Clu Gulager Movies
Actor Clu Gulager started out as the latest in a long line of Brando/Dean "method" types in the late 1950s. Gulager's searing interpretation of Mad Dog Coll on a 1959 episode of The Untouchables, coupled with his multi-faceted portrayal of Billy the Kid on the TV western series The Tall Man (1960-62) gained him a brief fan following. He was also quite impressive as Lee Marvin's fellow hit man in The Killers (1964), which would have been the very first made-for-TV movie had not its excessive violence necessitated a theatrical release. Turning prematurely gray in the late 1960s, Gulager went on to play flinty authority figures on such weekly series as The Survivors (1969), San Francisco International Airport (1971) and The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove (1979). He was also seen in numerous miniseries, most prominently as Lt. Merrick in Once an Eagle (1976) and General Sheridan in North and South II (1986). One of his better big-screen roles was Abilene in Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971). Briefly entertaining notions of becoming a film director, Clu Gulager helmed the obscure 1969 short subject A Day with the Boys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The writers and director of the original Feast follow the horror from the dive bar of the first film to a nearby town as the flesh-eating beasts prepare to dine on the unsuspecting locals before dashing off to the next well-populated desert buffet. The survivors of the initial attack have lived to see another day, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll make it through another night. Upon joining-up a desperate band of locals that include an all-girl biker gang and a tag team of fearless luchadors, the battle-weary survivors brace themselves for another bloody round of flesh-ripping, limb-hacking mayhem. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Wade, Clu Gulager, (more)
- 1993
This made-for-television drama first aired on NBC and was made shortly after the tragic stand-off in Waco, Texas when a conflict between the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and a group of cultist led by charismatic leader and self-proclaimed messiah David Koresh turned into a bloody battle that left the believers' compound burned and many dead. Soon after the dust settled, investigations revealed that the bloodshed may have been unnecessary. Filmed on location, near Tulsa, Oklahoma, the film recounts events before, during and after the catastrophe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Daly, Dan Lauria, (more)
- 1993
Eddie Presley (Duane Whitaker is a security guard who, like his lifetime hero, is slightly overweight these days. Formerly, he occasionally worked as an Elvis impersonator. Recently he has had rather a rough time, but his spirits have improved on learning that he will have a chance to revive his impersonation routines for a single evening at a none-too spiffy nightclub. When the club's music equipment chews up his tapes, Eddie doesn't simply leave the stage. Instead, he delivers a monologue about his life and times, how he came to be so devoted to Elvis, and his recent nervous breakdown. This movie was adapted from a play and performance piece by Duane Whitaker. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Duane Whitaker, Roscoe Lee Browne, (more)
The race to discover the ultimate weapon of war comes to a shocking end when the perfect weapon is discovered in this thriller starring Clu Gulager, Anthony Alda, and Playboy Playmate Gig Rauch. For decades countless nations have strived to develop the one weapon that would distinguish them as the world's foremost super power. Unfortunately for the peace-loving nations of planet Earth such a device does in fact exist, and it's known as The Killing Device. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This detective movie is set in Hollywood, circa 1949. Hard-bitten detective Dan Turner gets entangled with an extortionist after he begins looking into the life of a movie mogul's beautiful wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Once an unimpressive bore, a high-school geek is bitten and contracts vampirical symptoms, transforming him into a confident coolio in this comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clu Gulager, Karen Carlson, (more)
- 1987
A terminally ill nun apparently commits suicide--which of course is a mortal sin in the eyes of the Catholic church. In order to prove that the nun did not die by her own hand, the dead woman's Mother Superior (Jane Powell) prevails upon her old friend Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) to follow the trail of clues--one of which reveals some disturbingly sordid details. This episode is distinguished a particularly stellar cast of veteran actors, including Audrey Totter in her last role before retirement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Magnum is hired by one Dan Wolf (Morgan Stevens) to locate Dan's missing father, a disreputable character named Theo Wolf (Clu Gulager). Only when it is too late does Magnum discover that "Dan" is actually a professional hit man, hired to murder Wolf before he can testifying in a mob trial. Before the episode runs its course, Magnum is himself shot and seriously wounded--and while hovering between life and death, the detective experiences some truly weird visions, notably his friend Rick (Larry Manetti) in Humphrey Bogart guise! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) pays a visit her niece Tracey (Linda Grovenor), an up-and-coming jockey. After winning a race, Tracey has a confrontation with the horse's owner, indicating that she was supposed to have thrown the race. Not long after, the owner turns up murdered--and Tracey is the prime suspect. Naturally, Jessica isn't about to let her niece take the rap for a crime she didn't commit...and besides, she has a pretty good idea "whodunit" (especially since the revelation of the actual culprit follows the most reliable of the Murder She Wrote guidelines!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In the final first-season episode of Murder She Wrote, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) travels to Wyoming to attend the funeral of an old family friend. At the same time, a wealthy Wyoming rancher draws up papers leaving his entire estate to a somewhat nasty stranger, completely disinheriting his embittered daughter. Before long, the stranger is found hanging in the rancher's barn--and of course Jessica takes it upon herself to solve the murder, which turns out to have been something of a team effort! Appearing in a key supporting part is William Windom, who would join the cast of Murder She Wrote during its second season in the recurring role of Dr. Seth Hazlitt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The story of Jack The Ripper may be the cause of a small town's crime spree in this strange made-for-television thriller. David Hasselhoff stars as Don Gregory, a cop in an Arizona town whose claim to fame is being the home of the newly transplanted pieces of the original London Bridge. When the bridge is fully assembled and a murder spree begins, Gregory suspects that the bridge's historical link to Jack The Ripper and the Thames River, may have something to do with the killings. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1984
The only American ever to earn the distinction of becoming a true ninja attempts to mentor his protégé and fend off some greedy land developers in this installment of the popular series starring Lee Van Cleef. After World War II, John Peter McAllister (Van Cleef) remained in Japan to train in the ninjutsu arts. Now McAllister has returned to America in search of his long lost daughter, though before he can find her he will train young Max Keller to follow in his footsteps and aid a desperate airport owner in his fight against a most unscrupulous land developer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1983
This two-part TV movie was originally titled Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues. A follow-up to Rogers' phenomenally successful 1980 made-for-TV The Gambler, the film charts the further adventures of frontier "plunger" Brady Hawkes (played by Rogers, of course). Also making a return appearance is Bruce Boxleitner as Brady's bucolic protégé Billy Montana. This time around, Linda Evans guest-stars as sexy bounty hunter Kate Muldoon, who helps Brady rescue his kidnapped son. When this second Gambler film was first telecast on November 28 and 29, 1983, it proved to be even more popular than the first, leading to still more sequels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Richard Thomas stars as country music star Hank Williams Jr. in this made-for-TV biopic, based on Williams' own memoirs. Williams wasn't yet four years old when his father, the legendary country singer/songwriter Hank Williams, died en route to a show. By the time he was eight, his mother, Audrey (Allyn Ann McLerie), had put Hank Jr. on-stage, singing his father's songs as a novelty act. As a teenager, Williams was signed to a recording contract, still specializing in his father's material. Williams made a respectable living in the music business, but he longed to create a musical identity of his own. Williams' struggle to come out from under the long shadow of his father's legacy was a difficult one, and it took a prolonged bout with alcoholism, an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and a near-fatal fall while mountain climbing before Williams was able to come to terms with his father's reputation, forging a country-rock style all his own and finding success on his own terms. Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story also features Williams' long-time manager and friend Merle Kilgore as himself; country star Naomi Judd also makes a cameo appearance as one of Hank's many one-night romances on the road, and a 14-year-old Christian Slater plays Hank's son. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1982
After the death of a Down's Syndrome Child, pediatrician Barbara Lubow (Colleen Dewhurst) asks Quincy (Jack Klugman) to perform an autopsy. Much to his dismay, Quincy determines that the child had been starved to death by his parents--at the encouragement of their family doctor. Appalled by this callous attitude towards Down's children, Quincy becomes involved in the trials and tribulations of a married couple (Tyne Daly, Clu Gulager), whose efforts to establish a group home for six handicapped youngsters is meeting with violent opposition from their bigoted neighbors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When first telecast on April 8, 1980, this made-for-TV movie was titled Kenny Rogers as The Gambler. Jim Byrnes' teleplay is loosely inspired by Rogers' Grammy award-winning song. Rogers plays high-rolling gambler Brady Hawkes, who is en route from El Paso to Yuma to see the son he never knew. Along the way, Hawkes befriends Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner), feckless Eastern tinhorn. The twosome comes to the aid of reformed "lady of the evening" Jennie Reed (Lee Purcell), who is pursued by an unprincipled train baron. At the end, Brynes must stand up to his son's cruel stepfather (Clu Gulager). A huge ratings success, The Gambler inspired four sequels over the next two decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Rogers, Bruce Boxleitner, (more)
- 1980
Skyward is a 1980 GE Theatre presentation in the lofty tradition of TV's Golden Age. Bette Davis stars (what an inadequate word!) as a 60-year-old retired barnstorming airplane pilot. Real-life paraplegic Suzy Gilstrap portrays a wheelchair-bound team who is "tired of looking up all the time." It is her dream to become a pilot herself, a goal renounced by her overprotective parents and her self-centered boyfriend. But Davis, after initial heated protestations, agrees to train Gilstrap in the rigors of flying--specifically stunt-flying. Directed by Ron Howard, Skyward was produced and cowritten by Howard's Happy Days costar Anson Williams, while another Happy Days alumnus, Marion Ross, appears as Suzy Gilstrap's mother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
In this made-for-TV drama, a spunky waitress (Deborah Raffin) is left to support herself, her two small children, and her unborn baby when her no-good husband runs off. Determined not to spend her life in a dead-end job, the woman quits waitressing and sets out to become a truck driver. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This socially conscious drama is set during the Civil Rights Movement and chronicles the endeavors of a black minister to run for sheriff in a Southern county. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1978
The civil rights movement in the South saw the election of the first black county sheriff as portrayed in this drama. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1978
- Add King: The Martin Luther King Story to QueueAdd King: The Martin Luther King Story to top of Queue
King: The Martin Luther King Story originated as a three-part miniseries, first telecast February 12, 13 and 14, 1978. Paul Winfield is starred as Martin Luther King, with Cicely Tyson as Coretta Scott King. The film covers the years 1954 through 1968, taking Rev. King from his first peaceful protests against segregation in Montgomery to his murder in Memphis. Scenarist/director Daniel Mann came under fire in 1978 for his adaptation of King's life, and for once the critics were right. Despite Winfield's masterful and accurate portrayal of King, the rest of the 6-hour drama compromises the truth with the hokiest of fabrications. Just a few examples: Sheriff "Bull" Connor's men walk out on him en masse when he threatens to hose down black schoolchildren; Mayor Daley warns King against protesting in Chicago, saying "We have a reputation to protect; this is the home of Al Capone"; King has a friendly meeting with Malcolm X in 1966, a full year after Malcolm X was killed....and so it goes. Martin Luther King certainly deserved a superior mini-series. Perhaps some day he'll get one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
This made-for-TV movie stars Clu Gulager as Cuda Weber, a seafaring loner who has settled down to the life of a beachcomber on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Weber's carefree, rootless existence is considerably altered when he finds himself in charge of five feisty orphan kids from the MacKenzie clan. Actually, Cuda's guardianship is entirely involuntary; it could be said that the MacKenzie children adopted him, rather than the other way around. Originally telecast April 14, 1978, Stickin' Together was the pilot film for what ultimately emerged as the short-lived TV series The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove, which also starred Clu Gulager and featured most of the movie's supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clu Gulager, Sean Thomas Roche, (more)
- 1978
A Question of Love is the deceptively bland title for this controversial made-for-TV film. Gena Rowlands plays a divorced nurse who is doing her best to raise her young sons (Keith Mitchell and Josh Albee) without their dad's help. Rowlands' ex-husband Clu Gulager files for full custody of the children. It isn't that Gulager is selfish or vindictive: the fact is that Rowlands is a lesbian, with a live-in lover (Jane Alexander), and Gulager feels that her lifestyle is not in the boys' best interests. Nothing is cut and dried in William Blinn's intelligent screenplay: there are no heroes and villains, no absolute "right" or "wrong." Extremists and moderates are depicted with equanimity, as are the points in favor of both Rowlands' and Gulager's position. While it has unavoidably dated since its first telecast on November 26, 1978, A Question of Love retains most of his dramatic power even after nearly two decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
The most surprising aspect of the made-for-TV Ski Lift to Death is that it wasn't produced by Irwin Allen. Two ski-lift gondolas derail, hanging perilously close to destruction. Among the passengers are a former gangster and the hit man assigned to kill him. Also on board are a pair of champion skiiers who've been linked in a publicity-generated romance. Real-life ski champ Suzy Chaffee plays Maureen; the rest of the cast includes such TV stalwarts as Deborah Raffin, Howard Duff, Don Galloway, Don Johnson, Veronica Hamel and Clu Gulager. Ski Lift to Death was originally telecast March 3, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
