Perry King Movies

[Tim]

Right.

[Squad 51]

Back on track and a new start from the beginning. lol

Tonight then Slaughterhouse-Five from 1972.

Cast:
Michael Sacks as Billy Pilgrim
Ron Leibman as Paul Lazzaro
Eugene Roche as Edgar Derby
Sharon Gans as Valencia Merble Pilgrim
Valerie Perrine as Montana Wildhack
Holly Near as Barbara Pilgrim
Perry King as Robert Pilgrim

and many more

Story:
Using his own terminology, Billy Pilgrim is "unstuck in time", which means he is moving between different points in his life uncontrollably, although he is aware of it at certain of those points as witnessed by the letter to the editor he writes to the Ilium Daily News about his situation. Primarily, he is moving between three general time periods and locations. The first is his stint as a GI during WWII, when, as a pacifist, he was acting as a Chaplain's assistant for his unit. This time is largely as a POW, where he was in Dresden the day of the bombing, spending it with among others an older compassionate GI named Edgar Derby, and a brash loudmouth GI named Paul Lazzaro. The second is his life as an optometrist in Ilium in upstate New York, eventually married to the wealthy and overbearing Valencia Merble, and having two offspring, Robert, who would spend his teenaged years as a semi-delinquent, and Barbara, who would end up much like her mother. And the third is as an abductee on the planet Tralfamadore, along with his devoted dog Spot, and Hollywood starlet Montana Wildhack - who was not averse to taking off her clothes to further her career - the Tralfamadorians who have put them on display. The more time he spends on Tralfamadore, the more he understands the meaning of what is happening to him. —Huggo (from IMDB again)

Thoughts: Okay, definitely headache alert! Billy Pilgrim jumps through his own life, back and forth - with not knowing where he ends up. His two kids which he had with his wife are also not easy for him. Robert changing from a delinquent teen to a man who's ready to serve in Vietnam (hello!) but with a sixty hairstyle in between. Barbara turns out to be like her Mom. The great point is the bombing in Dresden, on February 13, 1945 where Billy also ends up. His quiet point is a planet Tralfamadore where he then ends up finally. It's not bad, yet you should be prepared here. It's a very complex movie.

Some pics:


I'll leave it here. You can find more by googling. lol

Tomorrow then a series from 1974.

P.S. Need to research if this was aired before or after "The Possession of Joel Delaney".

---

EDIT: It was before!!

[Tim]

Too weird even for me.

[Squad 51]

As I said, headache alert! Regarding Perry King, I made some snapshots which I'll provide later.

Tonight then from the series Cannon - Blood Money (S03E20) from 1974.

Cast:
William Conrad as Frank Cannon
Peter Haskell as Tom Brannon
Perry King as Dr. Stephen Danver
Russell Johnson as DA John Romano
Diana Muldaur as Ava Brannigan
John Milford as Leroy Vincent
Kathleen Miller as Julie Danver
William (Bill) Joyce as E.T. Brannigan

and many more

Story:
A young doctor arrives at a prison to examine a prisoner. During the examination the prisoner reaches into the doctor's bag and removes a pistol. Cannon is hired to prove the doctor was an unwitting participant in the attempted jailbreak. (from IMDB again)

Speaking of tv baddies, such as the legendary Jack Cassidy, Peter Haskall had his fair share of nasty moments. Here he's the best of worst playing a cad (in a three piece suit) who is after a fortune in missing money that turns out to be sequestered coins. The plot is quite similar to a MANNIX story as there are a lot of twists and turns and a good shootout as Cannon goes up against a sniper (wearing thick glasses!) on a hill. The beautiful Diana Muldaur, who appeared in just about every crime show on tv, is on Cannon's side, caught in between the mystery and honorable mention to Russell Johnson (also in a three piece suit), best known as the professor on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. Johnson was actually an accomplished dramatic actor and had some good roles come his way over the years. The story is in two parts, as it all begins with an attempted prison escape and the gun in question hidden in a doctor's bag. This may have been taken from real life headlines, too. A very good script, which returns to the day when writers may have been more creative, or at least conjured up some diabolical bad guys. Watching slimy Haskell get his due, without giving too much away, is fun stuff. SEASON 3 CBS dvd box set. - by tcchelsey on IMDB

A guy in prison is shot while trying to make a ridiculously impossible escape. It seems he got a gun out of a doctor's bag and tried to shoot his way out! Now the doctor is in trouble because he's accused of trying to facilitate the escape and Cannon's job is to determine if he was involved or not. The case later evolves a bit and becomes a search for missing money which, it turns out, is hidden in valuable coins.
This is a modestly interesting episode of "Cannon" and in some ways reminded me of "The Fugitive". After all, the guy trying to escape might be innocent AND William Conrad (Cannon) was the narrator for this excellent 1960s series. Do yourself a favor and try it...the show is a bit better than "Cannon". - by planktonrules on IMDB

Thoughts: The doctor (King) doesn't seem to notice that he's set up or better framed behind his back, and Brannon (Haskell) uses everyone to his own play, like he can - with money, which he's after in reality. So he and Cannon play a bit cat and mouse and see who's quicker and better but as usual, Cannon wins and even finds the hidden money.

Some pics:


That's about it. Oh, and available on Youtube if interested.

See you tomorrow - with a movie again!

[Tim]

Recognize a lot of those actors.

Russell Johnson was the Professor on Gilligan's Island.

Diana Muldaur appeared on two episodes of Classic Trek (as different characters) and played Dr. Pulaski in the second season of TNG.

[Squad 51]

Yep, Diana Muldaur was even known to me. Hence, Star Trek: TNG, I think.

Tonight we've got Short Cut To Haifa or Big Truck and Sister Clare from 1974. To be found under both titles.

Cast:
Peter Ustinov as Israeli Truck Driver
Francesca Annis as Sister Clare
Perry King as Nephew Daniel

and Yosef Shiloach, Elisheva Michaeli, Zeev Berlinsky as well as Ori Levy

Story:
Two Israeli truck drivers give a ride to a nun and transport cloth from her convent, while hauling two tons of fish in a refrigerated truck over rough desert terrain. (from IMDB again)

This was a film I presumed was never made or at least never released. It's forgettable. Perry King and Peter Ustinov as a kind of Kosher Hill and Spencer. Israeli truckers and a nun (Francesca Annis) have adventures. Not really memorable. - by rambunctiouseedjit on IMDB

This is a great look at portions of the Israeli desert, carried forward with a story made interesting by conflict between two men. People who have been there will appreciate the way the land is portrayed, even in this 1974 snapshot. The Yom Kippur war is never mentioned, and it is instructive to see how Palestinian arabs and Palestinian Jews really do sometimes cooperate in Israel.

Ustinov, the older trucker, is concerned about finances to the point of being afraid when he should take a chance. The younger trucker (Perry King) is kind of a swashbuckler, with his own style of getting things done. The nun (Francesca Annis) not only serves as a nurse, she also pries their souls open a tiny bit, so that hardship changes their relationship with each other. She also serves as a translator and liaison to the local arabs, who generously rescue them and their truck from a difficult situation in the Israeli desert.

Curiously, Ustinov's character is never given a name. I would have liked to see a little more authenticity in the truckers. The only Hebrew they used was "shalom!" But for the most part, it was an enjoyable movie. - by littleamos on IMDB

Thoughts: A conflict about a nephew and his uncle who are having different point of views, regarding life and business. They negotiate with the Arabs but when they take a nun with them, the conflict comes more in the open and the nun tries to help, especially after the uncle breaks his leg. Another Arab tribe helps them out of the desert where they were stranded. In the end, the nephew gets his will but still listens to his uncle, of course.

Some pics:


That's about it. A bit mixed up but you're used to it by now. lol Oh, and available on Youtube, even in HD!

Note: Francesca Annis and Perry King will meet again 13 years later, in the miniseries I'll take Manhattan.

And tomorrow then the start of an eight part miniseries. A whole week! lol

[Squad 51]

Oh boy, mini series again but I'll go chapter by chapter. To get also straight with the pics, I hope.

Then we start with Captains and the Kings from 1976, based on a novel by Taylor Caldwell.

Cast:
Richard Jordan as Joseph Armagh
Ray Bolger as R.J. Squibbs
Peter Donat as Clair Montrose
Charles Durning as Ed Healey
Celeste Holm as Sister Angela
Harvey Jason as Harry Zieff
Joanna Pettet as Katherine Hennessey
Beverly D'Angelo as Miss Emmy

and many more

Story:
Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh and his two younger siblings Sean and Mary escape a ship on the harbor of New York. The situation ashore is problematic, jobs are scarce and food equally scarce. Aboard the ship their mother has died from disease, but they have a hope; their father is in Philadelphia awaiting them. The siblings run away, and discovers their father to be dead to, and young teenager Joseph places his siblings in an Orphanage while he himself goes to make money, become rich and get them out of poverty. The first episode follows Joseph for a few years through a series of struggles, and how he starts earning his first dollars and setting off into speculation in oil, together with his new-won friend, the Lebanese Haroun Al-Zieff (later: Harry Seff). The beginnings of a true rags-to-riches-story. —Lars-Toralf Storstrand (from IMDB again)

CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS set the template for future TV miniseries such as ROOTS and THE BASTARD, gathering together a cast of beloved veterans and intriguing newcomers in a historical fiction designed to keep audiences coming back for the next installment. Taylor Caldwell's 1972 best seller gets the sprawling treatment, broadcast over 8 weekly installments, from Sept 30-Nov 25 1976, exactly two months of gripping melodrama. We open with the teenaged Joseph Armagh watching his ailing mother die as their ship sits in New York Harbor in 1857, forced to return to Ireland due to America's intolerance for the Irish. With his younger brother and sister, Joseph secretly departs the vessel by night into the water, only to find their father's home in Philadelphia, he too deceased from pneumonia. Now determined to keep his promise to his mother to always look after his siblings, Joseph leaves them safely in the care of an orphanage run by Sister Angela (Celeste Holm), as the boy mines during the week while building a personal nest egg running liquor on Sundays for R.J. Squibbs (Ray Bolger). Four years later, at the dawn of the Civil War, the now adult Joseph (Richard Jordan) is ready to 'borrow' an investment from Squibbs to form his own company in Titusville with the help of companion Harry Zieff (Harvey Jason) and wealthy entrepreneur (and fellow Irishman) Ed Healey (Charles Durning). Ann Sothern and Neville Brand get little more than cameos, Vic Morrow again in unsympathetic mode, Joanna Pettet, Barbara Parkins, and newcomer Beverly D'Angelo (in a literally smashing debut performance) providing eye candy galore. Veteran scene stealer John Carradine kicks things off as Father Hale, whose attempts to comfort young Joseph in the wake of his mother's death are met with steely determination, a fine though brief character study for an actor so often reduced to low budget roles at this stage of his lengthy career. - by kevinolzak on IMDB

Thoughts: We mainly start with Joseph and his way to get rich and more. He takes every job he can get, even dirty one just to be paid well. Joseph wants to be the one who makes the rules and so he learns from anyone possible, in each field like oil and others. Even with reading books provided by a wealthy woman, he chooses his life and not the other way around. At the end, he goes out for another great adventure during the Civil War and it includes rifles, a lot of those. More then tomorrow!

Some pics:


The next six chapters are about 50 minutes long. Only the first and last one are two hours long (90 min).

Until tomorrow!

P.S. I might intend to buy me book here, later as a gift. I like history novels!

P.P.S. Perry King will appear. Some patience here!

[Tim]

The Scarecrow* from the Wizard Of Oz is in this.

*Ray Bolger

[Squad 51]

Aha.

Chapter II

Additional cast:
Pernell Roberts as Colonel Elbert Braithwaite
Robert Vaughn as Charles Desmond

Story:
A few years of successful gun running and Joseph Armagh becomes a partner in the oil company of Ed Healey. (from IMDB again)

The second chapter of CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS picks up at the start of the Civil War, Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan) joining Clair Montrose (Peter Donat) in a spot of gun running with Colonel Elbert Braithwaite (Pernell Roberts), who cannot resist the generous graft for his certification. A year away and Joseph is back in the arms of the beautiful Martinique (Barbara Parkins), while his second hand man Harry (Harvey Jason) finds himself falling for Ed Healey's ward Miss Emmy (Beverly D'Angelo). His oil speculations are coveted by Healey so eventually the two agree to partner up, Joseph to receive one third of the profit for his efforts to consolidate the refineries, to the delight of railroad baron Charles Desmond (Robert Vaughn). Blair Brown is introduced as Healey's real life daughter Elizabeth, just returned from boarding school, sparking off a series of lustful events that leave the principals dazed and confused. - by kevinolzak on IMDB

Thoughts: Well, Joseph has learned a lot and bargains hard to get what he wants, no matter what. His little siblings are still at the orphanage where Mrs. Hennessey takes care of them as well. He loves Martinique but this woman has many secrets but protects him if needed. Harry falls in love with Miss Emmy and they make out in Joseph's room. Harry can flee but Joseph and Emmy are caught by Strickland (Joe Kapp) and Healey. Healey seems to believe them but he's not certain here. Wonder how it will go on.

Some pics (hopefully):


EDIT: There are more, I think. (by googling) Otherwise they all come up at the end.

Need to rethink my strategy here, at least regarding the pics.

See you tomorrow!

[Squad 51]

If you keep waiting for Perry King, it's the day after tomorrow.

Chapter III

Additional cast:
Patty Duke (Astin) as Bernadette Hennessey
Blair Brown as Elizabeth Healey
Katherine Crawford as Mary Armagh
David Huffman as Sean Armagh
George Gaynes as Orestes Bradley
Vic Morrow as Tom Hennessey


Story:
When Elizabeth Healey fails in her attempts to seduce Joseph, she decides to seduce the next attractive man she meets - Tom Hennessey.
Tom becomes a senator and Elizabeth tells him she is pregnant with his child. She proposes a plan where Tom will use his political influence to create a false marriage record for her and a friend, Everett Wickersham who has been killed in the war.
At a family dinner Ed shares the news of Elizabeth's marriage, the unfortunate death of Everett Wickersham, and the expected baby. He drinks to excess, collapses and dies.
Ed's will is extremely generous to everyone - Emmy and Martinique are now both rich women. Martinique announces that she will go to Europe and Emmy marries Harry. Joseph receives 75% of Ed's estate and Elizabeth receives 25% with instructions that Joseph will invest her money for her.
Joseph has built his own mansion in Green Hills and proposes to Elizabeth, but she says it's too late. Sean and Mary move into Joseph's new home, but Mary expresses her desire to become a nun and Sean becomes a union organizer. On her deathbed, Katherine Hennessey asks Joseph to marry her daughter, Bernadette and he agrees. (taken from here now)

Thoughts: So, good bye to Ed Healey and Joseph has reached his goal, yet his siblings, Sean and Mary are not happy with his lifestyle. Mary decides to stay at the monastery whereas Sean is working against his brother. However, Joseph has too many women at his hand and when he finally makes a decision to wed Elizabeth it's too late. He knew he was in love with Katherine but couldn't say, yet the conflict between him and her husband will escalate for sure. It will be interesting.

I have to admit it got me hooked.

Some pics:


More I couldn't find right now!

See you tomorrow.

[Squad 51]

Soon, Mr King will appear on screen here.

Chapter IV

Additional cast:
Henry Fonda as Sen. Enfield Bassett
Richard (T.) Herd as Talmadge

Story:
Joseph quarrels with Sean over the labor union issue and with Mary over her desire to leave and enter a nunnery. He rages about their lack of gratitude for all the sacrifices he has made in his life to provide for them. He says that Sean can go to Hell and Mary can go to Jesus and severs all ties with both of them.
Alone in his big house, he now wants a family of his own and proposes marriage to Bernadette Hennessey. She understands that he does not love her, but hopes that will change once they have children.
Sean organizes a strike against Joseph's company and when the militia are called in to intervene, violence erupts and many of the strikers are killed.

Years pass and Joseph and Bernadette now have 4 children, Rory, Kevin, Anne-Marie, and Brian. Elizabeth Healey has married Tom Hennessey and Joseph vows to destroy him. Joseph uses his money and influence to expose Tom's involvement in a corruption scandal and he is politically ruined.
Sean is falsely accused of an attack on the railroad and is sentenced to hang when he is wrongly convicted. Behind the scenes, Joseph intervenes to prove Sean's innocence - to protect the family name. He begins telling others of his plan to make his son Rory the first Irish Catholic President. (taken from here again)

Thoughts: Joseph in his rage cuts all family ties to his siblings but then starts a family of his own, yet without love. Soon he has four kids and well, set his plan in action to make his eldest Rory the first Irish Catholic President - and even get him a future wife, the daughter of his friend Desmond. Oh boy, that might backfire one day. Never mind, he manages to ruin his own father-in-law but deep down, he was always in love with Elizabeh Healey. Oh my, what a complicated relationship will begin. It cannot end good.

Some pics:


Well, more I can't find at the moment.

Until tomorrow!

[Squad 51]

So, finally we have reached the point where he's come.

Chapter V

Additional cast:
Perry King as Rory Armagh
Terry Kiser as Courtney Wickersham
Jane Seymour as Marjorie Chisholm
Douglas Heyes Jr. as Kevin Armagh
Cynthia Sykes as Claudia Desmond

Story:
Tom Hennessey dies and Joseph goes to Elizabeth Hennessey and declares his love for her, undiminished by the many years they have been apart. She reveals that Tom was the father of her son.
They agree that for the sake of his presidential aspirations for his son, he will not divorce Bernadette.

Joseph attempts to bribe Senator Bassett to withdraw his support of the Alien Contract Labor Act. When this fails, he resorts to blackmail. To preserve his honor and keep his family secret, Senator Bassett withdraws his support the only way he can see - by committing suicide. His letter to Joseph tells him that with his dying breath, he has cursed Joseph and all his family.
Bernadette hires a private detective who gives her proof that Joseph is having an affair with Elizabeth. She then gives him an assignment to find proof of her suspicion that Elizabeth's son, Courtney Wickersham is actually Tom Hennessey's son. Bernadette confronts Elizabeth with the proof in an attempt to blackmail her into ending the affair with Joseph. This plan backfires when Elizabeth freely admits the truth and now that Tom is dead, she no longer cares if the secret is revealed.

Joseph tries match-making with his son Rory and Claudia Desmond, the daughter of a business associate.
Rory is smitten with Marjorie Chisholm and asks Courtney Wickersham to introduce them. She has a boyfriend and offers Rory no encouragement. When he continues to pursue her and because he is an Irish Catholic, Rory is severly beaten by her boyfriend and his Harvard classmates. (taken from here again)

Thoughts: Bernadette and Elizabeth fight over Joseph, because the younger woman has discovered her feelings for him, yet the blackmail she had on her stepmother is naughty because all parties already know the truth. Though he has four kids, for Joseph mainly Rory counts and this Bernadette tells him one night drunk. Some years later, Rory was nearly dispelled from his school but his father got him back - and to Harvard where he is with his uncle Courtney and brother Kevin. Still, his father tries to get him together with Claudia Desmond but Rory has other plans with another young woman, Marjorie, at Harvard and takes a several beating from her boyfriend and his friends, just by being Irish.

Some pics:


As said before, it will get complicated with all the women around, for young and old Armagh. *sighs*

See you tomorrow!

[Squad 51]

Here we go again.

Chapter VI

Additional cast:
John Houseman as Judge Newell Chisholm
Ann Dusenberry as Ann-Marie

Story:
Undeterred by the beating, Rory is relentless in his pursuit of Marjorie and she eventually falls in love with him. Both of their fathers are strongly opposed to the romance. Judge Chisholm doesn't want Marjorie to marry into an Irish Catholic family, and Joseph insists that Rory must marry an Irish Catholic girl for political reasons. Rory and Marjorie elope and are married by a Justice of the Peace.

Courtney Wickersham and Anne-Marie Armagh are in love and they want to marry. Joseph has to tell Courtney that he is related by blood to Anne-Marie - Tom Hennessey was his biological father and Anne-Marie's grandfather. When they search for Anne-Marie to tell her, they are told that she rode off in a frenzy soon after returning home. Her horse returns without her and when they find her, she has suffered multiple injuries and is in a coma. Bernadette denies having told Anne-Marie that Courtney is a blood relative. Joseph and Elizabeth both feel intense guilt over the secret they kept and the consequences - they never see each other again.

Rory and Marjorie are secretly and happily living together in New York when Joseph summons Rory to join him in London. (taken from here again)

Thoughts: Rory still does his best to win Marjorie and well, it happens: they fall in love with each other, still knowing that their fathers wouldn't approve it. Kevin, however, avenges his brother and beats his brother's attacker to the hospital. For their sister Ann-Marie, it doesn't end good. She falls in love with her uncle Courtney who is in reality related to her. Unfortunately, she falls off her horse and remains in a coma. Joseph accuses Bernadette to have told their child the truth but Bernadette denies it. Meanwhile, Rory listens to Harry's love story and decides to just do what his heart says and marries Marjorie. They settle down while Rory's parents are on a trip through Europe. Desmond becomes the ambassador of the USA in London, and Joseph insists that Rory marries a Catholic girl, not knowing that his son has already wed Marjorie. Oh boy!

Some pics:


That's about it. Two chapters to go and one long!

See you tomorrow!

[Tim]

This is a long mini-series.

[Squad 51]

Yeah, but a good one and the first of its kind. With the mix of known and unknown actors, it provided an example for future ones.

Chapter VII

Additional cast:
Lee Jones deBroux as Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt
John McLiam as Robert

Story:
Joseph takes Rory to meet his rich and powerful friends who intend to "build their own president". Joseph insists that Rory must marry Claudia Desmond with an incentive of 20 million dollars or be disowned with no inheritance. Despite his intention to do so, Rory doesn't have the courage to tell his father about his marriage to Marjorie.

Joseph returns home from London after learning of Rory's marriage by a letter from the Justice of the Peace and in a rage confronts Harry Zieff about hiding this information from him.

America declares war with Spain and young Kevin Armagh joins Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and goes to Cuba to join in the fight.

Joseph meets with Judge Chisholm to discuss a plan to end Rory and Marjorie's marriage. Joseph offers him 10 thousand dollars a month to take Marjorie to Europe for 2 years. He has paid bribes to the Justice of the Peace and the court clerk to remove all evidence of the marriage from the official records. He has also prepared two forged letters to be delivered to Rory and Marjorie, each ending it with the other for personal reasons.

When it is discovered that Kevin has gone to Cuba, Rory travels to Cuba as a "war correspondent" to find him and bring him home. When Rory finally finds Kevin, he has been injured in a sniper attack and he dies in Rory's arms. (taken from here again)

Thoughts: Rory is not happy with how his father manages to dictate his life and realizes bitterly that for him only the money counts. He tells him so in London but can't admit to have married his college love, Marjorie. Still, Joseph finds out and takes his anger out on Harry but both only have the main goal in view: making Rory the first Irish president of the USA. However, soon the war between America and Spain begins and Rory thinks that the powerful friends of his father are behind it. Behind anyone's back, Kevin follows Teddy's army down to Cuba. When the family finally finds out, Rory manages to convince his father to let him go down there as well as a correspondent but as soon as he's there, he's within the war and included. After some asking around, he finally finds his younger brother and helds him until he dies in his arms. Rory is devastated. Meanwhile, Joseph tries to annule the marriage, even with Marjorie's Dad. As said, complicated.

Some pics:


Took a bit longer to find a special picture with looking through all possible sources.

Well, tomorrow then last chapter with 90 min length!

See you then!