Joseph Jennings Movies

Matt Dillon is the only one available from the series in this movie. This time he discovers that he has a daughter he never even knew that he had. Unfortunately, however, she has been kidnapped by some renegade Apaches. Needless to say, the now retired Marshall Dillon comes out of retirement to go to her rescue. Surprisingly respectful and thoughtful with regards to Native American relations. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

In this routine actioner, policeman John Turner (Joseph Jennings) vows to rid Hollywood of drug dealers after the death of his wife. Car chases and gunfire abounds as he zeroes in on the gang in hopes of nabbing the kingpin and his minions. Love interest is provided by a free-lance shutterbug (Trice Shubert) who is assigned to do a photo essay on kids victimized by drugs. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This six-part, 12-hour miniseries was a sequel to the 1985 "mini" North and South, and like its predecessor it was based on a novel by John Jakes (Love and War). In the tradition of The Birth of a Nation (but without the negative racist content), North and South, Book II followed the fortunes of two large families during the Civil War: the Hazards of Pennsylvania and the Mains of South Carolina. As former friends Orry Maine (Patrick Swayze) and George Hazard (James Read) find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict, Orry's sweetheart Madeline (Lesley-Anne Down) is left at the mercy of her sadistic husband Justin LaMotte (David Carradine) and Orry's vixenish sister Ashton (Terri Garber), while George's amour Constance (Wendy Kilbourne) was saddled with an equally disreputable family. Though the series was top-heavy with villains, there was enough time left over for the heroes of the war, notably Abraham Lincoln (Hal Holbrook) and Ulysses S. Grant (Anthony Zerbe). First telecast over the ABC network from May 4-8 and May 11, 1986, North and South, Book II was re-telecast in a six-week block from May 13 to June 17, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This mammoth five-part, 13-hour CBS miniseries was based on the best-selling novel by James A. Michener. Covering the U.S.-Soviet "space race" from the end of WWII to the landing on the moon, the program stars James Garner as Norman Grant, a former war hero turned senator who tirelessly promotes the American space program despite almost insurmountable opposition. Other principal players include John Pope (Harry Hamlin), who matriculates from shavetail West Pointer to pioneering astronaut in the company of fellow space-traveler Randy Claggett (Beau Bridges); Leopold Strabismus (David Dukes), a hedonistic wheeler-dealer who hopes to capitalize on the 1947 UFO scare; German rocket scientist Dieter Kolff (Michael York), whose ideals (or lack thereof) are put to the test when he shifts his allegiance from the Nazis to the Americans; and Stanley Mott (Bruce Dern), an aeronautical engineer whose secret assignment is to make certain that men like Kolff aren't snatched up by the Soviets after the fall of Germany. The winner of three Emmy awards, James A. Michener's Space originally aired from April 14 through 18, 1985; in subsequent showings, the miniseries was cut from 13 to nine hours. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This colorful spoof of pirate movies had all the makings of a classic farce and yet sank straight to Davy Jones' locker at the box-office, for despite it's all-star international cast of famous comedians, and despite the fact that it was largely co-written by "Monty Python"-veteran Graham Chapman and former "Fringie" Peter Cook, the darned thing just wasn't funny. The sketches center around the core story of the dread pirate Yellowbeard's quest for a fabulous treasure, the map for which is tattooed on the head of his prissy son, who wants nothing to do with ships and pirate shenanigans. This was the final film of bug-eyed, beloved comedian Marty Feldman, who died of heart-failure before production finished. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An all-star (or rather, "all-TV star") cast distinguishes this three-hour filmed re-creation of the great stock market crash on October 29, 1929. Though inspired by a fact-based book on "Black Tuesday," the film is chock full of fabricated soap-opera complications involving dozens of fictional characters, among them a debt-plagued Stock Exchange officer, a group of high-profile embezzlers, a social-climbing couple determined to land a wealthy husband for their hapless daughter, and the inevitable far-sighted individuals who know that the Crash is coming and are determined to may hay while the sun is still in the sky. Overall, the film simplifies a very controversial and complicated moment of history into a cut-and-dried account peopled by blatantly obvious heroes and villains. Originally slated to air on February 1, 1981, The Day the Bubble Burst was inexplicably shelved by NBC for over a year, finally making its debut on February 7, 1982. The fact that it was scheduled opposite the network television premiere of Superman: The Movie was indication enough that NBC had very little confidence in their expensive "factual fiction" piece. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the epic novel by James Clavell, Shogun originated as an epic five-part television miniseries, filmed on location in Japan. Richard Chamberlain stars as John Blackthorne, a 17th century British sea pilot in charge of a Dutch vessel. Shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, Blackthorne is in danger of being executed by the suspicious, reclusive Japanese hierarchy, but before long he has been accepted into the local culture. Accordingly, he begins to think of himself as Japanese, adopting the nation's customs and, while wearing the robes of a Samurai warrior, helping to defend the land against its enemies. The arrival of Blackthorne unfortunately arouses the interest of European empire-builders, who hope to add Japan to their holdings. Toshiro Mifune costars as Toranaga, a warlord who befriends Blackthorne, and Yoko Shimada appears as Mariko, the interpreter who eventually falls in love with the Englishman. When it first aired in September of 1980, Shogun caused eyebrows to raise with its seemingly reckless disregard of certain TV taboos: for example, one man is beheaded in full view of the audience, while another relieves himself on the body of an enemy. Most of the early dialogue sequence are in Japanese, which resulted in complaints from many monolingual viewers. As a result, the 1983 rebroadcast of Shogun included English narration by Orson Welles. The 125-minute feature version of Shogun, prepared for home video, includes English subtitles--as well as several originally excised scenes of nudity and excessive violence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Final Eye began life as the pilot for a futuristic TV series. Joe Cortese stars as Mike Stringer, who in the year 1996 is the last private eye left on earth. Stringer is hired by Lisa Korter (Susan George), the daughter of a mysterious financier (Liam Sullivan). Twenty years earlier, the financier had created Eden Isle, a posh resort. Something very odd has been going on at Eden Isle of late, as indicated by the fact that the financier doesn't look a day younger than he did when he opened the place in 1975. Digging a bit too deep, Stringer discovers an insidious conspiracy linked to a master computer. Filmed in 1977, The Final Eye was shelved until August 1, 1982, when it was finally telecast under the new title Computercide. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This award-winning six-part historical epic was one of the first examples of the miniseries format and one of the highest-rated television programs in broadcasting history. Based on the best-selling novel by author Alex Haley, Roots chronicles the progress of Haley's own family across many generations, from the kidnapping of an African warrior by American slave traders to eventual post-Civil War freedom. Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) is a young tribesman of coastal Africa who has passed the rituals marking his transition into manhood. Searching for wood to build a drum, he is set upon by slavers who sell him in the United States after a nightmarish Atlantic crossing. Defiant, Kunta refuses to consider himself a slave, despite some sage advice from his mentor, the more mature Fiddler (Louis Gossett Jr.). As the years pass, the aging Kunta (John Amos) is hobbled for his repeated escape attempts. Realizing he'll never return to Africa, Kunta settles down, becoming husband to Bell (Madge Sinclair) and father to Kizzy (Leslie Uggams), a girl infused with her father's independent spirit. Sold and then raped by her new master, Kizzy has a son, Chicken George (Ben Vereen), a happy go lucky cockfighting expert who uses his skills to buy his freedom. George paves the way for his children, the great-grandchildren of Kunta Kinte, who finally become free in the aftermath of the Civil War. Roots (1977) was followed by a sequel miniseries, Roots: The Next Generations (1979), and a made-for-television feature, Roots: The Gift (1988), as well as another telefilm based on the family history of the Haley clan, Queen (1993). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

The Killer Who Wouldn't Die was the original network title for the 1976 TV movie also known as Ohanian. Mike Connors plays Ohanian, an Armenian-American ex-cop who runs a charter boat service. He's pulled back into the investigation game when one of his old friends is killed in Hawaii by a foreign assassin. The Killer Who Wouldn't Die was the two-hour pilot for an unsold series starring Mike Connors. Had it been picked up, undoubtedly much would have been made by the publicity mills that Ohanian was Connors' real last name--just as we were constantly reminded that Sanford was the actual moniker of comedian Redd Foxx. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Dr. Max is cut from the same cloth as The Last Angry Man. Lee J. Cobb stars as a taciturn elderly doctor who chooses to work in a dingy Baltimore neighborhood and minister to those far less fortunate than themselves. His refusal to succumb to the creature comforts of a more lucrative practice causes a great deal of friction between himself and his family. In traditional "movie of the week" fashion, however, the old medico proves to have a lot more sense than those around him. Dr. Max was first telecast April 4, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "trouble" that comes to a small southern town is (ostensibly) Thomas Evans, an African American youth from the north. Town sheriff Lloyd Bridges, whose life was saved in Korea by Evans' father, invites the boy to live with his family. Racial tensions run high, but temporarily remain under control. All this changes when a rash of auto thefts hits Bridges' town. The belief that Evans is responsible polarizes the community and nearly triggers an all-out race war. Trouble Comes to Town deftly sidesteps the cliches that usually attend issue-oriented TV movies, wrapping the story up with a logical and well-crafted climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A made-for-TV mystery, Goodnight, My Love is bolstered by a top-flight cast and a clever script. The plot revolves around a pair of down-and-out detectives: tall and disheveled Richard Boone, and short and immaculate Michael Dunn. Boone and Dunn are hired by icy blonde Barbara Bain to locate her missing fiance, but it's clear that she isn't telling them the whole story. The two gumshoes tangle with gangsters, racetrack touts and a sinister Maltese Falcon style fat man (Victor Buono) before learning the whole story behind the disappearance. Goodnight, My Love is filled with the many little vignettes that separate a fair mystery from a truly good one--including the unexpected killing off of a major character, a moment that manages to be both chilling and amusing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide