End murders. Each one of the victims has been discovered with an expression of stark, raw fear frozen on his or her face. With faithful Dr. Watson (John Mills) at his right hand, Holmes puts the pieces together. Ray Milland and Anne Baxter co-star in this stylish bouquet to the Baker Street Irregulars of the world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cushing, John Mills, (more)
- 1983
In this taut, futuristic drama, the maiden voyage of a hypersonic passenger jet becomes a disaster when something goes terribly wrong and it gets stuck in orbit. The film is also known as Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1982
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana was one of two 1982 TV movies inspired by the 1981 wedding of the Prince of Wales--and, like the competing Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story was all glitter and no substance. Christopher Baines plays Prince Charles like a Monty Python imitation, while Catherine Oxenberg, a cousin of the real Charles, is decorative as Lady Diana Spencer. This leaves the real acting in the hands of Dana Wynter as Queen Elizabeth, Olivia De Havilland as the Queen Mother, and Stewart Granger as Prince Philip (if you must know, the ever-popular John Hadden portrays Prince Andrew). The fact that Catherine Oxenberg was a blood relative of the Prince of Wales did not prevent her from starring in the 1992 "sequel," Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (We need not go into the shabby history of the Royals in this essay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Originally designed as a pilot for a television series, this crime drama tells the tale of two Italian-American brothers trying to survive in the underworld of organized crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Danson, Deborah Carney, (more)
- 1980
Old-time Hollywood director Vincent Sherman brings a glossy studio-bound look to The Dream Merchants, a two-part, four-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 film is rife with historical inaccuracies (Goulet is informed that the closeup has "just been invented by D. W. Griffith" as a means to convince him to sign a long-term contract assuring him plenty of closeups!), while the haircuts and speech patterns are firmly locked into the 1980s. All the same, The Dream Merchants was a profitable entry in the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series of TV specials. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- R
In this youthful adventure, six adolescents head for a vacation in Arizona and end up stranded in the desert after their car crashes. They decide to hike to the closest town. En route they encounter drug smugglers who are willing to kill to keep their location a secret. Bloody mayhem ensues as the young people try to flee for safety. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Ray Milland, (more)
- 1980
After 1970's Diary of a Mad Housewife, actress Carrie Snodgress found her career moving in frets and starts rather than barrelling ahead. By 1979, Snodgress was making do with gothic horrors like The Attic. In a variation on a theme previously explored in The Barretts of Wimpole Street and The Heiress, Snodgress plays a shy, withdrawn young woman who is totally dominated by her tyrannical father Ray Milland. At father's insistence, she remains sequestered in her attic room, denied contact with any men. When she finally breaks free, a spectacularly bloody denouement is the result. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
You'd think that Irwin Allen had exhausted the "disaster" genre by 1979. Think again: 1979 was the year that Allen put together the made-for-TV movie Cave-In. Once again, a diverse group is trapped in a perilous situation; this time they're caught in an underground cave-in in an anonymous national park. The dramatis personae includes park ranger Dennis Cole, Cole's ex-lover (and state senator) Susan Sullivan, and fugitive convict James Olson. Also ensconsed in the subterranean tomb are Leslie Nielsen, Julie Sommars and Ray Milland. Cave-In was shelved for nearly four years after its completion: it was finally given a network showing on June 19, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Darker Side of Terror is a TV movie that wants to have its cake and eat it too: it is a science fiction drama and a romantic triangle all in one. Researcher Robert Forster submits to an experiment in cloning conducted by his former professor (Ray Milland) The operation is a success--except in terms of Forster's personal life. It seems that the researcher's wife (Adrienne Barbeau) finds the clone to be more desirable than the original. To make matters dicier, the clone is a homicidal maniac! Darker Side of Terror is derivative from start to finish; the producers should have simply put their cards on the table and titled the film The Adventure of Frankenstein's Sexier Brother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This feature-length movie is a re-edited version of the first few episodes of the TV series. The story line concerns a spaceship full of survivors of a doomed planet who are headed to the Earth. Led by Commander Adama (Lorne Greene), they encounter villainous robots, threatening their journey to find Earth. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch, (more)
- 1979
- R
In this drama, a black man fights for freedom from racial oppression in the troubled country of Rhodesia. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In part one of Battlestar Galactica's pilot episode, the 12 colonies of humankind are poised to sign a peace treaty with the Cylons, a race of mechanical men with whom the colonies have waged war for the past millennium. In truth, however, the peace conference is a trap, arranged by traitorous human Baltar (John Colicos) for the purpose of wiping out humankind for good. Of all the colonies' battlestars, only the Galactica, helmed by Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) -- who, wisely, never completely trusted Baltar in the first place -- manages to escape the Cylon fleet. Led by Adama, his Viper-pilot son, Captain Apollo (Dirk Benedict), and Apollo's best friend, Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), the survivors of the Cylon ambush board Galactica and head for the long-lost 13th colony, which once bore the name of Earth. Originally telecast as a three-hour special, "Saga of a Star World" has since been divided into three separate episodes for syndication, and an edited 125-minute version has also been released theatrically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
In Part Two of Battlestar Galactica's pilot episode, Galactica's Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) has managed to escape the death trap arranged by the scurrilous, metallic cylons and human traitor Baltar (John Colicos). With the other survivors of the apocalyptic battle between the Cylons and the 12 colonies of Mankind, Adama heads to the supposed safety of the long-lost 13th colony--otherwise known as Earth. Along the way, Galactica makes a refueling stop at the pleasure planet Carillon. Alas, yet another trap awaits the remnants of Mankind--one that may even destroy Adama's son Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Apollo's best friend Starbuck (Dirk Benedict). Originally telecast as a three-hour special, "Saga of a Star World" has since been divided into three separate episodes for syndication, and an edited 125-minute version has been released theatrically as Battlestar Galactica. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
In an attempt to sell his manuscript, a writer tries to persuade a prospective publisher that cats are ultimately evil by providing him with three different stories of kitty brutality in this anthology of horror. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
In this above-average, exciting Canadian-made action thriller, four psychopaths, led by Christie (Robert Carradine) take over and vandalize a ritzy Manhattan apartment building during the New York power blackout. They move from apartment to apartment, victimizing the occupants until stopped by the police. This low-budget thriller has an exciting, well-written script by John C. Saxton, excellent photography by Jean-Jacques Tarbes and well-acted cameo performances by several well-known actors, including Jean-Pierre Aumont, Ray Milland and June Allyson. While highly derivative and predictable, this film is well worth watching if only to see James Mitchum give an unusually strong performance. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mitchum, Robert Carradine, (more)
- 1978
This delightfully bad made-for-TV movie throws together an assortment of television stalwarts and movie has-beens for what is essentially a horror version of The Love Boat. The plot involves a vacation cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, during which some of the passengers find an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus in an underwater cavern. Instead of "wasting time" explaining what Egyptian ruins are doing so far from Northern Africa, the writers decide to make things easy by making the coffin's occupant none other than the Devil himself. This stirs things up a bit for the hapless vacationers -- particularly for the fire-and-brimstone preacher (John Forsythe) who happens to be aboard. Cheap, campy, and topped off with a ridiculous ending, the film, at least, is not as boring as most TV movies of the sort. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Get ready for another dose of love and loss in this sequel to the four-handkerchief classic Love Story (1970). Oliver Barrett (Ryan O'Neal) is emotionally devastated after the death of his wife Jenny, and while he tries to lose himself in his work as a lawyer, the long hours don't ease his pain, especially when he finds that his leftist views conflict with those of the senior partners at the firm. Eventually, Oliver's inconsolable grief begins to alienate those around him, until he finds new love with Marcie Bonwit (Candice Bergen), the wealthy and beautiful heir to the Bonwit-Teller fortune. Despite his affection for Marcie, Oliver finds it difficult to leave the memory of Jenny behind, which causes major problems in his relationship with Marcie. Ray Milland reprises his role from the first film as Oliver's father; the supporting cast includes Charles M. Haid, Swoosie Kurtz, and Jose Torres. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan O'Neal, Candice Bergen, (more)
- 1977
Set in 19th-century Africa, this film chronicles the horrors of the slave trade and the relationship between an Arab slave-trader and the people he sees as goods to be bought and sold. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Trevor Howard, Ron Ely, (more)
The patient and non-pugilistic methods used by Inspector Simpson (Ray Milland) finally help him discover who killed the unidentified woman whose body was found on a Sydney beach. She was wearing only a scrap of pajamas, and her face was mutilated beyond recognition. The girl, an immigrant, evidently led a tragically profligate lifestyle. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Dalila di Lazzaro, (more)
- 1977
The inaugural presentation of the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" anthology, the three-part, six-hour miniseries Testimony of Two Men was based on the 1968 best-seller by Taylor Caldwell; it originally aired in three separate two-hour installments. Sprawled over the course of several generations following the Civil War, this epic begins in 1865. It covers the saga of idealistic, straight-arrow Pennsylvania surgeon Jonathan Ferrier (David Birney) and his irresponsible, hot-headed and slightly effeminate younger brother Harald (David Huffman). The Ferrier boys battle over professional ethics (Jonathan campaigns for medical reforms, Harald is interested only a quick financial turnover) and personal peccadilloes. The drama heats up when the philandering wife of one of the Ferriers is charged with murder, precipating a scandal that threatens to rock the medical profession to its foundations. In the climax, a group of envious physicians try to destroy Jonathan when he lobbies for antiseptic operating conditions--and the truth comes out about Harald's dalliance with Jonathan's late wife. Made available for syndication in May of 1977, Testimony of Two Men was seen in most markets on May 9, 16 and 23. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
- PG
Filmed on location in Zurich, Switzerland, The Swiss Conspiracy is concerned with a Swiss bank that discovers some of its clients are becoming the victim of a brilliant blackmailer. The bank's president (Ray Milland) contacts David Christopher (played by David Janssen), a former agent with the U.S. Treasury, to help discover who the blackmailer is and to foil his plot. As Christopher delves into the mystery, he uncovers a complicated web of intrigue, car chases, and shoot-outs that takes all of his wits to unravel. Along the way, Christopher encounters the beautiful Denise Abbott (Senta Berger), with whom he develops a relationship, as well as Rita Jensen (Elke Sommer) and Robert Hayes (John Saxon), who know more than they are willing to tell. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
