Kathleen Crowley Movies

Director Michael Ritchie's ongoing satirical spin on the American Dream is dressed up in quasi-documentary fashion in Downhill Racer. Robert Redford stars as an Olympic-grade skier, whose talent is matched only by his aloof self-involvement. As the cocksure Redford rises to the top of his class, he discards any emotional attachments that might impede his progress, ranging from girlfriends to his own father. When Redford finally attains his goal in life, the thrill of victory is an empty one indeed. The cold-bloodedness of Redford's character may have worked against Downhill Racer at the box office; on the other hand, Ritchie's similarly structured political satire The Candidate offered a "warmer" Redford -- but it, too, was a box-office disappointment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On July 28, 1968, the producers of Bonanza surprised the series' fans by interrupting their summer-rerun schedule with the first-run episode "Stage Door Johnnies." Kathleen Crowley appears as Mademoiselle Denise, the sexy new singer at the Silver Dollar Saloon. The men of the Ponderosa vie for her attentions, only to find themselves defendants in a damage suit when Denise's pampered pooch Andre disappears. Featured in the cast are Mike Mazurki as "Big Man" (what else) and Shug Fisher as the Driver. "Stage Door Johnnies" was written and directed by William F. Claxton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Cissy (Kathy Garver) arrive home to find that their bedroom has been completely redecorated by Nedra Walcott (Kathleen Crowley), the current amour of their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith). Cissy is thrilled, but Buffy hates all the changes--and she especially miffed that Cissy has her own telephone (a pink Princess model) and she doesn't. Trouble is, Buffy refuses to tell anyone why she is angry, leaving Bill in yet another quandary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Branded switches from black-and-white to color for its second season, which begins with this taut, tense "Mexican Standoff" yarn. Still roaming the west in hopes of proving that he was not a coward at the battle of Bitter Creek, Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) finds himself sharing a stagecoach ride with Major Tom Rock (Tom Drake), one of the officers who presided over his court-martial. Also on board is a condemned prisoner (Warren Oates) on his way to the gallows. Inevitably, McCord and his two fellow passengers must depend upon one another for their very survival--and making the situation even more complex, the life of Maj. Rock's daughter Laura (Kathleen Crowley) also hangs in the balance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode is unusual in that there is no defendant as Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) attempts to solve a murder during a coroner's inquest in the mining town of Gold Gulch. Having learned that someone has been selling phony gold mines in the area, Perry disguises himself as a prospector to draw out the culprit. Meanwhile, Perry's associate Paul Drake, searching for clues, stumbles upon the body of James Bradisson. Former light-heavyweight boxing champ Archie Moore plays a supporting role in this episode, which was based on a 1943 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western adventure set in a Mexican border town, two prisoners Foster and Pickett (Audie Murphy and Charles Drake), who are chained to a stake, somehow escape with other prisoners. They are led by cruel outlaw Lavalle (Harold J. Stone) who steals $12,000 in securities. Later the two fugitives try to steal the securities from the gang-leader. Unfortunately, they are caught by Lavalle. He holds Foster hostage and sends Pickett to town to cash the securities. The fugitive gives the resulting loot to his ex-girlfriend Estelle (Kathleen Crowley), and returns with nothing. The enraged Lavalle then lets Foster go to get the money. He meets the newly wealthy dance-hall girl who explains that Pickett gave her the money to make up for his losing her life savings gambling. She then grudgingly hands Foster the money. But as he returns to the outlaw lair, he is unaware that Estelle pursues him. Unfortunately, Lavalle sees her, and in the ensuing scuffle Pickett dies trying to protect Foster and the girl. Later the two flee with the angry Lavalle in hot pursuit. In the end, fugitive Foster kills the gang leader. He and Estelle then settle down and lead a peaceful life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

While playing poker with Big Jim Watson (Alan Hale Jr., Bart (Jack Kelly) again comes face to face with his old friendly enemy, versatile con artist Pearly Gates (Mike Road). Actually, he comes face to face with Pearly's gun, as Mr. Gates robs the card players so that he and his girlfriend Marla (Kathleen Crowley) can afford to get married. Blowing his stack, Big Jim threatens to kill Pearly and Marla unless Bart can retrieve the money--and for good measure, Jim warns Bart that if he fails, he'll wind up dead too. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When scatterbrained millionairess Kiz Bouchet (Kathleen Crowley) insists that somebody is trying to murder her, Beau Maverick (Roger Moore) is convinced that the girl is out of her mind. But he soon comes to believe Kiz's story--and in so doing, he tries to thwart a scheme hatched by the girl's cousin (Peggy McCay) and a crooked doctor (Tristam Coffin) to cheat Kiz out of her inheritance. Devotees of humorist Mark Twain will get a chuckle out of the character name bestowed upon supporting actor Whit Bissell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arrested and jailed on a charge of murdering a small-town mayor, Bret (James Garner) is none too encouraged by his court-appointed defense attorney Luke Abigor (Alan Mowbray), a momument to ineptitute who bases his entire defense on an astrology chart. The only hope for salvation is to locate the real killer, who has been going around town impersonating Bret. In this pursuit, our hero receives some unexpected assistant from the redoubtable Melanie Blake (Kathleen Crowley), who'd caused him a heap of trouble in the previous episode "Maverick Springs". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dracula straps on a side-arm and goes West in this combination horror-Western movie. After a western town is terrorized by the gunslinging vampire, a brave preacher decides he must destroy him. The vampire has picked out an especially juicy victim, the woman rancher who hired him. The preacher shoots the vampire with a bullet engraved with a cross in the nick of time. The hapless bloodsucker turns into so much dust. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A standard crime story with a dash of a disillusioned generation of men thrown in for good measure, The Rebel Set, also known as Beatsville, is about an armored car hold-up. Mr. Tucker (Edward Platt) is the man who comes up with the idea and plan of how to carry out the robbery, and he recruits three men who are down on their luck. John Mapes (Gregg Palmer), is an out-of-work actor, Ray Miller (John Lupton) is a writer who cannot get published, and George Leland (Don Sullivan) is the wastrel son of a has-been movie star. Tucker should have thought twice about who he was recruiting -- if these men have failed at life so far, why should they succeed in something as daring as a million-dollar robbery? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Paul Drake (William Hopper) is hired to keep an eye on a lonely-hearts classified ad placed by heiress Marilyn Cartwright (Kathleen Crowley). No, Marilyn isn't looking for love: she's looking for con artist "Country Boy" Barnaby (L.Q. Jones), the man who drove her sister to suicide. All Marilyn wants to do is trap Barnaby into exposing himself as a crook--but when he turns up murdered, she finds herself accused of the crime. Inevitably, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is brought in to prove the girl's innocence. This episode is based on a 1948 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide