William W. Norton Movies
- 1987
When Robert Knight (Bernie White) is placed in a mental institution by his money-hungry relatives, he escapes and seeks vengeance. Hardly an innocent victim, Robert really is a crazed killer, so none of the characters evoke much sympathy. His main targets are his Uncle Charles (Dick Sargent) and Aunt Joanne (Marilyn Hassett).This dysfunctional bunch makes the Manson family look like Ozzie and Harriet as they resort to murder and cannibalism. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernie White, Marilyn Hassett, (more)
- 1983
Robert Preston seems to be having the time of his life in the made-for-TV September Gun. The "Music Man" is cast as a long-in-tooth gunfighter who forms an uneasy alliance with Catholic nun Patty Duke Astin. The single-minded sister wants to erect a sanctuary for a group of Apache orphans. Preston picks an ideal spot, right in the center of town--the local saloon and "bawdy house"! Sally Kellerman co-stars as Madame Queen (not the same lady who used to be on Amos N Andy) in this harmless western romp, which first aired October 8, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- PG
After a Harvard professor (Elliott Gould) comes into possession of a letter by George Washington, he finds that criminals are after the valuable document as well. A young reporter (Kate Jackson) just might save him, in this Canadian production. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, Kate Jackson, (more)
- 1980
- R
The protagonists are secondary and uni-dimensional in this unlikely actioner about a divorced father (James Brolin) tearing through New York chasing the man who kidnapped his daughter (Abby Bluestone). Sean Boyd (Brolin) is an ex-cop with an enemy on the force out to kill him. Between dodging his would-be assassin, fighting off street thugs, and getting crashed into by one car after another, Boyd is not about to give up or get seriously hurt. In the meantime the police themselves are too inept to catch the kidnapper (Cliff Gorman), and the winsome Marie (Julie Carmen) has decided to hang out with Boyd and help him find his daughter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, (more)
An interesting low-budget entry in the post-Jaws animals-run-amok genre (which also owes more than a little to Hitchcock's The Birds), this noisy, violent thriller features the prophetic premise of a widening gap in the ozone layer (thanks to human indulgences in hairspray and other aerosol products) which unleashes brain-frying radiation and causes assorted woodland creatures to go for the throats of unsuspecting Sierra backpackers. As if that weren't horrific enough, the poor kids are also placed in the position of defending themselves against a rampaging Leslie Nielsen -- whose hammy performance will probably have fans of the Naked Gun series and their ilk waiting for a punch line that never arrives. Perennial B-movie couple Christopher George and Lynda Day George round out the cast. Day of the Animals is also known as Something Is out There. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher George, Leslie Nielsen, (more)
Having created the character of Gator McKlusky in 1973's White Lightning, Burt Reynolds reprises the role in the appropriately titled Gator. Once again, ex-convict McKluskey is strong-armed into helping the feds nab a dangerous criminal, who turns out to be an old high-school chum (Jerry Reed). He is aided and abetted by TV reporter Aggie Maybank (Lauren Hutton) and comedy-relief FBI agent Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston). Talk-show host Mike Douglas makes his film debut as a Jimmy Carter-style governor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Jack Weston, (more)
This offbeat John Wayne vehicle casts the Duke as Detective Jim Brannigan, an Irish-American detective at large in London. After the requisite culture-clash routines, it's down to business as Brannigan teams with Scotland Yard official Commander Swann (Richard Attenborough) to corral a crook who has absconded to England to avoid extradition. Judy Geeson co-stars as Jennifer Thatcher, a cute lady constable who spends most over her time fending off Brannigan's inbred chauvinism. Brannigan was co-written by Christopher Trumbo, the son of former blacklistee Dalton Trumbo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Richard Attenborough, (more)
Angie Dickinson essays the title role in Big Bad Mama. This Depression-era crime caper casts the future star of Police Woman as sexy Ma Barker type Wilma McClatchie, who forces her nubile daughters (Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee) into participating in a robbery/kidnapping/murder spree. Wilma seems to be as motivated by the erotic thrill of lawbreaking as she is by the financial gains. She evens hops in the sack with her daughters, as does her common-law husband, played by William Shatner. A sequel appeared in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, (more)
- 1973
- PG
This film is based on the 1931 film, Trader Horn. In the earlier picture, explorers (including Trader Horn) who stumbled on a hostile tribe of Africans have their lives saved by a white girl whom the tribe members regard as a goddess. They discover that she is the daughter of some missing missionaries and take her back to Europe with them. In this film, Trader Horn (Rod Taylor) works to thwart the efforts of Germans to use slave laborers in Africa to mine platinum for the war effort (WWI). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- R
Originally released as Albert and Annie, this low-budget, poorly lighted, non-action, slasher film features Albert (Zooey Hall) as a deranged youth locked up in a mental institution by his super-rich mother until one day he is stopped from watching soft-porn movies in his room, and, upset at this deprivation, he escapes and starts killing women. Albert first returns to his family mansion where he torments and kills the buxom housekeeper. When her nine-year-old daughter Annie (Geri Reischi) comes in from school, Albert sees her as a perfect, innocent female and is compelled to protect her at all costs -- even if it means killing off her impure, older sisters. If his sexual urges take over at night, Albert goes out and kills other "immoral" women -- until the police, through a maddeningly unrealistic bureaucratic maze, track him to a warehouse of mannequins -- and the chase is on, at least for awhile. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zooey Hall, Geri Reischl, (more)
This infamously violent British Western stars Gene Hackman as Brandt Ruger, a wealthy rancher who goes away on a hunting trip with a group of friends. While he's gone, a thug named Frank Calder (Oliver Reed) kidnaps Melissa (Candice Bergen), Brandt's wife, under the mistaken impression that she's a schoolteacher and will be able to teach him to read. Despite being taken against her will, in time Melissa begins to develop feelings for Calder, who in his way cares for her more than her husband, who treats her like a possession. Melissa has fallen in love with Calder by the time Brandt returns. However, Brandt is enraged over the abduction of his wife, and sets out on a new hunting trip, with Calder and his men as his prey. Noted character actors G.D. Spradlin and L.Q. Jones round out the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Reed, Candice Bergen, (more)
The McKenzie Break is an unusual POW escape drama in that the would-be escapees are German prisoners, held in a Scottish camp. When a Luftwaffe pilot is murdered in the compound, British major Ian Hendrey investigates. He suspects that the killing is tied in with a complex escape plan, engineered by German commander Helmut Griem. Before the inevitable break, the prisoners form into the sort of separate factions and pressure groups that fomented the Nazi upheaval in Germany in the first place. Based on a novel by Sidney Shelley, The McKenzie Break was actually filmed in Ireland rather than Scotland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, Helmut Griem, (more)
- 1970
You all remember Greg Mullavey as the husband of Louise Lasser in the 1976 TV serial spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. But did you know that Mullavey once enjoyed top billing in a theatrical feature film? Judging by Marigold Man, perhaps "enjoyed" isn't the right word. Mullavey and Harry Cohn (not the Columbia Pictures executive!) play a couple of jobless jerks, living on the fringes of Hollywood. To avoid paying rent, Mullavey romances his landlady Joan Lemmo. This is not how he'd prefer to spend his time. No, Mullavey's goal in life is to plant marigolds from Coast to Coast. And this goes on and on for nearly 90 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This light western comedy finds the lovely widow Laura Breckenridge (Angie Dickenson) offering a $20,000 reward for the return of some gold her late husband had stolen from the Denver mint. She seduces the virginal Sam (Burt Reynolds) into leading a team to retrieve the gold, now lying at the bottom of the Platte River. With the help of local blacksmith Jedidiah Hooker (Ossie Davis) and the inventor O.W. Bandy (Clint Walker), the trio agrees to go for the gold in order to receive the reward and restore the good name to the Breckenridge family. Meanwhile, the villains (Rick Davis and Del Reeves) trail the heroes in hopes of grabbing the gold for themselves. The good guys must break into the mint to put back the money, but they need to fool the wary watchman and superintendent (William Shallert). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Clint Walker, (more)
- 1965
Another of the many raunchy "white trash" comedies of the 1960s, The Farmer's Other Daughter stars Judy Pennebaker in the title role. The farmer is portrayed by Harry Lovejoy, while obligatory travelling salesman is essayed by Bill Michael. What plot there is concerns a beauty contest wherein the candidates are garbed in flimsy bathing suits, which disintegrate when exposed to rain. A tentative stab at political satire occurs towards the end when the impoverished farm community finds itself eligible for foreign aid. Also known as Farm Girl, The Farmer's Other Daughter was considered pretty racy in its time, but now seems as sedate as an episode of Petticoat Junction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Harry (Paul Leder) is a junkyard owner who runs a profitable car theft operation on the side. His two flunkies do the dirty work in exchange for the marijuana Harry provides for them, as well as regular romps in the sheets with the Pooch (Rue McClanahan), an addled prostitute who lives in a shack behind the main office. A young couple traveling with their baby has car trouble nearby, so Ben (Will Gregory) goes to the junkyard for a new starter. Harry is evasive with Ben, talking in circles to the frustrated motorist, until finally suggesting that he wait in the shack with the Pooch while he checks the yard for the proper part. Harry has plans for Ben, however, turning him over to a pair of crooked cops when they demand a scapegoat for all the stolen cars in the area. While they try to beat a confession out of him, his wife Edna (Gail Gordon) is chased through the junkyard by Harry's stoned henchman Blowhard (King Moody), who tries to rape her on a pile of tires. By the end, most of the cast is eager for revenge against the manipulative, arrogant Harry, who believes his power, money, and brains entitle him to belittle and abuse everyone in his path. This unique exploitation feature was also released as Five Minutes to Love. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- 1961
A cynical wanderer convinces a skeptical young girl that marriage is a flawed institution in this pretentious adaptation of William Norton's stage play. To prove his point the wanderer randomly chooses a married couple and proceeds to destroy their union by seducing the other man's wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Leder, Rue McClanahan, (more)
