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Charles Kuenstle Movies

1977  
 
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Stretching the Airport concept as far as it will go, this third film in the series sticks a jet full of old actors 50 feet underwater in the Bermuda Triangle. Oxygen (and credibility) grows short, and Jimmy Stewart plays an art collector targeted for a heist. Jack Lemmon is the unfortunate pilot, and Christopher Lee shows up along with Brenda Vaccaro, Joseph Cotten, and Olivia de Havilland. Jerry Jameson, auteur of The Bat People, was selected to helm this entry featuring that film's star, Michael Pataki. George Kennedy, the only man to appear in all four Airport films, is along for the ride as well. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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Starring:
Jack LemmonLee Grant, (more)
 
1974  
 
John (Ralph Waite) is torn between financial considerations and concern for his children's birthright when he is offered $25,000 for Walton's Mountain by a developer (Noah Beery Jr.) who wants to build a tourist resort. Of course, John needs the money--but does he need THAT much money? (A fine question to be asking oneself in the middle of a Depression!) Meanwhile, Grandpa (Will Geer) and Grandma (Ellen Corby) prepare for their Golden wedding anniversary. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1973  
 
The Waltons attend the annual County Fair, where each family member hopes to win a prize. At the same time, Olivia's former beau Oscar Cockrell (Peter Donat) shows up at the fair in hopes of advancing his political career. Comparing Oscar's affluence with his own family's lack of same, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) asks himself how different his life would have been if Olivia (Michael Learned) had accepted Oscar's proposal. Meanwhile, a "special ingredient" in Olivia's cake has a curious effect on the contest judges! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1973  
 
John-Boy (Richard Thomas) catches his friend Yancy Tucker (Robert Donner) stealing chickens, but decides not to tell their sheriff. This may prove to be the wrong decision when chicken farmer Charlie Potter (Richard O'Brien) is shot--and Yancy is the only likely suspect. And speaking of thievery, Ben (Eric Scott) gets himself in hot water when he "borrows" one of John-Boy's old poems, "A Winter Mountain", to win a literary competition. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1973  
 
Lloyd Bridges' gloriously unconvincing German accent is but one of the guilty pleasures of Death Race. Set during the African campaign of World War 2, this made-for-TV nailbiter pits Nazi general Bridges against wounded American pilot Roy Thinnes. Manning the controls of a tank, Herr Bridges intends to blast Thinnes into eternity-but it ain't gonna be that easy. Billed third as "Stoeffer" is Eric Braden, who under his given name of Hans Gudegast was one of the stars of a previous desert-war TV series, The Rat Patrol (1966-68). Death Race first plotted its course on November 10, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1972  
 
Astronaut Monte Markham has been dispatched to the heavens on the first US space trip to Mars. When TV coverage is abruptly cut off, the official story reads that there's been a slight malfunction, and that Markham is heading home. Only space official Jackie Cooper and a handful of associates know the truth: Markham has died a horrible death on the surface of Mars. To save the space program (not to mention American morale), a look-alike--also played by Monte Markham--is paraded before the cameras as the "returning" hero. It's doubtful, however, that the subterfuge will work on the astronaut's suspicious wife (Susan Clark). The Astronaut originally aired January 8, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1970  
 
L.G. Floran (Burt Reynolds) is released from prison after serving six years for manslaughter -- convicted of killing his own brother in a drunk driving incident in which he always denied being involved. He returns to his home, in the California wine country, hoping to put his life back together, but that won't be easy -- in the interim, his mother has died, but his hostile stepfather Keller Floran (Mevlyn Douglas) won't let him get anywhere near any inheritance he might have coming, or the home he grew up in. And the local law, led by police chief Wade Hamilton (Martin Balsam), is mostly arrayed against him, especially when Hamilton realizes that his married daughter Barbara (Suzanne Pleshette) is still attracted to L.G. Most of the town is convinced that L.G. got off too easy for killing his brother, and wouldn't mind someone evening the score -- add to that the presence of a bored (and randy) 17-year-old Holly Farnell (Jill Bennett), who is attracted to L.G.'s rebel, outcast persona; and Rudy LeRoy (Larry Storch), a nightclub owner whose testimony helped convict L.G. (and who has his thugs beat him up), and the stage is set for an explosive mix of violence and retribution that will touch almost everyone in L.G.'s hometown. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

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1969  
 
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Ironside steps up his efforts to locate the kidnapped daughter of his former sweetheart Barbara Richards (Barbara Rush). Complicating the Chief's investigation is Barbara's husband Vic (Philip Carey), who can't get over the fact that his wife was in love with Ironside during a period of amnesia. Meanwhile, an ill-tempered rural lawman (Slim Pickens) also does his best to thwart Ironside's efforts to rescue the kidnap victim, lest all the credit for cracking the case go to an "out-of-towner". Featured in the supporting cast are such impressive talents as Dane Clark and Cloris Leachman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1969  
 
In this first half of the two-part sequel to the Season One episode "Barbara Who?" (originally telecast as a single two-hour "special"), Ironside (Raymond Burr) is reunited with Barbara Richards (Barbara Rush), a former amnesiac with whom he had once been in love. Barbara implores the Chief to help her recover her teenage daughter Leslie (Melody Scott Thomas), who has been kidnapped. The fact that Barbara has a bitterly jealous husband (Philip Carey) is only one of the obstacles facing Ironside in his efforts to save Leslie's life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1969  
PG  
Famed anonymous director Alan Smithee (in this case a hybrid of Richard Totten and Don Siegel), directed this turgid western drama concerning Marshal Frank Patch (Richard Widmark), who, even though he has kept the peace in Cottonwood Springs for over twenty years, is now considered a local joke by the town liberals who want some new blood in the Marshall's Office. They get it when Patch shoots the drunken Luke Mills (James Lydon) in self-defense. Now the forces of progress really want Patch out. So much so that the local newspaper editor, Andrew Oxley (Kent Smith) demands his resignation. Patch not only refuses to quit but disgraces Oxley so badly in front of his son Will (Mercer Harris) that Oxley kills himself. Will is now out for blood, but Patch remains stoic, even when his old friend Lou (John Saxon) comes to town to advise him to quit. Patch refuses Lou's suggestion but decides to marry Claire (Lena Horne), the owner of the local saloon and whore house. But an uninvited guest attends the wedding ceremony --Will. And both Will and his gun are loaded. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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Starring:
Richard WidmarkLena Horne, (more)
 
1965  
 
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) receives a frantic call from Joe Cloud (Alejandro Rey), an Apache Indian who served under Erskine in Korea. Having returned to his reservation to find a man trying to rape his wife, Cloud has killed the attacker and taken it on the lam. Since the murder occurred on Federal property, Erskine has no choice but to hunt down and capture Cloud--all the while taking extraordinary precautions to make certain that the fugitive does no further harm, either to others or himself. Robert Blake makes his first of several F.B.I. guest appearances as Joe Cloud's brother Pete. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1963  
 
Written by Rod Serling, this 60-minute Twilight Zone episode gets under way when a U.S. Navy destroyer begins picking up unusual sounds on its sonar. Investigating, a frogman finds the remains of a sunken submarine -- and hears the sound of clanking from within. This information has a profound effect on the destroyer's chief petty officer Bell (Mike Kellin), and Captain Beecham (Simon Oakland) wants to find out why. Future TV leading man Bill Bixby appears in a supporting role. "The Thirty-Fathom Grave" was first telecast January 10, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Mike KellinSimon Oakland, (more)
 
1963  
 
The men of King Company are anxious to leave the small French village where they've been billetted. One look at the local female population, however, and the guys immediately change their minds. In particular, squad members Kirby (Jack Hogan), Caje (Pierre Jalbert) and Nelson (Tom Lowell) want to cozy up to a trio of gorgeous mademoiselles, and to that end they promise to throw the girls a party--regulations or no regulations! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1962  
 
Versatile character actor Jay Novello is cast as Otto Von Albrecht, a German nobleman who hires Paladin (Richard Boone) in order to fulfill a debt of honor. On Von Albrecht's behalf, Paladin is dispatched to locate another German expatriate, a killer named Carl Frome (Will Corey). This episode, the last of Have Gun, Will Travel's fifth season, is filled to overflowing with the sort of introspective, philosophical dialogue that the series' fans had come to know and love. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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