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John P. Ryan
John Patrick Ryan (July 30, 1936 – March 20, 2007) was an American actor, best known for his role as Warden Ranken in the 1985 film ''Runaway Train''. Biography The son of Irish immigrant parents, Ryan graduated from Rice High School and studied English at the City College of New York. He was a lifetime member of The Actors Studio. Ryan died from a stroke in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 70. He was survived by two daughters. Filmography Features * ''The Tiger Makes Out'' (1967) as Toni's Escort * ''A Lovely Way to Die'' (1968) as Harry Samson * ''What's So Bad About Feeling Good?'' (1968) as Roger (uncredited) * ''Five Easy Pieces'' (1970) as Spicer * ''Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me'' (1971) as 'Oeuf' * ''The King of Marvin Gardens'' (1972) as Surtees * ''The Legend of Nigger Charley'' (1972) as Houston * '' Shamus'' (1973) as 'Hardcore' * ''Dillinger'' (1973) as Charles Mackley * '' Cops and Robbers'' (1973) as Pasquale 'Patsy' Aniello * '' It's A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Futureworld
''Futureworld'' is a 1976 American science fiction thriller film directed by Richard T. Heffron and written by Mayo Simon and George Schenck. It is a sequel to the 1973 Michael Crichton film ''Westworld'', and is the second installment in the ''Westworld'' franchise. The film stars Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Stuart Margolin, John Ryan, and Yul Brynner, who makes an appearance in a dream sequence; no other cast member from the original film appears. ''Westworld's'' writer-director, Michael Crichton, and the original studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer were not involved in this production. Composer Fred Karlin was retained. The film attempted to take the plot in a different direction from ''Westworld'', but it was not well received by U.S. critics. French critics appreciated the film more, appearing on the list of best science fiction films ever made in '' Demain le Science Fiction.'' It was made by American International Pictures (its predecessor was made by Metro-Goldw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shamus (film)
''Shamus'' is a 1973 American comedy thriller film directed by Buzz Kulik, and starring Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon. The word "shamus" means "detective" in Yiddish. Plot summary New York private detective Shamus McCoy is called to the house of Hume, an eccentric diamond dealer, and is given the task of recovering some stolen diamonds. His investigation is thwarted at every turn and it is only when he is beaten by a gang of thugs to warn him off the job that he realizes that he's onto something really big. Using his friend Springy as well as Alexis Montaigne, the sister of a nightclub owner, McCoy digs for the truth about the robbery. The trail leads to an Army colonel called Hardcore who is in cahoots with Alexis's brother, then full circle to Hume, who is behind the plot all along. Cast * Burt Reynolds as Shamus McCoy * Dyan Cannon as Alexis Montaigne * John Ryan as "Hardcore" * Joe Santos as Lieutenant Promuto * Giorgio Tozzi as Dottore * Ron Weyand as E.J. Hume * Larry Block ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avenging Force
''Avenging Force'' is a 1986 American action film directed by Sam Firstenberg. The screenplay was written by James Booth, who co-starred in the film. It was originally intended as a sequel to the 1985 film '' Invasion U.S.A.'', which starred Chuck Norris in the role of Matt Hunter. In ''Avenging Force'', Hunter (played by Michael Dudikoff) faces off against a group of far-right extremists known as the Pentangle. Plot In the swamps of the Louisiana bayou, two men are hunted and killed by four costumed, well-armed adversaries. A retired US Secret Service agent, Captain Matt Hunter, has retired to his family's cattle ranch in Louisiana and Texas, with his sister Sarah and grandfather. They drive to New Orleans and meet Matt's old military comrade and local politician Larry Richards, who is now running for US Senate. At dinner, Larry hesitantly mentions threats made against his life during the election cycle, which he dismisses as harmless. Later that day, Larry, Matt and their fami ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Cotton Club (film)
''The Cotton Club'' is a 1984 American crime drama film co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on James Haskins' 1977 book of the same name. The story centers on the Cotton Club, a Harlem jazz club in the 1930s. The film stars Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane and Lonette McKee, with Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Gwen Verdon, Fred Gwynne and Laurence Fishburne in supporting roles. The film was noted for its over-budget production costs, and took a total of five years to make. Despite being a disappointment at the box-office, the film received generally positive reviews and was nominated for several awards, including Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Picture (Drama) and Oscars for Best Art Direction ( Richard Sylbert, George Gaines) and Best Film Editing. Plot A musician named Dixie Dwyer begins working with mobsters to advance his career but falls in love with Vera Cicero, the girlfriend of Jewish-American organized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Right Stuff (film)
''The Right Stuff'' is a 1983 American epic historical drama film written and directed by Philip Kaufman and based on the 1979 book of the same name by Tom Wolfe. The film follows the Navy, Marine, and Air Force test pilots who were involved in aeronautical research at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as well as the Mercury Seven, the seven military pilots who were selected to be the astronauts for Project Mercury, the first human spaceflight by the United States. The film stars Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, and Barbara Hershey; Levon Helm narrates and plays Air Force test pilot Jack Ridley. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing about $21 million against a $27 million budget. Despite this, it received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for eight Oscars at the 56th Academy Awards, four of which it won. The film was a huge success on the home video market. In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States Natio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Breathless (1983 Film)
''Breathless'' is a 1983 American neo-noir romantic thriller film directed by Jim McBride, written by McBride and L. M. Kit Carson, and starring Richard Gere and Valérie Kaprisky. It is a remake of the 1960 French film of the same name directed by Jean-Luc Godard and written by Godard and François Truffaut. The original film is about an American woman and a French criminal in Paris, while the remake is vice versa in Los Angeles. Plot Jesse Lujack (Richard Gere) is a cocky, hedonistic drifter, and small time car thief, in Las Vegas. He’s obsessed with ''Silver Surfer'' comic books, the rock and roll music of Jerry Lee Lewis, and Monica Poiccard (Valérie Kaprisky), a UCLA architecture undergraduate whom he knows only from a weekend fling while she visited Vegas. Leaving Las Vegas, Lujack steals a Porsche, intending to drive to Los Angeles. As he speeds down the highway and looks through the owner's possessions, Lujack discovers a handgun in the vehicle's glovebox, which he b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Escape Artist
''The Escape Artist'' is a 1982 film starring Griffin O'Neal and Raúl Juliá. It was based on a book by David Wagoner, and was the directorial debut of Caleb Deschanel. It was the final film of Joan Hackett, Desi Arnaz, and Gabriel Dell, and the film debut of Harry Anderson. It was also the final film performance of Jackie Coogan, though one film he had shot earlier ('' The Prey'', which was shot in 1979) was not released until 1983. Plot Young and self-confident Danny Masters is the teen-aged son of the late Harry Masters, the "greatest escape artist except for Houdini". Danny himself is an accomplished magician and escape artist. He leaves home to join Uncle Burke and Aunt Sibyl in their magic/mentalist act; Sibyl welcomes him, but Burke is unenthusiastic. Danny soon finds himself embroiled with Stu Quiñones, corrupt son of Mayor Leon Quiñones. The quest for a missing wallet (pick-pocketed by Danny) leads to the comeuppance of the crooked mayor, and separately of his vindic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981 Film)
''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' is a 1981 American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Bob Rafelson and written by David Mamet (in his screenwriting debut). Starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, it is the fourth adaptation of the 1934 novel by James M. Cain. The film was shot in Santa Barbara, California. Plot Frank Chambers (Jack Nicholson) a drifter, stops at a Depression-era rural California diner in the hills outside Los Angeles for a meal and ends up working there. The diner is operated by a young, beautiful woman, Cora Smith (Jessica Lange), and her much older husband, Nick Papadakis (John Colicos), a hardworking but unimaginative immigrant from Greece. Frank and Cora start to have an affair soon after they meet. Cora is tired of her situation, married to an older man she does not love, and working at a diner that she wishes to own and improve. She and Frank scheme to murder Nick to start a new life together without her losing the diner. Their first attempt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Last Flight Of Noah's Ark
''The Last Flight of Noah's Ark'' is a 1980 American family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions starring Elliott Gould, Geneviève Bujold and Ricky Schroder. The film was released by Buena Vista Distribution on July 9, 1980. A full-scale Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber was featured in the film as the "ark". Plot A jaded pilot named Noah Dugan ( Elliott Gould) is unemployed and owes a large amount of money due to his gambling. He goes to an old friend, Stoney (Vincent Gardenia), who owns an airfield. He is offered a job flying a cargo of animals to a remote South Pacific island aboard a B-29 bomber, a large plane well past its prime. Bernadette Lafleur (Geneviève Bujold) is the prim missionary who accompanies him. Bernadette has raised the animals at an orphanage and is close to two of the orphans, Bobby ( Ricky Schroder) and Julie (Tammy Lauren). As the aircraft prepares to taxi for takeoff, Bobby is concerned about Dugan's treatment of the animals, and dec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
On The Nickel
''On the Nickel'' is a 1980 feature film written, produced by, and starring Ralph Waite. It features five original songs composed for the movie by Tom Waits. The film presents the story of Sam (Donald Moffat), a recovering alcoholic who feels dissatisfied with his life of sobriety and goes back in search of the good times he enjoyed with his old friends living on Los Angeles' skid row. (This includes a section of Fifth Street, which is sometimes called "the Nickel", after the five-cent coin.) Eventually finding his best friend, "C.G." (Waite), still living on the nickel, the two men reminisce, and Sam gets a fresh look at the lifestyle he had once vigorously abandoned. The film is a multi-level odyssey through the slums of L.A., as well as Sam's personal ruminations as he re-evaluates the nostalgia he had felt for the free and bohemian lifestyle of a street person. The film also stars Hal Williams, Penelope Allen, and Jack Kehoe. The original soundtrack was written and performed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
It Lives Again
''It Lives Again'' (also known as ''It's Alive II'') is a 1978 American science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Larry Cohen. It is the sequel to the 1974 film '' It's Alive''. The film stars Frederic Forrest, Kathleen Lloyd, John P. Ryan, John Marley, Andrew Duggan and Eddie Constantine. The film was released by Warner Bros. on May 10, 1978. Plot This film continues with Frank Davis ( John P. Ryan), still reeling from the death of his child and the part he played in it, seeing his chance to atone by assisting other would-be parents of mutant children. He tries to warn soon-to-be parents Jody (Kathleen Lloyd) and Eugene Scott (Frederic Forrest) of the vast and dangerous conspiracy to murder their baby and the other unborn mutant children who are being born around the country. They are convinced when they are met by Mallory (John Marley) and a strong force of police officers at the hospital as Jody is about to go into labor. She is rescued by Frank from the ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Missouri Breaks
''The Missouri Breaks'' is a 1976 American Western film starring Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. The film was directed by Arthur Penn, with supporting performances by Randy Quaid, Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest, John McLiam, and Kathleen Lloyd in her film debut. The score was composed by John Williams. The title of the film refers to a forlorn and very rugged area of north-central Montana, where over eons, the Missouri River has made countless deep cuts or "breaks" in the land. Plot Tom Logan is a rustler experiencing hard times. His gang and he are particularly upset by the hanging of a friend of theirs by Braxton, a land baron, who takes the law into his own hands. They decide to seek vengeance against Braxton by killing his foreman Pete Marker, hanging him from the same tree that Braxton and his men hanged their friend. Logan and his gang then buy a small farm close to Braxton's ranch with money they stole during a train robbery, and begin rustling his stock. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
