those great made for tv films of the 70s & 80s - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

bb · 10-10-2001, 02:32 AM

Does anybody remember those made for tv films of the 70s and 80s?

I remember the one from I believe back in the late 70s that starred Mike Conners from Mannix plus one of the girls from Soap about an amusement park that ends up getting destroyed. I remember the scenes of the roller coaster and ferris wheel come crashing down.

Also there was one called "Rage" that starred George C. Scott/ About a father , son and a dog going camping only to be exposed to nerve gas- all 3 would die.
This was 1972.

plus there was one I recall that starred Linda Blair and the guy from Star Wars about a teen who gets drunk. Larry Hagman was in it as Linda's dad. Though a serious topic ( teen drinking ) it was so badly acted that it was funny. I remember actually laughing at the scene when Linda got drunk and doing Elton John tunes.

Desi Arnaz Jr. starred in some rather bad tv movies too. Kinda surprised TV Land doesnt bring back the Nick@Night movie ( like they did when Nick signed on at night for the first time ) and show these cheesy movies.
It'll be kind of intersting to see some of them today.

Any other made for tv films you remember?

Like the one that had Loni Anderson doing country music..called "Country Gold".

TV Guy · 10-10-2001, 12:30 PM

I remember the one with Mike Conners -- it was called "The Death of Ocean View Park". I remember seeing some of these being shown on "The ABC Friday Night Movie", and it was always something to look forward to. The 90-minute thillers from the early 70s were great. Remember "Trilogy of Terror", or the original "Satan's School for Girls"? Then in the 80s, TV movies got more serious (disease-of-the-week), and they weren't as much fun.

There's an independent station in nearby (in New Hampshire) that occasionally shows some of these in their late, late movie slot. I think it would be a great idea for TV Land to bring some of them back.

Penny Lane · 10-10-2001, 12:33 PM

My favorite tv movies from the 70's are:
Duel
Terror on the Beach
Sybil

dawsongirl · 10-10-2001, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bb:

Desi Arnaz Jr. starred in some rather bad tv movies too.

You mean like She Lives! That one cracks me up because the title gives away the ending. Or another favorite: The Night the Bridge Fell Down. Eve Plumb and Leslie Nielsen were in that too.

I've never seen these, but talking about Larry Hagman reminded of Hurricane. Yeah. And Flood!, both starring my buddy Martin Milner.

10-10-2001, 09:08 PM

I remember the movie from the 70s about the killer bunny rabbits called Night of the Lepus. TBS has shown it a few times- whole thing ( with actors in bunny suits and real bunnies destroying doll houses) is so unreal
its cool.

"Kingdom of the Spiders" with William Shatner.
That movie still gives me the willies.

also does anybody remember Eve Plumb/Jan Brady as a teenage hooker, I believe David Soul played her pimp.

or Frankie Avalon as an ax murder ( this was in the 70s around the same time as the "disco" Venus), the scene where he killed a girl because she didnt like his music, so much a little girl to thrill.

There were so many of these films, maybe Nick should start a "TV Land movie channel".

I'll watch it !!!

TV Guy · 10-10-2001, 09:21 PM

>>also does anybody remember Eve Plumb/Jan Brady as a teenage hooker, I believe David Soul played her pimp.<<

Ah, yes, "Dawn: Portrait of a Teenaged Runaway". This was the reason Eve didn't do the Brady variety hour, because she was convinced this movie would lead to more serious roles. They did do a sequel, "Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn", starring Eve and Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper on "Dallas").

"The Night the Bridge Fell Down" was especially cheesy. It was one of three TV-movies produced by Irwin Allen, of "Poseiden Adventure" and "Towering Inferno" fame. The other two were "Cave-In!" (with Leslie Neilsen and Susan Sullivan) and "Hanging by a Thread" (about a tram car that gets stuck during a storm, and starring Patty Duke Astin, Donna Mills, and Bert Convy!). Very, very cheesy.

[This message has been edited by TV Guy (edited 10-10-2001).]

TV Guy · 10-10-2001, 09:23 PM

Oh, and don't forget "The Killer Bees", and its sequel, "Terror Out of the Sky". Remember that VW Bug, covered with bees, being driven to the Super Bowl? Amazing!

dawsongirl · 10-12-2001, 11:50 PM

Okay, so I'm bored and crusing imdb.com. I land on George Maharis, the guy from Route 66. Take a look at some of the cheesy stuff he was in:

Death in Space
Murder on Flight 502
Look What Happened to Rosemary's Baby (Patty Duke, Queen of TV Movies, is in this too)
Death Flight (now I'd pay money to see this one. The stars are huge!)
Crash of Flight 401

I love George Maharis, but the man had a thing for airplane disaster flicks.

dawsongirl · 10-12-2001, 11:53 PM

Oops, forgot Return to Fantasy Island.

All the Nancy McKeon fans wandering around this board might like that one too; she's in it.

dawsongirl · 11-15-2001, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dawsongirl:
Death Flight (now I'd pay money to see this one. The stars are huge!)

Yes, I DID pay money to see this and it was great!!

Back in the VERY early years of MST3K, they did this movie, SST- Death Flight. Check out who was in it:

Burgess Meredith
Lorne Greene
Robert Reed
Peter Graves
Martin Milner
George Maharis
Tina Louise
Bert Convy
Misty Rowe
Billy Crystal

and some other people.

Absolutely hilarious!!! The plane was obviously fake; when the oxygen masks come down and there isn't any oxygen, people are still somehow able to breathe for minutes without it; George Maharis was able to single-handedly destroy the plane by putting detergent (????) in the hydrolic system; the morons flying the plane take off knowing the hydrolics were leaking in the first place; the bottom of the plane blows up, yet the hole isn't very big and they put out the explosion with a small fire extinguisher; and for goodness sakes, Mike Brady was flying the plane!

Trust me, a guilty pleasure worth seeing!

[This message has been edited by dawsongirl (edited 11-15-2001).]

mamamiasweetpeaches · 03-26-2002, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bb
Does anybody remember those made for tv films of the 70s and 80s?

I remember the one from I believe back in the late 70s that starred Mike Conners from Mannix plus one of the girls from Soap about an amusement park that ends up getting destroyed. I remember the scenes of the roller coaster and ferris wheel come crashing down.

Also there was one called "Rage" that starred George C. Scott/ About a father , son and a dog going camping only to be exposed to nerve gas- all 3 would die.
This was 1972.

plus there was one I recall that starred Linda Blair and the guy from Star Wars about a teen who gets drunk. Larry Hagman was in it as Linda's dad. Though a serious topic ( teen drinking ) it was so badly acted that it was funny. I remember actually laughing at the scene when Linda got drunk and doing Elton John tunes.

Desi Arnaz Jr. starred in some rather bad tv movies too. Kinda surprised TV Land doesnt bring back the Nick@Night movie ( like they did when Nick signed on at night for the first time ) and show these cheesy movies.
It'll be kind of intersting to see some of them today.

Any other made for tv films you remember?

Like the one that had Loni Anderson doing country music..called "Country Gold".

mamamiasweetpeaches · 03-26-2002, 02:47 PM

Drunk Linda Blair was Sara T. Portait of a Teenage Alcoholic....and she sings"Too Late bayb"by Carol King...not Elton John!!!!Yes,Larry Hagman,walks around with a man-purse full of beer!I bought this tape off ebay recently.I also bought Eve Portait of a Teenage Runaway with Eve Plumb.Those Portait movies are SWEEEET I tells ya!I also have Satans Cheerleaders...a so bad its good flick that probaby costs $50 or less to make!Other Reccomendations:Scott Baio in Stoned and The Boy Who Drank Too Much,Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park...yes,I mean KISS the band!!!!!!

03-26-2002, 08:13 PM

Maybe Brian's Song....I never saw it but I heard good things about it.

joan davis fan · 03-27-2002, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mamamiasweetpeaches
Drunk Linda Blair was Sara T. Portait of a Teenage Alcoholic....and she sings"Too Late bayb"by Carol King...not Elton John!!!!Yes,Larry Hagman,walks around with a man-purse full of beer!I bought this tape off ebay recently.I also bought Eve Portait of a Teenage Runaway with Eve Plumb.Those Portait movies are SWEEEET I tells ya!I also have Satans Cheerleaders...a so bad its good flick that probaby costs $50 or less to make!Other Reccomendations:Scott Baio in Stoned and The Boy Who Drank Too Much,Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park...yes,I mean KISS the band!!!!!!

Kinda curious about the "Sara T" movie. The copy you got off Ebay
was it a copy taped off tv or was it an actual uncut version that one can find at video stores? Reason I ask, years ago when I saw the movie I could've swore I recall a scene with drunk Linda doing "Bennie and the Jets" as well as "Its too Late".

Being tv movies, I have seen some of them butchered up so badly with bad editing ( say TBS ) that many scenes I remember seeing on their original network showing , vanished later on.

Someone here brought up the "Kingdom of the Spiders". I believe in the network showing a little boy grabs a spider only to get bit and dies. Then you see the sheriff carrying the dead boy to the doctors office. Then later on a scene in the basement with William Shatner trying to replace a fuse or something only to encounter thousands of spiders. They were even climbing on the back of a mouse!!! When TBS showed this film not too long ago both of these scens were cut out. Guess for more commerical time to be sold.

However in the case in Sara T, could be a copyright-Elton John thing. Often music is replaced when it goes to home video or if the movie is shown in syndication because of it. A friend of mine did a biography that aired on PBS a few years back but had to replace a good chunk of the music when he decided to sell the film through home video- all because of copyrights.

mamamiasweetpeaches · 03-27-2002, 11:46 AM

I think this copy of Sara T. was converted from a home-movie type film (like they used to show in school!)to vcr film/not the best copy in the world but I had wanted to see this movie so badly I was grateful just to get a copy. Maybe your right:no one wanted to pay Elton!My sis saw it on tv when it originally aired...all she remembers is Carol King.
I also loved Linda Blair in BORN INNOCENT...the one where she's in a juvenile detention center and gets raped with a plunger.Yee-owch!Still cant believe they showed that on television.
I also remember movies like SQUIRM where the town is taken over by worms unleashed during an electrical storm(!)and also those Alligator movies that spawned the urban legend about baby aligators flushed into our sewers!!!Ah!The sweet camp of 70s tv movies!!!

10-10-2001, 02:32 AM	#1
bb Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2001 Location: Martinsburg, WV usa Posts: 276	those great made for tv films of the 70s & 80s Does anybody remember those made for tv films of the 70s and 80s? I remember the one from I believe back in the late 70s that starred Mike Conners from Mannix plus one of the girls from Soap about an amusement park that ends up getting destroyed. I remember the scenes of the roller coaster and ferris wheel come crashing down. Also there was one called "Rage" that starred George C. Scott/ About a father , son and a dog going camping only to be exposed to nerve gas- all 3 would die. This was 1972. plus there was one I recall that starred Linda Blair and the guy from Star Wars about a teen who gets drunk. Larry Hagman was in it as Linda's dad. Though a serious topic ( teen drinking ) it was so badly acted that it was funny. I remember actually laughing at the scene when Linda got drunk and doing Elton John tunes. Desi Arnaz Jr. starred in some rather bad tv movies too. Kinda surprised TV Land doesnt bring back the Nick@Night movie ( like they did when Nick signed on at night for the first time ) and show these cheesy movies. It'll be kind of intersting to see some of them today. Any other made for tv films you remember? Like the one that had Loni Anderson doing country music..called "Country Gold".

10-10-2001, 09:08 PM	#5
duane Guest Posts: n/a	I remember the movie from the 70s about the killer bunny rabbits called Night of the Lepus. TBS has shown it a few times- whole thing ( with actors in bunny suits and real bunnies destroying doll houses) is so unreal its cool. "Kingdom of the Spiders" with William Shatner. That movie still gives me the willies. also does anybody remember Eve Plumb/Jan Brady as a teenage hooker, I believe David Soul played her pimp. or Frankie Avalon as an ax murder ( this was in the 70s around the same time as the "disco" Venus), the scene where he killed a girl because she didnt like his music, so much a little girl to thrill. There were so many of these films, maybe Nick should start a "TV Land movie channel". I'll watch it !!!
duane Guest Posts: n/a

03-26-2002, 08:13 PM	#13
Must See TV Guest Posts: n/a	Maybe Brian's Song....I never saw it but I heard good things about it.
Must See TV Guest Posts: n/a

10-10-2001, 12:30 PM	#2
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	I remember the one with Mike Conners -- it was called "The Death of Ocean View Park". I remember seeing some of these being shown on "The ABC Friday Night Movie", and it was always something to look forward to. The 90-minute thillers from the early 70s were great. Remember "Trilogy of Terror", or the original "Satan's School for Girls"? Then in the 80s, TV movies got more serious (disease-of-the-week), and they weren't as much fun. There's an independent station in nearby (in New Hampshire) that occasionally shows some of these in their late, late movie slot. I think it would be a great idea for TV Land to bring some of them back.

10-10-2001, 12:33 PM	#3
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,231	My favorite tv movies from the 70's are: Duel Terror on the Beach Sybil

10-10-2001, 09:21 PM	#6
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	>>also does anybody remember Eve Plumb/Jan Brady as a teenage hooker, I believe David Soul played her pimp.<< Ah, yes, "Dawn: Portrait of a Teenaged Runaway". This was the reason Eve didn't do the Brady variety hour, because she was convinced this movie would lead to more serious roles. They did do a sequel, "Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn", starring Eve and Leigh McCloskey (Mitch Cooper on "Dallas"). "The Night the Bridge Fell Down" was especially cheesy. It was one of three TV-movies produced by Irwin Allen, of "Poseiden Adventure" and "Towering Inferno" fame. The other two were "Cave-In!" (with Leslie Neilsen and Susan Sullivan) and "Hanging by a Thread" (about a tram car that gets stuck during a storm, and starring Patty Duke Astin, Donna Mills, and Bert Convy!). Very, very cheesy. [This message has been edited by TV Guy (edited 10-10-2001).]

10-10-2001, 09:23 PM	#7
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	Oh, and don't forget "The Killer Bees", and its sequel, "Terror Out of the Sky". Remember that VW Bug, covered with bees, being driven to the Super Bowl? Amazing!

10-12-2001, 11:50 PM	#8
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,134	Okay, so I'm bored and crusing imdb.com. I land on George Maharis, the guy from Route 66. Take a look at some of the cheesy stuff he was in: Death in Space Murder on Flight 502 Look What Happened to Rosemary's Baby (Patty Duke, Queen of TV Movies, is in this too) Death Flight (now I'd pay money to see this one. The stars are huge!) Crash of Flight 401 I love George Maharis, but the man had a thing for airplane disaster flicks.

10-12-2001, 11:53 PM	#9
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,134	Oops, forgot Return to Fantasy Island. All the Nancy McKeon fans wandering around this board might like that one too; she's in it.

03-26-2002, 02:47 PM	#12
mamamiasweetpeaches Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 30, 2002 Location: Middle Village,NY Posts: 390	Drunk Linda Blair was Sara T. Portait of a Teenage Alcoholic....and she sings"Too Late bayb"by Carol King...not Elton John!!!!Yes,Larry Hagman,walks around with a man-purse full of beer!I bought this tape off ebay recently.I also bought Eve Portait of a Teenage Runaway with Eve Plumb.Those Portait movies are SWEEEET I tells ya!I also have Satans Cheerleaders...a so bad its good flick that probaby costs $50 or less to make!Other Reccomendations:Scott Baio in Stoned and The Boy Who Drank Too Much,Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park...yes,I mean KISS the band!!!!!!

03-27-2002, 11:46 AM	#15
mamamiasweetpeaches Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 30, 2002 Location: Middle Village,NY Posts: 390	I think this copy of Sara T. was converted from a home-movie type film (like they used to show in school!)to vcr film/not the best copy in the world but I had wanted to see this movie so badly I was grateful just to get a copy. Maybe your right:no one wanted to pay Elton!My sis saw it on tv when it originally aired...all she remembers is Carol King. I also loved Linda Blair in BORN INNOCENT...the one where she's in a juvenile detention center and gets raped with a plunger.Yee-owch!Still cant believe they showed that on television. I also remember movies like SQUIRM where the town is taken over by worms unleashed during an electrical storm(!)and also those Alligator movies that spawned the urban legend about baby aligators flushed into our sewers!!!Ah!The sweet camp of 70s tv movies!!!