Tony Young Movies

Windsor is a peaceful town on the Thames where hardly a leaf falls to disturb the silence. And then England's most notorious mischief maker, Sir John Falstaff (Richard Griffiths), arrives from London with his hooligans -- Bardolph (Gordon Gostelow), Nym (Michael Robbins), and Pistol (Nigel Terry) -- to steal and make merry. After breaking into a lodge and killing a deer on private land, they arouse the wrath of the locals. But quick tongues and pleadings of innocence exonerate them and even earn Falstaff a meal at the home of George Page (Bryan Marshall), a Windsor gentleman. There, Falstaff converses with Mrs. Page (Prunella Scales) and her neighbor, Mrs. Ford (Judy Davis), both of whom rule the purse strings of their households. Falstaff then decides to woo both women and charm them free of their money. But after he writes them a love letter -- the same letter word-for-word except for the name of the addressee -- the two "merry wives" compare letters and decide to give Sir John his comeuppance. Meanwhile, Mr. Ford (Ben Kingsley) gets wind of Falstaff's designs on his wife and, riven with jealousy, plots to surprise Falstaff when he comes calling. Scenes ensue in which Mr. Ford bursts through his front door in an attempt to discover Falstaff. The tee-heeing wives couldn't be happier, for these occasions give them a chance to humiliate Falstaff -- once by having him hide in a laundry basket which is dumped in the muddy Thames and another time by dressing as "the fat woman of Brentford." A subplot follows three men as they woo Mrs. Page's lovely daughter, Anne (Miranda Foster). In the end, Falstaff acknowledges his bad behavior, Anne Page gets her man, and good feelings abound. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

They've Kidnapped Anne Benedict is the rerun title for the made-for-TV movie The Abduction of St. Anne. Robert Wagner stars as detective who is hired by Vatican for $100,000. It's his job to find out if it's true that a mobster's 17-year-old daughter (Kathleen Quinlan) has miraculous and healing powers. If the rumors are fact, Wagner is expected to kidnap the girl on behalf of the Church, with the help of bishop E.G. Marshall. Before the film runs its course, all three principals--Wagner, Marshall, and Quinlan--find themselves up to their necks in life-threatening peril. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This sleazy exploitation feature from director Robert Kelljan (Count Yorga, Vampire) is more noteworthy for its cast than its content. The plot concerns a group of five women who learn martial arts and team up to avenge their violations by a rapist (Peter Brown) who forced them to sing Jingle Bells while molesting them. Caligula's Anneka di Lorenzo, Richard Pryor's ex-wife Jennifer Lee, and Hullabaloo dancer Lada Edmund, Jr. co-star in this drive-in favorite, also released as Act of Vengeance. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Lee Frost's police action film Policewomen stars Sondra Currie as officer Lucy Bond. She goes undercover to bring down a group of female convicts who have escaped from jail and joined forces with smugglers. After her true identity is revealed, she must fend off a number of adversaries. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Several inconvent truths about "equal consideration under the law" come to surface as Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) investigate two separate murders. One of the victims was a wealthy and well-connected white foreign businessman; the other was an impoverished black police informant. Judyann Elder delivers a stunning performance as the black victim's embittered wife, who challenges the cops to pay as much attention to her husband's death as to the executive's murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Play It As It Lays offers what is probably the harshest view of Hollywood to be given a major production up to the time of its release; it depicts a world of narcissistic egotists who will do anything to inflate their own sense of importance. Based on the novel by Joan Didion, it tells of the rise and fall of one woman's acting career. Maria Wyeth (Tuesday Weld), a model, began her acting career in a Warhol-like film, and moved "up" to perform in a biker film. The director of both films, Carter Lang (Adam Roarke), discovered her, and soon afterwards, marries her. As Carter's career moves ahead, he pays less and less attention to Maria. She has a number of affairs to try to brighten her world, but nothing much works. When she gets pregnant by one of them, Lang divorces her. Then, her best friend (Anthony Perkins), who tried to bring about a reconciliation between Lang and her, commits suicide. Her world in tatters, she has a nervous breakdown. The film's story is told in flashbacks while she is in recovery. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This film is notable for singer Marvin Gaye's debut acting performance. In Chrome and Hot Leather, Green Beret sergeant Mitch's (Tony Young) girlfriend has been mortally injured, and just before her death divulges that a motorcycle gang called "The Devils" were responsible. Mitch and his sergeant buddies (including Marvin Gaye as Jim) take military leave and prepare themselves to track down the evildoers by adopting, as best as they can, the appearance of a motorcycle gang: bikes, clothes and all. This results in some humorous moments. They use their army skills in the quest for justice, and The Devils come in for some serious trouble. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Shelly Winters and John Randolph star in Death of Innocence as distraught small-town parents who learn that their estranged daughter is on trial for murder. They journey to New York City and attend the girl's trial, where the mother learns several details of her daughter's recent life that she'd rather not know. Filmed at the height of the "generation gap" era, Death of Innocence was based on a novel by Zelda Popkin. One of the better TV movies of 1971, the film was first telecast opposite a George Plimpton "wish fulfillment" special, thereby losing out on the large audience it deserved. Casting note: Kim Stanley was to have played the principal juror, but fell ill before shooting. She was replaced by Ann Sothern--the mother of Tisha Sterling, who plays the defendant in the case! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kirk's command ability is threatened when he falls victim to an alien woman's magical charms in this episode from the third season of the 1960s science fiction television series. The Enterprise is assigned to transport representatives of two warring cultures, Ambassador Petri of Troyius and Elaan of Elas. Petri's mission, with the help of the Enterprise crew, is to tame the primitive and uncontrollable Elaan. This proves to be a difficult task when she lives up to her vicious reputation, enacting violent fits of rage that culminate in the nonfatal stabbing of Petri. Elaan's reckless behavior increasingly frustrates Kirk, until she cries and Kirk unwittingly comes in contact with one of her tears. These tears prove to have mystical powers, causing Kirk to fall madly in love. His sudden obsession with Elaan may be deadly to the Enterprise, however, which comes under attack from a Klingon vessel -- a situation where Kirk's leadership is desperately needed. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

In this western, the trouble begins when a rancher's mother and father are killed by a young outlaw and his family who want his land. The son returns the favor and slaughters them. As the father lies dying, he manages to hire three gunslingers to track the boy down. The boy is a good shot though and kills two of the hired guns and then flees into Indian territory. There he meets an old miner, his wife and their daughter. The remaining gunslinger finds him, but is taken prisoner by the miner. Later, the saucy wife makes a pass at the young man, but he rejects her. In retaliation, she frees the gunman, steals her husband's gold and takes off. She ends up being killed by the Indians. Meanwhile, the daughter, the miner, and the rancher's son are busy fighting off an attack of their own. They then ride off after the fleeing gunman whose horse is so laden down with gold that it collapses. This allows the son to shoot him dead. Afterwards, the son and the miner's daughter get hitched and live happily ever after. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Caught gambling on a military post, Bart (Jack Kelly) is given the choice of spending several months in the stockage or working for the Army as an undercover agent. Bart's assignment is to root out a traitor in the ranks, a person who has done an excellent job covering his tracks up to now. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned, and it is Bart rather than the traitor who ends up with a noose around his neck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide