Berry Kroeger Movies

Adapted from a lesser-known novel from SF/Horror author Dean R. Koontz, this claustrophobic thriller presents a computerized nemesis incorporating the murderous elements of 2001's HAL with the world-domination goal of the title villain in Colossus: The Forbin Project. Brilliant cybernetics expert Dr. Alex Harris (Fritz Weaver) develops a revolutionary new supercomputer dubbed Proteus IV (voice of Robert Vaughn, uncredited) which is capable of almost human self-awareness and capacity for intellectual growth. Unfortunately for Alex and his wife Susan (Julie Christie), Proteus is also imbued with a very human desire to grow beyond the limitations of his own knowledge -- as well as to escape the isolation of the laboratory -- and taps into the home terminals of the Harris' high-tech dream house, in which he makes Susan a virtual prisoner. As she is put through a tortuous series of physical and mental tests, the Proteus mainframe takes severe steps to prevent any interference -- even resorting to the murder of Harris' assistant (Gerrit Graham). Susan's confusion eventually turns to dread when she begins to realize Proteus' true intentions... to evolve beyond mere circuitry and assume a human form by impregnating her with his "seed." Despite the lurid premise, this is probably the most conventional effort from controversial director Donald Cammell (Performance, Wild Side), and the film's theme of the computer's ominously pervasive role in human affairs -- in this case forcing its way into our bodies as well as our lives -- seems oddly prescient today. Christie's convincing performance makes the most of a role which has her shouting at the walls and ceiling for two-thirds of the movie. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

This ridiculous '70s exploitation quickie is notable mainly for its casting: Bruce Dern toplines as the crazed doctor Girard, with Munsters star Pat Priest as his beleaguered wife and top-40 DJ Casey Kasem (who also lends his talents to various voice-overs throughout the film) as a medical colleague. Girard's semi-successful attempts at surgically attaching additional heads to various lab animals leaves him a bit unfulfilled, and it's no time at all before he goes about performing the operation on a human being. He chooses as his first subject his caretaker's simple-minded but kindly son Danny (John Bloom), onto whose massive shoulders he adds the head of a demented killer (Albert Cole) who was recently gunned down while trying to invade Girard's home. The result is less frightening than pitiful as the morose Danny's personality is subjugated to the evil will of his unwelcome new head, whose psychotic rage continues unabated in his hulking new physique. Shoddy effects, a cheesy (and horribly miscued) psychedelic score and laughably bad dialogue have ingratiated this film to many bad-movie buffs' top-ten lists. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Russ Meyer followed-up his delirious Beyond the Valley of the Dolls with this surprisingly straighforward drama, which offered little of Meyer's traditional tongue-in-cheek humor or remarkably proportioned women in favor of a serious message about the evils of censorship. A bookstore sells a copy of a notorious erotic novel, entitled The Seven Minutes, to a teenager who is later arrested for rape. A prosecutor on a crusade against pornography seizes upon this as an opportunity to have the book declared obscene, and the trial sparks a heated debate about the issue of pornography vs. free speech, as well as revealing a startling revelation about the novel's true author. Adapted from a novel by Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes featured one of Meyer's more interesting casts, including veteran character actors John Carradine and Alexander D'Arcy, a post-Munsters Yvonne de Carlo, a pre-Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck, lounge comic Jackie Gayle, and Wolfman Jack as himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The slimy underbelly of psychiatry is revealed in this nasty exploitation drama that centers on a female psychiatrist who talks about her tawdriest cases, examples of which, including incest, masochism, impotency and prostitution, are illustrated. When not talking, the doctor and her daughter get involved in a few wild adventures of their own including an orgy and a campus riot. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This dull House of Wax variant involves a claw-handed escaped maniac (Patrick O'Neal), who rampages through late 19th-century Baltimore on a mission of vengeance. Hot on his trail are the proprietors of a "House of Horrors" wax museum and their Mexican dwarf sidekick Tun-Tun. Initially conceived as a TV movie, this tepid horror-thriller was instead spiced up with additional gore and violence for theatrical release. Apparently this was still not enough, as the producers then decided to add a few William Castle-type gimmicks -- the "Fear Flasher" and "Horror Horn" -- to prepare audiences for upcoming bouts of onscreen bloodletting. Unfortunately, no such device was employed to warn viewers of imminent boredom. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

A chain of weird events has Ramona Ambrose (Mona Freeman) convinced she is going insane. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is hired to find out with Roseanne is indeed crazy, or if she has been targeted for persecution by an unknown party. Inevitably, murder rears it ugly head and the sinister plot to drive Ramona bonkers is revealed--but by this time, she has been charged with killing her tormentor's co-conspirator. Amusingly, the character played by Berry Kroeger is named "Kirk Cameron"--but take our word for it, there is absolutely no resemblance! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The President of the United States requires an emergency operation, which must be conducted in secret, after he is injured in a fall. The Seaview is chosen as the safest place for the surgery, but an enemy power has gotten an assassin aboard, as part of the surgical team performing the operation. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

This was the last film by director Stuart Heisler, and in his uneven output it was not one of the most memorable. The evil dictator (Richard Basehart) is shown to be very much involved with his love life, as though impotency and a severe Oedipal complex alone could account for his dominion over Germany and the insanity that led into World War II. Other characters in the top echelons make their way into and out of the story, including Heinrich Himmler (Rick Traeger), Joseph Goebbels (Martin Kosleck), and of course, Eva Braun (Marla Emo). Any viewers looking for an explanation of how the madness within Hitler related to his rise to power and his downfall, will best look elsewhere. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Director George Pal is noted as a special effects maestro, both in films for children that feature his "puppetoons" and in sci-fi spectacles like the War of the Worlds. So it is no surprise that this sci-fi yarn about the fabled sunken continent of Atlantis should excel in the special effects department. Otherwise, the story is a clichéd tale about Demetrios (Anthony Hall) a Greek fisherman who is tempted into going to Atlantis by Antillia (Joyce Taylor), a princess of that doomed land. Demetrios is soon trapped into slavery, a situation which leads him to hobnob with the oppressed masses and plan a strategy to get them out of there before the rumblings of imminent submersion send the whole kit and caboodle into the briny deep. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

While Ben Cartwright nurses his son Adam through a high fever, his thoughts drift back to Adam's late mother, Ben's first wife Elizabeth (Geraldine Brooks. Ben also recalls his seafaring days under the command of Captain Abel Morgan Stoddard (Torin Thatcher), Elizabeth's father. Also in the cast are Berry Kroeger as Mandible, Richard Collier as Otto, Alex Sharpe as Blackmer, and future Mary Tyler Moore Show regular Ted Knight. First seen on May 27, 1961, this classic Bonanza episode was written by Anthony Lawrence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Biblical epic stars Elana Eden as Ruth, who serves in the temple where the High Priestess (Viveca Lindfors) leads the worship of the Pagan idols of the people of Moab. When Ruth falls in love with Mahlon (Tom Tryon), a Hebrew, she must come to terms with his spiritual beliefs, but in time she embraces his faith and converts to Judaism when they marry. Ruth travels with Mahlon and his mother Naomi (Peggy Wood) to their homeland of Bethlehem. Ruth suffers hardship and religious persecution, and when Mahlon dies, Ruth's faith is severely tested. But her belief in God survives this trial by fire, and in time Ruth finds a new love with Boaz (Stuart Whitman). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When Louisa Holbrook leaves $10,000,000 to her teeange daughter Trudy (Ann Benton), two different men appear out of nowhere, claiming to be Trudy's long-lost father. Though Trudy believes the "first" Jay Holbrook (Hayden Rorke), detectives have unearthed persuasive evidence that Jay Holbrook Number Two (Francis DeSales) is the genuine article. The only person who will be able to identity the real Jay Holbrook is Trudy's blind uncle Lawrence King (Francis X. Bushman)--and when King is murdered, Trudy is charged with the crime, obliging family attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to rush to the girl's defense. This is the final episode of Perry Mason's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide