Tony Becker Movies

The sixth TV-movie spinoff of the popular family series The Waltons, A Walton Easter manages to reunite all of the surviving cast members--and in so doing, unintentionally reveals why several of those performers hadn't been doing much acting recently. Throwing the orginal series' chronology to the four winds, executvie producer Earl Hamner Jr. would have us believe that the 40th wedding anniversary of John and Olivia Walton (Ralph Waite, Michael Learned) is taking place in the year 1969, which doesn't quite explain how the couple managed to have all those teenaged offspring back in the late 1930s. Once we're past this inconsistency, the story boils down to the Easter reunion of the family at Walton Mountain in West Virginia--and more specifically, the return to the fold of John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas), now a successful TV news anchorman in New York. John-Boy has not only brought along his pregnant wife Janet (Kate McNeil), but also Aurora Jameson (Sydney Walsh), a Time magazine photojournalist who is covering the reunion. Gradually, the various intrigues of the other Waltons are shunted to the background as the film's Big Question raises its head: Will John-Boy return to New York with his city-bred wife Janet, or will he sentimentally choose to remain at Walton Mountain...with someone else by his side? A Walton Easter debuted March 30, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Most of the cast members present in Tour of Duty's second season, both male and female, have re-upped for season three. In charge of U.S. Army Company B stationed at Tan Son Nhut air base in the Vietnam of 1967-1968 are Lt. Myron Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) and Sgt. Zeke Anderson (Terence Knox). Also back for another hitch are platoon members Percell (Tony Becker), Ruiz (Ramon Franco), and Taylor (Miguel A. Nunez); chopper-pilot Lt. McCay (Dan Gauthier); army psychologist Jennifer Seymour (Betsy Brantley); and sexy female wire-service reporter Alex Devlin (Kim Delaney). New faces include company commander Col. Brewster (Carl Weathers), and the outspokenly antiwar medic "Doc Hock" (John Dye), and battle-weary vet "Pop" Scarlet (Lee Majors). Whereas morale had been reasonably high during the series' first two seasons, things are beginning to break down as Company B enters its third year in 'Nam. Things are particularly dismal for Cpl. Percell, who becomes addicted to morphine. Even when the troopers are demobilized and sent home, they find it difficult, if not impossible, to adjust to the civilian world. In other words, this final season of Tour of Duty is a fairly accurate representation of what was really going on in both Vietnam and America in the late '60s. ~ Rovi

By the time Tour of Duty commenced its (extremely belated) second season on CBS, there'd been a considerable personnel turnover in Company B, not to mention a complete change of scenery. Though it's still the Vietnam of 1967, the platoon has been reassigned to the Tan Son Nhut air base, not far from Saigon. Lt. Myron Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) and Sgt. Zeke Anderson (Stephen Caffrey) are still in charge, and troopers Percell (Tony Becker), Johnson (Stan Foster), Taylor (Miguel A. Nunez), and Ruiz (Ramon Franco) are present and accounted for; but Wallace, Horn, Baker, and "Doc" are all gone. New to the landscape are chopper-pilot John McCay (Dan Gauthier), attractive army shrink Dr. Jennifer Seymour (Betsy Brantley), and female news correspondent Alex Devlin (Kim Delaney). The addition of two female regulars not only insured Tour of Duty an increase in viewership but also allowed the scriptwriters to inject some romance in the proceedings: namely, Sgt. Anderson's fling with Dr. Seymour, and Lt. Goldman's liaison with Alex. ~ Rovi

The valor and anguish of the Alamo is resurrected in this '80s effort that features a considerably accomplished cast. Brian Keith plays Davy Crockett and James Arness is Jim Bowie who, although at odds at times with his leader Colonel William Travis (Alec Baldwin), is able to focus upon the battle against the Mexican soldiers. Highlights of this film are the battle action scenes. ~ Rovi

A seat-of-the-pants militia attitude gets a boost from this conventional drama about the heroics of a teen son anxious to free his father from captivity in a small Middle Eastern nation. Doug's (Jason Gedrick) father is an Air Force pilot who was shot down on a mission near the border of an Arab country and is now held hostage. Failing adequate U.S. intervention causes a desperate Doug to enlist his school chums in a wild plan to essentially sneak away with two Air Force jets and take off on a mission to rescue his father. He convinces the veteran Chappy (Louis Gossett, Jr.) into flying one plane, while Doug himself flies another (he learned how to pilot from his father). Yes. If audiences believe all this, then the ending should come as no surprise either. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

B.J. (Mike Farrell) learns to his dismay that his wife Peg is working as a waitress back home to make ends meet. So profound is Beej's depression that he may adversely affect the outcome of a crucial poker game. Meanwhile, old Cavalry man Col. Potter (Harry Morgan) is obliged to undergo a remedial course in Driver's Ed--with Klinger (Jamie Farr) as the instructor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Corabeth Godsey (Ronnie Claire Edwards) is convinced that her husband Ike (Joe Conley) is cheating on him when she finds a letter signed "Pamela." But though he begs Corabeth not to file for divorce, Ike stubbornly refuses to reveal the identity of his mysterious correspondent. And on the anniversary of their first date, Drew (Tony Becker) pressures Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) to prove her love for him by going "all the way". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Former series regular Ellen Corby makes a return appearance in this episode, which revolves around a crisis in the home of the Baldwin sisters. Although Mamie Baldwin (Helen Kleeb) must have cataract surgery or risk total blindness, she refuses, citing the fact that her dear, departed daddy died on an operating table. John turns to Grandma and asks her to talk sense to Mamie -- if such a thing as possible. Elsewhere, Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) loses one boyfriend but gains another, thereby introducing Tony Becker in the semi-regular role of Drew Cutler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of The Waltons' two-part Season Nine opener, John Walton (Ralph Waite) faces a long jail term for helping to conceal murder suspect Harley Foster (Hal Williams) from the authorities. Despite his own dilemma, John is determined to prove that Harley is an innocent victim of racial prejudice. Meanwhile, the budding romance between John's daughter Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) and Drew Cutler (Tony Becker) hits a snag when she begins neglecting him to spend more time her horse Molly. And in faraway Paris, the girlfriend of Jason Walton (Jon Walmsley) helps him locate his war-correspondent brother John-Boy (Robert Wightman). The episode closes with a stunning national tragedy which has a profound impact on the people of Walton's Mountain. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Robert Wightmanbecomes a regular in the role of John-Boy Walton (which he'd previously played on a recurring basis, replacing Richard Thomas) in the ninth and final season of The Waltons. The two-part season opener (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode) takes place during the final months of WW2, as John Walton (Ralph Waite) tries to clear his friend Harley Foster (Hal Williams) of a long-standing murder charge. Convinced that Harley's original trial was biased, John is willing to put his own reputation--and freedom--on the line to prove the man's innocence. Elsewhere on Walton's Moutain, storekeeper Ike Godsey (Joe Conley) and his formidable wife Corabeth (Ronnie Claire Edwards) have a spirited argument over a woman's "proper place" in a male-oriented society. And as the newly-uniformed Ben Walton (Eric Scott) is headed for the war in the Pacific, his brothers John-Boy and Jim-Bob attempt to connect up with each other in Paris--an effort that seems doomed to failure! Jason Moses in seen in the role of Harley Foster's stepson Josh, replacing Todd Bridges, who of course had moved on to Diff'rent Strokes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A woman struggles to rebuild her life after a devastating accident in this drama based on the true story of Jill Kinmont. Kinmont (played by Marilyn Hassett) was a top ranked amateur downhill skier who seemed assured of a place on the 1956 Olympic team. But while racing in Utah's Snow Cup competition, Kinmont suffered a serious fall from a mountain that left her paralyzed from the shoulders down. Kinmont became severely depressed; her career as an athlete was over, and her fiancée, who couldn't deal with the emotional toll of her accident, left her. But when she met pilot Dick Buek (Beau Bridges), she found both love and a new inspiration to make a career for herself as a teacher. But Kinmont discovered she still had more mountains to climb when Buek died in the crash of a small plane. Marilyn Hassett won a Golden Globe award for her performance as Jill Kinmont, and she reprised the role in a sequel two years later. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi