Darren McGavin Movies
A versatile leading and character actor who is equally adept at comedy as he is with drama, Darren McGavin has spent the bulk of his time on television and only occasionally appears in feature films. He also has extensive stage experience. McGavin attended a year of college and then moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actor's Studio. He made his film debut in 1945 playing small supporting roles in such movies as A Song to Remember, Kiss and Tell, and She Wouldn't Say Yes. His film career did not really take flight until he appeared in Otto Preminger's The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, The Man With the Golden Arm, and David Lean's Summertime (all 1955). In 1957, he played the title role in the television detective drama Mike Hammer. In feature films, McGavin averaged a film or two per year; by 1967, he had switched to television movies like The Outsider (1967) and The Challengers (1968). In 1971, he played vampire-hunting investigative reporter Carl Kolchak in The Nightstalker, a popular television movie that successfully blended humor, suspense, and horror. McGavin's wise-cracking character then appeared in a sequel and in 1974 starred in the short-lived television series Kolchak: The Nightstalker. While with the show, McGavin directed a few episodes. He had already directed and produced Happy Mother's Day, Love George (aka Run, Stranger, Run) (1973). In 1983, McGavin played one of his most memorable roles, that of the foul-mouthed, somewhat discombobulated, but well-meaning father in the uproarious A Christmas Story. McGavin earned an Emmy in 1990 for his recurring role as Murphy Brown's father on the popular sitcom Murphy Brown (1988-1998). Throughout the '90s, McGavin slowed down and only occasionally performed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1997
This video is one in a five-part series hosted by Darren McGavin that looks at some of the extraordinary, but true stories that have been termed miracles. In this volume, several remarkable stories are recounted by individuals who viewed the events as miracles in their lives. Their stories are re-enacted in the video to provide viewers with visual and aural impact aimed at awakening and enhancing their faith in the unseen forces at work in people's lives. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Hosted by Darren McGavin, the video is part of a series dealing with extraordinary events that have changed the lives of people. None of the individuals discussed are in any way remarkable, yet they have all experienced unexplained events that changed their lives. While the events recorded are mysterious, they are also based on fact. The video suggests a greater power that stepped in to guide these people at pivotal moments in their lives. The general tone of the video is positive and designed to entertain while promoting a feeling of hope and faith in the unexplained. ~ Michael McGrath, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Though people live in a world ruled in many ways by technology and science, a number of events continue to occur that cannot be easily explained away by either. This series of videos uses reenactments and interviews to capture the mystery and hope present in the stories of people whose lives were forever changed by inexplicable interventions in their daily lives. This particular volume features a story about a fireman who dreamed about an event ahead of time that proved critical to many. It also retells the story of an event that took place in the Sierra Nevadas. Another bizarre event involves the ghost-like help that was provided when the subjects' lives were in danger. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This video is part of an inspirational television series, which explores the world of the miraculous. Hosted by Darren McGavin, the shows present stories of people and the amazing events that have happened to them, which they feel are miracles. The show's compelling nature comes partly from the believable nature of the everyday, ordinary people who tell their stories so earnestly, with such conviction. Each episode is a combination of interviews, interspersed with docu-dramatizations of their amazing stories. The reality of the events cannot be refuted or explained away by ordinary analysis. Rather, the hopeful message is that the events are evidence of unseen forces guiding our lives and actions. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1967
This routine science-fiction saga concerns the crew of a rocket ship slated to travel to the red planet Mars. Mike (Darren McGavin) is the chief pilot who is assisted by the navigator Nick (Nick Adams). Using several scenes containing stock footage of McDonnell Air Force Base and Cape Kennedy, the crew takes off for their destination. Alice (Shirley Parker) is the wife who worries her husband Nick may not return. The action plods along for an hour, building to a climax in the final 27 minutes. The Forum Quorum provides the rock music for the feature, which supposedly was the last for Nick Adams before his sudden death at an early age. This feature is the initial film shot at Studio City in Miami, Florida. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darren McGavin, Nick Adams, (more)
- 1967
The sacred gold seal of the Far Eastern nation of Kuala Rokat has been stolen. Masterminding the heist is American industrialist Taggart (Darren McGavin), who intends to hold on to the seal despite the danger of a major diplomatic breakdown. The IMF is assigned to recover the seal, a job that requires a trained cat named Rusty and a healthy dose of the occult. Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, "The Seal" made its first network TV appearance on November 5 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1971
A widow finds her life unbearably dull and so becomes a volunteer CIA agent. She is sent to Mexico City for her first assignment and though her intentions are good, she ends up tossed into a jail. This was one of actress Rosalind Russel's final films and is sadly, considered among her very worst. Using a penname, she also wrote the screenplay. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) heads to Carmel, California, to console her old friend, playwright Martin Tremaine (Darren McGavin), whose wife has recentlhy committed suicide. Before long, an attempt is made on Tremaine's life--but another member of his family ends up as the victim. Can it be that the late Mrs. Tremayne has arisen from her grave to exact revenge against her husband? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
It is not for nothing that Murphy (Candice Bergen) has described the relationship between her divorced parents as "a Fellini version of the Waltons." Nonetheless, Frank (Joe Regalbuto) feels that at least one of Murphy's parents should be in attendance when she wins the coveted RFK award. Swallowing hard, Murphy invites her father Bill Brown (Darren McGavin), who in the 15 years since the breakup of his marriage has taken upon himself a trophy bride (Susan Wheeler Duff) who has presented him with a daughter (Jodi Knotts) and a new baby son. Just when it seems that the long-standing estrangement between Murphy and Bill will be healed, who should show up for the ceremony but her domineering mother Avery (Colleen Dewhurst). Originally telecast as an hour-long episode, "Brown Like Me" has since been divided into two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast on CBS as a one-hour episode), Murphy (Candice Bergen) is caught in the middle when both her domineering mother Avery (Colleen Dewhurst) and her distant father Bill (Darren McGavin) show up to see Murphy accept the coveted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Award. Although they've been divorced for 15 years, the Brown start up their bickering exactly where they left off--with Bill's remarriage to a much-younger woman, and Murphy's reluatance to invite either one of her parents to the award ceremony, both grist for the argument mill. Candice Bergen won an Emmy award for her performance in this riotous episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
This episode is dedicated to the memory of the late Colleen Dewhurst, the actress who played Avery Brown, mother of Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) on two memorable occasions. Much to the surprise of the "FYI" staff, Murphy exhibits no emotion over the death of her mother, but this is because of a promise made that Avery would "return" once more so long as Murphy held back the grief. During a wake for Avery at Phil's place, Murphy makes an effort to mend fences between herself and her father Bill (Darren McGavin), but nothing much happens until the climactic sequence, wherein we realize that Avery's spirit has indeed made a return appearance--but not in the anticipated manner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Soon it will be the very first Christmas for baby Avery, and Murphy (Candice Bergen) has planned a very quiet, simple ceremony, inviting only Eldin (Robert Pastorelli) and her "FYI" colleagues to the event. All this changes when Murphy's bombastic father Bill (Darren McGavin) and her wealthy Aunt Brooke (Marian Seldes) sweep into Washington laden with presents for Avery. There's only one teeny-tiny problem: Bill and Brooke intensely despise one another. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This made-for-TV biopic chronicles the exciting (at times scandalous) life and career of Eroll Flynn, Hollywood's most popular swashbuckling rake. Much of the information comes from Flynn's autobiography. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Duncan Regehr, Barbara Hershey, (more)
- 1994
Mysteries of the Ancient World presents several religious and spiritual mysteries which continue to baffle science today. The four volumes include Mysteries of the Ancient World, The Discovery of Noah's Ark, Ancient Secrets of the Bible, and Ancient Secrets of the Bible, Part Two. Darrin McGavin, Dennis Weaver, and William Devane host the series. Mysteries of the Ancient World, the first part in the series, discusses the pyramids, Nostradamus, and the Shroud of Turin. Viewers learn something about the pharaohs for whom the monumental pyramid tombs were built. The program attempts to determine whether Nostradamus could see the future. Analysts consider the material evidence surrounding the artifact alleged to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1993
The final installment of the Mysteries of the Ancient World four-volume series, this documentary about the biblical Noah's Ark takes an in-depth look at the history and ambiguity of this biblical symbol that is said to have rescued two of every animal during a great worldwide flood. Hosted by Darren McGavin, the video presents researchers, historians, and scientists who analyze the information and speculation about this ancient vessel and the flood for which it was built. The program examines the validity of Ark sightings and the presence of certain fossils and ocean formations that might determine the possibility that a flood at one time covered the surface of the Earth. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
In this Disney comedy, a pair of spoiled kids, bored by their filthy rich grandfather, decide they'd rather be with their mom who is in Hong Kong. In order to get her attention, they engineer their own kidnapping. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Darren McGavin, (more)
Music bridges a gap between two cultures in this made-for-TV drama. In 1957, Derek Sanders (Peter Scolari) is hired to teach music and direct the choir at Blanton Academy, a private school in South Carolina. Integration has not yet come to Blanton, and a number of students display an open hostility towards African-American in the community, most notably Taylor Bradshaw (Justin Whalin), one of the school bullies who makes no secret of his dislike of people of color. As Sanders tries to impress a more open-minded attitude upon the boys in his choir, he introduces a new vocalist to the group -- Landy Allen (Eugene Byrd), the teenaged son of Zeke (Moses Gunn), the school's black caretaker. Despite his initial enmity, Bradshaw strikes up a friendship with Allen based on their shared love for music, and as Allen teaches Bradshaw about the blues, he also finds himself learning about a people and a community he previously know almost nothing about. Noted folk-blues Richie Havens also appears in the film's supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Set during the '30s, this made-for-television sudser tells the melodramatic tale of a beautiful Hollywood starlet who throws away her promising career for the love of a married man. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michelle Pfeiffer, Hector Elizondo, (more)
- 1951
The genesis for Queen for a Day was the Dorothy Parker short story Horsie, all about a homely woman who takes a job as a nanny in the household of a selfish, insensitive couple. Months later, the husband receives a gift of an electric razor from "Horsie," out of gratitude for his kindnesses -- kindnesses which, of course, he never consciously extended. "Horsie" ended up as one of three short stories adapted to film by producer Robert Stillman in 1951. The unifying theme of the film was that each of the three female protagonists were contestants on the TV series Queen for a Day. You may remember that this long-running program was hosted by Jack Bailey, who on a daily basis selected one of three deserving women to be the recipient of fabulous prizes, the decision, which was made by the audience (there was an "applause meter" on the set), was predicated upon which of the three ladies had the saddest or most fascinating life story to tell. In addition to "Horsie," aka Miss Wilmarth (Edith Meiser), the other contestants in the film are Phyllis Avery and Kasia Orzazewski. Avery stars in the vignette titled "The Gossamer World," based on a John Answorth story, this episode concerns Avery's son Rudy Lee, a victim of polio. Orzazewski figures into the Faith Baldwyn story "High Diver," wherein she plays the immigrant mother of a college-bound boy (Adam Williams) who takes a job at a carnival to make ends meet. Queen for a Day was originally released as Horsie, until it was decided that the TV series' title was more saleable. (It wasn't, despite an aggressive ad campaign conducted on the Queen for a Day television program.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Avery, Darren McGavin, (more)
A former FBI agent is recruited to root out the gangsters who killed a fellow agent's son in this Arnold Schwarzenegger action film. After being booted out of the bureau for excessive violence, Kaminski (Schwarzenegger) lives in small-town exile with his bitter wife, Amy (Blanche Baker). He gets the chance to return to the big city, however, when Chicago mobsters murder the son of his old colleague Shannon (Darren McGavin), as well as scads of prosecution witnesses against them in an impending court case. Shannon promises to reinstate Kaminski if he'll help engineer the downfall of gang leader Max (Robert Davi). Working undercover and without government sanction, Kaminski infiltrates the mob by posing as a bodyguard/assassin. Along the way, he tussles with beautiful gambling addict Monique (Kathryn Harrold), who starts off as an enemy but ends up more. The action comes to a head when Kaminski's mob bosses send him to kill none other than Shannon. Released post-Terminator and pre-Predator, Raw Deal is one of several non-science fictional action flicks that cemented Schwarzenegger's '80s box-office appeal. Director John Irvin would return the following year with the gritty Vietnam drama Hamburger Hill. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathryn Harrold, (more)
- 1967
The quest for a fortune gold bullion provides the impetus for this adventuresome crime drama set in Southwestern Africa. It all begins with a plane crash. The pilot barely survives. When he awakens he sees that he is near an abandoned, wreck of a wagon. He ends up taken in by a couple who talk about the wagon and its mysterious cargo. Soon after the pilot's return to Johannesburg, he finds that the wagon is purported to have been filled with gold. Excited, he, and others, including his son and his son's girl friend, return to the location and begin their search. Unfortunately, the couple who rescued him lie in wait and take them all hostage. For the second time in the story, the wife attempts to seduce the pilot and was with the first time, the pilot says no. Realizing that she was wrong to have done that, the repentant wife frees the captives, an act that costs her life. Later, the searchers find the treasure, but unfortunately, things are not as they seem to be and violence ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- PG
In this star-studded Canadian feature, young Johnny (Ron Howard) returns to his home to find out more about his early childhood, and who his father is. He runs headlong into the rivalry between his mother (Cloris Leachman) and her sister (Patricia Neal). What he cannot know is that his inquiries will stir up a hornet's nest among the other villagers. Apparently more than one person in his hometown has something to hide. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In her final acting appearance, Susan Hayward is ironically cast as a research doctor who can no longer face up to the notion of dealing with death on a daily basis. Recently widowed, Dr. Maggie Cole is on the verge of giving up her job and going into seclusion. She is shaken back to reality by crusty but lovable "street doctor" Lou Grazzo (Darren McGavin), who coerces Maggie into accepting a job at a Chicago slum clinic. At first adjusting admirably to her new surroundings, Maggie undergoes a devastating assault to her emotions when she befriends a teenaged leukemia patient. Written by real-life M.D. Sandor Stern and originally telecast by ABC on September 27, 1972, Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole was supposed to have been the pilot for a weekly series, but plans for this project were abandoned after the death of star Susan Hayward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
