William Wood Movies

Telemovie mainstays Richard Crenna and Patty Duke (who co-starred in the 1982 sitcom It Takes Two) reteamed for this 1996 prime-time docudrama. Crenna is John Porter, a husband and father whose emotional isolation from his wife (Duke) and children springs from his own ingrained fear of mortality. When the Porters' twentysomething daughter, Sarah, is kidnapped, crisis pulls the family together in a desperate attempt to find the young woman before time runs out. It also forces John to overcome his fear of intimacy and connection, by reaching out to his family at an intensely difficult time. This feature, unsurprisingly, was based on a true story. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, a sequel to "Deadly Intentions," the protagonist, Dr. Charles Raynor, who was convicted of attempted murder, has been paroled. He goes home to his second wife. He is determined to get revenge upon those who had him convicted for trying to kill his first wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This drama chronicles the good deeds of a sociology student who after doing research into feminine crimes begins taking in teen-age hookers. It is based on a true story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Originally made for television, a psychotic blackmails his beloved by demolishing areas of the city until she goes out with him. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

This pilot film for the TV series Big Hawaii stars Cliff Potts and John Dehner as a wealthy father-and-son team of Hawaiian cattle ranchers. Neither character is a candidate for the "Mister Nice Guy" award, especially the wayward Potts, who's recently been chased out of Vegas for cheating at poker. Even nastier is Potts' beautiful but scheming stepmother (Ina Balin), who plans to bulldoze his ailing dad's estate to make way for those stock 1970s villains, the Evil Land Developers. Despite a total lack of audience sympathy for the people on screen, Big Hawaii premiered as a weekly series in the fall of 1977. There were all of seven episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a doctor becomes a vigilante to keep adolescent gang members from destroying the peace of his neighborhood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The old Outward Bound formula is pulled out of mothballs for the made-for-TV Haunts of the Very Rich. The scene is a gorgeous tropical resort, where seven very wealthy people have converged. These worthies have been lured to this spot by an anonymous host, who has promised them a vacation in a land where their every wish will be granted. It slowly dawns on the protagonists that their heaven-on-earth is actually Hell, from which there are no return flights. Based on a short story by T. K. Brown, Haunts of the Very Rich was first aired September 20, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Veteran director King Vidor had long harbored hopes of directing a filmization of Ann Head's novel Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones, but couldn't get backing from a major studio. The book was finally filmed in 1971 but as a TV movie rather than a theatrical feature and with Robert Day in the director's chair. Desi Arnaz Jr. and Miss Christopher Norris play a couple of lovesick teenagers who are forced to get married when the girl becomes pregnant. Arnaz can't support his wife, Norris isn't really ready for motherhood, and the rest of the community nearly smothers the newlyweds in misguided advice. Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones was easy to take, but might have had a better chance of being truly memorable under the guiding hand of King Vidor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this remake of Johnny Dark (1954) an ex-GI and college dropout would rather play with cars than anything else until he meets the lovely Eady with whom he falls passionately in love. They get engaged and go to San Francisco where he begins working on building a prototype car for a millionaire. When the arrogant young man ignores the millionaire's advice and destroys the car, he is immediately fired. The young man, determined to make his engine work, manages to scare up enough cash to get his engine back from the millionaire. He then goes on to enter the Tri-State Endurance Race. After it is all over, the young fellow finds that he has become a serious young man. He then marries his girl, and goes back to college. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This was the first film directed by dancer and choreographer Gower Champion, already experienced at directing television and theatrical productions by the early '60s. The routine romantic comedy, somewhat bogged down by the children it features, is centered on overwrought actress Janice Courtney (Debbie Reynolds). She has had it with paparazzi and publicity campaigns and escapes to the Connecticut countryside for a little R & R. At that point, a half-dozen youngsters intrude into her life after they are abandoned by their ne'er-do-well guardians, and though she is anything but enthusiastic, Janice takes them under her frayed wings. The local pastor, Rev. Jim Larkin (Cliff Robertson) has something to do with that, and ultimately, more than a little something to do with Janice's personal life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide