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Steven Spielberg's filmography as a director is long, but his resume as a producer is gargantuan (and definitely not as quality-consistent as his directing career). Case in point: He has executive produced all of the modern "Transformers" films, and recruited Michael Bay to direct the first one. Those movies are definitely more Bay, less 'Berg, but flashes of Spielberg's influence do show up.

The first "Transformers" film, especially, structures itself like "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park" (i.e. holding off on the spectacle in the first half). The heart of that film pulls from Spielberg's playbook as well, depicting an "E.T."-like friendship between Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf) and the Autobot Bumblebee.

"Transformers" wasn't the first time Spielberg was involved with a story all about evil cars. Spielberg's first widely-released feature film, 1971's "Duel," featured a menacing truck,...

"Gunsmoke" was CBS' groundbreaking foray into the world of television westerns for an adult audience, and it paid off incredibly well for them. The popular western drama lasted for 20 seasons and five television movies, all of which were led by James Arness as the steadfast Marshal Matt Dillon. Although he was the face of "Gunsmoke," the series grew out its ensemble cast with characters like Doc Adams (Milburn Stone) and Long Branch Saloon owner Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake). For the series' first nine seasons, the role of Dillon's right hand man went to Dennis Weaver as the timid, boyish non-deputy Chester Goode. The character was a holdover from the popular radio series who couldn't keep up physically with the Marshal on account of his limp, but his spirit made him a valuable presence in the show.

When Weaver left the show to take on new career opportunities, there was...

It's fair to say that Steven Spielberg knows a thing or two about movies after bringing us some of the most beloved Hollywood blockbusters of the past 50 years. Yet, no great talent exists in a vacuum, and the man behind "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park" has cited earlier legends ranging from John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock to Akira Kurosawa as his "film school" (via NPR) when he was a budding, self-taught filmmaker. Recommendation lists from top directors are always interesting, and Spielberg's picks reflect the tastes of someone who grew up in the '50s and '60s and went on to work at the forefront of the Hollywood mainstream. "Stagecoach," "Meet me in St Louis," and "Lawrence of Arabia" are all present, as is, of course, "Citizen Kane," Orson Welles' groundbreaking masterpiece that has influenced many filmmakers over the decades. Spielberg also name checks another lesser-known crime classic from...

It's hard to undersell the impact "Gunsmoke" had on the television landscape when it first aired. Westerns for the small screen were largely occupied by kid-friendly fare like Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy at the time, but the presence of an adult-driven series led to the development of countless genre programs in its wake. But the series outlasted all of them as the longest-running television western of all time with 20 seasons under its holster, with "Death Valley Days" wagon-trailing just behind it. The town of Dodge City was like a beacon for all manner of stories, with James Arness' steadfast Marshal Matt Dillon often finding himself in the center of the episode's conflict. The lawman would often be surrounded by a recurring cast of characters, like saloon owner Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) and resident bullet extractor Doc Adams (Milburn Stone), with one of them being his first right-hand man.

For...

When "Gunsmoke" made the leap from beloved radio program to television show, fans of the former had to get used to change. I imagine it must have been difficult at the time because there was a six year period where Marshal Matt Dillon, the legendary lawman of Dodge City, was played simultaneously by William Conrad and James Arness. The groundbreaking CBS Western drama would ultimately win out though, lasting for a staggering 635 episode run across 20 seasons. But at the time where they were both shows on their respective airwaves, changes were made to differentiate each adaptation of its characters, with one of the most notable being Marshal Dillon's right hand man.

In the radio program, Parley Baer played Chester, an assistant to the Marshal who often sounded older than he really was. It was debatable whether he was an actual Dodge City deputy, but nevertheless, he was the best friend...

Television westerns are few and far between now, but there was a time where they ruled supreme on all the big networks, with "Gunsmoke" having one of the biggest impacts on CBS. It was notable for being one of the first series westerns for an adult audience, in addition to lasting a then-unprecedented 20 season run across two decades. The craziest part is that the show maintained consistent ratings to the point that its cancellation came as a surprise to everyone involved. As is the case with any long-lasting show, however, it's not at all uncommon for some of the main cast to jump ship in the manner that Dennis Weaver and Amanda Blake did.

But let no one accuse series lead James Arness of never giving 100% to "Gunsmoke" as he played Marshal Matt Dillon, Dodge City's purveyor of justice, through and though for all 635 episodes of the series' run.

Prior...

A new show is burning up the Nielsen streaming charts — and it aired its last episode almost fifty years ago. Gunsmoke, the longest-running Western TV show in history, has just ridden on to the Acquired streaming charts, landing at #8. The series, which starred James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, is currently streaming on Paramount+ and Peacock.

It's no surprise to see a Western on the streaming charts: shows like Yellowstoneand 1923 have been solid successes for Paramount+. However, even on Nielsen's list of Acquired streaming shows, which includes shows that premiered on linear TV before making their way to streaming, Gunsmoke stands out. It's up there with shows like NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, and Bob's Burgers — venerable series all, but they all made their debuts this century. Not so for Gunsmoke, which aired its first episode on CBS in 1955. According to Nielsen, this has been a long time coming,...

When "Gunsmoke" premiered on CBS in 1955, the television series already had a fan following due to its success as a radio show. This, however, presented a bit of a problem given that the radio cast would not be carrying over to the live-action iteration. The biggest challenge? Selling viewers on a version of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon who didn't possess the unmistakable, sonorous voice of William Conrad.

James Arness was hardly a neophyte when he stepped in front of the camera to play Dillon. He'd appeared in numerous big-screen Westerns and had played the title monster in Christian Nyby's "The Thing from Another World" (which would later be remade by John Carpenter as "The Thing"). At 6'7", he was a commanding figure, though not exactly warm or charismatic. CBS thought Arness might take some getting used to, and it wasn't exactly patient enough to wait for him to grow on viewers.

I’m something of a made-for-television movie connoisseur. That means, in operational terms, simply that I watch a lot (a frightening amount) of made-for-television movies. Principally, the scary ones. I’m discussing classics from the BBC and ABC Horror Movie of the Week programming list. Sweetly, I first got into them with my mom, who considered them a cornerstone of my horror education. I couldn’t understand the genre without first witnessing wall-crawling goblins in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark or being Bewitched by Elizabeth Montgomery in The Victim.

I’ve seen the good, the bad, and even the ugly, and narrowing down my favorites isn’t straightforward. After all, my list looks considerably different than our own Tyler Doupé’s on the same topic. However, I am willing to concede that Richard Lang’s Don’t Go to Sleep ranks among the best. It’s haunted me since I...

It's a well-known fact that, in life, things are not always what they seem, and sometimes that which seems unassuming can contain a surprisingly deep well of power and resilience. There isn't a better way to sum up director Steven Spielberg's early works, especially the TV movie "Duel," its plot, and its star, Dennis Weaver. In 1971, when "Duel" was released, Weaver was still best known for his recurring role on the long-running Western series "Gunsmoke." Meanwhile, Spielberg was only barely known, having gained a bit of a reputation as the protege of then-Universal president Sidney "Sid" Sheinberg, after the precocious young Spielberg had directed a short film that impressed Sheinberg, 1968's "Amblin'" (a film which Spielberg would later homage by naming his production company after it). On the strength of that short, Spielberg was given the opportunity to become part of McA/Universal's burgeoning television division, directing episodes...

Largely considered to be one of the best directors of all time, Steven Spielberg has been a passionate filmmaker for decades who’s created some truly entertaining movies for audiences across the board. Beyond the director’s keen eye for cinema, Steven Spielberg has also toyed with his image over the years and has appeared in several films whether as a fun addition to the narrative or an indirect figure looming in a movie scene.

Having an extensive knowledge of film and mastering the art of spectacle, a Steven Spielberg feature is always a treat to behold. That said, there are also plenty of films where the lauded filmmaker was able to enter the world of his films, giving fans a chance to see him in some of the most beloved films of all time.

Spielberg’s Secluded TV Cameo Is a Treat for Jurassic Park Fans The Lost World...

When Dennis Weaver arrived in Hollywood in the early 1950s, he was one of many New York City transplants from the Actors Studio who was eager to show off his "method" training in films and television. While some veteran Hollywood actors were put off by the interiority of the method approach, studios and networks were keen to get their hands on ultra-talented young thespians like Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando and Shelly Winters because, at a basic level, a star is a star regardless of how they prepare for a role.

Was Weaver a star? His Actors Studio classmate Winters thought so, which is why she helped him land a contract at Universal Studios in 1952. It didn't take long for Weaver to start booking small parts in B Westerns for the studio, and with his athletic 6'2" frame he certainly looked capable of licking any bad guys that came his way...

Once upon a time, in the days before streaming, the goal of television creators was to craft series that would captivate viewers long enough to reach 100 episodes -- i.e. the industry-accepted threshold where a show could be profitably sold into syndication. This is a major reason why the TV landscape, then and now, is riddled with so many unambitious, formulaic shows. While it might be nice to shake up the medium with an out-of-nowhere broadcast sensation like "Twin Peaks," such shows only tend to burn bright for a very brief time. So, if longevity and syndication dollars are your thing (and that 100-episode threshold has now dropped below 50), the history of the medium bellows loud and clear that you should probably pitch a sitcom or procedural of some sort.

This kind of unadventurous thinking may sound cynical, but there's no reason you can't create a cherished, influential show while coloring inside the lines.

"It all started with the big bang." Much like the real Big Bang, which is infinitely expanding across the cosmos, the hit sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, continues to grow in popularity, despite coming to an end six years ago. The Big Bang Theory followed four geeky scientists; Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon (Jim Parson), Raj (Kunal Nayyar), and Howard (Simon Helberg), and the new neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco), and their science and comic book-based antics. The series first aired in 2007, and ran for 12 incredibly successful seasons, before coming to an end in 2019.

According to a new report from Nielsen (per Deadline), The Big Bang Theory continues to expand, and was the "most-binged title" on streaming in 2024. The report looked at The Big Bang Theory's viewing figures on the Max streaming service. While the series wasn't the most viewed show of the year, it was the most "binged." Max subscribers...

Before Timothy Olyphant graced television screens as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens on Justified, there was another cowboy lawman who traded in his sprawling Western landscapes for skyscrapers and loads of traffic. Though, he never quite traded in his horse... If you guessed Dennis Weaver's Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud of, well, McCloud fame, then you would be right. This neo-Western cop drama ran for seven seasons in the 1970s on NBC and featured plenty of exciting (and often mysterious) adventures. If you're looking for a new Western to binge that feels a bit more modern in nature, then look no further than McCloud.

It's curious that "Gunsmoke" isn't talked about more in the modern pop discourse, given how persistent and ubiquitous it once was. Perhaps "Gunsmoke" is seen as something of a relic because Westerns, as many famous ones as there are, aren't dominating the present-day landscape. If "Gunsmoke" were a sci-fi or superhero show, many pundits might be pointing to it as a precedent for everything that is currently popular. The long-running Western, however, still kind of is. Its characters and settings -- having so deeply entrenched themselves into the zeitgeist over a full two decades of airtime -- can serve as a widespread template for just about everything that came after. "Gunsmoke" is one of televised medium's grandparents. It ran on the radio from 1951 until 1961, and on TV from 1955 until 1975 when it was somewhat abruptly canceled.

For those unfamiliar, "Gunsmoke" takes place in Dodge City, Kansas in the years following the U.

Several seasons of one of the longest-running television shows of all time are coming to Peacock in December. Seasons seven through 15 of the classic Western, Gunsmoke, will debut on the streaming service on Dec. 9.

Starring James Arness as Marshal Dillon and based in Dodge City, Kansas, Gunsmoke ran for a total of 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975. Its considered to be one of the greatest Western television shows of all time and started its life as a radio series. It was adapted into a television show because of its popularity on the radio airwaves. On TV, Gunsmoke first aired in half-hour installments from 1955 to 1961 and then hour-long shows from 1961 to 1975.

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Related This Underrated Western Series Offers A New Perspective on the Genre

Combining crime drama with supernatural thriller, Dark Winds has revolutionized the western genre through the lens of a Native American perspective.

Additionally, the show spawned five made-for-television movies. The...

Theres something to be said about the enduring legacy of Gunsmoke, the Western that became an institution on both radio and television, and a big part of that includes the late actor, Burt Reynolds. Created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston, the radio series ran from 1952 to 1961 and the Gunsmoke show ran for 20 years on CBS, from 1955 to 1975. It was a feat unheard of for live-action prime-time television until the record was finally broken by NBCs Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which premiered in 1999 and is still active 25 years later.

The wildly successful Gunsmoke follows U.S. Marshall Matt Dillon as he fights for justice in 1870s Dodge City, Kansas. Dillon was played by actor James Arness, who was joined by an ensemble of previously established stars rounding out the Gunsmoke cast, including Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Glenn Strange, Buck Taylor, and Ted Jordan. When...

Russell Crowes 2020 road-rage thriller Unhinged took influence from Steven Spielbergs very first movie: the acclaimed 1971 made-for-tv actioner Duel. Unhinged begins with a frustrated woman getting into a heated verbal altercation with a fellow commuter in rush-hour traffic, played by Crowe. When the other driver turns out to be violent and obsessive, he spends the rest of the day stalking and terrorizing her and her family in pursuit of revenge. Unhinged was notable for being the first wide theatrical release after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unhingeds story of a commuter getting relentlessly pursued by another driver over the course of a really bad day was loosely inspired by the very first feature film directed by Spielberg. Technically, Spielberg made his feature directorial debut with the amateur film Firelight in 1964, which he helmed at age 17. But Firelight has never been officially released. Spielbergs first professional directing gig was the made-for-tv road thriller Duel,...

Though Audie Murphy is known to be the leading man in several B-Western films, there are still plenty of entries in his filmography that are enjoyed by fans of the genre. Murphy initially gained fame in America following his service in World War II. Following his rise to fame, Murphy was invited to begin his acting career by acclaimed actor James Cagney. While Murphy did act in a few different genres, he is best remembered for his work in Western films in the 50s and 60s.

Without a doubt, Murphy's best performance is in No Name on the Bullet. The film effectively shows a different side to the charismatic leading man audiences had known Murphy to be at that point in his career. Even though most of Murphy's other Westerns didn't receive as much love from critics, audiences, especially earnest fans of the genre, are still able to appreciate the traditional Western stories told.

Norman Macdonnell and John Meston's "Gunsmoke" drama series aired on CBS for 20 uninterrupted seasons (!), a feat that feels even more impressive due to the consistent quality maintained throughout its run. Initially a radio series that broadcast between 1952 and 1961, "Gunsmoke" gained steady enough popularity to warrant a television adaptation in 1955, whose half to one-hour episodes culminate to form an epic Western saga for the ages. The nexus of "Gunsmoke" is one lawman Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) tasked to maintain order in Dodge City, Kansas, and his exploits underline the brutality of the Old West, challenging stereotypes attached to similar figures molded as unambiguously heroic. Although the show did employ archetypal characters — such as the loyal sidekick Chester Goode (Dennis Weaver) and the trustworthy town physician Doc Adams (Milburn Stone) — an appropriate amount of nuance grounds "Gunsmoke," which works best when rooted in morally grey vignettes.

However, we're not here...

Susan Backlinie, the stuntperson and actress who as a young skinny-dipper out for a nighttime swim off the coast of Amity Island became the shark’s first victim in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, has died. She was 77.

Backlinie died Saturday at her home in Ventura, California, her convention agent, Matthew Templeton, told The Daily Jaws website.

Backlinie was a nationally ranked swimmer and professional diver who had performed as a mermaid and worked as an animal trainer when she was hired at age 28 to play the skinny-dipping Chrissie in Universal’s Jaws (1975).

“I didn’t want an actor to do it. I wanted a stuntperson because I needed somebody who was great in the water, who knew water ballet and knew how to endure what I imagined was going to be a whole lot of violent shaking,” Spielberg said in Laurent Bouzereau’s 2023 book, Spielberg: The First Ten Years. “So,...

Terry Carter, who portrayed Pvt. Sugie Sugarman on The Phil Silvers Show, the sidekick of Dennis Weaver’s character on McCloud and Colonel Tigh on the original version of Battlestar Galactica, has died. He was 95.

Carter died Tuesday at his home in Manhattan, his son, Miguel Carter DeCoste, told The New York Times.

Carter appeared three times on Broadway early in his career and produced and directed a documentary on jazz legend Duke Ellington for PBS’ American Masters series in 1988.

The Brooklyn native appeared on all four seasons (1955-59) of CBS’ The Phil Silvers Show (also known as Sgt. Bilko) as Pvt. Sugarman. He then played Sgt. Joe Broadhurst alongside Weaver’s Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on NBC’s McCloud from 1970-77 and Tigh in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica movie and 1978-79 ABC series.

An only child, John Everett DeCoste was born in Brooklyn on Dec. 16, 1928. He graduated from Stuyvesant High...

Actor Terry Carter, known for roles in the TV shows Battlestar Galactica and McCloud, has passed away. He was 95 years old.

Per the New York Times, Terry Carter's son, Miguel Carter DeCoste confirmed that the actor died on Tuesday at his Midtown Manhattan home. Born on Dec. 16, 1928, Carter was raised in Brooklyn. Carter had also been the first Black news anchor in New England with his work at Wbz-tv in Boston from 1965 to 1968. He began his career in show business by performing on and off-Broadway, and he appeared in TV shows and movies in the 1950s. One of his first major roles was as Pvt. Sugie Sugarman in The Phil Silvers Show from 1955 to 1959.

Carter may be best known for his role in the popular sci-fi TV show Battlestar Galactica, in which he played Colonel Tigh, one of the main characters. He is also known for his role as Sergeant Joe Broadhurst,...

Elderly television viewers in the 1980s and '90s had an amazing Hollywood ally in Dean Hargrove.

The small-screen veteran got his start in the 1960s as a writer for "My Three Sons" and "The Bob Newhart Show" (the unsuccessful precursor to the wildly successful 1970s sitcom of the same name), and received credit for some of the best episodes of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." He wrote on arguably the greatest mystery series to ever air on network TV (we're not arguing if you read that passage and immediately thought "Columbo"), and kept Dennis Weaver employed as a producer on "McCloud."

But his most lasting impact on the medium was his 1985 - 2002 run as the producer of such old-people-go-a-sleuthin' shows as the "Perry Mason" television movies, "Jake and the Fatman," "The Father Dowling Mysteries," "Diagnosis: Murder" and the grandpappy of them all, "Matlock."

Hargrove's genius was turning America's favorite TV...

Gunsmoke was the longest-running live-action primetime series in history, with the highest number of scripted episodes. Gunsmoke revolutionized the Western genre and launched the careers of future Hollywood stars. The cancelation of Gunsmoke was unexpected and left the cast and crew without a proper series finale.

When the Western drama television series Gunsmoke ended in 1975 after twenty seasons and a whopping 635 episodes, it was the longest-running live-action primetime series in history and had the highest number of scripted episodes. Gunsmoke held the former record until September 2019, when the crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit entered its 21st season, while the animated sitcom The Simpsons surpassed Gunsmoke in total scripted episodes in April 2018.

Gunsmoke was unparalleled in terms of how it revolutionized the Western genre and the remarkable consistency of the show’s cast, led by series star James Arness, who appeared in every episode of Gunsmoke as United States Marshal Matt Dillon,...

The deceptively unassuming figure of Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), with his rumpled raincoat, cheap cigars, and seeming absentmindedness, might not call to mind the sprawling existentialist novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky. But Columbo’s ancestry can be traced all the way back to Porfiry Petrovich, the pesky, psychologically attuned investigator in Crime and Punishment.

Like that literary classic, the show that shares Columbo’s name functions as an inverted detective story, not so much a whodunit as a howcatchem. In each episode, we spend time with the murderer, soak up their milieu, and witness the commission of the crime. Only then does Columbo make his entrance onto the scene. From there, it’s an escalating battle of nerves between the dogged detective and the initially arrogant murderer.

While Rodion Raskolnikov, the tortured protagonist of Crime and Punishment, is an impoverished student who kills out of economic necessity...

Shannon Wilcox, a prolific actress who appeared in Dallas, several Garry Marshall films and dozens of other movies and TV shows, has died. She was 80.

A post today on Legacy.com said she died September 2 in Los Angeles.

Wilcox racked up more than 75 credits during her 45-year screen career. Her TV guest roles range from Hawaii Five-o, Cagney & Lacey, Magnum, P.I. and L.A. Law to NCIS, The Neighborhood and Grey’s Anatomy. Her many films include Marshall’s Frankie and Johnny, Exit to Eden, Dear God, The Other Sister, Raising Helen and The Princess Diaries and its sequel. Other films include Runaway Bride, Seven, For the Boys, Legal Eagles and playing the mother of Elisabeth Shue’s character in The Karate Kid.

Related: Garry Marshall Dies: ‘Happy Days’ Creator & ‘Pretty Woman’ Helmer Was 81

She also co-starred opposite Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson in the 1984 musical pic Songwriter.

Wilcox’s...

Shannon Wilcox, a character actress who appeared alongside Willie Nelson in Songwriter, with Dudley Moore in Six Weeks and opposite Al Pacino in Frankie and Johnny, has died. She was 80.

Wilcox died Sept. 2 in Los Angeles, her daughter, actress-director Kelli Williams — she played attorney Lindsay Dole on The Practice — told The Hollywood Reporter.

A life member of The Actors Studio, Wilcox also portrayed the mother of Elisabeth Shue’s Ali Mills in John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid (1994) and worked in many other notable films, among them Tony Richardson’s The Border (1982), Ivan Reitman’s Legal Eagles (1986), Mark Rydell’s For the Boys (1991) and David Fincher’s Seven (1995).

Wilcox was the resigned ex-wife of Nelson’s Doc Jenkins in Alan Rudolph’s Songwriter (1984) and the wife of a California politician (Moore) caught up with a woman (Mary Tyler Moore) and her sickly child (Katherine Healy) in Tony Bill’s...

The thriller genre is known for being the corner of cinema that has some of the best use of suspense, tension and violence. In fact, the genre has a lot in common with horror, and often times the main separation between the two is a question of how much the villain drives the story. Thrillers often focus on topics of murder and crime, and is home to many of the greatest detective stories ever put to film.

While thrillers may often be considered elevated cinema, with classics like The Untouchables and Klute, many in its genre can still give viewers a good scare. In fact, many horror movies and thrillers borrow from the exact same source material, whether classic works of literature or real life murder cases. For this reason, sometimes thrillers can surpass the fear factor of horror movies, especially those that master suspense and tension.

Zodiac

Release Date...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

The Warriors 4K Uhd from Arrow Video

The Warriors will come out to play on 4K Ultra HD on December 12 from Arrow Video. Both the 1979 theatrical cut and the 2005 alternate version have been newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision.

The action thriller is directed by Walter Hill from a script he co-wrote with David Shaber (Nighthawks), based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel. Michael Beck, James Remar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Marcelino Sánchez, and David Harris lead the ensemble cast.

The limited edition set comes with a 100-page book featuring new writing by film critic Dennis Cozzalio plus archival material, a double-sided poster with Laurie Greasley’s new artwork and the original key art,...

Steven Spielberg worked his way up to directing features by making short films and episodes of TV shows like Columbo and Night Gallery. His earliest movies were also made for television – and the first feature-length TV movie he made that wasn’t part of a series was the classic 1971 thriller Duel (watch it Here). Forty-two years after Duel first aired, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is now set to give the film a 4K release on November 14th!

Based on a short story by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay, Duel centers on a motorist terrorized by an evil truck. Dennis Weaver stars as the traveling salesman waging a desperate battle for survival after he is mysteriously singled out.

Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell, and Gene Dynarski are also in the cast.

A press release on Blu-ray.com notes, “Praised for its deft use of relentlessly mounting psychological tension,...

The episode of Revisited covering Class of 1984 was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Ryan Cultrera, Produced by Tyler Nichols and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

In an upcoming video, we will be looking at the modern genre classic Vfw. I say genre because while my wife astutely pointed out that the drugged-up gang in Vfw kind of act like rage zombies and the movie has that great over the top gore and characters, its not really horror. Its gritty action like the movie that inspires it, Assault on Precinct 13. Genre encompasses multiple things like horror, exploitation, and any other type of movie that just has that feel to it. While today’s movie isn’t horror, though it does have situations that would be scary in real life, it is genre. It’s school-ploitation at its finest and has a pedigree both in front...

An action movie is created to excite and wow us, taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride to see if and how our protagonist — who may or may not be much of a hero — survives amid pure chaos. It’s also a genre that often strives to top itself. Many of our favorite films have found new ways to raise the bar, whether it be through the storytelling, cast, or sequences that completely change the game.

Den of Geek is celebrating 15 movies that looked forward, whether they were celebrated in their day as innovators or have been finally reevaluated years after release. All of these action movies were ahead of their time, whether it be through never-before-seen fight choreography and stunt work or advancements in special effects and storytelling.

Seven Samurai (1954)

Yeah, we all know that one film nerd who gets on your case about watching Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai at least once.

Clockwise from upper left: The French Connection (20th Century Fox), The Matrix Reloaded (Warner Bros.), Death Proof (Dimension Films), Thelma & Louise (MGM)Graphic: AVClub

With the Fast & Furious franchise taking its latest lap—Fast X arrives in theaters Friday—we’re reminded just how much we love a great car chase.

SAG-AFTRA has bought an office building in the San Fernando Valley for $46.6 million that will serve as its new national headquarters. Located at 12020 Chandler Blvd. in North Hollywood, the property features more than 118,000 square feet of commercial office space and includes the building on 1.22 acres and a nearby 0.71-acre vacant lot.

Up until now, SAG-AFTRA has been the only major Hollywood union that didn’t own its own headquarters. The old Screen Actors Guild – and now SAG-AFTRA – hadn’t owned their own national offices for 37 years and have been leasing at two different locations since 1986.

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said that “As National President, I began to investigate ways to diversify our investment portfolio and was surprised to learn we were the only entertainment industry union to not own our own headquarters versus paying large rents. After multiple sessions with my Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and CFO Arianna Ozzanto, it...

Made-for-tv movies have developed from their Hallmark stereotype in recent years, thanks to the rise of companies such as HBO. Although these films feature lower budgets and smaller casts than larger productions, they offer directors and actors greater freedom – leading them toward more successful results.

Related: Top 10 Best TV Series of All Time, Ranked by Viewers

Despite this shift away from melodrama for sensationalism’s sake, made-for-tv movies remain a viable alternative to seeing stories on screen without spending too much cash or time in cinemas.

10 Highest-Ranked TV Movies on IMDb Duel (1971) – 7.6 You Don’t Know Jack (2010) – 7.6 Battlestar Galactica: Razor (2007) – 7.6 Conspiracy (2001) – 7.6 61* (2001) – 7.7 A Christmas Carol (1984) – 7.8 The Normal Heart (2014) – 7.9 Prayers for Bobby (2009) – 8.0 Threads (1984) – 8.0 Temple Grandin (2010) – 8.2 10 ‘Duel’ (1971)

Genre: Action, Thriller

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell

IMDb: 7.6/10 74K | Popularity: 1,865 | Metascore: 81 | Awards: 3 (1 Primetime Emmy Award)

“Duel,” a 1971 suspense thriller from the mind of acclaimed director Steven Spielberg, follows...

Ricou Browning, who took to the water as the menacing Gill-Man in the Creature From the Black Lagoon and as the creative force behind the original Flipper movie and TV show, has died. He was 93.

Browning died Monday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, his daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations,” she said.

The Florida native also served as a stuntman on Richard Fleischer’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), doubled for Jerry Lewis in Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959) and “played all the bad guys in [TV’s] Sea Hunt,” he said in a 2013 interview.

Plus, Browning directed the harpoon-filled fight in Thunderball (1965), another underwater scene in Never Say Never Again (1983) and the hilarious Jaws-inspired candy bar-in-the-pool sequence in Caddyshack (1980).

Browning, who said he could routinely hold his...

Steven Spielberg’s early-career made-for-tv thriller Duel famously never revealed the identity of its villainous truck driver, and the director had a specific motivation for this creative decision. Spielberg’s second feature-length directorial effort after his Name of the Game episode, “L.A. 2017,” Duel stars Dennis Weaver as a commuter on the run from a dangerous trucker. The screenplay by Richard Matheson was adapted from his own short story of the same name, originally published in Playboy magazine. It won the Grand Prize at the 1973 Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival and an Emmy for sound editing, and is now a beloved cult classic revered as one of the all-time greatest made-for-tv movies.

While driving across the California desert to meet with a client, a business commuter – played by Gunsmoke star Weaver – finds himself tormented by the driver of a semi-trailer truck, who is determined to run him off the road. The...

With shows like Stranger Things stirring up nostalgia for the 1980s, fans can't help but turn their attention to the groovy decade that came before it and explore all the great media that the decade produced. With dozens of TV shows on the air over those 10 years, some great programs have simply faded away.

From gripping procedural shows like Emergency! to sidesplitting irreverent comedies like Wkrp in Cincinnati, the 1970s had a lot more to offer than recessions and the gas crisis. Even though many '70s shows have been forgotten, only the very best deserve a modern rewatch.

Cannon (1971-1976) Not Available For Streaming

Though procedurals are all the rage now, it was the 1970s that actually laid the groundwork for the genre. Cannon is the story of an ex-LAPD officer who trades in his badge to become a private investigator to crack the toughest cases that Los Angeles can throw his way.

Soon after ABC made “Marcus Welby, M.D.” the closer of its Tuesday night lineup in 1969, the freshman drama series proved to be one of the network’s biggest hits up to that point. It ended up being the most-Emmy-nominated program of 1970 and won the Best Drama Series award as well as acting trophies for leading man Robert Young and supporting player James Brolin. One year later, it became the first ABC property to rank as the number-one show on television.

“Marcus Welby, M.D.” starred Young and Brolin as a pair of doctors whose conflicting treatment methods formed the basis of the series’ initial plot. Both men made history with their 1970 victories, with the former becoming the oldest winner in his category at 63 and the latter becoming the youngest in his at 29. Five decades later, they have both moved to third place on their respective lists, and both land in 10th...

Soon after ABC made “Marcus Welby, M.D.” the closer of its Tuesday night lineup in 1969, the freshman drama series proved to be one of the network’s biggest hits up to that point. It ended up being the most-Emmy-nominated program of 1970 and won the Best Drama Series award as well as acting trophies for leading man Robert Young and supporting player James Brolin. One year later, it became the first ABC property to rank as the number-one show on television.

“Marcus Welby, M.D.” starred Young and Brolin as a pair of doctors whose conflicting treatment methods formed the basis of the series’ initial plot. Both men made history with their 1970 victories, with the former becoming the oldest winner in his category at 63 and the latter becoming the youngest in his at 29. Five decades later, they have both moved to third place on their respective lists, and both land in 10th...

In 2015, Jonathan Banks set a new precedent with his first of four Emmy nominations for “Better Call Saul,” as it made him the first man ever recognized for supporting performances on three different drama series. His first two career bids came for his featured turns on “Wiseguy” (1989) and “Breaking Bad” (2013), with the latter show being where he originated his “Better Call Saul” role of Mike Ehrmantraut. His five most recent unsuccessful outings make Ehrmantraut one of the four most overlooked characters in the history of the Best Drama Supporting Actor category.

At the time of his first “Better Call Saul” nomination, the 68-year-old Banks was his category’s 11th oldest nominee ever. His latest bid at age 72 moved him to seventh place on the list, but he has since been pushed to 10th. Nine actors over 75 rank ahead of him, with the top two being the only octogenarians to ever compete for the award.

In 2015, Jonathan Banks set a new precedent with his first of four Emmy nominations for “Better Call Saul,” as it made him the first man ever recognized for supporting performances on three different drama series. His first two career bids came for his featured turns on “Wiseguy” (1989) and “Breaking Bad” (2013), with the latter show being where he originated his “Better Call Saul” role of Mike Ehrmantraut. His five most recent unsuccessful outings make Ehrmantraut one of the four most overlooked characters in the history of the Best Drama Supporting Actor category.

At the time of his first “Better Call Saul” nomination, the 68-year-old Banks was his category’s 11th oldest nominee ever. His latest bid at age 72 moved him to seventh place on the list, but he has since been pushed to 10th. Nine actors over 75 rank ahead of him, with the top two being the only octogenarians to ever compete for the award.

The “made for television movie” began in the 1960s. In fact, one of the most famous TV movies Don Siegel’s 1964 version of “The Killers” featuring Ronald Reagan in his last film role as a ruthless villain, ended up being released theatrically because it was considered too violent for television.

But the genre came of age in the 1970s.

Some of these movies that aired on the three broadcast networks were sheer shlock and others were pilots for prospective TV series. But it was also an embarrassment of riches. Who could forget the beloved 1971 ABC biopic “Brian’s Song,” starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, which was nominated for 11 Emmys and won five including outstanding single program (drama or comedy). The four-hankie weepie was so popular it was released theatrically.

Also briefly released theatrically was Steven Spielberg’s pulsating 1971 classic “Duel” starring Dennis Weaver which aired on ABC. Considered one...

Less than six weeks after it premiered in the fall of 1984, uniquely stylish police procedural “Miami Vice” stunned its viewers by abruptly killing off one of its principal characters. The lieutenant position vacated by Lou Rodriguez (Gregory Sierra) was promptly filled by former DEA officer Marty Castillo (Edward James Olmos) one episode later. At 37, Olmos was a full decade younger than his predecessor. His performance was so well-received that it earned the series its only major Emmy win apart from three craft awards.

Olmos’s Best Drama Supporting Actor victory came for the two-part episode “Golden Triangle,” in which Castillo works to bring down a drug lord who is holding his ex-wife hostage. At the time, the 38-year-old was the fourth youngest winner in the history of his category. He now places behind a total of nine actors who are up to 13 years his junior.

Since 1959, a total of 39 actors...

As Primetime Emmy anomalies go, the 1982 Best Drama Supporting Actor lineup stands out as one of the most noteworthy. For the first and only time in any category, every nominee was a cast member on the same program, namely the police procedural “Hill Street Blues.” The five contenders – Taurean Blaque, Michael Conrad, Charles Haid, Michael Warren, and Bruce Weitz – ranged in age from 36 to 56, with their characters varying in rank from officer to sergeant. Conrad, the eldest, was ultimately chosen as the victor for the second year in a row.

“Hill Street Blues” also achieved its second of four consecutive Best Drama Series victories in 1982, along with wins for Best Actor (Daniel J. Travanti) and Best Writing. Conrad, who was originally the third oldest man to prevail in his category, has since been surpassed by seven others, five of whom were over 70.

Since 1959, a total of 39 actors have won for...

One of Orson Welles’ best has arrived in 4K! Kino Lorber has revived Universal’s 3-version study of the bordertown crime & corruption drama, that knocks us out with Welles’ colorful, weird characters, intricate scene blocking and infinitely creative camera work. Almost all of the extras from the earlier DVD and Blu-ray editions are here, with added expert commentary (the tally of tracks is now five). The performances are superb — Welles won’t lay off the candy bars, Janet Leigh wisely avoids the motel shower and Charlton Heston is actually fine as a ‘pretty unlikely’ Mexican. We’ve seen this show ten times — it’s so dense that each viewing brings new revelations.

Touch of Evil 4K

4K Ultra HD

Kl Studio Classics

1958-1998 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 96, 109, 111 min. / Street Date March 15, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Ray Collins, Joanna Moore,...

In 2021, “WandaVision” star Paul Bettany made history as the first man to be Emmy-nominated for a lead performance on a Marvel TV series, thus laying the groundwork for 2022 hopefuls Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”), Oscar Isaac (“Moon Knight”) and Jeremy Renner (“Hawkeye”). Although he lost the last Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor race to Ewan McGregor (“Halston”), he may now get an immediate second shot at the same prize based on his work on “A Very British Scandal.” Luckily for him, there is ample precedent for back-to-back bids in this category.

The first man recognized twice in a row for TV movie and/or limited series roles was Mickey Rooney. His example has been followed by 16 others, beginning with George C. Scott. Next came Hal Holbrook and Laurence Olivier, the latter of whom then became the category’s first three-time consecutive nominee with his 1975 bid for “Love Among the Ruins.”

SEEClaire...

Retro-active: The Best From The Cinema Retro Archives

By Lee Pfeiffer

Kino Lorber has released a new DVD edition of John Wayne's late-career detective flick "Brannigan". The 1975 film takes Wayne out of the saddle and deposits him squarely in central London ("The Duke's in London. God Save the Queen!" read the tag line on the film poster.). The "fish-out--of-water" crime thriller concept began with Don Siegel's outstanding "Coogan's Bluff" (1968), which inspired Dennis Weaver's hit rip-off TV series "McCloud". Still, the premise works well with Wayne's tough Chicago Irish cop Jim Brannigan sent to London to extradite a top crime figure, much as Clint Eastwood's Coogan was shipped to New York to bring a criminal back to Arizona. Wayne had gone the detective route the year before in "McQ". He had originally been offered the role of Dirty Harry but correctly assumed his fans would not stand...