Albert Salmi Movies
Brawny, Brooklyn-born Albert Salmi was trained in the late '40s at the Actors Studio and American Theatre Wing. Extremely busy on-stage and live TV in the 1950s, Salmi was seen in such roles as the dimwitted "doom-ded" ballplayer in the 1956 TV adaptation of Mark Harris' Bang the Drum Slowly. His first significant Broadway appearance was as the overexuberant rodeo star in William Inge's Bus Stop. Salmi made his film debut as the epileptic Smerdyakov in The Brothers Karamazov (1958). Equally adept at buffoonery and brutality, Salmi often found himself cast in the 1960s as comic relief on one TV program, only to appear later in the week as a sadistic gunslinger or slavering serial killer on another show. He was also seen on a weekly basis as Yadkin on the Daniel Boone series of the 1960s and as Pete Ritter on the 1970s cop series Petrocelli. Albert Salmi apparently killed both himself and his estranged, terminally ill wife in 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Originally titled Judith Krantz' Till We Meet Again, this two-part soaper covers forty-three years in the lives of three women. In 1913, French chanteuse Lucy Gutteridge embarks upon a successful showbiz career. She marries a champaigne heir and bears two daughters, played by Courtney Cox and Mia Sara. The story follows the trials and tribulations of mother and daughters through three wars and an infinite number of romances. A dash of adventure is provided by Courtney's activities as a stunt pilot, while there's glamour aplenty as Mia becomes a world-renowned movie star. The best scenes take place during World War 2, with the horrors of the battlefield running second place to the ladies' boudoir escapades. Barry Bostwick, who seems to have been in every Judith Krantz movie ever made (at least, that's what TV Guide told us back in 1989), costars as Courtney's erstwhile lover. Partly filmed in England, Till We Meet Again was first telecast November 19 and 21, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In another variation of a familiar Mission: Impossible theme, the IMF is assigned to prevent a neo-Nazi uprising. Making the task all the more difficult is the fact that several white-supremacist groups have melded into an international coalition. Posing as a pro-Nazi computer genius, Phelps unearths a diabolical scheme to take over the world with an army of genetically cloned children. Albert Salmi guest stars as Kester, the would-be head of the new Fourth Reich. Written by Frank Abatemarco, "The Fuhrer's Children" was originally broadcast on November 16, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Thaao Penghlis, (more)
- 1989
Gore Vidal's 1955 TV play and 1958 film The Left-Handed Gun discreetly explored the hitherto untapped homosexual subtext in the saga of gunslinger Billy the Kid. Vidal's 1989 reworking of the same material, the made-for-cable Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid, is just as discreet, but no less top-heavy with 20th-century psychoanalysis. In relating the tale of New Mexico Territory outlaw William H. Bonney, Vidal once again postulates that Billy (described as a "homicidal moron" by one less sentimentally inclined historian) was a misunderstood kid who fell in with bad company. Val Kilmer, on the verge of bigger things, stars as Billy, while Duncan Regehr portrays sheriff Pat Garrett, the Kid's onetime crony and ultimate executioner. Gore Vidal himself shows up in a bit as a minister. "Pursued by his enemies, betrayed by his friends, ruled by his passions" read the ad copy when Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid premiered over the TNT Cable Channel on May 10, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A made for TV movie which serves as much a condemnation of the military establishment as a murder mystery, this film revolves around an upper classman who is falsely accused of responsibility for the death of a student when he begins to investigate the mysterious demise of the young gay cadet. Part of a two-part series, the crux for the upper classman is whether he is willing to jeopardize the future of his own military career to investigate the death of the freshman cadet at this prestigious military academy. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In one of the series' best episodes, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) and Sheriff Tupper (Tom Bosley) are taking a bus trip from Cabot Cove to Portland, Maine, when the vehicle makes a stopover at a roadside inn. Before long, one of the other passengers--a bank robber recently released from prison--turns up murdered. As it happens, practically everyone on the bus except Jessica and Tupper had a powerful motivation...and this may well be one of those rare instances in which the Most Likely Suspect turns out to be the guilty party after all! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Convicted murderer Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald had hoped that, by telling his side of the story to investigative journalist Joe McGinniss, the authorities would be persuaded of MacDonald's innocence. Instead, McGinniss ended up unswerving in his belief of MacDonald's guilt, and the result was the devastating best-seller Fatal Vision. In this two-part TV adaptation of McGinniss' book, Gary Cole plays MacDonald, a former Green Beret officer, while Frank Dent essays the role of McGinniss. MacDonald's wife and two children are brutally murdered in their Fort Bragg, North Carolina home on February 17, 1970. The prime suspect, MacDonald insists that the killings were committed by a gang of stoned-out hippies, a story that at first is accepted in toto by the doctor's father-in-law Freddy Kassab (Karl Malden). But after MacDonald is officially exonerated, Kassab notices several holes in his son-in-law's story, and becomes convinced that MacDonald was in fact the murderer. Through Kassab's persistence, as well as the uncovering of new forensic evidence, MacDonald is ultimately convicted for all three murders in 1979. Since the TV premiere of Fatal Vision on November 18 and 19, 1984, there has been a growing movement by MacDonald's sympathizers to discredit McGinniss' book and to retry the case--a movement that has been hampered time and again by MacDonald's own erratic behavior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint, (more)
Flamboyant, giallo-style gore effects are the only highlight of this otherwise pedestrian supernatural horror film, which was originally filmed in 1981 as The Witch and shelved for four years, before it experienced a mild midnight-movie revival in the wake of The Evil Dead's success. The ghastly goings-on begin when a clergyman (Larry Pennell) and his family move into an eerie mansion built near the lake where a powerful local witch was drowned four centuries earlier. It soon becomes evident that the spirit of this evil sorceress, whose powers have increased exponentially after her death, is not content with conducting the standard haunted-house scare tactics, and the bodies begin to pile up at an incredible rate. (These audacious death scenes peak with one poor soul's dismemberment courtesy of a flying circular saw.) When a homicide detective (Albert Salmi) and a minister (James Carl Houghton) discover the cause of the macabre mayhem, they prepare to conduct an exorcism (in the mode of The Amityville Horror), much to their own peril. Overblown performances, a scatter-shot screenplay, and hilariously messy gore effects make this movie impossible to take seriously, but it does have a certain tacky charm. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Salmi, Lynn Carlin, (more)
- 1984
Patty Duke Astin plays the wife of police officer Frederic Forrest, who wants to join a special investigative unit. Forrest is denied this position on the basis of information concerning his wife. The information, which reveals a dicey extramarital affair, was culled from a department surveillance file that was supposed to have been destroyed by court order. Astin battles through legal channels to expose the police force's illegal actions, even as she and her husband suffer the innuendoes and cold shoulders from his fellow officers. The made-for-TV Best Kept Secrets premiered on March 26, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
An Arab sheik and his tribe wage war on 2 American oil riggers in the Middle East in this action adventure film set in 1908. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1983
Season Two of A-Team begins with a nailbiting episode that owes more than a little to the French film classic The Wages of Fear. Though still officially outlaws and fugitives, the A-Team manages to avoid the American military authorities and make its way to Zulabwe, Africa, there to help Toby Griffith (Kristen Meadows), daughter of a murdered diamond-mine owner. The villains, led by Jonathan Fletcher (Albert Salmi), are determined to drive Toby off her property and claim it as their own. In exchange for ten percent of Toby's earnings (plus an uncut diamond), the Team agrees to transport explosives to her mine, navigating some of the most treacherous terrain ever seen on a TV program. And of course, a stolen helicopter figures prominently in the climax! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this drama, an attorney tries to prove that his incarcerated client is indeed innocent of murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Ernest Pintoff--jazz trumpeter, painter, animated cartoonist, film theorist--directed his first dramatic feature, Harvey Middleman, Fireman, in 1965. Since that time, Pintoff has refused to be stylistically pigeonholed, turning out everything from comedy concerts (Dynamite Chicken) to spoofish T&A exploitation (Lunch Wagon Girls). St. Helens takes Pintoff into the realm of docudrama, using film clips of the May 18, 1980 eruption of the eponymous volcano to lend credibility to his dramatic re-enactments. Art Carney plays Harry Truman--not the President, but a real-life stubborn old codger who refused to leave his St. Helen's vacation cabin despite the oncoming natural disaster. Carney brings so much vitality to the proceedings that it seems a shame Pintoff couldn't alter the facts and provide Truman with a happy ending. Appearing fleetingly in St. Helen's are Ron "Superfly" O'Neal, Albert Salmi and Nehemiah Persoff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Art Carney, David Huffman, (more)
- 1980
Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger was written by Blanche Hanalis, a specialist in turning out quality teleplays with a feminist slant. Bonnie Franklin stars as pioneering birth-control advocate Margaret Sanger, who in the early part of the 20th century conducted a 25-year battle to have her views legitimized by the puritanical, male-dominated medical establishment. The film covers the years 1912 through 1917, starting with Sanger's work as a New York City public health nurse. Appalled by the deaths brought about by self-induced abortions, Sanger campaigns to enlighten uneducated "lower-class" women in the proper methods of birth control, eventually opening her own clinic. Her efforts are rewarded with public scorn, attacks from various censorship advocates (her informational pamphlets are deemed "pornographic") and frequent jail terms. In order to spice up an already fascinating story, the film places undue emphasis on the brief romance between Ms. Sanger and British sexual-liberation guru Havelock Ellis (Richard Johnson). Portrait of A Rebel might make a piquant double feature with the 1995 cable-TV Margaret Sanger biopic, which starred Dana Delany. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The made-for-TV Great Cash Giveaway Getaway offers a great deal of screen time to a brace of unknowns. David Kyle and Elissa Leeds play teenagers Jim and Hallie, who find themselves in possession of $250,000. The money belongs to drug kingpin Hightower (George Hamilton), who intends to reclaim the dough and bump off the kids. While escaping Hightower, Jim and Hallie begin arbitrarily giving away their money to total strangers. In so doing, they become minor-league folk heroes, which serves only to further anger the vengeful villain. The Great Cash Giveaway Getaway debuted April 21, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This episode of the series Greatest Heroes of the Bible recounts the Old Testament story of Joseph, who ascended from slavery to become the pharaoh's minister. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1978
The Old Testament comes alive in this dramatic retelling of Biblical history. The story of Joseph begins with the young man being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. But Joseph's wisdom soon wins him a place of honor within the Pharaoh's palace. When he meets his family again, Joseph must practice what he preaches. Sam Bottoms plays the Egyptian hero. Joseph joins an impressive lineup of Biblical superstars for this television special, among them David, Samson, and Noah. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1977
The formal title for this TV mini-series was Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue, just in case you might mistake it for William Makepeace Thackeray's 79 Park Avenue. Originally presented in three parts, this adaptation of the Robbins best-seller stars Lesley Ann Warren as Marja Fludjicki, a Depression-era tenement girl who is accused of murdering her drunken stepfather. Part One details how Marja's "crime" was justifiable; she'd been raped by the bounder. Parts Two and Three would trace Marja's progress from teenaged prostitute to elegant, high-priced Park Avenue Madam--and mob mistress. Forced by circumstance into a life of prostitution, Marja marries Las Vegas high-roller Ross Savitch (Marc Singer). Ross is bumped off by the Syndicate, leaving Marja in the lurch. Marja rebounds from tragedy to become a federal witness against the Mob. 79 Park Avenue was first telecast on October 16, 17, and 18, 1977. Though all the names are changed, it isn't hard to discern the Bugsy Siegel story in this video equivalent to eating a whole box of chocolates in one sitting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
In this Roger Corman production, co-producer Jesse Vint stars as Jingo Johnson, a stuntman who goes to work for a backwater mining company. Jingo unearths a hotbed of corruption, partially orchestrated by redneck sheriff, Grimes (Albert Salmi). The hero and heroine (Karen Carlson) are forced into any number of serial-like perils while eluding the villains. Black Oak Conspiracy is enlivened by the presence of several veteran character players, including Douglas Fowley, Peggy Stewart and Vic Perrin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Vint, Karen Carlson, (more)
- 1974
This suspense film is about a lawyer who defends a high-society woman charged with killing her husband. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The made for TV Female Artillery is a comedy, just in case the title didn't tip you off. Set in the Old West, the film stars Dennis Weaver as Deke Chambers, an outlaw on the lam from his old gang. Joining a wagon train, Deke aligns himself with a group of tough, well-armed pioneer women. When the gang attacks, the gals retaliate in noisy fashion. First telecast January 17, 1973, Female Artillery is elevated by the special effects wizardry of Albert Whitlock. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
A forbidding old mansion in a residential San Francisco neighborhood is the centerpiece of this grim story. When a young boy disappears, and is subsequently found dead, the neighbors suspect the mysterious recluse residing within the walls of the mansion. It is up to Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) to bring the mansion's dark secrets to light--and to expose the facts behind the tragedy. The episode's formidable guest cast is headed by Hollywood veteran Lew Ayres, light-years removed from his amiable "Dr. Kildare" characterization. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The wife and daughter of travelling salesman Baxter Flynn (Alllen Garfield) are unaware that he is carrying on a secret life as a compulsive gambler--and paid mob informant. When Flynn witnesses a double murder, Ironside (Raymond Burr) is determined to force the man to give testimony against the killers. Only one problem: If Flynn shows up in court, his dirty little secrets will be revealed to the world, resulting in disgrace for his family--and, very possibly, instant death for himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
After receiving a strange, plaintive phone call from his old friend and colleague Ted Ollinger, Ironside (Raymond Burr) sends his assistant Ed Brown (Don Galloway) to the small town of Grant Bay to investigate. Upon arrival, Ed finds that Ollinger has disappeared, and that most of the local citizens are hiding something. It soon becomes painfully obvious that Ollinger is dead--and unless he gets to the bottom of the things in a hurry, Ed will be dead as well. Featured in the cast is Loretta Swit, then concurrently starring in the first season of the CBS sitcom M*A*S*H. Like many another Ironside episode from this period, this one is highlighted by original song, "Where Can You Go?", written by Marty and David Paich and sung by Jim Haas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
David Carradine first stepped into the sandals of taciturn martial-arts expert Caine in the made-for-TV pilot film Kung Fu. A Chinese/American priest, Caine must flee to the United States after he is forced to kill a royal nephew. He wanders the American West of the 1860s, keeping his cool until it is necessary to display his kung-fu skills full force. Most often, he must meditate and conjure up a flashback dominated by Master Po (Keye Luke) before he is galvanized into action. In the pilot, Caine comes to the rescue of a group of Chinese coolies who are working on the railroad. First telecast February 22, 1972, Kung Fu spawned a long-running series of the 1970s--not to mentioned the "updated" syndicated weekly of the 1990s, which also starred the inscrutable Mr. Carradine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Barry Sullivan, (more)
