Jan-Michael Vincent Movies
Ventura City College grad Jan-Michael Vincent had just finished serving in the National Guard when he was tapped for potential film stardom by a talent agent. At first billed simply as Michael Vincent, the novice actor's "official" screen debut was the 1968 western Journey to Shiloh, though in fact he'd already had a shakedown cruise, as it were, in the Mexican film Los Bandidos (1967). He went on to co-star in the "Danger Island" segment of Hanna-Barbera's Saturday morning TV show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and in the prime time serial The Survivors (1969) before graduating to stardom as the hippie-dippie Marine recruit in the popular TV movie Tribes (1970). Subsequent film assignments like The Mechanic (1972) and Bite the Bullet (1975) seemed to bode well for his future as a "reluctant hero" action star, while his work in such productions as Buster and Billie (1974) proved that he had an acting range far beyond that of your usual beefcake hunk. Jan-Michael Vincent enjoyed a successful run as taciturn maverick pilot Stringfellow Hawke in the TV series Airwolf (1984-86) before becoming a fixture in such direct-to-video yarns like Hidden Obsession and Indecent Behavior (both 1993). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This Mexican-made western features Robert Conrad (also the director) as one of three outlaw cowboys who head south of the border after being rescued from the hangman's noose by a Mexican compadre. From their refuge in a Mexican mission, they set out looking for a fortune in buried gold. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1968
Forced to kill the father of young Eddie McKay (Jan-Michael Vincent), Hoss Cartwright tries to make amends by hiring Eddie as a Ponderosa hand. Eddie accepts the job-but only because he has entered into an unholy alliance with rancher Sam Butler (Jim Davis), who also has a grudge against the Cartwrights. "The Arrival of Eddie" was written by Ward Hawkins and John M. Chester, and directed by former I Love Lucy stalwart Marc Daniels. The episode first aired on May 19, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1969
Before she played Joe Cartwright's ill-fated love interest in the 1972 Bonanza episode "Forever," Bonnie Bedelia guest-starred in the series' April 6, 1969 episode "The Unwanted." Bedelia is cast as Lorrie, the daughter of Ben Cartwright's old friend, lawman Luke Mansfield (Charles McGraw). Rebelling against her disciplinarian father, Lorrie openly consorts with young ex-convict Rick Miller (Jan-Michael Vincent), who may or may not be the cousin of a man who once shot Luke. "The Unwanted" was written by Thomas Thompson and Suzanna Clauser. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1970
In this crime drama, a detective must find the poisoned bottle of whiskey that killed an alcoholic. He then begins looking for the man that raped and murdered a woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1970
The TV movie Tribes struck a responsive chord with young TV hounds of the early 1970s. Jan-Michael Vincent plays a long-haired hippie who, despite his anti-war sentiments, ends up in the Marines. Though forced to endure the torture of a buzz-cut, Vincent remains flippant and rebellious. Nail-hard drill instructor Darren McGavin is determined to "break" Vincent and transform him into a lean, mean fighting machine. It was all done before in Jack Webb's 1957 theatrical feature The DI, but Tribes had a timeliness lacking in the earlier film, thanks to the ongoing Vietnam crisis. Tracy Keenan Wynn (son of Keenan, grandson of Ed) and Marvin Schwartz won Emmy Awards for their teleplay. A big ratings success when it first aired November 10, 1970, Tribes was later released theatrically in England and Europe under the title The Soldier Who Declared Peace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
Robert Mitchum delivers a top-notch performance as Harry Graham, a lonely and tender lout of a father who, released from prison after having killed his wife many years ago, has to start anew but must deal with his embittered teenage son Jimmy (Jan-Michael Vincent). Jimmy, seeking vengeance upon his father, tracks him from the prison where he was incarcerated to the run-down seashore community where Harry is now eking out a living in a trailer park with his girlfriend Jenny (Brenda Vaccaro). When Jimmy at last confronts his father face to face, he finds he has to deal with many unresolved emotional barriers in their relationship. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Brenda Vaccaro, (more)
Charles Bronson re-teams with director Michael Winner -- sandwiched between their first pairing in the underrated Chato's Land and their seminal collaboration in Death Wish -- in this Lewis John Carlino-scripted actioner. Bronson plays Arthur Bishop, a "mechanic" or hired killer, famed for his efficient and unfeeling contract executions. The young and eager Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent) teams up with him, hoping that Bishop will teach him the bounty-hunting business. Imparting words of wisdom to Steve like, "Murder is only killing without a license and everybody kills -- the Army, the police," the two undergo a series of adventures as Bishop shows Steve the ropes. Between action scenes, Bronson's wife Jill Ireland makes an appearance as a sexy hooker. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Keenan Wynn, (more)
- 1972
This unsold pilot film was reminiscent of the 1956 syndicated TV weekly The Tracer. Michael Witney plays the "catcher" of the title, a former agent of the Seattle Missing Persons Bureau. Now in private practice with his new partner, Harvard grad Jan-Michael Vincent, Witney hires out to people looking for "vanished" friends and relatives. His first assignment is to locate missing coed Catherine Burns, a quest complicated by a cumbersome murder. Anne Baxter guest stars as a car dealer who pops up with the Vital Clue. The film was lensed on location in Boston, Memphis, Atlanta and Hot Springs, Arkansas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Sandcastles dresses up an old story with pretty seascapes and prettier actors. Bonnie Bedelia is a lonely young musician who strikes up an acquaintance with the enigmatic Jan-Michael Vincent. Even though she sees him only while walking along the beach, Bonnie falls in love with this curious young man. When she tells others of her affair, she is informed that no such young man exists...but that he did exist, before he turned criminal and was killed. The truth is out: Vincent is a ghost, returned to Earth to clear his reputation. Sandcastles was shot on videotape by veteran TV-series helmsman Ted Post. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of the best of the early-1970s Disney farces, The World's Greatest Athlete stars Jan-Michael Vincent in the title role. A "wild boy" living off the land in the jungles of Africa, Vincent is discovered by coaches Tim Conway and John Amos. Cursed with a last-place college athletic lineup, Conway and Amos hope that Vincent will pull them out of their years-long slump. And he does, but not before several Disneyesque slapstick highlights, not to mention a handful of amusing special-effects gags (at one point, Conway is shrunk to mouse size by witch doctor Roscoe Lee Browne). Despite its formidable lineup of comedians-Conway, Billy DeWolfe, Nancy Walker, Vito Scotti et. al.--The World's Greatest Athlete's funniest line goes to guest star Howard Cosell! The script is the handiwork of Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, late of That Was the Week That Was and Get Smart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Conway, Jan-Michael Vincent, (more)
- 1973
In this action adventure, five wilderness greenhorns on a hiking trip stumble across the remains of a skyjacker. They also find a fortune in cash. This causes nothing but grief as the greedy quintet battle their way back to civilization. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- R
In this coming-of-age movie from 1974 that mines the same territory as Summer of '42 and Class of '44, Joan Goodfellow plays Billie, an obliging blonde more than willing to dispense sexual favors for a group of horny high schoolers in rural Georgia of 1948. The only member of the high school group that doesn't seek out Billie is Buster (Jan-Michael Vincent), who is faithful to his fiancee, Margie (Pamela Sue Martin). But when Margie insists on preserving her virginity until their wedding day, Buster joins the crowd and seeks out Billie himself. Buster is so taken with her that he begins to openly date her. Because of their relationship, Billie has changed but the townspeople and the high school students react with disdain when they see Buster and Billie holding hands. The disdain turns to hate, then to violence. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Joan Goodfellow, (more)
- 1975
- PG
In this action film, trucker Carrol Jo Hummer (Jan-Michael Vincent) borrows money to purchase a truck of his own, only to discover that part of his "payment plan" includes smuggling goods on his trips. When Carrol refuses to participate in the underhanded scheme, a group of thugs threaten his wife, leading Carrol to fight back with a vengeance. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Kay Lenz, (more)
An excellent cast, featuring Gene Hackman, Ben Johnson, and James Coburn, highlights this entertaining Western that came and went at the box office, barely noticed by audiences. That doesn't stop the exciting story from capturing the viewer's attention as a disparate group of riders assembles to participate in a marathon 700-mile horse race across the American West at the turn of the century. The standard mutual feelings of distrust give way to respect and grudging admiration as each rider is put to the test. Stunning cinematography and locations, plus a gripping pace set by director Richard Brooks, set this Western apart at a time when the genre was in decline. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, (more)
- 1976
In this WWII-era drama, Jan-Michael Vincent plays Marion Hedgepeth, a young Marine who fails out of a boot camp in 1943 and gets sent home wearing a baby blue suit to symbolize shame and dishonor. In Los Angeles, he runs into a veteran who -- eager to be discharged -- k.o.'s him and switches their uniforms. When Marion regains consciousness, he's clad in a hero's uniform. He begins hitching his way toward his home in St. Louis, dreading the prospect of confessing to his folks, but stops for a time in a small town where he's mistaken for a hero and immediately falls in love with a waitress, Rose (Glynnis O'Connor). Meanwhile, as the truth threatens to emerge and bring disgrace raining down onto his head, several residents of a Japanese internment camp escape. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Glynnis O'Connor, (more)
- 1976
- PG
In this exciting adventure, the residents of a remote California community grow tired of having their lives disrupted by growing groups of rowdy oilworkers who have no respect for law and order. In desperation they hire a Vietnam veteran to clean up the town. The ex-fighter brings in a band of other vets and does just that. Unfortunately, the veterans then begin controlling the town until the leader's brother and his friends manage to oust him and restore peace to the sleepy little town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kris Kristofferson, Jan-Michael Vincent, (more)
- 1976
- PG
In this actioner, the Westernized grandson of a shaman decides to return to the wilderness to learn more about his Native American heritage. He ends up meeting some very powerful evil spirits and to escape them he must enlist the aid of his lover and a local chief to stop the spirits from taking over. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Marilyn Hassett, (more)
- 1977
- PG
A small but hardy band of survivors traverses a post-apocalypse American landscape in this sci-fi thriller. A horrific nuclear assault leaves only three survivors at an underground military facility, so Tanner (Jan-Michael Vincent), Denton (George Peppard), and Keegan (Paul Winfield) commandeer a special all-terrain land cruiser and head for Albany, NY, the only American city to be spared in the attack. As they travel through the desolate post-nuke wastelands, the soldiers pick up a beautiful woman (Dominique Sanda) and an incorrigible teenager (Jackie Earle Haley), as they battle huge mutant insects, packs of survivors turned violent and feral, and brutal electrical storms that savage the already barren plains. Damnation Alley was based on a novel by award-winning speculative fiction author Roger Zelazny. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, George Peppard, (more)
Aliens from Spaceship Earth is a "four-waller" documentary from the Chariot of the Gods? school of speculative filmmaking. Are there, or have their ever been, extraterrestrials in our midst? This program speculates that there are, and that such aliens have taken distinctly human form - that of Indian yogis and gurus, including Guru Maharaj Ji, Sri Sathya, Yoga Bhahan and Father Yod. The "aliens" in question, in other words, are spiritual guides on a long, introspective trek into the self, prompted and encouraged by the counterculture and drug-fueled experimentation of the late '60s. Folk-rock singer Donovan provides the soundtrack.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Jan-Michael Vincent plays a self-destructive beach bum to whom surfing is a Zen experience. We first meet Vincent in the devil-may-care 1960s, in the company of his carefree buddies William Katt and Gary Busey. The boys reunite ten years later, after one has served time in Vietnam. The beach is still there, the waves still break upon the shore, and towards the end of the film, the characters become people that we truly care about. Barbara Hale, the real-life mother of costar William Katt, makes a piquant supporting appearance. Cut from 129 minutes to 104 for its pay-cable release, Big Wednesday is also known as Summer of Innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, (more)
Following the blockbuster success of Smokey and the Bandit, Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and director Hal Needham reunited to make the very similar Hooper, an action-laced comedy about a Hollywood stunt man who enters a dangerous rivalry with a younger stunt man. Hooper (Reynolds) and the younger stunt man (Jan-Michael Vincent) compete in a series of increasingly complex stunts in order to earn the title of "the greatest stunt man alive." Hooper is lightweight, mindless fun that doesn't have much story, but it is a stronger film than Smokey and the Bandit, largely because the characters are somewhat stronger. Everyone involved looks like they're having fun; the good-humor translates on screen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Jan-Michael Vincent, (more)
- 1979
- PG
Although it is far from a perfectly contrived drama, Defiance has its moments of high emotions and rising fear. Tommy (Jan Michael Vincent) takes up temporary housing in a New York neighborhood plagued by a violent gang, the Souls. Tommy is waiting for his next assignment as a seaman and though he tries to avoid the gang and his neighbors, it does not work. Soon he is single-handedly battling the Souls and not only changing their attitudes, but the attitudes of his previously intimidated neighbors as well. They quickly back him up as the one person who can make the neighborhood safe again. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Theresa Saldana, (more)
The bottom-drawer science fiction cheapie was originally released as The Return. In a dusty New Mexico town, two children and an old man witness the arrival (via poor special effects) of an alien spacecraft. The phenomenon has such a profound effect on the lives of the witnesses that they anxiously await the return of the extraterrestrials--whom, it is suggested, have visited here several times before. When the big-name cast (Jan-Michael Vincent, Cybill Shepherd, Martin Landau, Raymond Burr and Neville Brand) failed to sucker customers into seeing The Return, the film was repackaged as The Alien's Return. If we are indeed visited by aliens someday, one hopes they aren't as dull as the creatures in this sorry little film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Cybill Shepherd, (more)
Jan-Michael Vincent stars as Kyle Richardson, who works at a dead-end job in a Texas chain-link fence factory. In the tradition of such earlier films as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Richardson enjoys himself only on weekends when he whoops it up with his buddies at the local saloon. His carousing exacts a toll on his relationship with Jodie Lynn Palmer (Kim Basinger, in her film debut). Finally, Jodie delivers an ultimatum: either settle down and get married, or she'll skeedaddle to California, there to try her luck as a country-western singer. Real-life C&W star Tanya Tucker co-stars as Jodie's best friend and role model. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Kim Basinger, (more)
