Linda Cristal
- 1980
Condominium is a two-part, four-hour TV adaptation of the novel by John D. McDonald. The setting is a hastily constructed Florida high-rise, assembled at the least possible cost by its greedy owners. An oncoming hurricane threatens to topple the structure and its residents into the ocean. Various degrees of greed, lust, terror and concern are displayed by stars Steve Forrest, Dan Haggerty, Ralph Bellamy, Barbara Eden, Stuart Whitman, Jack Jones and Pamela Hensley. Produced for the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series, Condominium was first made available to local stations on November 20, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
- PG
An auto-theft ring decides to help out migrant workers from Mexico with the proceeds from their racket. The film is also known as Love and the Midnight Auto Supply. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Parks, Linda Cristal, (more)
- 1977
- R
Everybody knows that Howard Hughes ordered most of his 1930 aviation epic Hell's Angels refilmed to accommodate his latest discovery, platinum blonde Jean Harlow. Everybody also knows that Hughes and Harlow had an affair. These "givens"are used as springboard for exploitation filmmaker Larry Buchanan's Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell. Neither Lindsay Bloom nor Victor Holchak are half as fascinating as the real-life characters they portray, and this coupled with a stretched-to-the-limit budget results in a film that never quite reaches its potential. Still, we can't resist that supporting cast: Royal Dano, Adam Roarke and Linda Cristal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This interesting made-for-TV period gangster-horror piece -- written by Psycho author Robert Bloch -- stars George Hamilton as a military man in 1930s Chicago who pounds the pavement in search of answers after his brother's wrongful execution. His investigations plunge him into a dark world even more sinister than the gangland circles he is forced to penetrate, leading him to the domain of a diabolical scientist, Varek (Ray Milland), who is plotting to seize control of the entire city with his army of walking dead. Directed by horror veteran Curtis Harrington, this plays very much like a '30s pulp novel come to life with plenty of menacing noir atmosphere, creepy monsters, and some well-mounted shocks. The Dead Don't Die is also enhanced by good uniform performances and the presence of the undeniably spooky Reggie Nalder. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Elmore Leonard's script for Mr. Majestyk was, like his novel, supposed to have concentrated on the plight of Chicano migrant workers; but what emerged on screen was extensively reshaped into a standard Charles Bronson vehicle. Battle-weary Vietnam veteran Vince Majestyk (Bronson) settles down in rural Colorado, hoping to make a living as a watermelon farmer. Despite his new-found pacifism, Majestyk can't seem to stay out of trouble, and he lands in jail, where he foils a breakout engineered by Mob boss Frank Renda (Al Lettieri). Offering to bring in Renda in exchange for his own freedom, Majestyk finds himself the main target of the Mob, who is also extorting vast sums of money from Vince's fellow farmers. It is bad enough when the crooks begin roughing up Majestyk's field hands; but when they ruthlessly machine-gun his entire melon crop, they've gone to far. Teaming up with Chicano labor activist Nancy Chavez (Linda Cristal) (any relation to Cesar?), Majestyk decides to track down the mobsters one by one and mete out retribution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Al Lettieri, (more)
- 1971
Native American actor Chief Dan George, who had catapulted to stardom in the 1971 theatrical feature Little Big Man, appears in this Bonanza episode as Red Cloud, a dying Indian chieftan. Before being gathered to his fathers, Red Cloud wants to reclaim a precious warbonnet lost in battle, which now hangs on the wall of the saloon owned by former Indian fighter Frank Ryan (Forrest Tucker). Joe Cartwright, grateful to Red Cloud for saving his life, wants to help the old man fulfill his dying wish-but how can he do this without jeopardizing his long-standing friendship with Ryan? Also appearing are Linda Cristal as Teresa, M. Emmet Walsh as Mattheson, and Patrick Adiarte as Swift Eagle. Originally telecast on December 26, 1971, "Warbonnet" was written by Arthur Heinemann, Charles Goldwad, and actor Robert Biheller (using the alias "Robert Blood"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
A murder investigation uncovers a plot that could destroy the world as we know it in this thriller. When a scientist doing research on nuclear weapons is murdered during a hospital stay, federal investigator Dave Pomeroy (Howard Duff) is called in to find out who killed him and why. With the help of Dr. Paula Stevens (Linda Cristal), the late scientist's assistant, Pomeroy learns that the scientist fell victim to a group of communist renegades whose members include two brilliant but unstable weapons experts, August Best (Nehemiah Persoff) and Myra Pryor (Anne Jeffreys). Pomeroy discovers that Best and Pryor have constructed an atomic bomb of their own -- and that they're threatening to use it to start World War III, forcing the detective to take swift action to prevent worldwide devastation. Panic in the City also features Dennis Hopper in the small role of Goff, just a year before Easy Rider would make him a star. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Duff, Linda Cristal, (more)
- 1964
The Seaview is assigned a mission in the Aegian Sea, to investigate a series of research ship disasters, and an attempt to destroy the sub. Captain Crane (David Hedison) goes undercover in a small seaside village and finds that someone is prepared to kill anyone who asks (or answers) too many questions. He and Nelson (Richard Basehart) follow the trail to Zeraff (Hurd Hatfield), a mad inventor who has built a huge and powerfully armed undersea installation and plans to rule the world, even if it means destroying a good portion of it in the process. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1961
One of director John Ford's least characteristic films, it derives from the latter part of his career, when the director's belief in the myth of the West had faded, and he was beset by failing health and personal problems. In the cynicism of its humor, the director seems be to taking a page from the work of his friend Howard Hawks. James Stewart stars as Guthrie McCabe, the marshal of a Texas town who spends most of his time in front of the local saloon, where he gets 10 percent of the action, in addition to favors from its owner, Belle Aragon Anelle Hayes. Based on his knowledge of the Commanche tribe, his friend, cavalry officer Jim Gary (Richard Widmark), asks him to help the army to recover long-missing white captives. Despite his initial reluctance, the ability of the opportunistic McCabe to neogotiate a lucrative per capita deal for his recovery of the captives, in addition to his desire to evade the marital intentions of Belle, seal the deal. Even after interviewing the captives' desperate relatives, the hardened McCabe is unmoved, although he believes their chance of ever seeing their relatives again as they once knew them is remote. However, as events unfold, the all-knowing marshal find he has a few things to learn. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Richard Widmark, (more)
- 1961
A routine Italian costume drama released via Universal Studios, this story is set in Egypt during the usual ancient period. The clichéd tale stars Linda Cristal as Akis, a seductive woman whose attractions are more than enough to qualify her as a source of romantic rivalry. She is sought after by two princes, Sbaku (John Drew Barrymore) and Ramsis (Armando Francioli) who are sworn enemies, not boding well for a long and healthy life span. A remote contender in the romance sweepstakes is Amosi (Pierre Brice), a physician at the court who seems to be the long-shot, but then appearances can be deceiving. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Drew Barrymore, Linda Cristal, (more)
John Wayne's directorial debut The Alamo is set in 1836: Wayne plays Col. Davy Crockett, who, together with Colonels Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) and 184 hardy Americans and Texicans, defends the Alamo mission against the troops of Mexican general Santa Ana. There's a lot of macho byplay before the actual attack, including the famous "letter" scene in which Wayne craftily rouses the patriotic ire of his subordinates. Also appearing are Richard Boone as Sam Houston, and Chill Wills (whose somewhat tasteless Oscar campaign has since become legendary in the annals of shameless self-promotion) as Beekeeper. Wayne's production crew was compelled to reconstruct the Alamo in Bracketville, Texas, about a hundred miles from the actual site. Dimitri Tiomkin's score, including The Green Leaves of Summer, received generous airplay on the Top-40 radio outlets of America. Rumors persist that Wayne's old pal John Ford directed most of The Alamo; cut to 161 minutes for its general release, the film was restored to its original, 192-minute length in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Richard Widmark, (more)
- 1959
Released not long before a much more spectacular Cleopatra came along to make Elizabeth Taylor even more famous, this routine drama by Vittorio Cottafavi, a director who favors historical epics, is no competition. The prelude to Cleopatra's demise is the main focus of attention, but in this drama Mark Antony's presence is usurped by the Roman envoy Curridius (Ettore Manni). Curridius travels all the way from Rome to warn Antony that the powers-that-be are not thrilled with his behavior. Along the way, he faces one danger after another and then encounters Cleopatra (Linda Cristal) to make it all seem worth the effort. Gladiators in combat, underwater fights, and other impressive action scenes enliven the story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Cristal, Georges Marchal, (more)
- 1959
This was the first film directed by Paul Stanley, and its theme of second-generation Puerto Ricans living in New York's Spanish Harlem would be picked up again in 1961's smash success, West Side Story. Miguel Estrada (John Saxon) was a member of a local gang before he went to prison for a year, and now that he is out he wants to walk the straight-and-narrow. His attempts at getting away from the life that binds him to the gangs are not anything his father can understand, and the gangs are not going to let him just walk away. At one point, he is forced into a knife fight with a gang member. A counterpoint to Miguel's dilemma is found in Sarita (Linda Cristal), a local "hostess" who prefers single bliss to marriage and its problems. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Saxon, Linda Cristal, (more)
- 1958
This off-beat western is a freely-adapted remake of the violent film noir Kiss of Death. The story centers on a naive thief, Dan Hardy, who is captured after a bank robbery and placed in a jail cell alongside the maniacal, vicious Felix Griffin. O'Brian gets himself into deep trouble when he tells Griffin where he hid the loot, a location that only O'Brian's partner knows. As soon as Griffin is released, he begins a shocking, and graphically depicted, killing spree as he tries to get to the cache of cash. In desperation, the lawmen arrange to release Hardy so he can find the psychotic O'Brian and stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh O'Brian, Robert Evans, (more)
- 1958
When a millionaire discovers that he is going to lose half of his business if his missing brother isn't found to keep it out of the ruthless hands that want it, he sends the "last of the fast guns" out in search of him. Finding him won't be the hard thing for our gunfighter, however. Keeping him alive long enough to get back to the claim his share of the family business is going to be the tough part. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jock Mahoney, Gilbert Roland, (more)
- 1958
In this frothy romantic comedy, a hard-working female Army shrink (Janet Leigh) devises the "perfect furlough" for battle weary men and convinces the brass to let her try it on selected men stationed at her base. According to her plan, selected men would be given three weeks, tailor made to fit their deepest desires. Her first test-case is a handsome ladies' man (Tony Curtis) who chooses to go to Paris with his favorite movie star. Naturally the psychologist chaperones. Romantic mayhem ensues and eventually the furloughed soldier and the shrink fall in love. The story is also titled Strictly for Pleasure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1956
Comanche is one of several 1950s westerns sympathetic to the Indian point of view. Dana Andrews stars as a frontier scout who hopes to shield his Native American friends from the genocidal machinations of bigoted Cavalry officer John Litel. Comanche chief Kent Smith likewise wants to keep the peace, and likewise is plagued by a xenophobic colleague, hotheaded Indian brave Henry Brandon. Linda Cristal provides the romantic interest, while Nestor Paiva is there for laughs. Purportedly based on fact (at least that's what the producers claim in the opening titles), Comanche is just as entertaining as any fictional film on the subject. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Kent Smith, (more)
Con el Diablo en el Cuerpo stars Luis Aguilar as Lucio, a man who is all set to marry the woman of his dreams when some shady characters from her past appear. These old acquaintances make life extremely difficult for the couple. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
A trio of rural Mexicans make their way to the big city, only to discover just how wild the nightlife can truly get in this classic comedy starring Luis Aguilar and Antonio Badu. Ester is pregnant. After discovering a potential complication, Ester's doctor has advised her to visit a doctor in Mexico City. Her husband Antonio has agreed to drive Ester to the capitol, and her brother Luis has also agreed to join the pair on their journey as well. After dropping Ester off at the hospital, Antonio and Luis head for a local nightclub to truly experience the thrill of the big city. Upon leaving the nightclub in the company of a beautiful dancer, the group is robbed by a gang of thieves who steal everything - including their clothes! Subsequently process by the local police, the embarrassed victims soon find their troubles compounded when Ester is released from the hospital the following day and sees their photograph in the local newspaper. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Fernando Mendez's 1953 Spanish-language melodrama El Lunar de la Familia unfurls against the backdrop of a deceptively innocent-sounding family reunion. Two freewheeling, party-happy young men, Luis and his buddy Antonio, catch the train in to San Miguel, on a visit to Luis's grandmother, Doña Luisa, and his sister Esther. Unfortunately for the visitors, Luisa's goddaughter Rosita, is sitting near them in the same train car. She soon catches wind of the boys' wild tendencies, and makes a point of telling Luisa. Furious, the crotchety old woman decides to teach the bad boys a lesson by beating them senseless with her cane and forcing Luis to seek out a proper mate for Esther. Unfortunately, Esther has already fallen in love with Antonio - who could care less. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
