Celia Kaye Movies
Jan-Michael Vincent plays a self-destructive beach bum to whom surfing is a Zen experience. We first meet Vincent in the devil-may-care 1960s, in the company of his carefree buddies William Katt and Gary Busey. The boys reunite ten years later, after one has served time in Vietnam. The beach is still there, the waves still break upon the shore, and towards the end of the film, the characters become people that we truly care about. Barbara Hale, the real-life mother of costar William Katt, makes a piquant supporting appearance. Cut from 129 minutes to 104 for its pay-cable release, Big Wednesday is also known as Summer of Innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, (more)
A herd of chemically altered rattlesnakes become fearsome killers in this made-for-TV chiller. The tale is set in the Mojave Desert and centers upon Sam Parkinson, a noted zoologist, who has come to investigate a series of strange deaths that began with two dead children found near their parents' campsites. Sam is accompanied by Ann, a photographer who make an appalling discovery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Guadalupe Chauvet, Sam Chew, (more)
The Ingalls' first wheat crop is wiped out by a hailstorm, which also devastates the neighboring farms. This catastrophe forces Charles (Michael Landon) and his fellow farmers to leave town and seek out other work. While the menfolk of Walnut Grove are all laboring at a faraway quarry, it is up to the women left behind to harvest what is left of their crops -- an experience that serves to bring the Ingalls girls even closer together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
Ranking with Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror as one of the spookiest made-for-TV horror films of the 1970's, this atmospheric monster chiller stars Kim Darby and Jim Hutton as a comfortable, reasonably happy young couple who inherit the archetypal "Old Dark House" from the wife Sally's deceased aunt. While renovating the creepy mansion, they enter a previously-sealed room, which features a securely bricked-up fireplace. Despite the insistence of a local contractor (My Three Sons' William Demarest) that they leave the room undisturbed, Sally's husband manages to open the flue, releasing a horde of shriveled mini-monsters imprisoned there for decades. The little demons immediately fixate their malevolent attention on Sally in an effort to claim her soul, a mission which can only be averted by the love of her husband -- which, in light of his self-centered careerism, means poor Sally's pretty much on her own. Director John Newland manages to pull off this one-note premise with some effective, frightening scenes -- especially when he chooses to show as little of the goofy-looking monsters as possible -- but it's hard to sustain this level of suspense for a full 90 minutes. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
When an underqualified white man is given the job that Johnny Johnson (Billy Dee Williams) is infinitely more qualified for, the young black man becomes involved in a violent, radical movement to rise up against the perpetrators of racism. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Dee Williams, D'Urville Martin, (more)
Wild Seed was produced by Universal as part of the studio's short-lived "new talent" policy, which permitted untried actors and/or directors a low-cost opportunity to prove themselves with a theatrical feature. Director Brian G. Hutton was no newcomer, having been a TV actor and director for several years, but Wild Seed was his first big-screen directorial effort. Michael Parks plays a young drifter who forms an alliance with runaway girl Celia Kaye. Parks helps guide the girl on her trek to California, falling in love along the way. The plotline is wafer thin, but Wild Seed was a particular favorite of cinematographer Conrad Hall, who welcomed the opportunity given him by director Hutton to tell most of the story through imagery and visual juxtapositions rather than dialogue (the film was also Hall's first major studio credit). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Parks, Celia Kaye, (more)
Fluffy the lion is featured in this comedy. He plays the subject of an ambitious experiment done by Daniel Potter (Tony Randall) -- a scientist trying to prove that even a wild animal like a lion can be made into a pet with proper training. Wherever he goes, Potter's ponderous pet incites mayhem amongst the region's fearful residents. To escape his panicky neighbors, Potter and Fluffy hide out in a hotel. There the owner's plucky daughter (Shirley Jones) falls for the unlikely duo. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, Shirley Jones, (more)
Based on the popular children's story by Scott O'Dell, this family movie tells of the true adventures of a young Native American girl. After her father is killed by a malevolent white trapper, Karana (Celia Kaye) joins her community as they leave their island home in the Pacific to live on the mainland. Upon her departure, Karana realizes that her brother has been left behind. She immediately swims back to be with him and the two remain on the abandoned island. Though Karana is able to domesticate a wolf, her brother is not so fortunate with the animals and is killed by a pack of wild dogs. She is left to survive against the odds for several years before she has a chance to journey to the mainland herslelf. The adept cinematography of Leo Tover (Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Day the Earth Stood Still) greatly contributed to this outdoor adventure film as did appropriate music from prolific film composer Paul Sawtell. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Celia Kaye, Larry Domasin, (more)














