Jon Blake Movies
Lead actor Blake has been onscreen from the late '70s. ~ All Movie Guide
Originally titled Gamma 693, The Chilling emulates Night of the Living Dead, but falls somewhat short of that horror classic. In exotic Kansas City, several corpses lie frozen in a morgue. Comes the inevitable thaw, and the city is overrun with zombies. And, yes, they subsist on human flesh. Troy Donahue, Linda Blair, and Dan Haggerty are among the Z-picture perennials appearing in this messy meller. Ostensibly a 1989 release, The Chilling gives evidence of having been made much earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Dan Haggerty, (more)
- 1987
Dave (Jon Blake) and his buddy Peter (Mark Hembrow) are chased by a gang of thugs when they pick up the wrong box from a Melbourne warehouse in this comedy thriller. Instead of toys, the box contains a substantial amount of cash intended to be used in a money-laundering operation. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Blake, Mark Hembrow, (more)
- 1987
- PG
An elite Australian cavalry unit attacks the Turkish-held stronghold of Beersheba in this World War I adventure drama. Four friends goes through the trials of battle in this epic $10 million production. The Australians resent being led by the British who continually misuse the cavalry. They conspire to strike out on their own to prove their effectiveness and drive the Turkish hordes from the desert town. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Blake, Peter Phelps, (more)
- 1986
- PG
In a slow-moving drama that is not likely to gain many adherents in this age of increasing environmental concerns, Steve (Jon Blake) is a forest ranger who is caught at the heart of a battle between devious conservationists (and their hand-maidens in the socialist government) on the one hand, and honest, hard-driving cattlemen on the other. Steve's love interest, Joanna (Lisa Armytage) complicates matters since her family comes down hard on one side of this debate. Predictable and cliched, this is not at all in the same class as director George Miller's first great hit, The Man from Snowy River. (This Aussie George Miller is not to be confused with his compatriot, the former physician turned director who struck gold with his Mad Max series.) ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Blake, Lisa Armytage, (more)
- 1985
Anzacs: The War Down Under is a two-part Australian TV movie dramatizing the activities of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). This all-volunteer outfit fought shoulder to shoulder with enlisted men during the First World War. The film concentrates on three Anzacs: An aristocrat (Andrew Clarke), his best friend (Mark Hembrow) and his friend's sister (Megan Williams). Part One details the training of the volunteers, and their first taste of true combat. Part Two details the further activities of the all-volunteer Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACS). During the first few months of World War I, aristocratic Anzac Andrew Clarke is wounded, and is urged to go home to convalesce by Megan Williams, the sister of his best friend (Mark Hembrow). Meanwhile, heavy fighting in France has thinned the ranks and battered the morale of the other Anzacs. Featured in the cast as a military man is Paul Hogan. It was Hogan's new-found international stardom in 1986's Crocodile Dundee which sparked the American distribution of Anzacs, two years after its initial 1985 Australian run. The video release is edited from the 10-hour Australian miniseries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
"Slim Dusty" is the stage name (adopted in 1937) of Australian country-music star David Gordon Kirkpatrick who is featured in this docudrama that covers his life and music -- with emphasis on the music. Dusty's early years of struggle and his personal life are provided as a background for his road trips and concert tours -- and since most of the film is spent focusing on his songs, country-music fans outside of Australia are the target audience; anyone not in that group may want to pass. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Ron (Jon Blake), a young man in his late teens or early 20s, but emotionally younger, has no visible, employable assets, including the ability to articulate, yet he rails at his status in life -- blaming everyone for the fact that his dreams are not coming true. Actually, his main dream is driving down the highway in a Porsche with a sophisticated woman in the passenger seat -- and in this dream, an ominous-looking black limousine just ahead of him starts swerving back and forth and finally dives off the edge of a cliff. In order to fulfill his fantasy, he steals a Porsche and takes off down the road. While on his joy ride, he stops at a roadside eatery and meets the errant Sally, who is on her way to retrieve her baby from a pair of foster parents. The two set off together, and nothing at all goes their way -- Sally fails in her mission, Ron runs down a policeman then has to get rid of Sally and devise some way to escape the law -- now after him in force. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Blake, Candy Raymond, (more)
- 1981
After a particularly bitter argument with her divorced mother, teenager Libby Bellow (Mare Winningham) runs away from home. Eventually, she links up with a traveling carnival and takes on a variety of responsibilities, in so doing coming to the realization that her life at home might not have been so bad after all. In addition to serving as an early showcase for actress Mare Winningham, this made-for-TV film also features a number of original songs by Janis Ian. Freedom was originally telecast by ABC on May 18, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
A simple divorce investigation leads to the uncovering of a dead body in this whodunit. ~ All Movie Guide
