Pernell Roberts Movies
Pernell Roberts worked such odd jobs as butcher, forest ranger and tombstone-maker while studying acting and singing and scouting around for off-Broadway jobs. Roberts' film debut, in a characteristic Deep Brooder role, was in 1958's Desire Under the Elms. From 1959 through 1966, Roberts co-starred as black-clad, taciturn Adam Cartwright on Bonanza. "Aloof, rebellious and outspoken" was how Bonanza producer David Dotort summed up Roberts, who fought tooth and nail over every real or imagined challenge to his integrity (his biggest beef was that he had to call Lorne Greene "Pa" rather than "Father"). Fed up with what he perceived as the series' declining quality, Roberts left Bonanza in 1966; it was explained to fans that "Adam" had left to study at a European university. Free of his TV series commitment, Roberts returned to his first love, the stage--and also divested himself of the toupee he'd been forced to wear as Adam. The actor played the straw-hat circuit in such musicals as Camelot and The King and I, all the while accepting film and TV roles that came up to his standards. Unfortunately, his stubbornness and standoffishness left a sour taste with co-workers and fans alike, and Roberts was unable to soar to the artistic heights to which he aspired. After years of declaring that he'd never again return to the grind of weekly television, Roberts accepted the role of Dr. "Trapper" John McIntyre, chief of surgery at San Francisco memorial hospital, in the seven-season (1979-86) M*A*S*H spin-off Trapper John MD. In 1991 Pernell Roberts assumed the hosting duties of the TV anthology FBI: The Untold Stories. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1990
Donor is a variation on a familiar theme, played to the hilt by a topnotch cast. Doctor Melissa Gilbert-Brinkman is shocked when her close friend is strangled by an elderly patient. Before she has a chance to investigate, the killer himself dies in a mysterious accident. Probing further, Melissa deduces that the hospital administators are hiding something from her. She's right: there's a conspiracy in the making, and it's all traceable to a new organ-donor program. Pernell Roberts and Jack Scalia costar in Donor, which made its broadcast premiere December 9, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Melissa Gilbert, Jack Scalia, (more)
- 1990
- R
In this drama, a race car driver takes on the friend and rival driver who stole his lover. Macho posturing (some of it violent) ensues until the two learn to work together and become a winning team. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1989
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason must help a wounded hockey star who has been accused of killing an important sports figure. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1988
In this youthful family adventure, a pair of teens are forced to leave California and move to Nepal with their parents. At first they are less than impressed by the country's culture and the colorful streets of their new city, but then the young girl falls in love with a good-looking, mysterious Sherpa who leads the two and their father, an anthropologist, on an adventuresome journey to search for the legendary City that Never Was. This feature was made for cable-television. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1987
Desperado was the first of several made-for-TV movies revolving around the exploits of itinerant cowboy Duell McCall (Alex McArthur). This time around, McCall finds himself in the middle of a deadly feud in a small mining town. As the only honest man in the territory (comparatively speaking), our hero is ripe for a double-cross. Framed for the murder of Sheriff Whaley (Robert Vaughn), McCall is forced to wander the wild frontier in search of the one man who can clear him. Written by Elmore Leonard, this sagebrush Fugitive first aired April 27, 1987. Designed as the pilot for a weekly series, Desperado instead spawned a cluster of feature-length sequels, produced between 1987 and 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
Arthur Hailey's novel Hotel had already served as the inspiration for a 1967 theatrical film when this TV pilot came along on September 21, 1983. Bette Davis stars as Laura Trent, the entrenched owner of the Hotel St. Gregory (moved from the novel's New Orleans to San Francisco, to allow for location filming at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel). In true Love Boat fashion, Ms. Trent and hotel manager Peter McDermott (James Brolin) oversee four separate plot strands. A hooker (Morgan Fairchild) is raped in the hotel by a bunch of preppies who'd hired her for "just talk". A neurotic aspiring singer (Erin Moran) tries to interrupt the act of the hotel's lounge entertainer Mel Torme (himself). A very-married lady (Shirley Jones) checks in to conduct an illicit affair. And a feisty young woman (Connie Sellecca, a regular on the subsequent series) shows up unhired as McDermott's assistant manager. The Hotel series ran from 1983 to 1988, during which time an ailing Bette Davis was replaced by Anne Baxter; in the early 1990s, reruns of the series popped up rather incongruously on cable's E! Entertainment Network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1981
Another feminist western from the early 1980s, Incident at Crestridge has the novelty of a contemporary setting. Eileen Brennan plays a Wyoming woman repelled by the corruption in her city government. She decides to take a stand by running for sheriff. Practically every man in town is a slavering sexist and potential murderer, but Brennan prevails over the opposition. Pernell Roberts costars as the obligatory "big boss" mayor, whose after-hours activities include narcotics, gambling and white slavery. Incident at Crestridge is an okay resuscitation of a venerable movie formula. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
Taking over for Gary Cooper, Lee Majors stars as Marshal Will Kane in this made-for-TV movie set a year after the original High Noon ends. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1979
In this adventure, set in old New Orleans, a dashing man disguises himself with a mask and cape so that he can get revenge on those that murdered his family. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1979
This first Lassie film in nearly three decades (discounting the various feature-length compilations of Lassie TV episodes) is worth watching for its veteran cast. Lassie is legally wrested from freckled-faced Michael Sharrett by evil Pernell Roberts, who hopes that the kid's grandpa Jimmy Stewart will sell his valuable vineyards to "ransom" the dog. Roberts' scheme falls through, and Lassie makes her getaway, embarking upon a grueling trek to be reunited with her young master. Alice Faye, looking very well preserved, shows up to sing a song or two. Also contributing vocally are Pat Boone and Debby Boone and The Mike Curb Congregation; even Stewart gets to sing (he hasn't improved much since his last singing role in Broadway Melody of 1936, but you gotta love him). About the only cast member in The Magic of Lassie who doesn't sing is Mike Mazurki. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Mickey Rooney, (more)
- 1978
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Jim Rockford (James Garner) and rookie private eye Richie Brockelman (Dennis Dugan) continue to investigate the suspicious death of their mutual mentor Joe Tooley. When the trail of clues leads to crooked computer-company CEO Garth McGregor (Jackie Cooper), he uses his influence to frame the two detectives and force them to take it on the lam. Ingredients essential to the outcome of the story are an underground storage silo, a conspiracy involving a corrupt congressman, and a wild helicopter-chase finale. This final episode of The Rockford Files' fourth season served to introduce the character of Richie Brockelman, who was subsequently spun off into his own TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
In the first half of a two-part story, Jim (James Garner) investigates the mysterious death of his mentor Joe Tooley (Paul Fix) on the Ventura Freeway. Assisting Jim--in a manner of speaking--is greenhorn detective Richie Brockelman (Dennis Dugan), who likewise suspects that Tooley's demise was no accident. The evidence leads to a crooked city councilman and a sinister data-storage firm called the Credit Computer Centre. This episode and its followup served to introduce the character of Richie Brockelman, soon to be spun off into his own eponymously titled TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
An affirmative-action program at a major metropolitan hospital is threatened when a young African American resident, who owes his job to the program, is suspected of causing a patient's death through negligence (to use the old cliché, the operation was successful but the patient died). The young man's mentor, Dr. Frank Matthews (Brock Peters), takes the blame for the tragedy, arousing the suspicions of Matthews' longtime friend Quincy (Jack Klugman). Racing against time, Quincy must determine the actual cause of the patient's death--and, hopefully, save the affirmative-action program from being eliminated by a disgruntled hospital official. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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, Rovi
- 1978
Based on the best-selling novel by Howard Fast, the two-part, four-hour miniseries The Immigrants is the saga of Dan Lavetta (Stephen Macht). The son of an impoverished Italian immigrant family, Dan manages to emerge from the rubble of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (cunningly re-created via stock footage from such films as, naturally, San Francisco and Earthquake), to become one of the port city's most powerful shipping magnates. Capping his ascent up the social scale by marrying wealthy Nob Hill debutante Jean Seldon (Sharon Gless), Dan risks losing it all when he falls hopelessly in love with Oriental lass May Ling (played by the Caucasian Aimee Eccles). The story concludes with the 1929 Wall Street crash, suggesting that the producers would have thrown in the kitchen sink had they been able to find it. The Immigrants was syndicated to local stations as part of the "Operation Prime Time" series; most markets ran the two-parter on November 20 and 21, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Nice Night for a Hanging was the feature-length pilot film for the never-sold TV series Charlie Cobb. Clu Gulager stars as Cobb, a private detective operating in the Old West. Our hero comes to California at the behest of a powerful rancher (Ralph Bellamy), and is hired to locate the rancher's long-lost daughter, who was kidnapped in infancy. Cobb runs into resistance from several unsavory characters who have their eyes on his client's fortune. Produced by Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link, Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging premiered June 19, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Previously seen in timeslots ranging from 90 minutes to two hours, Quincy M.E. settles into its standard one-hour format with this episode. While vacationing in the resort town of Paradise, Quincy (Jack Klugman) is approached by young Jessica Casey (Hilary Thompson), whose alcoholic father John is serving jail time for his ex-wife's murder. Jessica is convinced that Quincy has come to town to reopen the manslaughter case in which her dad was involved--and once he begins to figure out that John Casey is the victim of a conspiracy, Quincy decides to play along with the anxious girl. Unfortunately, he meets resistance from the local sheriff (Pernell Roberts), who seems to have reasons of his own for keeping the case closed. Jamie Lee Curtis appears in a bit role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Vengeful ex-convict Harlan Betts (Lawrence Pressman) is determined to get even with high-profile attorney Larry Drake (Lawrence Pressman), who when serving as deputy district attorney sent Betts to prison. At the same time, Charlie Finn (Pernell Roberts), a businessman facing bankruptcy, is further weighed down by divorce proceedings instigated by his wife's attorney--Larry Drake. With grim inevitability, these two separate storylines converge, bringing homicide detectives Keller (Karl Malden) and Robbins (Richard Hatch) onto the scene. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Mario Roccuzzo guest stars as Joey, a reformed alcoholic. As a personal favor to his friend, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake), Joey pretends to fall off the wagon. It is all part of a scheme to get the goods on Joey's former boss, a blackmailer/pornographer/pimp who sidelines in murder. Onetime Bonanza star Pernell Roberts makes quite a meal of his supporting role in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Blake
- 1976
One of four dramatic miniseries carried by NBC under the blanket title Best Sellers, Captains and the Kings was adapted from a novel by Taylor Caldwell. Covering a time span from 1857 to 1912, this was the saga of the Irish-immigrant Armagh clan, with emphasis on the rags-to-riches career of Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan). Achieving fame and prominence (if not full-fledged social acceptance) through a Byzantine series of investments in the oil industry, the elder Armagh was obsessed with the notion of having one of his sons become the first Irish-Catholic President of the United States (does this story sound vaguely familiar?). Along the way, Joseph and his offspring indulged in innumerable romantic liaisons, extramarital and otherwise. Featured in the all-star cast is Patty Duke Astin, who won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Bernadette Hennessey Armagh. Captains and the Kings was broadcast from September 30 to November 18, 1976 in seven installments, two of which ran 120 minutes, and the other six lasting 60 minutes -- a total of nine hours' air time in all. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
In this thriller a federal officer acts upon his suspicion that the recent death of his predecessor was part of a conspiracy to kill a presidential candidate. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1975
Kate Mulgrew made her American TV debut in the taped 90-minute melodrama Alien Lover. She plays a lonely, orphaned teenager, recently released from a mental institution. While wandering around in the family attic, Mulgrew switches on an old television. She sees the image of a young man (John Ventantonio)-who promptly begins talking to her. Girl and boy gradually fall in love....but is he for real, or merely a figment of her troubled psyche? And if so, where does he come from and why is here? Pernell Roberts, Susan Brown, and Steven Earl Tanner costar in this ABC Wide World Mystery presentation, which debuted November 25, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Made for television, Sniper originally aired under the title The Deadly Tower. In vivid, sweat-inducing detail, the film recreates the horror of August 4, 1966, when outwardly normal student Charles Whitman climbed to the tower of the University of Texas and began firing his rifle on the passersby below. 13 people were killed and 34 wounded before Whitman himself was killed by courageous police office Ramiro Martinez. Filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this docudrama stars Kurt Russell as Whitman, Richard Yniguez as Ramirez, and Ned Beatty as Alan Crum, a reluctant bystander who became an equally reluctant hero when pressed into service by Ramirez. The Deadly Tower first aired October 18, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Richard Yniguez, (more)
- 1975
The team infiltrates a hotel where a gangland convention is being held. While Mark (Don Mitchell) and Ed (Don Galloway) go undercover as thugs, Ironside (Raymond Burr) poses as a visiting businessman. Their purpose: to thwart the efforts of mob kingpin Harry Blocker (Pernell Roberts) to unify all California criminals under a single, all-powerful leader--himself. Though filmed for Ironside's eighth season, this episode remained unshown when the series was abruptly cancelled by NBC in January of 1975, and would not be aired until the show went into syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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