George Kennedy Movies
Born into a show business family, George Kennedy made his stage debut at the age of two in a touring company of Bringing up Father. By the time he was seven, he was spinning records on a New York radio station. Kennedy' showbusiness inclinations were put aside when he developed a taste for the rigors of military life during World War II, and he wound up spending 16 years in the army. His military career ended and his acting career began when a back injury in the late 1950s inspired him to seek out another line of work.Appropriately enough, given his background, Kennedy first made his name with a role as a military advisor on the Sergeant Bilko TV series. In films from 1961, the burly, 6'4" actor usually played heavies, both figuratively and literally; quite often, as in Charade (1963) and Straitjacket (1964), his unsavory screen characters were bumped off sometime during the fourth reel. One of his friendlier roles was as a compassionate Union officer in Shenandoah (1965), an assignment he was to treasure because it gave him a chance to work with the one of his idols, Jimmy Stewart.
Kennedy moved up to the big leagues with his Academy Award win for his portrayal of Dragline in Cool Hand Luke (1967). An above-the-title star from then on, Kennedy has been associated with many a box-office hit, notably all four Airport films. Unlike many major actors, he has displayed a willingness to spoof his established screen image, as demonstrated by his portrayal of Ed Hocken in the popular Naked Gun series. On TV, Kennedy has starred in the weekly series Sarge (1971) and The Blue Knight (1978), and was seen as President Warren G. Harding in the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House. During the mid '90s, he became known as a persuasive commercial spokesman in a series of breath-freshener advertisements. In 1997, he provided the voice for L.B. Mammoth in the animated musical Cats Don't Dance, and the following year again displayed his vocal talents as one of the titular toys-gone-bad in Small Soldiers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In 1923, after acclaimed director Cecil B. de Mille completed the first version of his Biblical epic The Ten Commandments, an odd event occurred that generated a wealth of speculation and mystery: de Mille - having shot on multi-million dollar sets to rival nearly anything in prior movie history - promptly traveled to the sand dunes on the California coast and buried his sets there. For nearly a century, the reasons belying this odd series of actions remained clouded in obscurity. Now, with his documentary Sands of Oblivion, filmmaker David Flores finally uncovers the truth: De Mille, it seems, acquired the majority of artifacts for the film on actual Middle Eastern burial grounds. The items included an odd prayer bowl, allegedly cursed with the spirit of Im-La-Ra - the god of chaos and fear. Certainly few other explanations could account for the devastating experiences had by the workers on the film crew - experiences that included devastating maniacal visions, sudden insanity and loss of control that led to murder. With Sands of Oblivion, Flores travels to the site of the initial burial and excavates the items once again, with a team of archaeologists, to investigate the truth behind these legendary events. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin, (more)
A long-lost fright flick with the power to unleash the silver screen's greatest terrors threatens to turn the ghouls loose once again after being re-discovered by a curious young monster fanatic in director David S. Cass' heartfelt tribute to 1950's-era sci-fi and horror films. Ageing film director Dexter Brisbane (George Kennedy) has witnessed firsthand the power that his film "Monsters on the Loose" truly has, and after seeing his celluliod horrors take human form when the film was first released, he hid it in his attic and vowed never to screen it again. When the ailing Dexter hires Shelley Stoker (Linda Blair) to be his personal nurse and Shelley's son Tim (Tim McCallum) makes the discovery of a lifetime, it's only a matter of time before "living-ghost" Revenant, malevolent store-front dummy Manikin, and toothy were-rat Vermin leap from the screen to torment the living once again. Thankfully the bad guys aren't the only ones with the power to make the leap from fantasy to reality, and with a little help from screen sheriff Jay Forrest (Adam Baldwin), young Tim and his friends may be able to ensure that this screening of "Monsters on the Loose" doesn't go from limited run to extended engagement. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Adam Baldwin, (more)
- 1998
In this sudsy made-for-TV installment of the Ewing saga, wily J.R. (Larry Hagman) finds himself discontent merely managing an oil conglomerate and decides to try to regain control of his father's company from Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and Sue Ellen (Linda Gray). But first he needs money. Opportunity knocks when he discovers that Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly) has a large untapped supply of oil upon his land. Best of all, Krebbs is ignorant of this fact. Unfortunately, J.R.'s long-time rival Carter McKay (George Kennedy) also knows about the oil and is not about to let J.R. get it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
- 1996
A new bio-computer, loaded with vital DNA information, is used in a crisis simulation to test the defense capabilities of a military installation. Unfortunately, the computer develops its own intelligence and goes out of control, threatening to trigger an ecological disaster of apocalyptic proportions. An all-star voice cast distinguishes this episode, which made its first cable TV appearance on December 23, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Quinton Flynn, John deLancie, (more)
- 1996
George Kennedy plays himself in an extended sequence wherein the actor's number one fan, Brian (Steven Weber), reaches heretofore unscaled heights of annoyance. Meanwhile, Larry Mohr (Mark Blum), the contractor hired to build a new house for Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen (Crystal Bernard), is booted out of his own home by his wife. Thus it is that Joe and Helen are saddled with the care and feeding of the morose Mr. Mohr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- Add Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story to QueueAdd Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story to top of Queue
Donny B. Lord and Victor Love share the title role in Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story. The film traces the true story of young Gathers, played by Lord as a child and Love as an adult. Rising from his inner-city origins to become a basketball star at Loyola Marymount, Gathers' career is suddenly, and tragically, cut short. Co-starring are Nell Carter as Hank's supportive mother and George Kennedy as the inspirational neighborhood priest. Made for television, Final Shot was first seen in syndication during the week of March 29-April 4, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Love, Donny B. Lord, (more)
One of the largest crimes in history was the 1980 robbery of the Boston Depositors Trust by a group of policemen as related in this true story. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Asner, Ray Sharkey, (more)
We know we're in a 1988 film when we're invited to laugh at O.J. Simpson in an opening slapstick sequence. We can also pinpoint the year of production when hard-nosed cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), during a scuffle with the world's leading dictators, wipes the wine-colored birthmark off the head of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. Those wacky ZAZ boys -- David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker -- serve up a feature-length spin-off of their cult favorite TV show Police Squad!. Seeking vengeance when his partner (Simpson) is shot full of holes by drug dealers, dead-pan and dead-brained Lt. Frank Drebin searches for the Mister Big behind it all. Drebin suspects above-reproach shipping magnate Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban), but he can't prove a thing. Bumped from the force by the mayor (Nancy Marchand), Drebin, with the unexpected assistance of Ludwig's ex-girlfriend (Priscilla Presley), manages to nab the bad guy at a baseball game, where Reggie Jackson has been programmed to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. MGM mogul Irving Thalberg once reportedly told the Marx Brothers, "You can't build jokes on top of jokes." The producers of Naked Gun prove otherwise; indeed, one could develop writer's cramp just listing the gags in the film's first 20 minutes. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad was followed by two lesser but still hilarious sequels, Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1987
In this pilot Western produced for Canadian television, two brothers and their cousin become bandits to rescue their ranch from a greedy land developer. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Moronic teens vacationing in Demonwood Forest are terrorized by a shambling Neanderthal -- not the director, but a big goon in a fuzzy ape suit who attacks George Kennedy and hauls his daughter off into the woods to a fate worse than death... perhaps to a screening of this movie. As it turns out, the rampaging beastie (which looks like a soiled feather-duster on legs) is not the local monster of mountain legend but merely a front for the subterranean activities of a cult of devil-worshipping aliens (they could have just called the tabloids if they needed better PR), who pass the time turning the locals into zombies... not a difficult task, especially with this brain-dead bunch. Cheap sets, dime-store costumes and Dinner Theater thesping lend a certain chintzy Ed Wood charm to the proceedings, but even this level of absurdity can't cover up the fact that the film's investors -- to say nothing of the audience -- probably felt profoundly rooked. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Kennedy, David Michael O'Neill, (more)
- 1987
This made-for-TV movie is the second follow-up to the astonishingly successful Kenny Rogers as the Gambler (1980). Rogers returns as Old West gambler Brady Hawkes, while Bruce Boxleitner, Rogers' co-star in 1983's The Gambler: The Adventure Continues, is also back as Hawkes' sidekick Billy Montana. Others in the cast include Linda Gray as adventuress Mary Collins, Jeffrey Jones as Buffalo Bill Cody and George American Horse as Sitting Bull. This time around, Brady and Billy try to protect the Sioux Nation from corrupt, treaty-breaking cavalry officers who've been stealing cattle and shifting the blame to the Indians. The Gambler III: The Legend Continues debuted November 22, 1987, an occasion celebrated by a TV Guide cover story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The fact that this made-for-TV movie is derivation of the megahit Airport is obvious by the presence of novelist Arthur Hailey in the credits. Gil Gerard heads the cast as David Montgomery, manager of a huge and extremely busy airport. As David wrestles with personal problems at home and a crisis with a burned-out air traffic controller (Bill Bixby) at the workplace, his burden is increased by the news that a Hawaii-bound jet has taken off with a bomb on board. George Kennedy, who'd appeared in all of the Airport theatrical films, here contributes an extended cameo role. International Airport first aired May 25, 1985, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Dorian Harewood stars as the legendary black athlete in this made-for-TV biography that follows Jesse Owens from his collegiate career, to his pinnacle at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won four gold medals--much to the dismay of Adolf Hitler and his squad of Aryan super-athletes. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
In a semi-erotic film almost universally lamented, Bo Derek, last wife of the late John Derek (who wrote, directed, and photographed Bolero), plays Ayre, a virginal young woman who, on graduating from an exclusive British boarding school, is determined to find the right man for her first sexual encounter wherever he might be in the world. Rich enough not to venture forth alone, she brings along her friend Catalina (Ana Obregon) and the family chauffeur (George Kennedy). Ayre first travels to an Arab country where she meets an ideal lover, a sheik (Greg Bensen) who offers to deflower her but falls asleep almost immediately (he was, after all, reciting lines from this script). Giving up on the sheik, Ayre goes on to Spain, where she meets the toreador Angel (Andrea Occhipinti) who is even better than the sheik because he manages to stay awake. Unfortunately, after she has succeeded in her quest, the perils of Angel's profession are brought home when he is gored in a sensitive location -- the arena, of course. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bo Derek, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1981
This 1981 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by George Kennedy and features musical guest Miles Davis. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Kennedy, Miles Davis, (more)
- 1981
The plan was to develop a Star Wars type TV series with heavy injections of Sword N Sorcery. The title of the pilot was Archer: Fugitive From the Empire (the Archer part was lopped off when the film went into syndication). Soap opera refugee Lane Caudell plays a prince on a faraway planet who has been accused of murdering his father. The deed was actually perpetrated by the king's nephew and an evil warrior, but the Prince can prove this only if he goes on a quest (naturally) to find a beneficent sorcerer. Belinda Bauer, wearing next to nothing, is the "Princess Leia/Red Sonja" of this saga. Archer: Fugitive From the Empire resulted in a very short-lived (and presumably very costly) series, which ran for about half a minute in mid-1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour Backstairs at the White House was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Uggams, Olivia Cole, (more)
