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| Seventies & Eighties Made-For-TV Movies - T | 
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TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT
1982
100 min.
Robert Urich, Meredith Baxter-Birney, Jeffrey Tambor, Jack Bannon, Claudette Nevins, Susan Peretz. Directed by David
Greene.
Struggling actor Urich juggles a failed marriage and a flagging career in this comedy, a change of pace for the
writer-producer team of Richard Levinson and William Link. Average.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES
1980
156 min.
Chris Sarandon, Peter Cushing, Kenneth Moore, Barry Morse, Flora Robson, Billie Whitelaw, Alice Krige. Directed Jim
Goddard.
Seventh filming of the Dickens classic has all the trimmings, but Sarandon can't hold a candle to Ronald Coleman as
either Sydney Carton or Charles Darnay. John Gay did the script for producer Norman Rosemont, who worked his way
through the literary favorites of the ages for TV. Average.
TARANTULAS: THE DEADLY CARGO
1977
100 min.
Claude Akins, Charles Frank, Deborah Winters, Pat Hingle, Sandy McPeak, Bert Remsen, Howard Hesseman, Tom Atkins,
Charles Siebert. Directed by Stuart Hagmann.
A horde of deadly tarantulas spreads terror through a small town. The would-be thriller commits the unpardonable sin of
being dull. Below average.
TARGET RISK
1975
78 min.
Bo Svenson, Meredith Baxter, Robert Coote, Keenan Wynn, John P. Ryan, Philip Bruns. Directed by Robert Scheerer.
Gem courier Svenson is pressed into pulling off a jewel heist to ransom his kidnapped girlfriend. Pilot for a series
that never materialized. Average.
A TASTE OF EVIL
1971
73 min.
Barbara Parkins, Barbara Stanwyck, Roddy McDowall, William Windom, Arthur O'Connell, Bing Russell. Directed by John
Llewellyn Moxey.
A young woman's return from a mental institution after a traumatic rape incident predictably slides into near-total
relapse: is it her imagination? The mechanical plot line should have been far, far better. Average.
A TATTERED WEB
1971
73 min.
Lloyd Bridges, Frank Converse, Broderick Crawford, Murray Hamilton, Sallie Shockley, Ann Helm. Directed Paul Wendkos.
A good supporting cast bolsters a so-so morality play of a police detective trying to restore his dignity. Average.
TELETHON
1977
100 min.
Polly Bergen, Lloyd Bridges, Red Buttons, Edd Byrnes, Dick Clark, Janet Leigh, Kent McCord, David Selby, Jill St. John,
Jimmie Walker, Sugar Ray Robinson. Directed by David Lowell Rich.
Take any of those all-star TV disaster flicks, move it to Vegas, lay on a Jerry Lewis-style fundraiser, and you get
this. Below average.
TELL ME MY NAME
1977
80 min.
Arthur Hill, Barbara Barrie, Barnard Hughes, Valerie Mahaffy. Directed by Delbert Mann.
Weeper about a mother forced to reveal her past after being confronted by her illegitimate 19-year-old daughter.
Formula soap opera for which even the fine performers cannot work up much enthusiasm. Below average.
TELL ME WHERE IT HURTS
1974
78 min.
Maureen Stapleton, Paul Sorvino, Doris Dowling, Fay Kanin, Rose Gregorio, John Randolph, Ayn Ruymen, Louise Latham.
Directed by Paul Bogart.
Unhappy homemaker Stapleton starts a discussion group with her closest friends to find new meaning. Fay Kanin's
incisive script won an Emmy but the going's plodding. Average.
TENAFLY
1972
100 min.
James McEachin, Mel Ferrer. Ed Nelson, John Ericson, Lillian Lehman. Directed by Richard Colla.
An unusual mixture of whodunit suspense narrative and slice-of-life comedy as a black private-ey investigates the death
of a talk-show host's wife. Written by Richard Levinson and William Link. Average; pilot for the series.
THE TENTH MONTH
1979
130 min.
Carol Burnett, Keith Mitchell, Dina Merrill, Melissa Converse, Christina Raines, Richard Venture. Directed by Joan
Tewkesbury.
An overlong drama that addresses the question: should a middle-aged divorcee who has an affair with a married man and
becomes pregnant keep and raise the child alone? Based on Laura Z. Hobson's novel about single parenthood. Average.
TERRACES
1977
78 min.
Lloyd Bochner, Jane Dulo, Arny Freeman, Eliza Garrett, Bill Gerber, Kit McDonough, Julie Newmar, Lola Albright.
Directed by Lila Garrett.
Soap opera dealing with various people sharing adjoining terraces in an expensive highrise. Below aveage.
TERRIBLE JOE MORAN
1984
100 min.
James Cagney, Art Carney, Ellen Barkin, Peter Gallagher, Joseph Sirola, Edward I. Koch, Floyd Patterson. Directed by
Joseph Sargent.
In his TV-movie debut, Cagney's a fiesty old wheelchair-bound former boxing champ, sharing his Big Apple brownstone
with loyal Carney, reestablishing contact with his estranged granddaughter and discovering she's romantically involved
with a guy heavily in debt to the mob. A talky but satisfying "kitchen" drama by Frank Cucci lovingly tailored to its
star. Above average.
TERROR AMONG US
1981
100 min.
Don Meredith, Sara Purcell, Jennifer Salt, Ted Shackelford, Tracy Reed, Kim Lankford, Sharon Spelman, Rod McClary.
Directed by Paul Krasny.
A parole officer and a police sergeant vs. a convicted rapist who is back on the streets; looks like a leftover script
from POLICE STORY. Average.
TERROR AT ALCATRAZ
1982
100 min.
Tom Smothers, Dick Smothers, Diana Muldaur, Mike Kellin, Lynette Mettey, Jack Albertson, Tom Ewell, Roger C. Carmel,
Marc Lawrence, Elisha Cook, Titos Vandis, Katherine Baumann. Directed by Sidney Hayers.
The melodramatic title masks a sitcom about two TV newsmen who get involved in a search for treasure supposedly buried
on Alcatraz Island by Al Capone. This pilot for the Smothers Brothers' short-lived FITZ AND BONES series aired long
after the show's demise. Average.
TERROR IN THE SKY
1971
72 min.
Leif Ericson, Doug McClure, Roddy McDowall, Keenan Wynn, Lois Nettleton. Directed by Bernard Kowalski.
Pilots and several passengers on a commercial flight are felled by food poisoning; an ex-combat pilot (McClure) must
land the plane. A remake of ZERO HOUR, later spoofed in AIRPLANE! Average.
TERROR ON THE 40TH FLOOR
1974
100 min.
John Forsythe, Anjanette Comer, Joseph Campanella, Lynn Carlin, Don Meredith, Laurie Heineman, Kelly Jean Peters, Pippa
Scott. Directed by Jerry Jameson.
This road company TOWERING INFERNO has a fire engulfing a skyscraper, trapping a group of people in a pethouse. Average.
TERROR OUT OF THE SKY
1978
100 min.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Tovah Felshuh, Dan Haggerty, Bruce French, Lonny Chapman, Ike Eisenmann. Directed by Lee H.
Katzin.
Those pesky bugs return in this sequel to THE SAVAGE BEES, with the little stingers threatening a new invasion and two
bee specialists and a free-lance pilot determined to thwart it. Several notches below its predecessor. Average.
THE TERRY FOX STORY
1983
97 min.
Eric Fryer, Robert Duvall, Rosalind Chao, Chris Makepeace, Michael Zelniker, Elva Mai Hoover, Frank Adamson. Directed
by Ralph Thomas.
An inspiring, lovingly made true story of the Canadian athelete who lost a leg to cancer and then undertook a one-man
fund-raising marathon across Canada. First-time actor Fryer, a real life amputee, is perfectly cast as Fox. Made-for-
cable. Above average.
THADDEUS ROSE AND EDDIE
1978
100 min.
Johnny Cash, Diane Ladd, Bo Hopkins, June Carter Cash, James Hampton, Noble Willingham. Directed by Jack Starrett.
Ho-hum comedy-drama about two irresponsible good ol' boys from Texas, and the gals they love. Marks the TV acting
debuts of Johnny and June Carter Cash. Average.
THEN CAME BRONSON
1969
100 min.
Michael Parks, Bonnie Bedelia, Akim Tamiroff, Martin Sheen, Sheree North, Gary Merrill. Directed by William Graham.
A young newspaper reporter (Parks) shook up after the suicide of a friend, buys the friend's motorcycle and sets out on
a shore road journey, meeting a runaway bride (Bedelia), befriending her. A soft, somber film with a couple of OK
episodes, fair performances. Above average; pilot for the series.
THEY CALL IT MURDER
1971
100 min.
Jim Hutton, Lloyd Bochner, Jessica Walter, Carmen Matthews, Leslie Nielsen, Jo Ann Pflug, Nita Talbot, Edward Asner,
Vic Tayback. Directed by Walter Grauman.
Miscasting and unimaginative dialogue abounds in this adaptation of the Erle Stanley Gardner novel THE D.A. DRAWS A
CIRCLE, with D.A. Doug Selby hard pressed to link a swimming pool murder, a car crash fatality, and a large insurance
claim. Average.
THEY ONLY COME OUT AT NIGHT
1975
78 min.
Jack Warden, Charles Ynfante, Madeline Thorton-Sherwood, Tim O'Connor, Joe Mantell, Lili Valenty, Barbara Luna.
Directed by Daryl Duke.
Veteran detective Warden investigates the slayings of several elderly women. A standard whodunit that served as the
pilot to Warden's JIGSAW JOHN. Average.
THIEF
1971
74 min.
Richard Crenna, Angie Dickinson, Cameron Mitchell, Hurd Hatfield, Robert Webber. Directed by William Graham.
An ex-con finds himself unable to repay his debt, must obtain a sum of money very quickly. Uneven performances in a
formula drama, enlivened by crisp direction. Average.
THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD
1978
100 min.
Roddy McDowall, Peter Ustinov, Kabir Bedi, Frank Finlay, Marina Vlady, Terrence Stamp. Pavla Ustinov, Ian Holm. Directed
by Clive Donner.
More flying carpet and genie-in-the-magic-lamp fantasy in this fourth filming of the Arabian Nights adventure that's
handsome enough but nowhere near the definitive 1940 version. British-French production; average.
THIN ICE
1981
100 min.
Kate Jackson, Lillian Gish, Gerald Prendergast, Louise Latham, Mimi Kennedy, James Greene, Barton Heyman. Directed by
Paul Aaron.
Widowed high-school teacher Jackson drifts into a love affair with one of her teenaged students. Gish continues a
remarkable film career, playing Jackson's loving grandmother. Average.
THINGS IN THEIR SEASON
1974
75 min.
Patricia Neal, Ed Flanders, Marc Singer, Meg Foster, Charles Haid, Doreen Lang, Med Flory. Directed by James Goldstone.
A touching, beautifully acted drama of a Wisconsin farm family, with wife-mother Neal discovering she is terminally ill
with leukemia. Screenplay by John Gay. Above average.
THE THIRD GIRL FROM THE LEFT
1973
74 min.
Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Michael Brandon, George Furth, Barbi Benton, Louis Guss, Michael Conrad. Directed by Peter
Medak.
Embarrassing, cliched dialogue all but spoils this old-fashioned melodrama featuring Novak as "the last of the chorus
girl troupers," experiencing second thoughts over her impending marriage to singer Jordan (Curtis). Dory Previn wrote
both the script and the music. Average.
THIS GIRL FOR HIRE
1983
100 min.
Bess Armstrong, Celeste Holm, Cliff De Young, Hermoine Baddeley, Scott Brady, Jose Ferrer, Howard Duff, Beverly
Garland, Roddy McDowall, Percy Rodrigues, Ray Walston, Elisha Cook. Directed by Jerry Jameson.
A terrific cast of veterans and saucy Bess as a lady private eye, enliven this takeoff of 40s detective flicks; our
heroine investigates the murder of egotistical mystery writer Ferrer. Clever, but ultimately too cute. Average.
THIS IS KATE BENNETT...
1982
78 min.
Janet Eilber, David Haskell, Greg Mullavey, Kyle Richards, Granville VanDusen, James Noble, Larry Breeding, David Groh,
Dick Anthony Williams. Directed by Harvey Hart.
Pedestrian look at a woman juggling a career as a TV news reporter and a single parent and finding herself the prey of
a sniper whose story she's chasing. Another pilot that never made it to series. Below average.
THIS IS THE WEST THAT WAS
1974
78 min.
Ben Murphy, Kim Darby, Jane Alexander, Matt Clark, Tony Franciosa, Stuart Margolin, Stefan Gierasch, Luke Askew.
Directed by Fielder Cook.
A light-hearted look at the Wild Bill Hickock-Calamity Jane-Buffalo Bill Cody legend. A Western spoof that never gets
going, despite its game cast. Average.
THIS MAN STANDS ALONE
1979
78 min.
Louis Gossett, Jr., Clu Gulager, Mary Alice, Barry Brown, James McEachin, Lonny Chapman. Directed by Jerrold Freedman.
Based on the true story of a black civil rights activist who runs for sheriff in a southern town and beats a popular
segregationist. Compromised by the cardboard characterizations, despite the earnest efforts of the always-fine Gossett.
Average.
THIS SAVAGE LAND
1968
98 min.
Barry Sullivan, Glenn Corbett, Kathryn Hays, Andrew Prine, George C. Scott, John Drew Barrymore. Directed by Vincent
McEveety.
A widower and his family sell their Ohio spread, head West for a new start, and ride into a town embroiled in a
vigilante dispute. Excellent performances (especially Scott) in a surprisingly believable script. Above average.
THIS YEAR'S BLONDE
1980
100 min.
Constance Forslund, Lloyd Bridges, Norman Fell, Vic Tayback, Michael Lerner, John Marley. Directed by John Erman.
The Marilyn Monroe chapte of Garson Kanin's MOVIOLA tells of her relationship with her ambitious agent, Johnny Hyde
(vividly portrayed by Bridges). Another TV movie, MARILYN: THE UNTOLD STORY, tops this one, as does its star, Catherine
Hicks, who's more persuasive as MM than Forslund. Retitled: THE SECRET LOVE OF MARILYN MONROE.
THORNWELL
1981
100 min.
Glynn Turman, Vincent Gardinia, Craig Wasson, Todd Sussman, Julius Harris, Paul Lieber, Edward Bell. Directed by Harry
Moses.
The story of James Thornwell and his years of mental anguish after being given LSD by the U.S. Army. A dramatized
version of the story that documentary producer Moses first brought to light on the 60 MINUTES TV show. Above average.
THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
1978
100 min.
Louise Fletcher, Wayne Rogers, Bert Convy, Robert Reed. Directed by Delbert Mann.
A tepid contemporary interpretation of one of the Ten Commandments, sudsed-up by having a paralytic's wife having
extramarital affairs with his permission. Below average.
THOU SHALT NOT KILL
1982
100 min.
Lee Grant, Gary Graham, Diana Scarwid, Robert Culp, James Keach, Michael C. Gwynne, Scott Marlowe, Albert Salmi.
Directed by I.C. Rappaport.
Lawyer Grant takes on an innocent defendant accused of murder whose troubles just begin when he's put in jail. The
second in a never-was series of the Ten Commandments, following the equally pedestrian THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT
ADULTERY. Filmed in 1979. Average.
THREADS
1984 - Great Britain/Australia
110 min.
A brutal, brilliant look at nuclear holocaust and its devastating effects on the British city of Sheffield, THREADS
begs comparison to American efforts such as THE DAY AFTER and TESTAMENT -- and it beats both, hands down. As propaganda
and as drama, it's superbly effective, moving, and most definitely not for the faint of heart. Above average.
THREE GUNS FOR TEXAS
1968
99 min.
Paul Stanley, Earl Bellamy, Neville Brand, Peter Brown, Martin Milner, William Smith, Philip Carey. Directed by David
Lowell Rich.
The boring exploits of three Texas Rangers, strung together from three episodes of the LAREDO TV series. Forgettable
action, fair repartee between the leads. Average.
THREE HUNDRED MILES FOR STEPHANIE
1981
100 min.
Tony Orlando, Edward James Olmos, Pepe Serna, Julie Carmen, Gregory Sierra, Peter Graves. Directed by Clyde Ware.
Orlando made his dramatic acting debut as a San Antonio cop who vows to run more than 300 miles in five days as an act
of faith for his young, brain-damaged daughter. Director Ware based his screenplay on a true story. Average.
THREE ON A DATE
1978
100 min.
June Allyson, Ray Bolger, Loni Anderson, John Byner, Gary Crosby, Carol Lawrence, Rick Nelson, Patrick Wayne, Didi
Conn. Directed by Bill Bixby.
TV games show winners, plus a chaperone, on a Hawaiian holiday in this LOVE BOAT variation that's equally as inspired in
concept and execution. Average.
THE 3,000 MILE CHASE
1977
100 min.
Cliff DeYoung, Glenn Ford, Blair Brown, David Spielberg, Priscilla Pointer, Brendan Dillon. Directed by Russ Mayberry.
A professional courier's efforts to deliver the key witness in a narcotics czar's trial come under attack by the latter's
hit men. DeYoung is earnest; Ford's along for the ride in a familiar chase plot. Average.
THREE'S A CROWD
1969
75 min.
Larry Hagman, Jessica Walter, E.J. Peaker, Harvey Korman, Michael Lerner, Norman Fell. Directed by Harry Falk.
Pilot Hagman remarries after his first wife's death in a plane crash -- then she turns up alive and well. Formula
complications abound in this spirited comedy rehash of MY FAVORITE WIFE, with the resolution taking place in a hotel.
Look fast for Farrah Fawcett. Average.
THROUGH NAKED EYES
1983
100 min.
David Soul, Pam Dawber, Fionnula Flanagan, William Schallert, Dick Anthony Williams, Rod McCary. Directed by John
Llewellyn Moxey.
A kinky thriller about voyeurism in an apartment complex where people are being bumped off. He's watching her through
binoculars only to learn that she's watching him through a telescope; then they both discover somebody else is watching
them. Average.
THROUGH THE MAGIC PYRAMID
1981
100 min.
Chris Barnes, Hans Conried, Vic Tayback, Olivia Barash, Jo Ann Worley, James Hampton, Elaine Giftos, Eric Greene.
Directed by Ron Howard.
A juvenile comedy-adventure about a youngster who goes back in time to ancient Egypt to help a young Prince Tut become
Pharaoh. Ron Howard's dad, Rance, co-wrote and co-produced. Average.
THURSDAY'S CHILD
1983
100 min.
Gena Rowlands, Don Murray, Jessica Walter, Rob Lowe, Tracey Gold, Janet MacLachlan, Robin Gammell, Alan Fudge. Directed
by David Lowell Rich.
A good cast elevates this drama about a family whose teenaged son undergoes a heart transplant. Gwen Banig-Dubov
adapted Victoria Poole's factual book. Above average.
TILT
1979
104 min.
Brooke Shields, Charles Durning, John Crawford, Ken Marshall. Directed by Rudy Durand.
He's a modern minstrel and she's a pinball wizardess. In tandem then make a caravan all over America before encountering
the big poobah of Pinball Champions, Durning (who must have been duped into thinking this was an arcade remake of THE
HUSTLER. Meant to propel prepubescent sex idol Shields into solo stardom and, although she is more appealing here than in
her later, plastic performances, the film's shoddy production values do not showcase properly whatever charm she possesses.
Below average.
TIME BOMB
1984
100 min.
Morgan Fairchild, Billy Dee Williams, Joseph Bottoms, Merlin Olsen. Directed by Paul Krasny.
Female terrorist Fairchild -- lip gloss and all -- leads a band of hijackers across Texas to nab a cargo of nuclear weapons-
grade plutonium. Standard bonehead TV-action flick; busted pilot for a cop series to have starred Williams and Bottoms.
Average.
A TIME FOR LOVE
1973
100 min.
Jack Cassidy, John Davidson, Lauren Hutton, Christopher Mitchum, Bonnie Bedelia, Joanna K. Cameron. Directed by George
Schaefer, Joseph Sargent.
Two stories: meeting an uninhibited girl at a convention, a junior executive decides to dump plans of marrying a
wealthy socialite; a pop star can't take crazy professional pressures, hitchhikes to a small coastal town, and meets a
simple teacher of deaf children. Not as bad as it sounds, with occasionally good dialogue, no-nonsense direction. Above
average.
A TIME FOR MIRACLES
1980
100 min.
Kate Mulgrew, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Rossano Brazzi, John Forsythe, Lorne Greene, Jean LeClerc, Leonard Mann, Robin
Clarke, Milo O'Shea, William Prince. Directed by Michael O'Herlihy.
Reverent dramatization of the story of Elizabeth Bayley Seton, an 18th-century widow who became America's first
native-born saint. Henry Denker wrote the teleplay. Average.
THE TIME MACHINE
1978
100 min.
John Beck, Priscilla Barnes, Andrew Duggan, Rosemary DeCamp, Jack Kruschen. Directed by Henning Schellerkup.
Updated version of the H.G. Wells classic, given a "Classics Illustrated" treatment. Average.
TIME TRAVELERS
1976
78 min.
Sam Groom, Tom Hallick, Richard Basehart, Trish Stewart, Francine York, Booth Coleman. Directed by Alexander Singer.
Producer Irwin Allen's attempt to resurrect his flop series, TIME TUNNEL, has two scientists searching for a cure to a
mysterious epidemic and finding themselves in Chicago 1871 on the eve of the great fire. Footage from IN OLD CHICAGO is
better than any of the new stuff. Taken from an original, unpublished short story by Rod Serling. Average.
TO ALL MY FRIENDS ON SHORE
1971
74 min.
Bill Cosby, Gloria Foster, Dennis Hines, Ray Mason, Dennis Pate. Directed by Gilbert Cates.
The problems confronted in a father-son relationship when they get word that the child has an incurable disease. Uneven
performances, but the film's conception and point of view are exceptionally strong, refreshing. Above average.
TO CATCH A KING
1984
113 min.
Robert Wagner, Teri Garr, Horst Janson, Barbara Parkins, John Standing, Marcel Bozzufi, Jane Lapotaire, Barry Foster.
Directed by Clive Donner.
So-so espionage thriller, written by Harry Patterson (also known as novelist Jack Higgins), about a fanciful Nazi plot
to kidnap the Duke and Duchess of Windsor from Lisbon in 1940, and the efforts of nightclub singer Garr and cafe owner
Wagner to thwart it. Made for cable. Average.
TO DIE IN PARIS
1968
100 min.
Louis Jourdan, Kurt Krueger, Robert Ellenstein, John Marley, Ludwig Donath, Letitia Roman. Directed by Charles Dubin,
Allen Reisner.
The exploits of the head of resistance in Paris durng WW2 who, imprisoned during an ordinary round up of suspicious
characters, must prevent his captors from realizing who he is and be on the look-out for an assassin sent by the
underground. Good tension, uneven production values, adequate performances. Above average.
TO FIND MY SON
1980
100 min.
Richard Thomas, Justin Dana, Molly Cheek, Julie Cobb, Steve Kanaly, Allyn Ann McLerie. Directed by Delbert Mann.
Poignant story (written by Sandor Stern) about a single man's attempt to adapt a handicapped 7-year-old orphan. Average.
TO KILL A COP
1978
200 min.
Joe Don Baker, Louis Gossett, Jr., Patrick O'Neal, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Christine Belford, Eartha Kitt, Rosey Grier.
Directed by Gary Nelson.
Police action drama about a maverick chief of detectives, a string of cop killings, and a black revolutionary leader
plotting a police massacre. Based on the best-seller by Robert Daley, it became the pilot to the EISCHIED series.
Average.
TO RACE THE WIND
1980
105 min.
Steve Guttenberg, Randy Quaid, Mark L. Taylor, Lisa Eilbacher, Barbara Barrie, Catherine Hicks. Directed by Walter
Grauman.
Lighthearted, well-acted story of a blind law student's struggle to lead a normal life in a sighted world; from the
autobiography of Harold (BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE) Krents. Above average.
TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
1984
120 min.
Rosemary Harris, Michael Gough, Suzanne Bertish, Linsey Baxter, Pippa Guard. Directed by Colin Gregg.
Whos afraid of adapting Virginia Woolf? Apparently not the BBC, who fashioned a thoroughly lifeless film out of the
authoress's enigmatic postmodern classic. The basic problem is that the film takes the book at its most literal level,
failing to find a cinematic equivalent to the writer's literary experiments and poetic antinarrative passages. Fine
acting, such as Harris in the role of the matriarchal Mrs. Ramsey, does not disguise the formula. Average.
TOM SAWYER
1973
104 min.
Josh Albee, Jeff Tyler, Jane Wyatt, Buddy Ebsen, Vic Morrow, John McGiver, Karen Pearson, Chris Wiggins. Directed by
James Neilson.
Tom and Huck exude their everlovin' charm in this acceptable retelling of their now-familiar tale, with Morrow a
particularly nasty Injun Joe in one of the best of his evil turns. This version premiered several weeks before the
musicalized theatrical one. Average.
TOMA
1973
74 min.
Tony Musante, Simon Oakland, Susan Strasberg, Nicholas Colasanto, Robert Yuro, Abe Vigoda, Dave Toma. Directed by
Richard Heffron.
The leader of a syndicate numbers racket is stalked by a disguise-master undercover policeman. An excellent lead
performance by Musante in a challenging role, as he pleads with his superiors for less interference and sweats it out
when his family become syndicate hostages. Based on a true story. Above average; pilot for a brief series which later
transmogrified into BARETTA.
TOMORROW'S CHILD
1982
100 min.
Stephanie Zimbalist, William Atherton, Bruce Davison, Ed Flanders, Salome Jens, James Shigeta, Susan Oliver, Arthur
Hill. Directed by Joseph Sargent.
So-so drama about surrogate motherhood and test-tube babies, written by Jerry McNeely. Original title, GENESIS, was
more to the point. Average.
TOO FAR TO GO
1979
100 min.
Michael Moriarty, Blythe Danner, Kathryn Walker, Ken Kercheval, Josef Sommer, Glenn Close. Directed by Fielder Cook.
Moriarty and Danner bring distinction to this middling study of the dissolution of marriage. Taken from seventeen short
stories by John Updike. Released theatrically in 1982 with a new credit sequence, score by Elizabeth Swados, a
sound-effects track, and several smaller alterations. Average.
THE TOP OF THE HILL
1980
200 min.
Wayne Rogers, Elke Sommer, Adrienne Barbeau, Sonny Bono, Peter Brown, J.D. Cannon, Macdonald Carey, Mel Ferrer, Gary
Lockwood, Paula Prentiss. Directed by Walter Grauman.
Love and sex at Lake Placid with the 1980 Winter Olympics as an excuse for the high-living Rogers to find snow bunnies.
From the Irwin Shaw novel. Originally shown in two parts. Average.
TOP SECRET
1978
100 min.
Bill Cosby, Tracy Reed, Gloria Foster, Sheldon Leonard. Directed by Lewis R. Foster.
Dated spy caper that even Cosby, as a hip American agent on the trail of stolen plutonium in Italy, cannot pump life
into. Below average.
TOPPER
1979
100 min.
Kate Jackson, Andrew Stevens, Jack Warden, Rue McClanahan, James Karen, Charles Siebert. Directed by Charles S. Dubin.
Breezy updating of the 1937 classic. The two leads (then married) also produced this one, aiming for a new TOPPER TV
series. Average.
TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS
1979
100 min.
Lee Remick, Joseph Bologna, George Peppard, Giorgio Tozzi, Molly Cheek. Directed by Delbert Mann.
A romantic drama graced by the ever-lovely Remick playing a married socialite who has an affair with a dashing
architect she meets on a trip. The title comes from the hit song of the late '70s. Average.
TOURIST
1980
100 min.
Lee Meriwether, Bradford Dillman, Lois Nettleton, Adrienne Barbeau, David Groh, James Stephens, Bonnie Bedelia, John
Ireland, Marisa Berenson, John McCook, Laurette Spang-McCook. Directed by Jeremy Summers.
Vacationing couples tour Europe in a LOVE BOAT plotting that, surprisingly, comes from the pen of Gerald Green (author
of THE LAST ANGRY MAN and HOLOCAUST. Below average.
THE TRACKERS
1971
73 min.
Sammy Davis, Jr., Ernest Borgnine, Julie Adams, Connie Kreski, Jim Davis. Directed by Earl Bellamy.
Fair chase drama sprinkled with character portraits; Borgnine as a vengeful rancher, out to get the men who killed his
son and kidnapped his daughter, scornful of a black professional tracker who doesn't mind telling his employer what he
thinks about him. Average.
TRANSPLANT
1979
100 min.
Kevin Dobson, Melinda Dillon, Granville Van Dusen, Ronny Cox, Helen Hunt, Bibi Besch. Directed by William A. Graham.
A hard-driving young executive with a weak heart agonizes over whether to undergo a transplant. Script by John Gay.
Average.
TRAPPED BENEATH THE SEA
1974
100 min.
Martin Balsam, Paul Michael Glaser, Cliff Potts, Laurie Prange, Joshua Bryant. Directed by William A. Graham.
Drama about efforts to rescue the crew of four stranded in a mini-sub off the Florida coast. Based on an actual event
of June 17, 1973, and tautly told. Above average.
TRAVIS McGEE
1983
100 min.
Sam Elliott, Gene Evans, Katharine Ross, Vera Miles, Amy Madigan, Richard Farnsworth, Geoffrey Lewis. Directed by
Andrew V. McLaglen.
John D. MacDonald's macho sleuth gets enmeshed in a muddled case involving a drunken old salt, a neurotic pianist and
the sister of a presumably drowned land developer. Elliott's McGee is so somnambulent that by the first commercial
you'll be asleep, too. Any chances for a series were deep sixed with the land developer. Adapted by the usually adroit
Stirling Silliphant from THE EMPTY COPPER SEA. Below average.
A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN
1974
78 min.
Cliff Robertson, Diane Baker, James Olson, Pamelyn Ferdin, Nancy Malone, Allyn Ann McLerie, Michael-James Wixted.
Directed by Joseph Hardy.
A lovingly made remake of the 1945 classic with a sterling performance by Robertson and fine work by the others. Above
average.
THE TRIAL OF CHAPLAIN JENSEN
1975
78 min.
James Franciscus, Joanna Miles, Lynda Day George, Dorothy Tristan, Charles Durning, Harris Yulin. Directed by Robert
Day.
Franciscus is the only U.S. Navy officer ever court-martialed for adultery. True but trite. Average.
TRIAL RUN
1969
98 min.
James Franciscus, Leslie Nielsen, Diane Baker, Janice Rule, John Vernon, David Sheiner, Fred Beir. Directed by William
Graham.
A cynical, near-briliant look at high-priced modern-day lawyers. Franciscus will stop at nothing for status in a
high-powered firm. Some overly flashy direction, one lop-sided sequence, but a strong drama nonetheless. Above average.
THE TRIBE
1974
78 min.
Victor French, Warren Vanders, Henry Wilcoxon, Adriana Shaw, Stewart Moss, Sam Gilman, Meg Wylie. Directed by Richard
A. Colla.
Offbeat, unsatisfactory drama about cavemen, with a group of Cro-Magnons battling vicious Neatherthals at the dawn of
history. Below average.
TRILOGY
1969
110 min.
Mildred Natwick, Maureen Stapleton, Martin Balsam, Geraldine Page, Donnie Melvin, Susan Dunfree. Directed by Frank
Perry.
An exquisitely acted and produced collection of three short stories by Truman Capote, shown separately on television
and then compiled, trimmed (without detriment), and released theatrically. Fine acting by the trio of Natwick,
Stapleton, and Page make the overly precious storytelling easy to ignore. Screenplay by Capote and Eleanor Perry.
Average.
TROUBLE COMES TO TOWN
1972
74 min.
Lloyd Bridges, Pat Hingle, Hari Rhodes, Janet MacLachlan, Sheree North, Thomas Evans, Joseph Bottoms. Directed by
Daniel Petrie.
A Southern sherrif (Bridges), against the protests of blacks and whites, takes in the son of a man who saved his life
in Korea, eventually leading to a strained situation. Better-than-average script by David Westheimer, good casting of
important role, intelligent resolution. Above average.
TROUBLE IN HIGH TIMBER COUNTRY
1980
100 min.
Eddie Albert, Joan Goodfellow, Martin Kove, Robin Dearden, Belinda J. Montgomery, Kevin Brophy, Steve Doubet, Scott
Yeager, James B. Sikking, Bettye Ackerman, Richard Sanders. Directed by Vincent Sherman.
A family's lumber and mining empire is threatened by a conglomerate takeover in this middling pilot to the quickie
series, THE YEAGERS, which had Andy Griffith stepping into Albert's shoes. Average.
THE TURNING POINT OF JIM MALLOY
1975
78 min.
John Savage, Biff McGuire, Peggy McKay, Gig Young, Kathleen Quinlan, Janis Paige. Directed by Frank D. Gilroy.
Nostalgic drama based on John O'Hara's youth in a small Pennsylvania town and his first exposure to the world of
journalism unter the tutelege of an alcoholic reporter. An atmospheric, lovingly filmed version of O'Hara's GIBBSVILLE
from his collection THE DOCTOR'S SON by Gilroy. Also called JOHN O'HARA'S GIBBSVILLE and GIBBSVILLE: THE TURNING
POINT OF JIM MALLOY, it later spun off a brief series. Above average.
TURNOVER SMITH
1980
78 min.
William Conrad, Belinda J. Montgomery, Hilly Hicks, James Darren, Michael Parks, Cameron Mitchell, Tracy Reed,
Nehemiah Persoff, Nita Talbot. Directed by Bernard Kowalski.
Famed criminologist vs. crazed killer in this unsold pilot movie. Average.
21 HOURS AT MUNICH
1976
100 min.
William Holden, Shirley Knight, Franco Nero, Anthony Quayle, Noel William. Directed by William A. Graham.
A well-done re-creation of the events surrounding the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, despite Holden's being miscast as
the Munich police chief. Above average.
TWICE IN A LIFETIME
1974
78 min.
Ernest Borgnine, Della Reese, Eric Laneuville, Slim Pickens, Herb Jeffries, Arte Johnson. Directed by Herschel
Daugherty.
A scruffy old salt operating a salvage tug clashes with an unscrupulous yard foreman determined to retain control of
the docks. Borgnine at his most bombastic is nicely balanced by Reese from her waterfront cafe. Another pilot film that
never earned series status. Below average.
TWIN DETECTIVES
1976
78 min.
Jim Hager, Jon Hager, Lillian Gish, Patrick O'Neal, Michael Constantine, Otis Young, Lynda Day George. Directed by
Robert Day.
A comedy-mystery involving identical twin private eyes, a spunky old lady, a psychic con group, and a murdered medium.
The Hager Brothers are country singers/comics from HEE HAW, and should have stayed there. And whatever possessed Miss
Gish to make her TV movie debut in this bit of fluff! Below average.
TWIRL
1981
100 min.
Stella Stevens, Charles Haid, Lisa Whelchel, Erin Moran, Edd Byrnes, Sharon Spelman, Matthew Tobin, Donna McKechnie.
Directed by Gus Trikonis.
This made-for-TV clone of Michael Ritchie's SMILE focuses satirically on parental pressure on youngsters competing in a
national baton-twirling contest. Average.
THE TWO-FIVE
1978
74 min.
Don Johnson, Joe Bennett, Michael Durrell, George Murdock, John Crawford. Directed by Bruce Kessler.
Predictable cop-show pilot has a couple of eager-beaver rookies out to save their harassed commander's hide by grabbing
a drug kingpin in their own unorthodox ways. Average.
TWO FOR THE MONEY
1971
73 min.
Robert Hooks, Stephen Brooks, Neville Brand, Walter Brennan, Catherine Burns, Mercedes McCambridge, Richard Dreyfuss.
Directed by Bernard Kowalski.
Two cops leave the department to track down a mass murderer who's been loose for twelve years. Well done. Average.
TWO KINDS OF LOVE
1983
100 min.
Lindsay Wagner, Ricky Schroder, Peter Weller, Sydney Penny, Allyn Ann McLerie. Directed by Jack Bender.
A doting mom nurtures her adolescent son to become a ladykiller when a broken arm puts the brakes on other sports. Then
the mom dies suddenly and he's left with his workaholic dad. Heartstrings are only lightly tugged in this adaptation of
Peggy Mann's novel THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF TERRIBLE. Average.
THE TWO LIVES OF CAROL LETNER
1981
100 min.
Meredith Baxter Birney, Don Johnson, Dolph Sweet, Salome Jens, Robert Webber, Kene Hollidaiy, Mary Jackson, Graham
Jarvis. Directed by Philip Leacock.
Pedestrian drama about an ex-call girl who is cajoled by the cops into doling some undercover hustling. Average.
TWO OF A KIND
1982
100 min.
George Burns, Robby Benson, Barbara Barrie, Cliff Robertson, Frances Lee McCain, Geri Jewell, Peggy McKay. Directed by
Roger Young.
George's dramatic TV debut occurred in this "love" story between a failing, withdrawn old man and the retarded grandson
who brings him back to life. Lovingly written by James Sadwith. Above average.
TWO ON A BEACH
1971
73 min.
Patty Duke, Ted Bessell, Andrew Duggan, John Astin, Alice Ghostley, Terry Carter, Jeannie Berlin. Directed by Jerry
Paris.
This dull comedy throws Duke and Bessell at each other, hired to find out which one is working for a spy. Boston
locations are the only asset in this listless, unimaginatively written and conceived comedy of errors by Richard
Levinson and WIlliam Link. Below average.
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Made-For-TV-Movies - S
