Chuck Connors Movies

John Frankenheimer's bizarre, satirical gangster film is not for all tastes but has acquired a minor cult following. Elderly mobster Edmond O'Brien hires a hitman (Richard Harris) to eliminate his rival (Bradford Dillman) in a dystopic setting of not-quite reality. There are albino alligators, skillful chase scenes, and Chuck Connors as a one-handed psycho who can fit various deadly weapons on his stumpy arm. None of it makes much sense, and mainstream viewers may end up scratching their heads in bewilderment, but fans of more esoteric films should find it a lot of fun. It would likely have ended up as a big hit on the drive-in circuit if it hadn't been directed by Frankenheimer, from whom most people expect better. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

In this spaghetti western, the head of a band of desperadoes steals the gold from a Union fort and hides it before the leader is captured by Yankee soldiers. In captivity, the outlaw is tortured by a sadistic Army officer, formerly the trader who conned him into the heist. The torture will not stop until the thief reveals the location of the gold. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This is a soap opera about a rich, suave, but self-aggrandizing villain and the women who either love or hate him. The melodrama sudses up with Ernie Stoddard's (Tony Curtis) determination to bring legal gambling to an island off the California coast and a local councilman's equally strong determination to stop him. The catch is Stoddard's ex-wife Erin (Carol Lynley) is now married to the councilman, but her heart still skips a beat when Stoddard walks into the room. The councilman is her third husband; her first, Stoddard's partner, was apparently killed by parties unknown. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A houseful of prostitutes and a few cowboys have some fun in this made-for-TV spoof on westerns. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Switching from black and white to color for its second and final season, the NBC western Branded offers 32 more half-hour opportunities for disgraced ex-Cavalry officer Jason McCord (Chuck Connors to prove that he did not run away like a cowardly rat from the infamous Battle of Bitter Creek, of which he'd been the sole survivor. The season opener, "Judge Not", offers McCord the latest in a long line of moral dilemmas, with the life of one of the officers who'd presided at his court martial in Jason's hands. Subsequent episodes worth noting include "Now Join the Human Race", featuring Burt Reynolds as a reservation-jumping Indian whom McCord must persuade to surrender lest a huge battle between the runaway's tribe and the Cavalry ensue; "I Killed Jason McCord", with Larry Pennell as a blowhard who has built up a hero's reputation by claiming that he has shot down that yellow-bellied deserter McCord; and "Yellow for Courage", wherein McCord volunteers as a guinea pig for an experimental anti-diptheria serum developed by a female doctor (Patricia Medina) who, like our hero, is a social outcast. Evidently to boost the series' ratings, the producers contrive to have McCord cross paths with a number of 19th century celebrities during Season Two, blithely ignoring historical accuracy and other such frivolities. "Seward's Folly" features an Wolfe as a man who purchased Alaska for the United States in a story about McCord's struggle to prevent his maps of the new Alaskan territory from falling into the wrong hands. In "The Greatest Coward on Earth", Pat O'Brien plays showman P.T. Barnum, who hires McCord to cash in on his ruined reputation as a circus attraction (and in case you're wondering, Barnum's partner Bailey is played by no less than Dick Clark!). Burgess Meredith appears as fabled journalist Horace Greeley, who after heeding his own advice to "go west" must rely upon McCord to keep him alive in "Headed for Doomsday". And in "This Stage of Fools", McCord accepts a job as bodyguard for a man who had been "branded" by default: actor Edwin Booth (played by Martin Landau), the brother of Presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Several of this season's episodes are multi-parters, beginning with the two-part "Fill No Glass for Me", a flashback to days following McCord's court-martial and his rescue of an inexperience Cavalry officer, played by future Mission: Impossible regular Greg Morris. In another two-parter, "The Assassin", McCord operates undercover at the behest of President Grant to prevent a political assassination. And in the lavish three-part yarn "Call to Glory", a subsequent undercover mission nearly places McCord smack in the middle of a certain famous dust-up at the Little Big Horn involving General George Armstrong Custer (Robert Lansing) and Chief Crazy Horse (Michael Pate). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of a two-part story, Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) has infiltrated a group of insurrectionists who plan to assassinate President Grant. When Jason's cover is blown, the assassins boldly make a public attempt on both his life and Grant's--leaving an incriminating dagger behind. Now fully aware of who is behind the plot, Jason formulates a counterplot of his own, which reaches full fruition at a Washington DC costume party. Future Mission: Impossible leading man Peter Graves plays a pivotal role in this story, which was co-written by Branded star Chuck Connors--whose wife Kamala Devi also makes a guest appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Captain Nemo and the Underwater City thrusts several "name" actors into the specialized world of Jules Verne. Six 19th-century shipwreck victims are rescued by a modernistic submarine. The skipper is Captain Nemo (Robert Ryan), who had not died at the end of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as viewers had been led to believe. Instead, he has installed a fantastic underwater city, using this subterranean metropolis as a base of operations for his war against mankind. The ambitions of the screenwriters and director are defeated by the tackiness of the film's model and miniature work. Captain Nemo and the Underwater City represented MGM's first Jules Verne epic since its 1929 spectacular Mysterious Island. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pill poppin' truckers provide the focus of this anti-drug drama. Much of the story centers upon an investigator for the US Food and Drug Department who has been assigned to stop all truckers from taking amphetamines while they drive. The drivers take the pills to help them stay awake on long-hauls. Unfortunately, the "speed" is also causing major accidents. The investigator goes undercover as a driver to help find the main drug pushers. En route he falls for a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, he finds that she is one of the biggest pushers in the country. Though the film's original intent was very serious, it has become popular with fans of campy or cult films. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dragonfly Squadron is set in 1950 in the months before the beginning of the Korean War. John Hodiak stars as Major Mathew Brady, assigned to the base at Kongju to train South Korean troops for possible combat. These troops are to be used to protect civilians in the event of an evacuation, thus Brady is obliged to run them ragged in order to transform them into a lean, mean fighting machine. Despite the gravity of his job, Brady manages to find time to romance Donna Cottrell (Barbara Britton), the wife of an American doctor (Bruce Bennett). The Casablanca aspects of this triangle are the only forgettable aspects of this taut and timely adventure yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Some prisoners pin their hopes for freedom on a homemade aircraft in this made-for-television thriller. Based on a true World War Two story, Doug McClure stars as Harry Cook, an Allied soldier who tries to escape a Nazi prison camp with a scientist in tow, using a glider built by their fellow inmates. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

An Arizona ranch set on top of a copper deposit is the focus of mercenary neighbors who plot to get rid of the resident family. ~ All Movie Guide

This distaff variation of the Goodbye Mr. Chips theme is based on a novel by Frances Gray Patton. While confined to a sickbed, ageing New England schoolteacher Miss Dove (Jennifer Jones) recalls the many students who passed through her classroom. Among her now-grown-up prize pupils are surgeon Tom Baker (Robert Stack), policeman Bill Holloway (Chuck Connors) and playright Maurice (Jerry Paris), all of whom were able to overcome difficult childhoods and strive for success with the help of Miss Dove. As it turns out, it is Dr. Tom Baker who is to perform the operation that may save the life of his ailing former teacher. A 60-minute TV adaptation of Good Morning Miss Dove, with Phyllis Kirk in the Jennifer Jones role, was seen in 1956 as part of the weekly anthology The 20th Century-Fox Hour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide