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| Seventies & Eighties Made-For-TV Movies - E | 
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EARTH II
1971
100 min.
Hari Rhodes, Gary Lockwood, Tony Franciosa, Gary Merrill, Lew Ayres, Scott Hylands. Directed by Tom Gries.
Workable premise that doesn't lead anywhere; depiction of the day-to-day operations of a space station, with good
performances battling forgettable dialogue. Average.
EAST OF EDEN
1980
240 min.
Timothy Bottoms, Jane Seymour, Bruce Boxleitner, Soon-Teck Oh, Karen Allen, Hart Bachner, Sam Bottoms, Warren Oates,
Howard Duff, Anne Baxter, Lloyd Bridges, M. Emmet Walsh. Directed by Harvey Hart.
This made-for-TV miniseries adaptation of John Steinbeck's epic novel is much more faithful to the original text than
was the 1955 movie, but it's inferior in almost every other way since it sorely lacks the epic scope of Elia Kazan's
filmmaking and the charisma and mastery of James Dean and Jo Van Fleet. However Seymour is outstanding and appropriately
cold-blooded as Kate Ames (the role that won Van Fleet an Oscar).
EBONY, IVORY AND JADE
1979
78 min.
Bert Convy, Debbie Allen, Martha Smith, Claude Akins, NIna Foch, Ji-Tu Cumbuka. Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey.
A Las Vegas performer and two comely showgirls double as undercover agents to protect "guest" scientist Foch from
terrorists in this routine pilot that never made it to series. Below average.
ELEANOR AND FRANKLIN
1976
208 min.
Jane Alexander, Edward Hermann, Rosemary Murphy, Pamela Franklin, David Huffman, Mackenzie Phillips, Lilia Skala, Ed
Flanders, Anna Lee, Linda Purl, Linda Kelsey. Directed by Daniel Petrie.
Outstanding performaces by the two leads and all the supporting players (Rosemary Murphy won an Emmy for her Sara
Delano Roosevelt) in this multi-award-winning production adapted by James Costigan from Joseph P. Lash's Pulitzer Prize
best-seller about the Roosevelts from FDR's youth to his death in 1945. Director Petrie won an Emmy, and the film itself
was named Outstanding Special of the Year. Above average.
ELEANOR AND FRANKLIN: THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS
1977
152 min.
Jane Alexander, Edward Hrmann, Rosemary Murphy, Walter McGinn, Blair Brown, David Healy, Anna Lee, Mark Harmon, Linda
Kelsey, Paggy McKay, Donald Moffat. Directed by Daniel Petrie.
Follow-up to the award-winning TV portrait of the Roosevelts reunited most of the original cast and crew and
practically duplicated the Emmy honors, with statuettes going to director Petrie and the program itself as Outstanding
Special. This sequel concentrated on the lives of FDR and Eleanor during their 12-year residence at 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue. Written by James Costigan. Above average.
ELEANOR, FIRST LADY OF THE WORLD
1982
100 min.
Jean Stapleton, E.G. Marshall, Coral Browne, Joyce Van Patten, Gail Strickland, Kenneth Kimmins, Richard McKenzie,
Kabir Bendi. Directed by John Erman.
Stapleton glows as Eleanor Roosevelt in the years after FDR's death, emerging as an influential public figure on her
own. Script by Caryl Ledner, and Cynthia Mandelberg, from a story by Rhoda Lerman. Above average.
THE ELEPHANT MAN
1982
102 min.
Philip Anglim, Kevin Conway, Penny Fuller, Glenn Close, David Rounds, Richard Clarke. Directed by Jack Hofsiss.
Telefilm adaptation of the Bernard Pomerance's Tony-winning play about John Merrick, the grotesquely deformed
Englisman whose mistreatement briefly became the the cause celebre in 19th century London. The performances are good
and the cumulative effect is inevitably moving, but David Lynch's 1980 film of the same name told the story with more
grace, skill and impact. Average.
THE ELEVATOR
1974
78 min.
James Farentino, Roddy McDowall, Craig Stevens, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Carol Lynley, Don Stroud, Barry Livingston.
Directed by Jerry Jameson.
Standard amount of all-star thrills when a group of people are stuck between floors in a high-rise building with a
claustrophobic thief (Farentino) trying to flee from his latest heist. Average.
11TH VICTIM
1979
100 min.
Bess Armstrong, Max Gail, Harold Gould, Pamela Ludwig, Eric Burdon, Annazette Chase. Directed by Jonathan Kaplan.
Standard exploitation drama involving a small town newspaperwoman who goes to Hollywood looking for the killer of her
prostitute sister. Average.
ELLERY QUEEN
1975
78 min.
Jim Hutton, David Wayne, Ray Milland, Kim Hunter, Monte Markham, John Hillerman, John Larch, Tim O'Connor. Directed by
David Greene.
Preoccupied sleuth Ellery helps his police inspector dad in solving a fashion designer's murder. The Ellery Queen
mystery THE FOURTH SIDE OF THE TRIANGLE served as the source for this enertaining, lighthearted period detective movie
that preceded the well-crafted TV series. Written by Richard Levinson and William Link. Above average. Retitled TOO MANY
SUSPECTS.
ELLERY QUEEN: DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU
1971
100 min.
Peter Lawford, Harry Morgan, Stefanie Powers, E. G. Marshall, Coleen Gray, Morgan Sterne, Skye Aubrey. Directed by
Barry Shear.
Entertaining, easily forgettable murder mystery has the famed detective taking over the police-baffling Hydra case.
The relationship between Lawford and Morgan starts out well but disappears as the film progresses. Based on CAT OF MANY
TALES. Average.
ELLIS ISLAND
1984
327 min.
Faye Dunaway, Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Ann Jillian, Judi Bowker, Kate Burton, Lila Kaye, Stubby Kaye, Ben Vereen,
Melba Moore. Directed by Jerry London.
Formulaic multifamily miniseries about immigrants to Our Great Nation and the pitfalls, fortunes, triumphs, and
heartbreaks that awaited them when they arrived. It lacks the lurid plot lines that would make it entertaining trash,
but it's not written or directed with enough imagination to make it work on any higher level. Average.
ELVIS AND THE BEAUTY QUEEN
1981
100 min.
Don Johnson, Stephanie Zimbalist, Ann Dusenberry, Rick Lenz, John Crawford, Richard Herd, Ann Wedgeworth, Ruta Lee.
Directed by Gus Trikonis.
The marketing of Elvis continues with this uninspired telling of Presley's romance with beauty queen Linda Thompson and
their 5-year love affair. Average.
EMERGENCY
1971
100 min.
Robert Fuller, Julie London, Bobby Troup, Randolph Mantooth, Kevin Tighe. Directed by Jack Webb.
The daily adventures, foibles of an L.A. county paramedics unit and backup hospital personnel. The only difference
between this and subsequent series is the running time. Average.
EMERGENCY ROOM
1983
100 min.
Sarah Purcell, LeVar Burton, Gary Frank, Gary Lockwood, Conchata Ferrell, Penny Peyser, Paul Stewart, Julia Sommars.
Directed by Lee H. Katzin.
Formula hospital drama mixing romance, operating room activities and hospital politics. Average.
ENOLA GAY: THE MEN, THE MISSION, THE ATOMIC BOMB
1980
150 min.
Billy Crystal, Kim Darby, Patrick Duffy, Gary Frank, Gregory Harrison, Stephen Macht, Walter Olkewicz, Robert Pine, Ed
Nelson, James Shigeta, Robert Walden, Henry Wilcoxon. Directed by David Lowell Rich.
The story of the crew that dropped the first atomic bomb, based on the reminiscences of the mission's leader, Paul
Tibbets (played by Duffy). James Poe and Milalrd Kaufman wrote the dramatization. Average.
THE ENTERTAINER
1975
100 min.
Jack Lemmon, Ray Bolger, Sada Thompson, Tyne Daly, Allyn Ann McLerie, Michael Cristofer, Annette O'Toole, Mitch Ryan.
Directed by Donald Wrye.
Third-rate vaudevillian Archie Rice plays out his life in a seedy California burlesque house in the 1940s, vainly
trying to emulate his once-famous father (Bolger) now living on faded memories. Lemmon is good, but no Olivier; Bolger
is excellent as the father. Unrelenting drama punctuated by eight Marvin Hamlisch songs. Average.
ERIC
1975
100 min.
Patricia Neal, John Savage, Claude Akins, Sian Barbara Allen, Mark Hamill, Nehemiah Persoff, Tom Clancy. Directed by
James Goldstone.
Sensitive weeper about an atheletic youth who, aware of his terminal illness, refuses to give up. Based on Doris Lund's
book about her own teen-aged son, given dignity by the steady performances of Savage in the title role and Neal as his
valiant mother. Above average.
ESCAPE
1970
73 min.
Christopher George, Avery Schreiber, Marlyn Mason, William Windon, Gloria Grahame, John Vernon, William Schallert,
Huntz Hall. Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey.
After almost losing his life trying to prevent the kidnapping of a scientist, a magician-adventurer, with the help of
his sidekick and the scientist's daughter (Mason), battles with a mysterious mad scientist over a plot to destroy
Earth. Dumb characterizations, silly dialogue, passable action. Average.
ESCAPE
1980
100 min.
Timothy Bottoms, Kay Lenz, Colleen Dewhurst, Allan Miller, Antonio Fargas, Miguel Angel Suarez. Directed by Robert
Michael Lewis.
TV's answer to MIDNIGHT EXPRESS traces the true story of Dwight Worker, stashed for smuggling hash in Mexico, and his
intricate breakout escapade. Dewhurst's patented "earth mother" turn, hatching the escape plot, gives Michael Zagar's
script added zest, but the whole is predictable. Average.
ESCAPE FROM BOGEN COUNTY
1977
100 min.
Jaclyn Smith, Mitchell Ryan, Michael Parks, Henry Gibson, Pat Hingle, Philip Abbott. Directed by Steven Hilliard Stern.
Tawdry drama about a vicious political czar who strips his wife of her civil rights and imprisons her in their mansion
when she threatens to expose his ruthlessness. Average.
ESCAPE FROM IRAN: THE CANADIAN CAPER
1981
100 min.
Gordon Pinsent, Chris Wiggins, Diana Barrington, Robert Joy, James B. Douglas, Tisa Chang. Directed by Lamont Johnson.
The true story of six Americans who escaped being taken hostage when the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was besieged, thanks to
some daring Canadian Embassy officials. An inspiring Canadian-made film, written by Lionel Chetwynd, with a standout
performance by Pinsent as Ambassador Ken Taylor. Above average.
ESCAPE TO MINDINAO
1968
95 min.
George Maharis, Ronald Remy, Nehemiah Persoff, James Shigeta, Willi Coopman. Directed by Don McDougall.
Two American P.O.W.s break out of a Japanese prison, must make it back to U.S. forces via a Dutch black market
freighter with a valuable enemy decoder. Contrived, unbelievable resolutions; the film should have been made for longer
running time. Below average.
EVENING IN BYZANTIUM
1978
200 min.
Glenn Ford, Eddie Albert, Vince Edwards, Shirley Jones, Erin Gray, Harry Guardino, Patrick Macnee, Gregory Sierra,
Michael Cole, Gloria Marquand, James Booth, Simon Oakland. Directed by Jerry London.
Fading movie producer Ford wheels and deals at the Cannes Film Festival as it is taken over by terrorists. Better than
expected adaptation of Irwin Shaw's best seller. Originally shown in two parts. Above average.
EVERY MAN NEEDS ONE
1972
74 min.
Connie Stevens, Ken Berry, Gail Fisher, Steve Franken, Henry Gibson, Louise Sorel, Carol Wayne, Nancy Walker, Jerry
Paris. Directed by Jerry Paris.
A bachelor architect, forced to eat his words, hires a "know it all" woman (Stevens) as his assistant. Typical TV-style
comedy complete with an accommodating feminist slant. Average.
EVITA PERON
1981
200 min.
Faye Dunaway, James Farentno, Rita Moreno, Jose Ferrer, Pedro Armendariz, Jr., Michael Constantine, Signe Hasso, Katy
Jurado, Robet Viharo, Jeremy Kemp, Verginia Gregg. Directed by Marvin Chomsky.
Dunaway gives a flamboyant portrayal of Argentina's charismatic First Lady, and Farentino (who replaced Robert Mitchum)
is interesting as dictator Juan Peron, in this lengthy teleplay by Ronald Harwood. No relation to the Broadway musical,
though the idea of doing this film was clearly inspired by its success. Average.
THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG
1982
Tommy Lee Jones, Rosanna Arquette, Christine Lahti, Eli Wallach, Jordan Clark, Steven Keats, Richard Venture, Michael
LeClair, Walter Olkewicz. Directed by Lawrence Schiller.
Jones's electrifying portrayal of convicted killer Gary Gilmore and his efforts to get the state of Utah to carry out
his death sentence in 1977 keeps this lengthy film sizzling. Equally torrid: Arquette's erotic portrait of Gilmore's
jailbait girlfriend, Nicole Baker. Norman Mailer adapted his own best seller into this film. Originally shown in two
parts. Above average.
THE EXO-MAN
1977
100 min.
David Ackroyd, Anne Schedeen, A. Martinez, Jose Ferrer, Harry Morgan, Kevin McCarthy, Jack Colvin, Donald Moffat.
Directed by Richard Irving.
Paralyzed by the syndicate, physics professor Ackroyd creates a special "exo" suit to make him sufficiently mobile to
take vengeance on his attackers. Disappointing and dull "superman" story. Below average.
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Made-For-TV-Movies - D
