Med Flory Movies
- 1989
While on the trail of an alien smuggling ring, Gordon Lynch, the immigration-officer husband of policewoman Dana Lynch (Julia Montgomery), turns up murdered. At first, Hunter (Fred Dryer) follows the obvious leads and tries to get the goods on the crooked garment manufacturer who was the brains behind the smugglers. But Hunter's investigation goes off on a whole new tangent when he learns that Dana was a frequent victim of spousal abuse--and that her partner Glen Cates (Scott Jaeck) is secretly in love with her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Series regular John Hillerman essays the first of several dual roles, appearing in both his familiar guise as the stuffy, erudite Jonathan Higgins and as Higgins' illegitimate half-brother, a rowdy Texan named Elmo Ziller. Reported killed several years earlier, Elmo has suddenly resurfaced, and his daughter Lexi (Robin Dearden) asks Magnum to protect him from a murder plot--which, according to Elmo, has been hatched by his ex-wife Marcella (Barbara Rhoades). Though unable to shake the belief that Higgins and Elmo are one and the same and that he is the butt of a practical joke, Magnum agrees t shield the Texan from harm--a job that eventually obliges our hero and his buddies to dress up as rodeo clowns! Gillian Dobb, later to join the cast as Agatha Chumley, appears as a hotel desk clerk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
- R
This seldom-seen, well-crafted monster movie involves the reopening of a Utah silver mine which had been closed for nearly 70 years after a catastrophic cave-in, the circumstances of which remain one of the nearby town's most legendary mysteries. When attempts are made to explore the mine shaft, the investigating party never returns. It seems the mine's collapse had served to seal in a nest of weird, multi-tentacled, bloodsucking creatures -- which are now free to seek new prey on the outskirts of town. This simple but intense horror film benefits from good performances and genuine suspense -- providing only quick, spooky glimpses of the title beasts -- building to a thrilling showdown in the treacherous mine shafts. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, (more)
The Hearse, directed by George Bowers is a clichéd, predictable horror film which, despite its interesting cast, is derivative and uninspired. Jane (Trish Van Devere) inherits a mansion from an aunt, whom she closely resembles. The townspeople believe that her aunt was possessed by Satan, and Jane becomes increasingly frightened when she is haunted by visions of a hearse that keeps showing up in front of her door. Walter Prichard (Joseph Cotton) is a argumentative attorney who does nothing to help Jane, who begins to think she is having a nervous breakdown. All of this is familiar and has been done far better elsewhere. Director Bowers paces the film far too leisurely to create much suspense, and the "surprise" ending is evident to all but the most unsophisticated viewer. The Hearse, routine and slow, will lull most horror fans to sleep. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Trish VanDevere, Joseph Cotten, (more)
- 1980
Widowed farmer Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Oleson) and his son Andy (Patrick Laborteaux) move to the town of Sleepy Eye so that Jonathan can start a freight business. Unfortunately, he is repeatedly robbed of his meager belongings by a gang of local toughs. Deciding to end this crime wave on his own, Jonathan becomes the local deputy sheriff -- and his first arrest results in a brutal beating for Andy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) have no sooner delivered a car to demolition-derby Augie Detweiller (John Quade) than they are accused of operating a smuggling ring. Deducing that Detweiller is the real brains behind the smuggles, the boys sign up to race in the derby for investigate purposes--and thus target themselves for demolition of the permanent kind! Deputy Enos (Sonny Shroyer) delivers a terrific "death speech" in this episode, which features future Simon and Simon and Major Dad star Gerald McRaney in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Richard B. Schull appears as Barney of Barney's Burger Barn, the much-maligned (but hitherto unseen) chief competitor of Mel's Diner. Barney glides into Mel's and sweeps Flo (Polly Holliday) off her feet, declaring his undying love. But Mel (Vic Tayback) smells a rat: His chili has just been named "Best in the West" by a local magazine, and he strongly suspects that Barney is using Flo to get his mitts on Mel's top-secret recipe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
We'll confess not to having seen The Amazing Captain Nemo, principally because we can't find it anywhere. It's our loss, because it certainly sounds fascinating. Jose Ferrer stars as Nemo, the demented but essentially well-meaning technological genius created by Jules Verne in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In what seems to have been a one-time-only occasion, Ferrer costars with his namesake Mel Ferrer. Also in the star-heavy cast is Burgess Meredith as an eccentric professor and Lynda Day George as the all-around heroine. The film was largely photographed by Lamar Boren, the undersea expert responsible for the soggy cinematography of Creature from the Black Lagoon and Flipper. Given the cast and the director (Alex March), we suspect that The Amazing Captain Nemo was filmed for television, then deflected to theaters to make back its cost. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Twice during the mid-1970s, Andy Griffith unsuccessfully attempted to launch a TV detective series titled Abel Marsh. The first pilot film was The Girl in the Empty Grave; the second was The Deadly Game. Griffith once again stars as resort-town sheriff Abel Marsh, this time wrestling with a sinister conspiracy involving a dangerous chemical spill. Lane Slate produced, directed and wrote the film, while Griffith's longtime manager Richard O. Linke functioned as executive producer. Deadly Game was first telecast December 3, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
For better or worse, The Gumball Rally was the catalyst for a short-lived cycle of "illegal cross-country race" flicks. As thick-headed cop Roscoe (Norman Burton) does his best to stop the titular rally, a vast and varied contingent of contestants prepare to burn rubber from New York to California. The best-looking of the racers is played by top-billed Michael Sarrazin; Franco, a delightfully narcissistic Italian road jockey played by Raul Julia, also competes. Producer/director Chuck Bail was formerly a stunt coordinator, which helps to explain the incessant car crashes and near-misses in the film. Surprisingly, the doggedly low-budget Gumball Rally was produced by First Artists, a company formed by such major stars as Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, and Steve McQueen for the purpose of creating "prestige" film fare. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Sarrazin, Norman Burton, (more)
Director Robert Aldrich (The Longest Yard) re-unites with Burt Reynolds for this hard-edged neo-noir. Lieutenant Phil Gaines (Reynolds) is a cynical Los Angeles police detective amorously involved with an icewater-veined Parisian call girl, Nicole Britton (Catherine Deneuve). On the job, he begins to investigate the shady death of a teenage girl that appears to lead straight to Leo Sellers (Eddie Albert), an attorney with a frightening number of connections. The problem is, Nicole herself has a direct connection to the case - Leo is one of her clients. Meanwhile, Marty Hollinger (Ben Johnson), the victim's father, decides to undertake a grassroots investigation of his own - little realizing that his seemingly murdered daughter was in up to her neck with prostitution, porno movie acting, and dancing as a stripper, facts which suggest that she may have offed herself. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Catherine Deneuve, (more)
- 1975
Two popular TV child actors of the 1970s, Kristy McNichol and Poindexter (aka Randall Yothers Jr.), team up for this compelling ABC Afterschool Special entry. Against his better judgment, a farmer (Med Flory) allows his children (Kristy McNichol, Poindexter) to tend to a young doe that has been injured by hunters. The original intention is to release the doe once she regains her strength -- but what happens next is not only surprising, but also manages to attract the attention of the regional media! ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristy McNichol, Poindexter, (more)
A pair of blue-collar buddies use hypnosis to turn a wimpy boxer into a champ in this crime comedy, which reunites actor/director Sidney Poitier and comedian Bill Cosby, stars of the similarly themed Uptown Saturday Night. Clyde Williams (Poitier) and Billy Foster (Cosby) want to help raise funds to sustain the Sons and Daughters of Shaka Lodge, their local community group. Given that Clyde was trained as a hypnotist while in the military, the pair decide to con mobster Biggie Smalls (Calvin Lockhart) by placing a high-stakes bet on a boxing match and then using hocus-pocus to transform skinny underdog Bootney Farnsworth (Jimmie Walker) into a bruiser. When Biggie finds out about their ruse, he and his thugs move in to reclaim their money, setting the stage for further laughs and sleight-of-hand. With a supporting cast that includes Denise Nicholas and Lee Chamberlin as the protagonists' wives and Ossie Davis as an elder at their lodge, Let's Do It Again also reunited Good Times stars Walker and John Amos to the silver screen. Cosby and Poitier would return two years later with A Piece of the Action, though Lockhart, another veteran of Uptown Saturday Night, would sit out the final team-up. Hip-hop fans will note that Lockhart's character provided one of the aliases for slain '90s rap star Christopher Wallace, also known as the Notorious B.I.G. The soundtrack for Let's Do It Again featured Curtis Mayfield songs performed by the the Staple Singers. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, (more)
Jay North (Dennis the Menace of television fame) stars as a student who learns more about the birds and bees than the basic schoolroom courses from his teacher (Angel Tompkins). Meanwhile, a homicidal maniac (Anthony James) chooses to harass them. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In a better than average TV melodrama, Patricia Neal is the mother of a Wisconsin farm family who has just discovered that she has leukemia and it is terminal. Her goal for the remainder of her life becomes keeping those around her as happy as possible, making them realize what they have to live for. Neal is excellent, with a good supporting cast. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1972
The seventh and final season of Mission:Impossible commenced on September 16, 1972 with the episode titled "Break!" In his second series appearance, guest star Carl Betz is cast as Syndicate gambling boss Dutch Krebs, who has just finished murdering a federal undercover agent. The IMF must recover the wristwatch camera that the dead agent was carrying, and to do this Jim Phelps poses as a pool hustler, engaging Krebs in a high-stakes game which had been meticulously rigged by fellow IMF agent Barney. Though series regular Lynda Day George receives billing as agent Lisa Casey in this and subsequent episodes, she spent most of the 1972-73 season on maternity leave. Her IMF replacement in "Break!" and elsewhere is paroled convict Mimi Davis, played by former Ironside regular Barbara Anderson. Thus, in this episode the viewer is treated to the ritual of the Impossible Mission Force's recruiting process for the first and only time. "Break!" was written by Sam Roeca and James L. Henderson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1971
Season Thirteen of Bonanza began on September 19, 1971 with the series' 390th episode, "The Grand Swing." Young Jamie's carelessness results in the loss of a valuable horse. Hurt and humiliated, Jamie offers to leave the Ponderosa for good. Rather than display anger, the boy's adoptive father Ben Cartwright takes Jamie on a extended pack trip through the length and breadth of the Cartwright property, hoping to demonstrate how best to handle difficult situations. In the course of the story, Ben and Jamie become closer than ever. Highlights of this wonderful episode include a full tour of the Ponderosa spread (filmed in Arizona and California), and a poignant vignette involving a "witness tree", where Hoss and Joe Cartwright's names were carved years before. "The Grand Swing" was written by Ward and John Hawkins and William Koenig. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1969
In a small desert town, Ed (Don Galloway) is kidnapped by D.W. Donnelly (Clu Gulager), an escapee from a local prison farm. Ed soon figures out that the real villain of the piece is not Donnelly, but instead corrupt Sheriff Poole (Steve Forrest), who with his vicious deputy Hoag (William Smith) is using the farm to cover up his own criminal exploits. Filmed on location at Temecula, California, this episode is highlighted by the spectacular demise of Ironside's celebrated, state-of-the-art police van! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Walter Hale (Elvis Presley) is the manager of a chautauqua, a traveling show consisting of performances, lectures and entertainment. Along with manager Johnny (Edward Andrews), he helps some young kids break into show business and contends with the union-organizing Charlene (Marilyn Mason). Vincent Price appears as Mr. Morality. John Carradine, Sheree North and Dabney Coleman also appear in this forgettable film which makes Clambake and Girl Happy classics by comparison. Elvis is limited to three tunes as he plays out the string of poorly scripted vehicles that ended with his next feature, the equally awful Change of Habit. By now, the inane screenplays had done permanent damage to a once-promising film career, souring the King of Rock & Roll on everything in movies except live concert performances. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Marlyn Mason, (more)
- 1967
In this comedy, an aspiring singer finds herself single and pregnant. The story begins when she is rushed to the hospital to give birth. She is joined by three men; all of them want to marry her. The story of her pregnancy and her rise to stardom are told in flashback. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Dee, George Hamilton, (more)
- 1966
Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) learns that Bishop John Atwood (Dean Jagger), a peace envoy to the US, has been targetted for assassination. Unfortunately, the trigger man, known only to the FBI as "Anton Christopher", has never been photographed or fingerprinted, making it virtually impossible to track him down. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Christopher has been hired by one of Bishop Atwood's most trusted confidantes! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
- G
A small town is terrorized by a grizzly bear in this uninspired western. Jim Cole $Clint Walker must defend his inherited property from the designs of his greedy, land-grabbing neighbor Jed Curry (Keenan Wynn). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Walker, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1966
This episode is set in a remote Oregon community plagued by a drought that has dragged on for over three months. A local religious sect headed by Adam MacDonald (John Anderson) has managed to incur the wrath of some bigoted townsfolk, who go out of their way to torment and persecute McDonald and his flock. But the case doesn't attract the attention of the FBI until a hate-maddened extortionist threatens to burn down the sect's settlement--an act which would also spell disaster for everyone else in the region. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Med Flory and Jim Danis appear as the Loco brothers, a pair of renegade Indians who have jumped the reservation to embark upon what the Army regards as a campaign of terror. Acting upon orders, Captain Parmenter (Ken Berry) sets out to capture the Locos--only to end up being captured himself. As the F Troopers send out a rescue party, Parmenter discovers that the Brothers are not all that wild, but merely lonely. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
