Peter Breck Movies

This arty Canadian drama centers on a young Vietnamese woman who marries a petty thief she does not love so she can emigrate to Canada. The rest of her family moves there too, but none of them find a particularly happy life, though Lucky, Lulu's husband, would do anything to insure his wife's happiness, even if it is self-destructive. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

While Hazzard's cycle-ridin' postmistress Miz Tisdale (Nedra Volz) is out of town visiting her money, the Dukes volunteer to take over her responsibilities. As Daisy (Catherine Bach) and Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) handle traffic at the post office, Luke (Tom Wopat) and Bo (John Schneider) man the wheel of Miz Tisdale's taxicab service. The "fun" begins when the boys pick up a couple of crooks (one of them played by former Big Valley costar Peter Breek) who stash a hot gold certificate in the cab! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With Mission:Impossible regular Lynda Day George still on maternity leave, Marlyn Mason makes a guest appearance as IMF agent Sandy in "Crack-Up." For her first assignment with the team, Sandy plays a major role in a scheme to determine the identity of the Syndicate higher-up who hired professional hit man Peter Cordel (Alex Cord). Vital ingredients for the success of this mission include a rigged chess game and a special "black-out" drug. "Crack-Up" was scripted by Arthur Weiss from a story by Weiss, Robert Weiss and Phyllis White. The episode originally aired December 9, 1972, as the last Saturday-night Mission:Impossible offering before the series' move to CBS' Friday-evening lineup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Big Valley was the last major successful network Western series of the 1960s, running four seasons, from 1965 through 1969; none of the others that came after it, Branded, Hondo, Lancer, etc., even came close to that kind of longevity. Most of its appeal, besides high production values, lay in its casting and the starring role played by Barbara Stanwyck (or "Miss Barbara Stanwyck" as she was referred to in the credits) as Victoria Barkley, the matriarch ruling over a huge ranch outside of Stockton, CA, and the San Joachin Valley. Stanwyck was also a partner in the series' production company, Four Star. The Big Valley opens in the year 1876, six years after the death of Victoria's husband, Thomas Barkley, who was shot to death amid a battle with the railroad, and in the first episode the railroad is once more trying to take the land of the homesteaders adjacent to the Barkley ranch. The series' model was very obviously Bonanza (along with elements of the movie Duel in the Sun), which, with a relatively inexperienced cast, was already a hit in its fourth season at the time this series was conceived. The sensibilities of the period being what they were, Victoria Barkley could not have produced four siblings from different husbands, as Lorne Greene's Ben Cartwright had by different wives on Bonanza -- but her offspring were still as varied as the Cartwright family. The Barkleys, in the opening, include three brothers, Jarrod (Richard Long), the oldest and the lawyer, mature and deliberative; Nick (Peter Breck), the ramrod of the ranch, bold but also very hot-tempered; and Eugene (Charles Briles), the youngest, who looks up to both of his brothers (who goes off to college and, after the first season, is never seen or mentioned again); and one daughter, Audra (Linda Evans), who is by turns spoiled and vulnerable, and solitary.

In the first episode, a mysterious young man named Heath (Lee Majors) arrives at the ranch, claiming to be Tom Barkley's illegitimate son -- which sends Nick into a rage that nearly has him killing the visitor, until he joins the Barkley brothers in defending their neighbors from the railroad. The Barkley ranch may not have been as big as the Ponderosa on Bonanza, but it was just as attractive to would-be interlopers and troublemakers, and across four seasons the series managed to put some fresh twists on a lot of Western conventions, mostly by virtue of what Stanwyck's presence allowed in the way of scripting. With more acting and filmmaking experience than the rest of the cast combined, she could put her own stamp and fresh, interesting interpretations on stories as old as the "Vanishing Lady" ("The Disappearance") -- the same story that inspired Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes -- and even prison stories ("Four Days to Furnace Creek") in later seasons. The other prime actor in the series was, oddly enough, Lee Majors, who, at the outset of his career, understood the notion of less being more. His approach to the role of Heath in the first seaon is reminiscent of Steve McQueen with a touch of James Dean and Dennis Hopper. Whereas Richard Long did his best with a role that was usually fairly dullish, Breck tended to overact in his role, which, when it wasn't very physical, tended to get difficult speeches that required more subtlety than he had as an actor. As for Linda Evans, she was so untrained as an actress that she was actually occasionally interesting to watch in her scattershot approach to the role, which, as a solitary romantic dreamer, lent itself to a certain amorphous quality. To the audience's relief, she also got better during the later seasons of the show and was a fully competent actress by the series' end.

The first season of the series was devoted principally to establishing who the Barkleys were, the dimensions of their 30,000-acre ranch (which, in addition to cattle, included a mine, timber, a vineyard, orange groves, and -- in keeping with the sensibilities of the mid-'60s -- included at least one black ranch hand), and establishing the characters' individual personalities. Stanwyck evidently believed that scarcity created demand, and in many of the episodes, her work was confined to no more than two or three major scenes, enough to keep audiences satisfied while not overexposing her on the small screen. By the end of the season, youngest son Eugene was gone from memory and Jarrod, Nick, Heath, and Audra were the focus of the series, along with Victoria. The series was the creation of renowned author A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman, and produced by Arthur Gardner, Arnold Laven, and Jules Levy. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a three-part story, Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) manages to lure a gang of Mexican bandits into a trap at a US Army post, as part of his undercover mission on behalf of President Grant. Unfortunately, Jason is unable to convince the post's commanding officer Major Whitcomb (Wendell Corey), that he himself is not a bandit. Savoring the opportunity of executing "the coward of Bitter Creek", Whitcomb turns down McCord's demand to contact the President's office in Washington--and as time runs short, Jason must place his life is in the hands of the condemned Mexicans, the only ones in the fort who know the whole story. Unlike the rest of Branded's first-season episodes, "The Mission" was filmed in color (though whether or not it was originally broadcast in color is still a matter of dispute). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is in Reno, helping Pete Warren (Peter Breck) finalize his divorce from his wife Myrna. When an incriminating photo reveals that Myrna (Myrna Fahey) is mixed up in a counterfeit gambling-chip scam at a local gambling casino, Pete tells a pack of lies to the authorities to save his soon-to-be "ex" from prosectuion. Before long, Pete is facing a far more serious charge than counterfeiting: Myrna has been murdered, and all the evidence points to him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Recovering alcoholic William Sherwood (Peter Breck) falls off the wagon when he sees his wife Ruth (Janet Dey)--who was supposed to have died five years ago! Later, Sherwood finds Ruth's body--again--and calls Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) for help. He'll need all the help he can get: with his bloody fingerprints all over the murder scene, Sherwood is charged with his wife's murder (and she's dead for keeps this time). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A small town in the Midwest goes in big for the folk music craze that followed in the wake of the twist. The thin plot has some romantic interplay between two amorous couple, but mainly the film serves as a showcase for some non-offensive music from the collection of stars. Johnny Cash, Sheb Wooley, The Brothers Four and George Hamilton IV are some of the musical acts featured. Wooley, famous for his novelty tune "Purple People Eater", co-wrote the title song with musical supervisor Fred Karger. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The hand of an exploded astronaut takes on a life of its own in this unintentionally funny horror film that begins when the hand is discovered near the crash site by a naive young med student who takes it home as a grisly souvenir. He has no idea that the hand has been possessed by a strange, murderous alien who gradually begins to take over the hapless med student. Suddenly people all around town are found mysteriously strangled to death and now only a very hungry cat can save the rest of them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This sentimental children's film is based on the true adventures of author Albert Payson Terhune's collie dog, as immortalized in Terhune's early 1920's novel. The story about the dog Lad's saving graces is very much directed toward the youngest moppets whose love of animals has yet to be jaded by ruined carpets, chewed-up books, or all-night barking. Lad comes to the rescue again and again, implying in more than one instance that dogs can be smarter than at least a few people. The canine saves his little mistress Angela (a nine-year-old Angela Cartwright just before her role in TV's Lost in Space) from a poisonous snake bite and is mistakenly ill-treated as a consequence, his actions help cure her need for a wheelchair, and furthermore, the dog prevents a local troublemaker from torching the family's barn. A younger Carroll O'Connor of redneck Archie Bunker TV fame, plays a crotchety neighbor. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Entering into a poker game with a fellow named Jonesy (George Neise), Maverick ends up winning big--and as a result becomes the new owner of a frontier newspaper. But his victory turns hollow when Bart discovers that the paper is being sued for libel by a powerful senator (Lloyd Corrigan). Peter Breck makes a return appearance in the role of worldly gunslinger Doc Holliday. Some sources list this episode as having originally aired on March 11, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide