George Sawava Movies
- 1979
The fourth Airport film may be the silliest of them all, as George Kennedy returns, this time co-piloting with Alain Delon. The plane is on its way to the Moscow Olympics, has a bomb on board, and gets fired upon with missiles that necessitate flying upside-down. A look at the cast list resembles a bad episode of Fantasy Island, but it's always fun to see shameless touches like casting Mercedes McCambridge (Johnny Guitar) as the coach of the Soviet team. If you don't understand the significance of that choice, you may find this film more tedious than laughable, but fans of bad movies will have a field day, as Jimmie Walker, Charo, and -- oddly enough -- Bibi Andersson rub shoulders with high-altitude disaster. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Susan Blakely, (more)
Tongue-in-cheek humor prevails in Batman, a witty homage to the Dynamic Duo's exaggerated exploits. The Caped Crusaders (Adam West and Burt Ward) are called in as a last resort when the criminal masterminds of the millennium team up to conquer Gotham City by turning the U.N. Security Council into dehydrated dust; among the villains are the Joker (Cesar Romero), Catwoman (Lee Meriwether), the Riddler (Frank Gorshin), and the Penguin (Burgess Meredith). The entire cast is excellent, particularly West and Ward, who distinguish themselves among a standout list with hilariously straight-faced performances. The film includes some truly memorable scenes, highlighted by a particularly tenacious shark with a vertical leap that would put Spud Webb to shame and a bomb on the waterfront with no place to explode (nuns, infants and lovebirds beware!). ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Beggarman, Thief is the 4-hour sequel to the ratings-busting miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man; both productions were based on the works of novelist Irwin Shaw. For the purposes of the sequel, a new member of the Jordache clan is introduced: filmmaker Gretchen Jordache Burke, played by Jean Simmons. It is Gretchen's task to keep the family together after the murder of her brother Tom (played by Nick Nolte in Rich Man, Poor Man) and the recent disappearance of her other brother Rudy (Peter Strauss, re-creating his RMPM role). Originally presented in two parts, Beggarman, Thief was first telecast November 26 and 27, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Glenn Ford, (more)
- 1957
Also known as Bop Girl, this diverting musical time capsule features several of the best Calypso performers of the late 1950s. Real-life jazz musician Bobby Troup stars as a college music student, writing a graduate thesis on rock 'n' roll. For research purposes, Troup persuades nightclub singer Judy Tyler to perform one of her numbers to a calypso beat. Before you can say "Harry Belafonte", a brand-new musical craze is born. The veteran supporting cast includes Lucien Littlefield as Bobby Troup's professor mentor, former 20th Century-Fox starlet Margo Woode as a eugenics expert, and George "Joe McDoakes" O'Hanlon as comedy relief. Among the musical acts are the Mary Kaye Trio, The Goofers, the Lord Flea Calypsonians, Nino Tempo, The Titans and The Cubanos. Bop Girl Goes Calypso was the final film appearance of up-and-coming actress Judy Tyler, who was killed in a particularly nasty car accident shortly after filming wrapped. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Tyler, Bobby Troup, (more)
- 1966
Awakened at 3 AM and summoned to a secret meeting with President Grant (William Bryant), Jason (Chuck Connors) recalls a similar meeting between himself and Grant during the Civil War. Captured by Confederate soldiers, Jason soon discovers that his fellow POW is none other than General Grant--whose incarceration may well turn the tide of the war in favor of the South. Andrew J. Fenady, who wrote this episode, makes a cameo appearance as General Phil Sheridan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Blinded in an explosion, Saunders (Vic Morrow) is rescued by a British-accented man (Fritz Weaver) identifying himself as Chaplain Ernest Miller. The Chaplain persuades Saunders to assist him in carrying a wounded Allied officer back to American lines. What the sightless Saunders doesn't know is that "Miller" and the wounded man are both Germans--and they intend to lead him in the wrong direction and into captivity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
SS Captain Reichhart (George Backman) and his minions take sadistic delight in capturing and torturing American officers. Reichart's latest "catch" is none other than Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) of King Company. Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) must locate the Nazi's secret headquarters before it is too late for Hanley. Prominent in the supporting cast is future Star Trek costar Leonard Nimoy, adopting a German accent for the occasion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Hanley (Rick Jason) places his confidence in a Free French guide named Massine (Peter Whitney) when the platoon is assigned to a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. But Massine with fulfill his end of the job on one condition: that he and his fellow Underground members are allowed to raid a Nazi ammunition depot. It is a praiseworthy goal--and it is also strictly against Hanley's orders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In this western a cowboy rides out for vengeance against the outlaws who brutally murdered his sister. But before he can exact vigilante justice upon the killers a wise old lawman manages to round up the gang and bring them to proper justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this post-modernist exercise, star/writer Steve Martin and director Carl Reiner spoof the film noir yarns of the '40s with Martin playing gumshoe Rigby Reardon, who interacts with a legion of Hollywood greats -- including Humphrey Bogart, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Edward Arnold, Barbara Stanwyck, Ingrid Bergman, Veronica Lake, Bette Davis, Lana Turner and Joan Crawford -- in a succession of intercut clips from seventeen vintage Hollywood films. Rigby is a low-rent detective (his fee is $10 per day) sitting in his office, waiting for something to happen. That something happens when the voluptuous Juliet Forrest (Rachel Ward) arrives in his office and faints dead away at the sight of a newspaper that reports on her father's death in a car accident. Juliet is convinced that her father was murdered and offers Rigby $200 to investigate. Upon searching Mr. Forrest's office, he comes upon a list of names under the headings "The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta." As the two delve deeper into the mystery and its requisite deceptions, they encounter an "exterminator," Juliet's surly Nazi butler, Field Marshal Von Kluck (Carl Reiner) and an overly helpful Mexican friend, Carlos Rodriguez (Reni Santoni). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 1963
Based on the story "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant, this grim low-budget potboiler stars Vincent Price as Simon Cordier, a ruthless magistrate in 19th-century Paris who becomes possessed by the malevolent spirit (or "horla") of a condemned murderer whom Cordier was forced to kill in self-defense. Driven by the madman's ghost to continue his pattern of brutal crimes, Cordier comes to the realization that the only way he can purge the violent demon from his soul is to immolate himself in a blazing pyre. Though the riveting Price (whose very presence can enliven even the most dismal of horror duds) does an admirable job as the tormented Cordier, he is unable to bear the ponderous weight of this tedious production. Although a parallel between the callousness of Cordier's office and the insensate evil of his crimes would have provided an interesting subtext, the script forfeits this potential, relying instead on a pat, self-righteous finale with religious overtones. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Nancy Kovack, (more)
- 1954
At the height of the popularity of his Dragnet TV series, producer/director/star Jack Webb struck a deal with Warner Bros. to direct several feature films--the first of which, but of course, was 1954's Dragnet. This time around, the "true story" in which "only the names are changed to protect the innocent" involves the murder of former syndicate member Dub Taylor. LAPD sergeants Joe Friday (Webb) and Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) follow the trail of evidence to shifty gangster boss Stacy Harris, who during most of the film is able to avoid arrest through legal loopholes. Richard Boone plays Captain Hamilton, while Ann Robinson, best known for her screaming and scurrying about in War of the Worlds, plays policewoman Grace Downey. Most of the rest of the cast is drawn from Webb's TV and radio stock company, including Virginia Gregg, who is quite good as the amputee wife of the victim, and Vic Perrin, who would later portray the voyeuristic serial killer in the 1967 TV movie version of Dragnet. Some sources list Cliff Arquette as being in the cast of Dragnet, playing his familiar Charley Weaver character, but we can't find him. Dragnet has often been derided because of Joe Friday's reluctance to honor the civil liberties of his suspects, but remember that this was 1954, long before the "You have a right to remain silent" era. Webb's terse, tightly edited, close-up-dominated TV technique translates surprisingly well to the big screen. At its worst, Dragnet falls victim to the corny overkill of the TV version: the subtle-as-an-earthquake musical cues, Friday and Smith's ubiquitous nods and exchanged glances, etc. Still, Dragnet was a satisfying and profitable feature film directorial debut for Jack Webb, whose subsequent efforts included Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), The DI (1957), 30 (1959) and The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Webb, Ben Alexander, (more)
- 1953
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are summoned to a church by a Reverend Small (Lawrence Ryle), who reports that one of his parishioners, Dorothy Wilson (Joyce McCluskey) has been receiving anonymous letters and phone calls, branding her a "sinner" and threatening dire consequences. Curiously, though both Small and Dorothy have gotten similar poiosn-pen letters signed variously by "Sister in the Lord" and "D.R. Griswold", only Dorothy has been getting the crank phone calls. The detectives suspect that the obviously neurotic Dorothy is sending the letters to herself--but then the woman is found unconscious in the choir room, bound and gagged! This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of November 2, 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Leonard Gray (Paul Richards) contacts Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) to report the murder of his wife Hazel. In a somewhat garbled statement, Gray insists that Hazel was killed while both he and his best friend Earl Anderson (Kenneth Tobey) were drunk--and that he's worried that Anderson will accuse him of the murder. As it turns out, both Gray and Anderson had motive and opportunity...and both have very weak alibis. This episode was adapted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of April 5, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Working out of Homicide, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are dispatched to an old rail yard, where a dazed young man (Sam Edwards) has been found hiding in an abandoned freight car, holding the body of a middle-aged woman in his arms. Though there are no signs of violence, it appears that the dead woman was a heavy drinker. Refusing to talk at first, the young man finally identifies himself as Gordon Miller, and claims that he killed the woman. It turns out that Gordon is an aspiring pianist and that the woman was his music teacher--but that's not the end of the story by a long shot. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of July 10, 1952. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate when Rose Baker, a no-good, slovenly "party girl", disappears. The last person to see Rose was her sister Bernice (Irene Tedrow), who has been taking care of Rose's four children. Several other people come forth with contradictory stories, indicating that Rose was either going to return to her kids, move to another apartment, or leave the city on vacation. There is no question, however, of how Rose Baker ends up--and that's dead. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of March 27, 1952. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Friday (Jack Webb) again teams up with Sgt. Ed Jacobs (Barney Phillips) to investigate the seemingly unmotivated murder of a pretty young secretary. It takes some doing, but the two cops manage to follow the clues to a religious fanatic who has a morbid obsession with the month of September. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of September 27, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The owner of a liquor store is killed during a holdup--in which, curiously, no money was stolen. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are puzzled by this fact, and by presence of a .38 bullet casing, but no corresponding slug. Soon afterward, a doctor reports that he removed the missing slug from a young patient. Though the detectives think they have their man, there are still a few twists and turns in store for them. This episode is a remake of the Dragnet radio broadcast of February 22, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
This week's Person of Interest is a slippery thief who specializes in swiping brand-new fur coats. In the course of their investigation, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) interview an embittered woman named Wilda Chandler (Michael Ann Barrett), who points a finger at her no-good boyfriend, an "insurance agent" with a highly suspicious method of operation. This episode was adapted from the Dragnet radio broadcast of December 29, 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Spliced together with plentiful strips of old footage from previous films set in Africa, this routine romantic drama takes place on the east, equatorial region of the so-called "dark continent," in 1897. The story features Mariette Hartley as Ruth Knight and Lloyd Bochner as David, an engineer and Ruth's romantic interest during a safari. Frankie Avalon plays another safari member. Aside from the spliced-in scenery and animals, and the romance between Ruth and David, there is a dash of adventure here and there as slave traders enter into the action. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Avalon, Mariette Hartley, (more)
- 1956
This 62-minute quickie takes place during a single 12-hour shift at Los Angeles' Emergency Hospital. In anticipation of such contemporary TV dramas as Chicago Hope and ER, several subplots are developed at once. Dr. Janet Carey (Margaret Lindsay) is romanced by wealthy Ben Caldwell (Byron Palmer), who may or may not be a dangerously reckless motorist. Visiting detective Arnold (Walter Reed) must come to grips with the fact that his teenaged son (Jim Stapleton) is a budding delinquent. And other major and minor crises are experienced by nurse Norma Mullen (Rita Johnson) and staff doctor Ellis (John Archer). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Lindsay, Walter Reed, (more)
- 1972
Comedian Mort Sahl guest stars as a publicity-hungry jewel thief who finds himself trapped in an air-conditioned duct. Elsewhere, radioactivity causes serious problems as the paramedics try to rescue a man injured in a science lab; two barroom brawlers carry their fight over into the hospital waiting room; and an arrogant surfer suffers mightily when he returns to the waves before he has fully recovered from an accident. The title of this episode has something to do with paramedic Johnny Gage's (Randolph Mantooth) devotion to Emergency!'s "sister" TV series Adam-12. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Henry Jones guest stars as Dr. Alexander Knott, an elderly country physician who helps Roy (Kevin Tighe) and John (Randolph Mantooth) during an emergency--and who goes to great lengths to hide his own physical frailties. Back at the station house, John becomes starstuck during a photo shoot in which he is surrounded by beautiful models. And in another show business-related incident, a pair of Hollywood stuntmen (played by real-life stunt performers Fred Gabourie and George Sawaya) are trapped on a studio-built waterfall. The same week that this episode originally aired on NBC, the cast of Emergency! appeared in a "crossover" episode on Adam-12, "ost and Found". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The year is 1997. Manhattan Island is now a heavily guarded maximum-security prison, where the scum of the earth have converged. When Air Force One crash-lands in Manhattan, the president (Donald Pleasence) is held hostage by its denizens. One-eyed mercenary Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is strong-armed into rescuing the chief executive. He is aided, not always willingly, by a tough gal (Adrienne Barbeau) and a manic cab driver (Ernest Borgnine). Escape from New York was followed by a sequel of sorts in 1996, Escape From L.A., again starring Kurt Russell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, (more)
- 1961
This fantasy-comedy is directed by Don Taylor whose specialty is horror and action flics, and clearly not talking ducks and children's tales. Beetle McKay (Mickey Rooney) and Admiral John Paul Jones (Buddy Hackett) are two wacky sailors who make friends with a talking duck, a verbose avian that possesses a secret formula. It seems the formula is needed by the Navy satellite program and so the talky mallard is worth quite a bit. But in the meantime, the duck is hooked on booze and is a failure at taking to the water or even sounding like a normal duck. So the sailors have their work cut out for them as the deadline for launching the satellite approaches. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, (more)
