LANA WOOD: TV. MOVIES

   Last Wish (2010)

Lana Wood, Nathan Andrew Jacobs. With Greg Arns, Jean Jacques Bernard, Patricia Coles, Ryan Earley.

 

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Nathan Andrew Jacobs. With Greg Arns, Jean Jacques Bernard, Patricia Coles, Ryan Earley.

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Tales from Dark Fall (2008– )

With Kristine Adams, John Boston, Leslie Norris, Rocky Cerda. Lana Wood

 

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Divas of Novella (2008)

Directed by Tim Russ. With Crystal Allen, Brandon Alter, Caroline Attwood, Lisa Benedict, Lana Wood

 

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Mike Hammer (1984–1989)

Created by Larry Brody. With Stacy Keach, Lindsay Bloom, Don Stroud, Kent Williams. Lana Wood

 

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"Nero Wolfe" (1981)

With William Conrad, Lee Horsley, George Voskovec, Robert Coote, Lana Wood

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Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979)

Directed by Ivan Nagy. With Reb Brown, Connie Sellecca, Len Birman, Christopher Lee, Lana Wood

Big Shamus, Little Shamus (1979– )

Created by Tracy Hotchner. With Brian Dennehy, Doug McKeon, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Cynthia Sikes, Lana Wood

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Starsky y Hutch (1975–1979)

 

Created by William Blinn. With David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Antonio Fargas, Bernie Hamilton, Lana Wood

 

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David Cassidy - Man Undercover (1978–1979)

Created by Richard Fielder. With David Cassidy, Simon Oakland, Wendy Rastattar, Michael A. Salcido, Lana Wood

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Fantasy Island (1977-1984)

Created by Gene Levitt. With Ricardo Montalban, Hervé Villechaize, Christopher Hewett, Wendy Schaal, Lana Wood

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Police Story (1973-1977)

 

Created by Joseph Wambaugh. With Scott Brady, Mel Scott, Don Meredith, Joe Santos. Lana Wood

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The Next Step Beyond (1978– )

Created by Merwin Gerard. With John Newland, Craig Littler, Henry Brandon, Martin Rudy. Lana Wood

 

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Corey: For the People (1977)

Directed by Buzz Kulik. With John Rubinstein, Eugene Roche, Wynn Irwin, Frank Campanella, Lana Wood

 

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Little Ladies of the Night(1977)

Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky. With David Soul, Louis Gossett Jr., Linda Purl, Clifton Davis, Lana Wood

 

 

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Nightmare in Badham County (1976)

Robert Reed as the warden; Chuck Connors, Deborah Raffin, Robert Reed, Tina Louise, Fionnula Flanagan, Lana Wood

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Baretta (1975–1978)

Created by Stephen J. Cannell. With Robert Blake, Tom Ewell, Edward Grover, Michael D. Roberts, Lana Wood

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Sons of Sassoun (1975)

Directed by Sarky Mouradian. With Manuel Kichian, Lana Wood, Peter Lorre Jr., Victor Izay.

 

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Who Is the Black Dahlia? (1975)

  

Directed by Joseph Pevney. With Brooke Adams, Donna Mills, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Ronny Cox, Lana Wood

 

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QB VII (1974)

Ben Gazzara, Anthony Hopkins, Leslie Caron, Dan O'Herlihy, Robert Stephens, Anthony Quayle, Lana Wood

Directed by: Tom Gries

 

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Goodnight Jackie (1974)

Directed by Jerry London. With Wendell Burton, Gregory Sierra, Lana Wood, Jim Backus.

 

 

 

GAMES GUYS PLAY seems like less of an attempt at a counter-culture statement – a few years too late – than the illusion of one as a way for a bunch of TV personnel to break into features. The film’s director Jerry London was a veteran of various TV sitcoms including THE BRADY BUNCH, and the film’s producer Lloyd J. Schwartz – who also scripted – is the son of that show’s creator Sherwood Schwartz (which also explains the presence of Barry Williams – as Robbie’s replacement groundskeeper – and Todd Lookinland, brother of Mike from the show). The two male protagonists are the kind you’d like to punch – Robbie pining for simpler times and Paul simply getting tired of Phyllis and – while their two female counterparts turn from fun to pouting and passive; however, I’m guessing many of us have made the same similarly stupid decisions and lived with them (if anything, GAMES GUYS PLAY is less of an escapist fantasy than about the consequences of them). Wood’s Jackie is the most entertaining character (Backus seems to have been cast just for recognition more than for actual comedy). Fred Karlin (WESTWORLD) has written some fine film scores, but this isn’t one of them, and the film’s four sappy songs – sung by Karlin – will have you muting the volume each time a montage starts. Associate producer Gregory Hoblit would go on to produce and direct several TV dramas in the 1980s before moving onto directing features from the 1990s onwards including PRIMAL FEAR and HART’S WAR.THE GAMES GUYS PLAY comes in a progressive, anamorphic transfer with a rough first reel. Under the mostly faint to occasionally heavy scratching (both in-camera and green emulsion scratches) is a crisp image with stable – and occasionally vibrant – colors, while the subsequent reels are cleaner and only sport occasional damage. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio is cleaner with clear dialogue and – less fortunately – rendering of the score and original songs. There is no trailer for the feature, but there are trailers for DEVIL’S THREE and THE BABYSITTER.

  

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Mission: Impossible (1966-1973)

 

Created by Bruce Geller. With Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Lana Wood

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Night Gallery (1969–1973)

With Rod Serling, Larry Watson, Joanna Pettet, Matt Pelto, Lana Wood

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Marcus Welby (1969–1976)

Created by David Victor. With Robert Young, James Brolin, Elena Verdugo, Pamela Hensley. Lana Wood

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The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970)

Directed by George McCowan. With Walter Brennan, Fred Astaire, Edgar Buchanan, Andy Devine. Lana Wood

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Black Water Gold (1970)

Directed by Alan Landsburg. With Keir Dullea, Bradford Dillman, France Nuyen, Aron Kincaid. Lana Wood

A scuba bum joins a marine archaeologist and a Mexican historian in a race to reach a treasure from a sunken Spanish galleon, ahead of a well-armed dilettante and his associates. Great cast, fairly intense TV movie, with Keir sporting a hearing aid and mustache. Good performances from Keir, Ricardo, Bradford, and France Nuyen. Nice compact running time, no padding. This movies was shot on location, instead of the usual '70s T.V. Movie, which were shot on the studio back lot to save money. The underwater scenes were well filmed. I enjoyed seeing this movie when it was first broadcast on T.V.. I was quite happy to see it on DVD (on Amazon.com), and purchased a copy so that I could enjoy it again. Recommended

 

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Scream Free! (1969)

Directed by Bill Brame, John Lawrence. With Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Lana Wood, Casey Kasem.

A quality cast never guarantees a movie will work, witness the disaster called FREE GRASS or SCREAM FREE! By any title this would-be exploitation film was too ineptly put together to even merit hard-up drive-ins to book it.

The filmmakers have some biker movie credentials, but haven't a clue here. It's trying for the Herman Hesse-inspired "finding oneself" attitude of the '60s, but heads nowhere in a hurry.

Richard Beymer, who would become an indie filmmaker years later with THE INNERVIEW, toplines as a searcher, not interested in joining the rat race. Film's best scene has him and hippie girlfriend Lana Wood on his hog, riding free down the open road (presaging the spirit of EASY RIDER). But he gets involved in drugs, especially under the bad influence of pal Russ Tamblyn

Tamblyn was a mainstay of these drive-in movies, who along with his pal Dean Stockwell was to be counted on to deliver a quirky performance during their down-market career phase, after both of them began promisingly as leads in major studio pictures. The decline from WEST SIDE STORY to this junk for both Beymer and Tamblyn was hammered home by the marketing for FREE GRASS.

Wood, the buxom younger sister of Natalie, gets a scene recalling one of her sis' triumphs: Beymer takes her up to a high promenade with telescopes, where they can look down on the city, capturing the mood of the similar scene featuring Dean, Mineo and Natalie in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.

Film's ostensible plot revolves around hammy Casey Kasem (who remarkably went for about 40 years after this without aging a bit, Dorian Gray style) as a drug kingpin who's planning a big trafficking job from Mexico with underling Tamblyn. Russ recruits a reluctant Beymer to serve as a driver in bringing the drugs across the border, with the promise of $10,000 which will allow him to flee the cops (he's wanted by the law for going crazy and billy-clubbing one during a riot) and flee to a new life in Dayton, Ohio (!).

After lots of boring filler concerning Beymer's LSD trip (after Russ slips him a sugar cube Mickey), the "action" of bringing in the drugs using an RV results in violence. Director Bill Brame stages the confrontation with narcs Lindsay Crosby and Jody McCrea (2nd generation Hollywood royalty) like a home movie.

Theater audiences were cheated out of the expected Wood nude scenes (she was one hot number back then, appearing memorably in PLAYBOY as well as exploitation films like DEMON RAGE and A PLACE CALLED TODAY), but through the magic of video one can slow down the film and barely see the buxom starlet topless in one of Beymer's psychedelic hallucinations. Other than that 1/8th of a second cheap thrill, this dull offering never gets down to the basics of entertainment, high or low.

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PEYTON PLACE (1968)

 

Directed by William J. Hole Jr.. With Dorothy Malone, Ed Nelson, Ryan O'Neal, Barbara Parkins. Lana Wood

 

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BONANZA

The Gentle Ones (29 Oct. 1967)

With Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Robert Walker Jr, Lana Wood

Directed by Harry Harris.

 

 

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"The Wild Wild West" The Night of the Firebrand

With Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, Pernell Roberts, Lana Wood.

Directed by Michael Caffey.

 

 

 

 

 

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"The Long, Hot Summer"...the TV Series!

Ah, the wonder of YouTube! I vaguely remember my parents watching a mid-1960s TV series based on the 1958 Paul Newman-Joanne Woodward hit The Long, Hot Summer. But since the show--which lasted just one season--quickly faded into obscurity, I figured it would never be released on video. Then, one night last week, I decided to search YouTube and--voila!--discovered four complete episodes. It's a small sample to judge a season comprised of 27 episodes, but still provides a feel for how the series was progressing...and perhaps why it failed.

Jimmie Rodgers sings the sublime title
songs over the opening credits.

Not surprisingly, the 1965-66 Long, Hot Summer TV series is based more on the theatrical film than on William Faulkner's Snopes family novels about life in Frenchman's Bend, Mississippi. Roy Thinnes plays Ben Quick, a good-looking drifter who has recently returned to the rural town with little money. Ben runs afoul of Will Varner (Edmund O'Brien), a domineering man who owns pretty much everything. Secretly, Varner admires Ben's pluck, but he doesn't like the hint of a spark between Ben and Varner's daughter Clara (Nancy Malone). Other characters include: Varner's weak son Jody (Paul Geary); Varner's mistress Minnie Littlejohn (Ruth Roman); and Eula (Lana Wood), a young woman of modest means who works for Minnie. Undoubtedly, fans of the 1958 film recognize all these characters. Indeed, the only substantial difference is that Jody and Eula are married in the movie, but only dating (in spite of Varner's objections) on the TV series. (Also, for the record, no one in the TV series attempts a Southern accent and Will Varner called his daughter "Missy" instead of "Sister").

Thinnes (without shirt) and Edmund O'Brien.

So how does it all work? Roy Thinnes and Dorothy Malone fare pretty well in the roles made famous by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Thinnes can't replicate Newman's mischievous charm, but he broods well (and takes off his shirt a lot, especially in the beefcake-heavy second episode). Malone faces a bigger task, given that Woodward was a delight in the movie. Yet, she still captures Clara's spunk and mistrust of Ben. She shows promise in the second episode, but, alas, doesn't play a major role in the others ones I viewed.

Edmund O'Brien has big shoes in fill in taking over Orson Welles' larger-than-life portrayal of Will Varner. His take on the character seems more subdued, but the result is that his Varner seems meaner (and not the manipulative rascal played by Welles). Unfortunately, O'Brien left the series midway through the season (some sources claim he clashed with the producers on the direction of the show). Dan O'Herily replaced him and, though a fine actor, he lacks the charisma required for the part.

Lana Wood as Eula.

Among the supporting players, Ruth Roman registers effectively as Minnie. Paul Geary is incredibly bland as Jody (and nothing like the desperate son played by Tony Franciosa). Lana Wood (Natalie's sister), who is well-cast physically as Eula, does what she can with a poorly-developed part.

The episodes that focus on Ben and Clara's relationship work best. Unfortunately, other episodes (e.g., a falsely-accused murderer hiding in the swamp, Will thinking he may be terminally ill) come off as routine filler. One is left with the feeling that a TV version of The Long, Hot Summer may have worked better as a miniseries (incidentially, it was made into a two-part TV movie in 1985 with Don Johnson, Judith Ivey, and Jason Robards).

Roy Thinnes in The Invaders.

Following the show's cancellation, Roy Thinnes scored the lead in The Invaders TV series, which didn't last long either, but has acquired a cult following. Nancy Malone became a producer and director and eventually vice-president of 20th Century-Fox television. Lana Wood appeared as Plenty O'Toole opposite 007 inDiamonds Are Forever and guest-starred in numerous TV series. Cult favorite Tisha Sterling had a small recurring role on The Long, Hot Summer, as did Bobby Pickett--who scored a huge hit single with "The Monster Mash."





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"The Fugitive"

Detour on a Road Going Nowhere (1964)

With David Janssen, Lee Bowman, Elizabeth Allen, Phyllis Thaxter. Lana Wood

Directed by Ralph Senensky.

Kimble, under the name Stuart Manning, is working at Indian Lake Resort when the boss finds the safe open and a bag of money missing. When police come to investigate they take fingerprints of the employees, requiring Kimble to hit the road.

Kimble intercepts the shuttle bus and tries to flee, but the road is blocked by a landslide. The majority of passengers encourage the driver to find a side road to get through.

The other passengers are an odd assortment who have complex relationships among themselves and with Kimble. One of them is a middle aged man, Tod Langner (actor Lee Bowman), who wants to feel like and live like a young man, to the dismay of his wife Enid (actress Phyllis Thaxter). The other passengers, an attractive woman who had argued with Kimble the night before, and a young man who is a criminal, have mixed feelings about Kimble, and play important roles in the drama.

After the bus breaks down on a deserted back road, the radio announces that Stuart Manning is really Richard Kimble, escaped murderer. Langner, anxious to display his manliness to the young lady, takes charge, by seizing the young criminal's gun, and using it to capture Kimble and hold him for the police.

Playhouse 90

Winter Dreams (1957)

John Cassavetes, Dexter Green

Dana Wynter, Judy Holt, Mildred Dunnock, Lana Wood

 

 

 

Director: John Frankenheimer

Airda

Dexter Green has spent most of his life trying to fulfill the ambitions and hopes of his socially ambitious mother and his conservative father. Thanks to his mom's aggressiveness, Dexter has achieved financial success and

prestige in his community--and, as a bonus, he is poised to marry the girl carefully selected by his parents. But

things change radically when wealthy but fickle Judy Holt slinks into Dexter's life.

 

 

 

Cast:

John Casses...Dexter Green

Dana Wynter...Judy Holt