Edward Binns

"Hip" Catholic priest Sam Bottoms is asked by his monsignor to defend their faith on The Dick Cavett Show. While preparing for his appearance, however, Bottoms begins having doubts about his religious committment. Especially troublesome is his relationship with Renee Coleman, a brilliant student who doesn't believe in God. The Bottoms--Coleman story is paralleled with a series of flashbacks to the Stone Age (!), as caveman leader James Farkas tries to make sense of a mystical tree trunk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In Sidney Lumet's powerful courtroom drama The Verdict, Paul Newman stars as Frank Galvin, an alcoholic Boston lawyer who tries to redeem his personal and professional reputation by winning a difficult medical malpractice case. Frank, down on his luck, is presented with the case of his life when he is approached by the family of a woman who has been left in a coma following an operation in a large Catholic hospital. Helped by his assistant Mickey (Jack Warden), he agrees to take the case, hoping for a fast settlement. When he visits the victim in the hospital, he becomes emotionally involved, turns down a sizable settlement offer made by the hospital, and decides to bring the case to trial despite the formidable opposition of the Church and its lawyer, Newman (James Mason). He is also assisted by his new girlfriend, Laura (Charlotte Rampling), a woman who turns out to have an unusual past. Oscar-nominated for "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Lumet) as well as for "Best Adapted Screenplay" (David Mamet from a novel by Barry Reed), The Verdict is an outstanding, if not very legally accurate, courtroom drama; Frank's decision to try the case without telling the family of the victim of the settlement offer would probably lead to his real-life disbarment. Paul Newman and James Mason give fine, Oscar-nominated performances, and Charlotte Rampling is quite good as the deceitful Laura, who never seems to turn down a drink. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

An airline pilot wages a desperate battle against the alcoholism that is destroying his life and risking the lives of others in this drama. The film is also known as Danger in the Skies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this exciting fantasy, a stunt pilot gets into a terrible accident and awakes to find himself imbued with the power to electrocute people by touching them. The trouble begins when he is abducted by an evil villain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A Native American visitor drops a bomb on Mel's Diner in the form of a dire prediction. According to the psychic Indian, an earthquake will hit Phoenix at exactly 11:37 AM. This leaves the diner staff and customers in a state of panic--and when someone panics on THIS show, it's a panic for the ages! "Earthquake" is the final episode of Alice's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

Originally telecast September 14, 1976, as a CBS "General Electric Theater" special, Just an Old Sweet Song was the first of three pilots for Down Home, a proposed TV series created by filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles. Robert Hooks and Cicely Tyson star as Nate and Priscilla Simmons, the patriarch and matriarch of a middle-class Detroit family. Upon learning that their grandmother (Beah Richards) is not long for this world, Nate and Priscilla pack up their kids and head down South. Eventually, the family rediscovers its African-American roots and elects to stay in their new rural surroundings. Robert Hooks' real-life sons (Kevin and Eric Hooks) appear as his screen sons, Junior and Highpockets. Just an Old Sweet Song was followed by two 60-minute sequels in 1978: Kinfolks (in which Madge Sinclair replaced Cicely Tyson as Priscilla Simmons) and Down Home. Alas, none of the three films yielded a weekly series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lovin' Molly is basically Jules and Jim, Texas style. In 1925, two close friends (Anthony Perkins and Beau Bridges) both fall in love with prescient woman's-libber Molly (Blythe Danner). Molly in turn loves both men equally and can't choose between them, so the three set up a freewheeling menage a trois--which endures for nearly forty years. Lovin' Molly belongs to Blythe Danner, an otherwise overly mannered actress who is at her naturalistic best herein. Lovin' Molly was based on the novel Leaving Cheyenne by Larry McMurtry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Outtakes and stock footage from the 1970 Oscar-winner Patton were utilized to flesh out the made-for-TV Fireball Forward, which was the brainchild of Patton producer Frank McCarthy. Ben Gazzara plays a fictional American general obviously patterned on "Old Blood And Guts". Gazzara suspects that there's a Nazi sympathizer in his ranks, and dedicates himself to ferreting out the traitor. One thing Fireball Forward has that Patton didn't is a romantic interest; Anne Francis plays the girl Worth Fighting For. Scripted by Edmund H. North (another Patton) alumnus, Fireball Forward, which first aired March 5, 1972, was the 2-hour pilot for an unsold television series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV The Sheriff borrows a bit from the premise of the theatrical feature film Tick Tick Tick (71). Ossie Davis plays an African-American county sheriff, stationed in a small California mountain village; his wife is played by Davis' real-life spouse Ruby Dee. Kaz Garas portrays the sheriff's white deputy, and Lynda Day appears as Garas' wife. Davis' case at hand is the rape of a black coed by a white insurance salesman, which sparks racial polarization in the previously peaceful community. The Sheriff was the pilot for a TV series which was left at the gate by disinterested sponsors. A few months later, another failed pilot on similar lines was developed: Crosscurrent, starring Robert Hooks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In 1943 North Africa, George Patton (George C. Scott) assumes command of (and instills some much-needed discipline in) the American forces. Engaged in battle against Germany's Field Marshal Rommel (Karl Michael Vogler), Patton drives back "The Desert Fox" by using the German's own tactics. Promoted to Lieutenant General, Patton is sent to Sicily, where he engages in a personal war of egos with British Field Marshal Montgomery (Michael Bates). Performing brilliantly in Italy, Patton seriously jeopardizes his future with a single slap. While touring an Army hospital, the General comes across a GI (Tim Considine) suffering from nervous fatigue. Incensed by what he considers a slacker, Patton smacks the poor soldier and orders him to get well in a hurry. This incident results in his losing his command-and, by extension, missing out on D-Day. In his final campaign, Patton leads the US 3rd Army through Europe. Unabashedly flamboyant, Patton remains a valuable resource, but ultimately proves too much of a "loose cannon" in comparison to the more level-headed tactics of his old friend Omar Bradley (Karl Malden). Patton won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Scott, an award that he refused. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Chubasco (Christopher Jones) is a wayward youth who is given a choice by the presiding judge. His choices are go to jail or take an honest job on a fishing boat. He chooses to set sail, leaving behind his girl Bunny (Susan Strasberg) and her father Sebastian (Richard Egan), who obviously has it out for the wayward teen. He works on a tuna boat, learning to break free of a life of crime. He also meets a bordello madame named Angela (Ann Sothern) who may or may not be his mother. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide