Tim Matheson Movies

It's December of 1941, and the people of California are in varying states of unease, ranging from a sincere desire to defend the country to virtual blind panic in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thus begin several story threads that comprise the "plot" of this strange period comedy, a sort of satirical disaster movie, from Steven Spielberg. The stories and story threads involve lusty young men, officers (Tim Matheson) and civilians (Bobby Di Cicco) alike, eager to bed the young ladies of their dreams; Wild Bill Kelso, a nutty fighter pilot (John Belushi) following what he thinks is a squadron of Japanese fighters along the California coast; a well-meaning but clumsy tank crew (including John Candy) led by straight-arrow, by-the-book Sgt. Tree (Dan Aykroyd), who doesn't recognize the thug (Treat Williams) in his command; and homeowner Ward Douglas (Ned Beatty), who is eager to do his part for the nation's defense and, despite the misgivings of his wife (Lorraine Gary), doesn't mind his front yard overlooking the ocean being chosen to house a 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. There is also a pair of grotesquely inept airplane spotters (Murray Hamilton, Eddie Deezen) who are doing their job from atop a ferris wheel at a beachfront amusement park; a paranoid army colonel (Warren Oates) positive that the Japanese are infiltrating from the hills; a big dance being held on behalf of servicemen, being attended by a lusty young woman of size (Wendie Jo Sperber) eager to land a man in uniform; and General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell (Robert Stack), in charge of the defense of the West Coast, who can't seem to get anyone to listen to him when he says to keep calm. And, oh yes, there's also a real Japanese submarine that has gotten all the way to the California coast under the command of its captain (Toshiro Mifune) and a German officer observer (Christopher Lee), only to find itself without a working compass or usable maps. Its captain won't leave until the sub has attacked a militarily significant, honorable target, and the only one that anyone aboard ship knows of in California is Hollywood. By New Year's Eve, all of these characters are going to cross paths, directly or once-removed, in a comedy of errors and destruction strongly reminiscent of the finale to National Lampoon's Animal House (as well as several disaster movies from the same studio), but on a much larger and more impressive scale. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Rising business executive Jake Peterson (Tim Matheson) is given a make-or-break assignment when he is sent to a small town for the purpose of severely downsizing the local tractor factory. Upon his arrival, Jake is mistaken by the townsfolk as the man sent to save rather than destroy their community, and is treated as such, much to his discomfort. Making his task even more difficult is Jake's blossoming romance with factory employee Emma Murphy (Melissa Gilbert), whose daughter Noelle (Michelle Trachtenberg) regards our hero as Santa Claus Incarnate. Made for the CBS TV network (and filmed under the title A Holiday for Love, Christmas in My Hometown premiered December 10, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like its lively predecessor, The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), this mild comic send-up takes its characters and situations from the popular family sitcom of the 1970s, The Brady Bunch. Set in the '90s, it is filled with in-joke references to American pop culture. However, one need not be familiar with the original series in order to enjoy this film. Bad guy Trevor Thomas (Tim Matheson) is posing as supermom Carol Brady's long-dead first husband Roy Martin. He claims to have been amnesiac and made unrecognizable by plastic surgery after suffering disfiguring injuries, but in truth, he is on the hunt for a very valuable artifact, an ancient Chinese horse carving which Roy sent to his family from the field. Because of the family's sheer niceness, they could never imagine such deception, and husband Mike Brady (Gary Cole) welcomes him into their midst. This causes Roy no end of frustration, as not only must he live with this incredibly sweet and cheerful family while he searches for the carving, but he must endure having his ill-tempered sarcastic jibes go completely unrecognized. When Carol (Shelley Long) is kidnapped, the whole family goes a-hunting. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Answering a call from two park rangers, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) conduct an A.P.B. search for a horse, stolen from a riding stable from alleged junkie. In turns out that the thief is a homesick Texan, who has gone to rather extreme measures to assuage his loneliness. Back on their home turf, Jim and Pete chase after a pair of vicious gunmen. This week's supporting cast includes a young Tim Matheson (The West Wing) and Peter Duryea, the son of veteran movie heavy Dan Duryea. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a husband's moment of indiscretion has nearly catastrophic consequences when his mistress refuses to accept that their affair is over. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This slow-moving occult thriller has Pamela Sue Martin and hubbie Tim Matheson menaced by a coven of witches when they move to an island off the coast of Massachusetts. Director Carl Schenkel -- who went on to make the interesting Knight Moves -- does the best he can with a tedious script and a lot of miscasting, but it doesn't make the movie any more interesting. It looks like a who's who of '80s sitcoms, with Woody Harrelson, Jeff Conaway, and Inga Swenson along for the evil doings, but some viewers will be rolling on the floor when they see Leave It to Beaver's Barbara Billingsley as a 300-year-old witch. The highlight of the film is an exploding church, which may just be loud enough to wake you up so you can rewind the tape. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Joe D'Amato, notorious director of numerous Euro-porn epics, manages to exploit even more perverse theme material in this necrophiliac love story about a disturbed young taxidermist so bereaved over the loss of his fiancee that he exhumes and preserves her corpse to keep him company. When the stuffed cadaver no longer offers erotic satisfaction, he sets out with the help of his spooky housekeeper to find a new bride, murdering any prospects who don't measure up to his twisted standards -- or sometimes just for the fun of it -- and dissecting them in his convenient in-home mortuary. As grotesque and graphic as this film may be, it is made all the more grim by its straightforward dramatic presentation (as if this were no more than a slightly off-kilter romantic tragedy), with atmospheric photography and a moody score by Goblin. Viewers who might consider the devouring of a human heart in poor taste are advised to avoid this film. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Rutger Hauer plays a blinded Vietnam vet who also happens to be an expert swordsman. Twenty years after the war, Hauer finds himself waist-deep in gangsters when he tries to help the son (Brandon Call) of an old army buddy. Along the way, he reforms an ex-comrade in arms (Terrance O'Quinn) who was responsible for the accident that blinded him. Based on a series of Japanese films about a blind samurai (released under the blanket title of Zatoichi). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first hour-long network Western series telecast in color, Bonanza was also the granddaddy of all "property" Westerns, future examples of which included The Virginian, The Big Valley, and The High Chaparral. The series took place during and after the Civil War in Virginia City, NV. Lorne Greene starred as Ben Cartwright, silver-haired owner of the fabulous, half-million-acre Ponderosa Ranch. The industrious, independent Cartwright had been widowed three times, each of his wives providing him with a single son. Pernell Roberts played eldest son Adam, the brooding, intellectual offspring of Ben's first wife Elizabeth; Dan Blocker played middle son Hoss, the beefy, affable issue of Ben's second wife Inger; and Michael Landon played youngest son Little Joe, a hotheaded, temperamental lad who took after his mother, Ben's third wife Marie. The four Cartwrights comprised the principal cast during the series' first six seasons, with occasional appearances by Victor Sen Yung as the Ponderosa's Chinese cook Hop Sing; Ray Teal as Virginia City's taciturn lawman, Sheriff Roy Coffee; and Bing Russell (father of Kurt Russell) as deputy Clem Foster. When Pernell Roberts left the series at the outset of season seven, it was explained that Adam had gone to Europe to complete his education. Several attempts were made to replace Adam in the hearts and minds of the viewing public: Guy Williams of Zorro fame was seen briefly as cousin Will Cartwright; David Canary appeared as ranch foreman Canady (aka Candy) during seasons nine through 11, then again during season 14, Lou Frizzell showed up as Ben's friend Dusty Rhoades beginning in season 12, as did Mitch Vogel as Dusty's ward Jamie Hunter, a teenaged orphan; and during the series' final year, Tim Matheson weaved through the proceedings as ex-convict Griff King, whom Ben tried to give a second chance by taking him on as a ranch hand. Making its NBC debut on September 12, 1959, Bonanza spent its first two seasons on Saturday evenings, opposite CBS' Perry Mason.
Ratings improved tremendously when Bonanza shifted to Sunday evenings at 9 PM (EST) beginning in the 1961-1962 season; in fact, the series was America's number one show for three seasons in a row, from 1964 through 1967. It might have run forever had it not been for two calamitous events during the 1972-1973 season: the decision by NBC to reschedule the show to Tuesdays, and the unexpected death of longtime regular Dan Blocker. With ratings plummeting precipitously, the show was canceled on January 16, 1973 -- a rather ignominious climax for a classic Western series that was second only to Gunsmoke in longevity. Since that time, a number of attempts have been made to revive Bonanza, notably a trio of made-for-TV movies produced in 1988, 1993, and 1995; the latter two appearing after the deaths of Lorne Greene and Michael Landon. And during the 2001-2002 season, the PAX network aired the prequel series Ponderosa, which detailed the adventures of the four Cartwrights in the years before Bonanza took place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having saved Ben Cartwright's life during a prison riot, convict Griff King (played by new Bonanza regular Tim Matheson) is released into Ben's custody. In hiring Griff as a Ponderosa ranchhand, Ben faces the challenge of convincing the former prisoner to forsake his deep and abiding grudge against the rest of the world. Others in the cast include Ronny Cox as Lucas and Charles Dierkop as Shorty. Written by Jack B. Sowards, "New Man" originally aired on October 10, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jamie's new bird dog April, an Irish setter, is denigrated as a "bucket dog" by Tim Riley (Don Knight), an employee of the man responsible for bringing this particular breed of dogs to the United States. As such, April may well be destroyed if unable to prove its mettle. To save the dog's life, Jamie agrees to allow April to participate in a grueling three-hour field trial-an ordeal which the setter may not survive. William Sylvester of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame is seen as imperious dog breeder Horace Kingston. Originally telecast on December 19, 1972, "The Bucket Dog" was written by John Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Last seen on Bonanza in the 1968 episode "A Girl Named George," Jack Albertson paid a return visit to the series in the December 5, 1972 episode "The Sound of Loneliness." Albertson is here cast as elderly widower Jonathan May, who goes to great lengths to make sure that two orphan boys will not be separated when the older boy (but not the younger) is adopted by a childless couple. Also in the cast is another frequent Bonanza guest star, John Randolph, this time in the role of Mr. Dawson. "The Sound of Loneliness" was written and directed by series star Michael Landon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-cable movie tells the story of a military wife in jeopardy. Tom Verica stars as Lt. Ted Lutz, an Army soldier who has been transferred to a Utah base. When power-hungry commanding officer Col. Andrew Case (Peter Coyote) develops an interest in Lutz' wife Helen (Courtney Thorne-Smith), Lt. Lutz is suddenly shipped off-base, leaving Helen alone on the base to defend herself and fend off the advances of the colonel. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide