John Schneider Movies

Originally produced as a miniseries for NBC, 10.5 is a disaster film that wonders what might happen if the Western United States is ever ravaged by unprecedented earthquakes. After one quake wreaks havoc on Seattle, another strikes California, this one worse than the first. With scientists speculating that an earthquake registering 10.5 on the Richter scale could be next, the U.S. president (Beau Bridges) enlists the help of a seismologist (Kim Delaney) to somehow formulate a plan to prevent the deaths of millions of people. This film aired under the title Earthquake: 10.5 in the U.K. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Carnival of Thrills is a 2 hour episode of the no-brainer TV series Dukes of Hazzard. Bo Duke (John Schneider) falls for beautiful carnival owner Robin Matson. Upon unraveling himself from her little finger, Bo agrees to perform a death-defying stunt. Matson convinces him to jump his beloved hot rod, the "General Lee", over 32 cars. Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) is determined to stop his brother before he has to scrape him off his windshield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on Catherine Marshall's novel of the same name, Christy: A Change of Seasons is the first episode of the two-part TV miniseries Christy: Return to Cutter Gap. Set in 1913, the story concentrates on feisty young schoolteacher Christy Huddleston (Lauren Lee Smith) -- a character based on author Marshall's own mother -- who attempts to bring literacy and enlightenment to the isolated North Carolina mountain community of Cutter Gap. A raging typhoid epidemic has heightened the superstitious nature of the local townsfolk, and ultimately causes Christy to suffer a crisis of faith when the disease claims one of her best friends. Also, the heroine finds herself torn between two lovers: Wild, irreverent, Scottish-born doctor Neil McNeil (Stewart Finley-McLaren) and the more sedate but still troubled Rev. David Grantland (James Waterston. Christy: A Change of Seasons first aired over the PAX Network on May 13, 2001, under the title Christy: Choices of the Heart, Part I. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the best-selling books by Catherine Marshall, the original TV series Christy focused on 19-year-old Christy Huddleston, an idealistic schoolteacher who left a life of wealth and comfort behind to accept a job in the backward mountain community of Cutter, NC, in 1912. First telecast as a two-part, four-hour PAX Network miniseries on May 13 and May 14, 2001, Christy: Return to Cutter Gap picks up where the weekly series left off. Lauren Lee Smith replaces Kellie Martin as Christy, while Stewart Finlay-McLennan repeats his series role as the community's agnostic, Scottish-born doctor Neil McNeill. In part one of Return to Cutter Gap, titled "A Change of Seasons," the year is 1913, and Cutter Gap is in the throes of a deadly typhoid epidemic. The superstitious mountaineers believe that the illness has been brought on by such "outsiders" as Christy Huddleston and the community's new minister, Rev. David Grantland (James Waterston). Dr. McNeill realizes that the real cause of the epidemic is Cutter Gap's brackish water and squalid living conditions, but he is unable to convince the locals of his findings. Meanwhile, Christy suffers a crisis of faith when one of her closest friends dies of the fever, and on another front, she finds herself romantically torn between McNeill and Grantland. Part two, "A New Beginning," takes place three months later. This time, the community is literally torn apart by a raging storm. As the rest of the citizens head to the highest point in Cutter Gap, Christy and Dr. McNeill are stranded in a tiny hunter's shack. Shocked when McNeill declares his love for her, Christy rushes into the deluge, contracting a deadly fever. Also complicating matters is the presence of attractive aviatrix Harriet Quimby (Claudette Mink), who has apparently set her cap for McNeill. The story concludes with a wedding -- but which man does Christy choose for her life partner? Filmed in British Columbia, Christy: Return to Cutter Gap was originally telecast under the title Christy: Choices of the Heart). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A former car racer gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to settle down and start selling used cars alongside his former mechanic in this rubber burning chase film directed by and starring The Dukes of Hazard's John Schneider. J.R. Collier (Schneider) is a racecar driver who thrives on speed, but when his wife Becky threatens to divorce him and take the couple's daughter Danielle away, the devoted wheelman suddenly downshifts. Realizing that he could very well lose his family, Collier decides to abandon the racetrack for the life of a used car salesman. But Collier still longs to drive fast, and in order to build up his lot he begins racing other drivers for the pink slips to their cars. Of course it isn't long before Collier has built up an impressive array of automobiles. Trouble arises, however, when Collier races an overconfident, Ferrari driving Texan and wins the papers to a car with a valuable secret. As it turns out, the owner of the Ferrari is a man named Mr. Fanning, and Mr. Fanning is willing to do whatever it takes to retrieve his valuable property. After kidnapping Collier's wife and daughter, Mr. Fanning sends a team of his most talented men to get the car back. Not realizing that his wife and daughter are in grave danger, the unsuspecting Collier does his best to avoid the fast driving thugs at all costs as the situation grows increasingly tense. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This animated tale based on the story of David and Goliath focuses on a boy named Davie, who is the only one to volunteer when the king calls for fighters to defend the kingdom from the giant Golimyr. Looks can be deceiving, however, and soon it begins to look like the most seemingly unlikely hero could be the one who saves the day. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Enjoying astonishing (and well-deserved) popularity at a time in TV history when dramatic programs trafficking in "family values" were few and far between, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was also one of the last of that hardy breed known as the "TV Western." Set in Colorado Springs, CO, in the years just following the Civil War, the weekly, 60-minute series starred Jane Seymour as Michaela "Mike" Quinn, one of a handful of women doctors west of the Mississippi (or anywhere else!) during the second half of the 19th century. After the death of her father and medical partner, Dr. Mike left her hometown of Boston to set up practice in the hardscrabble village of Colorado Springs. Not surprisingly, she encountered much hostility and mistrust from the townsfolk, but gradually won them over not only because of her medical brilliance, but because she was almost unerringly "in the right" at all times. When one of her first patients, Charlotte Cooper (Diane Ladd), died of a snakebite, Dr. Mike inherited the woman's three children, who at the outset of the series ranged in age from 10 to 17. Oldest son Matthew Cooper (Chad Allen) grew up to become the town's sheriff, and later went off to study law; daughter Colleen (played by Erika Flores from 1993 to 1995, thereafter by Jessica Bowman) eventually followed Dr. Mike's footsteps by pursuing a medical career, and ultimately married her foster mother's young assistant, Dr. Andrew Cook (Brandon Douglas); and youngest Chandler boy, Brian (Shawn Toovey), got into many a scrape -- some of them near-fatal -- in the course of the series.

Also in the cast was Joe Lando as taciturn mountain man Byron Sully, who spent most of his time communing with nature (including his pet wolf) and commiserating with the local Cheyenne Indian tribe. In the early episodes, Sully was merely the man who owned the house rented by Dr. Mike and her "instant" family; later on, he and Mike fell in love, got married, and had a daughter named Katie. The huge, rotating cast of recurring characters included curmudgeonly (and, initially, downright nasty) storekeeper Loren Bray (Guy Boyd in the pilot episode, Orson Bean thereafter); Bray's sister-in-law, Dorothy Jennings (Barbara Babcock), editor of the town newspaper; Grace (Jonelle Allen), a black woman who owned the town diner; telegraph operator Horace Bing (Frank Collison) and his bride, Myra (Helene Udy), a former saloon girl; Myra's ex-boss Hank (William Shockley), owner of the local "sporting house"; Rev. Timothy Johnson (Geoffrey Lower), who functioned as the town schoolteacher until Teresa Morales (played first by Michelle Bonilla, then by Alex Meneses) took over; Loren Bray's conniving buddy, barber Jake Slicker (Jim Knobeloch); Sully's old pal, wealthy ex-prospector Daniel Simon (John Schneider); and the much-maligned Cheyenne medicine man Cloud Dancing (Larry Sellers), whose persecution at the hands of the U.S. military aroused the fire-breathing activism of pioneering feminist and humanitarian Dr. Mike.

Our heroine also fought tirelessly for the rights of blacks, Hispanics, battered wives and practically everyone else who suffered under the weight of bigotry and misunderstanding in the Old West. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was far and away CBS' most successful and beloved Saturday-night series throughout its five seasons on the air, and has remained an audience favorite on cable and in syndication. ~ All Movie Guide

John Schneider guest stars as Red McCall, an impoverished cowboy who is reduced to robbing Loren's (Alan Young) store in order to provide for his half-breed baby. Realizing he can no longer care for his child, Red leaves the baby with Dr. Mike (Jane Seymour) -- who, in turn, is unable to find a proper new home for her charge. As this drama plays itself out in the background, danger rears its ugly head in the form of a rampaging rabid bear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The film may be called Eddie Macon's Run, but the title character (John Schneider) takes a back seat during most of the proceedings. Most of the footage is devoted to Eddie's chief nemesis, small-town lawman Marzack (Kirk Douglas). Arrested on a trumped-up charge, Eddie breaks out of prison and takes to the road, with Marzack in hot pursuit. The lion's share of the film is a tire-screeching chase through Mexico. John Goodman makes his film debut in this lively (if pointless) adaptation of James McLendon's novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Everyone's favorite doll comes to life in this feature based on the best-selling books about a nine-year-old, pre-American Revolution Virginian girl whose love for the outdoors leads to the friendship of a lifetime. Felicity (Shailene Woodley) loves horses, and though her parents plead with her to remain indoors, she years to ride the open plains. When Felicity comes into contact with a beautiful mare which has suffered at the hands of its callous owner, she takes it upon herself to care for the creature, and in the process learns a series of important life lessons. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

When the names of the two leading characters are incorporated in the title of a made-for-TV movie, it's usually a dead giveaway that the film was designed as a series pilot. Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster was no exception to this rule. John Schneider plays Gus Brown, a naïve ex-GI from Oklahoma, while Ron Glass plays Midnight Brewster, another former GI, albeit a slickster from Detroit. The two buddies team up to conquer the world of dog racing, with the dubious assistance of Gus' dimwitted girlfriend Rayline (Teri Copley). This Runyonesque contrivance was produced and written by actor Scoey Mitchell. Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster premiered June 2, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The year 1983 saw no fewer than two made-for-TV movies bearing the title Happy Endings. The first one premiered March 1, 1983, and starred Dukes of Hazzard's John Schneider. The story concerns a teacher and author named Nick Callohan (Schneider) and would-be singer Lisa Sage (Catherine Hicks), Nick's new neighbor. Both hero and heroine have just emerged from unhappy love affairs. Even though they still pine away for their former amours, Nick and Lisa manage to find romance with each other. The title song, written by Molly-Ann Leiken and William Goldstein, was nominated for an Emmy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When their past becomes their present, nine friends reunited for the funeral of their hometown hero find their worldviews clashing in ways that will challenge their beliefs, and perhaps reaffirm their relationships with God. Chris Hayden has died, and as his friends gather to mourn his passing old tensions quickly begin to surface. Former youth pastor Jeremy (David A.R. White) has strayed from his faith to party hard in college. Now caught between his old flame Sherry (Tracey Melchoir) and his beautiful fiancée Rachel (Stacey Keenan), Jeremy wavers between feeding the fire that burns deep inside and reaffirming his commitment to his future wife. Meanwhile, as conversation between old friends drifts to the topics of faith and fidelity, Gary (John Schneider) playfully assumes the role of devil's advocate and Pastor Wexler (Reginald Vel Johnson) encourages the group to always follow the truth that their old friend lived. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide