Daniel J. Travanti Movies
The youngest son of an American Motors auto worker, Daniel J. Travanti excelled in high school on both the football and debate teams. While attending the University of Wisconsin, Travanti developed an interest in drama; so eager was he to jump-start his career that he begged the faculty to allow him to graduate in three years. He remained the archetypal overachiever at the Yale School of Drama; by the time he was 25, he was co-starring with Colleen Dewhurst in a road company version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Moving to Los Angeles in 1966, the actor appeared on scores of TV shows, playing misfit high schoolers and braying bad guys (he billed himself under his actual last name of Travanty until the early '70s). To counter career frustrations, Travanti grew increasingly dependent upon liquor, an addiction that had plagued him on a lesser scale since his college days. Only when his boozing began adversely affecting his on-stage performances (at one point he was replaced by his understudy in full view of the audience) did he seek professional help. After a six-month stint on the ABC daytimer General Hospital, Travanti was cast as Captain Frank Furillo on Hill Street Blues, a job he held down from 1981 through 1987. During this period, he also showed up in a number of well-received TV movies and specials, including the title role in a 1985 made-for-cable biography of Edward R. Murrow. Daniel J. Travanti was back behind the badge as a Chicago police lieutenant in the brief 1993 TV series Missing Persons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1965
Shot on location in Manhattan during the mid-'60s, Who Killed Teddy Bear? is a startling piece of dramatic filmmaking. Juliet Prowse portrays Nora, a deejay and hostess at a sleazy midtown discothèque who starts to receive obscene phone calls. Nora dismisses them, until she crosses paths with Bill Madden (Jan Murray), a grim, obsessive police lieutenant specializing in sex crimes (his obsession, as he later reveals, derives from the fact that his own wife was assaulted and murdered while out alone one night); he manages both to offend and frighten Nora with his depth of knowledge and suspicions about the kinds of people who commit those crimes. They develop a close but wary relationship even as the caller, whoever he is, proves to know not only a great deal about her personal life, but also about events transpiring right inside her apartment. She goes about her life as best she can, attending auditions and making the rounds of theaters, and socializing with her co-workers at the club, including the bus boy, Larry (Sal Mineo), who seems lonely and has a very sweet younger sister who is mildly retarded. She looks to her club manager (Elaine Stritch) for help, but then rejects her when she suspects that the older woman is attracted to her -- and then Stritch is killed by the stalker, by mistake, outside Nora's building when she is seen wearing the girl's coat. Nora tries to relax and looks to Larry for friendship, only to discover that he is the stalker. Madden also makes the connection, and figures out how he was observing her inside her apartment, but he's too late to save Nora from being assaulted. Larry ends up on the run from the police, who are in hot pursuit as he flees through Manhattan's streets. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sal Mineo, Juliet Prowse, (more)
- 1965
Future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti was still billing himself as "Dan Travanty" when he appeared in this Gidget episode as UCLA photography major Tom Brighton. When Tom approaches Gidget (Sally Field) and compliments her on her "photogenic" face, she immediately falls in love with him--and assumes that he reciprocates. What Gidget doesn't know is that Tom is already engaged to one Penelope Peterson (Sabrina Scharf). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti (billed as "Dan Travanty") guests in this episode as Ilan, shaggy-haired leader of a band of space cyclists. Hoping to rise above their "misfit" status, Ilan and his fellow cycle bums agree to blow up a planet in order to keep it colliding with their own. Alas, the planet slated for destruction is currently occupied by the Robinsons--and the cyclists have no intention of letting them escape! The plot takes a bizarre twist when, thanks to a gaseous substance, Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) is suddenly transformed into a green-haired muscleman--whose awesome strength keeps failing him at the most inopportune moments! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) gets to show off his tennis prowess when he goes undercover to end the criminal activities of suave racketeer John Harris (Joseph Campanella). The elusive Harris has ordered the killing of a Federal agent, and Erskine hopes to trap the man into incriminating himself. Meanwhile, Harris' paid assassin prepares to eliminate the only witness to the killing, a lonely teenage girl named Barbara (Brooke Bundy). Featured in a villainous role is future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti, here billed as "Dan Travanty." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
The ongoing war between the planets Argon and Zinan is slated to be resolved in a winner-take-all battle, to be held on the "neutral" planet Earth. Among the six representatives of the two planets is Argon warrior Kyle (Lloyd Bridges), who upon assuming human form arrives in a sleepy California town. Kyle's militaristic resolve is challenged by the curious emotions stirred up via his relationship with local resident Sandy (Angie Dickinson). The Love War was originally telecast on March 10, 1970 as an "ABC Movie of the Week" presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) returns to finds himself in hot water with the police over his acceptance of help from a neighborhood anti-drug group. The group has done some things which are far from textbook legal, such as stealing and destroying a large shipment of drugs. Though they pulled off their robbery without loss of life, a corpse is found at the scene of the heist. Tibbs, now suspended from the force, uses their help to string together clues which enable him to break up a large drug ring. This is the third movie made starring Poitier and based on John Bail's novels In The Heat of the Night and They Call Me Mister Tibbs. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, (more)
- 1974
Future Newhart costar Mary Frann is cast as female FBI Agent Pat Driscoll. Inspector Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is on the trail of a serial killer whose victims have all been members of the same college sorority. Inasmuch as Pat Driscoll is a former member of the benighted sorority, she agrees to set herself up as bait to trap the elusive psycho. This episode was directed by series regular Phillip Abbott. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The only witness to a terrorist bombing also happens to be a police informer. In his efforts to locate the witness, Kojak (Telly Savalas) is stymied by a rival police precinct which is keeping the man under wraps. Meanwhile, the witness escapes custody--just as the terrorist group El Compadre prepares to strike against. Appearing as an antagonistic police lieutenant is future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Things get personal for Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) when an undercover cop is found murdered, gangland style. Figuratively tossing the rule book out the window, Kojak sets his sights on bringing elusive crime boss Franco "Six Bits" Donatello (Harold J. Stone) to justice. Actress Diana Hyland, whose stellar career was tragically cut short by cancer one year after "A Grave Too Soon" first aired on March 7, 1976, plays a key role in this final episode of Kojak's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ex-crime reporter turned novelist Raymond St. Ives (Charles Bronson) is drawn back into the world of his former profession by wealthy Abner Procane (John Houseman). St. Ives is hired to locate a stolen set of ledgers that, if made public, could trigger an all-out mob war. Amazingly, St. Ives fails to recognize who his real friends and enemies are in the course of his investigation, and it takes all his mental and physical resources to keep from being exterminated. One of the characters who isn't all that she seems is sexy Janet Whistler (Jacqueline Bisset). While the "main" cast is serviceable, the lineup of future stars in minor roles (Daniel J. Travanti, Jeff Goldblum, Robert Englund, Michael Lerner) is fascinating. Based on The Procane Chronicle, a novel by Oliver Bleeck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, John Houseman, (more)
"Let's be careful out there..." So ends each roll call session at the Hill Street station house. As the cops and detectives head out to the streets, Captain Frank Furillo begins the delicate balancing act of providing enough protection for the law-abiding citizens without inciting the neighborhood gangs and local criminal elements who are openly hostile towards any police presence. Yet as dangerous as his inner city precinct can be, Furillo's biggest battles often involve protecting his own cops from the Public Defender's office, self-serving bureaucrats, and even each other.
- Starring:
- Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Conrad, (more)
- 1982
This 1982 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Daniel J. Travanti and features musical guest John Cougar. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel J. Travanti, John Mellencamp, (more)
- 1983
A Case of Libel was adapted from the 1953 Broadway play by Henry Denker. The story was inspired by the real-life courtroom battle between journalists Quentin Reynolds and Westbrook Pegler. Gordon Pinsent plays a liberal news correspondent who has performed heroically in World War II. Nonetheless, he is characterized as a drunkard and a Communist sympathizer by ultraconservative columnist Daniel J. Travanti. With the help of brilliant attorney Edward Asner (based on the actual case's Louis Nizer), Pinsent brings a libel suit against Travanti. The climax, in which Travanti is tripped up by his own contradictory writings, was in reality based on a small portion of the Reynolds/Pegler litigation, but it provides a satisfactory "sauce for the goose" third act. A Case of Libel had previously been adapted for television in 1969, with Jose Ferrer and Arthur Hill in the cast. The later version premiered October 17, 1983 on the Showtime Cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Adam is the heartbreakingly true story of the disappearance of 6-year-old Adam Walsh (John Boston) at a South Florida shopping mall. Adam's anguished parents John and Reve Walsh (Daniel J. Travanti and JoBeth Williams) turn to the FBI for help in finding their son, only to discover that the federal organization does not involve itself in such cases. As hope for Adam's return fades, the Walshes begin an organization to aid and comfort other families of missing children. The story does not end happily for Adam or his parents, but as a result of this tragedy, Congress passes the Federal Missing Children Act in 1983. This made-for-TV drama, originally telecast October 10, 1983, was followed by a sequel three years later. The real-life John Walsh later hosted the popular "reality-based" TV series America's Most Wanted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel J. Travanti, JoBeth Williams, (more)
- 1984
Sophia Loren plays an Italian cab driver whose 12-year-old son (played by her real-life son Edoardo Ponti) is blinded in an accident. Lacking the funds necessary for her son's operation, Sophia goes the Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell route by scouring the Italian countryside looking for her former lovers. By claiming that each man is the father of her son, Ms. Loren is able to build up a sizeable bank account. True love rears its head when Sophia hits upon her American ex-lover Daniel J. Travanti, an embittered recluse who lives near Mont Blanc, on the French/Italian border. In addition to Edoardo Ponti, several other members of Sophia's family pop up as actors and on the production staff of Aurora; in addition, Ricky Tognazzi, son of Italian film star Ugo Tognazzi, is featured in the cast. Originally titled Aurora by Night, this US/Italian coproduction premiered on NBC TV in October of 1984, then was released theatrically in Europe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Daniel J. Travanti plays a glum, no-nonsense Edward R. Murrow in this made-for-TV biopic. We follow Murrow's rise to prominence as America's foremost news commentator between the years 1940 through 1955, beginning with his on-the-spot radio coverage of the bombing of London. After the war, Murrow hosts CBS television's documentary series See It Now, which eventually leads to his legendary confrontation with Red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy. Murrow's own occasional compromises with his conscience, and his extramarital affairs, are bypassed in Ernest Kinoy's lean, spare script. Of more importance in the scheme of things is Murrow's edict that TV "can teach, can illuminate, and damn it, can inspire." Also in the cast are Dabney Coleman as CBS head-honcho William Paley, John McMartin as Frank Stanton, Edward Herrmann as Fred Friendly, David Suchet as William L. Shirer, and Robert Vaughn as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Murrow debuted January 19, 1986, as an HBO Premiere Films presentation ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Adam: His Song Continues is a sequel to the highly regarded fact-based 1983 TV movie Adam. The first film was the heartrending story of Floridians John and Reve Walsh (Daniel J. Travanti, JoBeth Williams) whose six-year-old son Adam was kidnapped and murdered in 1981, whereupon the Walshes lobbied for creation of the Federal Missing Child Act, which allowed public access to FBI files of other lost youngsters. The sequel, also starring Travanti and Williams, doesn't have the emotional drive of the original, but is still absorbing in its chronicling of John Walsh's efforts to create a advocacy service for missing kids--and the pressures brought to bear on Reve, who is expecting another baby. Both Adam films end with a roll call of missing children, with His Song Continues listing those children who'd been found since the first movie. The real-life John Walsh later became the host of a Fox "reality" series America's Most Wanted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Helen Barton (Faye Dunaway) and her insurance salesman husband Morely (Daniel J. Travanti) set sail with Lexa (Kim Cattrall) and her husband Jeff (John Laughlin) in this modern-day pirate adventure. Jeff's late father and Morely are searching for the treasure the two buried on a remote island 35 miles from Cuba in 1959. Lexa and Morely are engaged in a secret love affair, while Helen suffers from glaucoma-related blindness. Ned Beatty plays the old salt Ellis. There are more crosses and double-crosses than depicted on the Jolly Roger, complete with excessive sex and violence, with an interesting premise ruined by stilted dialogue and uneven continuity. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faye Dunaway, Daniel J. Travanti, (more)
- 1987
This program is an award-winning production aimed at educating parents on how to teach their children to be street wise. In an increasingly complicated and dangerous world, the potential for being in harm's way has affected the way today's children live. Child advocate John Walsh offers tips on ways to share advice with small children and how to warn them but not frighten them about the dangers they face. Specific situations such as talking to strangers, refusing offers of drugs, standing up to peer pressure, and other important issues are addressed. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The controversial case of a black man killed in Howard Beach, a working-class all white neighborhood of Queens, NY provides the basis of this docudrama. Much of the story centers around the attempts of Joe Hynes, the state prosecutor to bring the case to trial. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- PG13
Where has director Michael Anderson been since Logan's Run? Earning his keep on such slick TV-style time-fillers as Millennium. Kris Kristofferson plays the head of an official committee investigating the head-on collision of two commercial jets. A thorough analysis reveals the presence of a weapon of unknown origin in the wreckage; it is also pointed out that some of the victims' watches are running backwards. This, coupled with the cryptic warnings by flight attendant Cheryl Ladd to drop the investigation, prompts Kristofferson to burrow further and uncover the truth: Ladd is a sentinel from 1000 years in the future, who has come back to the 20th Century to help repopulate her dying civilization. Plot pegs and obstacles are in the hands of such sideline characters as enigmatic professor Daniel Travanti and amiable android Robert Joy. Millennium was adapted by John Varley from his own story Air Raid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kris Kristofferson, Cheryl Ladd, (more)
- 1989
Filmed in Britain, Fellow Traveller is set during the waning days of Hollywood's Communist "witchhunt". The film begins with the suicide of "unfriendly" movie star Hart Bochner; we then briefly flash back to the friendship between Bochner and his close friend, blacklisted writer Ron Silver. Working pseudonymously in England, Silver seeks out the late Bochner's girl friend Imogen Stubbs, who has not renounced her leftist views. He has an affair with Imogen, and through her regains his commitment to his own political preferences. Incidentally, the TV series for which Silver writes in Fellow Traveller is the popular The Adventures of Robin Hood, which actually did hire blacklistees in the mid-1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Silver, Hart Bochner, (more)
