Buzz Kulik Movies

Screen newcomers Darren O'Connor (the brother of Glynnis O'Connor) and Pamela Sue Martin (billed here as Pamela Martin) play a pair of 16-year-olds, former childhood sweethearts and playmates from Manhattan's Upper East Side, who find their lives thrust back together when she becomes pregnant by the boyfriend of a friend's mother. O'Connor's Andy Morrison has always loved Martin's Rosalind McCarthy from afar, but she has always been too self-centered to notice or care, until she needs him "to find a man" to do the abortion. He tries to go about solving her problem his way, methodically and carefully, all the while doing his best to cope with her outbursts and her need to get the abortion while she's home for the week from the Catholic boarding school that she attends. They battle insensitive bureaucrats, hopelessly overburdened hospitals, and her pushy and dissipated parents, as well as Andy's class prejudices, and in the course of solving Rosalind's problem, each realizes that they've never really known or understood the other. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In this courtroom drama, an attorney investigates the murder of a woman and comes up with some very interesting findings. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Vanished earned a niche in video history as the first two-part TV movie. Based on Fletcher Knebel's novel, the story concerns the sudden disappearance of a top Presidential adviser. Grilled by the media, the President's press secretary (James Farentino) reveals very little, simply because he knows very little. But the chief executive himself (Richard Widmark) has more information than he's willing to make public; the FBI has proof that the vanished adviser was homosexual, and subject to blackmail. Based in part on the Lyndon Johnson/Walter Jenkins imbroglio of 1964, Vanished is given an aura of credibility via cameo appearances by Washington newscaster/journalists Chet Huntley, Herbert Kaplow and Martin Agronsky. The film was first telecast on two consecutive evenings: March 8 and 9 of 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Yul Brynner stars as the legendary Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in this 1968 epic that was originally written by Sam Peckinpah, who hoped to direct it. But studio bosses instead hired Buzz Kulik and cut the script. Villa is commanded by General Huerta (Herbert Lom) and assisted by the sadistic Fierro (Charles Bronson). Captain Francisco Ramirez (Frank Wolff) is a counter-revolutionary leader for whom an American pilot, Lee Arnold (Robert Mitchum), is smuggling guns from Texas. While Arnold is in a small village waiting for his place to be fixed, he sees Ramirez's troops attack the village and get routed by Villa. The rebels arrest Arnold for gun-running and sentence him to face a firing squad. He works a deal to save his skin by agreeing to fly missions for the revolutionaries. While Villa's men attack a train, Arnold bombs government troops with grenades. Arnold's aerial support saves Villa when he is sent on a doomed mission by Huerta, who is vying with Villa for power. Arnold escapes to Texas and Villa is arrested for disobeying Huerta's orders. Villa eventually escapes, finds Arnold in Texas, and convinces him to fight again for the revolution, which is now targeting Huerta, who has assassinated the Mexican president and taken power. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

LAPD detective Sgt. Tom Valens (David Janssen) is a ten-year veteran of the force who has had more than his share of hard luck lately -- his marriage is a wreck, and he hasn't fully recovered from a serious wound suffered in the line of duty a year ago. He and his partner, Sgt. Ed Musso (Keenan Wynn), are working a stakeout one night at the Seascape Apartments, in hope of catching a killer who has already claimed three victims in that part of the city, when he confronts a man seemingly trying to sneak off the premises. The man tries to run, stops when ordered but starts to pull a gun, and Valens shoots him dead. The deceased turns out to be Dr. James B. Ruston, a well-known humanitarian and pillar of the community -- worse yet, the police can't find any trace of the gun Valens says he saw Ruston pull. Valens' nightmare builds gradually, as he's first assigned to a desk, then hung out to dry by an indifferent coroner (Carroll O'Connor) at an inquest, suspended from the force, and then indicted for manslaughter by a crusading prosecutor (Sam Wanamaker) with a personal ax to grind. Villified in the press and by protesters in the street, Valens has few even slightly sympathetic ears around him -- his partner, his captain (Ed Begley Sr.), and his soon-to-be-ex-wife (Joan Collins) -- and even fewer allies. The one attorney (Walter Pidgeon) with enough juice to fight the case on an even footing with the DA says he would only plead him guilty and try for a deal, based on his understanding of the law and of juries; and the one public pundit (Steve Allen) who takes his part is doing so for the most cynical of reasons. Valens realizes that the only way to save himself is to first prove that the so-called victim wasn't quite the candidate for sainthood that he seemed -- why did he run? -- and to find the missing gun. To do all of that, he's got to confront the victim's aggrieved patients (Lillian Gish), his alcoholic widow (Eleanor Parker), and his employees (Stefanie Powers), all of whom have every reason to hate Valens. He starts to dig into the doctor's finances and finds some anomalies that no one can explain (or wants to look at -- they'd rather hang Valens), and as he puts together the pieces of the puzzle, helped by a sympathetic tenant at Seascape (George Grizzard), Valens finds himself pursued by the doctor's thug of son and his friends with mayhem on their minds -- and someone else with a deadlier agenda. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

A haunting folk song written by Van Cleave serves as a framing device for this macabre hour-long Twilight Zone episode. Anne Francis plays the title character, a spiteful mountain girl who despairs when her boyfriend Billy-Ben Turner (James Best) dumps her in favor a Ellwyn Glover (Laura Devon). Hoping to win back Billy-Ben's affections, Jess-Belle asks witch-like Granny Hart (Jeanette Nolan) to stir up a love potion -- which has some unexpected side effects. Scripted by Earl Hamner, Jr. of The Waltons fame, "Jess-Belle" originally aired February 14, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by mystery master Rod Serling, The Yellow Canary stars Pat Boone as insufferable singing idol Andy Paxton. Barbara Eden plays his wife Lissa, who is fed up with her husband's egotistical attitude and is ready to leave him. When their baby son is kidnapped, Andy Paxton refuses to enlist the help of the police. He still does not cooperate even after three people are murdered in crimes apparently related to the kidnapping. Finally, acting on his own, he agrees to pay $200,000 in ransom, but the kidnapper never shows up at an arranged meeting. In desperation, the singer finally gets more involved in tracking down the kidnapper. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of the series' only two-parter, Paladin (Richard Boone) arrives in a Texas border town with his prisoner, murder suspect Joselito Kincaid (Robert Carricart). Unfortunately, Kincaid is a sheepherder, and the men of the town trade in cattle. Thus Paladin's task becomes twofold: delivering Kincaid to trial, and keeping the man alive long enough to do so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the last days of WWII, "90-day wonder" Lieutenant Katell (Dean Stockwell) takes charge of a battle-weary American squadron somewhere in the Pacific Theater. With the arrogance of inexperience, Katell demands that Sgt. Causarano (Albert Salmi) lead an attack against a group of wounded and dispirited Japanese soldiers -- "They are the enemy! First day of the war or the last day of the war!" But a sudden wrinkle in time causes Lt. Katell -- or should we say "Lt. Yamuri" -- to experience an epiphany. Future Star Trek stalwart Leonard Nimoy plays a small role as a radio operator. Scripted by Rod Serling from an idea by Sam Rolfe (Have Gun, Will Travel, Man from U.N.C.L.E. et al.), "A Quality of Mercy" was Twilight Zone's Yuletide offering for the 1961-62 season, making its first appearance on December 29, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In his second Twilight Zone appearance, Jack Klugman stars as pool hustler Jesse Cardiff, who would like nothing better than to challenge legendary pool champion Fats Brown. Only trouble is, Fats has been dead for a year. But Jesse is persistent, and before long the ghost of Fats (Jonathan Winters) puts in an appearance and challenges Jesse to a winner-take-all game of pool -- with Jesse's life as the "stakes." George Clayton Johnson's teleplay underwent several changes before filming, including a complete rewrite of the ending, which in its original state was fascinating, if not entirely satisfying. "A Game of Pool" first aired October 13, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After briefly experimenting with the videotape format, The Twilight Zone wisely returned to film with this episode, which originally aired April 7, 1961. The story begins in the California desert in 1847; Chris Horn (Cliff Robertson), leader of a bedraggled wagon train, sets out to search for food, water, and medicine for himself, his ailing child, and the rest of his party. Upon climbing "over the rim," Chris finds himself in a roadside diner -- in the year 1961. The supporting cast includes future TV-series stars Ed Platt (Get Smart) and John Astin (The Addams Family), as well as actress Evans Evans, who later played Gene Wilder's wife in the 1967 film classic Bonnie and Clyde. Written by Rod Serling, "A Hundred Yards over the Rim" benefits immeasurably from a driving musical score by Fred Steiner, which would pop up in truncated form in dozens of films and TV series throughout the '60s and '70s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Justin Groton (Buzz Martin), sole surviving member of a vicious outlaw family, has been in jail on a murder charge since the age of 13. Now Justin is approaching his 21st birthday--and as such, he will be legally eligible to hang for his crime. It is up to Paladin to convince a flint-hearted judge (Liam Sullivan), and an angry mob, that Justin has already suffered enough for his transgressions and should be spared the hangman's rope. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character in this episode is a grizzled old prospector, played by former Theater Guild stalwart Russell Collins. Long, long ago, Crowbait was given some valuable silver by a friendly Paiute chief (Eddie Little Sky). Now the venerable prospector needs more silver on behalf of his daughter Amanda (Jacqueline Scott), but the Chief is nowhere to be found. Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired by Crowbait to search for the Paiute's secret silver mine--if indeed such a mine still exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide