Ed Nelson Movies
Muscular leading man Ed Nelson started out as a member of quickie-filmmaker Roger Corman's stock company, appearing in such drive-in fodder as Hot Rod Girl (1956), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) and Cry Baby Killer. In these and other low-budgeters of the late 1950s, Nelson not only starred, but doubled on the technical crew: he was one of several production assistants portraying the title crustacean in The Attack of the Crab Monsters (1956), and designed and operated the parasite props in 1958's The Brain Eaters, which he also produced. Eventually outgrowing such things, Nelson rose to TV stardom as Dr. Michael Rossi on the prime time soap opera Peyton Place, which ran from 1964 through 1969. He later starred as Ward Fuller on The Silent Force (1970) and as Dr. Michael Wise in Doctor's Private Lives (1979). In 1969, Nelson hosted a daily, syndicated talk show, which he was ultimately forced to give up when he decided to enter politics ("conflict of interests" and "equal time" were still considerations back then). Ed Nelson has continued accepting supporting film and TV roles to the present time; he recently harked back to his short career in public service when he played President Truman in the 1992 Brooke Shields flick Brenda Starr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1978
Originally made for television and based on true events from 1972, the story concerns an airline crash in the Everglades and the courageous adventures of the 73 survivors. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Doctors' Private Lives was the 2-hour pilot film for the shortlived TV series of the same name. Ed Nelson and John Gavin star as, respectively, chief surgeon Dr. Michael Wise and cardiovascular unit chief Dr. Jeffrey Latimer. The drama arises from the ongoing clash of egos between these two medical giants. Nelson and Gavin were carried over to the series, as was Randolph Powell as Dr. Rick Calder. The guest cast includes Bettye Ackerman, who had ironically costarred in an earlier hospital series, Ben Casey (Ackerman was the wife of Sam "Dr. Zorba" Jaffee). Doctors' Private Lives premiered March 20, 1978; the series itself ran from April 5 to 28, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Jim (James Garner) hires on as bodyguard for novelist Anne Louise Clement, whose politically incorrect "perfect-wife" bestseller has incurred the wrath of several militant feminists. When Anne claims that she's been threatened with death, Jim thinks she's pulling a publicity stunt--until her agent Marty Bach (Tasha Martel) turns up murdered. In his efforts to save Anne's life, our hero is stymied by his client's tendency to stretch the truth...and what exactly is Anne's "doting" husband Bud Clement (Arthur Roberts) up to at the moment? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
The cast of the popular old TV series Peyton Place reunite when Allison MacKenzie and Rodney Harrington are found dead. Other than that, and a decade's worth of gossip, nothing much has changed there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this outing, Benji finds himself on the loose in Athens. An international spy (Ed Nelson) places a secret oil formula within the folds of Benji's paw, and before the poor dog knows what's happening, he's being pursued through the ancient metropolis by a daunting variety of villains. Fortunately, Benji is smarter than his pursuers, so a happy ending is never in doubt. Writer/director Joe Camp managed to keep the Benji franchise alive into the 1980s, even writing a book about his filmmaking adventures with the clever canine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Garrett, Cynthia Smith, (more)
- 1976
The Gemini Man (Ben Murphy) is a guy who was exposed to a laboratory mix-up that gave him the power to become invisible at will. With such a skill he's appointed a dangerous task that brings him into contact with a crazed scientist who's involved in a deadly scheme. ~ All Movie Guide
An expensive war epic, Midway emulates The Longest Day and Tora! Tora! Tora! in attempting to re-create a famous World War II battle from both the American and Japanese viewpoints. The 1942 battle of Midway was the turning point of the War in the Pacific; the Japanese invasion fleet was destroyed, and America's string of humiliating defeats was finally broken. Though the battle itself was sufficiently dramatic to fill two films, Midway also has plotline involving the mixed-race relationship between Ensign Garth (Edward Albert), son of Navy Captain Matt Garth (Charlton Heston), and Haruko Sakura (Christina Kokubo), a Hawaiian girl of Japanese descent. The real-life personages depicted herein include American Admirals Nimitz (Henry Fonda), Halsey (Robert Mitchum) and Spruance (Glenn Ford), and Japanese Admiral Yamamoto (Toshiro Mifune, his voice once again dubbed by Paul Frees, whom Mifune personally selected for the job). For its original road show release, Midway was offered in the "Sensurround" process, which electronically shook and vibrated the audience's chairs during the battle sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, (more)
This cult favorite from director/producer Sig Shore featured the music of Earth, Wind and Fire and had a #1 soundtrack album, but went belly-up at the box-office. That's a shame, because what other film offers viewers Harvey Keitel as a record producer who skates at an all-black disco rink, Bert Parks as a child molester, and squeaky-clean singer Jimmy Boyd ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus") as a hardcase junkie? Other treats on hand include the manager of a Christian pop band threatening to stick an ice pick in Keitel's ear and appearances by noted disc jockeys Murray the K and Frankie Crocker. Amidst all of this insanity, Cynthia Bostick's female-lead turn as a Joplin-like junkie singer named Velour is lost. The film ends with a number of Earth, Wind and Fire songs, but by that point most viewers will be in bad-movie shellshock. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Ed Nelson, (more)
- 1974
The Missing are Deadly depicts a disastrous chain of events sparked by an immature misstep. Teenager George O'Hanlon Jr. is on the outs with his father Ed Nelson, a research scientist. Feeling lonely, O'Hanlon makes a pet out of a rat from his dad's lab--a rat infected with a deadly and highly contagious virus. Armed with the reassuring information that the virus can kill 100,000,000 people within three weeks, the whole country is in plunged into mortal terror as the teenager wanders aimlessly and anonymously through the streets. The Missing are Deadly was made for television, but that shouldn't be held against it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the wake of the 45-million-dollar gross of the original Airport (1970), Universal was all but required by an act of Congress to produce Airport '75. Charlton Heston heads the all-star cast as Alan Murdock, the former test pilot who must keep a disabled 747 from crashing in flames. The crisis begins when a businessman (Dana Andrews), flying his small private plane, suffers a fatal heart attack and the plane smashes into the cockpit of the 747. Following Murdock's radioed instructions, stewardess Nancy Pryor (Karen Black) takes over the controls. The special-guest passenger lineup includes Helen Reddy as a singing nun (a character wickedly satirized in the 1980 parody Airplane!), Myrna Loy as an alcoholic, and Sid Caesar as a garrulous passenger. While Airport '75 yielded only 25 million dollars at the box office, the franchise continued, spawning Airport '77 a few years later and Airport '79 two years after that. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Karen Black, (more)
- 1974
In this crime drama an enterprising cop simultaneously takes on two murder cases, each located on opposite ends of the town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
While performing with a street-theater troupe, Ironside's goddaughter Peggy Lynch (Kathleen Quinlan) witnesses a murder. Rather than summon the police, Peggy allows her boyfriend Jamie (Ron Thompson) to talk her into running away. Ironside (Raymond Burr) scours the city in search of the girl, not knowing that the real reason for her flight is because her boyfriend is a wanted car thief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- PG
The protagonist is young runaway Barbara Sigel (a Golden Globe nominee for her performance in this film), who has a mad-on against the world. Refusing help from anyone over 30, the runaway likewise rejects the solace of the church. This generation gap can only be closed by total and willing acceptance of God and Jesus Christ. Randall Carver and Ed Nelson head the supporting cast, while Rev. Billy Graham makes a brief appearance as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This final episode of Adam-12's sixth season is actually the pilot for a proposed spinoff series titled Fraud. After they find a dead man with an oscillator belt tied around his waist, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) discover that the victim died of diabetic shock--and that he was the patient of a quack doctor. Enter Deputy DA Abe Stayhorn (Ed Nelson) of the " Major Fraud" division, and Strayhorn's elite team of scam-busters, including chief investigator Gino Bardi (Frank Sinatra Jr.) and policewoman Lynn Carmichael (Sharon Gless), who work in concert with Jim and Pete to get the goods on the crooked medico. Advertised as a "special", this episode was seen outside the usual Adam-12 Tuesday-night timeslot, and afforded a rare Thursday-evening telecast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Several familiar faces dot the cast of the made-for-TV Runaway! The scene is a treacherous mountainside, where several skiers have come to...well, ski. The mountain can only be reached by train-and that train is the "runaway" of the title. Just so no one would miss the point, the film was retitled Runway Train when released theatrically abroad. Ben Johnson, Ben Murphy, Ed Nelson, Darlen Carr, Lee H. Mongomery, Martin Milner, Vera Miles, Ray Danton and Bing Russell (Kurt's dad) are among the rescuers and rescuees. Runaway! first aired September 29, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Art thief Van Cleve (Ed Nelson) steals $5 million worth of priceless pre-Columbian artifacts. To determine the hiding place of the precious booty, the IMF hatch a scheme whereby Van Cleve becomes convinced that he has precognitive powers. Essential to the mission's success is an outsized simulated earthquake. Originally telecast on March 2, 1973, "The Western" was written by Arnold Peyser and Lois Peyser. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1973
Bound to the ABC Saturday Suspense Movie 72-minute limitation, Linda could have benefitted from ten or twenty extra minutes' running time. The film, based on a novel by John D. McDonald, stars Stella Stevens as the woman scorned whom Hell hath no fury like. Stevens murders the wife (Mary Robin-Redd) of her lover (John Saxon), then plugs the lover. Stevens' husband Ed Nelson suspects that his wife is responsible for the killings. Stevens responds by framing hubby for the woman's death. John McIntyre plays the aptly named Marshall Journeyman, who methodically ferrets out the facts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
After a decade's absense, an affable gent named Hamilton (Ed Nelson) returns to his home town. The locals welcome him effusively, never suspecting that Hamilton is a professional thief--and that he is currently being sought after by the FBI. Inevitably, Hamilton's past catches up to him in a particularly violent fashion. Featured in the cast is Susan Oliver, best remembered as the "Green Girl" in the closing credits of Star Trek, and ubiqutious cartoon voiceover artist Michael Bell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) must prevent grieving father Robert Hobbs (Ed Nelson) from taking the law in his own hands. Hobbs' son was murdered by Artis Pierce (Kaz Garas), who unfortunately was released on a technicality. Now nothing can stop Hobbs from exacting his own brand of vengeance--and making himself a murderer in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Ed Nelson plays the episode's title character, aerospace engineer Walter Swenson. Fired from his job and in desperate need of money, Swenson decides to hack into the "impenetrable" electronically-controlled vault which stores his former employer's most valuable secrets. Though it is certain that many F.B.I. fans were able to catch up with this episode when it entered rerun syndication, when "The Engineer" first aired on October 29, 1972 most viewers were tuned to another channel, watching the network TV debut of Yellow Submarine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Banacek was the two-hour pilot film for the 1972-74 detective series starring George Peppard. The cigar-smoking, aphorism-spouting Peppard plays T. Banacek, Polish/American investigator for a major Boston insurance company. Independently wealthy, Banacek will only accept cases that have been deemed "unsolvable" by all previous investigators. In this pilot episode, Banacek tackles the case of a Brink's-truck hijacking in the middle of a Texas roadway. The truck and its costly cargo has seemingly vanished into thin air, and the cops are stymied. But with Banacek on the case, we learn that the whole affair was an elaborately orchestrated inside job. The subsequent Banacek series was a component of The NBC Wednesday Movie. The pilot film has been reissued to TV as Detour to Nowhere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Peppard, Christine Belford, (more)
- 1972
The TV series Tenafly starred James McEachin as a working-stiff LA private eye. In the series premiere, which first aired February 12, 1973, Tenafly looks into the murder of an abrasive radio talk-show host's wife. When not on the job, our hero passes the time with his wife Ruth (Lillian Lehmann), his son Herbert (Paul M. Jackson Jr.) and his contentious relatives (Lillian Randolph, Bill Walker). The premise of Tenafly--an unhandsome black private eye juggles his dangerous profession with his middle-class family life-was appealing, but not enough to save the program from cancellation after a single season. Tenafly was originally telecast as one of four rotating components of The NBC Wednesday Movie (the others were Banacek, Faraday and Company and The Snoop Sisters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This crime drama is set on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai and follows the exploits of an undercover cop who involves himself in a drug-smuggling operation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Olivia De Havilland plays a middle-aged woman who has recently been released from a mental institution after suffering a breakdown. She insists one evening that she can hear the muffled scream of a woman emanating from beneath the ground. Since no one else can hear these screams, De Havilland is dismissed as a crank. But Ms. De Havilland is steadfast in her conviction that the screams are real, and to that end investigates on her own. She discovers--at the peril of her own life--that the screams are those of a woman buried alive at a construction site by her recluse husband. Losing credibility long before the denouement, The Screaming Woman is based on a vastly superior short story by Ray Bradbury, in which the protagonist is not an adult ex-mental patient but a precocious little girl with a reputation for lying. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
