Sutton Roley Movies

In this horror movie, taken from the Cliff-Hangers TV series, college students learn about their professor's dark secret. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In search of a courier for stolen diamonds, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) boards a cross-country bus. The problem: Baretta has no idea what the courier looks like. A bigger problem: The bus is being closely followed by the mastermind of the diamond heist, who intends to exact a horrible revenge from his double-crossing henchmen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This speculative horror film details the tribulations endured by a specially-selected test group of 11 people who are informed that they will be the only occupants of a nuclear fallout shelter built half a mile below the Earth's surface. Chosen by project coordinator Peter Macomber (Bradford Dillman) as a fair cross-section of humanity, the group includes a politician, a businessman, an athlete and an author. As it turns out, the "survivors" are unwitting participants in one of those contrived psychological experiments featured so often on programs like The Twilight Zone. To make matters worse, someone's left a vent open, releasing thousands of ravenous vampire bats. Produced in Mexico, this tepid psycho-thriller plays out like the aforementioned TV drama, albeit padded out to 100 minutes. Said padding seems comprised of equal parts dull dialogue and interminable battles with the winged foes -- which are admittedly quite realistic and make for some genuine creep-out scenes. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

With Mission:Impossible regular Lynda Day George still on maternity leave, Marlyn Mason makes a guest appearance as IMF agent Sandy in "Crack-Up." For her first assignment with the team, Sandy plays a major role in a scheme to determine the identity of the Syndicate higher-up who hired professional hit man Peter Cordel (Alex Cord). Vital ingredients for the success of this mission include a rigged chess game and a special "black-out" drug. "Crack-Up" was scripted by Arthur Weiss from a story by Weiss, Robert Weiss and Phyllis White. The episode originally aired December 9, 1972, as the last Saturday-night Mission:Impossible offering before the series' move to CBS' Friday-evening lineup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

$75 million in stolen diamonds is hidden somewhere on the ocean floor. Only Frederick Hoffman (Jeremy Slate) knows the actual whereabouts of the gems, and Hoffman is currently the prisoner of sadistic master criminal George Berlinger (Fritz Weaver). The IMF must recover the diamonds before Hoffman cracks under Berlinger's torture--and to accomplish this, Phelps and Casey must convince Berlinger that they know what he wants to know. The underwater scenes were filmed on location at Marineland of the Pacific. Wrtten by Arthur Weiss, "Underwater" was first telecast on November 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although the actors and character names aren't the same, Sweet Rachel was the pilot film for the TV series Sixth Sense. Alex Dreier plays a paranormal researcher whose patient, Stefanie Powers, suffers from disturbing ESP flashes. The source of these ghoulish images is a psychic murderer, who uses mind control to kill his female victims. Sutton Roley has directed tight, fascinating TV-movie horrors in the past; this isn't one of them. When Sweet, Sweet, Rachel became Sixth Sense, Alex Dreier was replaced by the younger, handsomer Gary Collins (A TV announcer-turned-actor replaced by an actor-turned-announcer. The mind boggles). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released theatrically overseas, How to Steal the World was comprised of two episodes from the American TV series Man from U.N.C.L.E. U.N.C.L.E. agents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Ilya Kuriakin (David McCallum) investigate when fellow agent Barry Sullivan and European general Leslie Nielsen disappear. Shortly afterward, five of the world's top scientists are mysteriously abducted. The trail leads to the Himalayas, where Sullivan has set himself up as potential world dictator, hoping to use the combined talents of the scientists to build a device that will spread mind-controlling gas throughout the planet. How to Steal the World was originally telecast in two weekly installments as the "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair"--the final two episodes of Man From U.N.C.L.E., which had been cancelled by NBC to make way for Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally intended as a single one-hour episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair" was expanded to two parts when the series was canceled by NBC. The producers hoped to make up for past production costs by marketing the two-parter as a theatrical feature. For the record, the plot finds U.N.C.L.E. agents Solo and Illya investigating the disappearances of seven of the world's most prominent geniuses. Essential to the action is a new "docility gas," which the geniuses, headed by the altruistic Professor David Garrow (Dan O'Herlihy), hope to use to encourage World Peace. Alas, Garrow and his son, Steve (played by future movie executive Tony Bill), are kidnapped by General Maximilian Harmon (Leslie Nielsen), who intends to deploy the gas to conquer the world. The two U.N.C.L.E. agents compete with T.H.R.U.S.H. operative Mr. Webb (Mark Richman) and his mistress, Margitta (Eleanor Parker) -- the traitorous wife of U.N.C.L.E. man Robert Kingsley (Barry Sullivan) -- to retrieve both Garrow and the gas from Harmon's well-guarded lair. Written by Norman Hudis, "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair, Pt. 1" originally aired on January 8, 1968; not long afterward, parts one and two were issued theatrically, as planned, under the title How to Steal the World. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The fourth and final season of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. commenced on September 11, 1967, with the episode titled "The Summit Five Affair." At the Berlin headquarters of U.N.C.L.E., where a top-level summit conference is about to begin, head man Harry Beldon (Albert Dekker) accuses Napoleon Solo of being a double agent and a murderer. Other suspects include Beldon's secretary, Helga Deniken (Susanne Cramer), and delegate Gerald Struthers (Lloyd Bochner). In an effort to clear himself, Solo uncovers an even more startling development. "The Summit Five Affair" was written by Robert E. Thompson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Geraldine Brooks, who played Ben Cartwright's first wife in the 1961 Bonanza episode "Elizabeth, My Love," was cast as Hoss Cartwright's love interest in the October 16, 1966 episode "To Bloom for Thee." Beaten down by life, Carol Attley (Brooks) has become cold, aloof and distrustful. Nonetheless, she agrees to marry Hoss-only to violently change her mind when Ben asks her a few innocent questions about her past. Don Haggerty also appears as Demers. "To Bloom for Thee" was written by June Randolph. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A few weeks ago, the space travelers were worried that the planet would freeze over; now, they're concerned that the blazing sun will kill them all. No one is more worried that the redoubtable Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris), though he seems rather blasé about the plight of his companions when he uses all the available drinking water to take a shower. Later on, while foraging for food, Smith consumes an odd-looking fruit--which instantly transforms him into a giant 12 times his normal size! Unfortunately, the growth process has made Smith extremely paranoid, to the extent that he believes the only way to save himself is to wipe out the Robinson family! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Robinsons come across an odd-looking laserlike device, indicating that someone else will soon be visiting their planet. Shortly thereafter, a family of aliens--specifically, Taurons--show up, baffling the Robinsons with their strange "electronic" language. Though both the Robinsons and the Taurons are wary of each other, they both make an effort to extend the hand of friendship--an effort destroyed by the interference of (who else?) Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris). Fortunately, Will Robinson (Bill Mumy) has managed to bond with his Tauron counterpart (Eddie Rosson), a fact that turns out to be a life-saver in the climactic scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Oscar-winning Viennese actress Luise Rainer makes her first Hollywood appearance since the 1943 theatrical film Hostages in this episode, in which she is cast as French countess Loraine De Roy. Wounded in combat, Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) is forced to take refuge in the servant's quarters of the Countess' chateau, where a reception is taking place. Hanley's presence places Loraine in a most precarious position: at the moment, she and her husband (played by silent-film favorite Ramon Novarro) are playing host to several high-ranking German officers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide