Charles Larson Movies

The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

The title character in this episode is Melanie "Mel" Desmond (Leslie Ackerman), the lonely, alienated daughter of prominent clothing designer Julie Desmond (Dorothy Malone). When her mother's gambler lover is murdered, Mel startles everyone by confessing to the crime. In truth, however, the attention-hungry girl merely witnessed the killing--which of course makes her the real murderer's next target! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A fugitive from the FBI, Frank Welles (Steve Ihnat) has also been marked for death by a Mafia hitman. Despite the danger involved, Welles makes a stopover in San Diego, intending to wreak vengeance against the man whom he holds responsible for the death of his best friend's daughter. Thus, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is placed in the position of protecting not only Welles but also Welles' intended victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The FBI launches a search for the thieves who stripped the abandoned car owned by wealthy kidnap victim John Graham (Jim McMullan). Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) hopes that the thieves may have witnessed the crime and will be able to identify the abductor. Meanwhile, efforts to negotiate Graham's safe release hit a snag when the victim's brother Philip (Russell Johnson) refuses to pay the $300,000 ransom. In a fascinating bit of casting, the uncle-and-nephew team of kidnappers is played by Edward Asner and Martin Sheen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Escaped killer George Bellamy (Bradford Dillman) covers his tracks by setting a series of forest fires. Bellamy's strategy is to throw the FBI off the trail; while they're searching for an unknown arsonist, he will be able to flee the country. It is up to Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to capture Bellamy before he sparks a final conflagration that will kill thousands of innocent people. Filmed on location in Angeles National Forest, this episode benefits from the strong supporting performances of TV stalwarts Lynda Day and Charles Grodin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode is set in a remote Oregon community plagued by a drought that has dragged on for over three months. A local religious sect headed by Adam MacDonald (John Anderson) has managed to incur the wrath of some bigoted townsfolk, who go out of their way to torment and persecute McDonald and his flock. But the case doesn't attract the attention of the FBI until a hate-maddened extortionist threatens to burn down the sect's settlement--an act which would also spell disaster for everyone else in the region. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When hitchhiker Frank Schroeder (a pre-Hawaii 5-0 Jack Lord) gallantly saves a young Mexican girl named Teresa (Pilar Seurat) from being sexually assaulted, she gratefully tags along with him on his Eastward journey. What Teresa doesn't know is that Frank is a triple murderer who for several days has been eluding a nationwide FBI dragnet. The girl is also blissfully unaware that her travelling companion is planning to pull off a million-dollar diamond heist--and to kill anyone who has the bad luck to get in his way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The FBI investigates when a Maryland bank is robbed twice in the same day by the same bandit. This matches the modus operandi of Wayne Powell (Crahan Denton), who pulled off the same double-robbery strategy some twenty years earlier--and when Powell confesses to the more recent crimes, the Bureau figures that the case is closed. But Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) suspects that this time Powell is innocent, and that he is shielding the real criminal. Meanwhile, the romance between Erskine's daughter Barbara (Lynn Loring) and FBI agent Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) intensifies, while the good Inspector has relationship issues of his own with his erstwhile girlfriend Joanna Laurens (Lee Meriwether). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jared Corning (Robert Lansing) is assigned to cover a trial in a small New England town, where several townsfolk are accused of burning down the barn owned by Tom Goss (Paul Genge). Questioning Goss' daughter Joan (Luana Anders), Corning is surprised to learn that the blaze was started for express purpose of killing the girl's pet raccoon. Even more surprising--and far more frightening--is that weird, disembodied voice which seems to be urging Corning to ignite another fire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Host John Newland once again beckons us into the "unknown" world of psychic phenomena as One Step Beyond begins its third season. The opening episode is based on actual events, as wheelchair-bound Margaret North (Jean Allison) hears a radio bulletin announcing that a huge tidal wave is rapidly approaching her Hawaiian beach home. Miles from her nearest neighbor, the helpless Margaret is unable to alert anyone of her plight--but she hasn't taken into account the power of "thought transference." The real Margaret North appears at the end of this episode, which was later refilmed as the pilot for the sequel TV series The Next Step Beyond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Angel in Exile represents a one-time-only directorial collaboration between cult favorite Allan Dwan and B-western workhouse Philip Ford. Upon his release from jail, hardened criminal Charlie Dakin (John Carroll) heads to Mexico in search of his stolen gold, hidden in a mine shaft by Dakin's confederates. Posing as an honest prospector, Dakin mixes the gold with sand so that the local villagers will assume that he's merely coming up with the riches that were already in the mine. But the impoverished locals are overjoyed that the long-dormant mine has proved active once more, attributing this "miracle" to the town's guardian angel. Touched by the villagers' simple faith, Dakin reforms his evil ways-which is more than can be said for his less sentimental cohorts Max (Barton MacLane) and Carl (Paul Fix). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide