Strother Martin Movies
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Strother Martin was the National Junior Springboard Diving Champion when he came to Hollywood as a swimming coach in the late 1940s. He stuck around Lala-land to play a few movie bits and extra roles before finally receiving a role of substance in The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Lean and limber in his early day, Martin was frequently cast in parts which called upon his athletic prowess (e.g. a drawling big-league ball player in 1951's Rhubarb). As his face grew more pocked and his body more paunched with each advancing year, Martin put his reedy, whiny voice and sinister squint to excellent use as a villain, most often in westerns. It took him nearly 20 years to matriculate from character actor to character star. In 1967, Martin skyrocketed to fame as the sadistic prison-farm captain in Cool Hand Luke: his character's signature line, "What we have here is a failure t' communicate," became a national catchphrase. While he continued accepting secondary roles for the rest of his career, Martin was awarded top billing in two sleazy but likeable programmers, Brotherhood of Satan (1971) and Ssssssss (1973). A veteran of scores of television shows, Strother Martin was seen on a weekly basis as Aaron Donager in Hotel De Paree (1959) and as star Jimmy Stewart's country cousin in Hawkins (1973). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
This 1980 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Strother Martin and features musical guest the Specials. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi
- Starring:
- Strother Martin, The Specials, (more)
Billy (Jon Voight) is on the road with his son T.J. (Ricky Schroder), fighting low-end boxing matches for drinking money before moving on to the next town for another match. When his ex-wife (and T.J.'s mother) Annie (Faye Dunaway) shows up, it's to tell him that she wants custody of the boy. She has remarried and has risen to social prominence in her community. She wants the same for T.J. Determined to keep his son with him, Billy decides to train properly in order to be a success instead of just a washed-up punching bag. This gorgeously photographed drama is a remake of the 1931 film, which won its star Wallace Beery an Oscar. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, (more)
- 1979
The elderly residents of a nursing home tire of being oppressed and stage a revolution in this made-for-television comedy. Following the ensuing riot they rush out and commandeer a passing train to go out for a few final adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Harold Gould, Strother Martin, (more)
- 1979
- PG
In this chiller, a trio of heroes must enter a black Southwestern cave and destroy an entire colony of plague-bearing bats, vampire bats. The story is based on a novel by Martin Cruz Smith. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nick Mancuso, David Warner, (more)
The presence of Paul Lynde, in a small role, reveals more about the quality and tone of this film than the three top names. A farce with plenty of slapstick, it offers Kirk Douglas as a road agent dealing with a naive hero (a young Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is seemingly out of western serials in the '40s and a beautiful, sexy saloon girl (Ann-Margret). The silly jokes are the point, not the plot, though Needham includes some impressive stunts. Some of the most notable draw blatantly on Warner Brothers roadrunner and Daffy Duck cartoons; notably, the film came from Columbia, not Warner. The film's attempt at satire is too heavy-handed to have bite. ~ Bill Wu, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, (more)
- 1979
- PG
Charles Bronson is out for revenge (and doesn't that sound familiar) in this action drama. Jackie Pruit (Jill Ireland) is the girlfriend of notorious gangster Joe Bomposa (Rod Steiger). When it looks as if Jackie's life is being threatened by Bomposa's goons, the FBI moves in to protect her, in hopes that she'll have incriminating evidence that the Bureau can use against Bomposa in court. Veteran agent Charlie Congers (Bronson) is assigned to watch over Jackie, and while it soon becomes obvious that she knows almost nothing about Bomposa that would be of any use to the FBI, he also falls in love with her. However, Bomposa decides that it would be a lot more convenient to have Jackie out of the way, and he orders her to be executed. Bomposa's henchmen manage to slip through FBI security and murder her, but now they have to answer to the angry and vengeful Congers. Love and Bullets also features Strother Martin, Bradford Dillman, Henry Silva, and Paul Koslo. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Rod Steiger, (more)
Nikola Tesla (here played by Petar Bozovic) was a famous 19th century Yugoslavian inventor. The film recounts Tesla's development of the alternating electric current, first under the dictatorial thumb of Thomas Edison (Dennis Patrick), then on his own. Tesla develops a harmonious working relationship with George Westinghouse (Strother Martin), who indulges the inventor his eccentricities and gives him the credit he deserves, something the tyrannical Edison refused to do. Orson Welles appears briefly as J. P. Morgan in this Yugoslavian biopic, originally released as Tajna Nikole Tesle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Orson Welles, Strother Martin, (more)
- 1978
This fun film is based upon the classic O. Henry tale about a bratty kid who kidnappers find to be more than they can handle, so they're happy to de-kidnap him. ~ Rovi
Then professional potheads Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong teamed up for Cheech & Chong: Up In Smoke, which features the drug-addled duo on a road trip throughout California; that is to say, a road-trip they hope will culminate in finding some quality weed. Instead, a series of mishaps result in their respective deportations to Mexico. Desperate to get back to the states so they can perform in their band's gig later that night, Cheech and Chong unwittingly agree to drive a very unique car across the border -- rather than steel and various metal bits, the vehicle is constructed entirely out of marijuana. Back in the States and accompanied by two extraordinarily out-of-it female hitchhikers, the stoned group meanders about in an attempt to get their musical performance together, and narrowly escapes from local law enforcement agencies on numerous occasions despite their complete inability to realize they were being tailed to begin with. The incredibly low-budget movie surprised critics, grossed millions, spawned a series of lesser follow-up films, and cemented Cheech & Chong's cult-status among potheads across the globe. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, (more)
At the beginning of The End, Wendell Sonny Lawson (Burt Reynolds) is informed by his doctor that he's dying from "the same thing Ali MacGraw had in Love Story." Lawson's first reaction is to cry uncontrollably, much to the discomfort of his fellow elevator passengers. He heads to a nearby church to confess all his sins, only to be distracted by the wide-eyed fecklessness of the novice priest (Robby Benson). Attempting to resolve a few issues with ex-wife Mary Ellen (Sally Field), daughter Julie (Kristy McNichol), and his parents (Myrna Loy and Pat O'Brien), Lawson finds that they're all too absorbed in their own problems to pay him any attention. At the end of his rope, Lawson decides to kill himself -- with the help of a nutty mental patient (Dom DeLuise). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1978
Steel Cowboy is one of an overabundance of "trucker" films (made for both TV and theaters) inflicted upon the public in the mid- to late-'70s. James Brolin stars as an independent trucker weighed down with financial difficulties. When first we meet him, he is in danger of losing both his rig and his wife (Jennifer Warren). In desperation, Brolin agrees to haul a cargo of hijacked cattle. The inescapable musical score is evocatively rendered by Juice Newton and The Silver Spur. Steel Cowboy pulled into America's TV screens on December 6, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Jim (James Garner) infiltrates a sanitarium called Horizon's Crest to rescue T.T. Flowers (Strother Martin), who is being victimized by evil land developer Jack Muellard (Scott Brady). But though Muellard is temporarily stopped in his tracks, T.T. still isn't out of the woods yet--and in fact, the poor fellow may be "legally" murdered by a police SWAT team. This episode marks the spectacular demise of Jim Rockford's beloved Firebird 100! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Paul Newman plays Reggie Dunlop, the coach of a pathetic minor-league American hockey team. His career at a standstill and his marriage in tatters, Dunlop has nothing to lose by taking on a new group of players who are one evolutionary step above Neanderthals. Only when the team begins winning does he decide to get behind these players, and to encourage the rest of the team to play as down-and-dirty as the newcomers. Straight-arrow team member Ned Braden (Michael Ontkean) resents this influx of gonzo talent, preferring to play clean. As the film's multitude of subplots play themselves out, Dunlop does his best to keep the outraged Braden on the team. Slap Shot is the sort of film for which the "R" rating was invented: Its nonstop barrage of profanity and its raunchy action sequences are of such intensity that the film will probably never be shown intact on commercial television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Strother Martin, (more)
- 1977
Oscar-winning character actor Strother Martin makes a return visit to Baretta, this time in the role of an embittered doctor named Shaner. Having given up on humanity, Shaner has become a professional bounty hunter. Undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) finds himself in the uncomfortable position of preventing Doc Shaner from killing a scuzzy drug pusher who caused the death of a wealthy banker's daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1977
In the first episode of a two-part story, Rocky's somewhat eccentric friend T.T. Flowers (Strother Martin) has been forced off his "Freedom" property, declared mentally incomptetent, and placed in a sanitarium called Horizon's Crest. It's all the handiwork of crooked land developer Jack Muellard (Scott Brady), who unfortunately has gained the confidence of T.T.'s daughter Cathy (Karen Machon) and son-in-law Sherman (Alex Rocco). Realizing that he will never be able to persuade the authorities that T.T. has been victimized, Jim (James Garner) must handle the situation all by himself--beginning with a daring "break-in/break-out" at Horizon's Crest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
- PG
In this broad comedy-western set in 1908 Colorado, Lee Marvin and Oliver Reed team up as Sam Longwood and Joe Knox, two con-men who once worked as a team. They reunite in order to get revenge upon their third partner, Jack Colby (Robert Culp), who used the trio's ill-gotten gains to become a high society big shot. Oliver Reed's ridiculously stereotypical portrayal of an Indian goes down in film history as the most absurd casting of a Native-American role since Howard Keel's "distinctive" portrayal of Levi Walking Bear in The War Wagon. Kay Lenz also appears as the sexy prostitute Thursday, who has an affair with Sam. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lee Marvin, Oliver Reed, (more)
Also known as The Streetfighter, Hard Times stars Charles Bronson as Chaney, an aging bare-knuckle boxer, trying to scratch out a living in the middle of the Depression. "Speed" (James Coburn) is the two-bit promoter who books Chaney in the tank towns of the South and Midwest. He is briefly reinvigorated by an affair with the lovely Lucy (Jill Ireland, Mrs. Bronson in real life), but it's back to the seedy realm before too long. Hard Times represented the directorial debut of Walter Hill, who even at this early stage demonstrated the gritty verisimilitude that he'd bring to such future projects as The Warriors (1979) and 48 Hrs. (1984). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, James Coburn, (more)
- 1975
A pre-One Day at a Time Mackenzie Phillips guest stars as Mindy, a runaway teenager. Undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) manages to catch up to Mindy and to handcuff himself to the girl. Anxious to return to headquarters, Baretta and Mindy clamber into a police squad car and ask the uniformed drivers for a lift. Unfortunately, the two "cops" at the wheel turn out to be a pair of homicidal holdup men (played by Strother Martin and Gary Busey). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1975
This half-hour sequel to the famous O. Henry tale The Ransom of Red Chief finds our hero, the little boy who pretends to be a legendary American Indian named Red Chief, using his powers of deception to outwit a group of con artists. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, (more)
- 1975
One of Our Own stars George Peppard as Dr. Jake Goodwin, the chief neurosurgeon of an inordinately busy hospital. As he makes his rounds, Goodwin becomes involved in a vast array of medical cases, solving virtually every problem he's confronted with. It looks, however, as though he's going to have tough sledding with the film's Major Crisis: A seriously injured doctor, and the two colleagues who battle over how to save his life. Originally telecast in May of 1975, One of Our Own was obviously conceived as a pilot for a George Peppard weekly series. But when that series premiered in September 1975, it had sprouted the new title of Doctor's Hospital (as opposed, perhaps, to Lawyer's Hospital). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
Candidate for Murder stars Jimmy Stewart as folksy private detective Hawkins. Paul Burke costars as Hawkins' client, the campaign manager for a charismatic politician (John Ericson). A TV reporter who had threatened to release a damaging story about the politico has been murdered, and Burke is the Numero Uno suspect. Diana Hyland costars as the candidate's fiercely protective wife. Candidate for Murder originated as the March 5, 1974 episode of the Hawkins TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
Murder on the 13th Floor is a 90-minute episode of the Jimmy Stewart TV series Hawkins. Detective Hawkins (Stewart) tries to clear the murder-suspect son (Andrew Parks) of an old flame (Teresa Wright). The boy was found at the scene of the crime just minutes after the victim breathed his last. Love those new, untested plotlines! Murder on the 13th Floor originally aired February 5, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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