Jack Starrett Movies

In this drama, a young man dreams of being a Hollywood screenwriter and so heads for Tinseltown where he encounters many twists and turns on the road to success.. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

B.A.'s old college rival Jason Duke (Rick Fitts), now a bank employee, turns up missing. Despite his reluctance, B.A. (Mr. T.) agrees to look for Duke at the request of Jason's wife Debra (Sheila DeWindt), who happens to be B.A.'s former girlfriend. This assignment obliges the A-Team to descened upon Whispering Pines, Arizona, where virtually everyone in town is an accomplice in a scheme to steal gold from a nearby mine. Making matters worse, both Face (Dirk Benedict) and Murdock (Dwight Schultz) try to use the same "con" on the bad guys, neatly cancelling each other out--and nearly getting themselves killed in the process! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a former military man threatens to ruin a small town, it is up to the law enforcement agents of the Wildside Chamber of Commerce to put a stop to his dastardly plans. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Treachery and Greed on the Planet of the Apes was cobbled together from two 1974 episodes of the TV series Planet of the Apes, which of course was inspired by the popular movie series of the same name. Ron Harper and James Naughton play two contemporary astronauts who fall into a time warp and are transported 2000 years into the future. They find themselves hunted by a civilization of highly intelligent apes who have taken over the Earth. Roddy MacDowell, playing friendly ape Galen, is the only actor to carry over his role from the Apes movies. In Treachery and Greed, the humans must deal with a scientist ape conducting a brainwashing experiment, and a crooked simian landowner who uses bribery to achieve his goals. For the record, there were five makeshift movies lifted from the Planet of the Apes TV series: other titles include Back to the Planet of the Apes, Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes, Life, Liberty and Pursuit of the Planet of the Apes and (it's about time!) Farewell to the Planet of the Apes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, based on a William Goldman novel, the life of scout Tom Horn, an idealistic fellow whose life experiences turn him into a bitter bounty hunter, is chronicled. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Sue Anderson heads the cast of the made-for-TV The Survival of Dana. Dana Lee (Anderson) is a basically decent high school girl who suffers severe culture shock when her family moves to another town. A victim of oppressive peer pressure, Dana begins hanging around the "wrong crowd." Despite the affluence of their parents, these aimless kids get their kicks out of petty crime-and before long, there's nothing petty about their activities. Marion Ross, Robert Carradine Talia Balsam and Frederic Forrest costar in The Survival of Dana, which debuted May 29, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nice to see veteran hardcase character actor Charles Napier in a leading role, even if it's in something as eminently forgettable as Big Bob Johnson and His Fantastic Speed Circus. The eponymous Big Bob (Napier) is head man of a spit-and-vinegar auto racing team. Bob's aggregation makes a brief pit stop to save a deserving young man from being swindled by his devious uncle (William Daniels). The upshot of all this is a cross-country race between two souped-up Rolls Royce. Aimed squarely at the Smokey and the Bandit crowd, the made-for-TV Big Bob Johnson debuted June 27, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this detective drama, two gumshoes are engaged by a millionaire father who wants to find his daughter who has been kidnapped. The film is also known as Love For Ransom. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Fatal Chase stars Lee Van Cleef as taciturn U.S. marshal Ike Scanlon. Designed as the pilot for a weekly series, the film finds Scanlon escorting a mob witness (Tony Musante) to a federal trial. Since the witness is a hit man, there are plenty of people both inside and outside the Mob who'd like to see him dead. Featured in the cast are Fatal Chase's producer/writer Edward Anhalt and director Jack Starrett. Originally telecast as Nowhere to Hide on January 5, 1977, Fatal Chase has also been released as Scanlon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Will David Janssen never stop being a fugitive? In the made-for-TV Night Chase, he's a Los Angelino on the lam after shooting his wife's lover. Believing he's killed the man, Janssen boards Yaphet Kotto's taxi and orders Kotto to head for Mexico. The film's level of suspense holds up until the end, when the logic holes begin widening. Night Chase went into production with the more appropriate title The Man in the Back Seat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Biker-flick entrepreneur Joe Solomon used the profits from his first three independent efforts to form his own company, Fanfare Productions. The second film in the Solomon trio was Angels From Hell -- not to be confused with his other efforts, Hell's Angels on Wheels and Run, Angel, Run. Tom Stern plays a Vietnam vet whose wartime experiences have soured him on the Establishment. As a form of protest, the disgruntled vet organizes the biggest, meanest, ugliest biker gang in human history. Five-hundred strong, the Angels From Hell descend upon a small town to exact vengeance on the redneck sheriff who brutally killed one of the bikers in the first reel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the first recognizable "vigilante" films in American cinema, The Born Losers tells the story of Billy Jack (writer-director Tom Laughlin), a half-breed ex-Green Beret and Vietnam veteran who makes it his business to rescue a cute mod girl from a crew of vicious bikers. Much to his chagrin, however, he finds his lethal training gets him in as much trouble with the racist cops as with the bikers, and he soon becomes embroiled in a violent struggle against all parties involved. There is blood-letting and bone-breaking to burn in The Born Losers, not to mention lots of preaching on the part of Laughlin. However, it still tops the more famous sequel, Billy Jack, and it qualifies writer-director-star Laughlin for the status of true auteur. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Not to be confused with the 1987 movie of the same name, this is one of the early films that Tom Laughlin directed before he became famous from his series on Billy Jack, an anti-hero of his time. Laughlin also stars in this uneven teen drama as its only developed character, Christopher Wotan, a high-school athlete who starts out as essentially a normal young man faced with the tyranny of a brutal coach, and the vagaries of romantic and sexual challenges. Because Christopher's father has been trampled by failure and alcohol abuse, questions arise about the son's fate as he takes on life's obstacles. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide