Andrew Duggan Movies
Born in Indiana and raised in Texas, Andrew Duggan attended Indiana University on a speech and drama scholarship. He was starred there in Maxwell Anderson's The Eve of St. Mark, which was being given a nonprofessional pre-Broadway tryout; on the basis of this performance, Duggan was cast in the professional Chicago company of the Anderson play. Before rehearsals could start, however, Duggan was drafted into the army. After wartime service, Duggan began his acting career all over again, working at his uncle's Indiana farm in-between Broadway and stock engagements. In Hollywood in the late 1950s, Duggan was co-starred in the Warner Bros. TV series Bourbon Street Beat and was featured in such films as The Bravados (1958), Seven Days in May (1964) and In Like Flint (1967). He also was starred on the 1962 TV sitcom Room for One More and the 1968 video western Lancer. Because of his marked resemblance to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Duggan was frequently cast as generals and U.S. presidents. Andrew Duggan's last screen appearance was in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1965
The second season of 12 O'Clock High opened with a shocker of an episode, in terms of killing off a central character. That simply wasn't done on television in those days, even in a series set in wartime. In the pre-credit sequence of the first episode, "The Loneliest Place In The World" -- which was also one of the best-written shows of the entire series -- the plane on which Brigadier General Frank Savage is the pilot and mission commander, returning from a bombing raid, is shot down. We never see the general, who had been played in the first season by Robert Lansing, but are told that he has also been wounded -- and we are told later that only one man, navigator Alex ("Sandy") Kominsky (Chris Robinson), got out alive before it crashed, and that the Germans are burying the general with full military honors. Season two established Paul Burke as the star of the series, in the role of Colonel Joseph A. Gallagher, the new commander of the 918th Heavy Bombardment Group -- Frank Overton returned in the recurring role of Major Harvey Stovall, Barney Philips was back as Doc Kaiser, Andrew Duggan was back as Major General Britt, Gallagher's immediate superior, and Paul Newlan was back as Lieutenant General Pritchard, Britt's commanding officer.
The second season generally featured more combat-oriented scripts, and the same level of acting with perhaps more intensity on the part of the performers. There were a few improbabilities in the stories, such as "Big Brother", in which Gallagher ending up landing at a desert base commanded by his infantry officer brother (played by Jack Lord). And the caliber of the guest stars was usually a bit lower than it had been in the first season. Chris Robinson was pushed heavily as a co-star in several scripts that played off of his character's rebel nature. Several episodes also played off of Gallagher's relationship with his father, established early in the season as a lieutenant general who has more or less run out his string, reduced to administrative functions and no chance of further promotion -- one episode ("Grant Me No Favor") dealt the efforts of the elder Gallagher (Barry Sullivan) to get his son a brigadier general's star as compensation for his own career dead-end. As with the first season, the second focused heavily on the psychology of the air officers, but had fewer espionage-related stories, and more that focused more precisely on combat operations. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Burke, Frank Overton, (more)
- 1978
The story begins as an astronomer notices that a blazing comet is headed straight for Phoenix Arizona. Unfortunately, no one believes him. They will eventually, but only after most of Phoenix has been reduced to cinders. Emmies went to the special effects (among the best ever seen on TV in those days before computer-generated special fx) and sound recording. The all-star cast includes Richard Crenna, Elizabeth Ashley, David Dukes, Joanna Miles, Lloyd Bochner, Merlin Olsen and Andrew Duggan, all of them superbly cast and none merely doing the usual celebrity walk-through. Originally telecast in a three-hour slot, Fire in the Sky debuted November 26, 1978. This film should not be confused with the 1993 alien-abduction film of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
A divorced dad and son attempt to build on their newly resurrected relationship by heading back to pop's hometown in up-state Maine. When he gets there, he finds that all the townspeople have turned into 300-year-old vampires. Some say that director Larry Cohen intended the vampire community to be a parody of old-blooded Republicans who so often rule in small-town America. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Andrew Duggan, (more)
- 1975
Attack on Terror: The FBI Versus the Ku Klux Klan is a fact-based, two-part TV movie. The film is a dramatization of the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. The FBI, personified herein by southern operative Wayne Rogers, is brought in to investigate the trio's disappearance. Upon the discovery of the bodies on August 2, 1964, the feds follow a trail of (admittedly skimpy) evidence which leads to the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, headed by the virulent Glen Tuttle (Rip Torn). The first part of Attack on Terror was originally telecast February 20, 1975. The film was based on the book by Don Whitehead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ned Beatty, John Beck, (more)
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour Backstairs at the White House was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Uggams, Olivia Cole, (more)
- 1973
The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack--actually $2 million dollars in engraved stock-certificate plates--are missing. The guard went into the special security elevator with the plates; moments later, the elevator arrived empty. Cap'n Jack (Andrew Duggan) is furious; detective Banacek (George Peppard) is curious. And he gets curiouser and curiouser as he interviews such suspects as Jessica Walter and Linden Chiles. This 90-minute episode of Banacek originally aired on February 7, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Patricia Blair guest-stars as dance hall girl Lila Conrad, who after killing a man in self-defense hides out in the Cartwright's supply wagon. Ben Cartwright and his sons try to protect Lila from the lynch-happy cronies of the man she killed, but their efforts are thwarted by stern and merciless Judge Knowlton (Andrew Duggan). The rest of the episode chronicles the unusual relationship which blossoms between Lila and the Judge-while Mrs. Knowlton (Cathy O'Donnell) stands on the sidelines. Cowritten by Preston Wood and George Waggner (who invariably billed himself as "WaGGner"), "The Lila Conrad Story" first aired January 5, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
When their lavish home is invaded by a violent and unstable black criminal, a high-living white Beverly Hills couple is forced to confront their worst nightmares in filmmaker Larry Cohen's satirical black comedy. Famous car dealer Bill (Andrew Duggan) and his wife, Bernadette (Joyce Van Patten), go through the motions of their mundane day-to-day existence while coasting on a fragile web of lies and tentative affection. When Bill discovers a rat in the filter of his pool, he is frozen with fear until Bone (Yaphet Kotto) mysteriously appears and removes the threatening vermin. Their gratitude is short-lived when Bone forces his way into their posh home with the intention of raping Bernadette and making off with a tidy sum. However, when he discovers some questionable discrepancies with their financial records, Bill is forced to make a trip to the bank to make a withdrawal while Bone and Bernadette await his return -- but Bone warns that he will not hesitate to kill Bernadette if Bill doesn't return in due time. Their transparent façade forever shattered, captor and captive form an unusual bond while Bone's meal ticket opts for an ominous change of plan that he believes will rid him of excess baggage while also drawing a substantial profit. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Collision Course was adapted from Merle Miller's Plain Speaking, a biography of former President Harry Truman. E.G. Marshall plays Truman, while Henry Fonda costars as General Douglas MacArthur This made-for-TV movie recounts the events leading up to the 1951 firing of General MacArthur during the Korean conflict. In the pivotal scene, an apoplectic Truman verbally lambastes the arrogant MacArthur for failing to show proper respect to his commander in chief. Heavily slanted in favor of Truman's point of view, Collision Course was pilloried by conservative critics, who felt that MacArthur was depicted as a vainglorious zealot rather than a misguided patriot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, E.G. Marshall, (more)
- 1957
Decision at Sundown was one of several felicitous collaborations between star Randolph Scott and director Budd Boetticher. Scott plays a flint-eyed gunman who rides into a sleepy town to drive out local tough guy John Carroll by sundown. Scott is motivated not by justice but by revenge; years earlier, Carroll had stolen Scott's wife. The woman subsequently killed herself, and the fact that she had left Scott willingly is torturing both men, each of whom feels partially responsible for her death. As sundown approaches, the "angst" suffered by both hero and villain spreads to the rest of the townspeople, who do a lot of soul-searching while waiting for the final confrontation. Decision at Sundown truly lives up to the label "psychological western". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, John Carroll, (more)
- 1957
In this second episode of Walt Disney's six-part miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett, easterner Andy (Jerome Courtland) and his trapper pal Joe Crane (Jeff York) have joined a group called the Mountain Men in their journey the west. In order to survive the rough terrain ahead, Andy trains himself to act, hunt and think like an Indian. But the trip may be over before it has begun: Bill Sublette (Anthony Caruso), head man of a rival group of mountaineers, has bribed the local blacksmith not to sell supplies to Andy and his pals. "Andy's First Chore" originally aired on the Disneyland anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Originally telecast on the Disneyland anthology, the six-part miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett was the first of several efforts by Walt Disney to create a live-action property that would match the success of his Davy Crockett programs. Based on a novel by Stewart Edward White, Andy Burnett stars Jerome Courtland as the title character, the grandfather of an 18th century frontiersman who heads westward in 1820 in hopes of becoming a farmer. In the first episode, "Andy's Initiation", Andy meets a rough-and-ready trapper named Joe Crane (Jeff York who intends to ply his trade in the mountains of the west. At first reluctant to join Joe in this mission, Andy is forced to do so when his bankroll conveniently turns up missing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this third episode of Walt Disney's six-part miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett, Andy (Jerome Courtland, Joe Crane (Jeff York) and the other Mountain Men have finally arrived in New Mexico. The head of the local border patrol agrees to guide Jack Kelly (Andrew Duggan, the head Mountain Man, to the outpost of Taos. Awaiting Jack's return, Andy and his friends must suffer the anti-Yankee vitriol of Capitan Reyes (Britt Lomond)--while Andy himself has a brief fling with lovely senorita Estrellita (Adele Mara). "Andy's Love Affair" originally aired on the Disneyland anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this 4th episode of Walt Disney's six-part miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett, Andy (Jerome Courtland) and the Mountain Men have struck out for the New Mexico outpost of Taos. While making their way through the unmapped Rocky Mountains, Andy and his pals Joe (Jeff York), Jack (Andrew Duggan) and Old Bill (Slim Pickens) decide to do a little fur-trapping. Alas, before long the foursome have been captured by the Snake Indians. "Land of Enemies" originally aired on the Disneyland anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In the final episode of Walt Disney's six-part miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett, Andy (Jerome Courtland and his friends are still the "guests" of Kiasak (Abel Fernandez), Chief of the Blackfeet Indians. Kiasak like Andy, but refuses to let him go until he has competed in a series of grueling tests. Meanwhile, jealous medicine man Mad Wolf (Iron Eyes Cody) hopes to use the upcoming tribal council to kill off the white men, topple Kiasak from power, and become Chief himself. "The Big Council" originally aired on the Disneyland anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In the fifth episode of Walt Disney's six-part miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett, Andy (Jerome Courtland and his fellow Mountain Men have been captured by the Blackfeet Indians. Through careful manipulation of his telescope, Andy convinces his captors that he is a friend of the Sun God. Chief Kiasak (Abel Fernandez) agrees to spare the lives of Andy his pals--but they're not out of the woods yet, thanks to jealous medicine man Mad Wolf (Iron Eyes Cody). "The White Man's Medicine" originally aired on the Disneyland anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A college professor (Dan Aykroyd is forced to go undercover as a Chicago pimp disguised by a bushy wig -- the height of hairlarity in this anemic comedy. When Smooth Walker (Howard Hesseman) is hunted by his gangster rival, Mom (Kate Murtagh), he foists his bevy of hookers on the professor -- and then ends up dead. Among the four hookers who are suddenly in his undercover life are Fran Drescher in an early role as an archetypal Jewish princess, and Donna Dixon as another of the high-class call-girls (Dixon and Aykroyd were later married). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, (more)
- 1966
Andrew Duggan guest stars as Major Chester Winster, the Army's new Inspector General. An avowed Indian hater, Major Winster hopes to use his revolutionary new weapon, the Chest-Winster 76 ("the gun that will win the west") to wipe out every tribe on the frontier--including the peace-loving Hekawis. To prevent this, O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Agarn (Larry Storch) improvise a clever sabotage scheme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
A full year before the debut of Warner Bros.' TV series The FBI, a pilot of sorts was filmed under the title FBI Code 98. Jack Kelly heads the cast of this Dragnet-style docudrama, wherein the action is underlined by William Woodson's stentorian off-camera narration. The main plot concerns a disgruntled mad bomber, who uses his heightened knowledge of electronics to stay one step ahead of detection. The all-Warner-contractee cast includes Maverick's Kelly, Ray Danton, Andrew Duggan, Philip Carey, William Reynolds (later a regular on The FBI), Peggy McCay and Merry Anders. Originally intended as a TV special, FBI Code 98 was released theatrically instead. The film was produced by Stanley Niss, the author of the book on which the screenplay was based. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Kelly, Ray Danton, (more)
- 1972
An African American youth must deal with both many physical tests and the racism of his peers as he works to become a full-fledged fire fighter in this drama that was originally made as a television pilot. As he is the only black man in an all white unit, things are difficult, especially after he learns that the man he replaced was killed in a fire set by a black arsonist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This uproariously bad film marks the less-than-glorious return of producer/director Jerry Warren, shameless purveyor of such cinematic abominations as Teenage Zombies, of which this is a remake of sorts. The crazy-quilt story line defies all rational explanation, but essentially begins with a wayward hot-air balloon crew -- including Warren alumnus Robert Clarke and a dog named Melvin -- becoming stranded on an island overrun by nubile jungle girls in Frederick's of Hollywood leopard-skin thongs. What sounds like an ideal vacation is disrupted by a bunch of zombies in Ray-Bans, the monster-making practices of a bleach-blonde mad scientist named Sheila, and the superimposed face of John Carradine (lifted from another film) mumbling "The Power! The Power! The Power!" Also on hand is a gibbering, drooling Steve Brodie as a howling mad pirate, and Cameron Mitchell as an equally deranged sea captain. It's very likely Warren himself had no idea what his own film was about, so viewers shouldn't waste valuable time trying to make sense of it. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Fos Capper (Andrew Duggan) wants to marry Flora Stancil (Peggy Webber), but her brutish brother Ben (Robert F. Simon) refuses to give permission: after all, if Flora leaves home, who could Ben find to do all his chores for free? So determined is Ben to break up his sister's romance that he tries to provoke Capper into a gunfight. Knowing Ben's reputation as a dirty fighter, Matt (James Arness) tries to intervene, but things take a surprising turn just before fadeout time. This episode is based on the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of June 17, 1956. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Gambler Nick Search (Andrew Duggan), a onetime friend of Matt Dillon (James Arness) rides into Dodge hoping to exploit Dillon's name in order to fleece the local townsfolk. It doesn't take long for Matt to realize that Nick plans to take gullible Enoch Mills (Simon Oakland) for every penny he has. Not wanting to see Nick get away with his scheme--nor to see him gunned down by Enoch--Matt conspires with saloon owner Bill Pence (Joseph Mell) to teach the gambler a hard and painful lesson. This episode is adapted from the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of January 15, 1956. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
