J.H. Lawrence Movies
- 1973
With the child-welfare authorities breathing down his neck, orphaned teenager George Morgan (played by future ChiPs costar Larry Wilcox) desperately tries to hold his family together. Going on the run with his younger siblings, George is forced to steal medicine for his ailing sister--and as a result, faces charges of kidnapping and homicide. Joining Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) as the obligatory Adult Authority Figures in this tense episode is Jeanette Nolan in the role of a judge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Ranking with Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror as one of the spookiest made-for-TV horror films of the 1970's, this atmospheric monster chiller stars Kim Darby and Jim Hutton as a comfortable, reasonably happy young couple who inherit the archetypal "Old Dark House" from the wife Sally's deceased aunt. While renovating the creepy mansion, they enter a previously-sealed room, which features a securely bricked-up fireplace. Despite the insistence of a local contractor (My Three Sons' William Demarest) that they leave the room undisturbed, Sally's husband manages to open the flue, releasing a horde of shriveled mini-monsters imprisoned there for decades. The little demons immediately fixate their malevolent attention on Sally in an effort to claim her soul, a mission which can only be averted by the love of her husband -- which, in light of his self-centered careerism, means poor Sally's pretty much on her own. Director John Newland manages to pull off this one-note premise with some effective, frightening scenes -- especially when he chooses to show as little of the goofy-looking monsters as possible -- but it's hard to sustain this level of suspense for a full 90 minutes. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1972
En route to Los Angeles to pick up a prisoner, Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) runs into trouble in a small town. Losing his temper with a pair of hostile local cops, Ed ends up booked on a misdemeanor, thrown into jail, and subjected to some rough treatment at the hands of the local constabulary. Realizing that he himself has been just as brutal with suspects in the past, Ed begins to question his future as a police officer. Ultimately, Ironside (Raymond Burr) shows up and offers to post bail--but Ed refuses, preferring to work out the situation by himself. Directed by star Raymond Burr, this is one of several Ironside episodes featuring an original song by Marty and David Paich, in this case "The Other Side", performed by James Griffin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
