Walter Doniger Movies

In a thought-provoking treatment of the deep-rooted turmoil of war veterans, debut director (David Nutter) has fashioned a fast-paced story about Vietnam vet Tim Murphy (Don Johnson) and his struggle to regain both self-respect and emotional equilibrium. Tim suffers from nightmares, and there is nothing his loyal wife Paula (Lisa Blount) can do to prevent them, nor can she do much to help him get a job. She is hampered even further by Tim's bad temper -- he flies off the handle at friends and family alike. One day, Tim meets a fellow Vietnam vet in the unemployment line, and the two quickly become good friends. When tragedy later strikes, Tim faces an important decision about his future on his own. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Cheryl Ladd seemed bound and determined in the early 1980s to prove that she was a "Charlie's Angel" no more; we probably would have taken her word for it even if she hadn't tried so hard and stridently. Made for television, Kentucky Woman found Ladd as a poverty-stricken waitress who becomes a coal miner, despite male opposition, damp boots and squealing rats. She does this to support her fatherless son and her miner dad (Ned Beatty), who is incapacitated by black lung disease. She does sixteen tons, and what does she get? Another bunch of lukewarm reviews and deeper in...well, that word doesn't rhyme with "get." Kentucky Woman was filmed on location in Paintsville, Kentucky. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This is Mel Brooks' spoof of over ten Alfred Hitchcock classics, including Psycho, Vertigo, and The Birds (Brooks actually used the bird trainer from that classic suspense movie in making his film). Brooks plays Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke, a renowned Harvard psychiatrist with a concealed fear of heights, or High Anxiety. Thorndyke takes over as the newest director of the PsychoNeurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous after the last director dies under suspicious circumstances. He soon finds himself to be in the company of some very strange colleagues, including longtime Brooks collaborators Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman, with Madeline Kahn as Victoria Brisbane, the eccentric daughter of a patient at the institute and Thorndyke's love interest. Korman takes on the role of Dr. Charles Montague, a psychiatrist with a closeted habit of his own. Leachman plays Charlotte Diesel, a charge nurse with a dark sneer and tendency towards domination. As Thorndyke heads to a psychiatry conference, he is faced with saving the Institute, his reputation, and his own sanity. Although the film was not well-received by critics, it picked up a 1978 Golden Globe nomination for best picture (musical or comedy) and landed Brooks a nomination for best actor. The movie has a number of cameos, from a young Barry Levinson's spot as an unstable bellboy to a small part by Hitchcock's right-hand special effects man, Albert J. Whitlock, who plays Kahn's father. ~ Rachel Koetje, Rovi

"What do we do now?" Director Michael Ritchie and executive producer/star Robert Redford satirically explore the machinations and manipulations of media-age political campaigns in this cynical political drama. Rumpled left-wing California lawyer Bill McKay (Redford), the son of a former governor (Melvyn Douglas), is enlisted by campaign maestro Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) to challenge Republican incumbent Crocker Jarmon (Don Porter) for his Senate seat. McKay agrees, but only if he can say exactly what he thinks. That approach is all well and good when McKay does not seem to have a chance, but things change when his honesty unexpectedly captivates the electorate. As McKay inches up in the polls, Lucas and company start to do what it takes to win, leaving McKay to ponder the consequences of his political seduction. Working without studio interference from a script by Jeremy Larner, a speechwriter for 1968 Presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy, Ritchie enhanced the behind-the-scenes realism of Larner's insights with a realistic, cinéma vérité approach. He orchestrated a campaign parade for "candidate" Redford that drew such a considerable unstaged audience that local politicians wanted to draft Redford for a real election. Redford's resemblance to the telegenic Kennedys, and his character's resonance with the future career of California governor Jerry Brown, only emphasized how close to the bone The Candidate was (and is). Released the fateful year of Richard Nixon's reelection, the film garnered accolades, if not substantial box office; Larner won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and thanked the "politicians of our time" for inspiration. Creating a documentary fiction about the semi-truths manufactured to market a candidate, The Candidate shrewdly exposed the effects of the media on the increasingly cynical political process, posing unanswerable questions that have become all the more pressing with every soundbite-ruled election. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

The Forgotten Man is an updated variation on the "Enoch Arden" theme. Dennis Weaver stars as Lieutenant Joe Hardy, who when captured by the Vietcong is reported killed. Upon his release, Hardy returns to his hometown, only to discover that life has gone on without him. His wife (Anne Francis) has remarried; his daughter (Pamelyn Ferdin) is living with another family under another name; and his friends and former business associates treat him as though they wish he was dead. Unusually powerful for a TV movie of its era, The Forgotten Man debuted September 14, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adapted from William Faulkner's final novel, The Reivers top-bills Steve McQueen, but the major character is feisty 11-year-old Lucius McCaslin, played by Mitch Vogel. Growing up in Mississippi in the early 1900s, Lucius finds himself (through a hectic series of circumstances) in a bordello, where he is nearly killed trying to defend the "fast lady" (Sharon Farrell) who has befriended him. He has been brought to the house of ill repute by ne'er-do-well farm hand Boon Hoggenbeck (Steve McQueen), with whom he has been tooling about the countryside in a vintage automobile, together with his very distant African-American relative Ned (Rupert Crosse). This adventure segues into the next, as the three man combine their resources to train a broken-down racehorse. Meanwhile, Vogel's grandfather (Will Geer), who owns the fancy automobile that the "reivers" hope to win back, threatens to reappear at any moment to tan Lucius's bottom. Not exactly as wholesome as a Disney film, The Reivers is nonetheless acceptable family entertainment, with Steve McQueen delivering one of his best and most laid-back performances. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Released in April of 1962 to take advantage of the new baseball season and the enthusiasm surrounding some of its better-known players, this sports-oriented children's story by Walter Doniger centers around some ill-advised bragging by a young Little Leaguer. Hutch Lawton (Brian Russell) has just told his friends that he and his Dad are good buddies with all-time baseball greats Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. This fib soon gets him in plenty of hot water as he is forced to search out his heroes at spring training in Florida and make a plea for help. Along with appearances by the Yankee's two top players are pitcher Whitey Ford and coach Ralph Houk. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The plot and title of Unwed Mother are virtually one and the same. Betty (Norma Moore), the heroine, falls for the smooth line of patter delivered by no-good heel Dona (Robert Vaughan). Pretending to be a man of wealth, Dona convinces country gal Betty to give him her paychecks, promising to pay her back as soon as his inheritance comes through. He also assures her that he'll marry her when the time is right. When Betty becomes pregnant, she learns what the audience has known all along about the prevaricating Dona. After putting her child up for adoption, Betty has second thoughts, and thus spends the final reel chasing after the foster parents who've taken charge of her baby. Unwed Mother was originally released on a double bill with the equally unsubtle Joy Ride. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Anita Bonsal (Jean Willes) is jealous of her roommate Fay Allison (Sue England), who is about to marry Anita's ex-boyfriend Dane Grover (Douglas Dick). In fact, she is so jealous that she is willing to frame Fay for the murder of Carver Clement (John Holland), a married man with whom Anita is having an affair. As Fay's defense attorney, Perry must convince the court that the evidence against his client is not only circumstantial, but planted. And in case the reader thinks that the identity of the guilty party is obvious, consider that the "crimson kiss" found on Clement's corpse may NOT have been planted by a woman! This episode is based on a short story by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hold Back the Night is one of Allied Artists' down-and-dirty World War II dramas of the 1950s and 1960s. John Payne stars as a tough commanding officer, guiding the fighting retreat of an Allied platoon in the snowy hills of Korea. Payne always carries with him an unopened bottle of whiskey, which he regards as a good-luck charm. A series of World War II flashbacks explains the riddle of the unconsumed liquor. Director Allan Dwan is careful to slide past the cornier elements of Hold Back the Night, and the result is a solid wartime saga. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Duffy of San Quentin is an Allied Artists low-budgeter based on the life of the warden who first introduced reforms in the infamous California penal institution. Appalled by conditions in San Quentin, the grey-haired Duffy inaugurates a series of improvements. He also sets up an honor system, which brings him under fire from conservative law enforcement agencies. The lumpy, episodic continuity of Duffy of San Quentin is due to the fact that the film is comprised of an hour-long TV pilot film, padded out with hastily assembled new footage. While Duffy was consigned to TV within two years of its release, the film did well enough to engender a sequel, The Steel Cage (likewise a pilot film). Ironically, Paul Kelly, who stars as Duffy in both films, served a prison sentence for manslaughter in the 1920s. The British title of Duffy of San Quentin is Men Behind Bars. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Desperate Search is a lower-echelon MGM programmer, elevated by the crisp direction of cult favorite Joseph H. Lewis. Jane Greer plays the mother of two small children who are on board an airliner which crashes. The children survive, but are stranded in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. With the help of forest ranger Keenan Wynn and bush pilot Howard Keel, Greer launches an agonizing all-points search for the missing children. Desperate Search was an entertaining and efficient means for MGM to keep its contract players busy at minimum cost. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi