David Victor Movies

The third filming of Louisa May Alcott's novel is this made-for-TV effort, which follows the hardships faced by the March family during the Civil War. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

This courtroom drama was originally the pilot for the TV series McNaughton's Daughter and centers upon two attorneys, a father and his daughter, as they try a philanthropist charged with murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The science of "cryogenics" forms the basis of the made-for-TV Live Again, Die Again. Donna Mills plays a young woman who dies of rheumatic fever. At her deathbed request, Mills' body is frozen, in hopes of reviving her in the future. Thirty years later, Mills awakens, returning to the not-so-open arms of her doddering husband (Walter Pidgeon), her spiteful daughter (Vera Miles) and her mixed-up son (Mike Farrell). No, this was not produced by Walt Disney Studios. Adapted by Joseph Stefano from a novel by David Sale, Live Again, Die Again first aired February 16, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

David Hartman stars as Lucas Tanner in this made for TV film. A former athlete and sportswriter, Tanner decides to become a high school teacher after losing his wife and son in an auto accident. His new career is almost over before it begins when Tanner is held responsible for the death of a student. Rosemary Murphy co-stars as Tanner's rules-are-rules principal. First telecast May 8, 1974, Lucas Tanner served as the pilot for the subsequent series of the same name, which also starred Hartman and Murphy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this sequel to the highly popular 1972 TV movie All My Darling Daughters, it has been one year since the four grown daughter of widowed judge Charles Raleigh (Robert Young) were married on the very same day. Now it is the Judge's turn to march down the aisle with his new old sweetheart, Maggie Cartwright (Ruth Hussey, who had previously costarred with Young in the 1942 film H.M. Pulham, Esq.) Unable to pin down his peripatetic daughters (or the husbands) to announce the good news, Raleigh states his intentions toward Maggie in his "happy anniversary" cards to his offspring. Upon learning that their dear daddy is going to take the matrimonial plunge, daughters Susan (Darlene Carr), Robin (Judy Strangis), Jennifer (Sharon Gless) and Charlotte (Lara Parker) are at first delighted, but then begin to fret over the possibility that Maggie won't be quite "good enough" for the jovial Judge. Raymond Massey makes his final film appearance in the role of Matthew Cunningham. My Darling Daughters' Anniversary debuted November 7, 1973, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Robert Young stars as Judge Charles Raleigh in the made-for-television All My Darling Daughters. The Judge happens to have four daughters, played by Darleen Carr, Judy Strangis, Sharon Gless, and Fawne Harriman (what did all the detective shows and sitcoms do for ingenues while these four ladies were tied up in this film?) And, as the fates would have it, all four daughters plan to get married on the same day! Screenwriter John Gay and David Lowell Rich, two of the most prolific TV-movie artisans in Hollywood, managed to maintain audience interest despite the story's inbuilt cliches. Originally telecast November 22, 1972, All My Darling Daughters was followed by a TV-pilot sequel, All My Darling Daughters' Anniversary. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this courtroom drama, an attorney investigates the murder of a woman and comes up with some very interesting findings. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

An all-star cast enhances the enjoyment of the two-part Man From U.N.C.L.E. adventure "The Concrete Overcoat Affair." In part one, originally aired on November 25, 1966, Solo and Illya head to Sicily to thwart a T.H.R.U.S.H. plot to divert the Gulf Stream with heavy water. Along the way, the heroes cross swords with ex-Nazi Louis Strego (Jack Palance), his sadistic aide Miss Diketon (Janet Leigh), and the entire Stiletto family, a clan of retired Prohibition gangsters. The latter roles are filled by such familiar faces as Eduardo Ciannelli ("Fingers"), Allen Jenkins ("Pretty") and Jack LaRue ("Feet"). Also contributing to the overall nostalgia is another 1930s movie icon, Joan Blondell, as Mrs. Fingers Stiletto. Scripted by Peter Allan Fields from a story by David Victor, "The Concrete Overcoat Affair, Pt. 1" was later combined with part two as the theatrical feature The Spy in the Green Hat. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In its efforts to emulate the campy hyperbole of the Batman series during its third season on NBC, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. overplayed its hand disastrously, losing many of its longtime fans who had preferred the series when it was a relatively straightforward espionage series with a subtle inner lining of satire. Small wonder, then, that The Man From U.N.C.L.E. returns to its basics for its fourth season, eschewing the ridiculous and outrageous elements that had been inflicted upon its previous season, and focusing more on serious, hard-hitting storylines, with thoroughly credible villains and believable gadgetry. Better still, secret agents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) have for the most part abandoned their clever bon mots, and in some cases are questioning and even challenging the "dirty" assignments handed them by their taciturn superior Alexander Waverly (Leo G. Carroll). Less flippant and more cynical than ever before, Solo and Illya have completely forsaken the "comic-book" elements that had weakened their characters during the past season. And in another marked improvement -- albeit a superficial one -- the traditionally drab New York headquarters of U.N.C.L.E. have been given a complete face-lift, with the walls now "decorated" with state-of-the-art computer equipment (much of its recently purchased from NASA by the series' producers). One of the few artistic carryovers from seasons past is the "recycling" of certain multipart episodes as ready-made theatrical feature films. Examples during season four include the two-part "The Prince of Darkness Affair," which would be seen in theaters as The Helicopter Spies, and the series' two-part finale "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair," soon to be released theatrically as How to Steal the World. Despite the aforementioned improvements and upgrades in its content, the fourth season of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was scuttled by two unforeseen developments. The first was the TV industry's overall toning down of violence, meaning that shows of the U.N.C.L.E. ilk would be denied the huge advertising revenues necessary for long-term survival. The other was NBC's decision to move the series from Friday evenings to Mondays, a move made on the assumption that U.N.C.L.E.'s CBS competition, Gunsmoke, was on its last legs. Unfortunately for NBC, Gunsmoke unexpectedly enjoyed a resurgence of popularity -- and this, coupled with already flagging ratings and a lack of sponsor support, doomed The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to an ignominious mid-season cancellation on January 15, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although it started out as a relatively serious espionage series with satirical undertones, by the time its third season rolled around The Man From U.N.C.L.E. had gone over the bend and was indulging in pure, unadulterated "camp," with outlandish storylines (one involving a deadly "hiccup" gas, another featuring exploding ice-cream bars!), shamelessly overacting villains, and cloyingly "cute" dialogue. Credit -- or blame -- for this metamorphosis can be attributed to the enormous popularity of the ABC series Batman, which in "honor" of its comic-book origins trafficked almost exclusively in exaggeration and hyperbole. However, what worked on Batman did not always work on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and viewers began to grow tired of the series during its third season. (The show's new spin-off, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., proved to be even more out of control than its parent show -- and as result, it wore out its welcome almost immediately!) To their credit, series stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, respectively cast as U.N.C.L.E. agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, do their best to keep a straight face throughout the ridiculous proceedings; the same can be said for Leo G. Carroll, still a tower of strength in the role of U.N.C.L.E. chieftain Alexander Waverly. And, on a few rare occasions, the series' new absurdist tone paid off, notably in the two-part "The Concrete Overcoat Affair," which at the very least offered a veritable rogue's gallery of veteran gangster-movie actors, including Jack Palance, Joan Blondell, Allen Jenkins, and Jack LaRue. Incidentally, "The Concrete Overcoat Affair" was one of two multipart season-three episodes that would ultimately be released theatrically as "feature films" (its title in this capacity was The Spy in the Green Hat). The other "recycled" effort was the two-part "The Five Daughters Affair," which boasted the guest-star talents of Joan Crawford, Terry-Thomas, Kim Darby, Telly Savalas, Curt Jurgens, and Jill Ireland, and which would hit the theater screens under the title The Karate Killers. And while we're on the subject of guest stars, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'s third season features the "dramatic" TV debuts of Nancy Sinatra and Sonny & Cher, as well as acting appearances by future syndicated newspaper astrologer Joyce Jillson and soon-to-be Hollywood studio executive Lynn Loring. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the concluding episode of Walt Disney's four-part miniseries based on the life of frontiersman Daniel Boone, several members of Boone's wagon train are angered when Daniel (Dewey Martin) orders them to lighten their loads so they can negotiate the mountains and have turned back to North Carolina. Only a tiny band of faithful followers remain with Daniel and his family as they begin the last leg of the arduous journey to Kentucky. Alas, once again the wagoneers are attacked by vengeance-seeking Indian chief Crowfeather (Dean Fredericks), who has a personal score to settle with Daniel. "The Promised Land" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the second episode of Walt Disney's four-part miniseries based on the life of frontiersman Daniel Boone, it has been 12 years since Daniel (Dewey Martin) and his wife Rebecca (Mala Powers) first journeyed from North Carolina to Kentucky. Now that he has children to raise and a larger farm to maintain, Daniel hankers for more "elbow room" -- so, once again he packs up and prepares to head westward. First, however, the Boones are inexorably dragged into a local political crisis involving unfair taxation. "And Chase the Buffalo" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Upon finding out that her son was killed and buried in an unmarked grave on Boot Hill, Mrs. Randolph (Helen Kleeb) shifts her affections to a young killer named Blackie (Ron Hagherty), who has been thrown in jail by Matt (James Arness). At the same time that Mrs. Randolph is passionately but wrong-headedly defending Blackie's right to live, the young killer's gang is gathering in Dodge, preparing to set him free before he can be put on the 2:10 train to Territorial Prison. Future Perry Mason costar William Hopper steals the show with a most unusual (and barely recognizable) characterization. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi