Kieron Moore Movies

Opening with a montage depicting its subject's Civil War exploits, Custer of the West carries us across four years of fighting in less than four minutes of screen time. The Civil War ended, George Armstrong Custer (Robert Shaw) longs for action and to hold onto his rank of general, so General Phil Sheridan (Lawrence Tierney) sends him West, admitting that there will be no nobility to his cause there -- the government and the people want the land, and that means getting the Indians off of it by any means necessary. He arrives in time to see a party of Cheyenne (whom the real Custer never fought) kill a pair of miners by sending them rolling down a long hill in a runaway wagon -- that motif is repeated, in ever more striking, elaborate, and violent fashions, in two subsequent action scenes. Custer organizes his command around Major Marcus Reno (Ty Hardin), depicted as an ambitious officer with a drinking problem, and Captain Benteen (Jeffrey Hunter), a humane officer with a strange, almost mystical streak, who understands the Indians better than anyone else in Custer's command. Also present are Mary Ure as Custer's loving wife and Robert Ryan in a very flamboyant performance as a larcenous sergeant who comes to no good end after being stricken with gold fever. After getting his command into the shape it needs to be -- mostly by running everyone except a lone sergeant into the ground in an extended drill -- he carries out his mission, quietly detesting the motives behind his orders but executing them out to the letter. Regarded as a hero in the East, Custer returns to Washington only to jeopardize his career by testifying about the corruption he's found around him in the West. He is left a political pariah but once more. Sheridan intercedes, again getting Custer posted with the Seventh Cavalry now engaged against the Sioux. He is, by this time, disillusioned with the army that he serves and the politicians and the business interests in whose service it functions. Though he craves the glory that comes with battle, he sees soldiering of the type he is being asked to carry out as little more than organized slaughter, even relying on machines to do the killing in ever more indiscriminate ways with none of the contest between men, of strategies, and arms and resourcefulness -- that was his real joy. The demons and goals that drive him culminate with Custer's disastrous action at Little Big Horn, which is beautifully (if not necessarily accurately) staged, in a stunning visual and aural denouement. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In this western set during 1877 along the Mexican-American border, outlaws attack a stagecoach and find themselves defeated by an ace gunman with a hatred for evil-doers. The gunman decides to take off after the group leader, but the good guy shootist is hit while defending a beleaguered rancher from Mexican banditos. Later the rancher's daughter and the gunman fall in love. The gunslinger and a bounty hunter take off after the outlaw. Unfortunately, when push comes to shove, the outlaw refuses to fight without the gunman because he cannot bear to kill his own son. This does not stop the gunman's partner from taking a shot; the outlaw is wounded, causing his son to rally to his aid, and the gunslinger rides back to keep the banditos from stealing the ranch. They are finally stopped but not before the bandito leader and the outlaw fatally shoot each other. Afterwards, the gunman gives up shooting and begins leading a pacifistic life with his new bride. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Mission to Paradise is a British equivalent to those frolicsome female skinfests often seen on the USA network's Up All Night. British military officers Kieron Moore and John Baer are shipwrecked while on a reconnaissance mission. They soon discover to their delight that the island is populated by beautiful young damsels, dressed in very little indeed. These girls had themselves been shipwrecked as schoolchildren, together with their very proper headmistress (Kay Walsh). The time has now come for the lovely young things to procreate, and Moore and Baer are elected for the task. There is one catch, however; once they're finished replenishing the stock, the men will be killed. Janette Scott, who has too much grace and class to be stuck in this piece of tripe, is the most intelligent of the girls. Also in the cast is Alexander Knox, who in happier days once played Woodrow Wilson. Mission to Paradise was reissued in the US as Bikini Paradise; oh, we're so excited! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set during the Allied invasion of the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater during WWII, this film is based on the novel by James Jones. Keir Dullea is Private Doll, who dreads the invasion and steals a pistol to help him protect himself. Sergeant Welsh (Jack Warden), a caustic, battle-scarred veteran, hates Doll, whom he considers a coward. In battle, Doll kills a Japanese soldier and is filled with remorse, which further angers the sergeant. The next day, an emboldened Doll wipes out an entire enemy machine gun post and begins to feel as sadistic as Welsh. The two must work together to clear away some mines, but as they do, their platoon is surprised by a Japanese raid. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

A professor of astronomy, David Garrett (Ian Carmichael), is involved with a highly confidential project to develop missiles. He runs into an old friend from the Soviet Union who is now the world chess champion. As David soon discovers, the champion is with a team working for sinister businessman Hubert Marek (Curt Jugens). Marek intends to have David abducted while making it appear as if the professor has defected. Though he narrowly escapes one trap in England, David must continually ascertain who may be in on the group's scheme if he is to survive. Director Cy Endfield enjoyed much greater success earlier in 1964 with Zulu, his historical action feature about a native uprising in Africa. David Stone wrote the screenplay for Hide and Seek, adapted by Robert Foshko from Harold Greene's story. Stone and masterful cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (A Hard Day's Night, Dr. Strangelove, Star Wars) would soon have another project in common: Roman Polanski's psychological thriller, Repulsion. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the novel by John Wyndham, this intelligent British monster movie begins with a meteor shower so intensely bright that it blinds the majority of the world's population, rendering them vulnerable to attack from hordes of carnivorous plants known as "Triffidus Celestus" grown from meteor-borne spores. As the plant-monsters continue to multiply and seek human prey, the remaining sighted people join forces to combat the veggie invaders. One such survivor, an American seaman (Howard Keel) whose eyes were bandaged during the meteorite impact, battles his way through the Triffid ranks. Meanwhile, a couple (Kieron Moore and Janette Scott are trapped in a lighthouse. Good production values make this low-budget effort look more expensive than it probably was; the uncredited assistance of Freddie Francis -- who directed several scenes with a second unit -- also helps. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

A colorful action film about the Battle Of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. in which the Spartans defend themselves for a Persian invasion against overwhelming odds. King Leodinas (Richard Egan) rallies the locals to stop the attack of thousands of plundering Persian invaders led by evil King Xerxes (David Farrar). Sir Ralph Richardson as Themistocles of Athens leads the international cast this the spectacular cinematic conflict that has more emphasis on action rather than historical accuracy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Between his internship in Canadian television and his A-feature work on The Ipcress File, Sidney J. Furie directed an old-fashioned horror flick called Doctor Blood's Coffin. Kieron Moore stars as research scientist Dr. Peter Blood, who's been experimenting with heart transplants. Thrown out of Vienna for wishing to move from lab animals to humans, Blood sets up shop in the village of Cornwall. Within a few months of his arrival, several Cornwallians disappear from view. Dr. Blood, you see, has been merrily transplanting hearts in a secret lab located in an abandoned tin mine. Unfortunately, one of his resurrected humans reacts negatively to the operation--especially after he discovers that Blood has been dallying with his wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A real-life incident became the basis for this highly fictionalized drama about a January 1911 confrontation between political anarchists and London police in that city's Whitechapel district that resulted in an infamous, blazing gun battle. Sara (Nicole Berger) is an orphaned Russian girl who works as a singer in a nightclub. There she meets Peter (Peter Wyngarde), anarchist leader of expatriate Latvians agitating for the independence of their home country following the failed revolt of 1905. At first, Sara is sympathetic to Peter and his cause, but she soon discovers that the rebels are using whatever means necessary, including robbery and murder, to raise money for their crusade, and that Peter himself has an overly pragmatic, callous attitude toward the taking of innocent life. The group's nefarious activities have attracted the attention of London police, and an inspector, Mannering (Donald Sinden) goes undercover with the anarchists in order to help bring them to justice. Mannering feels sympathy for Sara and befriends her, coming to understand her lonely attraction to Peter. The gang's violent onslaught continues unabated and results in a raid that pits gang members against hundreds of armed police. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In its promotional material for the 1959 theatrical feature Darby O'Gill and the Little People, the Disney studio went into whimsical overdrive, hoping to convince the younger viewers that the leprechauns appearing in the film were not merely normal-sized actors made small via special effects, but instead the genuine article. As part of this delightful deception, the weekly Walt Disney Presents TV anthology offered an episode in which Walt Disney explained how he personally persuaded the King of the Leprechauns to appear in his film. It all begins when actor Pat O'Brien, returning from a trip to Ireland, regales Walt Disney with stories of the "little people" of the Emerald Isle. Banking on the fact that he is himself half-Irish, Walt travels to Old Erin to see for himself. After conferring with a local "shanachie," or storyteller (played by Darby O'Gill's titular star Albert Sharpe), Disney is granted an audience with his majesty himself, King Brian (Jimmy O'Dea) -- who has quite a healthy ego for one so tiny. This episode expertly blends new footage with previews from the upcoming film, which among other actors features a young Sean Connery (who was so obscure a performer at the time that he isn't even billed in the TV Guide listings!) While the actual Darby O'Gill scenes were directed by Robert Stevenson, the new transitional scenes were helmed by Harry Keller -- who after handling retakes of Orson Welles' Touch of Evil had no trouble seamlessly matching Stevenson's distinctive style. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Baby boomers who may not remember the plot particulars of Walt Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People nonetheless retain fond memories of Disney's publicity campaign, which included an episode of the producer's weekly TV series, wherein the actor playing leprechaun king Brian (Jimmy O'Dea) was passed off as a genuine little person. One look at Darby O'Gill itself and one is willing to believe Disney's subterfuge. The story, based on the writings of H.T. Kavanagh, involves one Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe) an Irish tall-tale spinner who works as a caretaker. On the night that he is replaced by a younger man (Sean Connery), Darby heads home to tell his daughter Katie (Janet Munro) that he has lost his job. En route, he stumbles into the underground leprechaun kingdom, thanks to the intervention of King Brian, who wants to save Darby the shame of telling his daughter about his job. Advised that he will never be able to leave the land of the leprechauns, Darby escapes, and Brian follows. Because he stays above ground until dawn, Brian loses his powers and becomes the property of Darby, who won't let the leprechaun go until he grants three wishes. Brian tricks Darby out of the first two wishes, but is honor-bound to grant the third: that Darby's daughter Katie be wed to the handsome new caretaker. Before this can happen, Katie is seriously injured. As she lies comatose, the Death Coach descends from the sky to gather her to the heavens. Darby rapidly alters his third wish and begs that he be taken in Katie's place. Brian saves Darby's life by tricking him into making a fourth wish, which immediately cancels the first three. The young caretaker wins Katie on his own merits, and Darby has a whole new slew of stories with which to regale the villagers. The principal drawing card of Darby O'Gill and the Little People is its special effects, the most famous of which finds a life-sized Darby O'Gill fiddling away as hundreds of tiny leprechauns dance about him. Even in this era of computerized "F/X," few films have been able to duplicate the sublimely convincing visual magic -- and the effortless charm -- of this 1959 Disney effort. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This British WW II drama takes place in the wilds of Tunis. Major Gerrard (Leo Genn) is ordered to lead a desperate mission to capture a Nazi-held farmhouse. Despite the fact that this undertaking is tantamount to committing suicide, Gerrard has no trouble rounding up volunteers. There's a bit too much of the old "stiff upper lip" in the dialogue, though the action sequences are first-rate and believable. Of interest to modern viewers is the presence in the cast of Michael Caine; he isn't billed, and barely has a line, but he's instantly recognizable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After a former dance band leader is wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Desperate to prove his innocence, he busts out of prison, contacts his lover and embarks upon a desperate search for the one woman who witnessed the killing. Unfortunately, the real killer gets to her first and murders her. To catch the murderer, the band leader resorts to trickery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide