Jud Taylor Movies

In this made-for-television domestic drama, a young adolescent girl is shocked to discover that the woman she calls "Mother" may not be related to her at all. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This made-for-TV romance is a reworking of the legend of King Arthur's queen and tells how she forsook her real love and married Arthur in order to bring England together. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Following an temporary insanity acquittal of her daughter's rapist and murderer, a mother goes after the criminal. ~ Rovi

This adaptation of Hemingway's classic story adds a few characters but keeps the basic plotline of an old fisherman's greatest battle intact. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Originally shown on television in two parts, the second of which takes place after WWII. Surviving escapee Major John Dodge (Christopher Reeve) is sent back to Germany by Winston Churchill to capture the Gestapo officer who ordered the machine-gunning of 50 of the captured escapees, in direct defiance of the Geneva convention. Donald Pleasance, one of the "good guys" in the original, plays the Nazi villain in the new version. Filmed in Yugoslavia, Great Escape II: The Untold Story was originally telecast November 6 and 7, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This drama explores the inner turmoil of a parish priest who begins to question his beliefs and his celibacy after he becomes mixed up with the girlfriend of a murder victim. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Based on William Bayer's novel Switch, the made-for-TV Doubletake introduced Richard Crenna to his oft-played role of detective Frank Janek. As always, Janek is assigned to a particularly gruesome and profoundly puzzling murder case. A prim lady schoolteacher and a hooker are both killed on the same evening; their bodies are decapitated, and their heads are switched! The first installment of this two-part movie details the early stages of the investigation, as well as the growing relationship between Janek and photographer Caroline Wallace (Beverly D'Angelo), the daughter of a cop who'd died in a mob hit. Part two reveals the "dark side" of the case, exposing corruption in the highest police circles and implicating someone very close to Janek in the double murder. Doubletake was originally telecast on November 24 and 26, 1985, and has since been reissued as a single three-hour film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this serio-comic made-for television adventure, an L.A. family gets more than it bargained for when it abandons the smog and hubbub for the peace of rural Oregon. Unfortunately, instead of finding a violence-free environment, they discover that they are surrounded by ultra-right-wing survivalists. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The made-for-TV A Question of Honor was based on Point Blank, a novel by former cop Sonny Grosso and Philip Rosenberg. Ben Gazzara plays Joe DeFalco, a 15-year veteran of the NYPD who'd like to end his career in a blaze of glory. This leads him to act upon a tip intended for another officer, which will enable him to arrest a notorious dope dealer named Danzie (Paul Sorvino). Unbeknownst to DeFalco, Danzie is working hand-in-glove with the Feds in an effort to weed out crooked cops. Before he can absorb what's happening, DeFalco is being blackmailed to do Danzie's "dirty work." This is a tale of misguided ambition: DeFalco's lust for fame and fortune, and the Feds' overzealous desire to uncover police corruption-which, at least according to the events depicted herein, has the effect of forcing honest cops into dishonesty. Both the novel and the film were based on an actual incident, which culminated in the 1972 suicide of DeFalco's real-life counterpart. A Question of Honor debuted on April 28, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In his last appearance before the cameras, David Janssen plays an alcoholic journalist desperate for a comeback. Janssen hitches his star to ruthless publisher Robert Vaughn, who is exploiting a rash of brutal murders to sell papers. The danger here is that the unknown serial killer, who preys upon beautiful young women, is rapidly becoming a media celebrity--and may be prompted to continue killing just to see his name in print. Beyond its own potential for sensationalism, City in Fear raises several provocative questions about the responsibility (and culpability) of the press. For its March 30, 1980 premiere, City in Fear was given a two hour and fifty minute timeslot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lee Strasberg stars in this made-for-TV movie as a widowed senior citizen who suffers a stroke. Recovering in the hospital, Strasberg wants to return to his home, but refuses to have a housekeeper out of fear of being considered helpless. The notion of moving in with his grown children is also vetoed--by the children themselves, who chafed under Strasberg's arrogance and philandering when they were growing up and now prefer that he'd live elsewhere. The only alternative left is a nursing home, and Strasberg would rather die than resort to that. The Last Tenant was written by ABC Theatre Award-winner George Rubino. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally known as Christmas Miracle in Caulfield, USA, this made-for-TV film concerns the true story of striking coal workers who are imprisoned in a collapsed mine on Christmas Eve, 1951. ~ John Bush, Rovi