Ned Romero Movies

Death lurks in the form of dairy delivery in this independent black comedy. Charlie Silvercloud III (Robert A. Guthrie) is a young man of Native American ancestry who has the sneaking suspicion a certain family tradition will soon catch up with him. It seems Charlie's father and grandfather both died on their 25th birthdays, and both died from the same circumstances, after being struck by runaway milk trucks. Charlie's 25th birthday is only a few weeks away, and he's starting to feel his certain fate is lurking around the corner. Charlie's mother, Lucille (Dee Wallace Stone), has been tracing the routes of the local milk delivery men and discover they all converge in their neighborhood, so Charlie starts putting his affairs in order -- picking out a cemetery plot, planning his funeral, and ending his relationship with his girlfriend. However, with his birthday not long away, Charlie meets Bessie Anderson (Sascha Knopf), an eccentric but beautiful girl who isn't about to let him die. Expiration Date also stars David Keith, Richard Sanders, and Ned Romero. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This time we're off to the Canadian Rockies, where vacationer Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is stranded in a small town. At the same time, a bitter turf war has developed between a local Native American tribe and a powerful mining company. Not one but two murders result from this conflict, whereupon Jessica really cuts her vacation short to solve the mystery. The episode is distinguished by the presence of two leading Native American actors, Graham Greene and Ned Romero. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After two unsuccessful attempts to turn the House horror franchise into a collection of unrelated haunted-house stories (even ditching the House moniker prior to distribution of the third film, The Horror Show), the producers opted for a direct sequel (more or less) to the first film in the series. William Katt returns briefly for the role of Roger Cobb, the former beleaguered owner of a nightmarish fixer-upper filled to the brim with obnoxious demons. His part here amounts to little more than a cameo -- early in the film, Roger is killed in a nasty auto accident during a vacation with his new wife Kelly (Kerri Treas) and their 12-year-old daughter Laurel (Melissa Clayton). Kelly and Laurel -- who is now confined to a wheelchair -- try to begin their lives again at the family's summer house. Once there, Kelly is visited by visions of horrific events (including Roger's death) which become more frequent until she is forced to seek the aid of a shaman, who helps her to interpret them. The visions include a replay of the events which led to Roger's death, indicating the crash was no accident -- and revealing the identity of the party responsible. This installment marks a slightly more effective return to the comedy-horror formula that made House a surprise hit. Basically a distaff retread of that film, House IV benefits from its strong female heroine and more emotional involvement for the leads amid the barrage of slimy effects and over-the-top humor. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

The five-hour miniseries The Mystic Warrior began life in 1979 when producer David L. Wolper announced plans for a ten-hour adaptation of Hanta Yo, an epic historical novel by Ruth Beebe Hill. Using as her main source a full-blooded Sioux named Chunksa Yuha, Hill fashioned what amounted to a Native American version of Roots, chronicling the history of the Matho tribe of the Ogala Dakota Sioux. Although Hill was briefly the darling of the literary cognoscenti, her book was ultimately attacked and discredited by a veritable army of Indian historians, teachers, and activists, who accused her of distorting and falsifying truths in order to promote her own (and Yuha's) sociopolitical agenda. Suddenly, all of the Native American support that had been promised to the miniseries version of Hanta Yo evaporated; even the filming location had to be changed from New Mexico to Thousand Oaks, CA, so as not to offend the Indian tribes in the former state. When the project finally aired on May 20 through 21, 1984, its running time (and budget) had been cut in half, and the producer was obliged to qualify the credits by noting that the teleplay was based partially on Hill's book, but mostly on "other sources." Judging by the results, those sources would seem to have been such Hollywood fictional films as Cheyenne Autumn and A Man Called Horse. Set in the years 1802 to 1808, the finished film focused on a young brave named Ahbleza (Robert Beltran), the son of a Matho chief. Blessed with supernatural visionary powers by the ancient Mahto seer Wanagi (Ron Soble), Ahbleza set about to save his people from the devastations of the future, among them the invasion of the white man. After a lengthy, truth-seeking odyssey fraught with tragedy and sacrifice, Ahbleza assumed his rightful place as spiritual leader of his tribe. Mystic Warrior was entertaining enough, but failed to draw viewers away from such formidable competition as The Jeffersons, Alice, and One Day at a Time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

James Fenimore Cooper's frequently filmed 1826 novel The Last of the Mohicans was given the TV-movie treatment late in 1977. Steve Forrest stars as frontier-scout Hawkeye, with Ned Romero and Don Shanks as, respectively, his Indian companions Chingachgook and Uncas. At the height of the French and Indian war in Canada, Hawkeye and friends agree to escort a small group of British settlers-including Alice and Cora Munro (Jane Actman and Michele Marsh), daughters of the Fort William Henry commander, through unfriendly territory. Their hopes for a safe trip are thwarted by the treacherous Magua (Robert Tessier), who has cast his lot with the French. This fourth film version of the Cooper novel was originally telecast November 23, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A largely Native American cast appears in this touching entry from the ABC Afterschool Special series. Dehl Berti stars as an Apache shaman, or medicine man, who in his declining years is saddened by the realization that his once-proud race is virtually nonexistent. Although his health is frail, the shaman is determined to instruct his great-grandchildren in the values and traditions of the Apache nation...and the results are not quite what anyone expects. ~ All Movie Guide

Originally telecast as a "Xerox Special" on April 14, 1975, I Will Fight No More Forever is the true story of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians. In 1877, Joseph (played by Ned Romero) refuses to obey a governmental order to remove himself and his tribe to a reservation. General Howard (James Whitmore), the cavalry officer ordered to prevent the Nez Perce from defying the government's edicts, sympathizes with the honorable and courageous Joseph, but duty is duty. Ultimately, Chief Joseph and his followers make a disastrous attempt to escape over the border to Canada. Filmed in central Mexico, I Will Fight No More Forever was written for television by Jeb Rosebrook and Theodore Strauss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A priceless religious relic is transported from Mexico to LA under armed guard. As an added precaution, the case which contains the artifact is handcuffed to the wrist of a priest. Even so, the item vanishes before it reaches its destination. It's up to detective Banacek (George Peppard), a specialist in "unsolveable" mysteries, to find out what's happened. Broderick Crawford, Victor Jory, and Louise Sorel guest-star in this 90-minute episode of the TV series Banacek. No Sign of the Cross was first telecast October 11, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Existing evidence suggests that an elusive and very prolific thief known as the Golden Gate Bandit is responsible for the murder of policeman Jack Campbell (Stuart Randall). But Ironside (Raymond Burr) suspects that someone else is using the thief's crime spree to cover up their own homicidal activities. Characters essential to the action are the cop's widow Gloria Campbell (Vera Miles) and a lifelong loser named Christopher (Brandon De Wilde, in one of his final TV appearances). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ironside(Raymond Burr) is certain that John Walala (Ned Romero), a Native American silversmith who was recently paroled on a theft charge, is not guilty of a jewel robbery. Unfortunately, the evidence indicates that the heist could only have been pulled off by Walala--or at the very least, someone who is very close to him. Unless Ironside can prove Walala's innocence, a new police rehabilitation program may be junked before it can even get under way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Voodoo, hungry 'gators, and love abound in this Z-grade exploitationer set within the steamy Florida Everglades. There a man tries to save his gal from a rival. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide