John Lawrence Movies

Three of life's losers stage a reunion early in the proceedings of Alligator Eyes. Renewing their long-standing friendship are alcoholic Roger Kabler, his self-defeating pal Allen McCullough, and McCullough's blind former girlfriend Annabelle Larsen. The trio goes on a cross-country trip, reminiscing on their wasted lives as they journey from town to town. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the film becomes a revenge tale, with Larsen searching for her parents' murderers. Then we segue into a series of "sexual manipulation" scenes, apparently orchestrated by unscrupulous psychiatrist John MacKay. Needless to say, the critics were crazy about Alligator Eyes; audiences, confused by the film's abrupt mood swings, were less enthusiastic. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The "hero" of the Australian Backlash is foul-mouthed, racist/sexist cop David Argue. As punishment for his many infractions, Argue is ordered to escort female aboriginal prisoner Lydia Miller to the Outback, where she is to stand trial for murdering the man who sodomized her. Also along for the ride is ardently feminist policewoman Gia Carides. When their car breaks down en route, the three disparate types begin to grow closer. By and by, Argue and Carides become convinced of Miller's innocence, and set about to trap the real culprit. Though very cheaply produced (it was filmed in 16mm and blown up to 35mm for theatrical distribution), Backlash scores on the sincerity and conviction of its actors and the enthusiasm of its first-time director Bill Bennett. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) is having more trouble than usual with his schoolwork, and his driving has gotten progressively worse. But he isn't worried about such mundane matters, not when he is on the verge of enlisting in the Army Air Corps. Alas, it turns out that the source of Jim-Bob's problems is poor eyesight -- and of course, this means that becoming a military pilot is out of the question. Meanwhile, Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) continues to adjust to widowhood, even as one of her late husband's best friends, Chuck Turner (Kevin Geer), decides to start courting her...with unexpected results. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Guys go crazy for the gals cheering on the home team in this raunchy teen comedy from the Seventies. It's football season at Rosedale High, and Johnny (Robert Carradine) and Jesse (Michael Mullins) are eager to lead the school's team to victory. But while Coach Hartmann (Robert Gammon) wants to put the team on the right track, his abusive methods and obnoxious attitude are turning some of the players against him. Meanwhile, the guys on the team are just as interested in making time with the girls on the cheerleading squad as they are in scoring touchdowns, and Johnny starts dating Laurie (Jennifer Ashley), much to the annoyance of her former boyfriend Duane (Bill Adler), a thick-headed tough guy. Meanwhile, the Rosedale High team is gearing up for their annual game with cross town rivals Hardin High by launching a battle of pranks, which reaches its peak when the Rosedale guys steal a fire engine. The Pom-Pom Girls was an early credit for director Joseph Ruben, who later went on to make The Stepfather, True Believer and The Forgotten. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Russ Meyer once again airs his obsessions with huge breasts, violent revenge and escaped Nazi war criminal Martin Bormann in this highly perverse sex comedy/action thriller. Clint (Charles Pitts) is working at a gas station (run by none other than Martin Bormann, who was working as a bartender in Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) when his wife is brutally murdered by Harry Sledge (Charles Napier), a cop with a deeply sadistic streak. Clint tries to bring Harry to justice while Harry attempts to frame Clint for the crime. In the meantime, Clint is constantly pursued by a variety of women with improbable names, voracious sexual appetites and bodies that make Pamela Anderson look like Kate Moss. More violent and less witty than many of Meyer's films, Supervixens features a villainous performance by Charles Napier, another from Meyer stalwart Stuart Lancaster and several typically cantilevered beauties, including Haji, Shari Eubank and Uschi Digard. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

William Windom does his best "Colonel Sanders" imitation as Uncle Erwin Tully, the flamboyant owner of a chain of chicken restaurants. Hiring the Partridges to appear in one of his TV commercials, Uncle Erwin insists that the family dress up in chicken costumes--much to the dismay of both the family and Tully's business advisers, who can't bring themselves to tell him that his new ad campaign has all the earmarks of a disaster. Yes, folks, it's Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones) to the rescue again! Song: "A Friend and a Lover". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Comedian Milt Kamen guest stars as Johnny Burnhardt, a prison parolee who is hired as the Partridges' summer-tour driver. His suspicions aroused by Johnny's frequent phone calls (to his parole officer, of course), Danny (Danny Bonaduce) decides to turn detective, dogging the hapless parolee's trail. Things get really dicey when Danny accuses Johnny of pulling off a recent armed robbery--resulting in a night in the slammer for the family's manager Reuben (Dave Madden)! This episode was originally slated to air on December 4, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi