Richard O'Brien Movies
Character actor Richard O'Brien was born in Fargo, ND, in 1917, far away from the bright lights of Hollywood. He didn't begin acting until the age of 46, when he began making appearances on numerous TV shows, from Family Affair to The Fugitive, often coming back to make subsequent appearances on the same show, but playing different characters. O'Brien's ability to take on a new persona so convincingly would keep him in steady work for decades to come, until his death in 1983 at the age of 66. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide- 1980
The 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid provides the setting for this drama that centers on a man's mid-life crisis. While there, he gets involved with love, sex and other diversions. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Because the producers couldn't get clearance to film on the real Golden Gate bridge, The Golden Gate Murders is enacted upon a distressingly unconvincing studio mock-up. The film itself is far better than its backdrop: David Janssen stars as a detective investigating the supposed suicide of a priest. Susannah York portrays a nun who is anxious to save the priest's immortal soul by proving that his fatal plunge into San Francisco Bay was murder, not suicide. A curious, chaste romance develops between cop and nun, which turns out to be more interesting at times than the case at hand. Golden Gate Murders was released theatrically as Specter on the Bridge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Quincy (Jack Klugman) investigates when the mother and sister of apparent murder victim Peter Nielsen (Bruce Wright)--whom he has already officially declared dead--come forth to declare that the "dead" man is not only still alive, but has been in contact with them since the "killing." The investigation leads to a downtown messenger service, which turns out to be a front for an illegal drug ring. Appearing as the alleged victim's mother is Priscilla Pointer, in real life the mother of actress Amy Irving. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
This 1978 TV movie was the first of two pilots for a cop series titled--yes--Two-Five The title refers to a woebegone Big City precinct where all the malcontents and misfits on the force are transferred. The latest arrivals at Two-Five are undercover cops Don Johnson ("introduced" in the ad copy as a "bright new comedy star") and Joe Bennett, who have recently capped their many mistakes by arresting the mayor's mother during a gambling raid. The boys try to toe the line, but those pesky criminals just won't go away, most notably a drug kingpin whom Johnson and Bennett have been trying to nail for years. The Two-Five was followed in 1979 by another 90-minute pilot with the same title and the same cast, but with a different director (Jules Irving). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Four small-town businessmen hire Jim (James Garner) to help them purchase a fire engine--or at least that's their story. Sizing up the detective and jumping to the conclusion that he will do anything for $20,000, the men instruct Jim to murder a young actress (Priscilla Barnes) who threatens to reveal that they've been defrauding the IRS. Of course, they're wrong--but Jim is equally wrong when he assumes that the police will believe him when he tries to inform on the foursome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
The townsfolk of Walnut Grove are in an uproar when a local Indian chief, Spotted Wolf (Guillermo San Juan), jumps his reservation to lead his people out of town. When Spotted Wolf suffers a stroke, his son Little Crow (Nick Ramus) seeks out help from the white townspeople -- but to no avail. It falls to Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon) to come to the aid of Spotted Wolf, and to make his neighbors realize the error of their blind bigotry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1975
Eugene Roche is cast as alcoholic police detective Lyle "Sandy" Beech, whose drinking and dereliction of duty has gotten him demoted to patrolman on his old beat. Determined to win back his badge, Sandy embarks upon a personal mission to capture the murderer of his friend and colleague. But in so doing, the ex-detective threatens to sabotage the official murder investigation conducted by Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Returning Home attempts to do in 72 minutes what the Oscar-winning 1946 film The Best Years of Our Lives did in 172. This TV movie is a potted remake of that classic film, tracing the lives of three returning World War II servicemen. Dabney Coleman plays the Fredric March role as a married banker with two grown children. Tom Selleck fills Dana Andrews' shoes as a decorated ex-pilot who is grounded in peacetime by a dead end job and an unhappy marriage. And James Miller is a sailor who has lost both arms in the war, a fact that his family and fiancee struggle to come to grips with. Just as in the case of Best Years of Our Lives' Harold Russell, James Miller is a genuine amputee who'd been wounded in Vietnam. Why did Returning Home try to pack so much plot and so many characters into so short a running time? Because it was the pilot for an unsold TV series...titled The Best Years of Our Lives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
A tense turf battle between rival street gangs becomes full-fledged warfare after one teen is knifed in a reprisal raid. Caught in the middle is dedicated youth-center worker Eddie Griffin, played by former Mission: Impossible regular Greg Morris. Efforts by Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) to avoid further bloodshed are complicated by Griffin's insistence upon trying to defuse the situation himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
John-Boy (Richard Thomas) catches his friend Yancy Tucker (Robert Donner) stealing chickens, but decides not to tell their sheriff. This may prove to be the wrong decision when chicken farmer Charlie Potter (Richard O'Brien) is shot--and Yancy is the only likely suspect. And speaking of thievery, Ben (Eric Scott) gets himself in hot water when he "borrows" one of John-Boy's old poems, "A Winter Mountain", to win a literary competition. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
A meek, downtrodden man named Staley (Mario Roccuzzo) hopes to get even for a lifetime of being browbeaten and humiliated. His plan involves planting a time bomb in a high-rise office building, then tipping off the FBI. The problem facing Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is the fact that Staley has neglected to reveal the name of the city where the building is standing! Prominently featured in the cast is Victor French, soon to be a fixture of such Michael Landon-produced efforts as Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
James Stacy is cast as Peter Forrest, an AWOL Vietnam veteran determined to connect with the son that he's never seen. Resorting to kidnapping the boy, the increasingly unbalanced Forrest leads detectives Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) on a frenzied chase. Also swept up in the melodrama is Forrest's ex-wife Joan (Linda Marsh), and Barney and Martha Reardon (Richard O'Brien, Nancy Wickwire), the kidnapped child's adoptive parents--and the only mother and father he has ever known. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Young singer John Davidson is cast, appropriately enough, as young singer Tory Hughes. When his contract is taken over by a Mob loan shark, Tory discovers to his chagrin that his whole life is being taken over as well. Indeed, Tory is expected to lure other unwitting victims into the shark's jaws--unless the FBI can put an end to the whole sordid mess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In a plot reminiscent of such "perfect crime" films as The Asphalt Jungle and The Killing, three strangers are brought together to commit a $900,000 bank robbery. Much of the preliminary footage is devoted to establishing the personalities and motives of the three crooks. Playboy Eliot Fielding (Peter Haskell) has turned criminal in hopes of wooing and winning his wealthy girlfriend; George Whelan (Richard O'Brien wants to use his cut to open a hardware store; and lifelong loser Roy Mills (Albert Salmi) desires to fulfill his pathetically childish dreams of luxury. As expected, the best-laid plans go horribly awry when the three thieves end up as reluctant kidnappers (appearing as the father of the kidnap victim is former movie Tarzan Lex Barker). This is the final episode of The F.B.I.'s sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Peter Falk revived his Lieutenant Columbo characterization, first seen in 1967's Prescription: Murder, for the made-for-TV Ransom for a Dead Man. Lee Grant plays a wily lawyer who murders her husband, then arranges to make it appear that he's been kidnapped. The plan is to allow the body to be found by the cops during the ransom pickup, leaving Grant in the clear. But Columbo has "just one more question," and slowly but surely wears down Grant's alibi. Written and produced by Richard Levinson and William O. Link, Ransom for a Dead Man was the official pilot for the subsequent Columbo TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Photographer Christopher George is mistaken for an assassination target by paid killers. Since the actual victim-to-be is now safe, George cannot count on the protection of the authorities, so he takes it on the lam. He is sheltered by former girlfriend Judy Carne, who is kidnapped and threatened with death for her troubles. George decides to take matters in his own hands when it becomes impossible for him to separate the good guys from the bad. Made for television, Dead Men Tell No Tales would dearly love to be a Hitchcock film; it falls short of this goal, but is diverting fun all the same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Wounded in an ambush, Joe Cartwright is rescued by the Griswolds, a farming family. Delirious with fever, Joe experiences surrealistic flashbacks and bizarre disturbing visions (in one, he sees Hoss trying to kill him!) As his condition worsens, it becomes obvious that emergency surgery is called for-but Joe is too seriously injured to be moved from the Griswold farm. Featured in the cast of this superbly directed and photographed episode are Richard O'Brien and Peggy McCoy as Mr. and Mrs. Griswold, and David Huddleston as Doc Scully. Originally telecast October 3, 1971, "Bushwacked!" was written by Preston Wood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1970
In this made for TV movie meant to be the pilot for a big city newspaper series, a young reporter takes his job too much to heart when covering the story of a middle-aged businessman accused of murder when he kills a young man who was assaulting an old man. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Though he has been accused of killing his wife, mental patient Walter Carr (Earl Holliman)--who has no memory of the crime--is certain that she is still alive and that he has been framed for her murder. Escaping custody, Walter goes on a tortuous odyssey to find the truth, committing various small crimes along the way. As Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) pursues Walter, even he begins to wonder if his quarry is the victim of a miscarriage of justice. As it turns out, however, a murder has indeed been committed--and the killer is a lot closer than Walter ever imagined. Directed by series costar Philip Abbott, this is the final episode of The F.B.I.'s fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Goaded by their classmate Norman (Bobby Riha), Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) begin secretly tape-recording other peoples' conversation. The kids' electronic eavesdropping proves embarrassing for both Cissy (Kathy Garver) and Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), leading to even more embarrassing complications. And in a parallel development, Bill (Brian Keith) discovers that someone has planted a "bug" in his office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The key prop in this episode is an antique porcelain doll, used by Communist agents DeBecker (William Smithers) and Linker (Robert Wolders) to transport stolen microfilm. Once alerted to the doll's existence, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) conducts a search for the precious plaything which takes him all the way from Oregon to New York State. This episode is distinguished by the superlative performances of veteran actresses Josephine Hutchinson and Viveca Lindfors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The FBI launches a search for Curtis Stone (Roy Poole), a sleazy extortionist who preys upon the families of servicemen. There is someone else anxious to catch up with Stone: Sgt. Paul Devlin (John Ericson), whose wife committed suicide while he was in Vietnam. Holding Stone responsible for his wife's death, Devlin is determined to mete out his own brand of retribution--and Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is equally determined to prevent the embittered Devlin from becoming a murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
It's a seemingly peaceful spring morning in New York City -- graduation day at the Police Academy -- and Police Commissioner Anthony X. Russell (Henry Fonda) is looking forward to giving a speech to the new officers. But all isn't well: Russell's been given apparently incontrovertible evidence that his oldest friend, Chief Inspector Charles Kane (James Whitmore), is shaking down a bar owner, and a black minister (Raymond St. Jacques) is claiming that his son was brutalized when he was picked up for questioning in a rape/assault case. Then Russell gets a call informing him that two first-grade detectives, Daniel Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino), allowed small-time hood Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat) to get the drop on them, steal their guns, and escape while they were trying to pick him up for questioning at the request of Brooklyn detectives -- and Benesch is now a suspect in that earlier murder in Brooklyn. Madigan has other problems, including the fact that the commissioner -- his ex-captain -- doesn't trust him, always believing him to be a loose cannon who has taken advantage of the badge in accepting favors and cutting corners where peoples' rights were concerned. Madigan also has a beautiful, upwardly mobile wife (Inger Stevens) who loves him but can't abide all the time his job takes him away from her or crimps her socializing; and he has never fully gotten over Jonesy (Sheree North), a saloon singer he knew before he was married. Madigan and Bonaro are given 72 hours to bring in Benesch and begin beating the bushes for leads. They get help from "Midget" Castiglione (Michael Dunn), a bookmaker and an old enemy of Benesch's, and a nervous, long-haired punk named Hughie (Don Stroud). While the clock ticks away on Madigan's and Bonaro's careers, the commissioner must decide how to deal with Kane, whose father -- also a police officer -- was like his own, and he must also fathom how a four-star chief could be involved with anything as tawdry as pressuring a tavern owner. Russell genuinely believes that there must be "one standard, one rule" for any member of the department, but in the course of this one weekend, he finds this notion shattered by what he discovers about Madigan, King, and himself. Meanwhile, Benesch is still on the loose, acting like a complete psycho and a threat to anyone who crosses his path. Russell's and Madigan's paths finally cross personally, as the detective proves -- and the commissioner discovers -- just how good a cop he is. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, (more)
- 1967
This prescient episode costars Tom Skerritt, soon to appear as "Duke Forest" in the movie version of M*A*S*H, with Wayne Rogers, the future "Trapper John" in the M*A*S*H TV series. Skerritt is cast as John Rim, a fugitive from justice who is hiding in a Gulf Coast community where he is regarded as a local hero for rescuing a busload of children. When Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) shows up in search of Rim, is confronted by a wall of silence and hostility from the locals, who can't believe (or choose not to believe) that John Rim is a criminal. Meanwhile, John shows his true colors by attempting to seduce the wife (Katherine Justice) of his own brother Frank (Rogers). This is the first episode in which star Efrem Zimbalist Jr. dropped character at the conclusion to issue his monthly "Wanted by the FBI" bulletin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
