Heather Menzies Movies
Heather Menzies made her film debut at 15, as Louisa von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965). Menzies followed this assignment with several well-scrubbed ingenue roles; she was prominently featured in one of the deathless anti-drug Dragnet episodes of the late 1960s. She underwent a startling image change in the 1970s, playing sexy roles with a minimum of clothing. In the 1977 TV-series version of Logan's Run, she was cast as Jessica 6, accruing a great deal of press attention for her extremely revealing costumes. She apparently retired after 1982's Endangered Species. Heather Menzies was married to actor Robert Urich. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
- R
Based on a true story, Endangered Species stars Robert Urich and JoBeth Williams. Urich plays vacationing ex-cop Ruben Castle, while Williams portrays Harriet Purdue, a small-town sheriff. Intrigued by Purdue's investigation of a rash of cattle mutilations, Castle begins following the evidence trail himself. What has been attributed to a religious cult or extraterrestrials by the locals turns out to be a covert operation conducted by a corrupt cartel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Urich, JoBeth Williams, (more)
- 1979
Television film featuring the Marvel Comics hero doing battle with a mad industrialist who wields a neutron bomb. ~ Nicole Gagne, Rovi
The sophomore effort for director Joe Dante, a future protégé of Steven Spielberg, this low-budget, high-camp horror spoof of Jaws (1977) features several chiller stars of yesteryear. Insurance investigator Maggie McKeown (Heather Menzies) is dispatched to find two missing teenage hikers near Lost River Lake. She hires surly backwoods drunkard Paul Grogan (Bradford Dillman) to serve as her guide. Searching the area, they find an abandoned military facility. The only resident is Dr. Robert Hoak (Kevin McCarthy), former head of a top-secret project to breed piranha for use in the Vietnam War. The project was closed down years ago, but Hoak has continued raising a deadly strain of the flesh-eating fish. When Hoak is knocked unconscious, Maggie and Paul accidentally release the piranha into a local river, which leads to the lake where a children's summer camp and a newly opened tourist resort will provide plenty of fish food for the hungry predators. Maggie and Paul race to warn the locals, but their pleas fall on skeptical ears, such as those of resort owner Buck Gardner (Dick Miller) -- until the piranha reach the swimmers. Piranha (1978) was co-written by John Sayles, making his motion picture debut. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, (more)
- 1973
When Howard's 22-year-old sister, Debbie (Heather Menzies), pays a visit, he panics, not wishing to reveal his swinging-bachelor lifestyle to his kid sister. Even worse, Debbie begins dating Jerry, bringing out the puritan in Howard's nature. As usual, Bob is caught in the middle of all this domestic intrigue. Also appearing is Mel Stewart as Dabney. Written by actor Frank Buxton, "Not With My Sister You Don't" originally aired on February 3, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
In this spooky horror movie, a crazed doctor is able to transform a man into a giant cobra. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1972
- R
Draft dodger Darrel Larson sneaks out of Canada to attend his father's funeral. Once back in California, Larson touches base with two old friends. Vietnam vet John Bill can't adjust to civilian life, while fellow evader Dennis Oliveri is consumed by guilt. There are no easy answers in Red, White and Busted, though plenty of potent questions are raised concerning one's obligation to self and country. Executive-produced by novelist Harold Robbins, Red, White and Busted was originally released as Outside In. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Far from the Ponderosa, Ben Cartwright is badly injured in a fall from his horse. Seeking help in a nearby town, Ben's son Joe finds himself in the middle of a range feud, with no one willing to come to his assistance-except for an enigmatic stranger named Thornton (played by frequent Bonanza supporting actor Gregory Walcott). Written by Preston Wood, the episode is highlighted by a jaw-dropping nightmare sequence which still packs a jolt after all these years. "Thornton's Account" was originally broadcast on November 1, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1969
- PG
Hail, Hero! stars Michael Douglas in his screen debut as long-haired college student Carl Dixon. Reversing the usual procedure in late-1960s films, Dixon decides to quit school and enlist in the Army, even though he's already run afoul of the law as a Vietnam protestor. It is our hero's intention to use love, rather than bullets, to combat the Viet Cong. Needless to say, his idealism is no match for the harsher realities of war, but this doesn't stop him from endlessly spouting the sort of agit-prop rhetoric so beloved of filmmakers of the era. In addition to Michael Douglas, co-star Peter Strauss likewise makes his first film appearance in Hail, Hero! Dated in the extreme, the film is saved by the musical score by Gordon Lightfoot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Arthur Kennedy, (more)
- 1968
Two parents worry about the feelings of their love-struck teenage son in this engaging romantic comedy. Grif (James Garner) and wife Jenny (Debbie Reynolds) are concerned about their son Davey (Donald Losby). When his girlfriend is slated for a tour of Europe, the teenage boy is heartbroken. Grif, a photographer by trade, draws the assignment as a photo journalist to cover the girl's tour. Jenny is swindled by Mr. Tilly (Terry-Thomas) who takes her money as rent payment on a Riviera villa. The house is owned by a French playboy who allows the pretty mom to stay. Comedy ensues when a jealous Grif discovers wife Jenny in a bikini given to her by the amorous Frenchman. Prolific songwriter Jimmy Webb provides the music for this feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Garner, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
Hawaii hadn't even begun filming when director Fred Zinnemann was replaced by George Roy Hill; similarly, the role intended for Charlton Heston ended up being played by Richard Harris (though Heston would eventually star in the 1970 sequel, The Hawaiians). Based on James A. Michener's best-selling novel, the time frame of which was spread out over several centuries, the film concentrates only on the years 1820 to 1841. Still, Michener's basic point, that the virginal sanctity of the Hawaiian islands was forever shattered by the incursion of the white man, remains intact. Max Von Sydow stars as Abner Hale, an imperious minister who settles in Hawaii with his wife, Jerusha Bromley Hale (Julie Andrews). While Abner expects the islanders to adapt to him rather than the other way around, Jerusha goes out of her way to understand and appreciate her new neighbors. She eventually seeks comfort in the arms of her former lover Rafer Hoxworth (Richard Harris). Despite the lush location footage and such spectacular highlights as pagan ceremonies and an outsized typhoon, the scene most filmgoers remember is Julie Andrews' agonizingly convincing childbirth sequence. All told, it took seven years to translate Hawaii from script to screen -- and almost that long to make back its 15-million-dollar cost. In the early scenes of Hawaii (the 171-minute version, rather than the 151-minute reissue), Bette Midler plays a bit part as a ship passenger. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow, (more)
One of the most popular movie musicals of all time, The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the Trapp Family Singers. Julie Andrews stars as Maria, a young nun in an Austrian convent who regularly misses her morning prayers because she enjoys going to the hills to sing the title song. Deciding that Maria needs to learn something about the real world before she can take her vows, the Mother Superior (Peggy Wood) sends her off to be governess for the children of the widowed Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). Arriving at the Trapp home, Maria discovers that her new boss is cold and aloof, and his seven children virtual automatons-at least, whenever the Captain is around. Otherwise, the kids are holy terrors, as evidenced by the fact that Maria is the latest in a long line of governesses. But Maria soon ingratiates herself with the children, especially oldest daughter Liesl (Charmian Carr), who is in love with teenaged messenger boy Rolf. As Maria herself begins to fall in love with the Captain, she rushes back to the Abbey so as not to complicate his impending marriage to a glamorous baroness (Eleanor Parker). But the children insist that Maria return, the Baroness steps out of the picture, and Maria and the Captain confirm their love in the song "Something Good." Unhappily, they return home from their honeymoon shortly after the Nazis march into Austria. Already, swastikas have been hung on the Von Trapp ancestral home, and Liesl's boyfriend Rolf has been indoctrinated in the "glories" of the Third Reich. The biggest blow occurs when Von Trapp is called back to active duty in the service of the Fuhrer. The Captain wants nothing to do with Nazism, and he begins making plans to take himself and his family out of Austria. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, (more)
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