Pamelyn Ferdin Movies
Juvenile actress Pamelyn Ferdin first appeared onscreen in the '60s. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
Singing her way through life as life sings back at her, little orphaned Heidi (voice by Margery Gray) is bounced around from her aunt's house, to her grouchy grandfather's place, to a wealthy family in the big city, and never do the vocals subside nor does her spirit droop to anything lower than high "C," probably a fitting classification for this animated film from the Hanna-Barbera studio. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Sammy Davis, Jr., (more)
After a tense, bloody beginning, The Toolbox Murders takes a turn first into TV movie-style suspense and then stumbles towards an incredibly silly conclusion. Despite a sensational reputation amongst splatter fans (including Stephen King, who provides a promotional blurb for the video release's packaging) the only gore occurs within the first 30 minutes, as a ski-masked maniac cuts a bloody swath through an apartment complex. Four attractive young women are dispatched in harrowing style with a variety of power tools, indicating a killer taking extreme sadistic pleasure in his work. It's no surprise when the apartment owner (Cameron Mitchell) is revealed to be the monster, but his claims of putting the "dirty" women out of their misery quickly doesn't jive with what's been presented earlier. He murders in order to avenge the unrelated car accident death of his only daughter, and to this end, kidnaps a virginal 15- year-old girl to replace her. Unfortunately, his nephew is also fixated on the dead girl, and has his own obsessions. Director Dennis Donnelly did most of his work in TV, thus the preponderance of familiar television faces on display: his brother Timothy Donnelly from Emergency!, Wesley Eure from Saturday morning's Land of the Lost, and Pamelyn Ferdin, a '70s sitcom perennial with many guest shots including The Brady Bunch and The Odd Couple. The incongruity of these appearances, along with the clumsily expressed psychosis of the villains, destroys any sense of dread created at the outset of The Toolbox Murders, and as a result, the only enjoyment that can be obtained from the film is ultimately derisive. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, (more)
- 1976
In search of a career criminal named Fred Cavanaugh (Billy Green Bush), Stone (Karl Malden) is hampered by the persistence of the fugitive's precocious daughter Chris (Pamelyn Ferdin), who is likewise looking for her errant daddy. The difference is that Stone knows all too well about Fred's underhanded activities, while Chris is blissfully unaware of her father's transgressions--but a bitter disillusionment is not long in coming. Veteran character actor Walter Burke scores in a cameo role as a childlike casino owner. Originally scheduled to air on March 18, 1976, this final episode of Streets of San Francisco's fourth season was ultimately shown on April 29. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Betty Smith's best selling novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn inspired an Oscar-winning 1945 film, a play and a Broadway musical; this 1974 73-minute telefilm - a pilot for a weekly series drama -- represents the fourth incarnation. Cliff Robertson plays Johnny Nolan, a bibulous waiter living in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. When Nolan dies, it is up to his widow Katie (Diane Baker) to carve out an existence for herself and her children Francie (Pamelyn Ferdin) and Neely (Michael James Wixted). Ultimately, Katie marries kindly Brooklyn cop McShane (James Olson). Nancy Malone costars as Katie's promiscuous sister Sissy. First telecast March 27, 1974, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn failed to generate high enough ratings for a regular series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This animated musical, based on E.B. White's children's book classic, is about a courageous spider who helps save the life of an ill-fated pig. Wilbur is a young pig (voice of Henry Gibson) who's owned by New England farmer Homer Zuckerman (voice of Robert Holt). One day he is sold to a neighbor, where he meets a sheep who warns him that his fate lies in the confines of the slaughterhouse. Wilbur is terrified of this news until he meets Charlotte, a charming spider (voice of Debbie Reynolds), who is determined to save Wilbur from this dire destiny. By weaving words into her web, she convinces the farmer that Wilbur is some sort of prodigious animal too important to kill. The music for Charlotte's Web was written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who wrote the scores for countless Disney movies, including Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde, (more)
- 1972
Lassie gets lost in the big city of Los Angeles while a little deaf girl undergoes an operation. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1972
These are animated tales about Sealab 2020, which is an underwater research laboratory in the year 2020. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1971
Adapted from a Fred Mustard Stewart novel, this offbeat occult thriller stars Alan Alda (just prior to his eleven-year stint on M*A*S*H) as journalist and burgeoning musician Myles Clarkson, whose long-sought interview with ailing concert pianist (and closet Satanist) Duncan Ely (Curt Jurgens) leads to a mysterious ritual in which Ely's soul is transferred into Clarkson's body at the moment of the elder man's death. Further complications ensue when Myles' wife Paula (Jacqueline Bisset) discovers the none-too-subtle change in her husband's behavior, and she is pulled deeper into Ely's twisted circle. The plot thickens as further soul-swapping, dark family secrets, and demonic possession come into play. A heavy sense of doom pervades this bizarre film, thanks to some offbeat cinematography and eerie music, as well as some truly shocking setpieces courtesy of prolific TV director Paul Wendkos, who helmed the excellent Legend of Lizzie Borden. The prosaic Alda lacks the dangerous edge his character demands, but Bisset's performance is chillingly effective. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 1971
Everybody in the Davis household is a member of an exclusive club--except for Buffy (Anissa Jones), who is denied admission in the "Mod Maidens" because she is too young. In a surprising lapse of judgement, Bill (Brian Keith) approaches "Mod Maidens" president Shirley (Pamelyn Ferdin) and bribes her to let Buffy join, on condition that Buffy never find out. This subterfuge works until Buffy runs against another member for club secretary, leading to an embarrassing situation which proves to have dire consequences for Buffy's brother Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) as well! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
Based on a play by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Happy Birthday, Wanda June takes us to the Ryan household, where Penelope Ryan (Susannah York) has learned to accept the death of her husband Harold, a supremely macho explorer and big game hunter who married her when she was working as a carhop. He disappeared in the jungles of the Amazon eight years ago and has never returned; as one character puts it, "Not even Mutual of Omaha believes he's alive anymore." Since then, Penelope has becomes educated, independent, and engaged to Norbert Woodley (George Grizzard), a doctor. Only Paul (Steven Paul), Harold's son, still believes that his father might still be alive. Paul turns out to be right after all when Harold (Rod Steiger) comes marching home after eight year in a jungle hell, only to discover nothing is as he left it, Penelope is an entirely different person, and his ideal of masculinity has become an anachronism. Meanwhile, someone picks up a cake at half price with the inscription "Happy Birthday, Wanda June," and in time we learn of Wanda June's sad fate and visit with her new friends in the Kingdom of Heaven. While Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was vocally unhappy with this adaptation of his play, it's actually quite accurate to its source and features several fine performances, especially William Hickey, reprising his stage role as Harold's sidekick, Looseleaf Harper. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Steiger, Susannah York, (more)
- 1971
- PG
Though it bears more than passing resemblance to his macabre hits Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, this lesser-known outing from screenwriter Henry Farrell takes a more satirical turn, skewering the eccentricities of the Hollywood studio system. The story opens during the advent of talking pictures, where a school for would-be child stars is opened by voice coach Helen Hill (Shelley Winters) and dance instructor Adelle Bruckner (Debbie Reynolds). Haunted by a dark secret -- each of the women's sons was convicted of murder -- Hill and Bruckner are pursued by a cloaked interloper whose incessant snooping leads to a fatal altercation. Suspicion builds between the two until the expected climax, where it is revealed that one of the two women is even more lethal than her homicidal son. Though the film's absurdist tone is a harsh about-face from the deadly deadpan camp of Farrell's Gothic 1960s thrillers, the period flavor is a nice touch, and accomplished director Curtis Harrington frequently achieves the right balance of horror and humor. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1970
- R
Taken from the autobiography of the world's first transsexual, George Jorgensen (John Hansen) is a woman trapped in a man's body who opts for surgery and hormone treatments to make him a woman. Events of his childhood are covered, showing young George preferring dolls over contact sports. Inducted into the Army, the sexually confused George learns to hide his emotions during his military experience. He travels to Denmark where a pioneering team of doctors agree to perform the surgical process for the first time ever. His kindly aunt in Denmark (Joan Tompkins) gives George the name of Christine after her late daughter. Hansen is unconvincing as a woman, and there are several passages in this biographical drama that lead to unintentional hilarity. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hansen, Joan Tompkins, (more)
The Beguiled is a Freudian mood piece from the team of actor Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel. Eastwood plays Corp. John McBurney, a wounded Union soldier during the Civil War, who takes refuge in a prim-and-proper Southern girl's school run by Martha Farnsworth (Geraldine Page). Chauvinistic, insensitive and conceited, McBurney takes full advantage of the women by bedding each successively -- and then learns the true meaning of "a woman scorned." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, (more)
- 1970
Smoke stars Ron Howard as a sullen farm youth who resents the fact that his widowed mother (Jacqueline Scott) has remarried. Earl Holliman costars as Howard's new stepfather, a sheep rancher, who'd give anything to gain Ron's love and respect. Nursing an injured German shepherd back to health, the boy invests all of his affections in the dog. When the dog's real owners show up, Howard is certain that Holliman will betray him and return the animal. Just as in the original William Corbin novel, Smoke ends on a note that is both satisfying and logical. Ron Howard's real father Rance shows up briefly in a flashback sequence. Originally presented as a two-part episode of TV's Wonderful World of Disney, Smoke first aired February 1 and 8, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The lovable characters from the popular comic strip by Charles M. Schulz appear in this full-length feature. The perennial failure Charlie Brown attends the National Spelling Bee and manages the worst sandlot team in the history of baseball. Linus loses and retrieves his security blanket. Snoopy the beagle dances wildly and plays shortstop. The irascible Lucy Van Pelt tricks Charlie Brown into kicking the football, but at the last minute she pulls it back and sends him flying onto his back. Although he loses the spelling bee, his friends gladly welcome Charlie Brown back to town upon his return. Nearly two-dozen songs are included. The characters remain true to the original works of Schulz, and great care was taken in matching the appropriate voices to the character's personalities. This is the first of many successful animated features of the gang from Peanuts. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Robbins, Pamelyn Ferdin, (more)
- 1969
Family Affairmoved from Monday to Thursday on the CBS prime time schedule for this first episode of its fourth season. When Bill (Brian Keith) comes back to New York after a long and difficult assignment, Buffy (Anissa Jones), Jody (Johnnie Whitaker), Cissy (Kathy Garver) and Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) decide to give him the best of all homecoming presents: a quiet weekend alone. Alas, despite everyone's best intentions, things don't work out as planned for poor Bill, thanks to a never-ending parade of intrusive friends, neighbors, and kids. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Psychologist Don Murray investigates the claim of Nobel prize winning scientist Ray Milland, who insists he has spoken to his young daughter. The thing of it is, the daughter has been dead for several weeks. At first dismissing the claims as the delusions of a grief-stricken man, Murray decides to stick with the case when he notices that the Government is acutely interested in Milland's ethereal "conversations". As the story unfolds, we learn that the apparitions are tied in with a complicated espionage plot. Daughter of the Mind was one of the first high-quality offerings of ABC's Movie of the Week series. The film also represented the TV-movie debut of Gene Tierney, as the other woman in the scientist's life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Sr. Bertrille invites Carlos' Jewish goddaughter Linda Shapiro (Pamelyn Ferdin) to visit Convent San Tanco. Chaos ensues when the awestruck girl announces her intention to convert to Catholicism and become a nun herself. In a lengthy "home movie" segment, Sr. Bertrille looks back at her own teenage years, courtesy of filmclips from Sally Field's earlier TV sitcom Gidget. Written by Austin and Irma Kalish, "Reconversion of Sister Shapiro" first aired on February 29, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
- G
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Set in 1888, this tuneful fact-based Disney production concerns the attempts of a musically talented family of Dakota pioneers -- who are politically divided on the upcoming presidential election -- to wrangle an invite to that year's Democratic convention in cosmopolitan St. Louis. Incumbent Grover Cleveland is attempting to win his second straight election and is challenged by Benjamin Harrison. The results are that Cleveland won the popular vote, but Harrison won the electoral vote to be declared President of the United States. Cleveland would win the next election to become the only President to ever serve two non-consecutive terms. Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, Janet Blair, Richard Deacon, Wally Cox, John Davidson and Leslie Ann Warren round out the adult cast. Along with the moppets, they sing and dance to espouse their political allegiances to the candidate of their choice. Look closely for Goldie Hawn in her first film role as a laughing chorine. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, (more)
- 1967
Season Two of Family Affair begins as seven-year-old twins Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) ask their Uncle Bill the Inevitable Question: "Where do babies come from?" Worried that the real facts of life may be inappropriate for the twins, both Bill and Mr. French come up with fanciful answers--and subsequent contradictory responses to the question from the kids' classmates and teachers, to say nothing of Miss Faversham (Heather Angel) and her "cabbage leaf" yarn, needlessly make a confusing situation even more so. The only person keeping calm throughout the crisis is Cissy (Kathy Garver), who comes up with the "perfect" answer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Future teen idol Bobby Sherman guest stars in "Monkees at the Movies" as beach-movie star Frankie Catalina. Hired as extras for Catalina's latest flick, the Monkees must endure the star's imperious arrogance, not to mention his envy of "chick magnet" Davy. But it all seems worth it when Frankie walks off the set, whereupon Micky, Mike,and Peter try to promote Davy as the star's replacement. Jerry Lester, Hamilton Camp, and Pamelyn Ferdin appear in supporting roles. Songs: "When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door", "Valleri", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", and "Last Train to Clarksville". Also known as "The Monkees in the Movies," this episode was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, and was first telecast on April 17, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Melancholy grips the Davis household when Buffy's beloved doll Mrs. Beasley is accidentally knocked off the terrace. As Bill (Brian Keith) and Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) conduct a frantic search, Buffy (Anissa Jones) happens upon another little girl, clutching a Mrs. Beasley lookalike named "Effie Boots"--and jumps to the obvious conclusion. Joan Vohs, here cast as Bill's girlfriend Diane, would show up in later episodes as the twins' teacher Mrs. Scofield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
