Gary Merrill Movies

The Seekers was the third and last TV movie based on John Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles (the others were The Bastard and The Rebels). Heading the huge all-star cast is Randolph Mantooth as Abraham Kent, son of elderly Revolutionary War vet Andrew Kent (played by Martin Milner, replacing the first two films' Andrew Stevens), who has resettled in the treacherous Northwest Territory. Part One of this two-part, four-hour production finds young Abraham trying out a series of occupations, while his brother Gilbert (George Deloy) goes into his father's publishing business. Part Two takes us up to the War of 1812, as seen through the eyes of Jarod and Amanda Kent (Timothy P. Murphy and Sarah Rush), who shortly thereafter head westward. Originally syndicated as part of the Operation Prime Time package, The Seekers made its debut during the week of December 2, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of Mark Twain's best-loved stories becomes a screen musical in this family-friendly adaptation. Mischievous Huckleberry Finn (Jeff East) is a 15-year-old boy who has long had a difficult relationship with his often violent father. When Dad tried to kidnap him, Huck decides to run away from home, and heads out of town on a raft. Huck is soon joined by Jim (Paul Winfield), a runaway slave who is no more eager to see his master than Huck is to see his father. As the two friends make their way down the Mississippi, they're faced with a variety of challenges and adventures, including a run-in with a pair of shabby but dignified actors, The King (Harvey Korman) and The Duke (David Wayne). Produced in association with Reader's Digest magazine, which in 1973, scored a box-office hit with a musical version of Twain's Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn featured original songs by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who also wrote the songs for a handful of Disney hits, including Mary Poppins. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Pueblo is a 2-hour videotaped special, originally telecast March 29, 1973 on ABC Theatre. Hal Holbrook stars as commander Lloyd M. Bucher, who in January of 1968 was forced to surrender the USS Pueblo to North Korea. The drama is staged in an impressionistic manner, with dramatized transcripts from Bucher's subsequent Naval Review Board testimony flashing back to isolated moments of terror and torment during the Pueblo crew's 11-month sojourn in a North Korean prison camp. Despite network restrictions of the era, Pueblo is refreshingly frank, right down to the first-ever TV display of a familiar obscene gesture (which the American prisoners explain away to their captors as a "salute"!) Written by Stanley R. Greenberg, Pueblo was later adapted to a stage play, starring Shepperd Strudwick as Bucher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The all-purpose science fiction title Earth 2 was utilized in 1971 for this TV pilot film. Producer/writers Allan Balter and William Read Woodfield consulted both NASA and the Rockwell Corporation to guarantee a modicum of authenticity for their futuristic teleplay. The story takes place in "Earth II", a self-contained space station orbiting the earth which houses 2000 people. Gary Lockwood, star of 2001: A Space Odyssey, appears as the commander of the station (note to fans of "Alvin and the Chipmunks": Lockwood's character name is David Seville!) The anecdotal plot explores the everyday operations of Earth II and the various trials and tribulations of its denizens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This pilot film for the 1969-1970 TV series Then Came Bronson stars Michael Parks in the title role. A young, ambitious journalist, Bronson realigns his priorities after his best friend (Martin Sheen) commits suicide. Borrowing a page from Kerouac, Bronson gives up the rat race for the road. He mounts his friend's motorcycle, speeding up and down the California coastline in search of life's meaning. Along the way, he meets a runaway bride (Bonnie Bedelia) who briefly joins him on his odyssey. The best sequence takes place in a nomad encampment, presided over by Zorba-like Akim Tamiroff. Everyone who grew up in the late-'60s seems to have fond memories of the series; why, then, was the show canceled after only one season? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a town sheriff contends with his reputation as the "fastest gun in the West." When a young gunslinger calls him out for a showdown, the sheriff is struck by the fellows resemblance to himself when he was young. He therefore, attempts to talk him out of his foolish career choice, but the young man refuses to listen. The saloon hostess attempts to talk the sheriff out of the duel, but the old fellow does not listen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Elvis Presley plays Scott Heyward, the son of a Texas oil millionaire in this thin storyline. Scott changes places with the poor but honest water-skiing instructor Tom Wilson (Will Hutchins) to find out if women love him for himself or his money. Tom goes to the posh penthouse previously occupied by Scott, and Scott takes over as the instructor. Scott's father Duster (James Gregory) blows a gasket when he finds out what his son is doing. Boat builder Sam Burton (Gary Merrill) talks Scott into driving his new boat in the big race. Elvis delivers 8 songs in one of the more lackluster vehicles of his 1960s film catalogue. A bevy of beauties, some exciting race scene, and glossy production all help this one across the finish line. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Cast a Giant Shadow is a big-budget, glossy action/adventure story set at the time that Israel became a nation. American Army officer Colonel David Marcus is recruited by the yet-to-exist Israel to help form an army. Marcus is conflicted because of his sudden appreciation for his Jewish heritage. Realizing that each of Israel's Arab nations has vowed to invade the poorly prepared country once the partition has been made, Marcus is made commander of the Israeli forces just before the war begins. The all-star cast includes Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger and Angie Dickinson. Aldo Tonti provides the beautiful photography by Aldo Tonti, and Melville Shavelson directs. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Told via flashback by a saloon keeper to a census taker in a tiny Texas town, this brutal, adult-oriented western offers the tale of a drifter who settles down to marry a woman he doesn't love so he can get at her inheritance. When that is exposed, the drifter flees and does not return for eleven years. He rides back into town with a fortune that he earned while hunting buffalo. The town's crooked banker and two thugs ride out to greet him. Thinking that the only way the reprobate could have gotten so much money is from rustling cows, they engineer a brutal reception that results in his being branded with a big "T." Naturally, the drifter passes out during his painful ordeal and when he finally comes to and learns the truth about the situation immediately gallops off to get his bloody revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An underwater research station headed by Dr LaSatier (Gary Merrill) finds evidence of a very fast-moving undersea craft, and request assistance from the United States Navy. which sends its top submarine officer, Commander Wayne (Scott Brady). He is able to confirm that there's no submarine, on our side or in the Soviet navy, that can match the size and speed of what has been tracked by LaSatier's people -- and the United States Navy wants to know what this object is. The visitor finally reveals itself as a saucer-like creation that sets down on the ocean floor near the sea-lab. Head diver Hugh Maddox (Mike Road) and photographer Sandra Welles (Wende Wagner) investigate the saucer and find a chamber containing an odd-looking capsule, which they bring back to the laboratory. No sooner do they get it aboard, however, then they realize that the capsule is getting larger, and starting to emit dangerous high-frequency sound-waves. Before anyone can prevent it, the capsule bursts open and a powerful and dangerous extra-terrestrial amphibian bursts out, attacking the scientists and crew and isolating them on the ocean floor. The creature's obvious intelligence, coupled with the fact that it carries a deadly microbe, convinces Wayne that the Earth is facing a full-scale invasion. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, ruthless cattle baron Aaron Shields (Gary Merrill) arranges for Jason (Chuck Connors) to be thrown in jail for coming to the aid of a band of gypsies. When he discovers that his own daughter Robin (Ahna Capri) has given the gypsies the bail money for Jason's release, the outraged Shields orders his henchman to wipe out the entire tribe--with an especially grisly fate reserved for gypsy leader Kolyan (Nico Minardos). Can it be that we are witnessing a sagebrush version of Romeo and Juliet...or is it Il Trovatore? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ivan Tors Productions, the firm responsible for such aquatic TV delights as Sea Hunt and Flipper, was the prime mover behind MGM's Around the World Under the Sea. The official stars include Lloyd Bridges, Shirley Eaton, Brian Kelly, David McCallum, Keenan Wynn, Marshall Thompson, and Gary Merrill. The real stars are underwater photographer Lamar Bowen, diving-sequence director Ricou Browning, and the folks in Tors' special effects department. The plot concerns a series of underwater volcanic eruptions. Sub commander Bridges (who else?) heads into the depths to find out the cause of the disturbances. Before the THE END sign presents itself, Bridges and his crew are nearly devoured by a sea monster and sucked into a vortex. Though the film's technology-both on-screen and behind the camera--is dated, Around the World Under the Sea is still credible, not to mention thoroughly enjoyable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide