Patrick Conway Movies

The focus in this Bonanza episode of September 29, 1968 is on ranch hand Candy, played by David Canary. Candy and the Cartwrights offer their assistance to a US Army unit, presently under attack from a gang of gold bandits. Crisis mounts upon crisis when it develops that Captain Harris (Pat Conway) is married to Candy's ex-wife Ann (Sandra Smith)-and the leader of the outlaws is Candy's childhood friend Angel Montana (Carlos Rivas). "Salute to Yesterday" was written by John Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A meandering mule and an old prospector find gold and adventure in the Grand Canyon in this family programmer. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Cowboy Johnny Dolan (Pat Conway) helps Jason McCord fend off three hoodlums in a barroom brawl. However, it turns out that Johnny did not rescue Jason out of the goodness of his heart: He is bounty hunter, and he intends to collect the $5000 bounty that has been placed on McCord's head. The villain of the piece is played by Michael Ansara, formerly the star of the 1959 TV western Law of the Plainsman--a spinoff from another western series, The Rifleman, which of course starred Branded's Chuck Connors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the saga of Hollywood's slow, slow maturation in the depiction of Native Americans, Geronimo highlights an early '60s turning point -- his character is drawn with sympathy -- but no more than that. Chuck Connors, an obviously Caucasian actor, plays the great chief, and there is not a single Native American actor in the cast. The story centers on Geronimo's escape from oppressive conditions on his reservation, and his garnering of forces in Mexico to wage war against the U.S. Several misconceptions are still scattered throughout the tale, especially the indication at the end that Geronimo was successful in obtaining fair treatment for all Native Americans at the hands of the U.S. government. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Destination 60,000 was one of a cycle of late-1950s films dealing with the exploits of supersonic-jet test pilots. Though plane manufacturer Colonel Ed Buckley (Preston S. Foster) relies heavily upon the daring of his ace pilot Jeff Connors (Pat Conway), Buckley has trouble coming to terms with Connors' lack of discipline. But when Buckley nearly cracks up making a test flight himself, it is Connors, applying the rules of procedure gleaned during his combat experience, who comes to the rescue. Among the familiar faces dotting the supporting cast are Denver Pyle as a co-pilot and Jeff Donnell as Buckley's ever-patient spouse. Destination 60,000 was put together by Gross-Krasne Productions, a firm more closely associated with weekly TV series (Big Town, Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal, Mayor of the Town etc. ) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tony Dumont (Rory Calhoun) is none too trustworthy at the beginning of Flight to Hong Kong. A dealer in contraband goods, Dumont is the bane of his girlfriend Jean Blake's (Dolores Donlon) existence. She wants him to go straight, but the other woman in his life, novelist Pamela Vincent (Barbara Rush), wants him to remain a crook--the better to provide material for a book she's writing. Dumont has a belated change of heart when he steps on the toes of the Mob once too often. Flight to Hong Kong also includes brief stopovers in San Francisco, Honolulu, Tangiers and Macao. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There's a rumor afloat that woebegone farmer Obie Tater (Royal Dano) has a hidden fortune, left over from the '49 gold rush. When a pair of toughs named Mitch (Jon Shepodd) and Quade (Pat Conway) try to learn the whereabouts of the gold by tethering Obie to a horse and dragging him on the ground, Matt (Dennis Weaver) rescues the old man. Unfortunately, Matt is not able to save Obie from the clutches of mercenary dance hall girl Ella May (Kathy Adams). This episode is adapted from the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of August 30, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Above and Beyond is the story of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as told from the perspective of the man who flew the mission. Robert Taylor stars as Col. Paul Tibbetts, commander of the Enola Gay. Once selected for this extremely dangerous mission, Tibbetts must hand-pick a crew worthy of the task. He is also forced to keep his mission a closely guarded secret, even unto withholding all information from his loving and patient wife Lucey (Eleanor Parker). The film concentrates on the strain placed upon Tibbetts, his crew and their families in the crucial days before the "big drop". The bombing itself is handled with taste and decorum, though the horror and mixed emotions of the moment are brilliantly conveyed on the faces of Tibbetts and his men. Above and Beyond represents a rare noncomedy endeavor from the writer-director team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Check and Double Check brought radio's highest-rated program to the big screen. Amos 'N' Andy were two black characters played by two white men, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. Donning blackface, Gosden and Correll are seen as well as heard as A&A, partners in the Harlem-based Fresh Air Taxicab Company. Our heroes spend most of their time helping the white romantic leads (Sue Carol and Charles Morton) try to locate a missing deed to some property owned by Morton's family. Eventually, Amos 'N' Andy unwittingly end up in a haunted house. Virtually the only genuine African Americans in the film are the members of Duke Ellington's Cotton Club orchestra, whose appearance at a high society ball is the device that brings A&A into the plot. Though no other Amos 'N' Andy films would follow, a popular TV series later aired in the 1950s with black actors cast in the leads. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide