Joe Don Baker Movies
Veteran character actor Joe Don Baker has been playing rugged good ol' boys since his uncredited role in Cool Hand Luke in 1967. Born in Texas, his Southern drawl and ample proportions made him suitable to play countless numbers of simple-minded sheriffs, cops, and detectives in everything from big-budget blockbusters to low-grade action movies, although he more often appeared in the latter. On TV in the '60s, he guest starred on Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Mission: Impossible before starring in his own show, the short-lived detective series Eischied. On the big screen, he played the drifter in Sam Peckinpah's Junior Bonner in 1972. He same year he made the "hicksploitation" classic Walking Tall, followed by Charley Varrick, Golden Needles, Framed, and plenty of other poorly made action thrillers that have since gained a small but appreciative audience on home video. The best example is 1975 crime flick Mitchell, which was featured on an important transitional episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Baker plays the titular slob detective who goes after drug dealers while drinking a lot of Schlitz malt liquor and eating pork rinds. After this movie, he became something of a legendary figure to a small but loyal fan base, and his persona as a lovable rascal was fixed for the next few decades. In the '80s he appeared in bad comedies (Fletch, Leonard, Part 6) as well as bad action thrillers (Final Justice, Getting Even). In 1989, he returned to television to play acting chief Tom Dugan on In the Heat of the Night and made small appearances in films, like the police chief who drinks Pepto-Bismol in Cape Fear (1991). He did branch out a little in the '90s to play Senator Joseph McCarthy in the made-for-TV movie Citizen Cohn as well as Winona Ryder's yuppie dad in Reality Bites. His later accomplishments include three James Bond appearances, first in Living Daylights as a bad guy, then in Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies as good guy Jack Wade. He returned to his stereotypical roots playing white-trash slobs as Richie's trailer park dad in Mars Attacks! and in an uncredited role in Joe Dirt. In 2003, he appeared with veterans Martin Landau, Martin Sheen, and Edward Asner in The Commisson. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
Don Siegel directed this offbeat crime thriller which stars Walter Matthau as the titular Charley Varrick. Varrick is a small-time stick-up man who, in tandem with his partner Harman Sullivan (Andrew Robinson), makes plans to rob a small bank in New Mexico. Varrick and Sullivan are expecting a modest payday for a simple heist, but to their surprise they walk away with $750,000 in cash. But it turns out this isn't entirely good news; the bank was flush with cash because a number of well-connected Mafia chieftains have been using the bank to launder their ill-gotten gains, and they're determined to get their money back. Before Varrick can figure out a way to return the money, sadistic hired killer Molly (Joe Don Baker) is on his trail, forcing Varrick to outwit both the cops and the robbers if he is to stay alive.
~ Mark Deming, Rovi
~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, (more)
A runaway box-office hit to the tune of 17 million dollars, Walking Tall is the unabashedly manipulative story of real-life Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser. As played by Joe Don Baker, Pusser can either be regarded as a tireless champion of justice or a baseball-bat-wielding hooligan. But with some of the most scurrilous villains this side of a Republic serial as the main targets of Pusser's wrath, the audience cannot help but applaud the sheriff's strongarm methods. When the town baddies seek vengeance by killing Pusser's wife (Elizabeth Hartman), the you-know-what really hits the fan! Never resorting to subtlety, Walking Tall was such a winner that it spawned two sequels, a made-for-television movie, and a weekly TV series -- none of which were enjoyed by the real Buford Pusser, who had long since died under questionable circumstances. At the time of the film's theatrical release, the MPAA rating system was comparatively new, so the studio launched an ad campaign aimed at parents, letting them know that the R-rated Walking Tall contained violence and not sex, and therefore was good family entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Prolific character actor Joe Don Baker is evil incarnate in the role of Leonard Collier Cord, a convicted rapist, torturer and murderer. Paroled after twelve years, the unrepentant Cord vows to get even with Mike Stone (Karl Malden), the detective who sent up. With fiendish calculation, Cord decides to hit Stone where it will hurt the most--by killing Mike's daughter Jeannie (Darleen Carr). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
The Emmy-winning writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link was the creative forced behind the landmark TV movie That Certain Summer. Hal Holbrook stars as a middle-aged divorced man, whose son Scott Jacoby cannot fathom the reason for his parents' split. During a summer visit, Jacoby meets his father's much-younger "best friend," Martin Sheen. Holbrook hedges, but finds he can no longer hold back the truth from his son: Sheen is Holbrook's male lover. Hope Lange costars as Holbrook's ex-wife, who struggles to come to grips with her former husband's sexual preferences, and who encourages him to reveal all to his son. Originally telecast on November 1, 1972, That Certain Summer was the first TV film to take a mature and non-remonstrative approach to the subject of homosexuality--and like many "firsts," the film seems a bit timid when seen today. Levinson and Link were compelled by the network to include short self-deprecating speeches describing the gay life as something of a sickness, one that Holbrook would in his heart of hearts prefer not to pursue. Still, it was as adult as a TV movie could get in those more restrictive times, and doesn't date as badly as it might. In fact, the only truly dated element of That Certain Summer is the self-consciously arty direction of Lamont Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Sam Peckinpah eschews his slow-motion bullet ballets for this quiet character study of ex-rodeo cowboy turned drifter Junior Bonner (Steve McQueen), who returns home to Arizona to reconcile with the family he hasn't seen in years. Bonner is shocked to see that the solid family he was hoping to come back to is breaking apart. His parents, Ace (Robert Preston) and Elvira (Ida Lupino), have separated, and his brother Curley (Joe Don Baker) has turned into a heartless real estate tycoon, parceling off sections of his parent's land for quick money. With nowhere to turn and nowhere to run, Bonner has to face himself and try to find a way to regain his self-respect. He is given that opportunity at the town's Fourth of July Rodeo, where he is determined to mount and ride and unrideable bull. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, (more)
- 1972
- R
This anti-war drama centers on four Vietnam veterans who are driving cross country to California. By the time they hit New Mexico, they are down to $69. They started out with over $9,000 between them. To get some quick cash, they rob a gas station. The irate owner begins shooting at them and they in turn show him that they are carrying a veritable ammunitions dump in their trunk. Donning their Green Beret uniforms, they get revenge upon the town and then begin waiting for the authorities to show up so they can have a showdown with them too. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1972
This episode would seem to have been inspired by director Michael Powell's classic psychological thriller Peeping Tom. Someone has been shooting 8-millimeter films featuring pretty young women, then mailing those films to Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) shortly after each woman is found murdered. Assisting the Chief in his investigation of this disturbing sequence of events is policewoman Fran Belding (Elizabeth Baur), who in turn has enlisted the aid of her current boyfriend, aspiring filmmaker Eric Blair (Joe Don Baker). The case takes a frightening turn when Ironside receives yet another reel of film--focusing on Fran herself! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Joe Don Baker stars as Mongo Nash, a professional gunman and the brother of mob boss Mike Nash (Charles Cioffi). At the behest of his brother, Mongo packs up his heat and prepares to bump off a rival gangster. Meanwhile, relentless police lieutenant Pete Tolstad (Telly Savalas) dogs Mongo's trail, determined to bring to justice all the crooks involved in the plot line. Partly filmed along the waterfront of San Pedro, CA, this made-for-TV thriller was based on a novel by E. Richard Johnson, who was then doing time on a robbery-murder charge at Minnesota State Prison. Mongo's Back in Town made its first CBS network appearance on December 10, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
- PG
If you want to know what The Wild Bunch would have looked like with Blake Edwards rather than Sam Peckinpah in the director's chair, we submit for your approval Wild Rovers. William Holden and Ryan O'Neal play a couple of shiftless ranch hands who impulsively decide to rob a bank. They manage to make off with the money, but also incur the wrath of their former boss Karl Malden, who sends his two sons Tom Skerritt and Joe Don Baker out to bring back Holden and O'Neal, preferably dead. The film's climax is surprisingly melancholy for an Edwards film, but one can't deny that the ending grows logically from the events leading up to it. Severely edited by its distributor Warner Bros, Wild Rovers doesn't make a lot of sense in its release version; the director's cut, incorporated 30 minutes' worth of extra footage, is fortunately available on video. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Holden, Ryan O'Neal, (more)
- 1971
Written by Dan Ullman, "The Miracle" focuses in on $8,000,000 worth of heroin. The IMF must determine the location of the heroin and put Syndicate operatives Taynor (Ronald Feinberg) and Kearney (Joe Don Baker) out of business. The gimmick: a phony heart transplant, which will convert the homicidal Kearney into a religious pacifist. Filmed at Southern California's Marineland, "The Miracle" was originally telecast on October 23, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
Looking like a high-school junior, Michael Douglas plays a college professor in Adam at 6 AM. Tired of academia, Douglas opts for the supposed tranquility of rural Missouri. After working as farm hand for a few weeks, he realizes that his "normal" neighbors are as screwed up as any of his more sophisticated friends. To punch up the film's leisurely screenplay, a great deal of sex talk is injected, which may have sounded daring in 1970 but which plays like an episode of Married: With Children nowadays. Adam at 6 AM is blessed with a superb supporting cast: among the secondary actors is 1940s leading lady Anne Gwynne, making a one-time-only film comeback. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Lee Purcell, (more)
- 1970
It's a personal matter for FBI assistant director Arthur Ward (Phillip Abbott) when Marianne Lowe (Pamela McMyler), the daughter of Ward's good friend Philip Lowe (Lin McCarthy), is kidnapped. A clue in Marianne's diary leads Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to suspect that an employee at the girl's favorite beauty parlor is in on the abduction scheme. Meanwhile, the captive Marianne chips away at the conscience of the conscience of her abductor Beau Manley (Mark Jenkins), who unlike his partner Alex Drake (Joe Don Baker) is reluctant to kill her...maybe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Chris (George Kennedy) is the lone survivor of the original seven gunmen who is recruited to help in a peasant struggle in Mexico. Colonel Diego (Michael Ansara)is the ruthless military commandant of a Mexican prison holding the leader of the revolt. With knife expert Levi Morgon (James Whitmore) and firearms experts Keno (Monte Markham), P.J. (Scott Thomas) and Slater (Joe Don Baker), they enlist the help of the giant black man Cassie (Bernie Casey) and two others to rescue the leader of the proposed revolt. The evil Diego employs his torturous and inhuman practices on both sides of the prison walls in a effort to stop the heroes from rescuing the prisoner in this action packed western saga. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Kennedy, James Whitmore, (more)
- 1968
When Sheriff Walker (Stuart Randall) of Muddy Creek is murdered, Ben and Joe Cartwright volunteer to guard prisoner Luke Harper (Joe Don Baker). Fearful of retaliation from Harper's gang, the townspeople refuse to assist Ben and Joe, going so far as to desert the town. The only remaining citizens are Walker's widow (Ann Doran), an old man (Jon Lormer) and his grandson Tommy (played by future Bonanza regular Mitch Vogel, and town trollop Casey Collins (Jean Hale). Written by Alf Harris (and, possibly, inspired by such theatrical westerns as Stagecoachand Rio Bravo), "The Real People of Muddy Creek" first aired on October 6, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
Paul Newman was nominated for an Oscar and George Kennedy received one for his work in this allegorical prison drama. Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is sentenced to a stretch on a southern chain gang after he's arrested for drunkenly decapitating parking meters. While the avowed ambition of the captain (Strother Martin) is for each prisoner to "get their mind right," it soon becomes obvious that Luke is not about to kowtow to anybody. When challenged to a fistfight by fellow inmate Dragline (George Kennedy), Luke simply refuses to give up, even though he's brutally beaten. Luke knows how to win at poker, even with bad cards, by using his smarts and playing it cool. Luke also figures out a way for the men to get their work done in half the usual time, giving them the afternoon off. Finally, when Luke finds out his mother has died, he plots his escape; when he's caught, he simply escapes again. Soon, Luke becomes a symbol of hope and resilience to the other men in the prison camp -- and a symbol of rebelliousness that must be stamped out to the guards and the captain. Along with stellar performances by Newman, Kennedy, and Martin, Cool Hand Luke features a superb supporting cast, including Ralph Waite, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, and Joe Don Baker as members of the chain gang. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1966
In this lively British parody of James Bond movies, a dashing secret agent goes to extremes to save the British Parliament from a communist take-over. To do this, he must keep the Ripper, a notorious double-agent from stealing a newly developed aircraft metal. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Adams, Dawn Addams, (more)
- 1961
Essentially a one-joke comedy hanging on the thinnest of plots, this routine series of slapstick situations is directed by Don Chaffey and concerns the ineptitude of an Air Force officer, Captain Kingsley (Jimmy Edwards). The likeable Captain has a fixation on mechanical contrivances, but at the same time he is an accident waiting to happen. The wait is never long, and so the Prime Minister himself orders everyone into action when the Captain comes up missing -- who knows what disaster may lie in the wings. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jimmy Edwards, Kenneth Connor, (more)
- 1960
The 1960 British film Girls of Latin Quarter offers a few then-popular Calypso tunes amidst its treacly storyline. Bernard Hunter plays a nerdish young sprout who inherits a fortune. In order to collect his legacy, he must take over the failing family farm and turn it into a winning proposition. To raise funds, Hunter goes the Mickey Rooney route and stages a Big Show. Co-starring as a dancer in Girls of Latin Quarter is a young, pre-Charles-Bronson Jill Ireland. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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