ABC Movie of the Week: Tribes, Duel, and The Cat Creature

Tribes

Jan-Michael Vincent and Darren McGavin.

This incisive 1970 film about a tough Marine drill sergeant and a hippy recruit remains one of the best-remembered telecasts on the ABC Movie of the Week. Darren McGavin, in his finest pre-Christmas Story performance, stars as Gunnery Sergeant Drake, who informs his raw recruits: "I will be your father, your mother, your legal guardian, and your sister for the entire period you are here." His biggest challenge is Adrian (Jan-Michael Vincent), a high school drop-out who was drafted. To his surprise, Drake learns that Adrian is in the best physical condition and scored the highest on the aptitude tests of anyone in his platoon. While always respectful, Adrian remains a free spirit and--to Drake's dismay--even teaches meditation to his fellow recruits. Still, Drake sees potential in Adrian while the young Marine begins to struggle with his own identity. Made during the Vietnam War, Tribes straddles the fence politically by portraying both Drake and Adrian in a positive light. Indeed, the film's only misstep is the inclusion of another drill instructor (Earl Holliman), who takes an instant dislike to Adrian and becomes obsessed with "breaking" the young man. Holliman's character provides Tribes with a villain--when the movie doesn't need one. Tracy Keenan Wynn (Ed's grandson) and Marvin Schwartz won an Emmy for their original screenplay. A big ratings hit, Tribes was later released overseas as The Soldier Who Declared Peace.

Duel 

Dennis Weaver (with truck behind him).

This effective, if slightly overrated, 1971 made-for-TV thriller launched Steven Spielberg's career as a feature film director. The bare-bones plot concerns a businessman (Dennis Weaver) who encounters a crazy trucker while driving across the California desert. The trucker reacts angrily when Weaver passes him on the highway. One little retaliation leads to another, escalating to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. By showing only glimpses of the big rig's driver, Spielberg turns the truck into the villain. In fact, much has been written about the similarities between the truck in Duel and the Great White shark in Jaws. Screenwriter Richard Matheson, who adapted his own short story, has said his inspiration was a real-life incident of "road rage." Weaver is adequate in the lead role; he's pretty much the only human character with any significant screen time. The story is by nature episodic, but the short running time helps hold viewer interest. Ironically, when the film earned critical raves, Universal had Speilberg shoot additional footage so a bloated 90-minute edition could be released overseas. Speilberg's follow-up was another telefilm, a haunted house tale called Something Evil (1972) with Sandy Dennis and Darren McGavin. It's not very good, though still interesting to compare to the later Poltergeist. After directing Savage, a TV pilot with Martin Landau, Spielberg moved to the big screen with Sugarland Express.

The Cat Creature

A shadowy feline presence.

When a thief removes an emerald amulet from an ancient mummy, he unknowingly releases a blood-seeking creature from 450 BC. A follower of Bast, the Egyptian goddess of cats, the creature drains humans of their blood as it seeks the amulet that will ensure immortality. This 1973 telefilm serves as an affectionate homage to the atmospheric Val Lewton thrillers of the 1940s. Director Curtis Harrington opts for subtle shadows instead of outright frights (though the close-ups of the creature's hypnotic cat eyes are rather disconcerting). The proceedings get a boost from the presence of classic-era performers who specialized in mysteries and thrillers: Gale Sondergaard (The Spider Woman); Keye Luke (The Charlie Chan films); John Carradine (House of Dracula); and Kent Smith (The Cat People). Heck, even Peter Lorre, Jr. has a small part. Of the contemporary cast, a brown-haired Meredith Baxter fares best as a young woman hired to replace one of the victims in Sondergaard's creepy store, The Sorcerer's Shop. Prolific author Robert Bloch, perhaps best known for writing the novel Psycho, penned the screenplay. Director Harrington made several interesting films, such as the offbeat Night Tide and What's the Matter With Helen?, but never achieved mainstream success on the screen. The Cat Creature is a modest, but enjoyable, horror film that earns kudos for taking a different approach. Perhaps I was a little sleepy when I watched, but I didn't figure the obvious twist until the final half-hour.

Airwolf Whirls into Action

Airwolf, which aired from 1984-87, was one of my favorite action TV shows. I looked forward to every episode with excitement. It ran for four seasons with 79 episodes. Series creator Donald Bellisario did an episode for Magnum P. I. entitled “The Birds of a Feather” in 1983, hoping the idea would sell as the pilot for Airwolf. It wasn’t picked up by any network, so Bellisario made some revisions and shot another pilot that was broadcast as a two-part Airwolf in January 1984.

The stars of Airwolf were Jan-Michael Vincent, Ernest Borgnine and Alex Cord. Jan-Michael Vincent had been in movies for many years. His wholesome American good looks led to his discovery as an actor. He guest starred in many television episodes and appeared in movies such as The Mechanic (1972) with Charles Bronson, White Line Fever (1975), and the miniseries The Winds of War (1983). His outstanding performance in The Winds of War won him the leading role in Airwolf. Ernest Borgnine’s acting career took off when he portrayed Sgt. “Fatso” Judson in From Here to Eternity (1953), and he is still acting today. Alex Cord guest starred in many television series. However, it was the movie Synanon (1965) in which he played a dope addict that brought him notice. I saw him portray the murderer in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Tell Tale Heart in 1971 with Sam Jaffe as the old man. His performance was excellent and one I will always remember.

Airwolf was the code name of a high-tech military helicopter created for the United States. It was capable of flying half-way around the world and could out run jet planes. It was loaded with a computer system that practically controlled the aircraft. It was designed for three pilots to control it; however, it could be controlled by only two. One pilot would control the aircraft while the other one could see anything on radar, identify approaching aircraft, and initiate an array of various cool weapons. One character described Airwolf as a “mach one class chopper that can kick butt”—which is an accurate description.

The series pilot “Shadow of the Hawke” explains that Airwolf was designed by Dr. Charles Moffet (David Hemmings). While demonstrating the helicopter for the military, he suddenly blows up the entire military installation and steals Airwolf. Moffett decides to use the aircraft for mercenary reasons, but he is a cruel man and doesn’t want money from other governments. Instead his fee for using Airwolf is so he can pick women of his choice to torture and murder.

Alex Cord plays a man who works for an organization called The Firm. His name is Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, but his codename is Archangel (he wears glasses with a patch over the left eye lens, uses a cane, and wears a white suit...symbolizing an angel!). Archangel goes to see Stringfellow Hawke (I just love that name), who flew Airwolf as a test pilot. He wants him to find the helicopter and return it to the government. The problem is that Hawke is a recluse who lives in the mountains in a cabin by a lake with his dog, Tet. He likes living alone and doesn’t want to help Archangel, who shows up at his cabin with a young woman who is an agent. Hawke’s character is fascinating. He parents died in a boating accident on the lake. He inherited the cabin from his grandfather who collected famous paintings as a gift for his grandmother. He even serenades an eagle playing a cello in a chair on his dock.

Stringfellow had a brother named St. John (pronounced “Sinjin”), who flew helicopters in Vietnam with him. Their helicopter was shot down and only String was rescued. St. John has been listed as an MIA for fourteen years. Hawke has lost everyone he loved and is very depressed. He has only one friend, Dominic Santin, played by Ernest Borgnine who runs a helicopter stunt service for movies. Hawke is his main stunt pilot. Dominic raised Stringfellow and St. John after their parents died. Hawke finally agrees to go on the mission to retrieve the helicopter from Dr. Moffet and return it to the United States military. Archangel offers him a million dollars, but Hawke is not interested in the money. He wants the government to find his MIA brother. Archangel agrees to Hawke’s demands.

Naturally, Hawke falls in love with the female agent Archangel has brought with him. When she gets into trouble, Hawke steals Airwolf and goes after her. In the end of the pilot, Hawke decides to keep Airwolf to blackmail the government into helping him find his brother. He hides the helicopter in the desert in a unique place. Archangel recruits Hawke into helping The Firm on secret missions. Archangel does not want any government to know about Airwolf nor is Hawke to be associated with the government in any way. Hawke agrees to do so. Every week, he goes on a mission to other counties to help the organization keep America safe.

The first season of Airwolf is rather dark because Hawke is a man who prefers his peace in his cabin. During the second season, the show was changed to lighten the stories to make it more family-oriented. Jean Bruce Scott was added to the series as Caitlin O’Shannessy, a pilot in Santini’s helicopter business. She was on the show for two years. The fourth season was terrible because the entire cast was completely written out of the show. Hawke quits, Dominic is killed, Archangel is reassigned, and Caitlin is just gone. Hawke’s brother (Barry Van Dyke), who turns out to be alive and has been secretly working for the government, becomes the leading character. The fourth season was the last one. I watched three episodes and decided I didn’t like it.

I loved the first three seasons Airwolf. The series featured excellent action scenes and Vincent’s interesting character always made it entertaining. Jan-Michael Vincent has always been one of my favorite actors. His life has been a hard one. He was in a car accident, which permanently damaged his voice, and also has battled alcoholism. He is doing better now and has retired from acting.

The helicopter used as Airwolf was sold after the show. It was used as an ambulance helicopter in Germany. During a thunderstorm in 1992, it crashed and, sadly, all three crew members were killed.