Roddy McDowall Movies
British actor Roddy McDowall's father was an officer in the English merchant marine, and his mother was a would-be actress. When it came time to choose a life's calling, McDowall bowed to his mother's influence. After winning an acting prize in a school play, he was able to secure film work in Britain, beginning at age ten with 1938's Scruffy. He appeared in 16 roles of varying sizes and importance before he and his family were evacuated to the U.S. during the 1940 Battle of Britain. McDowall arrival in Hollywood coincided with the wishes of 20th Century-Fox executive Darryl F. Zanuck to create a "new Freddie Bartholomew." He tested for the juvenile lead in Fox's How Green Was My Valley (1941), winning both the role and a long contract. McDowall's first adult acting assignment was as Malcolm in Orson Welles' 1948 film version of Macbeth; shortly afterward, he formed a production company with Macbeth co-star Dan O'Herlihy. McDowall left films for the most part in the 1950s, preferring TV and stage work; among his Broadway credits were No Time for Sergeants, Compulsion, (in which he co-starred with fellow former child star Dean Stockwell) and Lerner and Loewe's Camelot (as Mordred). McDowall won a 1960 Tony Award for his appearance in the short-lived production The Fighting Cock. The actor spent the better part of the early 1960s playing Octavius in the mammoth production Cleopatra, co-starring with longtime friend Elizabeth Taylor.An accomplished photographer, McDowall was honored by having his photos of Taylor and other celebrities frequently published in the leading magazines of the era. He was briefly an advising photographic editor of Harper's Bazaar, and in 1966 published the first of several collections of his camerawork, Double Exposure.
McDowall's most frequent assignments between 1968 and 1975 found him in elaborate simian makeup as Cornelius in the Planet of the Apes theatrical films and TV series. Still accepting the occasional guest-star film role and theatrical assignment into the 1990s, McDowall towards the end of his life was most active in the administrative end of show business, serving on the executive boards of the Screen Actors Guild and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A lifelong movie collector (a hobby which once nearly got him arrested by the FBI), McDowall has also worked diligently with the National Film Preservation Board. In August, 1998, he was elected president of the Academy Foundation.
One of Hollywood's last links to its golden age and much-loved by old and new stars alike -- McDowell was famed for his kindness, generosity and loyalty (friends could tell McDowall any secret and be sure of its safety) -- McDowall's announcement that he was suffering from terminal cancer a few weeks before he died rocked the film community, and many visited the ailing actor in his Studio City home. Shortly before he was diagnosed with cancer, McDowall had provided the voiceover for Disney/Pixar's animated feature A Bug's Life. A few days prior to McDowall's passing, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named its photo archive after him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Peter Ustinov makes his second appearance as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in this adaptation of the popular Agatha Christie mystery. When noted stage star Arlena Marshall (Diana Rigg) is found murdered while visiting a posh island resort, Poirot is called upon to find the culprit, but given Marshall's shrewish personality and propensity for making enemies, the question isn't "Who wanted to see her dead?" but "Who didn't?" The suspects include Rex Brewster (Roddy McDowall), a writer penning a biography of Arlena that the actress tried to stop; Odell and Myra Gardener (James Mason and Sylvia Miles), theatrical producers who were financially shafted when Arlena refused to appear in a show; Arlena's husband, Kenneth (Denis Quilley); Kenneth's lover, Daphne (Maggie Smith); Patrick Redfern (Nicholas Clay), who was having an affair with Arlena; and Christine (Jane Birkin), Nicholas' wife. Ustinov would play Poirot again three years later in the made-for-TV feature Thirteen at Dinner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Jane Birkin, (more)
- 1981
Not an entry in the Planet of the Apes theatrical-movie series, Farewell to the Planet of the Apes is made up of two episodes from the spin-off TV series of the same name. Originally telecast from September 13 to December 27, 1974, the Apes TV weekly stars Ron Harper and James Naughton as astronauts Alan Virdon and Pete Burke, who like Charlton Heston before them have been hurled 2000 years into the future, and smack dab in the middle of an Earth ruled by articulate apes. Roddy McDowall, prosthetic ape makeup and all, repeats his Planet of the Apes characterization as sympathetic simian Galen. The title of this "feature film" is slightly misleading. Although it incorporates the final episodes of Planet of the Apes, the astronauts don't get to go home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Treachery and Greed on the Planet of the Apes was cobbled together from two 1974 episodes of the TV series Planet of the Apes, which of course was inspired by the popular movie series of the same name. Ron Harper and James Naughton play two contemporary astronauts who fall into a time warp and are transported 2000 years into the future. They find themselves hunted by a civilization of highly intelligent apes who have taken over the Earth. Roddy MacDowell, playing friendly ape Galen, is the only actor to carry over his role from the Apes movies. In Treachery and Greed, the humans must deal with a scientist ape conducting a brainwashing experiment, and a crooked simian landowner who uses bribery to achieve his goals. For the record, there were five makeshift movies lifted from the Planet of the Apes TV series: other titles include Back to the Planet of the Apes, Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes, Life, Liberty and Pursuit of the Planet of the Apes and (it's about time!) Farewell to the Planet of the Apes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A music teacher (Perry King) at a tough Los Angeles high school reaches out to his students with the gift of music -- only to find a gang of sadistic punk rockers is actively dissuading new members from joining the orchestra. Not only are the punkers sadistic; they are also led by the nefarious Timothy Van Patten (sporting Willie Aames-style blow-dried hair). The plot development: Van Patten is a musical prodigy, as he proves by banging out some angry classical tunes on the school Baldwin in front of the teacher's startled class. King tries to befriend the lad, but he rejects the offer with scorn. When King attempts to settle for a truce with the gang leader in order to end his students' harassment, he finds himself targeted for a slowly-escalating campaign of terror, culminating in a deadly game of hide-and-seek in the high school after hours. One by one, King faces the murderous gang; one by one, teenagers die in a succession of increasingly violent fashions as the already-exploitive film degenerates into a Death Wish clone. As a feature film, Class of 1984 seems more like it was made for television. The plot is completely contrived; the characters are unbelievable (especially the punks, who seem to be the sort of punks that exist only in the imaginations of "B"-grade Hollywood film directors), and the production values are poor. Yet Class of 1984 has a certain charm, a certain earnestness that makes it watchable, if unintentionally amusing. The film includes a soundtrack by Alice Cooper which includes the stirring anthem "I Am the Future." Another point of interest: this may be the only film including a scene in which Michael J. Fox is stabbed during a prison-style cafeteria riot. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Perry King, Timothy Van Patten, (more)
- 1981
After 20th Century-Fox's "Planet of the Apes" film series had run its theatrical course, the next logical step seemed to be a TV spin-off. Originally telecast September 13 to December 27, 1974, the TV version of Planet of the Apes stars Ron Harper and James Naughton as Alan Virdon and Pete Burke, two 20th-century astronauts who land on a planet where articulate apes rule and bestial humans are treated like cattle. It is giving nothing away at this late date to reveal that the Planet of the Apes is actually a futuristic, post-apocalyptic earth. After the series ran its network course, its episodes were re-edited into six "feature films," each comprised of two hour-long installments. Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes concerns itself with hidden colonies of insurgent humans who intend to topple the ape hierarchy. Carried over from the Apes films is Roddy McDowell as intellectual chimpanzee Cornelius. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
The expensive face of the title belongs to Sylvia Kristel, who actually levies a price of $2.5 million upon the fictional cosmetics firm of Glamour Inc. Ms. Kristel's story is but one of the many intrigues within the hallowed halls of Glamour. Tony Curtis stars as the company's CEO, beset with infighting, intrigue and infidelity. Lee Grant costars as a rival cosmetics exec, while Gayle Hunnicutt is Curtis' far from loving young wife. Based on Lois Wyse's novel Kiss, Inc., Million Dollar Face was purportedly the pilot film for an unsold TV series, though one wonders if Tony Curtis would have stuck it out after what he had to put up with in this first (and last) episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The second of Rankin/Bass' animated TV specials based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Return of the King plots the quest to defeat the evil wizard Sauron. Frodo, nephew of The Hobbit protagonist Bilbo Baggins, vows to destroy the Ring, even if it costs him his own life. He carries the Ring to the volcanic innards of Mount Doom. All this he does on behalf of good-guy Aragon, who will never be able to escape the dreaded land of Sauron so long as the Ring retains its evil powers. Orson Bean, who'd been the voice of Bilbo Baggins in the 1977 Hobbit cartoon special, returns to portray Frodo. Return of the King originally aired May 11, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- R
- Add Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen to QueueAdd Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen to top of Queue
Peter Ustinov plays the talented detective in San Francisco who attempts, with help/hindrance from his clumsy grandson (Richard Hatch), to solve a murder case in this mystery/comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Lee Grant, (more)
- 1980
Donald A. Stanwood's original novel The Memory of Eva Ryker used the Titanic tragedy as its launching pad. This made-for-TV adaptation of Stanwood's book moved the action up some 27 years, motivating its plotline with the torpedoing of an Athenia-type luxury liner in 1939. The film flashes forward to 1961: millionaire Ralph Bellamy, who lost his wife when the ship went down, hires writer Robert Foxworth (a discredited ex-cop) to investigate the sinking. Bellamy's grown daughter Natalie Wood, who'd survived the ordeal, seems to hold the secret, but she's been in a near-lunatic state for over twenty years. When several other survivors of the sinking are murdered, it becomes all the more crucial to unlock Wood's pent-up memories. In the tradition of Brian De Palma's Obsession (75), Natalie Wood not only plays the title role of Eva Ryker, but also Eva's ill-fated mother. The Memory of Eva Ryker was produced by "master of disaster" Irwin Allen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Everyone who tuned into The Martian Chronicles during its three-day run in January of 1980 sincerely hoped that it would be the ne plus ultra of televised sci-fi/fantasy. That it fell short of this goal was not the fault of the actors but of the script, which reduced Ray Bradbury's complex original work into typical TV-movie banality. Further hurting the project were the special effects, which fluctuate between the heights of the original Star Trek and the depth of Lost in Space. All there parts of The Martian Chronicles have been amalgamated into one overlong feature film on videocassette.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson
- 1979
Set to Tchaikovsky's score, this Japanese animated effort chronicles the adventures of a young girl dreaming of a magical land of anthropomorphic mice that are under the spell of a wicked two-headed mouse. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Lee, Melissa Gilbert, (more)
- 1979
- PG
When millionaire Vincent Price dies, he leaves a riotous will which amounts to a scavenger hunt, the winner of which receives the entire willed fortune. So 15 potential heirs are sent on a zany quest where they must outrace and outsmart one another to inherit the big bucks. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Benjamin, James Coco, (more)
- 1979
Originally telecast September 25, 1979, Hart to Hart was the pilot film for a series which officially debuted three days earlier. Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers play the fabulously wealthy, blissfully happy married couple Jonathan and Jennifer Hart. He's a conglomerate CEO, she's a mystery author; together they solve crimes whenever their schedules allow. In this first escapade, the Harts tackle the case of a friend's death at a fancy health spa. Lionel Stander is on hand as the Harts' gravel-voiced general factotum Max. The closing sequence of Hart to Hart includes a cameo appearance by Robert Wagner's real-life wife Natalie Wood, billed under her real-life name Natasha Gurdin. Coincidentally, the supporting cast features Wagner's future wife Jill St. John. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An ambitious sci-fier from the Disney folks, The Black Hole takes place in the future. A quintet of space travelers stumble across a "black hole." Not wishing to be sucked into the void, the crew prepares to flee, but stops long enough to investigate a mysterious space vessel near the entrance of the hole. Manning this craft is mad scientist Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximillian Schell), who intends to explore the black hole in hopes of finding the universe's energy source. The cast includes Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Yvette Mimieux, and others. The Black Hole marked one of the Disney company's first PG-rated films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, (more)
Billy (Kim Milford) has the same problems that many teens have to endure. His mother is inattentive, local cops target him for speeding tickets, his girlfriend's grandfather hates him, and teenaged bullies make fun of his van. Billy finds the keys to his emancipation in the desert, when he stumbles across a laser gun left behind by a pair of aliens. As he exacts revenge upon his unsuspecting tormentors, he becomes overwhelmed by the power of the gun and turns into a crazed, green-faced monster. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Milford, Gianni Russo, (more)
- 1978
- PG
In this, Joan Rivers' first attempt at film direction, a young virgin male (Billy Crystal) is engaged to be married when he finds out he is pregnant! Using the film as a vehicle for her acerbic humor, director Rivers may as well be on stage, for interspersed throughout this questionable plot is an unending onslaught of sarcastic slams pointed at just about every sector of society. Ms. Rivers even makes a cameo appearance. Other big names in this film are Tom Poston (as a minister), Roddy McDowall (in several roles), and George Gobel as the U.S. President. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Joan Prather, (more)
Zunar J5/90 Doric 4-7, also known as Jake, is an alien cat who crash-lands on earth. He heads off to the nearest scientist to find gold ($120,000 worth!) in order to repair his spaceship. Jake reveals that he can predict the winners in sporting events and soon the military is trying to track him down. The plot becomes more complicated when a wacky veterinarian inadvertently puts Jake into a deep sleep; now he must hide the alien cat from government authorities. The Cat from Outer Space was written by cartoonist Ted Key, who also wrote other Disney family fare, including Gus and The $1,000,000 Duck. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, (more)
- 1978
This made-for-TV fantasy is a tale from the well-known Arabian Nights fable featuring a flying carpet, a prince, a pretty maiden, and a genie. Roddy McDowall, Ian Holm and Peter Ustinov appear in this Middle Eastern adventure. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
This symbol-laden drama explores the inner mythology of martial arts practice and is based on a Bruce Lee story idea. The original screenplay was written by Bruce Lee, with help from actor James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. Lee was to take on the four-in-one role of guide in his film, leaving the hero's role to someone else. Following Bruce Lee's tragic death, the film was rewritten. David Carradine stepped in to play the mysterious guides to aspiring martial arts master Cord (Jeff Cooper). Cord lives in a desert-like world where nearly everyone he meets practices or has practised a martial art. He seeks to find the place where the true inner spirit of the martial arts is being taught. In a story which is imbued with Zen maxims and Asian philosophy, when Cord finally arrives, he finds less (and more) than he hoped for. While there are many combat and fight scenes, the general tone of the film is meditative. Cameo appearances by Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach, and Christopher Lee supply many of the film's highlights. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, (more)
- 1978
Based on the best-selling novel by Howard Fast, the two-part, four-hour miniseries The Immigrants is the saga of Dan Lavetta (Stephen Macht). The son of an impoverished Italian immigrant family, Dan manages to emerge from the rubble of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (cunningly re-created via stock footage from such films as, naturally, San Francisco and Earthquake), to become one of the port city's most powerful shipping magnates. Capping his ascent up the social scale by marrying wealthy Nob Hill debutante Jean Seldon (Sharon Gless), Dan risks losing it all when he falls hopelessly in love with Oriental lass May Ling (played by the Caucasian Aimee Eccles). The story concludes with the 1929 Wall Street crash, suggesting that the producers would have thrown in the kitchen sink had they been able to find it. The Immigrants was syndicated to local stations as part of the "Operation Prime Time" series; most markets ran the two-parter on November 20 and 21, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of four miniseries comprising NBC's Best Sellers anthology, The Rhinemann Exchange was adapted from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. Stephen Collins stars as American intelligence officer David Spaulding, who under cover of his musician father's concert tours embarks upon a number of fact-finding missions in Europe just before WW2. Once hostilities break out, Spaulding relocates to Aergentina, there to exchange industrial diamonds for a secret gyroscope needed for the American war effort. Naturally, the Nazis are equally interested in those diamonds, putting Spaulding in any number of perilous predicaments. Lauren Hutton costars as Leslie Hawkewood, one of those ravishing "mystery women" so common to espionage fiction. Originally running 5 hours and telecast in three segments on March 10, 17, and 24, 1977, The Rhinemann Exchange was later rebroadcast as a four-hour, two-part "TV movie." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Collins, Lauren Hutton, (more)
- 1977
Sixth and Main is the Los Angeles street corner where on any given day you might find itinerant local "character" John Doe (Leslie Nielsen). Elegant authoress Monica (Beverly Garland) discovers that the supposedly derelict Doe has in his possession several manuscripts, all brilliantly written. John Doe had once been a high-priced screenwriter, but dropped out when he got sick of playing the Hollywood game. When Monica announces that she wants to "rediscover" him, he fakes his own death and disappears. This independently produced seriocomedy is buoyed by character vignettes from a variety of "underbelly" LA types, ranging from bitter junkies to philosophical quadriplegics.. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Roddy McDowall, (more)
- 1976
Having already exhausted the dramatic possibilities of fire with The Towering Inferno, producer Irwin Allen turns to water in the made-for-TV Flood! The film is set in a small community, conveniently (for the purposes of the plot) located near a huge earthen dam. As the flood waters rise and the dam threatens to collapse, we are made privy to the individual reactions of such all-star victims-to-be as Robert Culp, Martin Milner, Richard Basehart, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Hershey, Teresa Wright and Carol Lynley. As in Inferno, helicopter pilots come to the rescue. Most of the film was shot in Eugene, Oregon. Flood! first aired on November 24, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this thriller, a scientist (Rock Hudson) attempts to engineer the perfect woman in a test-tube and ends up not with a beautiful lover, but instead a ruthless killer. The film is also known as Created to Kill. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Diane Ladd, (more)
