James Rawley Movies

A murderous car wreaks havoc on a small Western town in this thriller that has gone on to achieve a small degree of cult status in spite of its own silliness. After a pair of bikers and a horn-playing hitchhiker are viciously mowed down, local police realize they have a motoring maniac on their hands. In a show of boldness, the mysterious black automobile kills the sheriff (John Marley) on the town's main street, leaving the post to officer Wade Parent (James Brolin). A supernatural element enters the picture when the car motors through a parade practice, but refuses to enter the hallowed ground of a cemetery. The cops chase the car through the desert, but it takes out several squad cars and disappears after injuring Wade. Things take a personal turn when the car eliminates Wade's girlfriend Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd) in a shocking sequence. Gathering his remaining officers, Wade concocts a plan to stop the horsepower-laden psychopath. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi

Dean Stockwell guest-stars as Mathew, a former Northern war hero and Congressional Medal of Honor Winner, now living a pauper's existence in Nevada. Ben Cartwright comes to Mathew's aid when the man is victimized by Seth Nagel (Harry Townes), a Southerner determined to avenge the loss of his home and family at the hands of the Yankees. The plot goes off on a rivetting tangent when Seth's daughter Lori (Susan Howard) befriends the beleagured Mathew. Written by Frank Chase, "The Medal" was originally broadcast on October 26, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This is the final installment in Universal's uneven "Gill Man trilogy," which began with Creature From the Black Lagoon and was followed by Revenge of the Creature, is the least interesting of the bunch. The story finds the prehistoric amphibian far from his Amazon home, kept under close scientific scrutiny in a special facility in Florida. After a laboratory fire severely damages the creature's gills, the head of the research team (Jeff Morrow) initiates an operation that will allow their subject to breathe through a set of latent lungs. After some attempts are made to acclimate the creature to life among human beings, Morrow's plans are destroyed by his own pettiness when one of his colleagues (Gregg Palmer) makes romantic overtures toward his wife, leading to a violent confrontation that leaves the creature badly injured. Alone in alien territory, the Gill Man resolutely shuffles off into the sea -- presumably to commit suicide, since he no longer possesses the ability to breathe underwater. This disappointing conclusion to the series makes little use of the 3-D thrills that enlivened the original and forsakes the opportunity to present a literal fish-out-of-water story in favor of hackneyed melodrama. Champion diver Ricou Browning again portrays the creature in the underwater sequences, with Don Megowan donning the gill-less Gill Man suit on land. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi