George "Buck" Flower Movies
Carolina-based actor/writer/producer George "Buck" Flower started out in "regionals"--non-Hollywood productions aimed at Southern neighborhood moviehouses and drive-ins. Flower also showed up in "four-wallers" for the family-matinee trade: he was seen as Boomer in all three Wilderness Family flicks of the late 1970s-early 1980s. Additional appearances include the Cook in John Carpenter's Starman (1984), the title character's father in Alan Parker's Birdy (1984), and "Nuke" LaLoosh's dad in Ron Shelton's Bull Durham (1988). The bulk of George "Buck" Flowers' work can be found in such low-budget esoterica as Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama (1987). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideBigfoot has managed to elude capture for nearly 25 years. One small town has made a cottage industry out of Bigfoot sightings and ancillary merchandising. All this may come to an end very soon, however. A local fat-cat businessman hopes to trap Bigfoot once and for all, so that he can get all the publicity gravy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Nice to see veteran hardcase character actor Charles Napier in a leading role, even if it's in something as eminently forgettable as Big Bob Johnson and His Fantastic Speed Circus. The eponymous Big Bob (Napier) is head man of a spit-and-vinegar auto racing team. Bob's aggregation makes a brief pit stop to save a deserving young man from being swindled by his devious uncle (William Daniels). The upshot of all this is a cross-country race between two souped-up Rolls Royce. Aimed squarely at the Smokey and the Bandit crowd, the made-for-TV Big Bob Johnson debuted June 27, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Napier
A progressive scientist builds a machine that allows him time travel in this adaptation of the classic from H.G. Wells. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
In this martial arts thriller, a bounty hunter must find and stop an urban slasher from killing any more women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Viharo, Sherry Jackson, (more)

- 1977
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The redundantly-titled Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family, Part 2, is the 1977 follow-up to the successful 1974 independently distributed film (aka a "four-waller") Adventures of the Wilderness Family. The titular family, appropriately named Robinson, is once more headed by Robert Logan. The film contains the usual quota of brushes with danger and shots of cute woodland creatures, with the added complication of a bout of pneumonia suffered by Mrs. Robinson (Susan D. Shaw). Barry Williams, of Brady Bunch fame, sings the tunes heard on the soundtrack. Marketed on a theater-to-theater basis in the same manner as its predecessor, Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family scored a hit--resulting in yet another sequel, Mountain Family Robinson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Logan, Susan Shaw, (more)
Set in 1876, this family-oriented wilderness adventure centers on a pair of adorable orphans who will stop at nothing to successfully navigate the rugged Rockies and trek to Salem, Oregon where they are to inherit a 400-acre ranch. The two are assisted on their dangerous but scenic journey by a shifty but good-hearted gambler. Along the way, the travelers see cuddly bears, beautiful horses and frolicsome deer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This by-the-numbers action-revenge drama that plays like several other similarly-plotted, good ol' boy pulp flicks of its era, such as Billy Jack (1971) and Walking Tall (1973). Timothy Bottoms stars as Poke Jackson, a convict who's just been released from prison after a stint for drug trafficking. The catch is that Poke was innocent, having been framed for the crime by a corrupt lawman, Sheriff Duke (Bo Hopkins). Poke makes his way home to his beautiful girlfriend Mary Lee (Susan George) and their illegitimate son, only to find that Duke has moved into his place as Mary's lover. Incensed, Poke sets out on a course of vengeance that will pit him against the tough cop and culminate in a lethal car chase. With supporting characters named "Bull," "Cleotus," and "Buford," the redneck pedigree of A Small Town in Texas (1976) is distinct. The film was penned by screenwriter William W. Norton, who wrote several better examples of this high-octane, macho genre, including White Lightning (1973) and Gator (1976). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Bottoms, Susan George, (more)
- 1976
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The Adventures of the Wilderness Family was among the first-and the most successful-of the family-oriented films of the 1970s. Robert F. Logan plays a city-dwelling construction worker who decides to kick over the traces and head to the mountains. His family-wife Susan Damante Shaw, children Holleye Holmes and Ham Larsen-are at first resistant, but soon they learn to love the Great Outdoors as much as Logan. The film's highlights include an up-close-and-personal confrontation with a hungry bear. Successfully released on a city-by-city, limited-run basis all over the US, The Adventures of the Wilderness Family was popular enough to spawn two sequels...not to mention innumerable ripoffs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

- 1976
- R
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Two interesting figures in offbeat cinema -- director Matt Cimber (who was married to Jayne Mansfield and directed her final film before going on to a handful of expressive blaxploitation efforts) and screenwriter Robert Thom (who wrote Wild in the Streets and Bloody Mama) -- teamed up for this unusual portrait of one woman's descent into madness. Molly (Millie Perkins) is a woman who is haunted by vivid memories of abuse and molestation at the hands of her father, who was a ship's captain; now middle-aged, Molly is obsessed by the ocean and images associated with pirates and sailing lore, which fill her with both fascination and loathing. Molly dotes on her young nephews (Jean Pierre Camps and Mark Livingston) and often spins tall tales for them in which her father is a noble hero, but her sister, Cathy (Vanessa Brown), is not comfortable with her presence, and soon the boys are old enough to spend their time elsewhere. Single and lonely, Molly longs for a man, and is openly attracted to strong, burly types, but at the same time she bears a deep hatred for them, and sometimes murders and dismembers the men she lures into her home. However, given Molly's penchant for fantasy, how much of her story is real, and how much is the product of her twisted imagination? Shot in 1971 but not released until 1976, The Witch Who Came From the Sea was one of the first feature films for cinematographer Dean Cundey, who later went on to work with Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, (more)
In this drama, a fine upstanding LA businessman, and caring family man, reveals a much darker side when the sun goes down and the lights go out. Eventually his secret is discovered: the fellow is a prominent Sunset Strip pimp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Basically the final act of Peter Bogdanovich's Targets stretched to feature length (and without any redeeming subtext), this weak slasher thriller involves a psycho who stalks unsuspecting moviegoers with a variety of sharp implements, particularly a massive sword, during a drive-in screening of a cheesy western. This naturally leads to various scenes of necking patrons being shish-kebabbed with the weapon of choice. Although this might have been an amusing novelty when actually shown at a drive-in, it's just a dreary mess on home video, making the otherwise terse 80-minute running time seem like three hours. One trivial point of interest is the behind-the-camera participation of familiar "B"-movie character actor Buck Flower, who collaborated on the screenplay. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jake Barnes, Adam Lawrence, (more)
In this modern-day western adventure, a jailed crook busts out after killing a deputy and with his two murderous brothers takes off down the road. The crooks then commandeer a church bus and perform other nasty deeds while trying to keep ahead of the law. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Sexploitation vet John Tull stars as Sammy Beal, a less-than-scrupulous boxing manager whose current protégé is virginal country boy Johnny (Steven Hodge). Half-pint Sammy is a walking textbook example of Napoleon complex: when he's not screaming his sweaty head off at Johnny or punch-drunk assistant Benny Bravo (George "Buck" Flower"), he's mauling and berating any woman that comes within grabbing distance (including sexploitation mainstays Rene Bond and Uschi Digart, whose poolside romp with Tull should please her fans). Naturally, he dissolves into a whimpering man-baby immediately after sex. Johnny's rough-hewn skill at the sweet science catches the eye of cigar-chomping mobster Louie Gardino Frank Finklehoffer, who dispatches comely B-girl Lisa (Mirka) to distract him from his training. The naïve puglist naturally falls for her voluptuous charms, but trouble rears its head when he catches her in a bedroom tussle with Sammy. Things rapidly come to an ugly end for all involved. ~ Paul Gaita, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Tull, Steven Hodge, (more)












