Jay W. MacIntosh Movies

A couple gets more than they bargained for when they buy an old seaside mansion, in this made-for-television movie. Ally Sheedy and William R. Moses star as a couple from San Francisco who decide to rekindle their love and life, by moving away to a small town and buying an inn. After a series of inexplicable events, they come to realize that the home is haunted by its past owner. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

In 1967, Joni Eareckson Tada broke her spinal cord in a diving accident, and at the tender age of 17 she was consigned to a wheelchair for life. This biographical drama (based on her book) is about her courage in adjusting to the results of the accident. At first, Tada suffered through several operations and long rehabilitation sessions, but nothing was able to bring back the use of her arms and legs. After she goes home to her family in Maryland, she starts to draw and paint by holding the brush in her mouth. This creative outlet, combined with her spunk and a growing religious faith, not only brings her through her darkest moments, but points the way toward a future career and mission. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The opening two-part episode of The Waltons' seventh season (originally telecast in a single two-hour timeslot) is dedicated to the memory of Will Geer, who had died in the summer of 1978. Also conspicuous by her absence is semi-regular Nora Marlowe, who had also passed away, as neighbor Flossie Brimmer. The loss of both Grandpa and Mrs. Brimmer is duly acknowledged as the Walton family leaves 1940 behind and enters 1941, a year that will yield many dramatic changes in their lives. For starters, John Walton (Ralph Waite) is faced with a choice between remaining with his struggling lumber business on Waltons' Mountain or accepting a more lucrative job out of town; and John's daughters Erin (Mary Elizabeth McDonough) and Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) follow the lead of their brother John-Boy , moving out of the family home and into their own apartment. Peggy Rea, who would later join the series' cast as the Waltons' cousin Rose Burton, is here seen as the girls' landlady Mrs. Boren. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A forbidding old mansion in a residential San Francisco neighborhood is the centerpiece of this grim story. When a young boy disappears, and is subsequently found dead, the neighbors suspect the mysterious recluse residing within the walls of the mansion. It is up to Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) to bring the mansion's dark secrets to light--and to expose the facts behind the tragedy. The episode's formidable guest cast is headed by Hollywood veteran Lew Ayres, light-years removed from his amiable "Dr. Kildare" characterization. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fresh from his nine-year stint on The Beverly Hillbillies, Buddy Ebsen is cast as Ponderosa hired hand Cactus Murphy, fired for incompetence by Ben Cartwright. His dander up, the old hand challenges Ben to do all the work Cactus does in a week-and without using the Cartwright money or power to his advantage. Taking up the cudgel, Ben signs on to his own spread as a wrangler named "Ben Brown"-and does he learn a painful lesson! Richard Farnsworth appears in the supporting role of Tate. First broadcast on January 16, 1972, "The Saddle Stiff" was written by Samuel A. Peeples and John Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cliff Robertson wrote, produced, directed and acted the lead in this film about a rodeo performer. The rodeo footage in this film was shot at actual rodeo competitions. Rodeo rider J.W. Coop (Robertson) has just spent ten years in jail for passing bad checks. He comes out and discovers that everything except his crazy mother (Geraldine Page) has changed. Riders don't compete in all-around events anymore, but fly all over the country in private planes to compete in the same event in several rodeos a day. Furthermore, the sexual liberation movement has changed the way women relate to men. He is nonplused to discover a hippyish woman (Cristina Ferrare) who wants a no-strings relationship with him. The idea of health food catches him by surprise, too. Coop wants and needs to win a national rodeo championship, despite all the new challenges he faces. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi