Brendan Dillon Movies

The final film of legendary director John Huston was based on the closing story of James Joyce's Dubliners. Anjelica Huston is top-billed as Gretta Conroy, the niece by marriage of turn-of-century Irish spinsters Kate Morkan (Helena Carroll) and Julia Morkan (Cathleen Delany). At the home of these two curious ladies, Gretta is prodded into remembering her long-dead lover. She tearfully reveals to her husband (Donal McCann) that the deceased boy may well have died on her behalf. Her tale of woe bespeaks the sentiment shared by James Joyce: no matter how long in their graves, the dead will always influence the living. Adding to the film's elegiac quality, it stars Huston's daughter Anjelica and was co-written with his son Tony Huston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This spoof of a "typical" double-feature bill of the 1930s is introduced by George Burns, who explains that we're about to see two classic films produced by the legendary Warren Brothers. The first, "Dynamite Fists," is a black-and-white takeoff of such boxing dramas as Golden Boy. Harry Hamlin plays a John Garfield-like pugilist who is brought along by a tough-but-lovable fight promoter George C. Scott. Nasty gangster Eli Wallach attempts to compromise Hamlin by offering him the delectable Trish VanDevere, but Hamlin proves loyal to Scott. When Scott is killed by Wallach, Hamlin vows to become an attorney and bring the murderer to justice -- which he does in the space of one year. Along the way, Hamlin's gangster brother-in-law secures an eye operation for his nearly blind sister Kathleen Beller (whose bump-in-the-wall myopia is good for several laughs). After "Dynamite Fists," we are treated to a coming-attractions trailer for a Dawn Patrol-style aviation epic, again starring George C. Scott. The last segment, "Blansky's Beauties of 1933," is an all-stops-out Technicolor lampoon of Busby Berkeley musicals. Told by doctor Art Carney that he is dying, Broadway impresario Blansky (George C. Scott again) determines to produce one last spectacular show before the curtain goes down for good. The highlights in "Blansky's Beauties" are too numerous to mention here: memorable bits include composer Barry Bostwick's rooftop number, and the opening dialogue exchange between Carney and Scott (told that he has a month to live, Scott philosophically replies that at least he has 30 days left -- whereupon Carney dolefully reminds his patient that it's February). An additional sequence, parodying the Republic serials of the era, was filmed for Movie, Movie but cut from the final release print. Michael Kidd, who plays "Pop Popchick" in "Dynamite Fists," handled the choreography in "Blansky's Beauties." On the videocassette version of Movie, Movie, "Dynamite Fists" has been reprocessed in color. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The last gasp of gimmick-horror auteur William Castle (who produced and co-wrote), Bug is an entertaining throwback to the mutant-monsters-amok theme of the 1950s (themselves throwbacks of another kind) that he found so profitable. The film stars Bradford Dillman as a kinder, gentler mad scientist who discovers the presence of a bizarre strain of mutant cockroach emerging from the earth after a severe earthquake. Although larger than the average beetle, the most disturbing aspect of the critters is their innate ability to ignite fires with their bodies -- a talent dramatically revealed after a few of the bugs crawl up a vehicle's tailpipe. When Dillman discovers that the creatures possess a group intelligence, he attempts to train and breed them -- which proves to be less than a good idea. In Castle's heyday, this would have proven an ideal theme for one of his patented gimmicks (perhaps having little rubber bugs drop from the ceiling onto unsuspecting patrons at appropriate moments), but director Jeannot Szwarc (who later helmed Jaws 2 and the hankie-fest Somewhere in Time) plays the story straight, with remarkably chilling results. This is also remarkably violent for a mainstream PG film (particularly in the scene where Bad Seed Patty McCormack's hair is ignited by the six-legged arsonists) with a downbeat ending typical of many horror movies of the '70s. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

This Disney family adventure, directed by Robert Stevenson in his Jules Verne mode, concern a group of explorers who travel to the Arctic Circle in 1908 to explore the uncharted wastes of the North Pole. Sir Anthony Ross (Donald Sinden), a rich Londoner, organizes an Arctic exploration team in hopes of locating his missing son. Providing expert advice is Prof. John Ivarson (David Hartman), a professor of Nordic history. As the group explores the frozen tundra, they come across an unknown valley, skirting the borders of a giant volcano, that turns out to be a lost Viking kingdom. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A riddle posed by Gloria sparks a major brouhaha on the topic of Women's Lib. Gloria knows the answer to the riddle, and so does Edith -- but Mike and Archie are stumped. Archie, of course, reacts with his usual bombast, while Mike begins to question the validity of his own liberal sentiments. Allan Melvin, who showed up as a cop in the second-season episode "Archie in the Lock-Up," makes his first appearance in the role of Archie's pal Barney Hefner. First aired on October 7, 1972, "Gloria and the Riddle" was written by Don Nicholl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This grim historical drama from director Martin Ritt was loosely based on real-life events. Richard Harris stars as James McParlan, an operative for the Pinkerton Detective Agency in 1876. The Pinkertons have been hired by a major coal company to infiltrate and expose an underground terrorist organization, the "Molly Maguires," operating within the impoverished mining communities of Pennsylvania. As most of the miners are Irish, the recently emigrated McParlan is selected to pose as a new worker just arrived in the area. He quickly wins the trust and loyalty of the local terrorist leader, Jack Kehoe (Sean Connery), as well as the affection of his landlord's beautiful daughter, Mary Raines (Samantha Eggar). As it becomes clear that the group he's supposed to betray is protesting truly wretched working conditions, the lawman's loyalties become divided between the law and his fellow countrymen. The Molly Maguires (1970) was Oscar nominated for Best Art and Set Direction. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Newly engaged to an American girl named Sally Benner (Sally Kellerman), London policeman Tommy Bonn (Ron Randell) brings his sweetheart back home, only to find that he has been assigned to track down a strangler. The situation gets personal when, while taking a nocturnal stroll in the London fog, Sally disappears. The subsequent events not only involve Sally and Tommy, but also Tommy's partner, Stephen Leslie (Michael Pate), and a disturbed young man named Clarke (David Carradine) -- who apparently has a compulsion to confess to every crime that occurs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At one time the longest-running Broadway musical, My Fair Lady was adapted by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe from the George Bernard Shaw comedy Pygmalion. Outside Covent Garden on a rainy evening in 1912, dishevelled cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) meets linguistic expert Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison). After delivering a musical tirade against "verbal class distinction," Higgins tells his companion Colonel Pickering (Wilfred Hyde-White) that, within six months, he could transform Eliza into a proper lady, simply by teaching her proper English. The next morning, face and hands freshly scrubbed, Eliza presents herself on Higgins' doorstep, offering to pay him to teach her to be a lady. "It's almost irresistable," clucks Higgins. "She's so deliciously low. So horribly dirty." He turns his mission into a sporting proposition, making a bet with Pickering that he can accomplish his six-month miracle to turn Eliza into a lady. This is one of the all-time great movie musicals, featuring classic songs and the legendary performances of Harrison, repeating his stage role after Cary Grant wisely turned down the movie job, and Stanley Holloway as Eliza's dustman father. Julie Andrews originated the role of Eliza on Broadway but producer Jack Warner felt that Andrews, at the time unknown beyond Broadway, wasn't bankable; Hepburn's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961). Andrews instead made Mary Poppins, for which she was given the Best Actress Oscar, beating out Hepburn. The movie, however, won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Harrison, and five other Oscars, and it remains one of the all-time best movie musicals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While hunting down a wolf, Adam Cartwright accidentally shoots and nearly kills his own brother Joe. Thoroughly disgusted by the violence indigenous to the West, Adam vows to leave Nevada for good. In this he is encouraged by Sheila (Carolyn Kearney), an ardent-but as it turns out, misguided-pacifist. Featured in the cast are Brendan Dillon as Emmet, Ken Lynch as Doud, Addison Richards as Dr. Kay, and Jason Johnson as Vince. Originally broadcast April 7, 1963, "My Brother's Keeper" was written by Seeleg Lester. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ordered to London, Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) finds he has been selected for a dangerous espionage mission in Occupied France. Teamed with veteran OSS agent Ted Slocum (J.D. Cannon), Hanley must rescue a French physicist who is being forced to work on a top-secret German project (could it be The Bomb?) The assignment turns out be a personal matter for Hanley: one of his college friends, the physicist's son, had been killed in a previous rescue attempt. Undermining the mission is an unidentified traitor in the ranks of the French Resistance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hero's Island is not as esoteric as director Leslie Steven's Incubus (which was filmed in Esperanto!), but there's still enough bizarre camera angles and outre performances to please Stevens' hard-core devotees. The film is set on the Carolina coast in the 18th century. British expatriate Brendan Dillon, his wife Kate Manx (who at the time of filming was Mrs. Leslie Stevens) and their three children set up a homestead on remote Bull Island. They are joined in this endeavor by family friend Warren Oates, who becomes the surrogate husband and father when Dillon is killed by murderous local fishermen (including such reliable screen heavies as Rip Torn, Neville Brand and Harry Dean Stanton). Mysterious stranger James Mason (who co-produced the film) shows up on the island and offers to seek retribution for Dillon's murder, but Manx's religious convictions won't allow her to consider killing her enemies. During a final battle with the fishermen, Mason reveals that he is actually the notorious Blackbeard the Pirate. He fends off the attackers and is himself rescued from certain death by Manx, who has come to love him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Richard Dreyfuss stars in this story about an Irish tenement in the 1920's that suffers a stir when a soft spoken poet who lives there is suspected of being an IRA gunman. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide