Doodles Weaver Movies

Also known as Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free, this TV pilot film stars Don Meredith in the title role. Banjo Hackett is a western horsetrader, circa 1885, who travels in the company of his orphaned nephew (Ike Eisenmann). While searching for a rare Arabian mare stolen from the nephew's late mother, Hackett occasionally pays a visit to Mollie (Jennifer Warren), a ranch owner whom Banjo would marry if he'd only admit he loved the woman. Millionaire Dan O'Herlihy and untrustworthy bounty hunter Chuck Connors are also after the stolen horse. The film's storyline is as rambling as Banjo Hackett himself, which was both its charm and curse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A proud old Southern woman struggles to keep her popular diner afloat in this interesting character study. The little cafe is a popular community meeting place and its closing would create a great hole in the town. Though her devoted daughters assist, their help is not enough. Unfortunately, the woman refuses to ask for outside help. In desperation, the woman decides that she needs herself a "sugar daddy," and so heads for Miami. There she meets all kinds of men, ranging from a mental patient to a wealthy but married Texan. Unfortunately, she cannot raise the money she needs. Somehow, the money is raised at the last moment and her restaurant is finally saved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Also released under the titles El Salvejo, 40 Graves for 40 Guns, Savage Red, and Outlaw White, this western takes place in New Mexico when a group of outlaws are attacked by a force led by a man who is half Native American. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Two guys looking for a good time find more than they bargained for in this low-budget action story laced with comedy. Chris Dixon (Alan Vint) and his brother Wayne (Jesse Vint) are originally from Chicago, but when the two are scheduled to go into the Army together, they decide to spend their last two weeks before reporting for boot camp drifting through the South, chasing girls, drinking beer and raising a little hell. After picking up a pretty hitch-hiker, Jenny Scott (Cheryl Waters), who has tired of small-town life and has eyes for Chris, a busted fuel pump strands the brothers in Macon, Georgia, where Sheriff Reed Morgan (Max Baer, Jr.) makes it clear they're not welcome to spend the night. Meanwhile, a pair of ex-cons on a crime spree have arrived in Macon, and they ransack Morgan's house and murder his wife while the sheriff is picking up his son Luke (Lief Garrett) from military school. When their car breaks down again, Chris, Wayne and Jenny spend the night in a nearby barn; what they don't know is they've ended up on the sheriff's property, and when he comes home and discovers his house is a crime scene, he assumes the worst after he finds Chris and Wayne. Max Baer, Jr., who plays Sheriff Morgan, also produced Macon County Line and co-wrote the screenplay; the movie was a major box-office success on its original release in 1974 and sparked a new career behind the camera for the former Beverly Hillbillies star. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This campy oddity -- featuring John Carradine in one of his patented walk-on roles -- pits some silly facsimile of a motorcycle gang against an even sillier stuntman in a deep-pile shag suit who is supposed to be the legendary humanoid lurker of the Northwestern wilderness. It seems Bigfoot has developed an understandable liking for buxom human females (including Joy Lansing and one-time Russ Meyer regular Haji), whom he abducts and carries off to his scenic woodland retreat and ties to ridiculously scrawny trees. Apparently the bike boys are jealous -- abducting curvaceous cuties is also a favorite pastime of theirs -- and they embark on an uncoordinated rescue mission. Predating mid-'70s Bigfoot-mania (sparked by the famous home-movie sightings), this goofy outing is probably more entertaining than Legend of Boggy Creek and a dozen other "serious" pseudo-documentaries on the subject. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this spooky comedy, a couple and their adolescent son move into a quiet New England summer cottage. Soon their arrival, a series of strange and increasingly destructive occurrences begin to happen. Not believing in poltergeists, the puzzled parents immediately suspect their son. The real perpetrators are a trio of angry ghosts who want the cabin all to themselves. When the mortal family refuses to move, the ghostly trio (two women and a man) sink two boats belonging to the couples' wealthy uncle. Once again the poor boy is blamed and this nearly drives him insane for he can see the ghosts. More trouble follows when one of the lady spirits falls in love with the handsome uncle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The 1938 Marx Brothers comedy Room Service was the obvious inspiration for "Monkees Manhattan Style" (aka "Monkees in Manhattan"). Arriving in New York to star in a rock musical, the Monkees discover that the show is being cancelled because the backer has bailed out. The boys spend the rest of the episode trying to escape the wrath of irate hotel manager Weatherwax (Philip Ober while simultaneously attempting to raise money for the musical's producer ($Dick Anders). The superb supporting cast includes Doodles Weaver as a butler, "lovable lush" Foster Brooks as a conventioneer, Olan Soule as a waiter, and Susan Howard and Geoffrey Deuel as a honeymooning couple. Songs: "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)", "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", and "Words". At the end of the episode, the Monkees appear out of character for an interview with director Bob Rafaelson -- a tantalizing preview for the series' first-season closer, "The Monkees on Tour." Written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, "Monkees Manhattan Style" first aired on April 10, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Doodles Weaver finally gets a break at the Hollywood studio he works for; the big boss J.B. (Richard Arlen) sends him to Nashville to round up talent for an upcoming movie about country music. The bumbling bumpkin is shown around town by singing star Connie Smith, who introduces him to some of Nashville's finest artists. Marty Robbins sings a number of tunes and shows off his race car, indulging in a few hair-raising laps at high velocity. Legendary names such as Johnny Cash, the Carter Family, Porter Wagoner, and Waylon Jennings perform some of their big hits in recording studios and on television stages. Unfortunately, Weaver has so much fun watching the rehearsals that he neglects to get the contracts signed, which causes J.B. to repeatedly blow his stack. Other notable country & western stars who appear include Hank Snow, the Stoneman Family, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Faron Young, Lefty Frizzell, Dottie West, the Osbourne Brothers, and Bill Anderson. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide

Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) is convinced that the Shady Rest is haunted by the ghost of Chester W. Farnsworth, who stayed at the hotel 50 years before, then vanished mysteriously. This puts Joe in a bit of a bind: Much as he'd like to exploit the ghost as a tourist attraction, he also feels he must exorcise the spirit to lift a supposed curse. Eccentric comedian Doodles Weaver, the "Beeeedelbaum" man from the old Spike Jones orchestra, is seen--sort of--as the ghost, while Hal Smith, best known as town drunk Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show, appears as Mr. Richardson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fluffy the lion is featured in this comedy. He plays the subject of an ambitious experiment done by Daniel Potter (Tony Randall) -- a scientist trying to prove that even a wild animal like a lion can be made into a pet with proper training. Wherever he goes, Potter's ponderous pet incites mayhem amongst the region's fearful residents. To escape his panicky neighbors, Potter and Fluffy hide out in a hotel. There the owner's plucky daughter (Shirley Jones) falls for the unlikely duo. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An aspiring senator finds himself in deep trouble when he tangles with a sultry teenage girl gone bad in this campy drama. Ann-Margret stars as Jody, a tough customer who escapes from reform school by stabbing a matron and attempting to burn down the building and then takes refuge in a house owned by ambitious politician David Patton (John Forsythe). Despite the hellcat's ample charms, the would-be officeholder wants nothing to do with her and tries to drive her away. She responds by practically taking him hostage, with the help of a gang of delinquent friends. An unexpected act of violence causes more trouble, leading Jody to hijack David and force him to a drive a getaway car to Mexico. The stilted dialogue, over-the-top situations, and rampant sexual innuendo will prove particularly attractive to camp aficionados, who should be delighted by the presence of such recognizable figures as Ann-Margret and Forsythe in the central roles. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide