James Farentino Movies

In this drama, a woman struggles to rise to the top of the fashion industry, but as she does, her past business sins come back to haunt her. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Originally made for television and adapted from a novel by Mary Higgins Clark, the story focuses on an attorney (Lauren Hutton) who has witnessed a murder. She is unable to convince anyone of the truth, though a young doctor (Ben Murphy) wants to believe her. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Faye Dunaway portrays the Argentinian title character in this four-hour TV biopic. The story traces Evita's rise to power from humble origins; she establishes herself as a radio and film actress, then meets and marries powerful politico Juan Peron (played by James Farentino, a last minute replacement for Robert Mitchum). Peron's iron-fisted rule of Argentina allows Evita to become a political power in her own right. At first she is widely beloved as a "woman of the people", but gradually many of her followers are disillusioned by her use -- and misuse -- of her authority and her influence over Peron. After Evita dies, she is all but canonized by the Faithful, and it becomes more difficult than ever to separate fact from legend. Evita Peron was clearly produced to capitalize on the Broadway musical hit Evita, though the script takes great pains not to copy its theatrical inspiration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The USS Nimitz, a modern-day nuclear-powered aircraft carrier captained by Kirk Douglas, passes through a time warp and finds itself at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941. Douglas is all for preventing the infamous Japanese attack by unleashing the 1980s technology at his disposal. But wait--if history is inviolate, what will happen to future events if the attack doesn't come off? For nearly two hours, pros and cons are volleyed back and forth by Douglas, by ambitious senator Charles Durning, and by concerned observer Martin Sheen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The made-for-television Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neill Story is a true story about a woman (Stockard Channing) who overcame her deafness to become one of the top stunt women in Hollywood, as well as earning the female land speed record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Because director Franco Zeffirelli noted publicly that he intended to depict Jesus Christ as a human being rather than a religious icon, his expensive made-for-TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth fell victim to protestors long before its April 3, 1977, debut. Despite the pullout of several sponsors, Jesus of Nazareth was aired as scheduled, sweeping the ratings in the process. In avoiding the usual overproduced Hollywood approach to the Gospels, Zeffirelli offers one of the most sensitive and reverent portrayals of Jesus ever seen on film. In the title role, Robert Powell heads a huge international cast, which includes Olivia Hussey as Mary, Peter Ustinov as Herod the Great, Christopher Plummer as Herod Antipas, Michael York as John the Baptist, James Farentino as Simon Peter, Donald Pleasence as Melchior, James Earl Jones as Balthazar, Ian McShane as Judas, Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene, Rod Steiger as Pontius Pilate, James Mason as Joseph of Arimathea, Anthony Quinn as Caiaphas, Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus, Ernest Borgnine as the Centurion, and Claudia Cardinale as the Adulteress. Filmed in England, Tunisia, and Morocco, Jesus of Nazareth was scripted by Zeffirelli, Anthony Burgess, and Suso Cecchi D'Amico. It originally aired in two three-hour segments, telecast Palm and Easter Sunday of 1977 as part of NBC's Big Event anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Crossfire stars James Franciscus as police officer Rossi, who is thrown off the force for possession of narcotics. Disgraced in the eyes of everyone, including his own partner, Rossi descends into a life of crime. But--and this will come as a shock to anyone who's never seen a Humphrey Bogart picture--the drug bust was fabricated to allow Rossi to function as an undercover operative. His job: Locate and arrest the syndicate Big Boy. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Rossi's late brother was a mob functionary. Crossfire was yet another TV pilot film for yet another unsold James Franciscus weekly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this entry from the Cool Million television series, a detective finds a Canadian artist whose knowledge is crucial to a murder investigation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmed in Greece and Italy, Cool Million was the pilot film for a shortlived 1972 TV series which ran as a recurring feature of the NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie. James Farentino stars as private eye Jefferson Keays, who takes cases only on the proviso that he is to be paid $1 million if he solves the mystery. Keays' current assignment is to locate the heiress to a $50 million fortune. With several candidates to choose from, the detective must use his million-dollar nose to sniff on the worthy one--and to find out if she's responsible for the peculiar death of her wealthy father. Cool Million was released to syndication under the title Mask of Marcella. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hunt for a Lonely Girl was the opening 90-minute episode of the TV adventure series Cool Million. James Farentino stars as stylish private eye Jefferson Keyes, whose fee for solving mysteries is a flat million dollars. In return, Keyes offers an iron-clad guarantee that his clients will be satisfied. In this opening episode, tycoon Ray Milland faces a murder charge. The only way that Keyes can clear Milland is to find a snapshot taken by an elusive young lady (Kim Darby) at Niagara Falls. Hunt for a Lonely Girl was first telecast October 25, 1972; Cool Million itself lasted until July 11, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made for television, The Family Rico was adapted from the same Georges Simenon novel that served as the basis of the 1958 Columbia theatrical feature The Brothers Rico. Ben Gazzara plays a powerful mobster put in an embarrassing position by younger brother Sal Mineo. When Mineo refuses to carry out a contract killing, Gazzara is ordered to rub out his own brother. Eventually he ascertains the identity of Mineo's "hit" and realizes that his brother was acting more out of loyalty than cowardice. While the original Brothers Rico concentrates on the one honest member of the Rico brood, The Family Rico adheres to Godfather tradition by dealing solely with the criminals in the family. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide