Robert Fuller

After taking Australia by storm, the I.W.A. (International Wrestling Australia) association arrives stateside with this release featuring not only the best grapplers from down under, but a few familiar faces as well. Unlike other high-profile wrestling associations, the I.W.A. is unscripted and as raw as it comes, and when these bad boys invade the Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, FL, there's no telling who will end up with their back pinned to the mat. In addition to a special appearance by wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler, this release also boasts bouts featuring Hillbilly Cousin Luke, Hurricane Walker, Chief Jules Strongbow, and many more. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Eastern State University isn't particularly notable for anything except its football program. Lately, even that hasn't been doing too well, and the athletic staff led by Coach Winters (James Caan) are under considerable pressure by the administration and alumni to bring in a winning season. To do that, he has to recruit some able, promising young players out of high school. It's not too surprising to learn that he will do almost anything to get these kids, and its even less surprising that, as long as they keep producing on the field, he and the college will overlook almost any obnoxious behavior the boys can perpetrate to the limit of their ability. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

One of the most expensive of Don Bluth's animated cartoon features, All Dogs Go to Heaven was also among the most successful. Set in late-'30s New Orleans, the story centers upon a roguish German shepherd named Charlie B. Barkin (voice of Burt Reynolds), who is killed early in the proceedings by his business partner, Carface (voice of Vic Tayback). Charlie travels to Heaven, and is promptly warned that if he heads back to Earth, he can never return; he does decide to go back to Earth, however, to exact revenge on Carface, who has kidnapped Anne-Marie, a little orphan girl who can talk to Animals.
The film also includes the vocal skills of Dom DeLuise, Charles Nelson Reilly, Vic Tayback, Melba Moore, Loni Anderson, and a host of others. All Dogs Go to Heaven was the first production of the Dublin-based Sullivan Bluth Studios. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bonanza: The Movie originally went out as Bonanza: The Next Generation. That title accurately reflected the film's content: death and previous commitments prevented the cast of the original Bonanza TV series of 1959-1973, thus the talent roster of The Next Generation was brand-new. John Ireland took over from Lorne Greene (who signed for this movie, but died before production commenced) as the brother of Greene's character Ben Cartwright. Home from the sea, Aaron Cartwright (Ireland) stupidly turns the drilling rights to the Ponderosa over to those perennial 1980s movie villains, the "evil land developers". It's up to the sons of Adam, Little Joe and Hoss Cartwright to save the ranch (One wonders how the Cartwright boys could have had sons, given the mortality rate of their sweethearts on the old series). Michael Landon Jr., son of the original series' Little Joe, is here cast as Benj. This 1988 Bonanza TV movie sequel was supposed to have been spun off into a weekly syndicated series, but for various reasons this project never came to fruition, despite station clearance and sponsorship in virtually every major market. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this standard romantic drama slated for TV movie channels, Valentine (Karen Black) is dissatisfied in her marriage to a racecar driver (Tony Lo Bianco) and begins a romantic liaison with a student at the community college she attends. Her husband has also been unfaithful, and his indiscretions are what prompt her own behavior. Since her marital woes continue, Valentine leaves home, gets a job as a waitress at a local nightclub, and ponders her future as nothing right now seems certain. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

It will be recalled that the Jack Webb-produced TV series Emergency! was originally networkcast from 1972 and 1977. Viewers may also remember that the series was headquartered at LA Ramparts hospital, where doctor Robert Fuller dispatched paramedics DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) and Gage (Randolph Mantooth) to various disasters, major and minor. Viewers may likewise remember that real-life husband and wife Bobby Troup and Julie London rounded out the cast as, respectively, doctor and nurse. For those with fuzzy memories, the made-for-TV clipfest Greatest Rescues of Emergency! will serve as a refresher. Originally telecast December 31, 1978, Greatest Rescues consists of highlights from Emergency's five-year run. Among these: rescues of air crash victims, would-be suicides, and a girl whose toe is stuck in a faucet (no, it isn't Mary Tyler Moore). Unifying these "flashbacks" are newly filmed scenes of paramedics Gage (Mantooth) and DeSoto (Tighe), recalling their careers just before both men are promoted to Fire Department captains. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After 14 years' retirement, Joel McCrea chose to appear in Mustang Country. Looking extremely robust, the septuagenarian McCrea plays Dan, a Montana rancher, vintage 1925, who is in pursuit of a wild mustang. He is joined in his quest by teenaged Native American lad Nika Mina. The magnificent mustang and a dog named Rote very nearly steal the show. Western regulars Robert Fuller and Patrick Wayne (John's son) round out the dramatis personae of the small-scale but superior Mustang Country. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First telecast January 15, 1972, Emergency is of course the 2-hour pilot episode for the weekly series of the same name. Robert Fuller heads the cast as Dr. Kelly Brackett, head of the staff of LA's Ramparts General Hospital. Brackett oversees the activities of Paramedics Squad 51 of the Los Angeles Fire Department, peopled by such experts in their field as John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) and Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe). Also on hand are Dr. Joe Early and nurse Dixie McCall, played by real-life husband and wife Bobby Troup and Julie London (London was previously married to Emergency executive producer Jack Webb). The series proper debuted January 22, 1972, as a mid-season replacement for two failed NBC sitcoms; it survived several cancellation attempts, running until September 3, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a former sergeant accompanies his deceased friend, a black man, home from Vietnam. There he tries to persuade the deceased's white girlfriend and the Indian leader of his motorcycle gang to come to the funeral. The ex-sarge also tries to understand the ins-and-outs of biker life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Mrs. Marrable (Geraldine Page) is a bereaved widow who takes to hiring housekeepers then kills them for their money in this shadowy macabre drama. When Miss Tinsley (Mildred Dunnick) disappears, her former employer Alice (Ruth Gordon) investigates. Posing as a maid, she gains employment with the murderous Mrs. Marrable. Her nephew Mike (Robert Fuller) helps Alice and manages to fall in love with the girl next door (Rosemary Forsythe). When Alice exposes the murderess, she risks her life, and her disappearance leads to the title of the film. Look for Second City alumnus Peter Bonerz in a minor role. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this western, set at the end of the Civil War, a group of rebels steal a million bucks from a Union shipment, and stash the gold in a cave near Phantom Hill, Texas. They are subsequently captured. The ring leader bargains with his captors offering to reveal the loot's location in exchange for his freedom. The Union soldiers set out to find the gold. They take the outlaw with him. An Apache attack ensues. Afterward, the outlaw gets a pair of soldiers drunk and kills them. He then flees leaving the rest of the weaponless Yankees to die. Meanwhile the outlaw finds the gold and falls in love with the Yankee leader's girl. Back in the desert, the Yankees endure another attack. The remaining two manage to catch up with the outlaw and the girl. In the ensuing battle, the girl throws the outlaws' gun to the Union leader who shoots him dead. The gold is sent back north and the lovers ride off into happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Howco Productions, purveyors of many a drive-in "classic" of the 1950s, was responsible for Teenage Thunder. Charles Courtney (usually billed as "Chuck" in his supporting-player appearances) stars as a young gas station attendant with a fondness for hot rods. Despite objections from his father, Courtney manages to enter several big races. When he wins the biggest race, dad finally comes around to his way of thinking. Not unexpectedly, the film's best scenes take place on the racetrack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide