Vic Morrow Movies
After graduating from Florida State College, actor Vic Morrow came to New York, establishing himself as an interpreter of vicious young punks. His first film role was as the unregenerate high school gang leader in 1955's The Blackboard Jungle. Morrow later channelled his "loose cannon" personality in roles calling for heroics and authority. From 1962 through 1967, he starred as Sergeant Chip Saunders on the TV series Combat! Many of the sillier movie roles accepted by Morrow in the 1970s were aimed at financing his theatrical work as an actor and director. Some of his better later roles included the mean-spirited Little League manager who smacks his own son in public after a diamond error in The Bad News Bears (1976). Sadly, Vic Morrow is most famous now not for his life but for his death; together with two Vietnamese children, Morrow was killed in a still-controversial helicopter accident while filming on location for 1982's Twilight Zone: The Movie. Once married to actress/writer Barbara Turner, Vic Morrow was the father of 1990s film star Jennifer Jason Leigh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this Italian western, an outlaw enlists the aid of his pal and a robber gang to pull off a gold heist. Later, the gang argues about how the loot should be split. The robber gang then absconds with the gold leaving the other pair in the dust. The outlaw and friend set off to capture the treacherous gang. They finally find them in a Mexican town where the residents are celebrating a religious festival. A terrible shootout ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Dennis Weaver, (more)
- 1970
A Step Out of Line stars Peter Falk, Vic Morrow, and Peter Lawford, a fairly lustrous lineup for a humble TV movie. The trio of leading men portray average Joes, all Korean war buddies, plagued by a string of bad luck. With creditors hounded them at their very fireside (so to speak), Falk, Morrow and Lawford decide for the first--and last--time in their lives to resort to dishonesty. Pooling their military skills, the boys plot and plan to knock over a bank safe. A Step Out of Line moves confidently towards its anticipated climax, sped along by the expertise of its triple-threat star lineup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Broadway musical star and celebrated concert singer Barbara Cook makes a rare TV appearance in this chilling episode. Bored with her boyfriend, party girl Barbie Hallem (Cook) decides to escape to her uncle's cabin in the woods. En route, Barbie is warned by café owner Ed Mungo (Robert Karnes) that Ed's brother Bennie (Vic Morrow), suspected of murdering his sweetheart, is still at large. Once at the cabin, Barbie is confronted by Bennie -- who tells her an entirely different story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
B.A.D. Cats was a 1980 TV adventure series, all about a special division of the LA police department. Comprised of ex-racing drivers, the B.A.D. C.A.T. squad (Burglary Auto Detail, Commercial Auto Thefts) went after the bad guys with a vengeance-and with all cylinders running. Premiering January 4, 1980, the series was cancelled after five episodes, at which point its producers issued what amounted to a public apology. The only logical reason that two episodes of B.A.D. Cats have been released on video is that one of its stars was Michelle Pfeiffer, playing curvaceous lady-cop Samantha "Sam" Jensen. Usually clad in skimpy halter tops and cutoffs, her main purpose was to impersonate hookers and biker chicks, and get kidnapped. Funny how the B.A.D. Cats video showed up on rental shelves shortly after Michelle Pfeiffer's star-making turn in 1988's Married to the Mob; we wonder if she puts the 1980 series on her current resume. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this gritty urban drama, war veteran Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) wants to begin his career as a teacher and is given an assignment at a boys high school in inner-city New York. However, he soon discovers the school is overrun by delinquents, led by Artie West (Vic Morrow), an insolent hood who likes to call Richard "Mr. Daddy-O." Artie and his gang steal, destroy property, refuse to respect authority, and threaten the female teachers with rape. While most of the faculty have given up and meekly let the delinquents do what they want, Dadier is determined to bring order back to his classroom, even after Artie's thugs threaten Richard's pregnant wife. Keep your eyes peeled for a bit part by Jameel Farah, years before he would change his name to Jamie Farr. Blackboard Jungle was also the first major studio film to use rock & roll on the soundtrack; the film's success kick-started sales of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, which helped to spark the rock & roll boom of the 1950s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Sidney Poitier, (more)
- 1960
Ben and Adam Cartwright are convicted of murder and sentenced to the gallows. Rushing to their defense is a secretive stranger named Lassiter (Vic Morrow). Grateful but bewildered, the Cartwrights try to find out why Lassiter is willing to help them, whereupon they learn that the stranger's own parents had been lynched years before. Also appearing are Jean Allison as Sally, Dan White as Jackson, and Bern Passey as Giles. First shown on March 19, 1960, "The Avenger" was written by Clair Huffaker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1961
To show up his teasing brothers, Joe Cartwright accepts the position of sheriff in the little town of Rubicon. Little does Joe know that the men behind his nomination, gunslinger Ab Brock (Vic Morrow) and crooked Mayor Goshen (John Litel), intend to use the youngest Cartwright boy as the fall guy for an elaborate robbery-murder scheme. The supporting cast includes Karen Steele as Sylvia Ann, Robert Fortier as Higgler, David Manley as Virgil, and Bill Catching as the Banker. First telecast December 17, 1961, "The Tin Badge" was written by Don Ingalls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1976
One of four dramatic miniseries carried by NBC under the blanket title Best Sellers, Captains and the Kings was adapted from a novel by Taylor Caldwell. Covering a time span from 1857 to 1912, this was the saga of the Irish-immigrant Armagh clan, with emphasis on the rags-to-riches career of Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan). Achieving fame and prominence (if not full-fledged social acceptance) through a Byzantine series of investments in the oil industry, the elder Armagh was obsessed with the notion of having one of his sons become the first Irish-Catholic President of the United States (does this story sound vaguely familiar?). Along the way, Joseph and his offspring indulged in innumerable romantic liaisons, extramarital and otherwise. Featured in the all-star cast is Patty Duke Astin, who won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Bernadette Hennessey Armagh. Captains and the Kings was broadcast from September 30 to November 18, 1976 in seven installments, two of which ran 120 minutes, and the other six lasting 60 minutes -- a total of nine hours' air time in all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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)
- 1962
The most successful of network television's many WWII dramatic series of the '60s, Combat!, ran for five seasons on ABC -- or roughly one year longer than the war lasted! Set in the months following D-Day, the weekly, hour-long series focused on King Company, a platoon of American GIs battling their way through Southern Europe, encountering action, adventure, humor, heartbreak and dozens of guest stars along the way. Throughout the series' run, King Company was headed by gritty, taciturn Sgt. Chip Saunders (Vic Morrow) and his superior officer, cool and courageous Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason). Though several soldiers were attached to the platoon from one season to the next, the most enduring of the supporting players were Pierre Jalbert as Paul "Caje" Lemay, Jack Hogan as "Wild Man" Kirby, and Dick Peabody as PFC Littlejohn. Some of the better episodes were directed by such Hollywood heavyweights as Robert Altman and Burt Kennedy. Filmed in glorious black-and-white during its first four seasons -- the better to accommodate newsreel footage of actual wartime battles -- Combat! switched to color for its fifth and final season on the air. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1965
Hanley (Rick Jason) and his squad enter a French village at the same time that a German squad led by Lt. Markes (William Smithers) marches in from the other side of town. Both armies are stopped in their tracks by a deranged Frenchwoman who begs them to rescue her baby, trapped in a bombed-out wine celler. After much deliberation, Hanley and Markes call a temporary truce in order to save the infant--with unexpected results. The hysterical mother is played by Lisa Pera, the grandniece of Russian author Leo Tolstoy and a protégee of series star (and director of this episode) Vic Morrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In flashback, Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow), Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) and the men of King Company recall the events surrounding their landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day. Pre-invasion highlights include a battle between Saunders and Hanley over the affections of a pert English lass (Pat Dahl), and the efforts by wheeler-dealer Braddock (Shecky Greene) to win a cash pool by picking the correct date for the landing (he wins, but doesn't feel so lucky after all--and for good reason!) Once the men have established a beachhead, they are ordered to capture a farmhouse where several American paratroopers are being held prisoner. Most of this program is comprised of re-edited footage from Combat's hitherto unseen pilot episode, which explains the occasional discrepancies (for example, Hanley is still a sergeant, and supporting character Caje [Pierre Jalbert] is referred to as "Caddy"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
The opening episode of Combat's second season finds Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) of King Company going head-to-head with Sgt. Marvin Turk (Lee Marvin), a sarcastic, hardbitten demolition expert with an intense hatred for Infantrymen. No sooner has Turk thoroughly alienated Saudners' platoon with his by-the-book autocracy than both sergeants are sent on a dangerous mission to destroy an enemy bridge. Throughout the assignment, the embittered Turk continues to rag Saunders, whom he holds responsible for the death of his previous partner. But though nasty and unrepetentant from start to finish, Turk knows his business--and by episode's end he has more than earned the respect of both Saunders and the audience. Conlan Carter makes his first regular appearance as "Doc". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Eddie Albert guest stars in this episode, playing--of all things--a middle-aged American farmer with a foreign-accented wife. But this is Combat, not Green Acres: Albert's character, a WW1 veteran named Phil, has been living in France with his French-born wife Marie (played by Alida Valli of The Third Man fame) ever since the Armistice. Unhinged by the ceaseless gunfire of WW2, Phil begins to imagine that he is still fighting The Great War--and so he dons his old uniform, marches into the countryside, and captures Sgt. Saunders (Vince Morrow), whom he believes to be a "Heinie" spy! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
A wounded Littlejohn (Dick Peabody) awakens to find that he's been kidnapped by four scruffy French children. As a means of survival, the enterprising youngsters intend to "sell" Littlejohn to the highest bidder, just as they've done with several other American and German prisoners in the past. Despite its title, this is not a "cute" episode by any means: the scene in which one of the children grabs a gun and kills an intruder is one of the most harrowing in the series' history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Charles Bronson delivers an impressively sensitive performance as Corporal Velasquez, a demolitions expert with a genius-level understanding of geology. While accompanying Velasquez on a mission to blow up a German observation post surrounded by rock, Saunders (Vic Morrow) can't help but notice that the Corporal is showing signs of hesitance and uncertainty. It seems that in addition to his other talents, Velasquez is a lover of fine art--and he is extremely reluctant to destroy the priceless paintings, statues and religious artifacts stashed within the targeted building. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In the first episode of a two-part story, Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) and his men are ordered to undertake the near-impossible task of knocking out two German pillboxes located on a steep hill. The squad will have no cover and no support, and because of the treacherous uphill climb they will be armed only with the lightest of artillery. The situation worsens when Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) is seriously wounded and a valuable tank is lost in the fierce fighting--prompting Hanley to consider defying his orders and pulling out. This episode was stunningly directed by series star Vic Morrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hanley (Rick Jason) has lost ten men in two futile uphill assaults on a pair of well-fortified German pillboxes--and making matters worse, Saunders (Vic Morrow) has been severely wounded and is unable to provide backup. After a third unsuccessful attack upon the enemy stronghold, Hanley tells his superiors that the squad refuses to proceed any further, only to be ordered to keep fighting to the last man. In the final analysis, the survival of King Company depends upon the ingenuity of privates Kirby (Jack Hogan) and Caje (Pierre Jalbert). This episode was directed by series star Vic Morrow, whose vivid, hand-held camerawork rivals anything ever done by such filmmakers as Samuel Fuller and Steven Spielberg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Acting as squad leader in Saunders' absence, Caje (Pierre Jalbert) is faced with an unexpected problem from within his own ranks. For some reason, Private Thomas (Dee Pollock) lives in mortal terror of Private Jackson (Mike Kellin), a cynical wisecracker from another squad. What is the power that Jackson holds over Thomas--and what will this mean to Caje, who is now himself the target of Jackson's vitriol? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) is obliged to help two fellow Americans, Cpl. Kanger (James Coburn) and Lt. Comstock (Dan Stafford), as they deliver a captured German officer to the authorities for questioning. What Saunders doesn't know (but the audience does!) is that both Kanger and Comstock are German spies posing as Americans, determined to halt the Allied advance or die trying. This episode marks the TV dramatic debut of boxing champ Rocky Marciano, in the small role of a friendly GI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
John Cassavetes guest stars as Pvt. Kalb, newest member of King Company. Saunders (Vic Morrow) is none too happy with the arrival of Kalb, who has a reputation for goldbricking and cowardice--and who may or may not have been responsible for the decimation of the two previous squads to which he'd been assigned. Nor do things bode well for Saunders and his men when, on the eve of a dangerous mission, Kalb sustains a convenient leg wound. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The first season of Combat! follows the exploits of King Company, a platoon of American GI's making their way through occupied Europe in the months just following D-day. In addition to series stars Vic Morrow (as Sgt. Chip Saunders) and Rick Jason (as Lt. Gil Hanley), the 32 hour-long episodes feature a pair of regulars unique to season one: Steven Rogers as medical aidman Doc Walton, and legendary nightclub comic Shecky Greene as wisecracking wheeler-dealer Pvt. Braddock. Highlights include the debut episode, written by prolific science-fiction specialist Richard Matheson under the pseudonym "Logan Swanson"; and the later episode "Hill 256", in which King Company's most reckless GI, Private Kirby (Jack Hogan) is brought up on charges of cowardice under fire. And of course the season yields an impressive crop of guest stars, including Jeffrey Hunter, Howard Duff, Keenan Wynn, Frank Gorshin, Robert Culp, and future Mary Tyler Moore regular Ted Knight. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1963
As Combat! moves into its second season, the men of King Company welcome several new "regular" platoon members, notably Private Billy Nelson (Tom Lowell) and PFC Littlejohn (Dick Peabody). Also, the platoon's resident medical aidman Walton has been replaced by a man who prefers to be known only as "Doc" (Conlan Carter). Even so, Sgt. Chip Saunders (Vic Morrow) and Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason) remain firmly in charge as the men make their way through occupied France in the wake of D-Day. Among the season's 32 episodes are the series' first two-part adventures, "The Long Way Home" and "What are the Bugles Blowin'. As for guest stars, this season offers such notables as Lee Marvin, James Caan, James Coburn, Leonard Nimoy -- and on distinctly opposite sides of the age spectrum, Eddie Albert as a fiftyish WWI doughboy who is unaware that a whole new war is raging about him, and Beau Bridges as a green private who tries to hide the fact that he is merely 15 years old. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1964
Most of the men of King Company who were trudging through post D-day France during season two of Combat! are still in attendance for season three, except for Tom Lowell as Private Billy Nelson. Remaining firmly in charge of the platoon throughout all 32 episodes are Sgt. Chip Saunders (Vic Morrow) and Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason). This years' quota of guest stars include Theodore Bikel, Mickey Rooney, Dan Duryea, Telly Savalas (as -- what else? -- a Greek colonel) and a young Robert Duvall (as a German lieutenant). Of special interest is the performance of Charles Bronson as a sensitive explosives expert who faces a crisis of conscience when assigned to blow up an enemy stronghold containing several priceless and irreplaceable works of art. ~ All Movie Guide
Though only 31 episodes were produced for Combat!'s fourth season (down from the usual quota of 32), there is still action aplenty as the men of King Company, led by stalwart Sgt. Chip Saunders (Vic Morrow) and Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason), fight their way through Southern France in the months following D-day. Among the guest stars appearing during season four are John Cassavetes, Jack Lord, Sal Mineo, Dwayne Hickman, and Fernando Lamas (as a Frenchman!) Arguably the highlight of the season is the two-part episode "Hills are for Heroes," directed by Combat! star Vic Morrow. ~ All Movie Guide
