Cal Bellini Movies
In this subpar western, gratuitous profanity and violence are at odds with the theme of rescuing a Native American from a marriage she does not want. A bearded Charleton Heston (whose son wrote the screenplay) is the fur trader Bill Tyler, out in the remote mountain ranges looking for a legendary valley where furry animals are plentiful. Brian Keith is his clownish, foul-mouthed sidekick. On their way to finding the best area to set their traps they encounter Running Moon (Victoria Racimo) who is in fact, running away from her husband Heavy Eagle (Stephen Macht. Several battles between Native Americans (portrayed by Caucasian actors) and the fur trappers keep the action moving. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Brian Keith, (more)
- 1977
The Rockford Files opens its fourth season as detective Jim Rockford (James Garner) returns from a vacation in Puerto Rico, only discover that someone has stolen his clothes, his car, his trailer. . .and his identity. Nerdy garage mechanic Fred Beamer (James Whitmore Jr.) has always dreamed of becoming a private eye, and has taken advantage of Jim's absence by making his dream come true. Posing as Jim, Fred has accepted some rather dangerous cases, including one from a gentleman with homicidal tendencies named Manny Arturis (Roger Loggia). Now the REAL Rockford is stuck with the duel task of rescuing Fred and saving himself from the consequences of Fred's whimsical behavior. This episode marks the second Rockford Files reteaming of James Garner with his former Maverick costar Jack Kelly, who may or may not be the villain of the piece. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Charles Martin Smith and Don Johnson highlight the cast of this TV movie about a prostitute-stalking serial killer plaguing the Old West. Johnson and Smith play tough lawmen who set out to capture the murderer. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Richard Basehart heads an impressive guest cast as Bishop Tim Farrow, who has fallen victim to a would-be murderer. When Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) question the Bishop, he steadfastly refuses to identify his assailant. Is the guilty party a fanatical atheist who has threatened Bishop Farrow in the past--or is the victim protecting someone close to him? Much of this episode was filmed on location at Mission Dolores, previously seen in the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Anne Meara stars as Denver lawyer Kate McShane in this pilot film for the weekly CBS series of the same name. With the help of her two favorite "leg men" -- her ex-cop father, Pat (Sean McClory), and her Jesuit priest-law professor brother, Ed (Randy Quaid) -- Kate not only defends accused murderers, but also endeavors to solve the cases herself without the help of the authorities. Kate is determined to reduce the charge against her wealthy client, Charlotte Randall Chase (Christine Belford), from murder to manslaughter -- even if means putting the victim "on trial" himself. Cal Bellini co-stars as Kate's cynical partner, Angelo Romero. Another of the many "ethnic detective" TV projects of the era (Kate is Irish, in case there is any doubt), the Kate McShane pilot first aired on April 11, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) poses as a caterer for a Syndicate wedding. In this capacity, Erskine hopes to gather information about a bloody internal power play instigated by Mob functionary Ed Haynes (Alex Cord). But the wedding may never come off--certainly not if Haynes is able to pull off his plan to murder the father of the bride, Boss Faber (Frank DeKova), just before the exchange of vows! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
A vicious street gang robs a neighborhood store, kills a cop, and takes Detective Stone (Karl Malden). As the police surround the store, the thugs attempt to strike a bargain: They will let Stone go in exchange for the freedom of Buddy Sims (Cal Bellini), their imprisoned leader. This episode was directed by John Badham, whose subsequent film credits included Saturday Night Never, Blue Thunder and WarGames. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Fuzz treads the line between raucous comedy and gut-churning melodrama. Based on an "87th Precinct" novel by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter), the film stars Burt Reynolds and Jack Weston as, respectively, detectives Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer. Their current assignment is to bring in Deaf Man (Yul Brynner), a mad bomber who has been targeting politicians. A subplot concerning a couple of punks who get their kicks by setting fire to sleeping winos is dramatically justified by the main storyline, but it was this element that caused a lot of trouble for the producers of Fuzz when a pair of real-life teenagers decided to imitate the film. On a lighter note, Raquel Welch co-stars as Detective Eileen McHenry, who is obliged to go undercover -- and under covers -- with fellow officer Bert Kling (Tom Skerritt). And as a bonus, viewers are treated to Burt Reynolds' first "drag" scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Jack Weston, (more)
- 1971
Ironside's associates Ed (Don Galloway) and Eve (Barbara Anderson) are dispatched to Mexico, there to interrogate onetime murder suspect Lonnie Burnett (Scott Glenn) as a part of an investigation of a strikingly similar killing. In the course of events, the two detectives are persuaded that Burnett is innocent. As a result, when Burnett escapes police custody, the hostile local authorities accuse Ed and Eve of acting as the man's accomplices! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Recounting how the West was won through the eyes of a white man raised as a Native American, Arthur Penn's 1970 adaptation of Thomas Berger's satirical novel was a comic yet stinging allegory about the bloody results of American imperialism. As a misguided 20th-century historian listens, 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) narrates the story of being the only white survivor of Custer's Last Stand. White orphan Crabb was adopted by the Cheyenne, renamed "Little Big Man," and raised in the ways of the "Human Beings" by paternal mentor Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George), accepting non-conformity and living peacefully with nature. Violently thrust into the white world, Jack meets a righteous preacher (Thayer David) and his wife (Faye Dunaway), tries to be a gunfighter under the tutelage of Wild Bill Hickock (Jeff Corey), and gets married. Returned to the Cheyenne by chance, Jack prefers life as a Human Being. The carnage wreaked by the white man in the Washita massacre and the lethal fallout from the egomania of General George A. Custer (Richard Mulligan) at Little Big Horn, however, show Crabb the horrific implications of Old Lodge Skins' sage observation, "There is an endless supply of White Men, but there has always been a limited number of Human Beings." ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, (more)
