Adam Kennedy Movies
The author of such novels as The Killing Season and the best-selling The Domino Principle, Adam Kennedy also wrote screenplays and teleplays and occasionally worked as an actor in films, television, and on-stage. He made his feature film debut in The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955) and made most of his movie appearances during the rest of the '50s. He wrote his first film screenplay for The Dove in 1975. On television, Kennedy appeared on Playhouse 90 and Gunsmoke. He was also a regular on the series The Californian and The Doctors. Kennedy died of a heart attack on October 16, 1997, at the age of 75. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1980
- PG
This box-office bomb is about some schemers' hell-bent efforts to raise the fated vessel from its murky grave when they suspect that there's a fortune in radioactive cargo aboard. To add a little excitement, a bunch of Russians decide they want to get there first. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Robards, Jr., Richard Jordan, (more)
- 1977
- R
Stanley Kramer directed this paranoid thriller involving a murderer who is inexplicably released from prison by a mysterious organization. Gene Hackman is Roy Tucker, serving time in San Quentin when he's busted out by a secret organization in return for having to assassinate an unnamed person. Roy travels from San Francisco to Spain trying to find out why he was released from prison and who he has to kill. His only lead is the organization is run by a collection of unknown people, collectively known as "They." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, (more)
- 1974
- PG
Gregory Peck produced this coming-of-age adventure, richly photographed by Sven Nykvist. Based on a true story, the film documents the five-year journey of Robin Lee Graham (Joseph Bottoms), a 16-year-old boy who sets out in a 23-foot sloop, determined to be the youngest person to sail around the world. As he travels around the globe, he undergoes a string of new experiences while growing from a child to an adult. Along the way, he falls in love with an inspiring woman, Patti Ratteree (Deborah Raffin), who follows him throughout his journeys, meeting him at ports of call in Fiji, Australia, South Africa, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Bottoms, Deborah Raffin, (more)
- 1957
Joel McCrea essays the title role in this moody little western. McCrea is a Union officer wounded in battle, who joins up with a wagon train heading westward. He is ostracized by those passengers who'd fought on the Confederate side, though leading lady Virginia Mayo welcomes his presence. McCrea redeems himself in the eyes of the ex-Confederate homesteaders when he acts as mediator in a range dispute with a land baron (Barry Kelly)--who happens to be McCrea's own half brother. Tall Stranger is based on a novel by the prolific Louis L'Amour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, (more)
- 1957
- NR
Adapted by Robert Anderson from a story by James A. Michener, the Robert Wise-directed soaper Until They Sail is set in World-War-II New Zealand. Paul Newman plays been-there-done-that U.S. marine captain Jack Harding, assigned to investigate servicemen's requests to marry local girls. An unemotional cipher, Harding begins to warm up when he meets war widow Barbara Leslie Forbes (Jean Simmons), a woman with three sisters (played by Joan Fontaine, Piper Laurie, and Sandra Dee -- what a gene pool!). The Newman-Simmons relationship is played against the romance between uptight spinster Anne Leslie (Fontaine) and good-natured officer Richard Bates (Charles Drake), and the dysfunctional marriage between the emotionally desperate (and nymphomaniacal) Delia Leslie (Laurie) and slimy Shiner Friskett (Wally Cassell), who is off in battle. The fourth sister, Evelyn (Dee), watches her sisters' amorous pursuits longingly, her mind occupied by her own true love, who is off to war. Until They Sail was a copacetic reunion between star Newman and director Robert Wise, who'd previously collaborated in Somebody Up There Likes Me. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine, (more)
- 1957
Anthony Mann, best known for his intelligent Westerns and hard-boiled crime films, directed this unflinching look at the realities of war set against the backdrop of the Korean conflict. Lt. Mark Benson (Robert Ryan) is the leader of a platoon that has just been given orders to advance to Hill 465, where they are to join awaiting troops and advance on the territory. While Benson and his men are weary, they have little choice but to comply. Needing a transport for their weapons, Benson and his men commandeer a truck, only to discover that it's not empty -- Sgt. "Montana" Williamette (Aldo Ray) has been ordered to escort a colonel (Robert Keith) suffering from extreme battle fatigue to a field hospital for examination and treatment. While Benson's loyalty is to his troops and his mission, Montana refuses to turn over the truck; the colonel is one of the only men he's been able to rely on during his stretch in the Army, and he is determined to stand by him in his time of need. Either way, the men find themselves frequently confronted by danger, and their numbers are decimated when they're ambushed by enemy troops. The supporting cast includes L.Q. Jones, Nehemiah Persoff, and Vic Morrow, who five years later would confront the dark side of war on a weekly basis as star of the TV series Combat. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1957
Newly re-energized in the late 1950s, the venerable Pine-Thomas production company moved from Paramount to United Artists, there to make such actioners as Bailout at 43,000. John Payne stars as a courageous test pilot, who joins a team busily testing jet-bomber ejector seats. But before he can prove his worth to the team, Payne loses his nerve. Chances are he'll get it back in time to make the titular bailout at 43,000 feet, thereby redeeming himself in the eyes of his wife (Karen Steele) and son (Richard Eyer). The film truly comes to life during its aerial scenes, but crashes to earth during its treacly dramatic passages. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Karen Steele, (more)
- 1955
Convinced by Matt Dillon (James Arness) to hang up his weapons, reformed gunman Andy Travis (Adam Kennedy) settles down to an honest job in Dodge City. Unfortunately, Travis' violent past catches up with him when Joe Kite (James Griffith) saunters into town, determined to collect the $1000 bounty on Andy. It is up to Matt to make sure that justice is served--and that the reprehensible Kite leaves empty-handed. This episode is based on the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of March 5, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
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In this 1955 Otto Preminger film, Gary Cooper stars as World War I hero Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. The film recounts Mitchell's efforts to prove the viability of a strong air force. The hidebound military higher-ups refuse to finance aviation any further, figuring that the strength of the United States lies in its navy. When a friend is killed by flying a faulty plane, Mitchell charges the War and Navy department with incompetence and criminal negligence. When the brass tries to quietly court-martial Mitchell, they are forced into the open by the strength of public opinion, largely in Mitchell's favor. Subjected to the grilling of prosecutor Alan Guillon (Rod Steiger) during his trial, Mitchell sticks to his guns, even outlining a potential Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor unless the military wises up and strengthens its air power. Elizabeth Montgomery makes her film debut in the role of Margaret Landsdowne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, (more)
