Brock Peters Movies

Helen Hayes plays Agatha Christie's amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple in A Caribbean Mystery. Recuperating from an illness at a resort in the Bahamas, Miss Marple makes the acquaintance of a genial British major (Maurice Evans). When her new friend is murdered, Miss M takes on the case herself. She certainly has a carload of suspects this time, ranging from the near-bankrupt owners of the resort to a secretive hotel doctor. Originally titled Agatha Christie's The Caribbean Mystery, this TV movie first aired October 22, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There isn't much disagreement as to whether this spaghetti western is styled after the Director Sergio Leone's Clint Eastwood blockbuster, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Ace High, directed by Giuseppe Colizzi, and filmed in Almeria, Spain, is missing at least two ingredients that could possibly lift it up to its predecessor, and they're Eastwood and Colizzi. The plot fits: An outlaw Cat Stevens (Mario Girotti) is saved from the noose and is then hunted by his saviors when he goes back to crime. But Stevens is on a hunt of his own, pursuing three roamers who'd sent him to prison years before. ~ All Movie Guide

It's off to darkest Africa for this street-smart kid (Brock Peters) where he learns all about tribal customs and tradition. ~ All Movie Guide

When a retired cop falls off the roof of a building, his death is ruled as accidental, brought about by excessive drinking. But the cop's grandson doesn't buy this verdict, insisting that the old man was murdered. It is up to undercover detective Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) -- and a hitherto hidden witness -- to solve the mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) is charged with the murder of rival Viper pilot Ortega (Frank Ashmore). With the full weight of evidence against him, Starbuck finds few that are willing to believe his protestations of innocence. One of those few, however, is his best friend Apollo (Richard Hatch), who doggedly sets about to prove that the authorities have arrested the wrong man--and in the process, Apollo uncovers an unusually vicious blackmail scheme. "Murder on the Rising Star" was later combined with the Battlestar Galactica episode "The Young Lords" and reissued as the two-hour "TV movie" Murder in Space. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Erika Eleniak is the "broken angel" in this made-for-TV domestic drama. The troubled daughter of William Shatner and Susan Blakely, Erika drops out of sight after a shooting incident at her high school prom. Deducing that his daughter has become involved in drug dealing, Shatner goes on a nightmarish odyssey through the gang-controlled streets of LA. Every so often, Roxann Biggs, playing a social worker, delivers the Author's Message in spell-it-all-out terms. More praiseworthy for its intentions than its execution, Broken Angel first aired March 14, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Vic Powers (Lloyd Bridges) leads a specialized rescue unit known as the Flying Fish. When an American economics professor is kidnapped by a malevolent Latin American dictator, the call goes out to recover the victim. The unit is equally adept in or out of the water. Ricardo (Nico Minardos) is the resident beachcomber recruited to provide the team with valuable information vital to recovering the missing professor. The specialized unit travels by air, land and sea to meet their objective and races against time to avoid an international incident that could tip the balance of power in favor of the dictator. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a beautiful woman uses her charms to dupe her new sweetheart and his buddies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Five on the Black Hand Side was released at a time when most black-oriented films were bloody action fests. In contrast, this low-budget effort, coproduced by actors Brock Peters and Michael Tolan, eschews exploitation for humanity and domestic drama. Leonard Jackson plays a barber who is also the domineering head of a middle-class African American family. Jackson is forced to rethink his values when his previously docile wife (Clarice Taylor) joins their three children in rebelling against her husband's retrogressive behavior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Considered a bit too sacrilegious for general consumption in 1963, the Boulting brothers' Heavens Above was simply ahead of its time, and has since accrued a loyal and vocal following. Peter Sellers plays an idealistic British reverend with a bad habit of telling the truth at all times. He also follows his conscience whenever possible, resulting in several cleric decisions that shock his wealthy, landed-gentry parishioners. By inviting such "undesirables" as gypsies and West Africans to worship freely in his church, Sellers rouses the ire of the rest of his white-bread flock. He does, however, compel the selfish owner (Isabel Jeans) of a laxative firm to "see the light" and to sell off all her holdings on behalf of the poor and downtrodden. Unfortunately, by doing this the woman wrecks her business--which is the principal source of income for the community where Sellers works. Retreating from town with an angry mob on his heels, Sellers relocates on a tiny island in the Pacific. Since the island is the site of a missile base, and since the local astronauts have shown signs of agnosticism, where else is there for Sellers to go...but up? Heavens Above was inspired by a notion cooked up by iconoclastic British satirist Malcolm Muggeridge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This excellent documentary on the American boxing champion
Joe Louis reveals little-publicized facts about the end of his extraordinary career. Using still photos and newsreels, director Peter Tatum recalls the many fights won by the "Brown Bomber" against fighters like Primo Carnera and one of his three losses, in a comeback fight against Rocky Marciano. Marciano wept when he knocked out Louis, someone he idolized (Marciano was 28 at the time of the fight, and Louis 37). Joe Louis himself won the heavyweight championship at the age of 23 and defended it a record 25 times, yet his most politically celebrated victory was the 1938 rematch fight against Max Schmelling, who represented Nazi Germany in the ring. Louis donated his winnings from two championship fights at the beginning of World War II to the Navy and Army relief funds -- yet this money was still taxed by the IRS -- a new piece of information that director Tatum and scripter Budd Schulberg argue is one indication of IRS discrimination against the black fighter. After working to recruit soldiers and raise the morale of U.S. troops with speeches, Louis ended the war period owing $1,000,000 to the IRS, and had to sign up for fights he should not have taken to pay off the debt. He also became a wrestler for awhile, out of financial necessity. He ended up as a host at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The first black heavyweight champion (68 victories, 3 defeats) to hold the title for as long as 12 years, the youngest to gain the title, Louis had earned over $4 million in his career but had little to show for it at the end of his life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide