Roger Davis Movies
- 1999
Two men from Ireland come to America in search of their fortune, only to find that success isn't as simple as they imagined. Seamus (Conn Horgan) and his friend Patrick (Patrick Clarke) decide to leave Ireland and slip quietly (and illegally) into New York City. Seamus has big dreams and plenty of ideas of how to get rich quick, starting with opening a moving business. Patrick, however, is more cautious, and he finds himself devoting his spare time to bucking up the spirits of Tom (Malachy McCourt), an Irish author fallen on hard times, and courting Helen (Beverley Elder), an actress tired of her unsatisfying relationship with a much older man, Jeffrey (Roger Davis). Shot in the United States and produced primarily by Irish talent, Beyond the Pale was shown at the 1999 Galway Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Clarke, Conn Horgan, (more)
- 1982
John Sebastian's musical score lends an appropriately anachronistic touch to the endearingly outdated The Act. Robert Ginty and Sarah Langenfield are the principal participants in this satiric tale of political dirty trickery, with emphasis on underhanded union tactics. Also on hand are veterans Jill St. John, Eddie Albert and Pat Hingle, who laudably behave as if the dialogue they're spouting actually has some artistic value. If you don't remember The Act making the scene at your local theatre in 1982, don't feel bad. The film barely received a release at all until it was committed to videotape several years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ginty, Sarah Langenfeld, (more)
- 1977
Ostensibly a six-hour miniseries adaptation of Bert Hirschfield's novel Aspen, the program actually used only the title of the Hirschfield work; the plot proper was lifted from another novel by a different author, Bart Spicer's The Adversary. Set in the titular Colorado ski resort in the 1960s, the story line incorporated equal amounts of sex, greed, ambition, and murder, with the trial of accused rapist-killer Lee Bishop (Perry King) at the center of the storm, and the efforts by a gangster to grab up the local land, coupled with the amorous misadventures of a jet-setting glamour girl, taking up the slack whenever the plot threatened to lag. Despite a huge and varied cast, Sam Elliott emerged as the star of the proceedings in the role of straight-arrow attorney Tom Keating. Originally shown by the NBC network from November 5 to 7, 1977, Aspen was rebroadcast under the more lurid title The Innocent and the Damned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Elliott, Perry King, (more)
- 1977
- R
Piper Laurie (the mother in the horror film Carrie) appears here as the mother of a deranged deaf-mute girl. The mom runs a drive-in theater which shows mostly horror films. The girl is deranged because she is possessed by the spirit of her long-dead dad, a gangster who was gunned down by the mob. The vengeful spirit uses his daughter to gain vengeance on his assassins, many of whom now work at the drive-in. One by one the mobsters bite the dust as the demonized little girl extracts revenge for her deceased daddy. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Piper Laurie, Stuart Whitman, (more)
- 1977
Previously seen in timeslots ranging from 90 minutes to two hours, Quincy M.E. settles into its standard one-hour format with this episode. While vacationing in the resort town of Paradise, Quincy (Jack Klugman) is approached by young Jessica Casey (Hilary Thompson), whose alcoholic father John is serving jail time for his ex-wife's murder. Jessica is convinced that Quincy has come to town to reopen the manslaughter case in which her dad was involved--and once he begins to figure out that John Casey is the victim of a conspiracy, Quincy decides to play along with the anxious girl. Unfortunately, he meets resistance from the local sheriff (Pernell Roberts), who seems to have reasons of his own for keeping the case closed. Jamie Lee Curtis appears in a bit role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- R
A Kentucky-born maiden realizes her dream of becoming a country music star, but finds that along the way, her single-minded determination has caused her to lose things far more precious than fame or money when she gets involved with corrupt music executives who are really only interested in exploiting her. The film was later retitled Country Music Daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
- PG
A duo of daring lawbreakers, who call themselves Flash (Roger Davis) and Firecat (Tricia Sembera), speed, steal, and evade the grasp of the local law enforcement officers as they high-tail it around California in their dune buggy. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Someone has been bootlegging the songs performed by a popular musical quartet. Investigating the situation, Ed (Don Galloway) and Fran (Elizabeth Baur) are "treated" to the spectacle of the death-by-electrocution of the group's lead singer Joey (Kip Niven). Clearly, the man has been murdered--but when the two detectives and their boss Ironside (Raymond Burr) launch their investigation, they learn to their surprise that none of the suspects had any reason on earth to hate the dead man. In a curious chain of casting choices, the character of Manning is played by former Laugh-In regular Judy Carne; Mo is played by Geoffrey Deuel, the brother of the late Pete Deuel), who'd costarred with Carne on the 1966 sitcom Love on a Rooftop; and Willie is played by Roger Davis, who'd appeared on the popular TV western Alias Smith and Jones... as as last-minute replacement for star Pete Deuel! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A surprisingly long and worthwhile film, The Education of Sonny Carson is based on a true story. Rony Clanton stars as Carson, a product of the Brooklyn ghetto. After several years of gang and drug activities, Sonny is sobered by his horrendous experiences in prison. He puts his priorities in order and finds a "born again" purpose in life under his new name, Iwina Lmiri Abubadika. The film ends in the 1970s, long before Abubadika's controversial involvement in New York politics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Killer Bees a made-for-TV thriller, directed by Curtis Harrington, is the story of a strong willed woman with a curious power. Madame von Bohlen (Gloria Swanson) matriarch of a family and controller of the family wine business rules her family with an iron hand. What is becoming increasingly obvious, after a series of mysterious bee attacks, is that she also has psychic control over a swarm of bees that reside in her vineyard. This silly, fun thriller has a great cast including Kate Jackson, Craig Steven and Edward Albert, and they all seem to be having as much fun with their roles as Gloria Swanson. Swanson attacks her role with the same feline energy that make her a star. She is outstanding as the controlling, iron-willed woman who will stop at nothing to get her way. A fun time is had by all in this outlandish, well-acted thriller. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The first "official" case for private detective Jim Rockford (James Garner)--that is, the first case on the TV-series version of The Rockford Files, rather than the 1974 TV-movie pilot--finds him typically championing the underdog. In this instance, that "underdog" is not some impoverished wretch, but instead the fabulously wealthy Larry Kirkoff (played by a pre-stardom James Woods), heir to a family fortune. Suspected of murdering his parents to get their money, Kirkoff hires Jimbo to prove his innocence, and to nail the guilty party, who may or may not have been the respective ex-lovers of his late mom and dad. Unfortunately, there are some extremely tough characters around and about who'd prefer that Larry remain under suspicion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
A Little Bit Like Murder was a hastily videotaped 1973 offering on ABC's Wide World Mystery anthology. The "star" is a well-appointed house, inhabited by evil spirits. These evil Casper clones don't cotton to strangers, and tend to do unspeakable things to new tenants. Elizabeth Hartman shows up just as the credits fade, playing an embittered young woman who despises her family. She enters the fatal house, and for the next 90 minutes it's one malevolent force against another. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
First telecast January 5, 1971, Alias Smith and Jones was the pilot for the popular TV series of the same name. This genial rip-off of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stars Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Kid Curry, two notorious Western bandits who have become folk heroes because of their refusal to kill anyone. Heyes and Curry would like to go straight; the governor offers them that opportunity, provided they can stay out of trouble for one year. Assuming the aliases of Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones, Heyes and Curry begin their "retribution" process as tellers in a very tempting, very unguarded bank. Perennial guest star Susan Saint James provides the feminine angle in this tongue-and-cheek effort. Alias Smith and Jones ran until January 1973, by which time Roger Davis had replaced Pete Duel, who committed suicide on the last day of 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Joining his fellow ranchers in a big cattle drive, Ben Cartwright chooses veteran cowboy Kelly James (Ben Johnson) as trail boss. This decision is staunchly opposed by rancher Weatherby (Walter Barnes), who once fired James for drunkenness. Meanwhile, Weatherby's cocksure young foreman Bert Yates (Roger Davis) ruthlessly lobbies for James' job. A pre-stardom Richard Farnsworth appears as Sourdough. Originally broadcast on January 17, 1971, "Top Hand" was written by John Hawkins and Arthur Heinemann. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1970
- PG
House of Dark Shadows is the theatrical-feature spin-off of the popular 1960s TV "Gothic" serial Dark Shadows. Jonathan Frid is on hand again as 150-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins, once again going about his business in the spectre-filled Collinswood mansion. Another carryover from the TV series, Carolyn Stoddard (Nancy Barrett), finds her blood supply depleted by the elusive Mr. Collins. When Carolyn dies, it isn't long before she's wandering the hallways as one of the "undead". Barnabas persists in his bloodsucking activities until he makes the error of falling in love with mistress-of-the-house Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Frid, Kathryn Leigh Scott, (more)
- 1970
Dack Rambo and Roger Davis are two handsome young men (as if you didn't know) in search of a sunken treasure. They head to Mexico, where on behalf of several older, less athletically inclined wheeler-dealers, they dive for gold off the Mexican coast. They don't get what they want, and spend ever so long pontificating about it. Among the supporting players is Ray Milland, who in his autobiography made several veiled but pointed comments (along the lines of "how the mighty have fallen") about this misfire adventure. River of Gold was made for ABC's Movie of the Week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Confronted by Julia (Grayson Hall), Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) tells all about the Leviathans, including the facts that they are threatening to change him back into a vampire and that they are holding Josette (Kathryn Leigh Scott) hostage. Barnabas also warns Julia that Carolyn has been slated as the Leviathan's next "acquisition." Meanwhile, something very strange is happening at the grave of Sheriff Davenport. This episode was first broadcast on January 28, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Like Barnabas before her, Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) is unable to carry out the Leviathans' orders to kill Julia (Grayson Hall). Hoping to be cured of lycanthropy and to prove that Grant (David Selby) is really Quentin, Chris (Donald Briscoe) takes Grant to visit supernatural artist Charles Delaware Tate (Roger Davis) -- but both men are in a bit of a surprise. This episode initially aired on January 2, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Chris (Donald Briscoe) forces the very, very old Charles Delaware Tate (Roger Davis) to paint his portrait, hoping that Tate's "magic" touch will cure him of lycanthropy. Alas, the painting is of no value, and when the moon rises, Chris again turns into a werewolf. Meanwhile, Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) is disturbed by young Michael's obsessive interest in her, unaware that Michael (Michael Maitland) is a Leviathan and that she has been slated to be "sold" to that race. This episode originally aired on January 5, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Although Grant Douglas (David Selby) -- who has briefly been persuaded that he is truly Quentin Collins -- manages to fend off the werewolf, ancient artist Charles Tate (Roger Davis) dies of shock. Olivia Corey (Donna McKechnie) finally admits to Julia (Grayson Hall) that she is Amanda Harris, the woman "created" on canvas by Tate back in the 19th century. Amanda further reveals that, just before killing herself in 1897, she made a pact with a mysterious Mr. Best (Emory Bass) that would allow her a second chance to win Quentin's love sometime in the 1960s. Originally telecast on January 6 1970, this was officially designated as the 922nd episode of Dark Shadows; episodes 920 and 921 were never produced nor telecast, due to ABC's extended coverage of the 1970 New Year celebrations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Attempting to push Jeb (Christopher Pennock) off the cliff at Widows' Hill, Philip (Christopher Bernau) plummets to his own death. Angelique (Lara Parker) puts a supernatural shadow on Jeb, hoping to destroy him so that Peter Bradford's ghost will be at rest. This episode first aired on March 11, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
The sprit of Peter Bradford (Roger Davis) materializes to accuse Jeb (Christopher Pennock) of Victoria Winters' death in 1797, an act for which Peter is prepared to destroy Jeb. Enlisting the aid of Philip (Christopher Bernau) -- now under the spell of the vampiric Megan (Marie Wallace) -- Peter sets about to accomplish his grisly task. This episode originally aired March 10, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Amanda apparently leaves town without Quentin (David Selby). Angelique (Lara Parker) appears, promising dreadful consequences for Amanda if Quentin tries to leave again. Petofi (Thayer David) takes away Tate's (Roger Davis) artistic skills. This episode first aired on September 29, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
With his portrait missing, Quentin (David Selby) decides that it is wisest to postpone leaving Collinsport with Amanda (Donna McKechnie). Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) joins the ever-growing list of people who want Amanda to remain in town permanently. This episode was first telecast on September 26, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
