Stanford Whitmore Movies
- 1988
Featuring shots of aerial adventure and excitement, this is the pilot for a television series that chronicled the exploits of a group of specially trained Navy fighter pilots who live aboard a gigantic aircraft carrier and struggle daily to keep the world safe for democracy. The story centers on the pilots' fight to contain a devastating virus. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1986
- PG
The real-life Mel Fisher was considered a mercenary by some, a visionary by others. Whatever the case, Fisher was a famous treasure hunter, who spent nearly decades searching for a Spanish Galleon which sank off the Florida Keys in the 17th century. Against all odds, Fisher and his crew were able to retrieve a fortune in gold from the galleon in July of 1985. The made-for-TV Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story first aired November 15, 1986, not long after a drawn-out court battle between Fisher and the U.S. government over ownership of the treasure had come to a conclusion. Cliff Robertson stars as Mel Fisher, while Loretta Swit is cast as his wife, Deo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cliff Robertson, Loretta Swit, (more)
This well-acted but wildly disjointed sci-fi/horror film stars William Devane as a writer who takes a personal interest in a series of baffling decapitation murders in the L.A. area, all of which seem to indicate some kind of supernatural force at work. He is joined in his investigation by a TV reporter (Cathy Lee Crosby), while detective Dave Mooney (Richard Jaeckel puzzles over evidence that the killer may not even be human. Their subsequent monster hunt is both stylish and suspenseful but completely collapses at the end, trashing any attempt at explanation by revealing the murderer as a lumpy-browed alien brute with ill-fitting slacks and laser-beam eyes. After a tension-filled 80-minute set-up, the moronic climax brings the suspense to a jarring halt and was probably added late in the game by a lame-brained studio executive who decided in mid-production to change the killer into an alien. Directorial duties were originally assigned to Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), who bailed out early to be replaced by John "Bud" Cardos. Enough said. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Devane, Cathy Lee Crosby, (more)
- 1978
An outstanding performance by LeVar Burton makes this an above-average sports biography. Based on an adaptation of his autobiography, this is the story of Ron LeFlore, who was raised in the Detroit ghetto and became a major league baseball player for the Detroit Tigers. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- 1976
"An unprecedented cast brings to life the blockbuster book"--or so said the add copy for The Moneychangers, a four-part TV miniseries based on Arthur Hailey's novel, first telecast Dec 4-19, 1976. The drama's starting point is a power play between two bank officers, played by Kirk Douglas and Christopher Plummer. Social commentary is provided by an inner-city revolt against the bank's policies, while inside the bank's walls are played out brief scenarios of embezzlement, crooked deals, credit card counterfeiting and attempted murder. Ross Hunter coproduced the adaptation, imbuing each frame with the plush treatment that he'd previously lavished on his Doris Day and Rock Hudson vehicles. The Moneychangers originally ran 6 1/2 hours; it has been pared down to two-part movie length for subsequent syndicated telecasts. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
In this WWII-era drama, Jan-Michael Vincent plays Marion Hedgepeth, a young Marine who fails out of a boot camp in 1943 and gets sent home wearing a baby blue suit to symbolize shame and dishonor. In Los Angeles, he runs into a veteran who -- eager to be discharged -- k.o.'s him and switches their uniforms. When Marion regains consciousness, he's clad in a hero's uniform. He begins hitching his way toward his home in St. Louis, dreading the prospect of confessing to his folks, but stops for a time in a small town where he's mistaken for a hero and immediately falls in love with a waitress, Rose (Glynnis O'Connor). Meanwhile, as the truth threatens to emerge and bring disgrace raining down onto his head, several residents of a Japanese internment camp escape. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Glynnis O'Connor, (more)
- 1975
In this feature-length pilot for an unsold TV series, Bo Hopkins, Tim Matheson and Jim Davis star as Ezel, Owens, and Buckshot, three men carving out a living as the owners of a Mississippi river tugboat. Balancing comedy with melodrama, the story manages to involve our heroes with a gang of hijackers and kidnappers. The film originally aired March 24, 1975, on NBC. For its subsequent overseas release, The Runaway Barge was retitled River Bandits. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
The inspiration for the made-for-TV movie was an actual event which occurred in June of 1973. A crew of four sinks in a minisub off the Florida coast. As half the nation (apprised of the disaster by TV and radio) holds its breath, a daring rescue mission is organized. Lee J. Cobb and Martin Balsam are among the rescuers. Paul Michael Glaser, Joshua Bryant, Cliff Potts and Roger Kern are the helpless rescuees. Trapped Beneath the Sea was telecast fifteen months after the real-life crisis was resolved. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
An unsubtle but effective TV-movie satire of the "Miss America" syndrome, Great American Beauty Contest stars Joanna Cameron as a fire-breathing feminist who enters the contest of the title. She plans to win the crown, then utterly destroy the contest by delivering a scathing attack on exploitation and sexism instead of an acceptance speech. A subplot concerns contest judge Louis Jourdan, who uses his position to extract sexual favors from the more desperate contestants. Eleanor Parker, the girls' chaperone, gives Jourdan his comeuppance in the film's most satisfying sequence. We won't spoil the twist ending, but we will note that one of the contestants is played by Farrah Fawcett, whose specialty is an endearingly ridiculous belly dance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
Eyes of Charles Sand is a TV-movie variation of Roger Corman's X -- the Man with the X-Ray Eyes. Peter Haskell plays an ordinary mortal who inherits "The Sight," a heightened sense of ocular awareness. With this gift, Haskell is able to see hazily into the future and to probe the minds of others--which comes in handy during a murder mystery. Too bad he can't peer into the past to see who's responsible for the killing. A pilot for an unsold series, The Eyes of Charles Sand utilizes Henry Mancini's music score from the feature film Wait Until Dark (67) because of a 1971 composer's strike. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
- R
Loosely based on the Faust legend, Hammersmith is Out stars Richard Burton as the title character, a mental patient confined to the sanitarium owned by a loony doctor (Peter Ustinov, who also directed). Befriending a lackadaisical orderly named Billy Breedlove (Beau Bridges), the satanic Hammersmith offers Billy untold wealth and power if he'll help him escape. Once on the outside, Hammersmith keeps his promises to Billy, with the help of slovenly hash-slinger Jimmie Jean Jackson (Elizabeth Taylor). When time comes to pay the piper, however, Hammersmith and Jimmie Jean conspire to leave Billy hanging out to dry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, (more)
- 1971
- R
Adjustment to civilian life after participating in the Vietnam War does not prove easy for an old rancher's son. The boy (Michael Moriarty) returns to his father's ranch in the Pacific Northwest and brings along two of his war-time buddies to help out. One of them is a little slow on the uptake (William Devane), the other is a former sergeant who is a little too tightly sprung (Mitchell Ryan). After some initial conflicts, they seem to get along until the sergeant goes into flashback mode, believing he is back in Vietnam. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1970
Nostalgia is selling angle of this made-for-TV suspenser. Someone is going around breaking into movie vaults and setting precious tins of rare film ablaze. An insurance investigator and a detective investigate this seemingly pointless crime. As it turns out, the "movie murderer" is an extortionist who was inadvertently filmed while committing a crime, thus he's anxiously burning every possible shred of evidence. It happens that the criminal is also an old-movie buff, which permits Universal Studios, producers of The Movie Murderer, to show off film clips from its MCA backlog--including snippets of W.C. Fields from International House, Gary Cooper from The Virginian, and Warner Oland from The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Conspiracy to Kill was one of two pilot films for the Jack Webb-produced TV series The D.A. Robert Conrad stars as LA deputy district attorney Paul Ryan. This time around, Ryan reopens a case that he's already won. New evidence indicates that a supposedly victimized drugstore owner (William Conrad) was the brains behind a robbery and murder that occurred at his own establishment. The D.A. series proper ran from September 17, 1971, through January 7, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
A marshal (Dennis Weaver) from a small New Mexico town escorts a subpoenaed witness to New York City. When his witness is kidnapped, the marshall tries to track him down in the unfamiliar city. During his search, he finds himself in the middle of a murder case involving Puerto Rican nationalists, a beautiful novelist, a Wall Street lawyer and a dead beauty-contest winner. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Weaver
- 1969
While still starring in Bonanza, Lorne Greene took a sabbatical from the Ponderosa to headline this made for TV espionage thriller. Greene portrays a Russian secret agent whisked away from his comfortable retirement in Moscow to undertake a sabotage job in London. He finds himself compelled to solve the mysterious death of the British scientist whose invention Greene was supposed to destroy. The key to the mystery appears to be the cryptic phrase "The Gaunt Woman" (which was the title of the John Blackburn novel upon which this film was based. Filmed in London, Destiny of a Spy did well in the ratings thanks to the novelty casting of Lorne Greene as a Communist functionary. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1967
A baffling robbery at the Comus Towers art museum becomes a personal matter for Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) when his close friend, the museum owner, is murdered. Inasmuch as the crime took place in a high-rise building, it would seem that a "human fly" was the culprit. At least, that's what the police believe--but Ironside is becoming more and more certain that the robbery was an inside job, and that the criminal is still on the premises. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1964
- NR
Perhaps the most popular and influential songwriter in the history of country music, Hank Williams Sr. didn't have a long recording career (only four years), but after passing away on New Year's Day, 1953, at the age of 29, he became a legend of American music practically overnight, and this biopic puts a veneer of Hollywood gloss on the story of his rise to fame. Hank Williams (played by Donald Losby as a young man) is a boy growing up poor in a small Alabama town who learns how to play guitar from itinerant musician and shoeshine man Teetot (Rex Ingram), who looks out for the boy. After Teetot's untimely death, young Hank sets his sights on a career in music; years later, Williams (played as an adult by George Hamilton) is performing as part of a traveling medicine show when he meets Audrey (Susan Oliver), who recognizes the full extent of Hank's talent. At Audrey's urgings, Williams joins forces with manager Shorty Younger (Red Buttons) and music publisher Fred Rose (Arthur O'Connell), and with their help Hank becomes a rising star in country music, developing a loyal following through hit records, heavy touring, and appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. However, Williams doesn't cope well with the pressures of fame, and despite the help of his friends and the guidance of his wife, he begins missing shows, developing a reputation as an unreliable performer, and drinking heavily. Produced by legendary B-movie magnate Sam Katzman, Your Cheatin' Heart featured 15-year-old Hank Williams Jr. re-creating his father's vocals for the film's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Hamilton, Susan Oliver, (more)
- 1964
Don Siegal directed this made-for-TV remake of the western drama Ride The Pink Horse, in which Robert Culp stars as Harry Pace, who has set out to avenge the violent death of a good friend. Pace's search leads him to New Orleans during the Mardi Gras celebration, where he meets a beautiful woman, Lois Seeger (Vera Miles). Pace's infatuation with Seeger leads him into a dangerous conflict with her husband, Arnie Seeger (Edmund O'Brien), a ruthless political power broker. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1963
En route to Death Row after being wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife, Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) escapes his captor Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) in a spectacular train crash. For the next four TV seasons, Kimble will live the life of The Fugitive, travelling from town to town, state to state, in search of the "One-Armed Man" who actually murdered Mrs. Kimble. In this first episode of Season One, Kimble, using the alias James Lincoln, lands a job as a bartender in Tucson. Soon he becomes deeply involved in the plight of the bar's piano player Monica Welles (Vera Miles), who is being tormented by her brutish husband Ed (Brian Keith), a wealthy and politically powerful rancher. Establishing the pattern followed by virtually every subsequent Fugitive episode, Kimble places his own freedom (and life) in jeopardy by coming to Monica's rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
In an ironic turn of events, fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen) is sworn in as a deputy when Phil Bellows (Robert Doyle) is arrested for murder. Ordered to drive the prisoner and the witnesses to the county seat, Kimble is persuaded that Bellows is actually an innocent victim of circumstance--just like himself. Only after saving Bellows from a lynch mob does Kimble realize that he's being played for a sucker by a very clever psychopath. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
Recognizing the man in a picture snapped by a sidewalk photographer as Richard Kimble (David Janssen), Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) rushes to Chicago in hopes of finally capturing the fugitive. Seeking a hideout, Kimble takes refuge in the home of two crotchety middle-agers named Jake (John McGiver) and Sam (John Fiedler), who by a strange coincidence are in the middle of a lengthy debate over Kimble's innocence. Legendary sportscaster Chick Hearn appears as a TV newscaster in this semi-comic episode, which brings the first season of The Fugitive to a close. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
After discovering that her lover Paul Clements (Ed Nelson) is married, Ruth Norton (Pamela Tiffin) angrily jumps into her car and speeds away--striking down a pedestrian in the process. The victim turns out to be fugitive from justice Richard Kimble (David Janssen), whom the distraught Ruth takes to her home to recover from his injuries. In his delirium, Kimble recalls the events leading up to the murder of his wife Helen (Diane Brewster) by the elusive One-Armed Man (Bill Raisch)--and also unwittingly reveals that he had plenty of motive to commit the murder himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
When a cease-fire temporarily halts the Korean war action, Private Endore (John Saxon) can't put down his rifle. He continues to make one-man raids behind enemy lines at night. When he takes along a young Korean refugee to personally witness the mayhem, Private Roy Loomis (Robert Redford) attempts to save the boy and stop the murderous and obviously insane Endore. This film marks the big-screen debut of Robert Redford. Sydney Pollack, who would collaborate with Redford on future film projects, plays the role of Sergeant Van Horn. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Saxon, Robert Redford, (more)
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