G.D. Spradlin Movies

Based on a novel by Tom Willis, the made-for-TV Maneaters Are Loose! also bears a surface resemblance to the 1973 TV film Maneater. On the verge of bankruptcy, suicidal animal trainer David Birk (Steve Forrest) releases his "pets" -- two ferocious Bengal tigers -- into the woods near the small California mountain town of Whitford. It isn't long before several locals have been chewed up by the marauding felines -- and add to this a myriad of local scandals and dirty secrets (including a porno ring masterminded by the town deacon) and a climactic forest fire, and one has all the ingredients for a typical "life's a bowl of rotten cherries" movie of the week. Maneaters are Loose! debuted May 3, 1978, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Star Gregory Peck went into MacArthur disliking the title character that he was slated to play, but emerged from the experience with a deeper understanding and respect for this complex historical figure. The film is framed in flashback, with an octogenarian General
Douglas MacArthur (Peck) making his final address before his alma mater of West Point. We flash back to the fall of Corregidor in 1942, with MacArthur promising "I shall return" to the beleaguered (and eventually imprisoned) American and Filipino troops. The story follows MacArthur's subsequent victories in the South Pacific, occasionally pausing to show us the General's omnipresent sense of "showmanship" (e.g. his wading ashore on the beaches of the Philippines for the benefit of the newsreel cameras). The greater part of the film involves MacArthur's attempts to restore dignity to the defeated postwar Japan, and to keep the Russian Communists from overtaking the orient as they had Eastern Europe. MacArthur is eventually fired from his post by President Truman after the general defies orders during the Korean conflict. MacArthur was intended as Universal's "answer" to 20th Century-Fox's enormously successful Patton (1970), but box-office returns were disappointing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Francis Ford Coppola's legendary continuation and sequel to his landmark 1972 film, The Godfather, parallels the young Vito Corleone's rise with his son Michael's spiritual fall, deepening The Godfather's depiction of the dark side of the American dream. In the early 1900s, the child Vito flees his Sicilian village for America after the local Mafia kills his family. Vito (Robert De Niro) struggles to make a living, legally or illegally, for his wife and growing brood in Little Italy, killing the local Black Hand Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) after he demands his customary cut of the tyro's business. With Fanucci gone, Vito's communal stature grows, but it is his family (past and present) who matters most to him -- a familial legacy then upended by Michael's (Al Pacino) business expansion in the 1950s. Now based in Lake Tahoe, Michael conspires to make inroads in Las Vegas and Havana pleasure industries by any means necessary. As he realizes that allies like Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) are trying to kill him, the increasingly paranoid Michael also discovers that his ambition has crippled his marriage to Kay (Diane Keaton) and turned his brother, Fredo (John Cazale), against him. Barely escaping a federal indictment, Michael turns his attention to dealing with his enemies, completing his own corruption. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

The Only Way Home, a psychological drama made three years after the release of Easy Rider, attempts to take advantage of the earlier film's inexplicable popularity. It tells the story of two young men who set out on the open road after working a series of dead-end, menial jobs. They encounter a rich couple and stop to help them change a flat tire. Something the husband says causes one of the men to strike the husband with a tire iron, killing him. Panicked, they take the wife hostage. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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

This 25-million dollar epic collaboration accurately recreates the events that led to the Japanese attack on the American naval base during World War II. With Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the wheels are set in motion by Japan to plan the attack. After internal differences in the government, the Japanese quickly mobilize plans for the assault. Key American personnel ignored warnings of the possibility of Japanese aggression. The first part of the film divides scenes from both countries. Part two contains spectacular battle scenes of the bombing that destroyed the American naval base of operations in Hawaii. Governmental errors on both sides add to the confusion, but the Japanese ultimately carry out the deadly mission. The film did well in Japan, did not do well in the he United States, and took years to make back the production costs. It remains an insightful and well crafted World War II action drama that was the result of years of negotiations between the two countries. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

"Trouble" is the apt cognomen for one of the toughest towns in California. Through a fluke, Hoss Cartwright is named temporary sheriff of Trouble, determined to do his duty even though the citizens want nothing to do with law and order. Through methods both persuasive and pugnacious, Hoss ends up arresting virtually the entire town! Also in the cast are Gene Evans as Montana Perkins, G.D. Spradlin as Chip, E.J. Andre as the Judge, Jeff Morris as Matthew Brody, and Hal Holmes as Mark. First seen on October 25, 1970, "The Trouble with Trouble" was written by Jack B. Sowards, who penned many of Bonanza's funnier installments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ron Catlin (Charleton Heston) is a pro-football player who realizes his playing skills have eroded. His actions on the field have slowed to the point where retirement looms. His wife Julie (Jessica Walter) has her own fashion-designing business and his former teammate Richie (Bruce Dern) has parlayed his football heroics into a successful auto-leasing company. As "The Cat" loses his legendary quickness, he finds himself ill-suited to join the real world after his pampered isolation in the NFL. He takes to the bottle and to the lure of an illicit affair with Ann (Diana Muldaur). John Randolph plays a realistic coach who can't rely on this fading player's past heroics to win the next big game. Trumpeter Al Hirt and members of the New Orleans Saints appear as themselves. Bobby Troupe plays a local businessman who offers Catlin a job. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Bonanza inaugurated its tenth season on September 15, 1968, with the episode titled "Same Pines, Different Winds." Irene Tedrow is cast as tenacious widow Carrie Picket, who owns a parcel of land which she calls "her piney woods." Because her late husband never filed a legal claim for the property, Carrie is threatened with eviction by evil lumber tycoon Jason Milburn (Herb Voland). Joe Cartwright tries to come to Carrie's aid-only to be harshly rebuked by the old woman, who trusts absolutely no one. Also appearing are John Randolph as Doc and G. D. Spradlin as Jenk. "Same Pines, Different Winds" was written by Suzanna Clauser. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide