Jack de Mave Movies
- 2005
In this sequel to the extraordinarily popular 2004 cable movie Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus, Steve Guttenberg returns in the role of Nick, son of the soon-to-be retired Santa Claus (John Wheeler) and heir to the North Pole toyshop. Likewise, Crystal Bernard repeats her characterization of Beth Sawtelle, the widowed mom who has agreed to marry Nick so that his "destiny" will be fulfilled. Nick and Beth have only four days before the Christmas Eve deadline to tie the knot, lest the Santa Claus Legacy crumble into dust. Unable to handle the wedding plans herself, Beth makes the tactical error of turning to her society-doyenne mother Joanna (Mariette Hartley) for help--and as it happens, Joanna just plain despises Nick, and isn't about to let her daughter marry "beneath her station" (Nick of course could solve the problem by revealing that his dad is Santa Claus. . .if only Joanna believed in Santa Claus!) Also returning from Single Santa Meets Mrs. Claus are Armin Shimerman as the Senior S.C.'s head elf Ernest (who prefers the title "executive assistant") and Dominic Scott Kay as Beth's son Jake. Making its television debut on December 17, 2005, Meet the Santas broke the record set by its predecessor, posting the highest-ever ratings for a Hallmark Channel movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Mel Gibson made his feature film directing debut with this drama, loosely based on the book by Isabel Holland, which combines elements from The Elephant Man, Mask, Scent of a Woman, and The Karate Kid in a study of the capacity for human trust and compassion. Gibson plays Justin McLeod, a former teacher who, after having his face and his body terribly disfigured in an automobile accident, has taken to living alone in a big house in an island off the coast of Maine. McLeod works as a free-lance artist who undergoes the humiliation of being shunned by his neighbors and called "hamburger head" behind his back. McLeod keeps to himself and wants nothing to do with his neighbors. But one day an adolescent boy, Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl), comes knocking at his door desperate for a tutor. At first suspicious, McLeod gradually warms up to Chuck and they become pals. But their burgeoning friendship is frowned upon by Chuck's family and the local police chief, Stark (Geoffrey Lewis), apparently because of rumors circulating that McLeod had a record concerning child molestation. This piece of gossip threatens Chuck with the loss of his teacher and a new-found friend. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl, (more)
- 1973
Adam-12 takes on an "Old West" flavor in this episode, as Officers Pete Malloy (Kent McCord) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) investigate the theft of valuable riding equipment from a rancher. Later on, the two cops temporarily abandon Adam-12 and mount a pair of horses to pursue a gang of car thieves. The supporting cast includes former B-western heroes Rod Cameron and Donald Barry, and celebrated Hollywood reporter Army Archerd. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The first independent production of former studio mogul Jack Warner, 1776 was adapted from the hit 1969 Broadway musical by Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, Ken Howard, and Howard Da Silva are among the many actors who recreate their Broadway roles. The story is set during the first Continental Congress, when the Declaration of Independence was drafted by such founding fathers as John Adams (Daniels) and Benjamin Franklin (Da Silva). The script attempts to "humanize" these remote historical figures by contemporizing them -- particularly the character of Ben Franklin. Blythe Danner's character of Martha Jefferson is expanded for the film version to allow for an elaborate outdoor production number. After 1776, Warner made only one more film, the 1972 "grunge Western" Dirty Little Billy. On an added note: the picture was originally rated G with its theatrical running time of 141 minutes. It was later expanded to 166 minutes; the added scenes caused the MPAA to re-rate it PG (for language) in 1992. Both versions are available on video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, (more)
- 1972
Richard Boone stars as Anton Solca, an Iron Curtain defector living contentedly in California's Napa Valley. Now a successful wine grower, Solca finds himself targetted by a mysterious assailant. Someone from his East European past wants him dead, and by mid-film we find out why. Patty Duke, Michael Constantine, Jack Kruschen and Murray Hamilton costar in this TV-movie adaptation of Geoffrey Household's novel Watcher in the Shadows. Deadly Harvest debuted September 26, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
As "Ben Lewis", Kimble (David Janssen) eludes a police dragnet and escapes to the Northwest. But "escape" turns out to be a relative term when Kimble is waylaid by John Mallory (Laurence Naismith), a hermit who dropped out of civilization back in 1953--and who, desperate for companionship, holds Kimble prisoner with a pair of snarling German Shepherds. Ultimately, however, Kimble must rely upon Mallory and another recluse, female sculptor Andrea Cross (Antoinette Bower) to slip through the fingers of the Law in the final scene. This episode was directed by series regular Barry Morse, aka "Lt. Gerard." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
James Gregory, previously seen in two first-season F Troop episodes as Major Duncan, returns to the series in the role of smooth-talking carpetbagger Big Jim Parker. Managing to gain financial control of Fort Courage, Big Jim evicts the F Troopers and tells them to vamoose. O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Agarn (Larry Storch) decide to scare off Big Jim with a phony Indian raid--assuming that the peace-loving Hekawis are willing to cooperate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In this offbeat mixture of espionage and slapstick comedy, Arthur Vincenti (Alejandro Rey) is a scientist working on secret military projects for the United States government. Vincenti is becoming increasingly unstable as he works in solitude in a backwater swamp; his superiors fear that he might be going mad, so they arrange for a respected psychiatrist from New York, Dr. Bartholomew Snow (Rock Hudson), to meet with him on a regular basis. However, in order to keep Vincenti's whereabouts a secret, Snow is blindfolded before he's driven to his meetings with the scientist. When a group of enemy agents kidnaps Vincenti, Snow could be the only one who can help him; however, he can't track down his patient without wearing the blindfold. Prominent in the supporting cast are Claudia Cardinale, Jack Warden, and Guy Stockwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Claudia Cardinale, (more)
- 1965
The FCC alerts Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) when several radio operators begin receiving strange, cryptic messages. Meanwhile, a deranged man named Joseph Walker (played by a young Robert Duvall) formulates a plan to destroy a new guided missile known as "Thor", which is slated to be delivered from an Arizona silo to a California launching site. It turns out that those bizarre radio signals are actually clues being provided by Walker in a perverse game of "catch me if you can"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In this sweet-natured drama, poor Lassie suffers from canine amnesia and finds herself in San Francisco where she meets an assortment of interesting characters in several neighborhoods. These experiences cure her and lead her home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
