Pilar Seurat Movies
Pilar Seurat was an exotic beauty of Filipino descent who enjoyed a decade-long acting career in films and on television in America during the 1960s. Born Rita Hernandez in Manila in 1938, she was trained as an actress and dancer, and after arriving in Hollywood at the end of the 1950s, she began getting roles on a wide variety of television shows, as well as in a handful of movies, usually playing Asian characters. Seurat's youth and her good looks were also exploited in films such as Seven Women From Hell and Battle at Bloody Beach, both released in 1961. That same year, she gave a gripping performance in the best role of her entire career, as Louisa Escalante, the sister of the blind murder victim, in John Frankenheimer's The Young Savages. Most of Seurat's work was confined to television, however, where she played guest-starring roles in series such as Adventures in Paradise (which exploited her dancing ability in one episode, "Blueprint for Paradise"), Bonanza, Naked City, The Wild Wild West, The High Chaparral, The Fugitive, The F.B.I., The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Daniel Boone, Hawaii Five-O, and Star Trek ("Wolf in the Fold"), as well as a handful of TV movies, among them Loss of Innocence. Seurat married writer/producer Don Devlin. Their son is Dean Devlin, the producer of such hit thrillers as Universal Soldier and Godzilla, and the blockbuster Independence Day. The two divorced in the mid-'60s, and Seurat gave up acting after marrying teacher/writer Don Cerveris, whom she divorced in the early '80s. She died of cancer in 2001. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide- 1972
Hoss and Joe Cartwright are arrested in a Mexican border town and thrown in jail. Hoss is all for expediting the trial, but Joe is in no hurry: He's being treated like a king, with beautiful Ines (Pilar Seurat) and various other senoritas waiting on him hand and foot. Only when it is almost too late does Joe discover the real reason behind this preferential treatment. Alfonso Arau of The Wild Bunch fame is seen as Simon. Written by Joseph Bonaduce, "Customs of the Country" was originally telecast on February 6, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1971
Shelly Winters and John Randolph star in Death of Innocence as distraught small-town parents who learn that their estranged daughter is on trial for murder. They journey to New York City and attend the girl's trial, where the mother learns several details of her daughter's recent life that she'd rather not know. Filmed at the height of the "generation gap" era, Death of Innocence was based on a novel by Zelda Popkin. One of the better TV movies of 1971, the film was first telecast opposite a George Plimpton "wish fulfillment" special, thereby losing out on the large audience it deserved. Casting note: Kim Stanley was to have played the principal juror, but fell ill before shooting. She was replaced by Ann Sothern--the mother of Tisha Sterling, who plays the defendant in the case! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
With the "inside" help of misguided maid Maria Montoya (Pilar Seurat), a gang of thieves steals a 33-carat diamond from wealthy Everlyn Harcourt (June Vincent). The FBI enters the scene after one of the crooks is killed during the heist and the rest scatter to the four winds. Athough the gang's fence is captured, master thief Victor Amazeen (Jack Klugman) manages to elude a trap set by Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)--but if Amazeen thinks his problems are over, he is sorely mistaken. Featured among the villains is future Hill St. Blues star Daniel J. Travanti, here billed as Dan Travanty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Communist army officer Miguel Torres (Alejandro Rey) hijacks the airliner bearing Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Maria Sandoval (Pilar Seurat), the political defector whom Erskine is escorting to a congressional hearing. The plane crashes somewhere in New Mexico, leaving the survivors at the mercy of Torres, who is determined that Maria won't live to testify. Will Erskine's aide Colby (William Reynolds) be able to come to the rescue in time? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
After the mysterious death of a juror in the trial of a dangerous mob functionary, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr. investigates the possibility of jury-tampering in the case. Meanwhile, Ana Nieves (Pilar Seurat, the wife of another juror, is threatened with death or disfigurement at the hands of an assailant who uses acid as a "persuader." The supporting cast includes several FBI "regulars", including the formidable R.G. Armstrong. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
After suffering a minor head injury, the Enterprise's chief engineer, Scotty, is ordered by Dr. McCoy to take a brief leave -- as part of his recovery process, of course -- in this episode of the popular sci-fi television series. Reluctantly, Scotty puts aside his workaholic tendencies and joins the doctor and Captain Kirk in traveling to a planet that bears a strong resemblance to 19th-century London. At first quaint, the parallels to Earth culture become frightening when the society proves to have its own variation on Jack the Ripper, and Scotty is accused of the crimes. The other officers attempt to defend their friend against the charges, but mounting evidence refutes their arguments for innocence. Even worse, Scotty not only lacks an alibi, but has begun suffering from blackouts which leave him with no memory of his activities during the times of the murders. The script for Wolf in the Fold was written by Robert Bloch, best known for the novel that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- 1966
While employed at the winery owned by Pete Crandall (James Gregory), Kimble (David Janssen) happens to be on hand when the leader of a grape picker's strike is murdered by Crandall's treacherous son Carl (Roy Thinnes). As the only witness to the killing, Kimble could easily clear his fellow worker Morales (Carlos Romero), whom Carl has framed for the crime. Unfortunately, Kimble dare not contact the police for fear of being arrested himself, so he enlists the aid of Morale's wife Elena (Pilar Seurat)--while Carl dispatches a team of hired thugs to make certain that no one will ever tell anyone that he pulled the trigger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
When hitchhiker Frank Schroeder (a pre-Hawaii 5-0 Jack Lord) gallantly saves a young Mexican girl named Teresa (Pilar Seurat) from being sexually assaulted, she gratefully tags along with him on his Eastward journey. What Teresa doesn't know is that Frank is a triple murderer who for several days has been eluding a nationwide FBI dragnet. The girl is also blissfully unaware that her travelling companion is planning to pull off a million-dollar diamond heist--and to kill anyone who has the bad luck to get in his way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Burt Reynolds is cast as psychotic criminal Mike Murtaugh, who with his partner Frankie Metro (James Farentino) hijacks a USMC weapons truck, killing a marine in the process. The FBI launches a nationwide search in hopes of stopping Murtaugh before he can either utilize the stolen weapons or sell them to an enemy power. A bulldozer is brought into play in the action-filled climax of this episode, in which Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) seriously considers resigning from the FBI in favor of a more lucrative civilian job. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Betty Rose (Carmen Phillips) is ticked off when her boyfriend, Dandy Arthur (Robert Loggia), returns from military service with a young wife named Mieko (Pilar Seurat) in tow. After "helpfully" warning Mieko that Dandy has a homicidal streak, Betty confronts her ex-beau, resulting in a violent argument which ends with Betty's death. For a while, Mieko refuses to believe that her husband might be responsible for the tragedy -- until she stumbles upon some evidence that may well sign her own death warrant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Loggia, Pilar Seurat, (more)
- 1961
Real-life WW II hero Audie Murphy stars in this war drama that follows the exploits of a civilian who works closely with Filipino resistance fighters against the Japanese invaders. The man has come to the islands to find his new wife after they are separated during their honeymoon in Manila. She is alive but thinks that her hubby died under enemy fire. She then begins to fall in love with one of the underground leaders. Meanwhile, her husband and his buddy must fight the Japanese and the jungle until at last they find her. As soon as they are reunited, the guerrilla gracefully bows out, leaving the couple to head home and resume their lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Gary Crosby, (more)
- 1961
The actors do the best they can with this undistinguished wartime melodrama about a group of women caught in New Guinea just when the Japanese are taking over Indonesia and its contiguous islands in 1942. The women range from an ornithologist, to a nurse, to a thief, and a waitress, all captured and put into a Japanese prison camp. But the women manage to escape, though not all survive, and later on they encounter a double-dealing plantation owner (Cesar Romero) who unknown to them, is collaborating with the Japanese and plans on sending them back to their captors. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Owens, Denise Darcel, (more)
- 1961
The Young Savages is what used to be called a "thinking man's picture" about a potentially lurid subject: urban juvenile delinquency. A blind Puerto Rican boy is knifed to death in Spanish Harlem, and three teenage gang members are accused of the crime. Politically ambitious assistant DA Burt Lancaster initially presses for the conviction of all three boys. But as he gets deeper into the case, he realizes that what appears cut-and-dried on the surface is tortuously complex: for starters, the murder victim was hardly the paragon of virtue that the prosecution claims. Despite pressure from his superiors and from members of the accused boys' gang (who at one point threaten Lancaster's wife Dina Merrill with a switchblade,) Lancaster nonetheless sees to it that justice is properly administered. The defendants are portrayed with varying degrees of Brando/Dean "method" by John Davis Chandler, Neil Nephew and Stanley Kristien; more believable, less affected performances are rendered by Shelley Winters, Pilar Seurat and Telly Savalas. Filmed on location in New York, The Young Savages was based on the Evan Hunter novel A Matter of Conviction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Dina Merrill, (more)
- 1960
Championing the cause of widowed bank president Wilma White (Julie Adams), Bart (Jack Kelly) is determined to find out who has been writing threatening letters to the beleagured woman. At the same time, Bart wants to track down the person who stole the money that he'd had locked up in a hotel safe. As it turns out, the intended victim of the murderous poison-pen correspondent isn't Wilma--it's Bart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
