John Ashley Movies

Karate-champion-turned-movie-star Chuck Norris was ideally cast as the title character in the contemporary Western series, Walker, Texas Ranger. Introduced as a two-hour TV movie on April 21, 1983, the weekly, hour-long CBS series starred Norris as Cordell Walker, who worked out of the Dallas office of the Texas Rangers with his youthful partner, Baltimore-born former football pro Jimmy Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.). While Jimmy, like his superiors, preferred to rely upon modern crime fighting techniques -- computers, forensic science, strict adherence to civil liberties and due process -- the impassive, taciturn Walker was generally of the opinion that criminals were subhuman scum, worthy only of a slug in the face or a kick in the groin. Kicking, in fact, was a Walker specialty, notably whenever he came within close proximity of a locked door or bolted window. Though she didn't always approve of his methods, Walker's off-and-on girlfriend, assistant D.A. Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), admired his strong sense of justice and fair play, especially when protecting those weaker than himself. Too, Alex found Walker extremely handy whenever she got kidnapped, which seemed to happen at the rate of once every other week! Despite his loyalty to his friends, those close to Walker remained so at their own risk, inasmuch as the bad guys were not above hurting them to get to him. Others within Walker's orbit included his old pal C.D. Parker (Noble Willingham), a former Ranger who, after being invalidated out of the service, opened up a restaurant; Uncle Ray Firewalker (Floyd Red Crow Westerman), the sagacious old Native American who raised Walker from childhood and had taught him the value of restraint and contemplation -- unless of course, violence was absolutely called for; Carlos Sandoval (Marco Sanchez), an undercover detective who owed his life to Walker; and Walker's former martial arts student Trent Malloy (James Wlcek), who owned a karate school (and who, teamed with Carlos Sandoval, was briefly spun off into his own TV series, Sons of Thunder). During the series' final seasons, undercover Rangers Francis Gage (Judson Mills) and Sydney Cooke (Nia Peeples) linked up with Walker's team. In the course of events, Uncle Ray Firewalker passed away; C.D. Parker was killed by a band of elusive assassins who intended to work their way up to Walker in their efforts to knock off every Texas Ranger in Dallas; and in the series' seventh season, Walker and Alex became engaged, with wedding bells ringing at the end of season eight and the birth of a baby daughter in the final episode. After ending its CBS run on July 28, 2001, Walker, Texas Ranger launched what was apparently an endless rerun cycle in syndication and on cable. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Coach of the Year is the pilot film for a potential Robert Conrad TV series. Conrad plays Jim Brandon, formerly a star athlete, now a wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet. The embittered, self-involved Brandon is hired to coach a team of teenagers at a correctional facility. Once he's "reached" these so-called incorrigibles, Brandon begins to see his own life in a different light. The film was co-produced by John Ashley of Filipino horror-flick fame. Originally titled The Coach, then 4 Down Behind Bars, Coach of the Year debuted December 20, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This western chronicles the struggle of a post-Civil War mountain family to prove that they did not betray the Confederate side during the conflict. The film contains the last film appearance of Walter Brennan. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A few treasure-seekers try their luck on a tropical island and find a lost--well undocumented, anyway--civilization that has interesting marine capabilities and an unusual way of life. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

This is a Filipino version of the oft-filmed Most Dangerous Game. In this one, the hunted are semi-clad women kidnapped by a sicko lesbian and pursued by a crazed hunter. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Dashing adventurer Matt Farrell (John Ashley) is captured and taken to a remote island in the South Pacific, where he is meant to become the newest victim of Dr. Gordon (Charles Macaulay), a mad scientist who is crossing humans and animals in an attempt to create a race of "superbeings." The doctor's daughter, Neva (Patricia Woodell), is assisting in the nefarious experiments, though she has begun to doubt the legitimacy of her father's scientific work. Gordon's main henchman, Steinman (Jan Merlin), would like nothing more for Farrell to escape, as he views the handsome captive as a worthy adversary and longs to track him through the jungle as human prey. When Neva falls in love with Farrell, she betrays her father and frees him, fleeing with a group of Gordon's experiments, bestial homo sapiens who have been crossed with bats, panthers, antelopes, and other animals. Meanwhile, Farrell captures the doctor and makes his way through the jungle to meet up with Neva on the island's dock, where they intend to make their way to freedom. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi

Dr. Bragan (James Craig) is a workaholic rocket scientist with NASA who is coming unglued from the stress. A colleague arranges for him to take a much needed holiday in Japan, and Bragan accepts, hoping to use this free time to pursue his first love, botany. He brings a potted Venus Flytrap with him, with plans to study carnivorous flora and prove his theory that human beings are descended from plants. His Japanese assistant, Noroko, arranges for them to work in seclusion at her father's abandoned resort hotel, located on a mountain next to an active volcano. They get to work in the greenhouse, toiling night and day to strengthen the Venus Flytrap with the alien Nipponese soil, which causes it to grow to an unusual size. But Bragan is as obsessive and abusive as he was in America, and his constant mood swings cause Noroko to suspect that he is going mad. An experimental graft with a Japanese carnivorous plant succeeds in creating the "Sectovorus," a bizarre, vaguely human creature with vicious flytrap paws, and Bragan knows he is on the right track. Unfortunately, the beast must be fed mice, chickens, puppies and eventually human blood to keep it alive, and the stronger it grows, the more dangerous it becomes. When the Sectovorus learns to uproot itself and venture to a nearby village for victims, Dr. Bragan must decide whether to protect his work of genius, or lure it into the volcano to save mankind. Revenge of Dr. X was scripted by cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr., and is also known as The Double Garden, The Devil Garden and The Venus Flytrap. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi

Roger Corman's New World Pictures distributed this seedy Filipino monster mess about a lecherous American soldier (John Ashley, no stranger to Filipino horror films) who saves his miserable hide during World War II by selling his soul to Satan. Everything works out fine until some years later, when Ashley tries to back out on the arrangement and is subsequently slapped with a werewolf-type curse that has him sprouting hair in unwanted places and stalking villagers by night. The werewolf attacks are remarkably gory -- throats are ripped, faces pulverized, and intestines spilled -- but still manage to be boring. No special method for exterminating the supposedly indestructible beast is devised; apparently he gets tired of being shot repeatedly by the police and just keels over -- as does the film itself. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

The Philippine splatterfest Brides of Blood has also been released as Brides of the Beast, Island of Living Horror and Grave Desires. You get the idea. Anyway, the resident monsters are the spawn of nuclear radiation. These horrid creatures prey upon beautiful, undressed women; they have sex with their victims (by consent!), then gobble up the poor girls. John Ashley, an American actor who was a mainstay of the Philippine horror industry of the 1960s, tries to stem the monster uprising, along with dedicated scientist Kent Taylor and his onscreen wife, Beverly Powers, played by well-proportioned heroine Beverly Hills. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dave Draper, Mr. Universe of 1967, appears in this episode. As part of a scheme to lure the Clampett account to his bank, Mr. Cushing (Roy Roberts) arranges a date between Draper and Elly May. The hapless muscleman finds himself at the mercy of "Doctor" Granny, who believes that his bulging biceps are a sign of a new and horrible affliction called "barbell bloat." Also appearing is beach-movie perennial John Ashley as Troy Apollo. "Mr. Universe Muscles In" was originally telecast on October 25, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Part of American-International's "Beach Party" series, Beach Blanket Bingo was directed by William Asher. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) briefly deserts Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) in favor of pop star Sugar Kane (Linda Evans). Also around and about is a mermaid, appropriately named Lorelei (Marta Kristen). Scurrilous cycle gang leader Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) finds time to sing a tune, while Paul Lynde sneers a lot, Don Rickles insults a lot, Buster Keaton mimes a lot, and columnist Earl Wilson lets everybody know who he is by exclaiming "That's Earl, brother." The whole cast rushes to the rescue when South Dakota Slim (Timothy Carey) binds the lovely Sugar Kane to a buzzsaw. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi