Paul Wendkos
Nacimiento : 1925-09-20, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Muerte : 2009-11-12
Historia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Paul Wendkos (September 20, 1922; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 12, 2009; Malibu, California) was an American television and film director.
Following wartime service in the US Navy and attending Columbia University on the GI Bill Wendkos made his first feature, a documentary on a school for the blind called Dark Interlude in 1953.
Wendkos's first feature film was The Burglar . Wendkos's fluid camera technique caught the attention of the head of Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn who not only wished to distribute the film, but put Wendkos on a contract.
A variety of films followed for Columbia beginning with the hard-hitting crime drama The Case Against Brooklyn, two suspenseful war dramas Tarawa Beachhead and Battle of the Coral Sea, the youth-oriented Gidget and two sequels Gidget Goes Hawaiian, Gidget Goes to Rome as well as Because They're Young.
Wendkos also directed many episodes of Playhouse 90, Alcoa Theatre, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Route 66, The Rifleman, Mr. Novak, Honey West, The Big Valley, I Spy, The Invaders and Hawaii Five-O. With I Spy, Wendkos filmed several interesting episodes but was deemed too "arty" by the producers and let go.
In 1968 Wendkos signed a five picture contract with Mirisch Productions beginning with the war films Attack on the Iron Coast and Hell Boats followed by Westerns set in Mexico but filmed in SpainGuns of the Magnificent Seven and Cannon for Cordoba. He also made the first feature film for Quinn Martin, The Mephisto Waltz.
From 1970 until his retirement in 1999, Wendkos specialized in made-for-television movies. One of these was The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988), based on a TWA hijacking in 1985, picked up five Emmy nominations, including one for Wendkos.
Wendkos was cited by film critic Andrew Sarris in his book The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968. He is also cited, along with many other directors, in The American Vein: Directors and Directions in Television by Christopher Wicking and Tise Vahimagi, Talisman Books (England), 1979, and E.P. Dutton (United States), 1979; Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 79-52675.
Wendkos married Ruth Bernat on March 1, 1953 and had one son, Jordan Elkan Wendkos. Ruth died in June, 1978. Wendkos married Lin Bolen, Former NBC VP & Producer in 1983 and they lived together happily in Malibu, California until his death. He is survived by his son, Jordan, granddaughter, Justine Wendkos, and his wife Lin Bolen Wendkos.
Wendkos was ill for several years following a stroke. He died on November 12, 2009 in Malibu, California.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Wendkos, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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An air-traffic controller (Claudia Christian) faces the challenge of her career when she is forced to guide a disabled airplane to safety, unaware that her husband is aboard.
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A homicide detective finds himself in an uneasy triangle with his fiancée and a female partner.
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A dying widow plays matchmaker to her 32-year-old unmarried son and sets him up with a nurse that she meets.
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Basada en la novela de Danielle Steel. La periodista Paxton Andrews pierde al hombre que ama en la guerra de Vietnam. Decide ir a Vietnan para escribir una columna que ayude a comprender mejor la guerra. Mientras que está allí su vida cambia profundamente, y encuentra un nuevo amor y esperanza en medio de la muerte y la destrucción.
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Stewart and Neil Woodman plot to have their parents murdered.
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Down-on-his-luck lawyer Warren Blackburn defends wealthy Texan Johnnie Faye Boudreau, who is accused of murdering her husband.
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When '30s film star Thelma Todd dies mysteriously, her relationship with New York mobster Lucky Luciano is investigated.
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In Denver, a fleeing bank robber kills a cop and kidnaps an old man to hold as a hostage. He is chased by the police and a news helicopter, which films the entire incident. Based on a true story.
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In Denver, a fleeing bank robber kills a cop and kidnaps an old man to hold as a hostage. He is chased by the police and a news helicopter, which films the entire incident. Based on a true story.
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Base on a true story. Due to a clerical mix-up (his police file has been confused with another McLaughlin) Bobby McLaughlin (Brendan Fraser) is wrongfully accused of a murder he didn't commit. Despite his pleas of innocence, not even his father (Martin Sheen) believes him. With a minor crime already on his record, and an incompetent defense attorney, Bobby is convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. But a suppressed lie detector test that could have freed him convinces his father that Bobby is indeed innocent. Now he begins a fierce struggle to free his son from prison. "Presumed Guilty" is a chilling indictment of a faulty judicial system and an inspirational tale of love and reconciliation between father and son.
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Made-for-TV drama about one of the largest crimes in history—the 1980 robbery of the Boston Depositors Trust by a group of policemen. Capt. Gerry Clemente is the leader of a gang of rotten cops who take their piece of Boston's criminal offerings. The crimes are petty at first, but soon, Clemente sets his sights on a bank that promises a big score. Can the gang pull it off before a case is built against them?
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After having a near death experience Joanna finds her life in constant danger. She begins to believe that certain forces are trying to bring her back into the world of the dead. Her boyfriend Glen thinks she's crazy so Joanna turns to her ex-boyfriend, Peter. It just so happens that Peter is a strong believer in the supernatural and even teaches a course on it at a local college. Together they must confront the "walkers" so that Joanna can live to see another day.
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Secuela hecha directamente para TV del clásico "La gran evasión", film protagonizado en 1963 por Steve McQueen.
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This made-for-television film documents the takeover of the TWA airliner in flight from Athens to Rome in 1985. The focus is on the flight attendant, Uli Derickson, whose courage and hope helped save all but one of the passengers on the plane. The movie chronicles the first 2 days and the aftermath.
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Emily Bauer es una exitosa psicóloga que vive una vida familiar ideal hasta que de repente le es diagnosticado una temida condición neurológica llamada ALS, más conocida como enfermedad de Lou Gehrig. En las etapas iniciales, se sobrepone gracias a una valiente lucha contra la terrible enfermedad, pero su condición se va deteriorando con el tiempo hasta dejarla en estado vegetativo. Emily le suplica a su marido que le ayude a morir.
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Seis internos de la prisión de Alcatraz planean durante ocho años una estrategia para poder escapar de la fortaleza. Telefilme que narra las peripecias de estos seis presos, basándose en un hecho real que aconteció en 1946.
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Una recién casada (Melissa Gilbert) descubre que su marido (Joe Penny) está participando en el crimen organizado con su familia.
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A catholic nun tries hard to protect and integrate in society a number of young women with a past in reform schools or even prisons. Lack of funds, troublemakers in the group, outside incomprehension for her aim make her task hard, but eventually she achieves due to her faith in God, and the human person.
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Miniserie norteamericana basada en la novela de Sidney Sheldon y secuela de Furia de ángeles. La historia comienza cuando Jennifer Parker, que sigue con su brillante carrera en el mundo de la abogacía, vuelve a encontrarse con su amargo pasado: Jim, jefe mafioso y hermano de su antiguo amante Michael Moretti, la chantajea con el fin de evitar una investigación gubernamental.
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A sheltered wife of a surgeon suddenly finds herself thrust into the middle of a messy divorce.
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Rachel is a 9-year-old girl who is perfection itself - unless she's crossed or challenged. Several disturbing recent incidents have led Rachel's mother Christine to suspect that her child is a latent murderess. Upon discovering that she herself is the daughter of a convicted killer, Christine becomes convinced that sweet little Rachel is a "bad seed" - an inherent killer who feels no remorse because she doesn't know any better.
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The members of a San Diego Wednesday night womens' mah jongg club are five survivors of a Nazi concentration camp. They recognize the owner of a local restaurant, Walter Grossman, as a doctor from the camp who performed experiments on them as young girls. To their horror they learn that he has already been tried as a war criminal and has served but a few years for his crimes. They decide that they will "execute" him, drawing lots to determine which one will perform the act, without letting the others know who it is.
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A man seduces women to get their money. He has plenty of success, but this time he has met his match.
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Based on the true-life story of teenage bride Candra Torres who was abducted in 1975 while on a honeymoon camping trip in the High Sierras.
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A 47 year old real estate salesman gets trapped in the insidious web of cocaine addiction.
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Anthony Geary (General Hospital) stars as a compassionate doctor who must treat an STD outbreak at an upscale vacation resort. Judith Light (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) co-stars as an afflicted resident whose heart is broken by this personal tragedy. A despicable real estate tycoon played by Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) is determined to keep the scandal from the press, thus protecting his investment.
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Adventures of the DA's new lady assistant.
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A venerable San Francisco publishing family becomes embroiled in a bitter power struggle between the iron-fisted, but ailing, patriarch's son and a ruthless businessman who tries for a takeover.
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Henry Hawksworth (David Birney) is a man menaced by a multiple personality. There is Dana, the conservative family man; Johnny, violent and sociopathic; Peter, creative and childish; and Phil, protective and unemotional. "Dana" falls in love with Ann (Dee Wallace) and marries her. Following a crime, "Johnny" is arrested and tried. In court, Henry's multiple personalities are painfully revealed.
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Divorcee Susan Blakely, with no alimony and two kids to support, begins turning to amphetamines. While at her lowest ebb, she meets an alcoholic and three-time loser in marriage -- who, incredibly, turns out to be the ideal man!
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Una noche, dos hombres irrumpen inesperadamente en casa del doctor Mudd, exigiéndole que cure la pierna herida de uno de ellos. Al día siguiente se conoce la noticia del asesinato del presidente Lincoln y Mudd empieza a sospechar de sus huéspedes. Sin embargo, las vicisitudes del destino hacen que el acusado finalmente sea el médico. Telefilme basado en la historia del personaje real del doctor Samuel A. Mud, que fue acusado de cómplice y conspirador para el asesinato de Abraham Lincoln y condenado a trabajos forzados de por vida en la colonia penal de Fort Jefferson. La misma historia había sido adaptada a la gran pantalla anteriormente en por el maestro John Ford con "Prisionero del odio", en 1936. Esta adaptación para televisión contó con un reparto plagado de rostros conocidos, entre los que destacan el protagonista, Dennis Weaver ("McCloud"), y la estrella femenina, Susan Sullivan (la famosa Maggie de "Falcon Crest").
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A liberal-minded, divorced newswriter is the victim of a brutal mugging. Robbed of her confidence, she finds her life cloaked in fear and paranoia, causing her to reevaluate her lifelong beliefs.
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The story of the kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst by members of a radical guerrilla organization, as seen by the FBI agent in charge of her case.
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A woman accuses her psychiatrist for having forced her to maintain a sexual relationship with him as a therapy. The following examination of the case is very difficult for the police.
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Dack Rambo and Elyssa Davalos star as sweethearts Andy Stuart and Jessica Gordon. The course of true love is messed up when Satan claims Jessica as his own personal property. Desperately, Andy turns to a pair of priests, Fathers Kemschler and Wheatley, for spiritual guidance, not to mention a bit of brute force in purging poor Jessica of her demons.
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A young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage goes from affair to affair in her search for the "secret" to happiness.
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A sensitive but confused teenager feels pressure from all directions and turns to drugs, which causes problems for him in school and at home.
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A young boy who had been abandoned as a child and raised by wild dogs is taken to a university where a team attempts to teach him civilized behavior.
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Una banda de ladrones planea un audaz atraco a un banco, huyendo por los tejados de Los Ángeles. La policía rápidamente es avisada, sin embargo Murdock, uno de los ladrones, consigue escaparse. Por desgracia, se ve obligado a volcar el dinero robado en un buzón de correo, que luego se encuentra cerrado hasta la medianoche, eso le obliga a esperar hasta que el cartero llegue por la noche. Mientras espera, descubre que su escondite ha sido observado por otras personas, los cuales quieren una parte del botín.
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Shirley investigates the murder of a millionaire who was strangled on his tennis court.
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A dramatization of the famous 1893 Massachusetts trial of the woman accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an ax.
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A private detective goes after the kidnappers of his ex-girlfriend's son and becomes involved in a series of murders.
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A family's outing turns out badly as they are terrorized by a gang of young thugs.
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Joseph Bologna stars as Bill Bonanno in this made-for-television adaptation of the controversial bestseller from Gay Talese, chronicling the rise of New York's infamous Bonanno organized crime family. When his father disappears in 1964 and Bill is compelled to take over the "empire," other mafiosi attempt to take what's theirs. Brenda Vaccaro and Richard S. Castellano fill out the impressive cast of this gripping crime tale.
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Andy Griffith plays a philandering apartment house manager who picks up a pretty young girl (Suzanne Hildur) in a bar. He takes her home, whereupon the girl's male cronies show up armed with guns. Griffith and his wife (Ida Lupino) are held hostage by the crooks, who plan to use the apartment as headquarters while they pull off a big robbery. Director Paul Wendkos stages the action essentially from the victim's point of view; we see only what they see, and are kept guessing as to the full details of the crime and the ultimate fate of the hostages. Based on a novel by Fielden Farrington, The Strangers in 7A was first telecast on November 14th, 1972 as a CBS Movie of the Week.
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A football coach is hired by a small college to shape up its football team, and he finds himself in trouble with local gamblers who don't want the team to improve.
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A group of wealthy but secretly very troubled people travel to an island resort. After experiencing a brush with death, they find themselves wondering about their existences.
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A Mafia chief is torn between his brother, who has defected from the family, and his loyalty to the organization.
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A government agent with a photographic memory is assigned to solve the disappearance of an entire fleet of old Air Force planes.
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A mother travels to New York to see her daughter who is awaiting trial for murder. The mother is totally convinced of her daughter's innocence and does all she can to help her. As the trial progresses however, the mother begins to have doubts.
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A hostile youngster who will stop at nothing to break up his mother's marriage is suspected of homicide, and his stepfather fears that he may be the boy's next victim.
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A detective discovers his son-in-law is cheating on his wife. He confronts the other woman and accidentally kills her, then tries to pin the crime on a local derelict.
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Myles Clarkson (Alan Alda), joven periodista y pianista clásico en alza, está encantado de poder combinar sus dos pasiones en una entrevista excepcional con el legendario y enfermo pianista Duncan Ely (Curd Jürgens). Pero a Clarkson le espera una desagradable sorpresa. Ely, un adorador secreto de Satán, lleva a cabo un ritual que le permite transferir su alma al cuerpo de Myles en el momento de su muerte, para recuperar la juventud y poder seguir tocando el piano. Las complicaciones aumentan cuando Paula (Jacqueline Bisset), la esposa de Myles, percibe cambios en el comportamiento de su esposo. Cuando intenta averiguar la verdad, Paula se ve arrastrada a un mundo horripilante de intercambios de almas, posesiones demoníacas, y terribles secretos familiares...
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Sand devises a scheme to murder his former business partner and maintains his innocence throughout the trial, as he is prosecuted by District Attorney Travis Logan.
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En 1912, durante la Revolución mexicana, la frontera entre Texas y México permanece en llamas debido a las salvajes incursiones de grupos de bandidos mexicanos que se autodenominan revolucionarios. Por ello, el Gobierno de los Estados Unidos confía al general Pershing la captura del general Héctor Córdoba, el más notorio entre ellos.
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Durante su etapa universitaria, un joven se convirtió en miembro de una poderosa sociedad secreta. Ahora que es un brillante profesor la secta reaparece en su vida para encargarle un trabajo.
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La armada británica está enfrascada en una encarnizada lucha con las fuerzas alemanas por el control de las rutas de suministro del Mediterráneo durante el año 1942. Todo el oeste de Europa está en manos nazis y Rommel avanza imparable a través de la costa norte de África para adueñarse del control absoluto de todo el mar. La única esperanza para los aliados pasa por la isla de Malta. El Comandante Tom Jeffords es enviado al lugar para romper el bloqueo y así abrir las comunicaciones. El éxito pasa por el uso generalizado de unos botes rápidos armados con torpedos conocidos por Hell Boats (Barcos del infierno).
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Los soldados del dictador mejicano Díaz han capturado a un apasionado líder revolucionario (Fernando Rey); su lugarteniente ofrece a un famoso forajido (George Kennedy) una recompensa por liberarlo y devolver la esperanza al pueblo mejicano. Pero antes, el mercenario tendrá que reunir a su cuadrilla de guerrilleros fronterizos, entre los que se cuentan los pistoleros y los artilleros más osados del Oeste. Los siete magníficos se embarcarán entonces en la aventura más arriesgada de su vida y descubrirán que existen causas cuyo valor está muy por encima del dinero. Tercera parte de la saga iniciada por John Sturges en 1960 con "Los Siete Magníficos", que a su vez se inspiró en "Los Siete Samuráis" de Akira Kurosawa".
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A psychiatrist specializing in the occult becomes involved in the case of a man who is possessed by a spirit in an antique mirror. The man's fiance discovers that the mirror is able to bring back her former boyfriend, who had been killed in a car accident, from the dead.
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In this pilot film to the "Hawaii Five-0" television series, special law officer Steve McGarrett tracks down Red Chinese operatives and their spy ring in Honolulu.
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El Mayor Jamie Wilson dirige un comando encargado de una de las misiones más complicadas de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Deben atacar una instalación naval alemana conocida como la Costa de Hierro y que se considerada inexpugnable. El entrenamiento es largo y duro, muchos de los hombres mueren en los días previos, sin embargo Wilson cree que es el precio que deben pagar para conseguir el objetivo. (FILMAFFINITY)
Director
George Dean consigue un puesto como profesor en una reserva india. Se traslada allí junto a sus tres hijos y pronto queda conmovido por las condiciones de pobreza en las que viven sus habitantes. Su nueva hogar cambiará a George y a los suyos para siempre, pues en la reserva vivirán un sinfín de experiencias que los marcarán profundamente.
Director
Frances, de 17 años, todavía está enamorada de Moondoggy. Intenta convencer a sus padres de que la dejen viajar a Roma, con sus amigos. Sin embargo, han de ir con un adulto, así que optan por la excéntrica tía de Peter. En Roma, Gidget se pone celosa por que su chico está fascinado por Daniela, su guía...
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An edited version of an episode of the television series, Five Fingers released in theaters.
Director
Francis is desperate: her parents want to force her to come with them on vacation to Hawaii - just during the two weeks when her beloved "Moondoggy" is home from College. When he suggests her to go for it, she's even more in panic - doesn't he care to be with her? So she sets out for Hawaii in the worst mood. On the plane she meets the sociable Abby, who gives her the advice to forget about Jeff - and regrets it shortly after, when Francis follows the advice and steals her boyfriend Eddie, a famous dancer. But then Jeff discovers he's missing Francis...
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A woman who believes she has been chosen by God to heal people is taken in by a greedy promoter and his shrewish wife to make the rounds of the rural South - she to save souls and heal the sick, he to make as much money as he possibly can.
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Director Paul Wendkos' 1960 film adaptation of the controversial novel "Harrison High", about an idealistic young high-school teacher dealing with over-sexed and troubled teenagers, is notable for its casting of newcomer Dick Clark in the starring role. Others in the cast include Tuesday Weld, Michael Callan, Victoria Shaw, Roberta Shore, Warren Berlinger, Doug McClure, Linda Watkins, Rudy Bond, Philip Coolidge, Stephen Talbot, Kathryn Card, James Darren, Duane Eddy, The Rebels and Bess Flowers.
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A US submarine and its crew are captured by the Japanese on the eve of a major WWII battle.
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Un hombre llamado Jim Larson es acusado de un asesinato que no ha cometido. Acosado por la policía, consigue huir hasta un pequeño pueblo cercano a la frontera donde adopta una nueva personalidad. Ray Kincaid, que es su nuevo nombre, desafía poco después a un poderoso ranchero de la zona que está usurpando tierras públicas.
Director
Due to an accident while swimming in the sea, Francis meets the surfer Moondoggie. She's fascinated with his sport and starts to hang out with his clique. Although they make fun of her at first, they teach her to surf and soon she's accepted and given the nickname "Gidget". But it's hard work to become more than a friend to Moondoggie.
Director
En Guadalcanal, un sargento de la marina es testigo de como un capitán asesina a uno de sus hombres para ocultar su incompetencia, pero teme que no le crean a causa de su rango de su jefe.
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A powerful story of the son of America's most famous outlaw: Jesse James. Jesse, Jr. struggles to return to the town which his father lived. His love interest is Elizabeth Montgomery.
Director
Tras la publicación de un artículo en el que un periodista denuncia la corrupción policial estadounidense, el fiscal de distrito, Michael Norris, decide acudir a la academia de policía en busca de un novato al que infiltrar entre los presuntos corruptos para investigar el caso. Basada en hechos reales.
Editor
El ladrón Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) y sus dos socios le echan el ojo a la espiritualista rica Hermana Sarah, que ha heredado una fortuna, incluyendo un famoso collar de esmeraldas, de un financiero de Filadelfia. Usando a Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), pupila de Nat, para fingir ser un admirador y acceder a la mansión donde vive la mujer, establecen un plan perfecto. Las cosas se complicarán.
Director
El ladrón Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) y sus dos socios le echan el ojo a la espiritualista rica Hermana Sarah, que ha heredado una fortuna, incluyendo un famoso collar de esmeraldas, de un financiero de Filadelfia. Usando a Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), pupila de Nat, para fingir ser un admirador y acceder a la mansión donde vive la mujer, establecen un plan perfecto. Las cosas se complicarán.
