ABC Movie of the Week
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2018) |
| ABC Movie of the Week | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 90 minutes including commercials; 71-74 minutes excluding commercials |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 23, 1969 – May 14, 1975 |
The ABC Movie of the Week was an American weekly television anthology series featuring made-for-TV movies that aired on the ABC network in various permutations from 1969 to 1975.
History[edit]
In the 1960s, movie studios viewed television as a second-rate medium but also as a threat to their theatrical revenue, so they charged high fees for the privilege to broadcast their films. The networks experimented with having films made specifically for TV to lower expenses. NBC created the first weekly umbrella for such films with their World Premiere Movie in 1966, running in a two-hour time slot.
Until the late 1960s, ABC ran a distant third behind rivals CBS and NBC, leading to jokes about it coming in fourth among the three networks or about its acronym meaning "Almost Broadcasting Company". Desperation and a looser corporate structure allowed ABC to consider plans that the other two networks would not. Barry Diller, then a junior executive at ABC and later a co-founder of the Fox network, is often cited as the creator of the Movie of the Week (MotW), although the concept was actually originated by producer Roy Huggins. Huggins reasoned that many older theatrical films ran shorter than 90 minutes so requiring a 120-minute time slot was unnecessary. His proposal was rejected by NBC and CBS but became the subject of a cover story in the March 21, 1968 issue of Variety magazine. ABC executives read the article and contacted Huggins, who did not want to sell the idea but could produce the series through Universal, where he was under contract. Universal demanded a larger budget than ABC wanted to spend, as well as the exclusive right to produce all future TV movies for ABC, conditions that pushed ABC to control production on their own, purchasing films from various studios and production companies.[1] As the Variety article had effectively placed the concept into the public domain, ABC continued to develop it without Huggins' permission or involvement.[2] ABC consoled Huggins by allowing him to produce several films, including The Young Country, precursor to Alias Smith and Jones. Michael Karol repeated the claim in his book The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series that the Movie of the Week was Diller's idea,[3] but this was based on hearsay.
The shorter format allowed a smaller budget than two-hour TV movies. At $350,000 per film, it was less than half the budget of NBC's World Premiere movies.[1] It featured the work of producers like Aaron Spelling, David Wolper and Harve Bennett (all of whom later developed hit series of their own), and was produced by different production companies such as Bing Crosby Productions and the network's own ABC Circle Films. Spelling was particularly prolific, producing films under his own credit as well as through Spelling-Goldberg Productions and Thomas-Spelling Productions (partly owned by Danny Thomas).
The MotW provided ABC with a ratings hit and, along with Monday Night Football, helped establish the network as a legitimate competitor to rivals CBS and NBC. The films themselves varied in quality and were often escapist or sensationalistic in nature (suspense, horror and melodrama were staples), but some were critically well received. For example, Duel (1971), based on a Richard Matheson short story from Playboy, was director Steven Spielberg's first feature film, catapulting his career and enabling him to move from television to theatrical films.
ABC earned four Emmys, a Peabody Award and citations from the NAACP and American Cancer Society for an airing of Brian's Song in 1972. The 1971–72 season of the series finished as the fifth highest rated series of the year.
The series was documented by Michael Karol in his 2005 book, The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series, which was updated in 2008 (ISBN 1-60528-023-2), and by Michael McKenna in The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen.
Time slots[edit]
The MotW originally aired on Tuesday nights at 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central. Established series The Mod Squad acted as a lead-in from 7:30 to 8:30, bringing the younger demographic. The shorter running time of the film freed the 10 p.m. time slot for a full 60-minute program, initially Marcus Welby, M.D. during the first season. Starting earlier at 8:30 could also prevent viewers from switching to competing movies at 9:00. Beginning with the 1971 season, ABC added a second MotW on Saturday night and adjusted the titles of the shows to the Movie of the Week and Movie of the Weekend. The following season, the Saturday installment was moved to Wednesday night, and the titles were adjusted to Tuesday Movie of the Week and Wednesday Movie of the Week.
During the 1973–74 season, ABC added another movie on Saturday nights to their schedule, this time titled the ABC Suspense Movie, and usually consisting of thriller, mystery and horror type films (some of which were reruns of movies which had originally aired as Movies of the Week).
Title sequence[edit]
The title sequence was designed by Harry Marks[4] and animated by Douglas Trumbull using the slit-scan process that he had created for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The accompanying theme music was an orchestral version of "Nikki", a song composed by Burt Bacharach and named for his daughter. The theme was chosen by Marks and arranged by Harry Betts.[4]
Over the music was narration voiced by Dick Tufeld. "The Movie of the Week. Presenting the world premiere of an original motion picture produced especially for ABC (or 'for the Movie of the Week' in some seasons)." That would be followed by a promotional teaser for the movie.
The opening for the Saturday Movie of the Weekend featured footage of a silhouetted "rotating cameraman" operating a 35 mm movie camera ([1]). This footage would later be incorporated into the opening of ABC's New York City television station WABC-TV's various movie umbrellas beginning around 1972–73, including and especially their weekday afternoon movie showcase The 4:30 Movie.
TV series pilots[edit]
The series was often used as a platform to show pilots for possible series for the network. It allowed the network to air pilots that it had already commissioned and paid for but had not ordered as regular series. As well, pilots that had already been sold as ongoing series or were being tested such as Kung Fu, The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky and Hutch, Longstreet, Toma, Alias Smith and Jones and Get Christie Love! premiered here and returned on the regular schedule after minor to major alterations to the premise and/or cast. Other programs are sometimes mistakenly believed to have aired under the Movie of the Week banner. Marcus Welby, M.D., for example, premiered after Seven in Darkness and was the lead-out for the Tuesday installment. Still others, like Earth II and Robert Conrad's version of Nick Carter were actually shown on other movie series, such as The ABC Sunday Night Movie.
Actors[edit]
Most of the actors in non-recurring roles appeared only once or twice in the series. Notable exceptions who appeared in three or more films as different characters include Doug McClure, Darren McGavin, Dennis Weaver, Clint Walker, Earl Holliman, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Culp, Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Elizabeth Montgomery, Donna Mills, Ed Nelson, Ken Berry, Connie Stevens, Lee Majors, James Brolin, Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Ricardo Montalbán, Richard Anderson, Lesley Anne Warren, Janet Leigh, John Marley, William Schallert, Karen Valentine, Ben Murphy, Barra Grant, Myrna Loy, Carl Betz, Henry Jones and William Windom.
Many of the telefilms had actors credited as guest stars, special guest stars and "special appearance by", even if the movie was not a pilot for a series. Death Race and The Weekend Nun billed their lead actors as special guest stars. In the unusual case of Assault on the Wayne, all of the first-billed cast members were credited as guest stars.
End[edit]
The series proper ended in 1975 as ABC's ratings collapsed that season. Analysts laid part of the blame on ABC's overreliance on the MotW, which had suffered from ratings fatigue and a perceived drop in quality despite some notable films. The latter was symptomized by an increased number of pilots as well as remakes and variations of established intellectual properties, such as The Swiss Family Robinson, The Mark of Zorro, The Hatfields and the McCoys and Matt Helm.[5] After that, ABC's made-for-TV movies were aired either as stand-alone specials or shown in time slots that included both original and theatrical movie presentations, notably the ABC Friday Night Movie and the ABC Sunday Night Movie. The Tuesday Movie of the Week would later be incorporated as part of ABC Late Night, a replacement of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment that ran from 1976 to 1982; the late-night version would mainly feature repeats of movies, both made for television and traditional theatrical releases, that were previously seen on ABC and other networks. ABC continued to premiere new TV films on Sunday nights in prime time until 2005.
During the 1970s, ABC's local owned-and-operated stations (in a few of the nation's biggest cities; at the time, they all broadcast on channel 7) featured The 4:30 Movie on weekday afternoons (the actual time varied by city, but generally after ABC's morning/midday game shows and soap operas); it featured mainly major Hollywood theatrical releases, but some installments of the Movie of the Week were also rebroadcast here.
Filmography[edit]
Nielsen ratings[edit]
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Rank | Nielsen rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | September 23, 1969 | March 17, 1970 | #22 | 20.9 [6] | |
| 2 | 25 | September 22, 1970 | April 6, 1971 | #6 | 25.1 [7] | |
| 3 | 44 | September 14, 1971 | March 7, 1972 | #5 | 25.5 [8] | |
| 4 | 47 | September 12, 1972 | March 21, 1973 | #17 (Tuesday) #22 (Wednesday) | 21.4 (Tue) 20.0 (Wed)[8] | |
| 5 | 70 | September 11, 1973 | May 7, 1974 | #21 (Tuesday) #48 (Wednesday) #72 (Saturday) | 21.0 (Tue) 17.2 (Wed) 12.9 (Sat) [9] | |
| 6 | 43 | September 10, 1974 | May 14, 1975 | #47 (Tuesday) #38 (Wednesday) | 17.6 (Tue) 18.7 (Wed)[10] | |
Cast notes[edit]
| * | Credited as guest star |
| ** | Credited as special guest star |
| *** | Credited as "special appearance by" |
Season 1: 1969–70[edit]
| No. | Movie | Title | Genre | Air date | Weekday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.01 | Seven in Darkness | Drama | September 23, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
Seven survivors of a plane crash, all of them blind, must make their way out of the wilderness without any help. Starring: Milton Berle, Dina Merrill, Barry Nelson, Arthur O'Connell, Alejandro Rey, Lesley Ann Warren | ||||||
| 2 | 1.02 | The Immortal | Science fiction | September 30, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
A man flees from a dying billionaire after his blood is found to provide almost miraculous healing and life extension properties. Pilot for the 1970-71 TV series of the same name; nominated for one Emmy Award. | ||||||
| 3 | 1.03 | The Over-the-Hill Gang | Western-comedy | October 7, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
Four elderly Texas Rangers come out of retirement to oust the corrupt crime boss mayor of a frontier town. Unsold pilot; followed by The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (2.08) | ||||||
| 4 | 1.04 | Wake Me When the War Is Over | Comedy | October 14, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
A German baroness hides a bumbling Air Force airman during World War II, then stages an ongoing "war" to keep him from learning that the war has ended. Starring: Ken Berry, Eva Gabor, Werner Klemperer, Jim Backus**, Danielle De Metz | ||||||
| 5 | 1.05 | The Monk | Mystery/Action | October 21, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
Unlicensed private investigator Gus Monk is entangled in a scheme involving a Mob-connected lawyer who claims his boss is out to kill him. Unsold pilot. Story by Blake Edwards, based on characters he created. | ||||||
| 6 | 1.06 | The Young Lawyers | Legal drama | October 28, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
A Boston attorney leaves to take control of a legal aid program staffed by students. Their first case is to defend two Black men accused of robbing and beating a cab driver. Partly recast and returned as a series in the 1970-71 TV season. | ||||||
| 7 | 1.07 | The Pigeon | Crime thriller | November 4, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
A private investigator tries to protect a woman and her mother who are secretly hiding from the Mob. Starring: Sammy Davis, Jr., Dorothy Malone, Victoria Vetri, Ricardo Montalbán**, Pat Boone***, Roy Glenn, Patsy Kelly, Norman Alden | ||||||
| 8 | 1.08 | The Spy Killer | Espionage thriller | November 11, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
Former government assassin turned private investigator John Smith finds himself caught in a web of deceit involving a notebook containing a list of names of spies. Unsold pilot. Screenplay by and produced by Jimmy Sangster, based on his novel, Private I. Filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in London. The three main characters were reworked into another pilot, Foreign Exchange (1.17). | ||||||
| 9 | 1.09 | The Ballad of Andy Crocker | Drama | November 18, 1969 | Tuesday | |
| 10 | 1.10 | In Name Only | Romantic Comedy Anthology | November 25, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
Struggling wedding consultants desperately try to get three couples legally married after finding out they accidentally had an actor officiate the original weddings. Produced and directed by E.W. Swackhamer. Written by Bernard Slade. | ||||||
| 11 | 1.11 | Three's a Crowd | Romantic comedy | December 2, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
Believing his wife died, a man remarries, but when she returns years later, the accidental bigamist tries to keep his secret from both wives. Starring: Larry Hagman, E. J. Peaker, Jessica Walter, Harvey Korman, Farrah Fawcett, Norman Fell | ||||||
| 12 | 1.12 | Daughter of the Mind | Thriller | December 9, 1969 | Tuesday | |
| 13 | 1.13 | The Silent Gun | Western | December 16, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
After nearly shooting an innocent, a famed gunslinger gives up violence but has to find a way to save a frontier town. Based on a concept by Bob Kane. | ||||||
| 14 | 1.14 | Honeymoon with a Stranger | Thriller | December 23, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
An American woman honeymooning in Spain suspects foul play when her wealthy husband disappears, but when the police investigate, a stranger appears, claiming to be the man. Starring: Janet Leigh, Rossano Brazzi, Cesare Danova, Eric Braeden, Barbara Steele | ||||||
| 15 | 1.15 | Gidget Grows Up | Comedy | December 30, 1969 | Tuesday | |
|
After breaking up with Moondoggie, Gidget becomes a United Nations tour guide and begins a love affair with an older Australian agriculture consultant. Unsold pilot; followed by Gidget Gets Married (3.27). | ||||||
| 16 | 1.16 | Black Water Gold | Adventure/drama | January 6, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Independent scholars try to find a long lost Spanish galleon while an unscrupulous, wealthy thief shadows them to get the treasure for himself. Produced, directed and story by Alan Landsburg. Filmed on location in the Bahamas. | ||||||
| 17 | 1.17 | Foreign Exchange | Espionage thriller | January 13, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Former government agent turned private investigator John Smith agrees to participate in a scheme to be captured by the Soviets and exchanged for a double agent that the West wants to plant high in the KGB. Unsold pilot. Screenplay by and produced by Jimmy Sangster, based on his novel, Foreign Exchange. Filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in London. This is a soft reboot of The Spy Killer (1.08) with the events of the earlier pilot completely ignored. John Smith is reintroduced as a traditional spy rather than a counterintelligence assassin. | ||||||
| 18 | 1.18 | Carter's Army | Action | January 27, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A racist commando must lead an all-African-American squad of misfits on a secret mission in Nazi Germany. Also known as Black Brigade. | ||||||
| 19 | 1.19 | Along Came a Spider | Revenge | February 3, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
An archeologist creates a fake identity for herself and stages "her" murder in a complicated ploy to frame a physics professor who she believes killed her husband and stole his research. Starring: Suzanne Pleshette, Ed Nelson, Andrew Prine, Brooke Bundy, Richard Anderson | ||||||
| 20 | 1.20 | The Challenge | Drama | February 10, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A disgraced U.S. soldier and big game hunter is recruited to fight a one-on-one war of "surrogates" against his Asian counterpart, the nations vying to win salvage rights to a sunken nuclear-armed satellite. Starring: Darren McGavin, Mako, Broderick Crawford, James Whitmore**, Skip Homeier, Sam Elliott | ||||||
| 21 | 1.21 | The Journey of Robert F. Kennedy | Documentary | February 17, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A documentary tracing the political life and career of Robert F. Kennedy. Written by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. The only non-fiction Movie of the Week. | ||||||
| 22 | 1.22 | Quarantined | Medical drama | February 24, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Conflict and crises at a hospital run by a medical patriarch and his three sons – all doctors – including a cholera outbreak and a movie star with kidney failure. Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 23 | 1.23 | Mister Jerico | Heist | March 3, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Suave con artist Dudley Jerico and his sidekick scheme to steal a $2 million diamond from a tycoon, but they find they have competition. Unsold pilot. Location filming in Malta with studio filming at Elstree Studios. Theme song sung by Lulu. | ||||||
| 24 | 1.24 | The Love War | Science fiction/action | March 10, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Teams of benevolent and hostile aliens compete in a contest for dominion of Earth, but one falls in love with a woman he meets on a bus. Starring: Lloyd Bridges, Angie Dickinson**, Daniel J. Travanti (as Dan Travanty), Harry Basch | ||||||
| 25 | 1.25 | The Young Country | Western | March 17, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Double-crosses abound as various people try to get $38,000 that was embezzled from a Santa Fe bank. Character names were reused with a new premise to create the movie Alias Smith and Jones (2.13). | ||||||
Season 2: 1970–71[edit]
| No. | Mov | Title | Genre | Air date | Weekday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 2.01 | How Awful About Allan | Thriller | September 22, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A man blinded by guilt comes home to live with his sister, but a mysterious boarder may be trying to kill him. Based on a novel by Henry Farrell. | ||||||
| 27 | 2.02 | Night Slaves | Science fiction | September 29, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A man with a steel plate in his skull sees everyone else in a town he is visiting leave in a trance-like state every night. Based on a novel by Jerry Sohl. | ||||||
| 28 | 2.03 | But I Don't Want to Get Married! | Romantic comedy | October 6, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A recent widower with two sons finds himself juggling several women at once. Starring: Herschel Bernardi, Brandon Cruz, Harry Morgan, Nanette Fabray, Jerry Paris, Shirley Jones** | ||||||
| 29 | 2.04 | The Old Man Who Cried Wolf | Mystery | October 13, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
An elderly man sees a close friend beaten to death, but all witnesses contradict him, the police won't believe him and his son suspects him of paranoia. Martin Balsam and Martin E. Brooks would both later play the role of Dr. Rudy Wells at different times in The Six Million Dollar Man. | ||||||
| 30 | 2.05 | Wild Women | Action | October 20, 1970 | Tuesday | |
| Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 31 | 2.06 | The House That Would Not Die | Horror | October 27, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A woman who has inherited an old Georgetown manor learns that her family property is a breeding ground for the supernatural. Based on the novel Ammie Come Home by Barbara Michaels. | ||||||
| 32 | 2.07 | Tribes | Drama | November 10, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A Marine drill instructor comes to respect a pacifistic hippie draftee. Directed by Emmy Award winner Joseph Sargent. | ||||||
| 33 | 2.08 | The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again | Western/comedy | November 17, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Three of the gang reunite to help a geriatric comrade, especially after he becomes marshal of Waco and has to face down bank robbers. Unsold pilot; the sequel to The Over-the-Hill Gang (1.03). | ||||||
| 34 | 2.09 | Crowhaven Farm | Thriller | November 24, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
After inheriting a farm near Salem, a woman learns that she is being targeted for revenge by a coven of witches for the actions of her previous incarnation. Starring: Hope Lange, Paul Burke, Lloyd Bochner, John Carradine, Cyril Delevanti, Milton Selzer, Patricia Barry | ||||||
| 35 | 2.10 | Run, Simon, Run | Revenge tragedy | December 1, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A Papago man just released from prison seeks revenge on the former partner who murdered his brother and framed him for the crime after the three men found turquoise. Starring: Burt Reynolds, Inger Stevens, Royal Dano, James Best, Rodolfo Acosta, Don Dubbins | ||||||
| 36 | 2.11 | Weekend of Terror | Thriller | December 8, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
Kidnappers accidentally kill their victim before they can collect the ransom, then abduct three nuns from a car to stand-in to convince the victim's father that she is still alive. Starring: Robert Conrad, Lee Majors, Lois Nettleton, Carol Lynley, Jane Wyatt | ||||||
| 37 | 2.12 | The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever | Thriller | December 15, 1970 | Tuesday | |
|
A heart surgeon hired to do research by an ailing magnate finds his benefactor wants to steal human hearts to keep on living ... including his own. Starring: Stuart Whitman, Sandy Dennis, Burl Ives** | ||||||
| 38 | 2.13 | Alias Smith and Jones | Western | January 5, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Two notorious outlaws work to earn amnesty, but their former gang has other plans for the bank where they are employed. Reuses character names from The Young Country (1.25). Pilot for the 1971-73 TV series of the same name that premiered two weeks later. | ||||||
| 39 | 2.14 | Assault on the Wayne | Thriller | January 12, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Cold War intrigue with traitors trying to steal top secret anti-ballistic missile controls being tested on a U.S. nuclear submarine. Reuses submarine footage from Ice Station Zebra, a theatrical film which Ron Masak also appeared in. | ||||||
| 40 | 2.15 | Dr. Cook's Garden | Thriller | January 19, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A medical intern visiting his home town comes to believe his mentor, the town's doctor, is murdering troublesome residents with poison. Directed by Ted Post. | ||||||
| 41 | 2.16 | The Feminist and the Fuzz | Romantic comedy | January 26, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A feminist pediatrician and a chivalrous cop butt heads as roommates in San Francisco. Starring: Barbara Eden, David Hartman, Julie Newmar**, Jo Anne Worley, Farrah Fawcett**, Harry Morgan**, John McGiver**, Herb Edelman** | ||||||
| 42 | 2.17 | The Point! | Children | February 2, 1971 | Tuesday | |
| Animated; narrated by Dustin Hoffman for the initial broadcast only. | ||||||
| 43 | 2.18 | Love Hate Love | Thriller | February 9, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A former fashion model is stalked by a relentless, violent playboy she had a fling with before her wedding. Starring: Ryan O'Neal, Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Haskell, Henry Jones, Jeff Donnell, Jack Mullaney, Stanley Adams | ||||||
| 44 | 2.19 | Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring | Drama | February 16, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A young woman returns to her parents' suburban home after a year of living with hippies and discovers her younger sister is following in her footsteps, wanting the idealistic hippie life. Starring: Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Jackie Cooper, Lane Bradbury, David Carradine | ||||||
| 45 | 2.20 | Longstreet | Mystery | February 23, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Insurance investigator Mike Longstreet searches for the culprit who bombed his home, killing his wife and leaving him blind. Pilot for the 1971-72 TV series of the same name that premiered on CBS the following season. Stirling Silliphant was the writer and executive producer. Produced and directed by Joseph Sargent. | ||||||
| 46 | 2.21 | Yuma | Western | March 2, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Yuma's new marshal finds himself facing a vengeful rancher, as well as a scheme to steal supplies meant for Indian reservations. Starring: Clint Walker, Barry Sullivan, Edgar Buchanan, Kathryn Hays, Morgan Woodward, Robert Phillips, Miguel Alejandro | ||||||
| 47 | 2.22 | River of Gold | Action adventure | March 9, 1971 | Tuesday | |
| Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 48 | 2.23 | In Search of America | Drama | March 23, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A college dropout convinces his parents and grandmother to join him in an old bus converted into a motorhome on a journey of self-discovery to a hippie music festival, where he falls in love with gravely ill girl. Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 49 | 2.24 | The Sheriff | Crime drama | March 30, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
An African American sheriff tries to prove that a racist raped a young black girl. Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 50 | 2.25 | Escape | Action/science fiction | April 6, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A famed escape artist has to find a kidnapped scientist who has developed a biological agent that can turn humanity into mindless slaves. Unsold pilot. Produced by Bruce Lansbury, who would create the similar TV series The Magician for CBS in 1973-74. | ||||||
Season 3: 1971–72[edit]
| No. | Mov | Title | Genre | Air date | Weekday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 3.01 | The Forgotten Man | Drama | September 14, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A Vietnam War POW, returning home after five years of captivity and interrogation, finds that his wife has remarried, his whole world has changed and he is beginning to suffer PTSD flashbacks. Starring: Dennis Weaver, Anne Francis**, Lois Nettleton, Pamelyn Ferdin, Percy Rodriguez, Andrew Duggan, James Hong | ||||||
| 52 | 3.02 | The Birdmen | Action adventure | September 18, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
An OSS officer tasked with smuggling a nuclear physicist out of Nazi Germany plots to fly themselves out of a POW camp located in a mountain castle using a handbuilt glider. Fictionalized story based on the account of the Colditz Cock. Released as a feature film overseas as Escape of the Birdmen. | ||||||
| 53 | 3.03 | Congratulations, It's a Boy! | Comedy | September 21, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A swinging bachelor has to grow up after a young adult illegitimate son that he did not know about shows up and wants to spend time with him. Starring: Bill Bixby, Diane Baker, Jack Albertson*, Ann Sothern*, Karen Jensen, Darrell Larson, Jeff Donnell, Tom Bosley, Robert H. Harris, Judy Strangis | ||||||
| 54 | 3.04 | The Deadly Dream | Suspense | September 25, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
An overworked researcher questions reality when people, places and events from a recurring dream where he is pursued and persecuted for an unknown crime start appearing in the real world. Starring: Lloyd Bridges, Janet Leigh, Leif Erickson, Carl Betz, Don Stroud, Richard Jaeckel | ||||||
| 55 | 3.05 | Five Desperate Women | Thriller | September 28, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Former girls' school classmates having a reunion on a private island realize that either of the male staffers may be a murderous escaped convict. Starring: Robert Conrad**, Anjanette Comer, Bradford Dillman, Joan Hackett, Denise Nicholas, Stephanie Powers, Julie Sommars | ||||||
| 56 | 3.06 | Sweet, Sweet Rachel | Thriller | October 2, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
An ESP researcher investigates mysterious happenings surrounding a widow to find out if she is being gaslighted by someone with psychic powers. Concept heavily reworked and recast to create the 1972 TV series The Sixth Sense. | ||||||
| 57 | 3.07 | The Last Child | Drama | October 5, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
In an overpopulated future U.S. with a one-child policy, an expectant couple who had previously lost a newborn try to flee to Canada with the help of a former US senator. Starring: Michael Cole, Harry Guardino, Janet Margolin, Edward Asner, Van Heflin**, Barbara Babcock | ||||||
| 58 | 3.08 | Thief | Drama | October 9, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
An urbane burglar struggles to raise money to cover his gambling debts and regain custody of his son. Starring: Richard Crenna, Angie Dickinson, Cameron Mitchell, Hurd Hatfield, Robert Webber** | ||||||
| 59 | 3.09 | A Taste of Evil | Thriller | October 12, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
After years in a psychiatric hospital, an heiress returns to her family mansion and realizes that someone is deliberately trying to drive her insane. Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Barbara Parkins, Roddy McDowall, William Windom, Arthur O'Connell | ||||||
| 60 | 3.10 | In Broad Daylight | Thriller | October 16, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
A blinded movie star disguises himself as a sighted man in order to murder his cheating wife and frame her lover for the crime. Starring: Richard Boone, Suzanne Pleshette, John Marley, Stella Stevens**, Fred Beir, Whit Bissell | ||||||
| 61 | 3.11 | Suddenly Single | Drama | October 19, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
A newly divorced middle-aged man finds himself torn between two women, a young free spirit and a mature real estate agent. Starring: Hal Holbrook, Barbara Rush, Margot Kidder, Agnes Moorehead, Michael Constantine, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman | ||||||
| 62 | 3.12 | Death Takes a Holiday | Drama | October 23, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
Death takes human form and falls in love with a woman who was supposed to die, so people stop dying. First remake of the 1934 film; followed by Meet Joe Black in 1998. | ||||||
| 63 | 3.13 | The Death of Me Yet | Drama | October 27, 1971 | Wednesday | |
|
A KGB sleeper agent who adopted a new identity finds himself and his wife in jeopardy when his former superior discovers that he is still alive. Starring: Doug McClure, Richard Basehart*, Darren McGavin**, Rosemary Forsyth, Meg Foster, Dana Elcar | ||||||
| 64 | 3.14 | A Little Game | Thriller | October 30, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
An angry and hostile boy, returning home from military school for the holidays, clashes with his stepfather and sparks suspicions that he killed a schoolmate. Starring: Ed Nelson, Diane Baker, Katy Jurado, Howard Duff, Mark Gruner, Christopher Shea | ||||||
| 65 | 3.15 | Two on a Bench | Comedy | November 2, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Two young people – one buttoned-down and the other free-spirited – are detained together for a day as suspects after they unwittingly encounter a traitorous scientist passing secrets on a park bench. Starring: Patty Duke, Ted Bessell, Andrew Duggan, John Astin, Alice Ghostley Terry Carter, Dick Balduzzi | ||||||
| 66 | 3.16 | Revenge! | Thriller | November 6, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
A deranged and vengeful mother imprisons in her basement the man that she believes is responsible for seducing her daughter. Starring: Shelley Winters, Bradford Dillman, Stuart Whitman, Roger Perry, Gary Clarke | ||||||
| 67 | 3.17 | Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate | Thriller | November 9, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Four elderly women create a fake profile at a computer dating service as a prank, but "she" attracts a murderous stalker. Starring: Helen Hayes, Myrna Loy, Mildred Natwick, Sylvia Sidney, Vince Edwards, John Beradino | ||||||
| 68 | 3.18 | Duel | Thriller | November 13, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
A driver finds himself inexplicably targeted and harassed by a truck and its mysterious, unseen driver. Steven Spielberg's feature-length film directorial debut. | ||||||
| 69 | 3.19 | Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones | Drama | November 16, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Facing an unexpected pregnancy, a teenage couple gets married over the objections of their families, one well-off and one middle class. Based on the novel by Ann Head. | ||||||
| 70 | 3.20 | The Reluctant Heroes | War drama | November 23, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
An Army historian uses his knowledge of historical tactics and languages to lead a unit under attack at a mountain observation post during the Korean War. Starring: Ken Berry, Jim Hutton, Trini Lopez, Don Marshall, Ralph Meeker, Cameron Mitchell, Warren Oates, Soon-Tek Oh | ||||||
| 71 | 3.21 | The Failing of Raymond | Suspense | November 27, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
An escaped mental patient stalks the English literature teacher who he blames for failing him in high school. Starring: Jane Wyman, Dean Stockwell, Dana Andrews**, Paul Henreid, Tim O'Connor, Priscilla Pointer | ||||||
| 72 | 3.22 | Brian's Song | Drama | November 30, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
Dramatization of professional football player Brian Piccolo's friendship with teammate Gale Sayers and Piccolo's battle with cancer. Eight Emmy nominations, four wins. | ||||||
| 73 | 3.23 | The Devil and Miss Sarah | Western | December 4, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
A settler couple – the wife having second sight – is tormented by an outlaw prisoner they're escorting, who is also imbued with the gift and a silver tongue. Starring: Gene Barry, Janice Rule, James Drury, Slim Pickens, Donald Moffat | ||||||
| 74 | 3.24 | If Tomorrow Comes | Drama | December 7, 1971 | Tuesday | |
| Originally promoted as The Glass Hammer. | ||||||
| 75 | 3.25 | See the Man Run | Heist | December 11, 1971 | Saturday | |
|
After a kidnapper dials the wrong number and calls his phone, a B movie actor secretly impersonates the victim's father in order to steal a cut of the ransom. Music by David Shire. | ||||||
| 76 | 3.26 | The Trackers | Western | December 14, 1971 | Tuesday | |
|
An African American U.S. Marshal helps a homesteader track his daughter's abductors, but faces racism at every turn. Sammy Davis Jr. was an executive producer on this film. | ||||||
| 77 | 3.27 | What's a Nice Girl Like You...? | Comedy | December 18, 1971 | Saturday | |
| 78 | 3.28 | Gidget Gets Married | Comedy | January 4, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
Moondoggie gets a job at a defense contractor, but Gidget, bored as a new wife, starts a rebellion against the rigid social structure in the planned community owned by his employer.
Unsold pilot; the sequel to Gidget Grows Up (1.15); produced and directed by E. W. Swackhamer. | ||||||
| 79 | 3.29 | The Astronaut | Drama | January 8, 1972 | Saturday | |
|
When the first astronaut on Mars mysteriously dies, the space agency tries to save the program by hiring an impersonator to fool the President, the public – and his wife. Produced by Harve Bennett, who would later hire Richard Anderson to co-star on The Six Million Dollar Man and Monte Markham to guest star on the same TV series as the Seven Million Dollar Man. | ||||||
| 80 | 3.30 | The Night Stalker | Horror | January 11, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
Newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak tries to convince the authorities in Las Vegas that a series of murders was committed by a vampire. Not officially a pilot; but followed by The Night Strangler (4.29) and Kolchak: The Night Stalker. | ||||||
| 81 | 3.31 | Madame Sin | Spy thriller | January 15, 1972 | Saturday | |
|
A wealthy villainess with a brainwashing device plans to steal a Polaris submarine, with help from a disgruntled American agent she recruited. Filmed on location on the Isle of Mull. Studio filming at Pinewood Studios. Robert Wagner was executive producer. | ||||||
| 82 | 3.32 | Getting Away from It All | Comedy | January 18, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
Two New York City couples pursue imagined bliss by buying and moving to a small, rustic island near Maine. Starring: Larry Hagman, Barbara Feldon, Gary Collins, E. J. Peaker, Vivian Vance*, Jim Backus*, Burgess Meredith* | ||||||
| 83 | 3.33 | The People | Science fiction | January 22, 1972 | Saturday | |
|
A teacher hired by an insular, Amish-like farming community finds the residents have unusual powers of the mind. Starring: Kim Darby, William Shatner, Diane Varsi, Dan O'Herlihy | ||||||
| 84 | 3.34 | Women in Chains | Drama | January 25, 1972 | Tuesday | |
| 85 | 3.35 | The Screaming Woman | Thriller | January 29, 1972 | Saturday | |
|
A former mental patient is haunted by the cries of a woman that she believes is buried alive on her property. Based on a short story by Ray Bradbury. Starring: Olivia de Havilland, Ed Nelson, Joseph Cotten, Walter Pidgeon | ||||||
| 86 | 3.36 | Hardcase | Western | February 1, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A soldier presumed dead who returns from the Moro Rebellion kidnaps the Mexican Revolutionary leader who married his wife, seeking ransom and revenge. First live action feature film production by Hanna-Barbera. | ||||||
| 87 | 3.37 | When Michael Calls | Thriller | February 5, 1972 | Saturday | |
|
A woman begins receiving phone calls from her supposedly dead nephew Michael and begins to wonder if Michael is really dead, or if she is losing touch with reality. Starring: Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Ashley, Michael Douglas, Marian Waldman, Al Waxman | ||||||
| 88 | 3.88 | Second Chance | Drama | February 8, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A world-weary stockbroker buys a ghost town and invites people who want a second chance in life to populate it. Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 89 | 3.39 | The Hound of the Baskervilles | Mystery | February 9, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
Sherlock Holmes investigates a supposed curse stalking the heir to Baskerville Hall. First pilot for the unsold anthology series Great Detectives. | ||||||
| 90 | 3.40 | Call Her Mom | Comedy | February 15, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
Facing expulsion for lacking a house mother, the rowdy APE fraternity hires a feisty young waitress for the job. Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 91 | 3.41 | Kung Fu | Western | February 22, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A fugitive Shaolin priest in the Old West tries to help oppressed coolies forced to lay railroad tracks under inhumane conditions. Pilot for the 1972-75 TV series of the same name premiering in the fall season. | ||||||
| 92 | 3.42 | Two for the Money | Mystery | February 26, 1972 | Saturday | |
|
Two ex-cops starting out as private eyes take their first case – to find a wily young man who murdered a family twelve years earlier then vanished without a trace. Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 93 | 3.43 | The Eyes of Charles Sand | Occult thriller | February 29, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
After his uncle's death, a businessman learns the family trait of clairvoyance has been passed to him, while an heiress who believes her brother is dead seeks his help. Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 94 | 3.44 | A Very Missing Person | Mystery | March 4, 1972 | Saturday | |
| Unsold pilot. | ||||||
| 95 | 3.45 | The Rookies | Crime drama | March 7, 1972 | Tuesday | |
| Pilot for the 1972-76 TV series of the same name premiering in the fall season. | ||||||
Season 4: 1972–73[edit]
| No. | Mov | Title | Genre | Air date | Weekday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 4.01 | The Longest Night | Crime drama | September 12, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A wealthy father and the FBI urgently try to save his kidnapped daughter, buried in a box with only a seven day supply of air. Based on the true story of the kidnapping of Barbara Mackle in 1968. | ||||||
| 96 | 4.02 | The Daughters of Joshua Cabe | Western | September 13, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
A farmer convinces a prostitute, a con artist and a pickpocket to pose as his daughters in order to fend off a rival who is trying to steal his land using the homesteading law. First pilot for an unsold series, followed by The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return (6.29). | ||||||
| 97 | 4.03 | No Place to Run | Drama | September 19, 1972 | Tuesday | |
| 98 | 4.04 | Haunts of the Very Rich | Folk horror | September 20, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
Visitors at a mysterious luxury resort begin to suspect that they're actually in Hell when conditions inexorably deteriorate. Starring: Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner, Anne Francis, Tony Bill, Donna Mills, Robert Reed, Moses Gunn | ||||||
| 99 | 4.05 | Moon of the Wolf | Mystery/horror | September 26, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
In Louisiana bayou country, a sheriff faces murders committed with supernatural strength, possibly by a werewolf. Starring: David Janssen, Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, John Beradino, Geoffrey Lewis | ||||||
| 100 | 4.06 | Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole | Medical drama | September 27, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
A recently widowed research doctor joins a Chicago clinic to try to escape her grief, where she befriends a young girl dying of leukemia. Theme song sung by Dusty Springfield. | ||||||
| 101 | 4.07 | Playmates | Comedy | October 3, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
Two divorced men meet and become friends but, unbeknownst to each other, they start dating each other's ex-wives. Starring: Alan Alda, Connie Stevens, Barbara Feldon, Doug McClure | ||||||
| 102 | 4.08 | Rolling Man | Drama | October 4, 1972 | Wednesday | |
| 103 | 4.09 | Night of Terror | Thriller | October 10, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A woman is paralyzed and pursued by enforcers for a crime syndicate who are looking for an unknown item left in her possession. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Produced by Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis, who would go on to produce successful sitcoms for ABC. | ||||||
| 104 | 4.10 | Lieutenant Schuster's Wife | — | October 11, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
When an NYPD lieutenant is murdered and accused of corruption, his widow is determined to find out who set him up and to clear his name. Produced and co-written by Steven Bochco. | ||||||
| 105 | 4.11 | Goodnight, My Love | Mystery | October 17, 1972 | Tuesday | |
| 106 | 4.12 | A Great American Tragedy | Drama | October 18, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
The travails and frustrations of a desperate, middle-aged aerospace professional downsized in a tight job market. Starring: George Kennedy, Vera Miles, William Windom, James Woods, Kevin McCarthy*, Robert Mandan | ||||||
| 107 | 4.13 | Short Walk to Daylight | Disaster | October 24, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
After an earthquake in New York City collapses a subway tunnel, survivors from a subway train try to find a way out. Starring: James Brolin, Don Mitchell, James McEachin, Abbey Lincoln, Brooke Bundy, Laurette Spang | ||||||
| 108 | 4.14 | Family Flight | Drama/disaster | October 25, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
A family in a small plane downed in Baja California during a storm struggles to fix the plane, clear a runway and fly back to civilization. Produced by Harve Bennett, who would incorporate parts of the plot and footage into "Pilot Error", a 1974 episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, a TV series for which he was executive producer. | ||||||
| 109 | 4.15 | The Bounty Man | Western | October 31, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A bounty hunter bringing in a notorious outlaw has to fend off a rival hunter's gang, who also want the bounty. Starring: Clint Walker, Richard Basehart, John Ericson, Margot Kidder*, Gene Evans | ||||||
| 110 | 4.16 | That Certain Summer | Drama | November 1, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
Seminal film dealing with homosexuality; seven Emmy nominations, one win. Starring: Hal Holbrook, Martin Sheen, Joe Don Baker, Scott Jacoby, Hope Lange | ||||||
| 111 | 4.17 | The Crooked Hearts | Comedy/mystery | November 8, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
Two elderly swindlers unwittingly target each other through a dating service, and one may be a lonely hearts killer. Starring: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rosalind Russell, Ross Martin, Michael Murphy, Maureen O'Sullivan | ||||||
| 112 | 4.18 | The Victim | Thriller | November 14, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A wealthy woman is trapped during a storm in a house with no electricity or phone. A killer has murdered her sister, stuffed the body in the basement, and is now after her. Starring: Elizabeth Montgomery, Eileen Heckart, George Maharis, Jess Walton | ||||||
| 113 | 4.19 | All My Darling Daughters | Comedy/drama | November 22, 1972 | Wednesday | |
| Unsold pilot; followed by My Darling Daughters' Anniversary (5.23). | ||||||
| 114 | 4.20 | Home for the Holidays | Thriller | November 28, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
An aging father is convinced that his second wife is trying to poison him and he summons his four daughters home for protection. Starring: Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Julie Harris, Jessica Walter, Jill Haworth, Walter Brennan | ||||||
| 115 | 4.21 | The Heist | Crime drama | November 29, 1972 | Wednesday | |
| 116 | 4.22 | The Couple Takes a Wife | Romantic comedy | December 5, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
Marital woes ensue when a busy working couple hires a sexy, young, multi-talented woman as a "wife" to manage their household and children. Directed by Jerry Paris. | ||||||
| 117 | 4.23 | Pursuit | Thriller | December 12, 1972 | Tuesday | |
|
A cunning political extremist plays cat and mouse with a federal agent after stealing a powerful nerve gas to kill the President at a political convention. Michael Crichton's debut as a film director; based on Crichton's novel Binary. | ||||||
| 118 | 4.24 | Every Man Needs One | Romantic comedy | December 13, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
A chauvinistic architect facing legal action for sexual discrimination agrees to hire a female architect for 30 days. Produced and directed by Jerry Paris | ||||||
| 119 | 4.25 | The Weekend Nun | Drama | December 20, 1972 | Wednesday | |
|
A cloistered nun has her eyes opened when she enters the outside world to work as a juvenile probation officer during the week. Unsold pilot. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Produced by Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis, who would go on to produce successful sitcoms for ABC. Inspired by the motivational teachings of former nun Joyce Duco. Kay Lenz's professional debut. | ||||||
| 120 | 4.26 | Firehouse | Drama | January 2, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
A newly-hired Black firefighter faces a serial arsonist and racism from a colleague. Pilot for the 1974 TV series of the same name. Filmed and set in New York City while the series was relocated to Los Angeles. | ||||||
| 121 | 4.27 | The Devil's Daughter | Horror | January 9, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
A young woman is told by a satanic cult that she is the daughter of Satan and was conceived to be betrothed to a demon. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Produced by Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis, who would go on to produce successful sitcoms for ABC. | ||||||
| 122 | 4.28 | Trouble Comes to Town | Drama | January 10, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 123 | 4.29 | The Night Strangler | Horror | January 16, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
Carl Kolchak investigates killings in Seattle that seem to be tied to an immortal who needs blood for an elixir to rejuvenate himself every 21 years. Not officially a pilot; the sequel to The Night Stalker (3.29), followed by the 1974-75 TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. | ||||||
| 124 | 4.30 | Female Artillery | Western | January 17, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A thief fleeing his former gang helps a wagon train of women and children fight them off. Starring: Dennis Weaver, Ida Lupino, Sally Ann Howes, Linda Evans, Albert Salmi, Nina Foch | ||||||
| 125 | 4.31 | Go Ask Alice | Drama | January 24, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 126 | 4.32 | A Cold Night's Death | Thriller | January 30, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
Two scientists doing research on monkeys at a remote, snowbound research laboratory where a lone colleague had mysteriously died face strange happenings of their own. Made with the cooperation of White Mountain Research Center. | ||||||
| 127 | 4.33 | Snatched | Crime drama | January 31, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
Three business executives' wives are held for ransom, including an insulin-dependent diabetic and a conspirator. Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Howard Duff, John Saxon, Sheree North, Barbara Parkins, Tisha Sterling, Robert Reed, Anthony Zerbe | ||||||
| 128 | 4.34 | Divorce His | Drama | February 6, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
Rashomon-style story with dueling accounts of events leading to a divorce. The first half is from the husband's perspective. Star vehicle for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. | ||||||
| 129 | 4.35 | Divorce Hers | Drama | February 7, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| Continuing from Divorce His the night before. The second half is from the wife's perspective. | ||||||
| 130 | 4.36 | The Great American Beauty Contest | Drama | February 13, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
Behind the scenes melodrama unfolds for both contestants and officials at the "Miss American Beauty" pageant. Starring: Eleanor Parker, Bob Cummings, Jo Anna Cameron, Farrah Fawcett, Christopher Norris, Larry Wilcox | ||||||
| 131 | 4.37 | The Girls of Huntington House | Drama | February 14, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A teacher at a school for unwed mothers takes a personal interest in her students. Starring: Shirley Jones, Mercedes McCambridge, Pamela Sue Martin, William Windom, Sissy Spacek | ||||||
| 132 | 4.38 | A Brand New Life | Drama | February 20, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
After 18 years of marriage, a middle-aged couple are surprised to find that they are expecting their first child. Starring: Cloris Leachman, Martin Balsam, Marge Redmond, Gene Nelson, Mildred Dunnock | ||||||
| 133 | 4.39 | And No One Could Save Her | Mystery | February 21, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 134 | 4.40 | The Connection | Crime drama | February 27, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 135 | 4.41 | You'll Never See Me Again | Thriller | February 28, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 136 | 4.42 | The Letters | Drama | March 6, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
Stories of lives changed when mail is lost for a year. A cheating husband writes a breakup letter to his wife before reconciling. A wealthy woman writes her sister about her newfound happiness before she's murdered by the treacherous pianist they competed for. A wrongly accused man chased off by his girlfriend's mother dies after writing of his intent to clear his name. First unsold pilot for an anthology series from Aaron Spelling, similar to his The Love Boat and Fantasy Island shows; followed by Letters from Three Lovers (5.09). | ||||||
| 137 | 4.43 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Science fiction | March 7, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
Former astronaut Steve Austin is critically injured in the crash of an experimental aircraft and is given bionic body parts as replacements. First of three TV movies which would lead to the 1973-78 TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. | ||||||
| 138 | 4.44 | The Bait | Crime drama | March 13, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
A female police detective volunteers to act as a lure to trap a serial rapist-murderer. Unsold pilot; based on Dorothy Uhnak's first novel; her third novel, The Ledger, was adapted to become Get Christie Love!, a 1974 Movie of the Week and pilot. | ||||||
| 139 | 4.45 | Class of '63 | Drama | March 14, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A college reunion is the setting for a messy love triangle between a successful executive, his wife and her egotistical former boyfriend. Rare producing credit for renowned casting director Lynn Stalmaster. | ||||||
| 140 | 4.46 | Beg, Borrow or Steal | Heist | March 20, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
Three embittered disabled men - a paraplegic, a double amputee and a blind man - plot to steal priceless jewels off a gold statue in a museum. | ||||||
| 141 | 4.47 | Toma | Crime drama | March 21, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| Pilot for the 1973-74 TV series of the same name premiering on October 4. | ||||||
Season 5: 1973–74[edit]
| No. | Mov | Title | Genre | Air date | Weekday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 | 5.01 | Deliver Us from Evil | Drama | September 11, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
Six backpackers in the northern Rockies kill a parachuting skyjacker and decide to keep the $600,000 ransom, but they gradually fall prey to the brutal conditions of the wilderness. Mostly filmed on location at Mount Hood National Forest. | ||||||
| 143 | 5.02 | She Lives! | Drama | September 12, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A college couple desperately seek out methods of treatment after the woman is diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. The movie featured the song "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce; his death in a plane crash eight days after the movie premiered eventually drove ABC Records to release it as a single, which subsequently reached #1 on the U.S. music charts.[11] | ||||||
| 144 | 5.03 | Dying Room Only | Thriller | September 18, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
At an isolated diner, a woman returns from the restroom to find her husband missing and nobody willing to give her an explanation. Starring: Cloris Leachman, Ross Martin**, Ned Beatty, Louise Latham, Dabney Coleman | ||||||
| 145 | 5.04 | Satan's School for Girls | Horror | September 19, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A young woman investigating her sister's suicide at a private girls' school finds herself battling a Satanic cult. Starring: Pamela Franklin, Kate Jackson, Lloyd Bochner, Roy Thinnes, Cheryl Ladd | ||||||
| 146 | 5.05 | Smile When You Say 'I Do' | — | September 25, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 147 | 5.06 | Hijack! | Thriller | September 26, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
Two long-haul truckers carrying a secret load for a defense contractor must contend with a mysterious and murderous group who wants to steal their cargo. Starring: David Janssen, Keenan Wynn, Lee Purcell, William Schallert | ||||||
| 148 | 5.07 | Runaway! | Disaster | September 29, 1973 | Saturday | |
|
A train with nonfunctional brakes coming down a mountain from a ski resort careens toward the end of the line. Starring: Ben Johnson, Ben Murphy, Darleen Carr, Ed Nelson, Martin Milner**, Vera Miles*** | ||||||
| 149 | 5.08 | Isn't It Shocking? | Comedy/mystery | October 2, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
A small-town sheriff is confronted with an ingenious killer when elderly citizens begin to die mysteriously. Starring: Alan Alda, Louise Lasser, Edmond O'Brien, Ruth Gordon, Will Geer | ||||||
| 150 | 5.09 | Letters from Three Lovers | Drama | October 3, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
Tales of lives changed when letters are delayed for a year. A young woman writes to her jailed boyfriend about her continued devotion, who had pushed her away after he was sent to prison. A busy executive's wife begins a monthly affair at a hotel, and her companion is supposed to mail a letter if he cannot attend. Two office workers in the same building mistake each other for wealthy people in Palm Beach, with the man writing a confessional letter declaring his unworthiness and begging her forgiveness. Second unsold pilot for an anthology series from Aaron Spelling, similar to his The Love Boat and Fantasy Island shows; follows The Letters (4.42). | ||||||
| 151 | 5.10 | The Alpha Caper | Heist | October 6, 1973 | Saturday | |
|
A parole officer facing mandatory retirement recruits three of his parolees to steal gold bullion from an armored truck. Unsold pilot; a rare TV appearance by Henry Fonda. | ||||||
| 152 | 5.11 | Shirts/Skins | — | October 9, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 153 | 5.12 | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Horror | October 10, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| Starring: Starring: Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, William Demarest, Pedro Armendáriz | ||||||
| 154 | 5.13 | Double Indemnity | Crime Drama | October 13, 1973 | Saturday | |
| A scheming wife lures an insurance investigator into helping her to murder her husband and then declare it an accident. The investigator's boss, not knowing his man is involved in it, suspects murder and sets out to prove it. | ||||||
| 155 | 5.14 | The Third Girl from the Left | Drama | October 16, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 156 | 5.15 | The Man Who Could Talk to Kids | Drama | October 17, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 157 | 5.16 | Wine, Women and War | Action/science fiction | October 20, 1973 | Saturday | |
|
Reluctant secret agent Steve Austin pursues a black market arms dealer who is offering stolen nuclear missiles to hostile nations. Sequel to The Six Million Dollar Man, followed by The Solid Gold Kidnapping (5.26). | ||||||
| 158 | 5.17 | The President's Plane Is Missing | Political drama | October 23, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
A news agency reporter suspects a conspiracy when Air Force One crashes during an international crisis, but the President's body is not found. Starring: Peter Graves, Buddy Ebsen, Arthur Kennedy, Rip Torn, Louise Sorel, Joseph Campanella | ||||||
| 159 | 5.18 | Money to Burn | — | October 27, 1973 | Saturday | |
| 160 | 5.19 | Ordeal | Drama | October 30, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
When an abrasive millionaire is injured in the desert, his long-suffering wife and their guide plot to let him die, but he discovers a fierce will to live. Starring: Arthur Hill, Diana Muldaur, James Stacy, Macdonald Carey**, Michael Ansara | ||||||
| 161 | 5.20 | Guess Who's Sleeping in My Bed? | Comedy | October 31, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A woman's life is upended when her childish ex-husband moves back in, with his second wife and baby in tow. Starring: Barbara Eden, Dean Jones, Kenneth Mars, Susanne Benton, Reta Shaw, Todd Lookinland, Diana Herbert | ||||||
| 162 | 5.21 | Linda | Mystery | November 3, 1973 | Saturday | |
|
An engineer struggles to prove his innocence in a small town after his wife and her lover frame him for murder. Based on a novel by John D. MacDonald | ||||||
| 163 | 5.22 | The Girl Most Likely To... | Black comedy | November 6, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
A brilliant but homely college girl who becomes beautiful after a car crash and reconstructive surgery creatively murders people who had wronged her. Story by Joan Rivers, who also co-wrote the teleplay. | ||||||
| 164 | 5.23 | My Darling Daughters' Anniversary | Comedy | November 7, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| Unsold pilot; the sequel to All My Darling Daughters (4.19). | ||||||
| 165 | 5.24 | Death Race | War/Action | November 10, 1973 | Saturday | |
|
Two American pilots in a P-40 with a damaged wing are pursued across the desert by an obsessed Nazi general in a commandeered Panzer tank. Also known as State of Division. | ||||||
| 166 | 5.25 | Trapped | Suspense | November 14, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A man trapped overnight in a department store must fight to survive vicious guard dogs patrolling the store. Starring: James Brolin, Susan Clark, Earl Holliman, Robert Hooks** | ||||||
| 167 | 5.26 | The Solid Gold Kidnapping | Action/science fiction | November 17, 1973 | Saturday | |
|
Bionic man Steve Austin is assigned to find an important treaty negotiator who has been kidnapped for $1 billion in gold bullion. Preceded by The Six Million Dollar Man and Wine, Women and War. | ||||||
| 168 | 5.27 | The Affair | Romance drama | November 20, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 169 | 5.28 | Scream, Pretty Peggy | Horror | November 24, 1973 | Saturday | |
|
A sculptor hires a young college girl to take care of his mother and his supposedly insane sister. Starring: Bette Davis, Ted Bessell, Sian Barbara Allen, Christiane Schmidtmer | ||||||
| 170 | 5.29 | Cry Rape! | — | November 27, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 171 | 5.30 | Outrage | Drama | November 28, 1973 | Wednesday | |
|
A doctor in an idyllic suburb takes extreme action when nobody wants to stand up to uncontrollable young residents terrorizing the community. Based on a true story. | ||||||
| 172 | 5.31 | A Summer Without Boys | — | December 4, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 173 | 5.32 | Blood Sport | — | December 5, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 174 | 5.33 | Maneater | — | December 8, 1973 | Saturday | |
| 175 | 5.34 | The Cat Creature | Horror | December 11, 1973 | Tuesday | |
|
An Egyptology professor helps investigate feline-tinged deaths that stalk everyone who comes in contact with a cursed amulet. Teleplay credit and story co-credit to Robert Bloch. | ||||||
| 176 | 5.35 | Message to My Daughter | — | December 12, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 177 | 5.36 | What Are Best Friends For? | — | December 18, 1973 | Tuesday | |
| 178 | 5.37 | Pioneer Woman | — | December 19, 1973 | Wednesday | |
| 179 | 5.38 | Indict and Convict | — | January 6, 1974 | Sunday | |
| 180 | 5.39 | The Death Squad | Crime drama | January 8, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A disgraced cop is reinstated and recruited to infiltrate a "death squad" within the department that is killing criminals who escaped justice on technicalities. Starring: Robert Forster, Michelle Phillips, Claude Akins, Mark Goddard, Melvyn Douglas** | ||||||
| 181 | 5.40 | Shootout in a One-Dog Town | Western | January 9, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A small-town bank robber is forced to single-handedly defend a fortune in cash from a gang of vicious outlaws. Second live action feature film production by Hanna-Barbera. | ||||||
| 182 | 5.41 | Mrs. Sundance | Western | January 15, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A Pinkerton detective leaks a rumor that the Sundance Kid was not killed in Bolivia in order to lure Etta Place out of hiding so that she can lead him to the Wild Bunch. Starring: Elizabeth Montgomery, Robert Foxworth, L. Q. Jones | ||||||
| 183 | 5.42 | Scream of the Wolf | Thriller | January 16, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| 184 | 5.43 | Skyway to Death | Disaster | January 19, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
A disgruntled former employee's sabotage strands a group of passengers in an aerial tram high above a mountain as high winds approach. Exteriors filmed at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. | ||||||
| 185 | 5.44 | Get Christie Love! | Crime drama | January 22, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
An undercover female police detective tries to stop a huge drug empire. Pilot for the 1974-75 TV series of the same name premiering September 11. | ||||||
| 186 | 5.45 | Pray for the Wildcats | Thriller | January 23, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| 187 | 5.46 | Heatwave! | Drama | January 26, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
Complications upon problems as a young, expectant couple try to escape a brutal heat wave by fleeing to a cabin in the countryside. Starring: Ben Murphy, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, David Huddleston*, John Anderson*, Robert Hogan, Dana Elcar | ||||||
| 188 | 5.47 | The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped | Romantic comedy | January 29, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A men's magazine publisher experiencing a midlife crisis falls in love with a naive Wisconsin girl sent to him as a gag "gift" for his birthday. Richard Long's penultimate role, before Death Cruise (6.14). | ||||||
| 189 | 5.48 | Killdozer! | Science fiction/horror | February 2, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
An extraterrestrial force from a meteorite possesses a bulldozer and starts killing a construction crew working on a remote island. Starring: Clint Walker, Carl Betz, Neville Brand, James Wainwright**, Robert Urich | ||||||
| 190 | 5.49 | Can Ellen Be Saved? | Drama | February 5, 1974 | Tuesday | |
| 191 | 5.50 | Cry Panic! | Mystery | February 6, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A driver who accidentally hits a man on a dark road finds himself ensnared in a small town's conspiracy to hide the victim's death. Starring: John Forsyth, Earl Holliman, Ralph Meeker, Norman Alden, Claudia McNeil, Anne Francis** | ||||||
| 192 | 5.51 | The Elevator | Disaster | February 9, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
Tensions rise as a group of people, including a claustrophobic armed robber, are trapped in an overloaded elevator in a skyscraper after hours. Starring: James Farentino, Roddy McDowell, Craig Stevens, Don Stroud, Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy**, Carol Lynley**, Arlene Golonka**, Barry Livingston | ||||||
| 193 | 5.52 | I Love You, Goodbye | Drama | February 12, 1974 | Tuesday | |
| 194 | 5.53 | The Morning After | Drama | February 13, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A successful public relations writer develops a serious drinking problem that threatens his marriage and his life. Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Lynn Carlin, Don Porter, Linda Lavin, Joshua Bryant | ||||||
| 195 | 5.54 | Live Again, Die Again | Thriller | February 16, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
A young woman is the first person to be revived from cryogenic suspension, but someone wants to ensure that her resurrection is brief. Starring: Cliff Potts, Walter Pidgeon, Donna Mills, Mike Farrell, Geraldine Page**, Vera Miles** | ||||||
| 196 | 5.55 | Hitchhike! | Thriller | February 23, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
A woman driving to San Francisco picks up a hitchhiker, unaware that he had just murdered his stepmother. Starring: Cloris Leachman, Michael Brandon, Henry Darrow, Cameron Mitchell, Sherry Jackson | ||||||
| 197 | 5.56 | Killer Bees | Horror | February 26, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A man takes his girlfriend home to his disapproving mother, who has unusual control over a swarm of "killer bees" that reside in her vineyard. Kate Jackson and Edward Albert would play another romantic couple in another Movie of the Week, Death Cruise (6.14) airing later in 1974. | ||||||
| 198 | 5.57 | Unwed Father | — | February 27, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| 199 | 5.58 | Houston, We've Got a Problem | Drama | March 2, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
Fictional tales about family and health problems besetting flight controllers at Mission Control as they labor to bring Apollo 13 home safely. Starring: Robert Culp, Clu Gulager, Gary Collins*, Sandra Dee**, Ed Nelson***, Steve Franken | ||||||
| 200 | 5.59 | The Stranger Who Looks Like Me | Drama | March 6, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A young adopted woman tries to find her birth parents, with help from a fellow adoptee she meets at a support group. Starring: Beau Bridges, Meredith Baxter, Walter Brooke, Neva Patterson, Whitney Blake** | ||||||
| 201 | 5.60 | Mousey | Thriller | March 9, 1974 | Saturday | |
|
A schoolteacher, frustrated by his ex-wife's refusal to let him see his surrogate son and his own reputation for meekness, becomes an increasingly unhinged and violent stalker. Also known as Cat and Mouse. Star vehicle for Kirk Douglas. Douglas's son Michael would later star in Falling Down, a movie with a similar plot about an estranged father pushed over the edge. Filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in Montreal. | ||||||
| 202 | 5.61 | Wonder Woman | Action | March 12, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
Wonder Woman races to recover a secret list of American agents from a criminal mastermind. Unsold pilot; not related to the 1975-79 TV series of the same name. | ||||||
| 203 | 5.62 | The Hanged Man | Western | March 13, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A gunfighter who miraculously returned to life after his execution helps a young widow keep her land from a ruthless silver baron. Starring: Steve Forrest, Dean Jagger**, Will Geer **, Sharon Acker*, Brendon Boone*, Rafael Campos*, Barbara Luna*, Cameron Mitchell* | ||||||
| 204 | 5.63 | Men of the Dragon | Action | March 20, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
An American kung fu master and his Chinese blood brother search for his sister, kidnapped by human traffickers in Hong Kong. An American-produced chopsocky movie filmed on location in Hong Kong. | ||||||
| 204 | 5.63 | A Cry in the Wilderness | Drama | March 26, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
Suspecting rabies from a skunk bite, a farmer chains himself in his barn to protect his wife and son, making them promise not to release him, but he doesn't know that a flash flood is coming. Starring: George Kennedy, Joanna Pettet, Lee Montgomery, Collin Wilcox-Horne | ||||||
| 206 | 5.65 | The Gun and the Pulpit | Western | April 3, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A headstrong gunslinger assumes the identity of a murdered preacher and convinces a town to stand up against a crime boss. Paul Junger Witt was the executive producer. | ||||||
| 207 | 5.66 | Murder or Mercy? | — | April 10, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| 208 | 5.67 | The Last Angry Man | Drama | April 16, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
An idealistic but irascible doctor in 1936 Brooklyn fights the frustrations of the medical profession and the world. Starring: Pat Hingle, Lynn Carlin, Paul Jabara, Tracy Bogart, Sorrell Booke, Andrew Duggan*, John Hillerman | ||||||
| 209 | 5.68 | Nakia | Drama | April 17, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| Pilot for the series premiering in the fall. First of two Movies of the Week this night. | ||||||
| 210 | 5.69 | The Chadwick Family | Drama | April 17, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| Unsold pilot. Second of two Movies of the Week this night. | ||||||
| 211 | 5.70 | Planet Earth | Science fiction | April 23, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
20th-century man Dylan Hunt, awakened from suspended animation in a post-apocalyptic world, visits a female-dominated society to find a missing surgeon. Second unsold pilot for a Gene Roddenberry concept; a reboot of his 1973 pilot Genesis II on CBS. Another unsold pilot without Roddenberry's involvement followed in 1975, Strange New World, also on ABC but not a Movie of the Week. That final reboot reused the PAX name, a plot point of prolonged suspended animation and had John Saxon return as lead actor, but had a completely different premise and backstory. | ||||||
| 212 | 5.71 | The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd | — | May 7, 1974 | Tuesday | |
Season 6: 1974–75[edit]
| No. | Mov | Title | Genre | Air date | Weekday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 213 | 6.02 | Hurricane | Disaster | September 10, 1974 | Tuesday | |
| 214 | 6.03 | Savages | Suspense | September 11, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A sadistic hunter recklessly kills a prospector, then torments his young hunting guide and tries to frame him for the crime. Based on the novel Death Watch by Robb White. | ||||||
| 215 | 6.04 | The Sex Symbol | Drama | September 17, 1974 | Tuesday | |
| Fictional biography of a Marilyn Monroe-like movie star. | ||||||
| 216 | 6.05 | The Day the Earth Moved | Disaster | September 18, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
Aerial photographers race to save the residents of a tiny town when their photos indicate an earthquake is imminent. Bobby Sherman was one of the producers. | ||||||
| 217 | 6.06 | The Great Niagara | Drama | September 24, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
In Depression era Canada, a man who once survived the plunge over Niagara Falls wants his sons to follow in his footsteps. Filmed on location in Niagara Falls, Ontario. | ||||||
| 218 | 6.07 | The California Kid | Drama | September 25, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
When a sailor's car is pushed over a cliff by a sadistic sheriff at a speed trap, his hot rodder brother comes to town to investigate and to get revenge. Produced by Howie Horwitz. | ||||||
| 219 | 6.08 | The Stranger Within | Science fiction | October 1, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
An expectant mother begins to suspect that her actions and emotions are being controlled by her unborn baby. Starring: Barbara Eden, George Grizzard, Joyce Van Patten, David Doyle, Nehemiah Persoff | ||||||
| 220 | 6.09 | Death Sentence | Thriller | October 2, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| Starring: Cloris Leachman, Laurence Luckinbill, Nick Nolte, Alan Oppenheimer, William Schallert | ||||||
| 221 | 6.10 | Hit Lady | Suspense | October 8, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A seductive assassin wants to leave her lethal profession behind and goes on the run with her lover. Written by Yvette Mimieux. | ||||||
| 222 | 6.11 | Locusts | Drama | October 9, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
During World War II, a young Navy pilot who washed out of training returns to his farming community, where he's shunned by his father and neighbors and faces an impending locust swarm. Starring: Ben Johnson, Ron Howard, Katherine Helmond, Lisa Gerritsen | ||||||
| 223 | 6.12 | Trapped Beneath the Sea | Disaster | October 22, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
Fictional Coast Guard inquest into the failed rescue of four men trapped in a civilian research submersible entangled in a sunken wreck. Inspired by the Johnson Sea Link accident. | ||||||
| 224 | 6.13 | Bad Ronald | Thriller | October 23, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
Ronald's ill mother builds a hiding place inside their house to fool the police after he accidentally kills a neighborhood girl, but when she unexpectedly dies, Ronald spies on the family who moves into the house. Starring: Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott, John Larch, Dabney Coleman, Kim Hunter, Lisa Eilbacher, Cindy Eilbacher, Cindy Fisher, John Fiedler | ||||||
| 225 | 6.13 | The Mark of Zorro | Adventure | October 29, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
Don Diego, returning from Madrid, secretly takes up the mantle of Zorro after finding that his father has been usurped as alcalde of Los Angeles by an oppressive despot. Unsold pilot, remake of The Mark of Zorro, with the teleplay adapted from John Taintor Foote's screenplay and music adapted from Alfred Newman's score. | ||||||
| 226 | 6.14 | Death Cruise | Drama/mystery | October 30, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
Three couples given free tickets to a Caribbean cruise experience marital problems before they are murdered one by one. Produced by Aaron Spelling, with the non-mystery aspects very similar to his later 1977-86 TV series The Love Boat; Richard Long's final role before his sudden death. | ||||||
| 227 | 6.15 | The Great Ice Rip-Off | Caper | November 6, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A gang of thieves separately pull diamond heists along the West Coast and gradually assemble on a Greyhound bus with their spoils, but they have to contend with a dogged retired cop on board who is obsessed with the case and beginning to see a pattern. Starring: Lee J. Cobb, Gig Young, Matt Clark, Robert Walden, Geoffrey Lewis, Grayson Hall** | ||||||
| 228 | 6.16 | All the Kind Strangers | Thriller | November 12, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A photojournalist finds himself a captive of an orphaned family in a remote farmhouse who want new parents. Starring: Stacy Keach, Samantha Eggar, John Savage, Robby Benson | ||||||
| 229 | 6.17 | The Gun | Drama | November 13, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A pistol passes from frightened homeowner to potential workplace shooter, barrio family, theater robbery, police disposal and, finally, a child's accident. Anthology of stories about a single firearm. | ||||||
| 230 | 6.18 | It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy | Comedy | November 19, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A middle-aged family man hitchhiking home is abducted and molested by a beautiful young woman, then finds himself disbelieved and ridiculed. Starring: Paul Sorvino, Michael Learned, Adam Arkin, Bob Dishy, Jo Anna Cameron, Graham Jarvis | ||||||
| 231 | 6.19 | Panic on the 5:22 | Crime drama | November 20, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
Three armed men rob a private lounge car full of wealthy passengers on a Metro-North commuter train. Produced by Quinn Martin. | ||||||
| 232 | 6.20 | The Godchild | — | November 26, 1974 | Tuesday | |
| Remake of 3 Godfathers. | ||||||
| 233 | 6.21 | Betrayal | Crime thriller | December 3, 1974 | Tuesday | |
| 234 | 6.22 | Only With Married Men | Western | December 4, 1974 | Wednesday | |
| 235 | 6.23 | The Tribe | Historical drama | December 11, 1974 | Wednesday | |
|
A Cro-Magnon clan struggles against misfortune, sparse prey and hostile Neanderthals. Music by David Shire. | ||||||
| 236 | 6.24 | Roll, Freddy, Roll! | Comedy | December 17, 1974 | Tuesday | |
|
A mild-mannered father tries to regain the admiration of his young son by setting the Guinness world endurance record on roller skates. Written and produced by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff (That Girl). | ||||||
| 237 | 6.25 | Let's Switch! | Comedy | January 7, 1975 | Tuesday | |
|
A harried housewife and a frazzled women's magazine editor-in-chief swap careers and families for a week to experience how the other half lives. Starring: Barbara Eden, Barbara Feldon, Barra Grant, Penny Marshall, Joyce Van Patten, Richard Schaal, Pat Harrington, Ron Glass | ||||||
| 238 | 6.26 | The Missing Are Deadly | Thriller | January 8, 1975 | Wednesday | |
|
A teenage boy steals a lab mouse from his father's virology institute to get attention, not knowing it is infected with contagious, deadly bacteria. Starring: Ed Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Gary Morgan, Kathleen Quinlan, Marjorie Lord, José Ferrer** | ||||||
| 239 | 6.27 | Satan's Triangle | Horror | January 14, 1975 | Tuesday | |
|
A Coast Guard team answering a distress call in the Bermuda Triangle finds a sole survivor on a boat and possibly demonic forces at work. Starring: Kim Novak, Doug McClure, Alejandro Rey, Ed Lauter, Jim Davis, Michael Conrad | ||||||
| 240 | 6.28 | The Hatfields and the McCoys | Western/drama | January 15, 1975 | Wednesday | |
|
Condensed but relatively faithful retelling of the legendary Hatfield–McCoy feud. Starring: Jack Palance, Steve Forrest, Richard Hatch, Karen Lamm, James Keach, Robert Carradine, John Calvin, Gerrit Graham, Morgan Woodward | ||||||
| 241 | 6.29 | The Abduction of Saint Anne | — | January 21, 1975 | Tuesday | |
| 242 | 6.30 | The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return | Western | January 28, 1975 | Tuesday | |
|
The "daughters" settle down to life on the Cabe farm, but the real father of one of the women – a treacherous deserter – arrives with a scheme to use her. Second unsold pilot for a TV series; the first of two sequels to The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (4.02), followed by The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (which, unlike the other two movies, was not an ABC Movie of the Week). | ||||||
| 243 | 6.31 | All Together Now | Drama | February 5, 1975 | Wednesday | |
| 244 | 6.32 | The Trial of Chaplain Jensen | Drama | February 11, 1975 | Tuesday | |
|
The story of the only Naval chaplain and officer ever court-martialed on charges of adultery after accusations by two Navy wives. Based on the autobiographical account by Andrew Jensen, with Martin Abramson. | ||||||
| 245 | 6.33 | A Cry for Help | Drama | February 12, 1975 | Wednesday | |
|
A cynical radio talk-show host who insults his audience changes his behaviour when he receives a call from a suicidal teenage girl. Starring: Robert Culp, Elayne Heilveil, Ken Swofford, Julius Harris, Michael Lerner | ||||||
| 246 | 6.34 | The Family Nobody Wanted | — | February 19, 1975 | Wednesday | |
| 247 | 6.35 | You Lie So Deep, My Love | — | February 25, 1975 | Sunday | |
| 248 | 6.36 | Someone I Touched | — | February 26, 1975 | Wednesday | |
| 249 | 6.37 | Trilogy of Terror | Horror | March 4, 1975 | Tuesday | |
| Self-contained anthology with Karen Black in three unrelated roles. Followed by two sequels, Dead of Night (1977) and, years later, Trilogy of Terror II (1996) (neither of which, unlike the first movie, was an ABC Movie of the Week). The first two movies were unsold pilots for a horror anthology TV series to be called Dead of Night. | ||||||
| 250 | 6.38 | The Desperate Miles | — | March 5, 1975 | Wednesday | |
| 251 | 6.39 | Dead Man on the Run | — | April 2, 1975 | Wednesday | |
| 252 | 6.40 | The Swiss Family Robinson | — | April 15, 1975 | Tuesday | |
|
Starring Martin Milner and Cameron Mitchell. Pilot for Irwin Allen's 1975-76 TV series The Swiss Family Robinson. | ||||||
| 253 | 6.41 | Returning Home | — | April 29, 1975 | Tuesday | |
| Remake of The Best Years of Our Lives. | ||||||
| 254 | 6.42 | Starsky & Hutch | Police drama | April 30, 1975 | Wednesday | |
|
Two unorthodox LAPD detectives set out to find a pair of hit men responsible for the murders of two teenage lovers. Pilot for the 1975-79 TV series of the same name premiering in September. | ||||||
| 255 | 6.43 | Matt Helm | Mystery | May 7, 1975 | Wednesday | |
|
Matt Helm, a former secret agent, now a private investigator, is hired to protect a beautiful film star and gets involved with gun runners. Pilot for the 1975-76 TV series of the same name premiering in September. | ||||||
| 256 | 6.42 | The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant | — | May 13, 1975 | Tuesday | |
| 257 | 6.44 | Promise Him Anything | — | May 14, 1975 | Wednesday | |
See also[edit]
- List of television films produced for American Broadcasting Company
- The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies - CBS's weekly television movie program
References[edit]
- ^ a b p.xxii McKenna, Michael The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen Scarecrow Press, 2013
- ^ Roy Huggins on creating the Movie of the Week concept - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG, retrieved June 19, 2022
- ^ Karol, Michael (June 2005). The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series. iUniverse. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-595-35836-6.
- ^ a b "The ABC Movie of the Week Opening by Harry Marks". TVparty. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- ^ McKenna, Michael (2013). The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-9157-9.
- ^ "The TV Ratings Guide.com". Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ "The TV Ratings Guide.com". Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b "The TV Ratings Guide.com". Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ "The TV Ratings Guide.com". Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ "The TV Ratings Guide.com". Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ She Lives! trivia at IMDb
External links[edit]
- ABC Movie of the Week
- American Broadcasting Company original programming
- American motion picture television series
- 1960s American anthology television series
- 1970s American anthology television series
- 1969 American television series debuts
- 1976 American television series endings
- American English-language television shows