Earl Bellamy Movies

Following the astonishing (and, to some, appalling) success of the 1978 TV movie Rescue From Gilligan's Island, most of the cast of the popular 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island were hired for two additional "reunion" films. The second, Castaways on Gilligan's Island, finds Gilligan (Bob Denver), the Skipper, too (Alan Hale Sr.) the millionaire (Jim Backus) and his wife (Natalie Schafer), the movie star (Judith Baldwin, subbing for a recalcitrant Tina Louise), the Professor (Russell Johnson) and Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) back on the flyspeck island whence they had recently been rescued. This time, the castaways decide to turn their tiny isle into a tourist resort. This leaves the door wide open for guest stars Tom Bosley and Marcia Wallace as a straitlaced vacationing couple. The Castaways on Gilligan's Island blew its network competition out of the water on the occasion of its debut on May 3, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Three Desperate Women is the working title for the TV movie Desperate Women; the original title is utilized throughout in a ballad heard on the movie's soundtrack. The women of the title (or both titles) are played by Susan St. James, Ronee Blakely and Anne Dusenberry. During the Civil War, our three heroines escape from prison. They spend the first half of the film being pursued by the law, outlaws and Indians. The film then shifts gears as the girls plan to pilfer a gold shipment. Dan Hagerty and Max Gail also star as, respectively, the good and bad guy. Desperate Women premiered on October 27, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Irwin Allen's follow-up to Flood! is a better effort but still falls short of his big-screen classics. Like its predecessor, Fire! sets up its disaster in a lackluster manner and then fails to build its plot in suspenseful or dramatically compelling ways once the disaster hits. It also leans heavily on soap opera-style dramatic subplots to fill the time between the fire sequences: for instance, the domestic discord between the married couple played by Alex Cord and Patty Duke Astin has an unintentionally campy feel to it. As with Flood!, Earl Bellamy occupies the director's chair and his work is competent but impersonal. However, he improves on Flood! by working in more exciting stunt sequences into the story. Flood! also benefits from a strong cast: Ernest Borgnine turns in a typically professional performance as the everyman hero and old pros like Vera Miles and Neville Brand lend solid support. No one really gets much to do dramatically but they all notch up solid performances. In short, Fire! is no great shakes - even for b-movie fans - but it just might work as a time-killer for viewers in a forgiving mood. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

In this action film, motorcross racer J. W. Wyatt (Michael Parks) works to develop a high-performance motorcycle while pursuing a romance with the wealthy Chris Gentry (Susan Howard). ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

In this lively sports drama, Jeff Rayburn has no direction in his life since he competed in the Olympic games as a swimmer. The American had been simply bumming around Australia until he teamed up with biker Dave Ferguson and began sidecar racing. When not involved in racing, the two tussle for the love of the wealthy heiress Lynn Carson. While Ferguson is a nice fellow, he is notorious for taking risks that endanger the lives of his partners. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser and his trusty club return in this sequel. As with the first, he continues his single handed crusade against organized crime. Violence ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A group of radical student protestors intend to stage a spectacular demonstration against the use of bacteriological weapons. In preparation, they steal a cache of high-powered weapons. The next step: taking over a nuclear reactor and grabbing several hostages. The SWAT team must defuse the situation without triggering a nuclear holocaust. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The 4077th goes into full mardi gras mode when General Clayton (Herb Voland) unofficially announces that a cease-fire has been declared. The only person who refuses to join in the festivities is Trapper (Wayne Rogers), who suspects that the good news is based upon a highly unreliable source. Meanwhile, Klinger (Jamie Farr) goes on a giveaway spree, while Hawkeye (Alan Alda) tries to weasel out of several promises made to several nurses in the heat of passion. "Cease-Fire" originally aired on March 18, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ricardo Montalban is well cast as legendary Mexican bandit Joaquin Murietta in Desperate Mission. As in most previous filmed adaptations of the life of this controversial character, Murietta is depicted as a South of the Border Robin Hood, more sinned against than sinning. The storyline is open-ended enough to suggest that this made-for-TV movie was intended as the pilot for a weekly series. If this was indeed the case, the producers needn't have bothered. Lensed in 1969, Desperate Mission didn't get a TV playdate until December 3, 1971 (though it was released theatrically outside the US in 1970). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A rancher sets out to find the party responsible for killing his son and kidnapping his daughter. He enlists an arrogant professional tracker to help him in his search. Ernest Borgnine and Sammy Davis, Jr. star in this made-for-television western. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

In his TV-movie debut, Sammy Davis Jr. plays a wisecracking private eye drawn into a web of murder and duplicity. Davis is suddenly attacked from all sides by crooks and cops alike, who seem to believe he's got something they want. Eventually he figures he's been set up as the fall guy for a mysterious crime, and that somehow this is tied in with a missing diary which contains information that could prove fatal to his ex-girlfriend. The plotline of The Pigeon substitutes confusion for cleverness, resulting in a second-rate "B" melodrama. But Sammy Davis Jr. is always worth watching, especially as he tosses off clever bits of banter which seem to be ad-libbed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Agents Kelly and Scotty are accused of killing a rookie agent during a training session in San Francisco. Actually, the murder was the handiwork of an overeager novice agent who likes to play for keeps. Not surprisingly, the next two men on the killer's hit list are Kelly and Scotty themselves. Featured in the cast are Richard Webb of Captain Midnight fame as Ross; Leigh French, then the resident hippie-chick on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, as Cobalt-Blue; and Roger Bowen, the original Henry Blake in the 1970 film version of MASH, as Rudin. First telecast on January 22, 1968, "Tag, You're It" was scripted by Stephen Kandel, from a story by M.J. Waggoner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi