The 25+ Best David Janssen Movies
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- 1
Hijack!
Keenan Wynn, William Schallert, David JanssenHijack is a made-for-television dramatic movie that first aired on ABC in 1973 as a movie produced from the ABC Movie of the Week library. It was filmed in the Antelope Valley of California. - 2David Janssen, Ralph Meeker, Don WilbanksBirds of Prey is a 1973 television movie starring David Janssen, Ralph Meeker, and Elayne Heilveil. The screenplay was written by Robert Boris from a story by Boris and Rupert Hitzig, and directed by William A. Graham. It is a crime action film depicting a radio station helicopter traffic reporter who, witnessing an armored car robbery, engages in a chase when the suspects flee in a vehicle and then switch to their own get-away helicopter.
- 3
Macho Callahan
David Carradine, Jean Seberg, Joan LundenMacho Callahan is a 1970 American-Mexican Civil War film directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and starring David Janssen, Jean Seberg, Lee J. Cobb and James Booth. During the American Civil War, a Confederate soldier is imprisoned in Andersonville Prison. He manages to escape, but is pursued by a gang of bounty-hunters. - 4Geoffrey Lewis, Bradford Dillman, David JanssenMoon of the Wolf is an American made-for-television Gothic horror film first broadcast on September 26, 1972, on ABC Movie of the Week. It starred David Janssen, Barbara Rush, Geoffrey Lewis and Bradford Dillman, with a script by Alvin Sapinsley. The film was directed by Daniel Petrie and filmed on location in Burnside, Louisiana. All of the downtown footage was from Clinton, Louisiana.
- 5Charlton Heston, John Cassavetes, Beau BridgesThe Los Angeles Police Department, led by Capt. Peter Holly (Charlton Heston), learns that a madman is planning to open fire on football fans in a packed Los Angeles Coliseum. Holly finds himself at tactical odds with SWAT commander Sgt. Button (John Cassavetes) as the fans -- including gambler Sandman (Jack Klugman), a pickpocket (Walter Pidgeon), car salesman Steve (David Janssen) and his girlfriend, Janet (Gena Rowlands) -- unknowingly risk their lives while the gunman takes aim.More Two-Minute Warning
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- 6Joan Collins, Stefanie Powers, Lillian GishWarning Shot is a 1967 film about a police sergeant who kills a man while on a stakeout, then must prove that it was self-defense. It is based on the novel 711 - Officer Needs Help by Whit Masterson. David Janssen stars as the accused officer, with supporting performances from Ed Begley, Keenan Wynn, Joan Collins, Stefanie Powers, Sam Wanamaker, George Grizzard, Carroll O'Connor, Steve Allen, Eleanor Parker, Walter Pidgeon, George Sanders and Lillian Gish. Baseball stars Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale signed to appear in this movie during their 1966 holdout, but never made it onto the screen when both agreed to contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Filming took place between the third and fourth seasons of Janssen's television series The Fugitive. The script was written by Mann Rubin, who had authored the Fugitive episode "A Taste of Tomorrow", while the film was directed by Buzz Kulik with a jazz score by Jerry Goldsmith. It was released by Paramount Pictures.
- 7John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim HuttonA cynical reporter (David Janssen) who is opposed to the Vietnam War is sent to cover the conflict and assigned to tag along with a group of Green Berets. Led by the tough-as-nails Col. Mike Kirby (John Wayne), the team is given a top-secret mission to sneak behind enemy lines and kidnap an important Viet Cong commander. Along the way, the reporter learns to respect why America is involved in the war and helps to save the life of a war orphan whose life has been destroyed by the conflict.
- 8Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, Jack KellyYoung Audie Murphy's (playing himself) father abandons his large family, and Audie becomes the main breadwinner. When World War II breaks out, Murphy wants to enlist, but looks too young and small to make a good fighter. Nevertheless admitted as an infantryman by the Army, Murphy proves a courageous soldier. The film, based on Murphy's life, reenacts his many battles, including the ultimate feat that earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor: single-handedly turning back a German attack.More To Hell and Back
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- 9Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Vic DamoneGuy Gabaldon (Jeffrey Hunter) is an orphaned Latino youth raised in Los Angeles by an adoptive Japanese-American family. With the dawn of conflict in the Pacific, Gabaldon enlists in the military as a translator. Fighting in the Battle of Saipan, he's horrified at the carnage. So, disobeying orders, he goes behind enemy lines and talks the Japanese into willful surrender, saving thousands of lives on both sides. The film is based on the true story of the decorated World War II veteran.
- 10Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, James FranciscusAmerican astronauts Buzz (Gene Hackman), Jim (Richard Crenna) and Clayton (James Franciscus) are stranded in space on their return journey from a new space station when malfunctioning rocket boosters bring the craft to a halt. With the men drifting in orbit, facing death from declining oxygen levels in the shuttle, NASA director Charles Keith (Gregory Peck) quickly mobilizes to launch a bold rescue mission -- but a hurricane headed for the launch site may ensure the astronauts' demise.
- 11Kirk Douglas, Alexis Smith, Deborah RaffinHas-been producer Mike Wayne (Kirk Douglas) marries rich closeted lesbian Deirdre Granger (Alexis Smith) in an attempt to regain his financial footing. When his daughter, January (Deborah Raffin), returns home after recuperating from a motorcycle accident, she resents the new woman in her father's life, doubting that there is any real love in the marriage. She then takes up with Tom Colt (David Janssen), a famous but alcoholic writer who is close in age to her father.
- 12Arthur Kennedy, David Janssen, Corinne CléryCovert Action is a 1978 Italian/Greek co-production Eurospy film starring the American actor David Janssen. The plot was based on the experiences of former CIA agent Philip Agee who initiated a lawsuit with the producers over his fees and expenses.
- 13Stella Stevens, Bob Crane, Jeffrey HunterMan-Trap is a 1961 American drama film about a Korean War veteran who becomes involved in a scheme to steal $3.5 million from a Central American dictator. The film was directed by Edmond O'Brien, and stars Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Stella Stevens, Elaine Devry, Arthur Batanides, Cortez Perry Lopez, Ann McCrea, and Bernard Fein.
- 14Elke Sommer, Ray Milland, Senta BergerThe Swiss Conspiracy is a 1976 action film starring David Janssen, Senta Berger and Elke Sommer, and directed by Jack Arnold. It was co-produced between Germany and the United States.
- 15Carl Reiner, Sam Waterston, James CocoGeneration is a 1969 comedy film directed by George Schaefer.
- 16Anthony Quinn, Laurence Olivier, Oskar WernerAfter spending decades in a Siberian Gulag labor camp, Roman Catholic priest Kiril Lakota (Anthony Quinn) is set free by Russian leader Piotr Ilyich Kamenev (Sir Laurence Olivier) at the height of the Cold War, when Russia and China are locked in a tense conflict. Following the death of the pope (Sir John Gielgud), Lakota ends up on the global stage when he is chosen to be his successor. As the pope, the humble Lakota becomes a compassionate advocate for ending world hunger and poverty.
- 17David Janssen, James Farentino, Sallie ShockleyIn this made-for-TV movie based on a true story, Karen Chambers (Sallie Shockley) is taken from her parents' home by kidnapper John Danbury (James Farentino) and placed in an underground coffin with only an air tube, a fan and a small supply of water to keep her alive. Her wealthy parents, Alan (David Janssen) and Norma (Phyllis Thaxter), are asked to pay the ransom as police frantically try to locate her while Karen does her best to survive under harrowing circumstances.
- 18David Janssen, Cloris Leachman, Susan Saint JamesAs Capt. Edward Smith (Harry Andrews) leads the ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic, he begins to speed up the impressive ship. Meanwhile, billionaire John Jacob Astor (David Janssen) chats with Molly Brown (Cloris Leachman) in first class. In second class, teacher Lawrence Beasley (David Warner) shares a wide-ranging discussion with fellow educator Leigh Goodwin (Susan Saint James), beginning what could be a short romance. A group of Irish immigrants, happy to be aboard, sing and dance in third class.
- 19Clint Eastwood, Tab Hunter, Tom LaughlinLafayette Escadrille, also known as C'est la Guerre, Hell Bent for Glory and With You in My Arms, is an American war film produced by Warner Brothers Pictures. It stars Tab Hunter and Etchika Choureau and features David Janssen and Will Hutchins as well as Clint Eastwood in an early supporting role. It was the final film in the career of director William A. Wellman and is based on his original story.
- 20
You Are There: The Outlaws
Walter Cronkite, David Janssen, Robert Bray - 21Laurence Olivier, Jacqueline Bisset, Ben GazzaraGen. Douglas MacArthur (Laurence Olivier) leads a Korean War campaign, and the war tests a married couple's (Jacqueline Bisset, Ben Gazzara) relationship.
- 22Joanna Pettet, William Shatner, David JanssenIn this 19th-century drama, an American family from the Northeast heads to Wyoming in search of a better life, only to face tragedy and hardship. Maggie Sergent (Joanna Pettet), the hard-driving matriarch of the clan, is totally unprepared when her husband, John (William Shatner), is murdered. Left to handle the farm on her own, Maggie must choose whether to stay in Wyoming and run the farm with her children, or head back to the East Coast and the life she knows.
- 23Tom Selleck, Dick Butkus, Donna MillsSuperdome is a 1978 made for TV drama movie. It premiered on ABC as part of The ABC Monday Night Movie series and was used to promote Super Bowl XII. The film featured an impressive cast of stars but was ridiculed for its confusing and sensational plotlines, as well as for containing no football scenes.
- 24Victor Mature, David Janssen, Ray DantonChief Crazy Horse is a 1955 western film released by Universal-International and directed by George Sherman, starring Victor Mature. The film is a fictionalized biography of the Lakota Sioux Chief Crazy Horse that, unusually for the time, portrays the Native American Indians in a more sympathetic light.
- 25
The Girl He Left Behind
Tab Hunter, Natalie Wood, Jessie Royce LandisAndy Shaeffer (Tab Hunter) is a spoiled college student, overly reliant on his protective high-society mother (Jessie Royce Landis). Andy's girlfriend, the far more mature Susan Daniels (Natalie Wood), worries that he will never be a suitable mate unless he learns to accept responsibility. Nearly flunking out, Andy is drafted into the army. With help from his superior officers (Murray Hamilton, Jim Backus, David Janssen), the sullen Andy eventually sees an opportunity to grow up and be a man. - 26Debbie Reynolds, Cliff Robertson, David JanssenThe frantic life of Broadway superstar Janice Courtney (Debbie Reynolds) catches up with her when she collapses before a throng of reporters. Fleeing to her rural Connecticut home to recuperate, Janice discovers six abandoned children squatting on her property. She takes in the scruffy but endearing kids, gradually becoming close to them and to the handsome local pastor (Cliff Robertson). But, when she returns to Broadway, one of the children runs away -- and Janice faces a life-changing choice.
- 27David Janssen, Art Metrano, Karin DorWarhead is a 1977 American film directed by John O'Connor and produced by Buddy Ruskin who produced The Mod Squad. The film was originally shot in Israel in 1973 under the title Sabra Command The film is also known as Prisoner in the Middle, and Mission Overkill. In Mexico, it was released as Amenaza Nuclear.