Jon Lormer Movies

A veteran supporting cast graces the inspirational Beyond the Next Mountain. The story follows what happens when the Christian gospel of John finds its way to one of the most violent tribes in India and changes its leaders from bellicose warriors to Christ-loving pacifists. One of the converts, Rochunga Pudaite, is so moved and changed inside that he launches the 'Bibles for the World' organization, so that others can hear the gospel as well. Jon Lormer, Edward Ashley and Barry Foster are among the familiar faces in the cast. James F. Collier (Joni), a veteran helmer of Christian cinema, directs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Two of the most venerable names in the horror field, author Stephen King and director George A. Romero, present this anthology of original twisted tales inspired by the E.C. horror comics of the 50's and 60's (themselves a more direct basis for the popular Tales from the Crypt TV series). The five stories are framed within the pages of a comic book which a boy's insensitive father has thrown in the garbage. The first tale, "Father's Day," features a zombie patriarch returning to claim his Father's Day cake; "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" stars King himself as a slack-jawed yokel whose discovery of a radioactive meteorite turns him into a walking weed; "Something to Tide You Over" presents a deadly-serious Leslie Nielsen as a cuckolded husband who plans an elaborate seaside revenge; "The Crate" unleashes its ferocious man-eating contents on the enemies of a meek college professor; and "They're Creeping Up On You" pits obsessively-clean billionaire E.G. Marshall against a swarm of cockroaches in his sterile penthouse. The chapters are uniformly creative, filmed in garish comic-book colors, and Tom Savini's makeup effects are quite memorable (particularly the monster from "The Crate"), though the campy treatment does become exhausting after two hours' runtime. The final segment is the most impressive, thanks to Marshall's over-the-top performance, though the planned scope of the cockroach invasion was drastically reduced (no doubt due to budget constraints). ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

While ghostwriting the autobiography of eccentric, reclusive millionaire Harold W. Farber, Virginia Fowler (Patch Mackenzie) finds that all her research notes have been stolen. Magnum is hired to find out why Virginia has been thus victimized--and along the way, he discovers that a seemingly unrelated delivery job accepted by T.C. (Roger Mosley Jr.) may provide the solution to several mysteries. Veteran movie bad guyElisha Cook Jr., who later joined the Magnum, P.I. cast in the recurring role of shady businessman "Ice Pick", is here seen as Harold W. Farber...or is he? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) enthusiastically offer their support to T.C. Rogers, who is running against Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) as Hazzard County's Supervisory Administrator. The boys do this for two important reasons: They want to remove Boss as their probation officer, and the "T.C." stands for Thelma Clare (Pat Klous), who is a lot prettier and a whole lot more desirable than the redoubtable Mr. Hogg. Naturally, a down-and-dirty campaign ensues, with no one "down-er" and dirtier than Boss--who is ultimately foiled by, of all people, Sheriff Roscoe (James Best! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama three contemporary couples prepare for their upcoming nuptials. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Although the family is convinced that Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) is a shoe-in at the University of Virginia Nursing School, she may not be able to qualify because she has never taken algebra or chemistry. Normally, Mary Ellen would turn to brother John-Boy (Richard Thomas) to help her pass the entrance exams, but it turns out that algebra and chemistry were his two worst subjects in school. Thus, Mary Ellen solicits the aid of local Public Health nurse Nora Taylor (Barbara Eda-Young)--who happens to have a few problems of her own at the moment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Wayne returned to the role that won him an Oscar in this sequel to the western classic True Grit. Rooster Cogburn (Wayne) has once again been stripped of his badge after some questionable behavior with his gun, but he's given the chance to earn it back after an especially appalling crime demands an experienced lawman. A gang of violent and ruthless criminals, led by Hawk (Richard Jordan) and Breed (Anthony Zerbe), have stolen a shipment of explosive nitroglycerine and cut a swath through a village led by a preacher and his flock. The preacher died, along with many others, and his daughter, Eula Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn), is determined that the outlaws will be brought to justice. Cogburn is given the task of tracking down the criminals, but he's less than enthusiastic about the fact Goodnight insists on tagging along. Rooster Cogburn marked the first (and last) time John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn would work together on screen; it was also the final film from noted producer Hal Wallis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Posing as an elderly and very grouchy English professor, Ironside (Raymond Burr) infiltrates a convalescent home where many strange deaths have occurred. To lure the killer out of hiding, Ed (Don Galloway) and Fran (Elizabeth Baur) impersonate Ironside's grown children, carefully dropping hints that they'd be better off if "dad" was no longer alive. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that Ruth Roman delivers an outstanding performance as a grim-visaged nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In her third Bonanza appearance, Mariette Hartley is here cast as Jennifer, the daughter of Ben Cartwright's old friend Harry Carlis (John McLiam). Slated to be wed to influential banker Tuttle Ames (Burr DeBennings, Jennifer leaves her intended at the altar and makes a beeline to the Ponderosa, insisting that she's been in love with Ben all her life. Even though Ben refuses to marry the girl, the vengeful Ames does everything in his power to destroy the Cartwright's financial empire. B.W. Sandefur's script makes a passing reference to Ben's son Adam, who hadn't been seen on Bonanza for nearly five years when "Is There Any Man Here?" first aired on February 8, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When school rules prohibit Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) from attending a father-and-son event, Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) is upset, regarding Bill as the only dad he has ever had. This sets Bill to worrying that the kids are losing all memory of their real father. To solve this problem, Bill packs the family up for a nostalgic return visit to their home town of Terre Haute, where a number of touching surprises await them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Guest star Joan Collins plays the title character in this offbeat Mission: Impossible episode. While on a particularly delicate recovery mission, Phelps is shot, wounded and left for dead. Upon awakening, he finds that he has been nursed back to health by the beautiful Nicole. Despite being trained to trust no one, Phelps begins to fall in love with Nicole--while she pumps him for information on behalf of her boss, enemy intelligence officer Anton Valdas (Logan Ramsey). Written by Stuart Hagmann, "Nicole" first aired on March 30, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Sheriff Walker (Stuart Randall) of Muddy Creek is murdered, Ben and Joe Cartwright volunteer to guard prisoner Luke Harper (Joe Don Baker). Fearful of retaliation from Harper's gang, the townspeople refuse to assist Ben and Joe, going so far as to desert the town. The only remaining citizens are Walker's widow (Ann Doran), an old man (Jon Lormer) and his grandson Tommy (played by future Bonanza regular Mitch Vogel, and town trollop Casey Collins (Jean Hale). Written by Alf Harris (and, possibly, inspired by such theatrical westerns as Stagecoachand Rio Bravo), "The Real People of Muddy Creek" first aired on October 6, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After an explosion at SF International Airport, Ironside discovers that someone has abandoned a baby in his van. Subsequent events suggest that the child's mother was the intended victim of the bombing, prompting Ironside (Raymond Burr) to use the baby as bait in hopes of locating the mom and persuading her to reveal all the facts of the case. In an amusing plot development, the cantankerous Chief proves to be an ideal babysitter! Two sets of 11-month-old twins were cast as "Officer Bobby" in this episode, which was coscripted by "Michael Shayne" creator Brett Halliday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide