Arthur Kennedy Movies
American actor Arthur Kennedy was usually cast in western or contemporary roles in his films; on stage, it was another matter. A graduate of the Carnegie-Mellon drama department, Kennedy's first professional work was with the Globe Theatre Company touring the midwest in abbreviated versions of Shakespearian plays. From here he moved into the American company of British stage star Maurice Evans, who cast Kennedy in his Broadway production of Richard III. Kennedy continued doing Shakespeare for Evans and agit-prop social dramas for the Federal Theatre, but when time came for his first film, City for Conquest (1940), he found himself in the very ordinary role of James Cagney's boxer brother. Throughout his first Warner Bros. contract, Kennedy showed promise as a young character lead, but films like Bad Men of Missouri (1941), They Died with Their Boots On (1942) and Air Force (1943) did little to tap the actor's classical training. After World War II service, Kennedy returned to Broadway, creating the role of Chris Keller in Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1947). This led to an even more prestigious Miller play, the Pulitzer Prize winning Death of a Salesman (1948), in which Kennedy played Biff. Sadly, Kennedy was not permitted to repeat these plum roles in the film versions of these plays, but the close association with Miller continued on stage; Kennedy would play John Proctor in The Crucible (1957) and the doctor brother in The Price (1965). While his film work during this era resulted in several Academy Award nominations, Kennedy never won; he was honored, however, with the New York Film Critics award for his on-target portrayal of a newly blinded war veteran battling not only his handicap but also his inbred racism in Bright Victory (1951). The biggest box office success with which Kennedy was associated was Lawrence of Arabia (1962), wherein he replaced the ailing Edmund O'Brien in the role of the Lowell Thomas character. Working continually in film and TV projects of wildly varying quality, Kennedy quit the business cold in the mid-1980s, retiring to live with family members in a small eastern town. Kennedy was so far out of the Hollywood mainstream in the years before his death that, when plans were made to restore the fading Lawrence of Arabia prints and Kennedy was needed to re-record his dialogue, the restorers were unable to locate the actor through Screen Actor's Guild channels -- and finally had to trace him through his hometown telephone directory. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Co-produced by the folks from PBS' American Playhouse series, Signs of Life (alternate title: One For Sorrow, Two For Joy) stars veteran actor Arthur Kennedy as a cranky, set-in-his-ways Maine shipbuilder. Unable to keep apace with the 1980s, Kennedy is forced to close up shop. The film probes the various effects this decision has on Kennedy's employees. Beau Bridges has a wife (Kathy Bates) and four kids to support, with a fifth on the way. Kevin J. O'Connor would like to take a salvage-diving job in another state, but must first break off his long-standing relationship with waitress Mary Louise Parker. And Vincent D'Onofrio, who'd managed to find a job for his retarded brother Michael Lewis at Kennedy's establishment, is forced to consider having Lewis institutionalized. Though screenwriter Mark Malone isn't completely successful in avoiding the Obvious, there is much to cherish in Signs of Life. The film represented Arthur Kennedy's return before the cameras after ten years' retirement; after one additional performance in the independently produced Grandpa, Kennedy died in 1990 at the age of 76. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arthur Kennedy, Kevin J. O'Connor, (more)
- 1982
The crooks have a heyday when funds for the police department are cut drastically, and the crimestoppers' numbers are reduced. ~ Rovi
- 1979
The steely-mouthed Jaws, a character previously featured in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, receives a thinly-veiled reincarnation in this picture, rechristened Golob and again played by the inimitable Richard Kiel. With the help of several companions, including a robotic dog, Golob struggles to foil the world domination plans of a megalomaniacal scientist named Graal (Ivan Rassimov). ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- 1978
In this fantasy adventure, a group of smugglers try to salvage a drug shipment that sank at sea. Unfortunately, they are hindered by a strange idol and a large school of deadly sharks. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1978
- R
In this espionage drama, set in Greece, a former CIA agent (David Janssen) is being stalked by his former employers, led by Arthur Kennedy,after he writes a book about his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Janssen, Corinne Clery, (more)
The disaster genre gets the exploitation treatment in this gruesome tale of survival at sea from director René Cardona Jr. In the wake of a violent cyclone, the remaining passengers of a downed airplane find refuge on a passing boat carrying the survivors of a shipwreck. Without a clue where in the world they are, a shortage of food and water, and the surrounding waters teeming with man-eating sharks, the tensions are soon on the rise. El Ciclon was released in the U.S. as The Cyclone. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- 1976
- R
Police Commissioner Tanzi (Marizio Merli) is sick and tired of criminals getting coddled by the Italian justice system and proceeds to do something about it. His co-workers and superior try to rein him in, but there's no stopping him; criminals are made to pay for their crimes by this one-man vigilante force. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maurizio Merli, Tomas Milian, (more)
In the wake of such Satanic-themed thrillers as Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen comes The Sentinel. When New York fashion model (Cristina Raines) splits with her fiance (Chris Sarandon) and moves into an old brownstone, she soon discovers she has more than she bargained for in the lease. As luck would have it, a mysterious blind priest (John Carradine) who lives upstairs happens to be guarding the doorway to Hell, and she has been chosen as his replacement. Incidentally, when the door is finally opened, out spills an assortment of deformed humans whom director Michael Winner hand-picked from hospital wards and circus sideshows. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chris Sarandon, Cristina Raines, (more)
- 1976
- R
Another sequel to the French film about the bored wife of a French diplomat who found excitement through erotic adventures. In this one, Emmanuelle surprises a marooned young man on her island. ~ Rovi
When state officials test out a new experimental pest-control device that uses subsonic waves to kill insects, it produces an unwelcome but interesting side-effect: the noise is enough to wake the dead -- literally -- and the corpses of the recently deceased begin to rise from their dirt-naps with ravenous appetites for warm human flesh. Since the predicted zombie jubilee starts off with more than a whimper than a bang (actually it's more of a wheeze, since these are particularly asthmatic undead), viewers are left with a rather mundane police drama as clueless detectives try to pin the mutilation murders on a group of free-wheeling hippies. Despite high production values and some audacious gore effects by Giannetto De Rossi (who would later lend his splattery talents to Lucio Fulci's Zombie and many more Italian zombie films), this Spanish/Italian co-production falters in the middle thanks to sluggish pacing and dull investigation scenes, which are devoid of suspense since the zombies' existence is already made known. Also released under the quaint title Breakfast at the Manchester Morgue, among others. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- 1974
Telecast April 17, 1974, Nakia was the pilot film for the shortlived ABC drama series of the same name. In the tradition of Billy Jack, Native American deputy sheriff Nakia Parker (Robert Fortier) tries to protect his people from the machinations of villainous whites. In this instance, Nakia stands up against an insensitive city council which plans to sell a historic mission to an evil land developer (is there any other kind on TV?) Nakia was filmed on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as was the weekly series itself, which ran from September 21 to December 28, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Alberto De Martino's imitative occult horror film, photographed by Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato), is probably the best of numerous Italian copies of The Exorcist that flooded theaters in the mid-'70s. Carla Gravina stars as Ippolita, a paralyzed young woman with serious mental problems stemming from the death of her mother. Her crisis of faith and the intervention of a well-meaning psychologist lead Ippolita to remember her past life as a witch during the Inquisition. Eventually, Ippolita becomes possessed and starts seducing local men, only to break their necks. Eventually, she sleeps with her brother, makes a local sorcerer lick vomit from her hand, and levitates out the window. It takes an exorcism performed by an aging monk (George Coulouris) and the family housekeeper (Alida Valli) to restore order. De Martino and the talented cast manage a few chilling moments despite the predictable storyline, and Gravina is quite good in the lead. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carla Gravina, Mel Ferrer, (more)
- 1973
- R
Robert Mitchum's son Christopher heads the cast of this Italian melodrama. Despite the horrific title, the film is actually a Mafia yarn. Arthur Kennedy shows up as a WASP-ish Godfather type, while Barbara Bouchet is the love interest. The presence of Hollywood names in the cast was supposed to create a market for Cauldron of Death in the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christopher Mitchum, Barbara Bouchet, (more)
- 1973
This Italian mafia melodrama stars two American-expatriate leading men, Arthur Kennedy and John Saxon. Kennedy stars as a mafia don known as Ferrante. The crimes committed in Ferrante's name are monstrous, and at least one of them is bound to boomerang disastrously. While its derivative plotline is unremarkable, Family Killer is distinguished by its number of alias. Originally released as Baciamo Lemani, the film was also shipped out as Ferrante, Mafia War and (presumably very briefly) Kiss My Hand. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
A crisis ensues when Air Force One crashes while on a flight out west, apparently killing all those aboard, including President Jeremy Haines (Tod Andrews). The United States is in the midst of a confrontation with China that could lead to a nuclear war between the two countries, and the government is now in the hands of Vice President Kermit Madigan (Buddy Ebsen), a not too intelligent or sophisticated man, who was deliberately kept out of the loop. His confidence on foreign policy issues virtually nil, Madigan seeks to carry out Haines's intended policy in confronting the Chinese but gets two completely different accounts of what that policy was to be. Secretary of State Freeman Sharkey (Raymond Massey), a career diplomat, claims that Haines was pursuing firm but peaceful containment of the problem, while National Security advisor George Oldenburg (Rip Torn) says that Haines was ready to go eyeball-to-eyeball with the Chinese and go to war if necessary -- and Oldenburg quickly picks up on how to gain Madigan's confidence. As if Madigan doesn't have enough problems, the stunned Washington community cannot help but openly doubt his competence, while his ambitious wife (Mercedes McCambridge) sees this unfolding tragedy as a way for herself and her husband to finally get some respect and settle a few scores with those who belittled the Second Couple. Even more troubling, as the search teams comb the wreckage, another mystery ensues -- they can't seem to find the president's body. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- 1971
Crawlspace is a quirky made-for-TV movie about a strange young drifter (Tom Harper) who arrives in a small New England town. He is sheltered by a generous middle-aged couple (Arthur Kennedy and Teresa Wright), but he insists upon living in a tiny crawlspace in the couple's cellar. His hosts had hoped that the boy would fill an emotional gap in their childless lives, but the young visitor refuses to leave his cramped living area, where he harbors disturbing notions of taking revenge on a world he feels has wronged him. Crawlspace was adapted from the suspense novel by Herbert Lieberman. It should not be confused with a 1986 slasher flick also titled Crawlspace, wherein Klaus Kinski hides in the homes of the beautiful girls he intends to murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
- R
Adjustment to civilian life after participating in the Vietnam War does not prove easy for an old rancher's son. The boy (Michael Moriarty) returns to his father's ranch in the Pacific Northwest and brings along two of his war-time buddies to help out. One of them is a little slow on the uptake (William Devane), the other is a former sergeant who is a little too tightly sprung (Mitchell Ryan). After some initial conflicts, they seem to get along until the sergeant goes into flashback mode, believing he is back in Vietnam. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1971
Shelly Winters and John Randolph star in Death of Innocence as distraught small-town parents who learn that their estranged daughter is on trial for murder. They journey to New York City and attend the girl's trial, where the mother learns several details of her daughter's recent life that she'd rather not know. Filmed at the height of the "generation gap" era, Death of Innocence was based on a novel by Zelda Popkin. One of the better TV movies of 1971, the film was first telecast opposite a George Plimpton "wish fulfillment" special, thereby losing out on the large audience it deserved. Casting note: Kim Stanley was to have played the principal juror, but fell ill before shooting. She was replaced by Ann Sothern--the mother of Tisha Sterling, who plays the defendant in the case! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Nostalgia is selling angle of this made-for-TV suspenser. Someone is going around breaking into movie vaults and setting precious tins of rare film ablaze. An insurance investigator and a detective investigate this seemingly pointless crime. As it turns out, the "movie murderer" is an extortionist who was inadvertently filmed while committing a crime, thus he's anxiously burning every possible shred of evidence. It happens that the criminal is also an old-movie buff, which permits Universal Studios, producers of The Movie Murderer, to show off film clips from its MCA backlog--including snippets of W.C. Fields from International House, Gary Cooper from The Virginian, and Warner Oland from The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
- PG
Hail, Hero! stars Michael Douglas in his screen debut as long-haired college student Carl Dixon. Reversing the usual procedure in late-1960s films, Dixon decides to quit school and enlist in the Army, even though he's already run afoul of the law as a Vietnam protestor. It is our hero's intention to use love, rather than bullets, to combat the Viet Cong. Needless to say, his idealism is no match for the harsher realities of war, but this doesn't stop him from endlessly spouting the sort of agit-prop rhetoric so beloved of filmmakers of the era. In addition to Michael Douglas, co-star Peter Strauss likewise makes his first film appearance in Hail, Hero! Dated in the extreme, the film is saved by the musical score by Gordon Lightfoot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Arthur Kennedy, (more)
This Dino De Laurentiis-produced re-creation of the decisive Italian military operation top-bills Robert Mitchum as a battle-weary war correspondent. Robert Ryan and Arthur Kennedy play generals, Peter Falk is the lovable Brooklynese corporal, and Earl Holliman is the country-boy sergeant. Anzio was based on the book by Wynford Vaughan Thomas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Peter Falk, (more)
In this actioner, a gun runner gets a job as a marine biologist while stranded in the Middle East. He quickly finds out that his new employer and his wife are really treasure seekers looking for bullion. Unfortunately, the gold lies in deep, shark-filled water. Tragically, while the movie was being shot, a stuntman really was killed by a shark. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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