John Ireland Movies
Born in Canada, he was brought up in New York City. For a while he was a professional swimmer in a water carnival. He became a stage actor, appearing in many productions in stock and on Broadway; he often appeared in Shakespeare. In the mid '40s he began working in films, at first in lead roles that tended to be introspective; as time went by, he was cast in secondary roles, often as a pessimistic bad guy. For his work in All the King's Men (1949) he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. In the '60s his career began to dry up, and he appeared in many low-budget Italian films; however, he stayed busy as a screen actor into the '80s, often appearing in action or horror films. He co-directed and co-produced the film Outlaw Territory (1953). From 1949-56 he was married to actress Joanne Dru. ~ All Movie Guide- 1991
While travelling through Amish country in hopes of purchasing a quilt, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is stuck there after a traffic mishap. Not surprisingly, murder soon rears its ugly head, the victim on this occasion being a taciturn Amish farmer. The suspects include the farmer's wife, the farmer's mistress, and a citified newcomer to the community. Jay Robinson, who skyrocketed to fame in the early 1950s with his portrayal of the mad Emperor Caligula in The Robe, is here seen in the less flashy role of Bishop Burkhart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
The death of a child exposes a mystery as a lonely doctor investigates the death in this drama. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ireland, Adrian Paul, (more)
- 1990
In this episode of the series, Cromwell proves that the owner of a California winery did not murder his brother who also owned the company and with whom he was always feuding. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Raymond Burr, as ever, stars in this TV-movie continuation of the Perry Mason saga. Once more pulled out of semi-retirement, Perry takes on the case of a wealthy man (David Hasselhoff) accused of murdering his heiress wife. Of course, this has nothing to do with the Klaus von Bulow affair. As was customary in these latter-day Mason episodes, the bulk of the detective work is in the hands of Paul Drake Jr., played by William Katt--the real-life son of Mason's "Della Street," Barbara Hale. Lady in the Lake was one of two Perry Mason two-hour specials produced by Fred Silverman and Dean Hargrove in 1988; the other was subtitled The Case of the Avenging Ace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Bonanza: The Movie originally went out as Bonanza: The Next Generation. That title accurately reflected the film's content: death and previous commitments prevented the cast of the original Bonanza TV series of 1959-1973, thus the talent roster of The Next Generation was brand-new. John Ireland took over from Lorne Greene (who signed for this movie, but died before production commenced) as the brother of Greene's character Ben Cartwright. Home from the sea, Aaron Cartwright (Ireland) stupidly turns the drilling rights to the Ponderosa over to those perennial 1980s movie villains, the "evil land developers". It's up to the sons of Adam, Little Joe and Hoss Cartwright to save the ranch (One wonders how the Cartwright boys could have had sons, given the mortality rate of their sweethearts on the old series). Michael Landon Jr., son of the original series' Little Joe, is here cast as Benj. This 1988 Bonanza TV movie sequel was supposed to have been spun off into a weekly syndicated series, but for various reasons this project never came to fruition, despite station clearance and sponsorship in virtually every major market. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The final directorial effort from the late filmmaker Andre De Toth, Terror Night is a schlocky horror flick featuring such B-list performers as Alan Hale Jr. of Gilligan's Island and Dan Haggerty of Grizzly Adams. Set in a creepy mansion, the film follows a cast of characters as each one enters the house and meets a different gruesome fate. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In this film, the friends and families of a small boy begin to disappear after he is witness to a strange event. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The bacteria experiments of an American scientist are stolen by criminals who are intent on exploiting the discoveries for their own good. The Italian film has been dubbed into English. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Greed was originally released as Treasure of the Amazon, the literal translation of its Spanish-language title. Ostensibly based on a true story, the film stars Stuart Whitman as Gringo, an aging but still virile soldier of fortune. Right now, Gringo is foraging deep into headhunter country in South America, in search of a cache of diamonds. Meanwhile, ex-Nazi Klaus (Donald Pleasance) is likewise searching for the gems, and unlike the essentially honorable Gringo, Klaus is willing to leave a few corpses in his path in pursuit of his goal. The international supporting cast includes Emilio Fernandez, Bradford Dillman, John Ireland, and Pedro Armendariz Jr. all of whom seem to have been recently graduated from the Take-The-Money-And-Run School of Dramatic Art. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
An action adventure about a group of fortune hunters who search for gold and jewels in the jungles of South America. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Emilio Fernández, (more)
- 1984
The titular rebel is Cuban political insurgent Che Guevara, whose life previously given less than stellar treatment in 1969's Che. This time, the "diary" serves as an expository gimmick, tracing Che's life, his involvement with the Castro rebellion, and death in Bolivia with an even mixture of fact and fiction. The cast is largely unkown, save for leading Spanish actor Francisco Rabal and Hollywood expatriate John Ireland. Curiously, neither actor felt the need to include this film in their official resumes, suggesting perhaps a "take the money and run" attitude. Diary of a Rebel is ultimately defeated by low budget, but its intentions are honorable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Magnum (Tom Selleck) is hired by wealthy Christine DeBolt (Kathryn Leigh Scott) to act out the "movie detective" fantasies of her surfeited sister Louise (Judith Chapman). At first, Magnum enjoys making like Bogart in a fabricated film-noir world, but the fun is nullified by the ever-looming shadow of Louise's extremely influential--and insanely jealous--husband Wyndom Jackson (John Ireland). And it becomes abundantly clear that the "game" is over when one of the players is beaten up and poisoned for real! Episode director Ray Austin appears in the role of Philippe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
The authorities are placed on high alert when Lane Garrison (Blake Marison), advance man for a notorious assassin, is accidentally killed in an explosion a few days before a major political convention in Los Angeles. Among those monitoring the situation is medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman), who is dating reporter Kate Miles (Devon Ericson). It seems obvious to Kate that one of governmental officials scheduled to appear at the convention is slated for extermination--and the more Quincy listens to her theories, the more he begins to wonder just how much Kate really knows about what will happen next. Originally scheduled to air on March 4, 1981, this episode was filmed at LA's Ambassador Hotel, where Robert F. Kennedy was killed in 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In this Gold Rush adventure, two men race their sleds and dogs across the frozen North in hopes of being the first to reach a parcel of land filled with gold. The tale is based on a Jack London story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV adventure is an account of a sled dog's 2,000-mile trek through Alaska to find the boy he loves. Also known as Kavik and The Courage of Kavik, the Wolf Dog. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
"Names have been changed to protect the innocent" in this infamous fictionalization of the tragic mass suicide of 914 followers of Jim Jones' "People's Temple" in Guyana in the fall of 1978. Rev. James Johnson (Stuart Whitman) is a charismatic but deeply paranoid man of the cloth who moves his flock from Northern California to a settlement in Guyana, where he intends to create an interracial socialist utopia. Addicted to prescription drugs and convinced he is surrounded by enemies, Johnson rules his colony, "Johnsontown," with an iron fist, torturing anyone who violates his rule, seducing both women and men from his congregation, confiscating money and property from his followers, and forcing them to work long hours in the fields for meager rations. Lee O'Brien (Gene Barry), a California congressman who represents the district Johnson and his followers once called home, has received complaints from friends and relatives of the Johnsontown settlers, convinced something is wrong. O'Brien and a team of reporters fly to Guyana to find out the truth about what is happening; Johnson is convinced O'Brien has seen too much, and armed gunmen ambush his party before they can return to the United States (with a number of Johnsontown residents who wish to leave). After a failed attempt to arrange exile in the Soviet Union, Johnson convinced his followers to perform a "final revolutionary act" before authorities arrive. This oddball blend of fact and fiction also features Joseph Cotten and John Ireland as Johnson's lawyers, Yvonne de Carlo as Johnsontown's press officer, and Bradford Dillman as the doctor who mixes the punch for Johnson's final gathering. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Gene Barry, (more)
- 1980
The title of this made-for-TV biopic is faintly risible: is there anything about Marilyn Monroe that we don't know by now? Pleasingly enough, the story is told in a straightforward, nonexploitive manner (the affair with JFK warrants no more than a throwaway line). Emmy-nominated Catherine Hicks plays Marilyn, nee Norma Jean Baker. We follow her progress from orphanages and foster homes to her first 20th Century-Fox contract at age 20. Considered "washed up" before her career has gotten off the ground, Marilyn is rescued both professionally and emotionally by her agent/lover Johnny Hyde (Richard Basehart). She rises to full stardom and is the center of attention of two "ideal" marriages, first to baseball player Joe DiMaggio, then to Arthur Miller (neither of whom are depicted on screen). But Marilyn remains a lonely, tragic figure, a victim as much of her own demons as of Hollywood's exploitation mill. Based loosely on Norman Mailer's highly suspect biography of the actress, Marilyn: The Untold Story premiered on September 28, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
While being held in a small-town jail for a minor traffic infraction, Qiuincy (Jack Klugman barely escapes with his life when the jail catches fire--but four other prisoners aren't so lucky. Though Quincy's autopsy indicates that at least one of the four dead inmates was the victim of foul play, the local authorities insist that all the deaths were accidental. Convinced that a cover-up is in the works, Quincy sets out to prove his theory by teaming up with town doctor Carl Jessup (Duncan Gamble)--who suffers mightily for his cooperation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Adapted from a true story, a pole-vaulter (Aaron Kornylo) attempts to overcome the lack of a leg during the Olympic trials. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brent Carver, Kim Cattrall, (more)
- 1978
Among the students at the school for the blind where Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) works is Tom Carlin (Brad Wilkin), whose taciturn (and sighted) farmer father, Frank (John Ireland), has given Tom up as a total loss. Hoping to build Tom's self-confidence, Mary arranges for Tom to play with the football team at the less affluent of Winoka's two schools. Ultimately, Tom triumphs during a crucial game between his school and the "rich" one across town -- while the Ingalls' foster son, Albert (Matthew Laborteaux), briefly pulls duty as a "human football." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1978
The original TV series The Millionaire ran from 1955 through 1960. Marvin Miller starred as Michael Anthony, general factotum to "the late, fabulously wealthy" John Beresford Tipton, whose hobby was to anonymously dole out million-dollar checks to people he'd never met. The 1978 TV-movie revival of The Millionaire stars Robert Quarry as Michael Anthony and the back of someone's head as John Beresford Tipton (who'd never been seen on the older TV series). The film concentrates on three different stories of how sudden wealth effects "plain folks", played by wealthy actors (Martin Balsam, Edward Albert, the Hudson Brothers, Ralph Bellamy, Jane Wyatt etc.) Telecast during Christmas week of 1978 under the title The New Millionaire, this film was intended as the launching pad for a Millionaire series of the 1980s. Trouble was, a million bucks ain't what it used to be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
