Jane Seymour Movies
The raven-haired daughter of a prosperous British gynecologist, Jane Seymour debuted onstage at 13 as a member of the London Festival Ballet, after training at the Arts Educational School. Five years later, she switched to acting, making her screen bow as part of a huge ensemble in Oh, What A Lovely War! (1968). She entered the fan-mag files with her portrayal of the enigmatic Solitaire in the 1973 James Bond epic Live and Let Die, following this with a ingenue turn in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1974). While her subesquent film appearances were well-received (as was her engagement in the 1980 Broadway production of Amadeus), Seymour's larger fame rested on her prolific TV work, notably on such miniseries as "East of Eden" and "War and Remembrance." In 1988, she won an Emmy for her portrayal of Maria Callas in the TV miniseries "Onassis." Four years later, she landed one of her most successful roles to date, that of the title heroine of the TV series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. In subsequent years, Seymour sustained her career with longform soapers - such as the 1998 A Marriage of Convenience and the 2002 Heart of a Stranger - before making a most welcome return to theatrical features in 2005. That year, she scored a neat comic turn as the wife of U.S. Treasury Secretary Christopher Walken (and the mother of some outrageously dysfunctional children) in the summer comedy smash Wedding Crashers. Two years later, ABC tapped Seymour to trip the light fantastic as one of the celebrity dancers on its blockbuster series Dancing with the Stars. On that program, Seymour danced opposite series vet Tony Ovolani. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1970
This low-key wartime drama concentrates on the plight of Danish Jews upon the Nazi takeover. The world now knows that Denmark behaved honorably and courageously in refusing to automatically turn over its Jews to the death camps, but the film's hero, played by Ove Sprogoe, at first vacillates in his commitment to protect his Jewish neighbors. Happily, Sprogoe joins his fellow Danes in smuggling 7000 Jews to the safety of Sweden. The Only Way covers its familiar ground with nuance and spontaneity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Potter, Jane Seymour, (more)
- 1972
This historical drama is an account of the early life of Winston Churchill (Simon Ward), including his childhood years, his time as a war correspondent in Africa, and culminating with his first election to Parliament. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, (more)
Roger Moore makes his first appearance as "Bond...James Bond" in 1973's Live and Let Die. Bond is dispatched to the States to stem the activities of Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), who plans to take over the Western Hemisphere by converting everyone into heroin addicts. The woman in the case is Solitaire (Jane Seymour in her movie debut), an enigmatic interpreter of tarot cards. The obligatory destructive-chase sequence occurs at the film's midpoint, with Bond being chased in a motorboat by Mr. Big's henchmen, slashing his way through the marshlands and smashing up a wedding party. Clifton James makes the first of several Bond appearances as redneck sheriff Pepper, while Geoffrey Holder is an enthusiastic secondary villain. The title song, written by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, provides the frosting on this 007 confection. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, (more)
Per its title, Jack Smight's Frankenstein: The True Story, strives for greater faithfulness to Mary Shelley's novel than prior versions. Thus, as in the book, Dr. Frankenstein's (Leonard Whiting) creation is no monster, but a handsome young man of high intelligence (Michael Sarrazin). In fact, the doctor and his creature are the best of friends until the latter's body begins to deteriorate. This sends the creature over the bend into insanity, prompting Frankenstein -- with the help of his evil mentor, Dr. Polidori (James Mason), a character not in the Shelley novel -- to try, try again to create a viable synthetic human. The film ends more or less as the novel does, with the outcast Frankenstein and his creature expiring in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. Adapted for television by Christopher Isherwood, Frankenstein: The True Story was originally telecast in two parts on November 30 and December 1, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Steve Forrest, in his last starring role before moving permanently to series television with S.W.A.T., plays James Devlin, a once-notorious gunman who is wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Through an accident -- though the priest Father Alvaro (Rafael Campos) insists it was divine intervention -- he survives the hanging, barely, and is set free, a death certificate having been duly and lawfully issued by the doctor (William Bryant) who examined the "body." A near walking corpse, with an odd, dark fire in his eyes and a strangely low body temperature and heartbeat, Devlin doesn't know what to do with the rest of his life, however long that may be -- he's got enemies still walking around who would like to finish the job, and neither the doctor nor the priest can tell him how long he might live. Having already reformed before he was convicted, he goes the rest of the way and decides to spend what time he's been given, and use the skills he still has as a gunman and soldier of fortune, on the side of the angels, helping people who need it. He quickly finds himself up to his neck in a deadly land war between an ambitious mining tycoon (Cameron Mitchell) and a young widow (Sharon Acker) for the property she owns. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Forrest, Cameron Mitchell, (more)
- 1976
One of four dramatic miniseries carried by NBC under the blanket title Best Sellers, Captains and the Kings was adapted from a novel by Taylor Caldwell. Covering a time span from 1857 to 1912, this was the saga of the Irish-immigrant Armagh clan, with emphasis on the rags-to-riches career of Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan). Achieving fame and prominence (if not full-fledged social acceptance) through a Byzantine series of investments in the oil industry, the elder Armagh was obsessed with the notion of having one of his sons become the first Irish-Catholic President of the United States (does this story sound vaguely familiar?). Along the way, Joseph and his offspring indulged in innumerable romantic liaisons, extramarital and otherwise. Featured in the all-star cast is Patty Duke Astin, who won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Bernadette Hennessey Armagh. Captains and the Kings was broadcast from September 30 to November 18, 1976 in seven installments, two of which ran 120 minutes, and the other six lasting 60 minutes -- a total of nine hours' air time in all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Previously adapted for British television in 1958, Charles Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend was converted into a four-part miniseries 18 years later. The two-pronged story line focused on a pair of young women, both vainly seeking happiness and fulfillment: Lizzie Hexam (Lesley Dunlop) and Bella Wilfer (Jane Seymour). In addition to being saddled with a father suspected of murder, Lizzie found herself the romantic bone of contention between two ardent suitors, a class-conscious triangle which culminated in tragedy. Meanwhile, Bella entered into an arranged marriage with the owner of a refuse-recycling firm, a circumstance that was linked to Lizzie's plight by the requisite Dickensian coincidence. Originally telecast by the BBC beginning March 1, 1976, Our Mutual Friend subsequently aired in the United States courtesy of PBS, beginning April 16, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Dunlop, Jane Seymour, (more)
Filmed in Israel and Spain, the four-hour made-for-TV The Story of David stars Timothy Bottoms as the Biblical king. The "David and Goliath" legend is presented as credibly as possible, while David's later disastrous romance with Bathsheba (Jane Seymour) is handled with taste and decorum. Also in the cast are Anthony Quayle as King Saul, and Terence Hardiman as Bathsheba's unfortunate warrior husband Uriah. Ernest Kinoy's teleplay does justice to the Biblical text, without lapsing into wearisome "thees", "thous" and other such archaic dialogue. The Story of David premiered in two parts on April 9 and 11, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
In this made-for-TV thriller, a group of tourists aboard a cruise ship must be quarantined after they become afflicted with a lethal virus. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1977
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Famed stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen concocts a collection of fantastic creatures -- including a saber-tooth tiger, a chess-playing baboon, a giant walrus and three banshees -- for this follow-up to The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Patrick Wayne stars as Sinbad, who seeks the hand of Princess Farah (Jane Seymour) in marriage but cannot get her brother, Prince Kassim (Damian Thomas), to agree to the match because he has been turned into a baboon by his evil stepmother. In order to receive the blessing of Farah's brother, Sinbad must travel to a far away realm and find a wizard named Melanthius (Patrick Troughton), the only one who can break the evil spell placed upon Kassim. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, (more)
- 1977
Seventh Avenue followed Captains and the Kings and Once an Eagle as the third attraction on NBC's Best Sellers series of 1976-77. This adaptation of Norman Borger's novel stars Steven Keats as Jay Blackman, who rises from the New York tenements of the 1930s to become a powerful figure in the garment industry of the 1940s and 1950s. Along the way, Blackman has his fair share of amorous and life-threatening situations. At times he seems to do nothing but hold off women with one hand, and stave off the Mob with the other. Presented in three 2-hour installments from February 10 through February 24, 1977, Seventh Avenue was followed by the fourth and final Best Sellers installment, The Rheinman Exchange. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Terry Kiser is Benny and Tim Thomerson is Barney, two undercover cops operating in Vegas. So as not to attract attention to their sleuthing, Benny and Barney pose as nightclub entertainers. The case of the moment is the rescue of a kidnapped singer, which B and B pull off successfully within the allotted 76 minutes. Real-life Las Vegas "regulars" Rodney Dangerfield, Marty Allen, George Gobel and Bobby Troup pop up in cameo roles. Seemingly filmed during everyone's lunch hour, Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover was the pilot for a never-sold TV adventure series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This fifth film version of A.E.W. Mason's "Sun Never Sets" adventure novel The Four Feathers was adapted for television by Gerald DiPego. Following the death of British general "Chinese" Gordon at Khartoum, 19th-century gentleman officer Harry Favershem (Beau Bridges) is summoned to active duty in the Sudan. Though not a coward, Favershem fears that he'll turn coward in the heat of battle, thereby costing the lives of his comrades; thus, he opts to stay in England. Three of his disgruntled fellow officers each send Favershem a white feather, the symbol of cowardice. When a fourth feather is handed to Favershem by his fiancee (Jane Seymour), Favershem vows to prove himself in battle--and to personally hand back the four feathers to his accusers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In the concluding episode of a two-part story, the disease-weakened convoy, led by Galactica's commander Adama (Lorne Greene), have found an ancient planet that may well be the gateway to the long-lost 13th colony of Mankind (once known as planet earth). With Galactica's male personnel afflicted by illness, it is up to the vessel's courageous woman warriors to hold down the fort. Meanwhile, the treacherous Baltar (John Colicos) is hurriedly mounting a Cylon attack against Galactica--an attack that will have particularly tragic consequences for Adama's son Apollo (Richard Hatch). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, (more)
- 1978
In Part Three of Battlestar Galactica's pilot episode, the survivors of the war between the Cylons and Mankind have been lured into a trap on the planet Carillon. Thanks to some quick thinking on the part of Galactica's Cmdr. Adama (Lorne Greene), Adama's son Apollo (Richard Hatch), and Apollo's best friend Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), an escape from Carillon is successfully carried out--and in the bargain, Apollo has found happiness with his new bride Serena (Jane Seymour). But the Cylons, headed by traitorous human Baltar (John Colicos), are still determined to prevent Galactica from reaching its destination of the lost 13th colony (known centuries ago as Planet Earth). Originally telecast as a three-hour special, "Saga of a Star World" has since been divided into three separate episodes for syndication, and an edited 125-minute version has been released theatrically as Battlestar Galactica. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
In the first episode of a two-part story, the surviving Mankind convoy is weakened by an unknown but highly contagious disease. Soon all the male fighter pilots of Galactica have fallen ill, leaving the vessel--and its thousands passengers--in the hands of the the courageous but untested female crewpersons. To protect Galactica during this crisis, Cmdr. Adama (Lorne Greene) orders the conveoy into a magnetic void, which may or may not lead to the "safe harbor" of planet Kobol. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
In part one of Battlestar Galactica's pilot episode, the 12 colonies of humankind are poised to sign a peace treaty with the Cylons, a race of mechanical men with whom the colonies have waged war for the past millennium. In truth, however, the peace conference is a trap, arranged by traitorous human Baltar (John Colicos) for the purpose of wiping out humankind for good. Of all the colonies' battlestars, only the Galactica, helmed by Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) -- who, wisely, never completely trusted Baltar in the first place -- manages to escape the Cylon fleet. Led by Adama, his Viper-pilot son, Captain Apollo (Dirk Benedict), and Apollo's best friend, Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), the survivors of the Cylon ambush board Galactica and head for the long-lost 13th colony, which once bore the name of Earth. Originally telecast as a three-hour special, "Saga of a Star World" has since been divided into three separate episodes for syndication, and an edited 125-minute version has also been released theatrically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
In Part Two of Battlestar Galactica's pilot episode, Galactica's Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) has managed to escape the death trap arranged by the scurrilous, metallic cylons and human traitor Baltar (John Colicos). With the other survivors of the apocalyptic battle between the Cylons and the 12 colonies of Mankind, Adama heads to the supposed safety of the long-lost 13th colony--otherwise known as Earth. Along the way, Galactica makes a refueling stop at the pleasure planet Carillon. Alas, yet another trap awaits the remnants of Mankind--one that may even destroy Adama's son Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Apollo's best friend Starbuck (Dirk Benedict). Originally telecast as a three-hour special, "Saga of a Star World" has since been divided into three separate episodes for syndication, and an edited 125-minute version has been released theatrically as Battlestar Galactica. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
Love's Dark Ride, based on a true story, was produced for TV by Jack Webb's Mark VII company. Cliff Potts stars as a commercial artist who is blinded by a gun accident. After a long spell of self-pity, Potts learns to enjoy life again when he falls in love with nightclub entertainer Jane Seymour. Carrie Snodgress also appears in this lightly lachrymose drama. Love's Dark Ride might have been more memorable had it not been first telecast on April 2, 1978--directly opposite the premiere episode of Dallas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This exploitation film offers the "inside story" about those ever-popular star spangled gyrating, jiggling gals as a magazine reporter goes undercover and joins the team. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This feature-length movie is a re-edited version of the first few episodes of the TV series. The story line concerns a spaceship full of survivors of a doomed planet who are headed to the Earth. Led by Commander Adama (Lorne Greene), they encounter villainous robots, threatening their journey to find Earth. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch, (more)
Christopher Reeve got away from Superman and related costume roles in this dramatic fantasy film, adapted from Richard Matheson's 1960s vintage novel Bid Time Return. A young playwright, Richard Collier (Reeve), is approached by an elderly woman on the occasion of his first triumph in 1972 -- all she says to him is "Come back to me" and leaves him with a watch that contains a picture of a ravishing young woman. Eight years later, he visits the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and comes upon a photograph of the same woman, whom he discovers was an actress who made an appearance at the hotel in 1912. He becomes obsessed with the image and what the woman -- who died the night she approached him in 1972 -- meant by what she said. In a manner somewhat reminiscent of the film Laura, he falls in love with her and her image as he learns more about her life and career. Then he comes upon the suggestion of a professor at his former college that time travel may, in fact, be possible, using an extreme form of self-hypnosis to free the person from the place they occupy in the time-stream. Collier's feelings for the woman are so strong that he succeeds, bringing himself back to the hotel in 1912 on the eve of her triumph. He meets the actress, Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), and the two fall in love despite the machinations of her obsessive, autocratic manager (Christopher Plummer), who feels threatened by Collier's presence. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, (more)
Any comedy should be suspect when the lead character, in this case Benjamin Browning, is played both by an actor (Chevy Chase) and a lovable dog (Benji). Private eye Browning is in London tracking down a sexual scandal in British political circles when he is murdered. His karma is canine in form and gets him rebirth as a dog. Fortunately for him, the dog's owner is Jackie Howard (Jane Seymour), a magazine reporter who does not realize that there is a rather lustful man inside her innocent pooch. Benji supplies the few moments of humor in this uneven film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Benji, (more)
The 1955 film version of John Steinbeck's East of Eden will always be popular because of the presence in the cast of James Dean. Even so, the film covered only a small portion of the original novel. For those Steinbeck completists who prefer a more thorough treatment, we submit for your approval the TV miniseries adaptation of East of Eden, which first aired February 8, 9 and 11, 1981. This eight-hour dramatization begins in the years following the Civil War. Braggadocio union officer Cyrus Trask (Warren Oates) is the father of gentle, loyal Adam (Timothy Bottoms) and hellraiser Charles (Bruce Boxleitner). Enter the bewitching, mean-spirited Cathy Ames (Jane Seymour), who leads both brothers on and causes an irreparable rift between them. Eventually, Adam marries Cathy, taking her and their twin sons to a 900-acre farm in California's Salinas Valley. Cathy rebels against this cloistered existence and runs off to work in a house of ill repute. In Part Three, we finally meet the "James Dean" character: Cal Trask (played by Timothy Bottoms' brother Sam), who can never hope to come up to the standards of his "good" twin brother Aron (Hart Bochner) in the eyes of his father. Cal's "bad" reputation obscures his good intentions, but by film's end he is compelled to reveal to brother Aron that their mother had not died as father Adam has claimed, but in fact has become a hard-bitten bordello "madam". Adapted for television by Richard Shapiro, East of Eden was part of ABC's informal "Novels for Television" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Bottoms, Jane Seymour, (more)
Swordplay, secret messages, and the rustle of ballroom finery make this 1982 adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel a gala bash. Anthony Andrews heads the cast as English nobleman Sir Percy Blakeney, a conceited but amusing fop in the drawing rooms of British high society. But beneath his veneer of lacy impertinence is a man of bravado and derring-do. In disguise, he becomes the Pimpernel -- ta-da! -- and steals into France to rescue aristocrats condemned to the guillotine during the French Revolution. After each rescue, he leaves behind a scarlet pimpernel, a flower whose petals close at the approach of stormy weather. He also uses a signet ring engraved with a scarlet pimpernel to identify himself on the sealing wax of letters to compatriots. It is all jolly-good intrigue. Because he cloaks his schemes in great secrecy, not even his new wife Marguerite (Jane Seymour) realizes he is anything more than an innocuous dandy. Frustrated, the French send the ruthless Chauvelin (Ian McKellen) to England to serve as ambassador and ferret out the elusive Pimpernel. In a plot that ensnares Marguerite and closes the Pimpernel's petals, Chauvelin finally confronts his clever adversary, and it's en garde -- parry and thrust! ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Seymour, Anthony Andrews, (more)
