Dirk Blocker Movies
With Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hopper, Steven Spielberg had his first great success as a producer. Released around the same time as Spielberg's E.T., the film presents the dark side of Spielberg's California suburban track homes. The film centers on the Freeling family, a typical middle class family living in the peaceful Cuesta Verde Estates. The father, Steve (Craig T. Nelson), has fallen asleep in front of the television, and the dog saunters around the house revealing the other family members -- Steve's wife Diane (JoBeth Williams), sixteen-year-old daughter Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old son Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O'Rourke). Soon strange things begin to happen around the house; the pet canary dies, mysterious storms occur, and Carol Ann is summoned to the TV set, where a strange shaft of green light hits her and causes the room to shake ("They're he-e-ere!"). As curious events continue, Carol Ann is repeatedly drawn to the television, where she begins to talk to "the TV people." Soon Carol Ann is sucked into a closet, disappearing from this reality plane. Unable to find his daughter, Steve consults Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight), a para-psychologist from a nearby college. Lesh finds that paranormal phenomena is so strong in the Freelong household she is unable to deal with it and sends for clairvoyant and professional exorcist Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) to examine the house in hopes of finding Carol Ann. Tangina makes a horrifying discovery: Carol Ann is alive and in the house, but is being held on another spectral plane. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, (more)
A young corporal who swapped his dog tags with a friend is consumed by guilt when that friend dies in battle. As the doctors of the 4077th wrestle with this problem, they must also deal with the crestfallen recipient of a "Dear John" letter. And friendly enemies B.J. (Mike Farrell) and Charles (David Ogden Stiers) joins forces to challenge a wheeler-dealer GI securities salesman who threatens to bankrupt the camp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The crux of this limited, juvenile comedy is a complex game that begins at midnight and ends by morning. Of main interest is the fact that a young Michael J. Fox plays one of the students involved in the game. Leon (Alan Solomon) has spent a year creating the game and practically needs that long to convince his fellow students to play it. Eventually he wins out, and the various teams of classic stereotypes -- the nerd, the well-groomed hero, the obnoxious sorority sister, the easily duped freshman, and others -- all converge on Los Angeles at midnight. Their treks take them through the Griffith Observatory which because of those odd hours astronomers keep, could conceivably be open. Other locales are interestingly open too, apparently Los Angeles never sleeps. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Naughton, Debra Clinger, (more)
This box-office bomb is about some schemers' hell-bent efforts to raise the fated vessel from its murky grave when they suspect that there's a fortune in radioactive cargo aboard. To add a little excitement, a bunch of Russians decide they want to get there first. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Robards, Jr., Richard Jordan, (more)
This film relates the efforts of World War II flying ace "Pappy" Boyington to control his highly decorated and unmanageable Pacific theater squadron. The film also acted as the pilot for the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep. ~ All Movie Guide
Based on the exploits of real-life 1830s frontiersman James Bridger, this TV movie was supposed to have graduated to a weekly series, but the fates were against it. James Wainwright plays the title role with Gary Cooper-like stoicism. John Anderson guest stars as President Andrew Jackson, who orders Bridger to blaze a trail from Wyoming to California. The film is extremely disorganized, suggesting that it was cobbled together from several shorter Bridger episodes. Moreover, the film was rather choppily pared down from 100 minutes to 78. When Bridger rescues Sally Field from bandits, we don't even know who her character is or why the hero is so interested in her plight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Black Sheep Squadron is the 2-hour pilot film for the TV adventure series Baa Baa Black Sheep. Robert Conrad stars as real-life World War II ace Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. Ever at odds with his superiors, the highly decorated Boyington quits the Flying Tigers, finagles a major's commission, and organizes his own squadron of misfits and screw-ups, which he dubs the Black Sheep Squadron. In true buck-the-establishment fashion, Pappy's boys prove to be better and braver pilots than practically anyone else in the whole durned Marine Corps. Among the Black Sheep are such personable young performers as James Whitmore Jr., Dirk Blocker (son of Dan Blocker) and John Larroquette. Originally titled Baa Baa Black Sheep when it first aired on September 21, 1976, Black Sheep Squadron was later syndicated as Flying Misfits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
With Mrs. Beadle sidelined by a sprained ankle, Caroline (Karen Grassle) volunteers as substitute teacher. She immediately focuses on the tribulations of 15-year-old Abel Makay (played by Dirk Blocker, the son of Michael Landon's former Bonanza co-star Dan Blocker), who is too embarrassed to continue schooling because he can neither read nor write. With Caroline's help, Abel begins to struggle upward from his illiteracy -- until the supercilious Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) humiliates the poor boy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)














