William Allyn Movies
Producer William Allyn was born in 1927 in New York, where he began his career in entertainment as an actor on the stage. He played opposite such notables as Marlon Brando and Julie Harris in theatrical roles before developing an interest in working behind the scenes. In the early '60s, he took up producing for television, eventually overseeing nearly 350 episodes of Peyton Place. In 1971, he moved up to producing movies for television, beginning with The Last Child, and in 1981, produced his first theatrical feature, Rich and Famous. He died from complications relating to heart disease in 1999. ~ All Movie Guide
In this romantic comedy, two people brought together by marriage are brought even closer by their mates. Maria Hardy (Isabella Rossellini) and Larry Konzinski (Ted Danson) first meet at a wedding, where Maria's mother and Larry's uncle are tying the knot. However, the new cousins also have something else in common: Maria's husband Tom (William L. Petersen) is having an affair with Larry's wife, Tish (Sean Young). Maria and Larry get to talking at the wedding reception after their spouses go missing for a while, and they develop a rapport. A friendship grows between them, and they start seeing each other on a regular basis. When Maria confronts Tom about his infidelity, he responds by asking her if she's sleeping with Larry. As Maria and Larry become aware of what's happening between their not-so-better halves, they decide to get revenge by pretending to have an affair as well. However, the longer they pretend to be in love, the more they realize that they aren't pretending after all. Cousins was based on the popular French film Cousin Cousine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Danson, Isabella Rossellini, (more)
Two women find their friendship tested when one rises from obscurity to success in this glossy remake of Old Acquaintance. Liz Hamilton (Jacqueline Bisset) and Merry Noel (Candice Bergen) are close friends who met while they were freshmen at Smith College in the 1950s. Liz has become a highly respected novelist, while Merry wed Doug Blake (David Selby) and raised a family. While Merry is happy, she can't help but envy Liz for her glamorous career as an author. Merry decides to write a novel of her own, and with Liz's help, the book soon finds a publisher. While Merry's trashy potboiler earns few positive reviews, it's a massive best-seller, and Merry's fame and wealth soon outstrips that of Liz, leading to jealousy between the old friends and problems in Merry's marriage. Rich and Famous was the final picture directed by Hollywood legend George Cukor; the guest list at the party sequences include such literary and cinematic notables as Christopher Isherwood, Ray Bradbury, Paul Morrissey, and Roger Vadim. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, (more)
- 1973
Lee Remick made her TV movie debut in And No One Could Save Her. She plays an American heiress whose husband (Frank Grimes) has apparently disappeared in the middle of a transcontinental flight. Remick heads to Ireland, her husband's original destination, to get to the bottom of things. And No One Could Save Her was the first TV production of the Robert Stigwood Group (Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Can't Stop the Music etc.) The film originally aired February 21, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Back before he was producing Charlie's Angels, Aaron Spelling was a major supplier of made-for-television feature films, particularly to ABC, on which this movie premiered in 1971. The Last Child takes place in America in 1994, a time in which a massive, chronic overpopulation crisis has resulted in the passage of Draconian laws, declaring that no couple can have more than one child, and that nobody over the age of 65 can receive any but the most superficial medical treatment. Michael Cole and Janet Margolin play a young married couple whose first child died; she is pregnant again, and they now find themselves hounded by the authorities when she refuses to submit to a legally mandated abortion. Chased across country by Population Control agent Edward Asner (a sinister figure in his pre-Mary Tyler Moore period), they plan to escape to Canada but find the border closed. They receive unexpected help from Van Heflin, in his final screen performance, portraying retired U.S. Senator Quincy George, who opposed the Population Control Laws. He shelters Cole and Margolin at great risk to himself, using what political clout and respect he still commands in his own state to block Asner's pursuit. They must find a means of escaping the country, however, as the authorities close in even on this momentarily safe haven. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Confident that the Allies won't bomb a POW camp, the Germans stash an experimental V-2 rocket at Stalag 13. Hogan's London headquarters send allied scientist Dr. Schneider (Woodrow Parfrey) into the camp to photograph and destroy the rocket. To get the scientist past the security guards, Hogan takes advantage of the fact that Stalag 13 has been named one of Germany's top ten prison camps and stages a phony award ceremony for gullible Colonel Klink. Future Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven co-star Victor French has a small part as a commando. Written by Laurence Marks, "Kommandant of the Year" first aired on October 1, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1965
Accused by Vera Wynne (Jeanne Bal) of embezzling $200,000 from the So-Cal Investment Company, executive Clyde Darrell (Linden Chiles) hires Paul Drake (William Hopper) to expose the real crook, who is also suspected of leaking secret trading informaton to the firm's rival. Paul is able to identify the "leaker" but not the embezzler--and it begins to look REALLY bad for Darrell when Vera is murdered. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) agrees to handle the man's defense, even though Darrell is convinced that he really is the murderer! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Scheming Frances Walden (Constance Ford) hopes to use the "gossip grapevine" in the small farming town of Palmetto to break up the marriage of her brother Martin (Robert Bray) and his wife Andrea (Diane Brewster). Frances goes so far as to pay her own nephew Roy (a pre-Lost in Space Mark Goddard), the town's biggest "stud", to compromise Andrea--who may already be amply compromised, if rumors of her affair with former boyfriend Nelson Tarr (Joe Maross) are true. When Martin is murdered, the police arrest Nelson--who, fortunately, happens to be a client of Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Charles Cromwell (Karl Weber), president-elect of Euclid College, arranges a meeting with Robert Haskell, who is handling a million-dollar college grant provided by wealthy James Vardon (Will Wright). Alas, the deal may be nullified if a woman named Maizie Frietag (Barbara Stuart) reveals Cromwell's unsavory past as "Curly Oliver." But the poor pedant's troubles are just beginning: Haskell is murdered, and Cromwell is charged with the killing. Sounds like Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is going to have to invade the sacred halls of Academia to clear his client. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
When Louisa Holbrook leaves $10,000,000 to her teeange daughter Trudy (Ann Benton), two different men appear out of nowhere, claiming to be Trudy's long-lost father. Though Trudy believes the "first" Jay Holbrook (Hayden Rorke), detectives have unearthed persuasive evidence that Jay Holbrook Number Two (Francis DeSales) is the genuine article. The only person who will be able to identity the real Jay Holbrook is Trudy's blind uncle Lawrence King (Francis X. Bushman)--and when King is murdered, Trudy is charged with the crime, obliging family attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to rush to the girl's defense. This is the final episode of Perry Mason's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Taking a few small steps into her rented country house, Ruth Graham (June Vincent) prompty vanishes, never to be seen again. When Ruth's husband Fred (Edward Binns) reports her disappearance to the authorities, police lieutenant Barnes (Fredd Wayne) accuses him of murder. There is a trial and an acquittal, but neither Fred nor Barnes will be satisfied until the truth is revealed--which it is, sort of, once the history of the country house is fully researched. Series host John Newland takes an active part in the episode's finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In another of scriptwriter Marion Hargrove's "westernizations" of classic literary material, this episode is based on 18th century British playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan's drawing-room comedy "The Rivals". In the original 1775 play, two young men, Jack Absolute and Ensign Beverly, exchange identities so that the wealthier Jack can win the heart of heroine Lydia Languish, who would otherwise reject him because of his wealth. In the Maverick version, Bret Maverick (James Garner is the "Beverly" counterpart, trading places with British playboy Jack Vandergelt (played by future Maverick costar Roger Moore), who pines for the beautiful Lydia Linley (Pat Crowley). The supporting cast includes Neil Hamilton (Batman's "Commissioner Gordon") as Jack's irascible father, who shows up at precisely the wrong time; Barbara Jo Allen (aka "Vera Vague" of radio fame) as language-mangling Mrs. Mallaver, the Maverick equivalent of the original play's imperishable Mrs. Malaprop; and Dan Tobin as Mrs. Mallaver's would-be suitor Lucius Benson ("Lucius O'Trigger" in the Sheridan play). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Another "pocket" adventure film from 20th Century-Fox's Regal Films subsidiary, Under Fire is set during WW2. Four American soldiers are charged with desertion and murder. Their counsel (Rex Reason) tries to get to the bottom of his clients' motivations. It turns out that the actual culprits were Germans dressed as American GIs. Why, then, won't the accused men tell this to the judge? Surprisingly, the answer lies in the old adage "Love of money is the root of all evil." Billed second in Under Fire is Henry Morgan--not the comedian of the same name, but instead the character actor better known as Harry Morgan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Reason, Henry "Harry" Morgan, (more)
