Kiel Martin Movies

In this made-for-television movie, a woman (Ann Jillian) is sent to prison for assisting her good-for-nothing boyfriend in an embezzling scheme. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

"Let's be careful out there..." So ends each roll call session at the Hill Street station house. As the cops and detectives head out to the streets, Captain Frank Furillo begins the delicate balancing act of providing enough protection for the law-abiding citizens without inciting the neighborhood gangs and local criminal elements who are openly hostile towards any police presence. Yet as dangerous as his inner city precinct can be, Furillo's biggest battles often involve protecting his own cops from the Public Defender's office, self-serving bureaucrats, and even each other.

The title character in this episode is a female amnesia victim, played by the versatile Vera Miles. While searching for "Barbara"'s true identity, Ironside (Raymond Burr) discovers that somebody is trying to kill the woman. He also realizes that he is falling in love with "Barbara"--and that, despite his inherent professionalism, he is afraid of what he'll find out once her real name is verified. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Writer/director Gy Waldron makes his feature film debut with the 1975 action comedy Moonrunners. Cousins Grady (James Mitchum) and Bobby Lee (Kiel Martin) run moonshine for their wise old Uncle Jessie (Arthur Hunnicutt). Lately, though, his fine quality liquor hasn't been moving that much. That's because boorish businessman Jake Rainey (George Ellis) has been trying to take over all the moonshine running in the area. He'll stop at nothing to shut down Uncle Jessie's little operation, including paying off the local law enforcement officers and recruiting speed driver Zeebo (Pete Munro). When Jake tries to buy out Uncle Jessie's stock, Grady and Bobby Lee plan a little operation of their own. Meanwhile, Grady carries on an affair with Jake's wife Reba (Joan Blackman) and Bobby Lee falls in love with blonde runaway Beth (Chris Forbes). Outlaw country singer Waylon Jennings narrates and composes the musical score. If this whole premise sounds familiar, it's because director Waldron was also the creator of the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. Based on this film, the show debuted four years later on CBS. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason begins representing an author who is accused of killing her conniving ex-husband at a mystery writers convention. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Originally made for television and based on a true story from the '50s, this film concerns a rural Arizona town that deals in polygamy. Specifically, a boy is shocked that his father (Christopher Atkins), a veteran of the Korean War, wishes to take a 15-year-old girl for another wife. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Petty jealousies and misunderstandings between two rival families escalate into a tragic outburst of violence in this drama. Laban Feather (Rod Steiger) is the patriarch of a family of Tennessee moonshiners, brewing corn liquor with the help of his sons: Thrush (Scott Wilson), Zack (Jeff Bridges), Hawk (Ed Lauter), and Finch (Randy Quaid). The chief rivals of the Feather Family have long been the Gutshalls, another Tennessee clan who sell illegal alcohol; the Gutshalls are led by father Pap (Robert Ryan), with the help of his boys Ludie (Kiel Martin), Seb (Gary Busey), and Villum (Paul Koslo). While fighting for their share of the market in white lightning, the Feathers and the Gutshalls have also feuded over a piece of land that each side believes is rightfully theirs. Hoping to create internal friction amongst the Feather siblings, Ludie Gutshall mails a postcard from the non-existent "Lolly-Madonna" to the Feather home and allows the brothers to puzzle over who has attracted her attentions. The prank begins to turn ugly when Thrush and Hawk kidnap Roonie Gill (Season Hubley), a woman passing through town en route to meet her fiancée, believing that she's the "Lolly Madonna" they've heard about. Lolly-Madonna XXX was based on a novel by Sue Grafton entitled The Lolly-Madonna War, and was also released under that title. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This routine western finds Union Colonel John Henry Thomas (John Wayne) and company attacking Confederate soldiers lead by Colonel James Langdon (Rock Hudson). After a crushing defeat, Langdon torches his plantation rather than have it fall into enemy hands. A group of Southerners accept the invitation of Emperor Maximilian to join them, and Langdon heads off with a wagon train of settlers to a new land. Thomas with his adopted Indian son Blue Boy (Roman Gabriel) bring a herd of 3,000 horses across the Rio Grand for sale. The two factions meet at a Fourth of July party and relive the war through a drunken brawl. When Mexican General Rojas (Tony Aguilar) holds the Southerners hostage, Thomas orders the herd to stampede into the General's camp as ransom payment for their former enemies. Merlin Olsen plays the blacksmith Little George. Both Gabriel and Olsen were pro-football all-stars for the Los Angeles Rams. Olsen continued his acting and sports announcing after his gridiron days were over. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide