Peter Dixon Movies
- 1982
A pregnant Laura (Melissa Gilbert) insists that she can take care of the Wilders' farm in the absence of her husband, Almanzo (Dean Butler). Unfortunately, the land is hit with a drought, and Laura is felled by a heat stroke. It's up to the local schoolchildren to save the crops -- not to mention Laura's own, carefully tended orchard. The title of this episode refers to the famous fable of the same name, used in the story as a means of instilling maturity in perennial classroom troublemaker Willie Oleson (Jonathan Gilbert). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1981
- PG
This easy-going television movie is about Chris McBride (Michael York), a real-life naturalist who brings his wife and daughter to an African wildlife preserve to join him in a research project. The area has a special meaning to him because he was born there. His wife is not as enthusiastic as he is about leaving their familiar and comfortable world behind but changes her mind when she starts getting involved in the photography part of the project. A chance discovery of a pair of white-hued lion cubs (not albinos) raises disagreements on whether the family should do everything to help them survive, or just leave them alone. Eventually a compromise is reached that bodes well for the family and the fledgling lions and strengthens the family's resolve to fight off a poacher who wants to use the unusual cubs for his own profit. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Glynnis O'Connor, (more)
- 1978
This disturbing French drama comments upon the effects of excessive television violence on children. It's set within a seaside villa, where under the care of a nanny, a group of children spend most of their days watching violent television shows. One day they all go to the beach. The nanny dozes while they frolic. For a joke, they load the snoozing servant into a rubber raft and set her out to sea. She panics when she wakes up and ends up drowning. The kids do try to save her, but when they fail they decide to run wild instead of reporting the incident. The death means nothing to them until a threatening stranger appears and tells them he witnessed it all. He then proceeds to terrify them with his predictions about what the authorities will do with such killers. The children turn around and get their own kind of revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Françoise Brion, (more)
- 1973
Olivia's birthday party is interrupted by the forced landing of mail pilot Todd Cooper (Paul Michael Glaser) on Walton's Mountain. Putting their own concerns aside for the moment, the family pitches in to repair Todd's damaged plane--and, indirectly, to patch up his faltering relationship with his wife Sue (Julie Cobb). This done, everyone comes forth with a present for birthday girl Olivia (Michael Learned)...but Todd's present is the most impressive of all, and one that Olivia will never forget! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Count Five and Die is a neat British-made programmer set just before the D-Day invasion. Nigel Patrick plays a British major who heads a group of special agents, dedicated to misleading the Nazis into thinking the invasion will take place in Holland. The Allied spies, which include American Jeffrey Hunter and Frenchwoman Annemarie Duringer operate under cover as the owners of a documentary filmmaking firm. The plan is nearly destroyed when one of the spies turns out to be a Nazi agent. The title Count Five and Die refers to the length of time its takes for the traditional cyanide capsules (always doled out to secret agents in films of this nature) to take effect. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Nigel Patrick, (more)
- 1957
In this drama, the commanding officer of a British Royal Air Force flight training school must deal with an ornery, irresponsible cadet. The lad reminds the officer of himself when he was young. It also reminds him that his own youthful arrogance and foolishness caused the death of the new recruit's father. The young man only settles down when the C.O. saves him during maneuvers. The boy is injured during the flight which gives him serious pause for thought. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Bernard Lee, (more)
- 1953
"Daily Planet" reporters Clark (George Reeves), Lois (Noel Neill) and Jimmy (Jack Larson) head into a treacherous jungle, searching for a scientific expedition which has vanished. The local natives prove quite hostile to the "intruders" because the jeweled eye of a native idol has apparently been stolen. This is the episode in which Clark's alter ego Superman not only wrestles a gorilla, but also uses his bare hands to convert a lump of coal into a diamond! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Honest wrestler Wayne Winchester (Malcolm Mealey) tries to blow the whistle on his mob-connected opponent Bad Luck Brannigan (Richard Reeves), who uses a secret--and illegal--paralyzing grip to incapacitate his opponents. As Superman (George Reeves) ateempts to protect Winchester from reprisals, Superman's alter ego Clark Kent must stand by in quiet desperation as Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) expresses more than a professional interest in the handsome young rassler. This episode marks the first of several appearances by frequent Adventures of Superman "bad guy" Herburt Vigran. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1939
One of the more unusual B-Westerns of the 1930s, Down the Wyoming Trail featured the spectacle of stampeding elk.Tex Ritter is assigned by Sheriff Missouri (Horace Murphy) of Elk Valley to track down Ted Becker (Charles King), a rustler who is stampeding elk across the valley to clear a path in the snow for his stolen cattle. Along the way, Tex obtains a job as ranch hand for Candy Parker (Mary Brodel) but is soon falsely accused of stealing the payroll by Blackie (Bob Terry), a disgruntled former employee. The latter kidnaps Jerry (Bobby Lawson), Candy's kid brother, leaving him to freeze to death in the snowy wilderness. Tex, meanwhile, torments Becker by convincing him that a man he once killed is still alive. Crazed with fear, Becker runs into the snow and falls to his death from a cliff. With Becker's demise, Blackie takes over, capturing Tex. Tied up next to Bobby, Tex manages to get himself free and arrives at the Parker ranch just in time to prevent Blackie from molesting Candy. Accompanied by a hillbilly group known as The Northwesterners of Radio Fame, Ritter performs In Elk Valley, by Johnny Lange and Lew Porter, Goin' Back to Texas, by Carson Robison, and It Makes No Difference Now, by Floyd Tillman and Jimmie Davis. A pert brunette, leading lady Mary Brodel was the sister of 1940s ingenue Joan Leslie. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tex Ritter, Horace Murphy, (more)
In addition to the relaxation, breathing, and visualization techniques typical of meditation courses, Simonette Vaja: Meditation... Easy as ABC emphasizes the psychology behind the practice of meditation. Vaja believes a deeper understanding will encourage superior results. The program focuses on three principles: attention, breath, and contemplation; also included are 5 separate meditations (garden, waterfall, ocean, valley, and body focus). ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simonette Vaja
