David Janssen Movies
Like Clark Gable, David Janssen lost quite a few film roles in the early stages of his career because his ears were "too big" and -- also like Gable-- he did pretty well for himself in the long run. The son of a former beauty queen-cum-stage mother, Janssen was virtually strong-armed into show business, appearing as a child actor on-stage and as a juvenile performer in such films as Swamp Fire (1946). Signed to a Universal contract in 1950, he showed up fleetingly in films both big-budget (To Hell and Back) and small (Francis Goes to West Point). Full stardom eluded Janssen until 1957, when he was personally selected by actor/producer Dick Powell to star in the TV version of Powell's radio series Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Though he didn't exactly become a millionaire (for several years he earned a beggarly 750 dollars per week), Janssen's saleability soared as a result of his three-year Diamond gig, and by 1960 he was earning top billing in such Allied Artists productions as King of the Roaring 20s (1960), in which he played gambler Arnold Rothstein, and Hell to Eternity (1960). In 1963, he landed his signature role of Dr. Richard Kimble on TV's The Fugitive. For the next four years, Janssen/Kimble perambulated throughout the country in search of the "one-armed man" who committed the murder for which Kimble was sentenced to death, all the while keeping one step ahead of his dogged pursuer, Lieutenant Gerard (Barry Morse). The final episode of The Fugitive, telecast in August of 1967, was for many years the highest-rated TV episode in history. There was little Janssen could do to top that, though he continued appearing in such films as Warning Shot (1967) and Green Berets (1969), and starring in such TV series as O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971) and Harry O (1974-1976). David Janssen died of a sudden heart attack at age 49, not long after completing his final TV movie, City in Fear (1980). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1977
We are told time and again in this 1977 TV movie that star David Janssen is the "sensitive, passionate man" of the title. But when Janssen, playing an aerospace engineer who loses his job, crawls into the booze bottle, there's little evidence that he's anything more than aloof and self-pitying. Angie Dickinson all but dons a wing and halo as Janssen's incredibly forgiving and understanding wife. The only people we truly care about in this film are the couple's children, played with a pleasing lack of affectation by Todd Lookinland and Justin Randi. As superficial as its title, A Sensitive, Passionate Man seems to argue that no matter how much emotional damage you incur, it's all OK if your family adores you. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of director Douglas Sirk's best and most successful romantic soapers of the 1950s, All That Heaven Allows is predicated on a May-December romance. The difference here is that the woman, attractive widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman), is considerably older than the man, handsome gardener-landscaper Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson). Sirk builds up sympathy for Cary by showing how empty her life has been since her husband's death, even suggesting that the marriage itself was no picnic. Throwing conventionial behavior to the winds and facing social ostracism, Cary pursues her romance with Ron, who is unjustly perceived as a fortune-hunter by Cary's friends and family--especially her priggish son Ned (William Reynolds). Amusingly, Conrad Nagel was to have had a much larger part as Harvey, an elderly widower who carries a torch for Cary, but his role was trimmed down during previews when audiences disapproved of an implicit romance between a sixtyish man and a fortysomething woman! All That Heaven Allows was remade by unabashed Douglas Sirk admirer Rainer Werner Fassbinder as Ali--Fear Eats the Soul (1974), in which the age gap between hero and heroine was even wider. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, (more)
- 1956
Based on the novel by Kenneth M. Dodson, Away All Boats stars Jeff Chandler as a tough Navy captain who takes charge of a group of raw, undisciplined sailors during World War 2. To keep his men from getting on each other's nerves, Chandler makes himself the target of their excess hatred by assuming the pose of a rigid martinet who cares nothing about his crew's wellbeing. He finds an ally in lieutenant George Nader, who catches on to Chandler's "act" and helps him maintain discipline. The crew survives numerous Japanese air and sea attacks with flying colors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Chandler, George Nader, (more)
- 1973
Harry Walker (David Janssen) is a helicopter traffic reporter in Salt Lake City who's never quite gotten over the time he spent flying during World War II -- a former combat pilot, he sees the world passing him by amid complacency and his own life reduced to boredom and bittersweet nostalgia for the best of times, when he was working for a cause that mattered (and there were causes that mattered). He chances on a brutal armored car robbery and helps the police give chase, and suddenly finds himself in the thick of the action when the robbers -- who have taken a woman hostage -- switch from a getaway car to a chopper. And when the getaway chopper tries to ram him, that's all it takes to get Walker into a cross-country aerial pursuit into the Utah desert in a duel to the death. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Bonzo Goes to College is the one that Ronald Reagan isn't in. The focus, of course, is on brainy chimpanzee Bonzo, who escapes a seedy sideshow and hides out on a college campus. Here he is adopted by Betsy Drew (Gigi Perreau), the daughter of nonplused professor Malcolm Drew (Charles Drake). Eventually, Bonzo joins the football team, and becomes the star player. A pair of bad guys kidnap Bonzo on the eve of the Big Game, but it isn't difficult to guess how things will turn out. More gimmicky than its predecessor Bedtime for Bonzo, Bonzo Goes to College is constructed more along the lines of Universal's "Francis" pictures (except that Bonzo doesn't talk). Outside of the chimp, there are a few good supporting performances by Maureen O'Sullivan as Drew's wife, Gene Lockhart and Edmund Gwenn as Betsy's feuding grandfathers, and young Jerry Paris as one of the crooks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Drake, (more)
The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Reviled in his lifetime as a lunatic insurrectionist, Chief Crazy Horse has in recent years emerged as a Native American hero. In this off-beat western, unusual for its time in that it sympathetically presented the Native American viewpoint, Victor Mature plays the misunderstood Sioux leader while the treaty-breaking villain General Crook is played by James Millican (who had earlier portrayed an equally unsympathetic General Custer in Warpath). The battle of the Little Big Horn is staged with less bravura but more authenticity than in 1941's They Died With Their Boots On (a wildly inaccurate pro-Custer opus). Chief Crazy Horse falters only in its verbose dialogue sequences, wherein the native tongue of the Sioux seems to be Fluent Cliche. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Suzan Ball, (more)
- 1980
In his last appearance before the cameras, David Janssen plays an alcoholic journalist desperate for a comeback. Janssen hitches his star to ruthless publisher Robert Vaughn, who is exploiting a rash of brutal murders to sell papers. The danger here is that the unknown serial killer, who preys upon beautiful young women, is rapidly becoming a media celebrity--and may be prompted to continue killing just to see his name in print. Beyond its own potential for sensationalism, City in Fear raises several provocative questions about the responsibility (and culpability) of the press. For its March 30, 1980 premiere, City in Fear was given a two hour and fifty minute timeslot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Six GIs stationed in Asia secretly photograph the arcane rituals of a group of cobra worshippers. At the climax of the ceremony, the cult members turn themselves into snakes. The high priestess catches the soldiers spying and throws a curse upon them. This off-beat horror film follows what happens to the men after that. Soon after they return to the US, the vengeful priestess follows them and people begin to die from snake venom poisoning, adding credence to the strange tale told by a surviving GI to the police, who become less skeptical as more evidence is unearthed. More trouble follows when the serpentine goddess falls for the ex-soldier's roomie. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faith Domergue, Richard Long, (more)
- 1958
James Garner stars as WWII hero Major William Darby in this characteristically gusty William Wellman combat film. Darby organizes a highly-trained group of rangers, to be deployed in behind-the-lines activities in Italy and Northern Africa. The first portion of the film details the training, with time out for a few comic and romantic interludes; the second part shows Darby's Rangers in full, ferocious action. In addition to Garner, Warner Bros. used Darby's Rangers to spotlight another of its TV stars, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes; Bill Wellman Jr. also shows up in the supporting role of Eli Clatworthy. The film was adapted from the book by Major James Altieri. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Etchika Choureau, (more)
- 1961
Based on a popular comic strip, this touching children's drama centers on an adorable saucer-eyed Italian war orphan who sneaks into the U.S. by stowing away aboard a returning naval ship. He did this in part to be with the benevolent soldiers who showed him kindness on the Christmas Eve before the war ended. Once they dock in New York, poor Dondi's friends go their separate ways and he ends up lost and having several adventures alone until happiness and peace return in the form of one of the sailors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Kory, David Janssen, (more)
- 1974
In this s-s-suspenseful drama, a submarine carrying a load of poisonous snakes accidentally wedges itself amidst the rocks near the bottom of the sea. Now the crew must somehow avoid the unwanted slitherers and manage to extricate themselves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Francis Goes to West Point is the third entry in Universal's money-spinning series about a talking mule. Donald O'Connor once again stars as Peter Sterling, who with the garrulous Francis' helps prevent the destruction of an atomic energy plant. As a reward, Peter is given a scholarship to West Point, where he quickly distinguishes himself as the military academy's biggest foul-up. Peter's future as an officer and a gentleman is saved by the timely arrival of Francis, who functions as the West Point football team's mascot. This time around, O'Connor is allotted two lovely leading ladies, played by Lori Nelson and Alice Kelly. Two of the West Point cadets are played by future TV favorites David Janssen and James Best. And as always, Francis' Southern-fried voice is supplied by Chill Wills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Lori Nelson, (more)
- 1956
Though both star Donald O'Connor and director Arthur Lubin had said goodbye to the "Francis the Talking Mule" series, Universal-International wasn't about to give up on so valuable a property. Thus, Francis in the Haunted House starred Mickey Rooney, with Charles Barton calling the shots. Likewise missing from the earlier series entries was the voice of Francis, Chill Wills; he is replaced by the ubiquitous Paul Frees, who also narrated the film's promotional trailer. The plot and comic content of Francis in the Haunted House is summed up by the title, as Francis and his new buddy David Prescott (Mickey Rooney) try to corral a gang of art thieves. Along the way, they get mixed up with a phony heiress (Virginia Welles), a series of murders (one of the victims is Richard Deacon!) and, of course, a spooky old house. Most of the "scare" gags in Francis in the Haunted House had been done earlier, and better, by Universal's own Abbott and Costello. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Virginia Welles, (more)
- 1955
Complaining that Francis the Mule was getting more fan mail than he was, Donald O'Connor bade adios to the "Francis" series with this 1955 entry. Once more, O'Connor plays Army lieutenant Peter Sterling, who heads to a navy base when it looks like his old pal Francis is about to be auctioned off as surplus. In short order, Sterling is mistaken for a bos'n's mate whom he resembles, and it's off to sea for both Peter and the mule. Among the able-bodied seamen in this film is a chap named Jonesy, played by a young Clint Eastwood in his second movie appearance. An eleborate slapstick finale brings this one to a rousing conclusion. Director Arthur Lubin likewise left the "Francis" series after Francis in the Navy; the next (and last) entry, Francis in the Haunted House, starred Mickey Rooney and was directed by Charles Lamont. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1969
Time for Giving is the British title for the American comedy film Generation. This exercise in late-sixties "mod"-ness is based on William Goodhart's Broadway play, which originally starred Henry Fonda. David Janssen takes over Fonda's role as the harried father of rebellious daughter Kim Darby. It was bad enough when Darby married kooky Peter Duel and moved to Greenwich Village. Now Darby is pregnant, and she and her husband insist upon partaking of that new hippie craze known as "natural childbirth," dispensing with the aid of an obstetrician. Fortunately for the Establishment status quo, Darby's husband gets cold feet, and loyal family doctor Carl Reiner is brought in when the kid is ready to come out of the chute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Janssen, Kim Darby, (more)
- 1977
Richard Harris dodges bullets from stem to stern in this middling thriller, based on a novel by Alistair MacLean. The plot concerns high-sea hijinks aboard the Caribbean Star, a combination cargo ship and floating casino. In the midst of the high rollers and spinning roulette wheels appears Luis Carreras (John Vernon), an amoral mercenary who hijacks the ship. Taking his marching orders from a mysterious mastermind, he installs an atomic device mid-ship, holding both the passengers and the bomb hostage, hoping to exchange them for the gold bullion of an U.S. Treasury ship. All seems to be going according to Luis's plan until First Officer John Carter (Richard Harris), the attractive Susan Beresford (Ann Turkel), and Dr. Marston (Gordon Jackson) arrive to put a crimp in Luis's escapade. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, Ann Turkel, (more)
- 1973
This pilot film for the TV series Harry-O was originally telecast under the title Smile, Jenny, You're Dead. David Janssen plays Harry Orwell, a seedy private eye investigating the murder of his friend's son-in-law. The principal suspect is the victim's wife Jenny (Andrea Marcovicci), a photographer's model. Since this is less a mystery than a suspense story, it isn't unfair to reveal that the real killer is a looney photographer (Zalman King, later a prolific producer of film erotica!), who is in love with Jenny and insanely jealous of anyone who gets in his way. The climax takes place on the roof of a high-rise. Guess what happens. The Harry-O series proper debuted in the fall of 1974, lasting two seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
When an attempt is made on his life, a private detective must retire due to the bullet lodged in his back. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1973
When the blame of murder is placed on his friend, a private detective attempts to clear his reputation in a small cattle community. ~ All Movie Guide
This standard wartime drama is divided into three chronological segments and is based on the experiences of the real Guy Gabaldon (played as an adult by Jeffrey Hunter, and as a boy by Richard Eyer). In the first segment, Guy is a homeless waif without many prospects when he is adopted by a Japanese-American family. He grows up just in time to be drafted into battle in World War II -- the bombing of Pearl Harbor has a particularly devastating effect on his family and their friends. After a wild last fling with two buddies (David Janssen and Vic Damone) and some women, Guy heads off to war where he distinguishes himself because of his fluency in Japanese. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, (more)
- 1980
High Ice is a made-for-television adventure thriller about an Army helicopter rescue team who has to race against time and the elements to save three mountain climbers who are stranded on a small, icy mountain ledge in Washington. Along the way, a lieutenant colonel and a forest ranger engage in a battle of wills, which only makes the rescue more difficult. High Ice has also been shown with the title Challenge of the High Ice. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Actually, Hijack has nothing to do with the Wild Blue Yonder: instead, the story involves two truckers (David Janssen, Keenan Wynn) hauling a mysterious cargo from LA to Houston. The U.S. government won't tell our heroes what they're carrying in their eight-wheeler, but someone knows what it is, and that someone is well armed and very dangerous. Hijack was first broadcast September 26, 1973, while most of the country was watching a Bob Hope special on a competing network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
