L.Q. Jones Movies
What do actors Gig Young, Anne Shirley, and L.Q. Jones have in common? All of them lifted their show-biz names from characters they'd portrayed on screen. In 1955, University of Texas alumnus Justice McQueen made his film debut in Battle Cry, playing a laconic lieutenant named L.Q. Jones. McQueen liked his character so much that he remained L.Q. Jones offscreen ever after (though he never made it legal, still listing himself as Justice Ellis McQueen in the 1995 edition of Who's Who). A natural for westerns both vocally and physically, Jones played supporting roles in several big-screen oaters, and was seen on TV as Smitty on Cheyenne (1955-58) and as Belden on The Virginian (1964-67). Jones gained a measure of prominence in the films of Sam Peckinpah, notably Ride the High Country (1961) and The Wild Bunch (1969). Turning to the production side of the business in the early 1970s, L. Q. Jones produced and co-starred in the 1971 film Brotherhood of Satan; he also co-produced, directed, adapted and played a cameo (as a porn-movie actor!) in the fascinating 1975 cinemazation of Harlan Ellison's A Boy and His Dog, a tour de force that won Jones a Hugo Award from America's science fiction writers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1974
Though it barely received big-city release (it lay on the shelf for nearly two years before it received any sort of release), The Petty Story did quite well on a regional basis. As indicated by the title, this is the story of the Petty family of stock-car racing fame. Richard Petty, who won over 200 races before his 1993 retirement, stars as himself, while Darren McGavin provides acting relief as Petty's father Lee. The film pulls no punches in charting the turbulent relationship between father and son. For those not interested in domestic melodrama, the film is chock-full of great racing scenes. Also appearing in The Petty Story are Kathie Browne (Mrs. Darren McGavin),Noah Beery Jr. (who went through most of the same paces in Big Fauss and Little Halsey), Lynne Marta and L.Q. Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Petty, Darren McGavin, (more)
Based on the novella by Harlan Ellison, A Boy and His Dog is set in a post-apocalyptic future where canned goods are used as currency and where entertainment often consists of old porn reels. Vic (Don Johnson) is a violent, illiterate scavenger, principally interested in getting laid. He communicates telepathically with his deceptively cute-looking dog Blood (voiced by Tim McIntire); Vic finds food for Blood, while Blood sniffs out girls for Vic. One of these girls is the sexy Quilla June (Susanne Benton), who, unbeknownst to Vic is a spy for an underground society, headed by a Mr. Craddock (Jason Robards Jr.). This subterranean civilization needs a human "sperm bank" to stay alive, and the oversexed Vic fills the bill. Produced by character actor Alvy Moore (Mr. Kimball of TV's Green Acres), A Boy and His Dog was written and directed by another veteran actor, L.Q. Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Susanne Benton, (more)
Acclaimed filmmaker Robert Altman (Short Cuts, Nashville) brings National Public Radio stalwart Garrison Keillor's long-running radio program to vivid life on the big screen in a intricately woven backstage fable centering on the final performance of a fictionalized version of his variety show. As if the result of some strange mass-media fluke, the popular radio program A Prairie Home Companion somehow managed to survive the television age to entertain its audience every Saturday night from the stage of the historic Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN. Week after week, hangdog host Garrison Keillor serves as unflappable emcee to an amiable hodgepodge of radio-friendly acts that include the likes of popular country duo Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin) and singing cowboys the Old Trailhands (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly). This is one show where the under-the-line antics are nearly as entertaining as the program itself, though, and in between the efforts of down-on-his-luck private dick and backstage doorkeeper Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) to discover the true identity of a mysterious blonde (Virginia Madsen) and aspiring teen singer Lola (Lindsay Lohan) to find her true voice before a live audience, there's still plenty of fun and mystery to be had at the old Fitzgerald before the final curtain falls on A Prairie Home Companion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, (more)
- 1955
The faces are new and the settings up-to-date, but otherwise An Annapolis Story is the tried-and-true "two guys and one girl" formula. Filmed on location at the titular Maryland naval academy, the story centers upon two sibling cadets, Tony (John Derek) and Jim (Kevin McCarthy). The boys battle over the affections of Peggy (Diana Lynn), a triangle that seriously strains their fraternal relationship and compromises their effectiveness as officers-to-be and gentlemen. In the tradition of 1927's Wings, the conflict is resolved when one brother sacrifices his life for the other while serving in Korea. Among the other cadets in An Annapolis Story are Alvy Moore and L. Q. Jones, who twenty years later would team up to produce the cult-fave science fiction film A Boy and His Dog. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Diana Lynn, (more)
- 1964
This western presents a more sympathetic view of Native Americans than is usually found in the genre as it tells the tale of the army commander of an Arizona outpost who despises all Indians until he falls in love with a beautiful missionary girl. He must change his ways because one of her parents is an Apache. Unfortunately, his attempts to reform are nearly foiled by greedy gold-seekers trying to start a war with the local Apaches. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Michael Dante, (more)
- 1975
Attack on Terror: The FBI Versus the Ku Klux Klan is a fact-based, two-part TV movie. The film is a dramatization of the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. The FBI, personified herein by southern operative Wayne Rogers, is brought in to investigate the trio's disappearance. Upon the discovery of the bodies on August 2, 1964, the feds follow a trail of (admittedly skimpy) evidence which leads to the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, headed by the virulent Glen Tuttle (Rip Torn). The first part of Attack on Terror was originally telecast February 20, 1975. The film was based on the book by Don Whitehead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ned Beatty, John Beck, (more)
- 1969
The fans of television shows The Virginian and Laredo will delight to the combined casts of the two popular series for Backtrack. Ramrod (James Drury) and Trampas (Doug McClure) are shown meeting for the first time as they go to work on the Shilo Ranch. Reese (Neville Brand) Chad (Peter Brown) and Riley (William Smith) are the Texas Rangers who meet Trampas when he travels to Mexico. Ramrod sends Trampas South of the border to pick up a prized bull. Trampas and the Rangers come across a railroad train where the only survivor of a brutal robbery is a baby. Captain Estrada (Fernando Lamas) and his spitfire mistress Madame Dolores (Ida Lupino) are the villains who give the good guys a bad time. Royal Dano, William Smith and Rhonda Fleming also appear. Chad tries to talk the evil Estrada into letting Trampas and the captured Rangers out of jail, promising further help for the scheming Mexican in this action-packed routine western saga. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neville Brand, Doug McClure, (more)
Also known as Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free, this TV pilot film stars Don Meredith in the title role. Banjo Hackett is a western horsetrader, circa 1885, who travels in the company of his orphaned nephew (Ike Eisenmann). While searching for a rare Arabian mare stolen from the nephew's late mother, Hackett occasionally pays a visit to Mollie (Jennifer Warren), a ranch owner whom Banjo would marry if he'd only admit he loved the woman. Millionaire Dan O'Herlihy and untrustworthy bounty hunter Chuck Connors are also after the stolen horse. The film's storyline is as rambling as Banjo Hackett himself, which was both its charm and curse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Meredith, Ike Eisenmann, (more)
Adapted by Leon Uris from his own novel, the film follows a group of World War II marines, from Basic Training to Battlefield. Major Van Heflin knows that his men are spoiling for a real fight, but must make do with the desultory skirmishes assigned them by the Brass. All this changes with an onslaught of heavy-duty battling in the South Pacific. Aldo Ray plays a tough leatherneck who falls in love with demure Nancy Olson, while James Whitmore, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone and Raymond Massey costar. And watch for young Justus McQueen, cast as private L.Q. Jones; McQueen liked his character name so much that he adopted it as his professional cognomen. Composer Max Steiner's musical score earned him an Oscar nomination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1959
Although the actual battle of the Coral Sea does not begin this standard wartime drama, there is plenty of action and suspense as the preparation stage of the battle is carried out. A submarine captained by Jeff Conway (Cliff Robertson) successfully scouts the location of enemy installations, ships, and subs and then starts to head back to friendly waters. Before chugging very far in that direction, the submarine is spotted and captured by the Japanese. The crew members are taken prisoner by an even-handed Commander Mori (Teru Shimada) and held on the Japanese forces' island base. While chaffing under a ticking clock as the day of the final confrontation draws near, an island woman is secretly enlisted to help smuggle out three of the prisoners. If they can make it off the island to their own base, then the all-important information on the Japanese positions will tip the scales in favor of the U.S. Navy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cliff Robertson, Gia Scala, (more)
- 1996
Oscar-winning character actor Ben Johnson was never as well known as other stars, and yet for many industry insiders, he was the epitome of cowboy actors. Of Cherokee and Irish heritage, Johnson was born in Oklahoma and became a cowboy at age eleven. He grew up to become the only movie cowboy to win both an Oscar and a rodeo championship. This documentary tells the fascinating, colorful story of his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Robert Wagner stars as insensitive Southern landowner who gets a much-overdue dose of humility and democracy when he's drafted into the army. Unable to curb his arrogance, Wagner runs afoul of a sadistic military officer (Broderick Crawford), who makes it his mission in life to break the recalcitrant recruit. After rescuing a fellow soldier (Buddy Ebsen), Wagner discovers he has the inner strength to change his outlook on life, and to stand up to the vicious Crawford. Based on a novel by Francis I. Gwaltney, Between Heaven and Hell features uncredited appearances by Frank Gorshin, Scatman Crothers, and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Wagner, Terry Moore, (more)
- 1965
Disgraced Army officer Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) crosses the path of another outcast in the form of saloon girl-turned-dressmaker Elsie Brown (Jeanne Cooper). Inasmuch as Elsie once saved her life, Jason comes to the town of McKinley to return the favor. His visit coincides with that of a low-life named Charlie Vance (Brad Weston), who has made it his mission in life to ruin Elsie's reputation by dredging up memories of her unsavory past. Not long afterward, Vance is found shot in the back--and Jason is accused of murder. Featured in the cast is future Family Affair costar Kathy Garver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Buchanan (Randolph Scott) rides alone through Texas, en route to his future home of Mexico. He is sidetracked during a stopover in a lawless border town, where Mexican youth Juan (Manuel Rojas) sits in jail, awaiting trial for the killing of the local bully. It seems that the dead man had several influential relatives who intend to string up poor Juan before justice can be served. Championing the boy's cause, Buchanan methodically sets out to undermine the villains by playing one against the other. As was customary in the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher films of the 1950s, Buchanan Ride Alone offers unrelenting tension and innumerable plot twists until its explosive finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Craig Stevens, (more)
Frank McBain (Gary Busey) is a cop who earned the nickname of "bulletproof" from the dozens of shootings he has survived over his career. He is called on to retrieve a tank held by communists across the border of Mexico. The enemies are cardboard caricatures of Arabs, Russians, and Mexicans led by the evil Colonel Kartiff (Henry Silva). Darlanne Fluegel co-stars with Juan Fernandez and Rene Enriquez in this forgettable feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Darlanne Fluegel, (more)
The inner-workings of a corrupt Las Vegas casino are exposed in Martin Scorsese's story of crime and punishment. The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to Ace; and Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone, in a role she was born to play), a leggy ex-prostitute with a fondness for jewelry and a penchant for playing the field. Ace plays by the rules (albeit Vegas rules, which, as he reminds the audience in voiceover, would make him a criminal in any other state), while Nicky and Ginger lie, cheat, and steal their respective ways to the top. The film's first hour and a half details their rise to power, while the second half follows their downfall as the FBI, corrupt government officials, and angry mob bosses pick apart their Camelot piece by piece. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, (more)
- 1976
The Angels go undercover at an Army boot camp, with Jill (Farrah Fawcett-Majors) and Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) posing as "grunts," and Sabrina (Kate Jackson) impersonating a nurse. Their mission: To find out who shot a WAC on the firing range, and why. Before their tour of duty is over, the Angels have uncovered a vicious drug-profiteering scheme -- and have placed their own lives on the firing line. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Kate Jackson, (more)
The Oklahoma land rush of 1889 provides the starting point for this western drama, based on a novel by Edna Ferber. Yancey Cravat (Glenn Ford) is an impulsive, short-fused cowboy who has married an immigrant woman, Sabra (Maria Schell). Together, Yancey and Sabra claim a homestead, and Yancey starts a newspaper. While he doesn't have much of a head for business, Sabra does, and when she takes greater control of the paper, it grows into a profitable and influential journal. Eventually, Yancey becomes a well-recognized figure, and it's suggested that he run for public office. However, Yancey finds himself unable to support legislation that would steal more land and mineral rights away from the Native Americans who first settled the land. Cimarron was previously filmed in 1931; this version reduced the role of stereotyped black characters and has Native American actors playing the "Indians," including Eddie and Dawn Little Sky. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, (more)
- 1978
The Conspirators was one of four Columbo feature-length TV specials irregularly scheduled during the 1977-1978 TV season. The titular conspirators are Irish political terrorists, funded by Americans. Clive Revill is an Irish poet who murders an arms dealer (Bernard Behrens) while the poet is gunrunning to his compatriots in Ireland. The murderer is certain that he's thoroughly covered her tracks--until Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) shambles onto the scene. Columbo: The Conspirators was filmed at a time when Peter Falk was insisting that he would hang up the lieutenant's raincoat for good; no way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
The first half of this Walt Disney Presents episode, "Rapids Ahead," is ostensibly a salute to John Wesley Powell, the first man to explore the Colorado River. The presence of such actors as Brian Keith and John Beal tips us off that this segment is actually a promo for the upcoming Disney theatrical feature Ten Who Dared, concentrating on the special photographic techniques required to complete the picture. The remainder of the episode is a full-length presentation of the Oscar-winning "True Life Adventure" short subject Bear Country (1953), filmed on location in Yellowstone National Park. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, John Beal, (more)
- 1979
- PG
In this exciting road comedy, a WW I veteran attempts to fulfill his dream of being the first to win a transnational motorcycle rally. To assist him, he hires former war buddies. These fellows have a quiet grudge against him because they believe he deserted them during a crucial battle. Still the race begins and en-route, the kindly (and not as cowardly as he seems) racer picks up a beautiful young woman and her son. Romance and adventure ensues as the finish line draws near. The film is also titled Fast Charlie and the Moonbeam. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Brenda Vaccaro, (more)
- 1972
Outtakes and stock footage from the 1970 Oscar-winner Patton were utilized to flesh out the made-for-TV Fireball Forward, which was the brainchild of Patton producer Frank McCarthy. Ben Gazzara plays a fictional American general obviously patterned on "Old Blood And Guts". Gazzara suspects that there's a Nazi sympathizer in his ranks, and dedicates himself to ferreting out the traitor. One thing Fireball Forward has that Patton didn't is a romantic interest; Anne Francis plays the girl Worth Fighting For. Scripted by Edmund H. North (another Patton) alumnus, Fireball Forward, which first aired March 5, 1972, was the 2-hour pilot for an unsold television series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Ricardo Montalban, (more)
Tensely directed by Don Siegel, Flaming Star is the grittiest of Elvis Presley's post-Army films. Elvis plays Pacer Burton, a half-breed youth in the old West, torn between loyalty to the whites, as represented by his father (John McIntyre), and the Indians, represented by his mother (Dolores Del Rio). A series of brutal Kiowa raids, and the subsequent reprisals by the white settlers, sorely test Pacer's fortitude. Though offered moral support from his loved ones, Pacer is forced to work things out himself. The film was based on a novel by Clair Huffaker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Steve Forrest, (more)
- 1990
Outlaws are no match for the famed frontiersman and his pet bear Martha in this Western adventure. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Ex-lawman turned rancher Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is moving a small herd of cattle when a group of nine men on horseback, led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley Sr.), ride up and accuse him of having stolen the cattle and killed their owner. Refusing to believe his account, they string him up by the neck and leave him for dead, but they don't do the job right. Cooper is dangling there, barely alive, a few minutes later when Deputy U.S. Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson) spots him and cuts him down. He survives the next few days in Bliss' tumbleweed wagon with the other prisoners, and is later cleared of any wrongdoing and released by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), just in time to witness the hanging of the man who really murdered the owner of the cattle and took Cooper's money. Cooper still wants revenge on the nine men who tried to hang him, but Fenton insists that he leave the bringing of them to justice to his deputy marshals. As it happens, Fenton is in desperate need of deputy marshals for the territory that he oversees, and he also knows that Cooper was a good lawman. Cooper, in turn, is now broke and in need of a job, and does want to see justice done. They strike an uneasy bargain, Cooper agreeing to wear a badge and bring in the men he's looking for -- alive -- for trial. The latter proves easier said than done, however, when the first of them that he spots tries to draw on him when he makes the arrest. One of the hanging party, Jenkins (Bob Steele), soon turns himself in and provides the names of the others. Cooper takes Stone (Alan Hale Jr.) alive, but the hapless blacksmith is later shot by the local sheriff (Charles McGraw) while trying to escape. The other men, led by Wilson, have no intention of dying, or even being brought to trial, without a fight. Two of them go on the run out of the territory, while Wilson and two of the others decide to take the law into their own hands once again. Meanwhile, Cooper becomes a hero when he single-handedly brings back a trio of rustlers who are also guilty of murder. This leads to Cooper's first confrontation with Judge Fenton, who, in a gripping scene, explains why it is essential that he be as seemingly quick to hang a man as he is. Unless the people are convinced that the law will do its job -- including hanging men who deserve it -- they will keep taking the law into their own hands and there will be more lynch mobs like the one that tried to kill Cooper. In the course of his quest for justice, Cooper also makes the acquaintance of Rachel (Inger Stevens), a young woman with her own search for justice, haunted by her own ghosts, and the two of them are drawn together, no more so than when Wilson and two of the others try to gun Cooper down in cold blood. The final confrontation between Cooper and Wilson escalates in violence to its savage, irony-laced conclusion. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, (more)
