Peter O'Crotty Movies
- 1973
After fourteen seasons and 430 episodes, the saga of Bonanza came to an end on January 16, 1973 with a powerful episode titled "The Hunter." Written and directed by series star Michael Landon, the episode is essentially a two-man show for Landon (as Joe Cartwright) and guest star Tom Skerritt, cast as a psychopath named Tanner. A self-styled "human hunter", Tanner targets Joe as his latest quarry. With no horse, supplies or weapons, Joe desperately tries to outwit and outmaneuver his relentless pursuer. Even by Landon's usually sparse standards, "The Hunter" contained practically no dialogue; the episode represented visual storytelling at its very best, and as such was a worthwhile finale for one of TV's most popular and durable western series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Tom Skerritt, (more)
Giant Flesh-Eating Rabbits Ravage American Southwest After Scientist Slips Up! Such is the plot of this unintentionally campy horror outing. The trouble begins when a researcher's experiment to use hormone injections to control Arizona's burgeoning rabbit population goes terribly awry, causing the cuddly rodents to grow to enormous proportions. In order to facilitate their growth, the rabbits need extra protein, and what better source than the relatively slow-moving human population that surrounds their huge subterranean lairs? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, (more)
Sam Peckinpah's first feature as director is this modest Western, taking place in the late 1860s. Yellowleg (Brian Keith), a former sergeant in the Union army, is obsessed with tracking down Turk (Chill Wills), a Rebel army deserter who, during the War Between the States, tried to scalp him as he lay wounded on a battlefield. Yellowleg finds Turk and his sidekick Billy (Steve Cochran) in a cantina and convinces them to help him rob a bank. They journey to Gila City, where the bank is located, and find that another group of bank robbers are also in Gila City to rob the same bank. During a shoot-out with the other bank robbers, Yellowleg accidentally kills the nine-year-old son of dance-hall hostess Kit Tilden (Maureen O'Hara). Remorseful at having caused the death of Kit's son, Yellowleg forces Turk and Billy to accompany him through Apache territory to bury Kit's son at the gravesite of her husband in the ghost town of Siringo. When Billy attacks Kit, Yellowleg throws him out of their camp. Then Turk deserts. As Kit and Yellowleg finally reach Siringo, Yellowleg realizes that he is in love with her. But then, Billy and Turk reappear, having robbed the bank in Gila City, leading to a final confrontation between Yellowleg and Turk. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, (more)
- 1950
Vendetta began as a pet project of producer/director/writer Preston Sturges. Producer Howard R. Hughes was at first enthusiastic about the project, but lost interest after a bitter argument with Sturges. Director Max Ophuls was originally slated to direct, but Hughes lost interest in him and hired Mel Ferrer instead. Eventually, Hughes decided to make the film anyway, primarily to introduce his latest protégé, Faith Domergue. The film sat on the shelf for four years before Hughes finally released it through RKO. The story begins in old New Orleans, where hot-blooded Corsican maiden Colomba (Faith Domergue) coerces her brother Orso (George Dolenz) into avenging their father's murder. There follows a series of labyrinthine plot twists, leading to a corpse-strewn denouement. Hillary Brooke co-stars as British gentlewoman Lydia Nevil, with whom Orso has a brief romance before sacrificing love for honor. The screenplay, which was credited to W.R. Burnett after several other writers had a crack at it, was based on Colomba, a novel by Prosper Merimee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faith Domergue, Hillary Brooke, (more)
- 1948
As Cold-War melodramas go, Sofia goes pretty well. Set in a backlot version of Turkey, the film stars Gene Raymond as former OSS man Steve Roark. Assigned to rescue two atomic scientists from Russia and spirit them across the Iron Curtain, Steve discovers that one of the scientists is his ex-lover Linda Carlsen (Sigrid Gurie). Meanwhile, sultry cabaret singer-turned-spy Magda Onescu (Patricia Morison) offers her services to both the Allies and the Communists, hoping to be financially renumerated by both sides (Guess how she ends up?) Some of the espionage techniques are amusing, especially when the rascally Russians are so easily fooled by the simplest subterfuges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Raymond, Sigrid Gurie, (more)
