JoJo D'Amore Movies
This is an unusual entry in the knights-in-armor genre. Set in medieval England, the film follows the exploits of a young swordsman, Talon (Lee Horsley). Working as a mercenary knight, Talon possesses a unique three-bladed sword which fires its two extra blades when he touches a button. By chance, Talon learns that he is a prince who has forgotten his royal heritage. Using his sword and his wiles, he attempts to regain control of his kingdom, which has been taken over by a sadistic tyrannical knight and an evil sorcerer. In doing so, he can save a princess who has been taken hostage by the usurpers. Comedy is interspersed with gory and licentious drama throughout the film, which was directed and written by Albert Pyun. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, (more)
Lewis Teague directed this sly horror-comedy from a script by John Sayles, which plays off the old urban legend about the dangers of flushing one's pet alligator down the toilet. One such unlucky reptile is "Ramon," who survives in the subterranean cesspool by feeding on the steroid-saturated carcasses of dogs dumped there by chemical company researchers and eventually bulks up to the size of a Winnebago. When assorted sewage workers start disappearing into Ramon's massive maw, hard-boiled cop David Madison (Robert Forster), who has a history of unlucky partners, reveals a strong personal interest in the case. Deemed a jinx and a nutcase by his superiors, he's kicked off the force and must go underground (literally) to destroy the beast with the help of young reptile-expert Marion (Robin Riker). The witty screenplay is filled with clever references, eccentric characters and in-jokes aplenty (a style reflective of Joe Dante's Piranha and The Howling, both of which Sayles also scripted), which combines with decent effects and a good amount of suspense (particularly in the sewer scenes) to make this an entertaining romp overall. Highlights include Henry Silva's over-the-top performance as a misplaced big-game hunter who recruits urban "native guides" in his back-alley search for the elusive Ramon. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Robin Riker, (more)
- 1980
William Allen Young guest stars as Ernie, the ne'er-do-well cousin of the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence (Marla Gibbs). In dire need of 1,000 dollars, Ernie prevails upon Florence to borrow the money from her boss, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley). George refuses, insisting that Ernie is a crook -- an assertion that Florence spends the rest of the episode trying to disprove. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
When soldiers foolishly remove a stake from a mysterious Transylvanian grave, they release a vampire dog belonging to the Dracula clan. Also freed is Veidt-Smit (Reggie Nalder), an old servant of the Count himself, not quite a vampire, but immortal all the same: he can work in the daylight. Together, the blood-sucking dog and he go to the U.S. in search of Michael Drake (Michael Pataki), who is the last of the Dracula family line and who has no notion that there is anything strange in his family tree. Meanwhile, they are being followed by a Transylvanian vampire-hunter, Inspector Branco (Jose Ferrer) ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Pataki, Reggie Nalder, (more)
- 1973
Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) again matches wits with erudite master thief Arthur Justin, whom he sent to prison in the second-season episode "Shell Game". On that occasion, Justin had been played by Sorrell Booke; this time, the role is handled by Dan O'Herlihy. Determined to have his revenge on Ironside, Justin draws up elaborate plans for a spectacular art heist, dropping tantalyzing clues all along the way--and never revealing that he ultimately plans to "hijack" Elizabeth Van Deering (Skye Aubrey), the current sweetheart of Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Ironside (Raymond Burr) has degenerated from a respected law enforcement officer to a seedy skid-row bum, apparently because 10-year-old murder witness Jerry Abbott (Lee H. Montgomery) was killed while in the Chief's protective custody. What even Ironside's loyal assistants are unaware of is that little Jerry is still alive, and that the Chief is only posing as a derelict to flush out the murderer. The situation reaches the crisis stage when two attempts are made on Ironside's alive--and the Chief can't summon the aid of his associates without blowing his cover. This episode features two original songs by David and Marty Paich: "Street Song", peformed by Carol Carmichael; and "Way Up Here", sung by Marty Paich. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
In the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Chief Ironside is assigned to protect little Jerry Abbott, an autistic 10-year-old who has witnessed a murder. Not long afterward, the newspapers are reporting that Jerry himself has been killed--and that Ironside, tortured by guilt, has quit the force, crawled into a booze bottle, and ended up a derelict on Skid Row. But is this grim situation everything it appears to be? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
- G
A small-time crook (Byron Mabe) hits upon the clever plan of training Dobermans to substitute for criminals in a bank-robbery scheme. He hires a military dog-trainer (Hal Reed) and pulls off the heist, though problems arise due to the dogs--perhaps trained too well. The 1972 film spawned two sequels. ~ John Bush, Rovi
