George Kirgo Movies
- 1980
A gangster who was wrongfully executed for a killing is promised leniency from Satan if he returns to earth in the body of a lawman who is trying to stamp out evil. Trouble is, the dead man has a hard time being evil enough to get revenge. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Richard Kiley, (more)
- 1976
Dale Messick's inexplicably popular Brenda Starr has to be one of the lamest comic strips ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public; thus, any filmed version of the strip had nowhere to go but up. Jill St. John stars in this feature-length TV pilot film as plucky girl reporter Brenda Starr. While searching for a Howard Hughesish recluse, Brenda ends up in the wilds of Brazil at the mercy of voodoo-practicing natives. Happily, both St. John and special guest villain Victor Buono recognize the material for what it is, and make no effort to take things seriously. Brenda Starr debuted on May 8, 1976; no series of any kind followed. Other cinemadaptations of Brenda Starr include a 1945 Columbia serial starring Joan Woodbury, and a much-delayed (though not long-awaited) theatrical feature of the 1990s starring Brooke Shields. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
British director Alexander MacKendrick helmed this farcical romantic comedy set in Southern California. Carlo Cofield (Tony Curtis) is a footloose tourist who meets Laura Califatti (Claudia Cardinale) when she accidentally edges his car off the highway. Laura invites Carlo to her home; he seems interested in her, but discovers she's already involved with swimming pool magnate Rod Prescott (Robert Webber). The next day, Carlo hits the beach and nearly drowns in the ocean, until he's rescued by comely sky diver Malibu (Sharon Tate). Carlo blackmails Rod into giving him a job so he can stay in California and pursue a romance with Malibu, but he soon finds himself torn between her and Laura. Don't Make Waves also features a theme song by The Byrds. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, (more)
The Dorothy Uhnak novel The Ledger was the basis of Get Christie Love! The title character, played by former Laugh-In regular Teresa Graves, is the first black woman to be hired by a big-city police force. Christie Love proves her value to her fellow officers by going undercover to smash a drug ring. First telecast January 22, 1974, Get Christie Love! served as the pilot film for the weekly TV series of the same name. That series ran from September 11, 1974 until July 18, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
A Greek-American businessman returns to his homeland with his teenage American-born son and finds that he has little in common with his family's simple life. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Legendary director Howard Hawks revs up and hits the track in this drama about race car drivers and the women who love them. Pat Kazarian (Norman Alden) is a racing driver who also oversees a team of racers, among them Jim Loomis (Anthony Rogers) and Mike Marsh (James Caan). Jim is engaged to marry Holly McGregor (Gail Hire), but after she arrives in Daytona to be with her man, Holly learns Jim died in a crash. With no where else to do, a shattered Holly takes a job at a restaurant owned by her friend Lindy (Charlene Holt). Ned Arp (John Robert Crawford) is tapped to replace Jim, who quickly makes a reputation for moving fast on the track. He also becomes known for moving fast with the ladies, which doesn't please Pat when he learns Ned has his eyes on Julie Kazarian (Laura Devon), his younger sister. After a few early successes, Ned breaks off from Pat's team, and Dan McCall (James Ward) steps in in his place. Dan arrives with his girlfriend, French beauty Gabrielle (Marianna Hill), but soon finds himself infatuated with Holly. Mike begins to fall for Gabrielle, and becomes angry with the shabby way Dan has treated her, going so far as to take his anger out on his teammate on the track. Red Line 7000 includes plenty of superb racing footage and some unusual rock and roll interpretations of classic folk songs; keep an eye peeled for George Takei (Mr. Sulu on Star Trek) in a minor role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Laura Devon, (more)
- 1978
In this gentle drama, a young American man (Beau Bridges) forsakes his promising career working with his father (Lloyd Bridges), a powerful business magnate, in favor of becoming a professional beach bum in Australia. After the boy becomes a world renowned surfer, his dad turns up from the States and tries to reconcile with his estranged son, which must happen soon, as the father only has a few months left to live. This telemovie represented the second of two Australian productions that Beau Bridges did, after the extraordinary Adam's Woman in 1970. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1984
In this made-for-TV movie, a teenage boy runs away from home and joins a circus, discovering that his new life is not exactly what he thought it would be. When the boy is the witness to a murder, he must struggle to keep himself out of the killer's way. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Elvis Presley plays rock singer and racecar driver Mike McCoy in the typical musical romp Spinout, directed by Norman Taurog. His band includes Curly Jack Mullaney, Larry Jimmy Hawkins and the female tomboy drummer Les Deborah Walley. Mike is coveted by a bevy of beauties that include the intellectual journalist Diana St. Clair Diane McBain, Susan Dodie Marshall and the spoiled rich girl Cynthia Foxhugh Shelley Fabares. Cynthia's millionaire father Howard Carl Betz wants Mike to race his newly built auto. All the girls want Mike, but he manages to marry them off to different paramours and in the end falls for his replacement drummer Susan. The 12-song album of the same title contained a musical curiosity, Bob Dylan's Tomorrow Is A Long Time. It was the only Dylan song ever recorded by Presley -- and the longest, at over five minutes in length. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, (more)
- 1964
Gore Vidal adapted his biting and bitter political satire from his hit Broadway play. Franklin J. Schaffner directed and Haskell Wexler provided the sharp-edged cinematography. The story concerns the political back-biting and smear politics involved in a presidential election year scramble by potential presidential party nominees. Lee Tracy (in an Oscar-nominated performance and his final screen role) is Art Hockstader, a dying president who refuses to throw his support behind any of his party's presidential hopefuls. Hoping to get the nod as the party's presidential candidate is liberal do-gooder William Russell (Henry Fonda). His wife Alice (Margaret Leighton) wants to get a divorce from Russell but is delaying the divorce proceedings until after the party convention. Opposing Russell for the nomination is Joe Cantwell (Cliff Robertson), a slick and unscrupulous political monster who will use any bit of dirt to get ahead in the party. When he discovers that Russell once suffered from mental problems, he threatens to use it against him. Russell then finds out that Cantwell once had a homosexual relationship. Russell, who abhors smear politics, now has to decide whether to use the information against Cantwell or bury the secret and risk losing the nomination. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1971
- PG
In this comedy a golden-boy tennis player in search of Life's meaning is corrupted by Hollywood, too much praise, and the temptation to sell out. His life therefore, becomes a metaphor for the morals of Hollywood society. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Gary Coleman stars as a teen-age angel who must return to Earth to help out three troubled families in order to earn his wings. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Made for TV, The Man in the Santa Claus Suit jumped the gun a bit by premiering December 23, 1979. The title "character" is threefold: John Byner, Gary Burghoff and Bert Convy all don Santa suits for various reasons. Byner is a fugitive tramp, Burghoff a lonely schoolteacher, and Convy a divorced father estranged from his young son. Unifying their three stories is top-billed Fred Astaire, who pops up in eight different roles (or seven different roles, if you don't count his "surprise identity") and sings the title song. The moral, as ever, is that Christmas is what you make of it: if you're merry, then you'll have a merry Christmas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
When the ratings for "The Six O'Clock News" drop even lower than usual, producer Lou Grant (Edward Asner) is held responsible. As a result, Lou gets pink-slipped, compelling Mary (Mary Tyler Moore) to visit the owner of WJM-TV and beseech him not to fire Lou. Guest star (Slim Pickens) serves up a riotous takeoff of cowboy star-turned-media mogul Gene Autry in the role of station owner Wild Jack Munroe. The final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show's first season, "The 45-Year-Old Man" was originally broadcast on March 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Offscreen husband and wife David Hemmings and Gayle Hunnicutt star in this average British shocker from director Kevin Billington. After their son drowns, the woman loses her mind and is committed to a mental hospital. Upon her release, the couple moves into a remote mansion in the country, where ghostly apparitions and terrifying visions threaten her fragile sanity. Billington's film (based on a Richard Lortz play) features a surprisingly effective ending, but its stately pace and drawing-room civility make it as uninspiring as most British horror films of the time. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
