ABC Movie of the Week

History

In the 1960s, movie studios viewed television as a second-rate medium but also as a threat to their theatrical revenue, so they charged high fees for the privilege to broadcast their films. The networks experimented with having films made specifically for TV to lower expenses. NBC created the first weekly umbrella for such films with their World Premiere Movie in 1966, running in a two-hour time slot.

Until the late 1960s, ABC ran a distant third behind rivals CBS and NBC, leading to jokes about it coming in fourth among the three networks or about its acronym meaning "Almost Broadcasting Company". Desperation and a looser corporate structure allowed ABC to consider plans that the other two networks would not. Barry Diller, then a junior executive at ABC and later a co-founder of the Fox network, is often cited as the creator of the Movie of the Week (MotW), although the concept was actually originated by producer Roy Huggins. Huggins reasoned that many older theatrical films ran shorter than 90 minutes so requiring a 120-minute time slot was unnecessary. His proposal was rejected by NBC and CBS but became the subject of a cover story in the March 21, 1968 issue of Variety magazine. ABC executives read the article and contacted Huggins, who did not want to sell the idea but could produce the series through Universal, where he was under contract. Universal demanded a larger budget than ABC wanted to spend, as well as the exclusive right to produce all future TV movies for ABC, conditions that pushed ABC to control production on their own, purchasing films from various studios and production companies. As the Variety article had effectively placed the concept into the public domain, ABC continued to develop it without Huggins' permission or involvement. ABC consoled Huggins by allowing him to produce several films, including The Young Country, precursor to Alias Smith and Jones. Michael Karol repeated the claim in his book The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series that the Movie of the Week was Diller's idea, but this was based on hearsay.

The shorter format allowed a smaller budget than two-hour TV movies. At $350,000 per film, it was less than half the budget of NBC's World Premiere movies. It featured the work of producers like Aaron Spelling, David Wolper and Harve Bennett (all of whom later developed hit series of their own), and was produced by different production companies such as Bing Crosby Productions and the network's own ABC Circle Films. Spelling was particularly prolific, producing films under his own credit as well as through Spelling-Goldberg Productions and Thomas-Spelling Productions (partly owned by Danny Thomas).

The MotW provided ABC with a ratings hit and, along with Monday Night Football, helped establish the network as a legitimate competitor to rivals CBS and NBC. The films themselves varied in quality and were often escapist or sensationalistic in nature (suspense, horror and melodrama were staples), but some were critically well received. For example, Duel (1971), based on a Richard Matheson short story from Playboy, was director Steven Spielberg's first feature film, catapulting his career and enabling him to move from television to theatrical films.

ABC earned four Emmys, a Peabody Award and citations from the NAACP and American Cancer Society for an airing of Brian's Song in 1972. The 1971–72 season of the series finished as the fifth highest rated series of the year.

The series was documented by Michael Karol in his 2005 book, The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series, which was updated in 2008 (), and by Michael McKenna in The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen.

Time slots

The MotW originally aired on Tuesday nights at 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central. Established series The Mod Squad acted as a lead-in from 7:30 to 8:30, bringing the younger demographic. The shorter running time of the film freed the 10 p.m. time slot for a full 60-minute program, initially Marcus Welby, M.D. during the first season. Starting earlier at 8:30 could also prevent viewers from switching to competing movies at 9:00. Beginning with the 1971 season, ABC added a second MotW on Saturday night and adjusted the titles of the shows to the Movie of the Week and Movie of the Weekend. The following season, the Saturday installment was moved to Wednesday night, and the titles were adjusted to Tuesday Movie of the Week and Wednesday Movie of the Week.

During the 1973–74 season, ABC added another movie on Saturday nights to their schedule, this time titled the ABC Suspense Movie, and usually consisting of thriller, mystery and horror type films (some of which were reruns of movies which had originally aired as Movies of the Week).

Title sequence

The title sequence was designed by Harry Marks and animated by Douglas Trumbull using the slit-scan process that he had created for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The accompanying theme music was an orchestral version of "Nikki", a song composed by Burt Bacharach and named for his daughter. The theme was chosen by Marks and arranged by Harry Betts.

Over the music was narration voiced by Dick Tufeld. "The Movie of the Week. Presenting the world premiere of an original motion picture produced especially for ABC (or 'for the Movie of the Week' in some seasons)." That would be followed by a promotional teaser for the movie.

The opening for the Saturday Movie of the Weekend featured footage of a silhouetted "rotating cameraman" operating a 35 mm movie camera (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cckf1FHG-c). This footage would later be incorporated into the opening of ABC's New York City television station WABC-TV's various movie umbrellas beginning around 1972–73, including and especially their weekday afternoon movie showcase The 4:30 Movie.

TV series pilots

The series was often used as a platform to show pilots for possible series for the network. It allowed the network to air pilots that it had already commissioned and paid for but had not ordered as regular series. As well, pilots that had already been sold as ongoing series or were being tested such as Kung Fu, The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky & Hutch, Longstreet, Toma, Alias Smith and Jones and Get Christie Love! premiered here and returned on the regular schedule after minor to major alterations to the premise and/or cast. Other programs are sometimes mistakenly believed to have aired under the Movie of the Week banner. Marcus Welby, M.D., for example, premiered after Seven in Darkness and was the lead-out for the Tuesday installment. Still others, like Earth II and Robert Conrad's version of Nick Carter were actually shown on other movie series, such as The ABC Sunday Night Movie.

Actors

Most of the actors in non-recurring roles appeared only once or twice in the series. Notable exceptions who appeared in three or more films as different characters include Doug McClure, Darren McGavin, Dennis Weaver, Clint Walker, Earl Holliman, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Culp, Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Elizabeth Montgomery, Donna Mills, Ed Nelson, Ken Berry, Connie Stevens, Lee Majors, James Brolin, Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Ricardo Montalbán, Richard Anderson, Lesley Anne Warren, Janet Leigh, John Marley, Kay Lenz, William Schallert, Ted Bessell, Karen Valentine, Ben Murphy, Lee Grant, Barra Grant, Myrna Loy, Carl Betz, Henry Jones, Stefanie Powers and William Windom.

Many of the telefilms had actors credited as guest stars, special guest stars and "special appearance by", even if the movie was not a pilot for a series. Death Race and The Weekend Nun billed their lead actors as special guest stars. In the unique case of Assault on the Wayne, all of the first-billed cast members were credited as guest stars.

End

The series proper ended in 1975 as ABC's ratings collapsed that season. Analysts laid part of the blame on ABC's overreliance on the MotW, which had suffered from ratings fatigue and a perceived drop in quality despite some notable films. The latter was symptomized by an increased number of pilots as well as remakes and variations of established intellectual properties, such as The Swiss Family Robinson, The Mark of Zorro, The Hatfields and the McCoys and Matt Helm. After that, ABC's made-for-TV movies were aired either as stand-alone specials or shown in time slots that included both original and theatrical movie presentations, notably the ABC Friday Night Movie and the ABC Sunday Night Movie. The Tuesday Movie of the Week would later be incorporated as part of ABC Late Night, a replacement of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment that ran from 1976 to 1982; the late-night version would mainly feature repeats of movies, both made for television and traditional theatrical releases, that were previously seen on ABC and other networks. ABC continued to premiere new TV films on Sunday nights in prime time until 2005.

During the 1970s, ABC's local owned-and-operated stations (in a few of the nation's biggest cities; at the time, they all broadcast on channel 7) featured The 4:30 Movie on weekday afternoons (the actual time varied by city, but generally after ABC's morning/midday game shows and soap operas); it featured mainly major Hollywood theatrical releases, but some installments of the Movie of the Week were also rebroadcast here.

In the mid-1970s, a number of the films were rebroadcast on The CBS Late Movie.

Filmography

Nielsen ratings

Cast notes

to lists below

Season 1: 1969–70

Starring: Milton Berle, Dina Merrill, Barry Nelson, Arthur O'Connell, Alejandro Rey, Lesley Ann Warren Starring: Christopher George, Carol Lynley*, Barry Sullivan*, Jessica Walter*, Ralph Bellamy*

Pilot for the 1970-71 TV series of the same name; nominated for one Emmy Award. Starring: Walter Brennan, Pat O'Brien*, Edgar Buchanan*, Chill Wills*, Edward Andrews*, Jack Elam*, Andy Devine*, Gypsy Rose Lee*, Ricky Nelson*

Unsold pilot; followed by The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (2.08) Starring: Ken Berry, Eva Gabor, Werner Klemperer, Jim Backus**, Danielle De Metz | | ShortSummary = Unlicensed private investigator Gus Monk is entangled in a scheme involving a Mob-connected lawyer who claims his boss is out to kill him. Starring: George Maharis, Janet Leigh, Rick Jason, Carl Betz*, Jack Albertson**, Raymond St. Jacques***, William Smithers, Jack Soo, Mary Wickes

Unsold pilot. Story by Blake Edwards, based on characters he created. Starring: Jason Evers, Judy Pace, Zalman King, Tom Fielding, Anjanette Comer*, Keenan Wynn*, James Shigeta*, Richard Pryor*, Dick Bass*, Michael Parks**, George Macready***, Louise Latham***, Barry Atwater***, Georg Stanford Brown***

Partly recast and returned as a series in the 1970-71 TV season. Starring: Sammy Davis, Jr., Dorothy Malone, Victoria Vetri, Ricardo Montalbán**, Pat Boone***, Roy Glenn, Patsy Kelly, Norman Alden Starring: Robert Horton, Jill St. John, Sebastian Cabot, Lee Montague, Eleanor Summerfield, Barbara Shelley

Unsold pilot. Screenplay by and produced by Jimmy Sangster, based on his novel, Private I. Filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in London. The three main characters were reworked into another pilot, Foreign Exchange (1.17). Starring: Lee Majors, Joey Heatherton, Jimmy Dean*, Bobby Hatfield*, Marvin Gaye*, Agnes Moorhead**, Pat Hingle**

Unsold pilot. Starring: Michael Callan, Ann Prentiss, Eve Arden**, Ruth Buzzi**, Christopher Connelly,** Bill Daily**, Elinor Donahue**, Herb Edelman**, Paul Ford,** Elsa Lanchester**

Produced and directed by E.W. Swackhamer. Written by Bernard Slade. Starring: Larry Hagman, E. J. Peaker, Jessica Walter, Harvey Korman, Farrah Fawcett, Norman Fell Starring: Don Murray, Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, Pamelyn Ferdin, Ed Asner, John Carradine

Based on the book The Hand of Mary Constable (1964) by Paul Gallico. Starring: Lloyd Bridges, John Beck, Ed Begley, Sr., Edd Byrnes, Pernell Roberts, Susan Howard

Based on a concept by Bob Kane. Starring: Janet Leigh, Rossano Brazzi, Cesare Danova, Eric Braeden, Barbara Steele Starring: Karen Valentine, Edward Mulhare, Paul Peterson, Warner Anderson**, Bob Cummings**, Nina Foch**, Paul Lynde**

Unsold pilot; followed by Gidget Gets Married (3.27). Starring: Keir Dullea, Bradford Dillman, France Nuyen, Aron Kincaid, Lana Wood, Jacques Aubuchon, Paul Hampton, Ricardo Montalbán**

Produced, directed and story by Alan Landsburg. Filmed on location in the Bahamas. Starring: Robert Horton, Jill St. John, Sebastian Cabot, Eric Pohlmann, Dudley Foster, Eleanor Summerfield

Unsold pilot. Screenplay by and produced by Jimmy Sangster, based on his novel, Foreign Exchange. Filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in London. This is a soft reboot of The Spy Killer (1.08) with the events of the earlier pilot completely ignored. John Smith is reintroduced as a traditional spy rather than a counterintelligence assassin. Starring: Stephen Boyd, Robert Hooks, Susan Oliver, Roosevelt Grier**, Moses Gunn**, Richard Pryor**, Billy Dee Williams**, Glynn Turman**, Paul Stewart**

Also known as Black Brigade. Starring: Suzanne Pleshette, Ed Nelson, Andrew Prine, Brooke Bundy, Richard Anderson Starring: Darren McGavin, Mako, Broderick Crawford, James Whitmore**, Skip Homeier, Sam Elliott Starring: John Huston (narrator)

Written by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. The only non-fiction documentary aired as a Movie of the Week. Starring: Gary Collins, John Dehner, Susan Howard, Gordon Pinsent, Dan Ferrone, Wally Cox*, Sam Jaffe*, Terry Moore*, Sharon Farrell**

Unsold pilot. Starring: Patrick Macnee, Connie Stevens, Herbert Lom, Marty Allen

Unsold pilot. Location filming in Malta with studio filming at Elstree Studios. Theme song sung by Lulu. Starring: Lloyd Bridges, Angie Dickinson**, Daniel J. Travanti (as Dan Travanty), Harry Basch Starring: Roger Davis, Pete Duel, Walter Brennan, Joan Hackett, Wally Cox

Character names were reused with a new premise to create the movie Alias Smith and Jones (2.13).

Season 2: 1970–71

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris, Joan Hackett, Kent Smith, Robert H. Harris

Based on a novel by Henry Farrell. Starring: James Franciscus, Lee Grant, Leslie Nielsen**, Tisha Sterling.

Based on a novel by Jerry Sohl. Starring: Herschel Bernardi, Brandon Cruz, Harry Morgan, Nanette Fabray, Jerry Paris, Shirley Jones** Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Diane Baker, Ruth Roman, Percy Rodrigues, Sam Jaffe, Martin Balsam**, Edward Asner, Martin E. Brooks, Virginia Christine

Martin Balsam and Martin E. Brooks would both later play the role of Dr. Rudy Wells at different times in The Six Million Dollar Man. Starring: Hugh O'Brian, Anne Francis, Marilyn Maxwell, Marie Windsor, Sherry Jackson

Unsold pilot. Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Egan, Michael Anderson Jr., Kitty Winn

Based on the novel Ammie Come Home by Barbara Michaels. Starring: Darren McGavin, Jan-Michael Vincent, Earl Holliman

Directed by Emmy Award winner Joseph Sargent. Starring: Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchanan, Chill Wills, Andy Devine, Fred Astaire**, Parley Baer, Walter Burke, Lana Wood

Unsold pilot; the sequel to The Over-the-Hill Gang (1.03). Starring: Hope Lange, Paul Burke, Lloyd Bochner, John Carradine, Cyril Delevanti, Milton Selzer, Patricia Barry Starring: Burt Reynolds, Inger Stevens, Royal Dano, James Best, Rodolfo Acosta, Don Dubbins Starring: Robert Conrad, Lee Majors, Lois Nettleton, Carol Lynley, Jane Wyatt Starring: Stuart Whitman, Sandy Dennis, Burl Ives** Starring: Pete Duel, Ben Murphy, Forrest Tucker, Susan Saint James, James Drury, Jeanette Nolan, Earl Holliman**

Reuses character names from The Young Country (1.25). Pilot for the 1971-73 TV series of the same name that premiered two weeks later. Starring: Leonard Nimoy*, Joseph Cotten*, William Windom*, Keenan Wynn*, Lloyd Haynes*, Dewey Martin*, Malachi Throne, Ron Masak

Reuses submarine footage from Ice Station Zebra, a theatrical film which Ron Masak also appeared in. Starring: Bing Crosby, Frank Converse, Blythe Danner**, Barnard Hughes, Bethel Leslie

Directed by Ted Post. Starring: Barbara Eden, David Hartman, Julie Newmar**, Jo Anne Worley, Farrah Fawcett**, Harry Morgan**, John McGiver**, Herb Edelman** Starring the voices of: Dustin Hoffman (first broadcast), Alan Thicke (third broadcast), Mike Lookinland, Paul Frees, Lennie Weinrib, Bill Martin, Buddy Foster, Joan Gerber

Personal project for Harry Nilsson, who wrote the fable and the songs, co-wrote the story and was one of the producers. Starring: Ryan O'Neal, Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Haskell, Henry Jones, Jeff Donnell, Jack Mullaney, Stanley Adams Starring: Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Jackie Cooper, Lane Bradbury, David Carradine Starring: James Franciscus, Martine Beswick*, Bradford Dillman*, John McIntire*, Jeanette Nolan*, Barry Russo

Pilot for the 1971-72 TV series of the same name that premiered on CBS the following season. Stirling Silliphant was the writer and executive producer. Produced and directed by Joseph Sargent. Starring: Clint Walker, Barry Sullivan, Edgar Buchanan, Kathryn Hays, Morgan Woodward, Robert Phillips, Miguel Alejandro Starring: Suzanne Pleshette, Dack Rambo, Ray Milland, Roger Davis, Melissa Newman Starring: Carl Betz, Vera Miles, Jeff Bridges, Ruth McDevitt, Michael Anderson, Jr., Howard Duff, Kim Hunter*, Renne Jarrett*, Sal Mineo*, Tyne Daly

Unsold pilot. Starring: Ossie Davis, Kaz Garas, Kyle Johnson, John Marley*, Edward Binns*, Lynda Day George*, Ruby Dee*, Moses Gunn*, Ross Martin*, Brenda Sykes*

Unsold pilot. Starring: Christopher George, Avery Schreiber, Marlyn Mason*, William Windom*, John Vernon*, William Schallert*, Gloria Grahame*

Unsold pilot. Produced by Bruce Lansbury, who would create the similar TV series The Magician for CBS in 1973-74.

Season 3: 1971–72

Starring: Dennis Weaver, Anne Francis**, Lois Nettleton, Pamelyn Ferdin, Percy Rodriguez, Andrew Duggan, James Hong Starring: Doug McClure, Rene Auberjonois, Richard Basehart**, Max Baer Jr., Chuck Connors, Tom Skerritt

Fictionalized story based on the account of the Colditz Cock. Released as a feature film overseas as Escape of the Birdmen. Starring: Bill Bixby, Diane Baker, Jack Albertson*, Ann Sothern*, Karen Jensen, Darrell Larson, Jeff Donnell, Tom Bosley, Robert H. Harris, Judy Strangis Starring: Lloyd Bridges, Janet Leigh, Leif Erickson, Carl Betz, Don Stroud, Richard Jaeckel Starring: Robert Conrad**, Anjanette Comer, Bradford Dillman, Joan Hackett, Denise Nicholas, Stefanie Powers, Julie Sommars Starring: Alex Dreier, Stefanie Powers**, Pat Hingle, Louise Latham, Steve Ihnat, Brenda Scott, Chris Robinson

Concept heavily reworked and recast to create the 1972 TV series The Sixth Sense. Starring: Michael Cole, Harry Guardino, Janet Margolin, Edward Asner, Van Heflin**, Barbara Babcock Starring: Richard Crenna, Angie Dickinson, Cameron Mitchell, Hurd Hatfield, Robert Webber** Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Barbara Parkins, Roddy McDowall, William Windom, Arthur O'Connell Starring: Richard Boone, Suzanne Pleshette, John Marley, Stella Stevens**, Fred Beir, Whit Bissell Starring: Hal Holbrook, Barbara Rush, Margot Kidder, Agnes Moorehead, Michael Constantine, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman Starring: Yvette Mimieux, Monte Markham, Myrna Loy, Bert Convy, Melvyn Douglas

First remake of the 1934 film; followed by Meet Joe Black in 1998. Starring: Doug McClure, Richard Basehart*, Darren McGavin**, Rosemary Forsyth, Meg Foster, Dana Elcar Starring: Ed Nelson, Diane Baker, Katy Jurado, Howard Duff, Mark Gruner, Christopher Shea Starring: Patty Duke, Ted Bessell, Andrew Duggan, John Astin, Alice Ghostley Terry Carter, Dick Balduzzi Starring: Shelley Winters, Bradford Dillman, Stuart Whitman, Roger Perry, Gary Clarke Starring: Helen Hayes, Myrna Loy, Mildred Natwick, Sylvia Sidney, Vince Edwards, John Beradino Starring: Dennis Weaver

Steven Spielberg's feature-length film directorial debut. Starring: Desi Arnaz Jr., Christopher Norris, Dan Dailey*, Dina Merrill*, Tom Bosley*, Lynn Carlin*, Susan Strasberg*, Jessie Royce Landis**, Larry Wilcox, Nicholas Hammond

Based on the novel by Ann Head. Starring: Ken Berry, Jim Hutton, Trini Lopez, Don Marshall, Ralph Meeker, Cameron Mitchell, Warren Oates, Soon-Tek Oh Starring: Jane Wyman, Dean Stockwell, Dana Andrews**, Paul Henreid, Tim O'Connor, Priscilla Pointer Starring: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Shelley Fabares

Eight Emmy nominations, four wins. Starring: Gene Barry, Janice Rule, James Drury, Slim Pickens, Donald Moffat Starring: Patty Duke, Frank Michael Liu, Anne Baxter, James Whitmore, Mako, Pat Hingle

Originally promoted as The Glass Hammer. Starring: Robert Culp, Angie Dickinson, Eddie Albert, June Allyson

Music by David Shire. Starring: Sammy Davis Jr., Ernest Borgnine**, Jim Davis

Sammy Davis Jr. was an executive producer on this film. Starring: Brenda Vaccaro, Jack Warden, Roddy McDowall, Jo Anne Worley, Vincent Price, Edmond O'Brien

Written by Howard Fast and directed by Jerry Paris.

Starring: Monie Ellis, Michael Burns, Don Ameche**, Joan Bennett**, Corinne Camacho**, MacDonald Carey**, Elinor Donahue**, Paul Lynde**, Roger Perry**

Unsold pilot; the sequel to Gidget Grows Up (1.15); produced and directed by E. W. Swackhamer. Starring: Jackie Cooper, Monte Markham, Susan Clark**, Richard Anderson, Robert Lansing, James Sikking

Produced by Harve Bennett, who would later hire Richard Anderson to co-star on The Six Million Dollar Man and Monte Markham to guest star on the same TV series as the Seven Million Dollar Man. Starring: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Carol Lynley, Claude Akins

Not officially a pilot; but followed by The Night Strangler (4.29) and Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Starring: Bette Davis, Robert Wagner, Denholm Elliott, Gordon Jackson, Dudley Sutton, Catherine Schell

Filmed on location on the Isle of Mull. Studio filming at Pinewood Studios. Robert Wagner was executive producer. Starring: Larry Hagman, Barbara Feldon, Gary Collins, E. J. Peaker, Vivian Vance*, Jim Backus*, Burgess Meredith* Starring: Kim Darby, William Shatner, Diane Varsi, Dan O'Herlihy Starring: Lois Nettleton, Jessica Walter, Ida Lupino, Belinda Montgomery, BarBara Luna, Judy Strangis Starring: Olivia de Havilland, Ed Nelson, Joseph Cotten, Walter Pidgeon Starring: Clint Walker, Stefanie Powers, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Alex Karras

First live action feature film production by Hanna-Barbera. Starring: Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Ashley, Michael Douglas, Marian Waldman, Al Waxman Starring: Brian Keith, Elizabeth Ashley, Kenneth Mars, William Windom, Avery Schreiber, Rosey Grier, Juliet Prowse**

Unsold pilot.

Starring: Stewart Granger, Bernard Fox, William Shatner and Jane Merrow.

First pilot for the unsold anthology series Great Detectives. Starring: Connie Stevens, Charles Nelson Reilly*, Jim Hutton*, Van Johnson*

Unsold pilot. Starring: David Carradine, Keye Luke, Philip Ahn, Barry Sullivan*, Albert Salmi*, Wayne Maunder*, Benson Fong, James Hong, Robert Ito, Radames Pera

Pilot for the 1972-75 TV series of the same name premiering in the fall season. Starring: Robert Hooks, Stephen Brooks, Walter Brennan*, Catherine Burns*, Neville Brand*, Shelley Fabares*, Anne Revere*, Mercedes McCambridge**, Richard Dreyfuss

Unsold pilot. Starring: Peter Haskell, Barbara Rush*, Sharon Farrell*, Bradford Dillman*, Adam West*, Joan Bennett*

Unsold pilot. Starring: Eve Arden, James Gregory, Julie Newmar*, Ray Danton, Pat Morita, Skye Aubrey

Unsold pilot. Based on the novel Hildegarde Withers Makes the Scene, published a year earlier. Filmed on location in New York City. Starring: Michael Ontkean, Darren McGavin, Georg Stanford Brown, Cameron Mitchell, Paul Burke, Sam Melville

Season 4: 1972–73

Starring: David Janssen, James Farentino, Phyllis Thaxter, Skye Aubrey, Mike Farrell, Sallie Shockley, Joel Fabiani, Richard Anderson, Jason Bernard (uncredited)

Based on the true story of the kidnapping of Barbara Mackle in 1968. Starring: Buddy Ebsen, Karen Valentine, Lesley Ann Warren, Sandra Dee**, Jack Elam, Leif Erickson**, Don Stroud, Henry Jones

First pilot for an unsold series, followed by The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return (6.29). Starring: Herschel Bernardi, Scott Jacoby, Stefanie Powers, Larry Hagman, Neville Brand, Tom Bosley, Kay Medford Starring: Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner, Anne Francis, Tony Bill, Donna Mills, Robert Reed, Moses Gunn Starring: David Janssen, Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, John Beradino, Geoffrey Lewis Starring: Susan Hayward, Darren McGavin, Michael Constantine, Michele Nichols, Dane Clark**, Beverly Garland**, Jeanette Nolan**, Richard Anderson

Theme song sung by Dusty Springfield. Starring: Alan Alda, Connie Stevens, Barbara Feldon, Doug McClure Starring: Dennis Weaver, Don Stroud, Donna Mills, Jimmy Dean, Slim Pickens, Agnes Moorehead, Sheree North

Directorial debut of Peter Hyams. Coincidentally, Donna Mills and Agnes Moorehead would also appear six days later in the next Movie of the Week. Starring: Donna Mills, Martin Balsam, Chuck Connors, Agnes Moorehead, Catherine Burns

Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Produced by Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis, who would go on to produce successful sitcoms for ABC. Starring: Lee Grant, Jack Warden, Don Galloway, Nehemiah Persoff, Eartha Kitt, Paul Burke**

Produced and co-written by Steven Bochco. Starring: Richard Boone, Barbara Bain, Michael Dunn, Victor Buono, Gianni Russo

Written and directed by Peter Hyams. Starring: George Kennedy, Vera Miles, William Windom, James Woods, Kevin McCarthy*, Robert Mandan Starring: James Brolin, Don Mitchell, James McEachin, Abbey Lincoln, Brooke Bundy, Laurette Spang Starring: Rod Taylor, Dina Merrill, Kristoffer Tabori, Janet Margolin

Produced by Harve Bennett, who would incorporate parts of the plot and footage into "Pilot Error", a 1974 episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, a TV series for which he was executive producer. Starring: Clint Walker, Richard Basehart, John Ericson, Margot Kidder*, Gene Evans Starring: Hal Holbrook, Martin Sheen, Joe Don Baker, Scott Jacoby, Hope Lange Starring: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rosalind Russell, Ross Martin, Michael Murphy, Maureen O'Sullivan Starring: Elizabeth Montgomery, Eileen Heckart, George Maharis, Jess Walton Starring: Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Julie Harris, Jessica Walter, Jill Haworth, Walter Brennan Starring: Christopher George, Elizabeth Ashley, Howard Duff, Norman Fell, Cliff Osmond, Robert Mandan, Michael Bell Starring: Bill Bixby, Paula Prentiss, Myrna Loy, Valerie Perrine**, Robert Goulet**, Nanette Fabray**, Larry Storch**

Directed by Jerry Paris. Starring: Ben Gazzara, E.G. Marshall, William Windom, Joseph Wiseman, Jim McMullan, Martin Sheen

Michael Crichton's debut as a film director; based on Crichton's novel Binary. Originally promoted by ABC under the title, Explosion! Starring: Connie Stevens, Ken Berry**, Gail Fisher*, Steve Franken*, Henry Gibson*, Jerry Paris*, Louise Sorel*, Nancy Walker* (voice only), Carol Wayne*, Stanley Adams

Produced and directed by Jerry Paris Starring: Joanna Pettet**, Vic Morrow*, Ann Sothern*, James Gregory*, Beverly Garland*, Kay Lenz

Unsold pilot. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Produced by Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis, who would go on to produce successful sitcoms for ABC. Inspired by the motivational teachings of former nun Joyce Duco. Kay Lenz's professional debut. Starring: Richard Roundtree, Andrew Duggan, Richard Jaeckel, Val Avery, Sheila Frazier, Vince Edwards**

Pilot for the 1974 TV series of the same name. Filmed and set in New York City while the series was relocated to Los Angeles. Starring: Shelley Winters, Belinda Montgomery*, Robert Foxworth*, Jonathan Frid*, Martha Scott*, Joseph Cotten**, Ian Wolfe

Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Produced by Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis, who would go on to produce successful sitcoms for ABC. Starring: Lloyd Bridges, Pat Hingle, Hari Rhodes, Austin Stoker, Morris Buchanan, James Wheaton, Sheree North, Joseph Bottoms Starring: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Jo Ann Pflug, Richard Anderson, Scott Brady, Wally Cox, Margaret Hamilton, John Carradine

Not officially a pilot; the sequel to The Night Stalker (3.29), followed by the 1974-75 TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Starring: Dennis Weaver, Ida Lupino, Sally Ann Howes, Linda Evans, Albert Salmi, Nina Foch Starring: Jamie Smith-Jackson, William Shatner, Ruth Roman, Jennifer Edwards, Mackenzie Phillips, Andy Griffith

Once believed to be a genuine found manuscript, the original book is now regarded as the product of author Beatrice Sparks. Starring: Robert Culp, Eli Wallach**, Michael Gwynne

Made with the cooperation of White Mountain Research Center. Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Howard Duff, John Saxon, Sheree North, Barbara Parkins, Tisha Sterling, Robert Reed, Anthony Zerbe Star vehicle for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Also starring: Carrie Nye, Barry Foster, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ronald Radd, Thomas Baptiste, Rudolph Walker, Eva Griffith Starring: Eleanor Parker, Bob Cummings, Jo Anna Cameron, Farrah Fawcett, Christopher Norris, Larry Wilcox Starring: Shirley Jones, Mercedes McCambridge, Pamela Sue Martin, William Windom, Sissy Spacek Starring: Cloris Leachman, Martin Balsam, Marge Redmond, Gene Nelson, Mildred Dunnock Starring: Lee Remick, Frank Grimes, Milo O'Shea, Liam Redmond, Shelagh Fraser, Robert Lang Starring: Charles Durning, Ronny Cox, Dennis Cole, Zohra Lampert, Heather MacRae, Dana Wynter Starring: David Hartman, Jane Wyatt, Ralph Meeker, Jess Walton, Joseph Campanella**

Based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich. Starring: John Forsythe, Pamela Franklin, Ida Lupino, Dina Merrill, Ben Murphy, Leslie Nielsen, Jane Powell, Barbara Stanwyck, Lesley Ann Warren, Henry Jones

First unsold pilot for an anthology series from Aaron Spelling, similar to his The Love Boat and Fantasy Island shows; followed by Letters from Three Lovers (5.09). Starring: Lee Majors, Darren McGavin**, Martin Balsam**, Barbara Anderson

First of three TV movies which would lead to the 1973-78 TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. Starring: Donna Mills, Michael Constantine, William Devane, Noam Pitlik, Thalmus Rasulala, June Lockhart

Unsold pilot; based on Dorothy Uhnak's first novel; her third novel, The Ledger, was adapted to become Get Christie Love! (5.44). Starring: James Brolin, Joan Hackett, Cliff Gorman**

Rare producing credit for renowned casting director Lynn Stalmaster. Starring: Mike Connors, Kent McCord, Michael Cole**, Joel Fabiani, Russell Johnson

Suspenseful teleplay written by Paul Playdon, who wrote many similar scripts for the 1966-73 TV series Mission: Impossible Starring: Tony Musante, Susan Strasberg, Simon Oakland, Philip Michael Thomas, Abe Vigoda, Nicholas Colasanto

Season 5: 1973–74

Starring: George Kennedy, Jan-Michael Vincent, Bradford Dillman, Charles Aidman, Jim Davis, Jack Weston**

Mostly filmed on location at Mount Hood National Forest. Starring: Desi Arnaz, Jr., Season Hubley, Anthony Zerbe**, Michael Margotta, Jack Soo, Jay Robinson

The movie featured the song "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce; his death in a plane crash eight days after the movie premiered eventually drove ABC Records to release it as a single, which subsequently reached #1 on the U.S. music charts. Starring: Cloris Leachman, Ross Martin**, Ned Beatty, Louise Latham, Dabney Coleman Starring: Pamela Franklin, Kate Jackson, Lloyd Bochner, Roy Thinnes, Cheryl Ladd Starring: David Janssen, Keenan Wynn, Lee Purcell, William Schallert Starring: Ben Johnson, Ben Murphy, Darleen Carr, Ed Nelson, Martin Milner**, Vera Miles*** Starring: Alan Alda, Louise Lasser, Edmond O'Brien, Ruth Gordon, Will Geer Starring: June Allyson, Ken Berry, Juliet Mills, Belinda J. Montgomery, Martin Sheen, Robert Sterling, Barry Sullivan, Lyle Waggoner, Henry Jones

Second unsold pilot for an anthology series from Aaron Spelling, similar to his The Love Boat and Fantasy Island shows; follows The Letters (4.42). Starring: Henry Fonda, Leonard Nimoy, James McEachin, Larry Hagman**, Elena Verdugo, John Marley, Vic Tayback, James Sikking

Unsold pilot; a rare TV appearance by Henry Fonda. Starring: Kim Darby, Jim Hutton, William Demarest, Pedro Armendáriz, Barbara Anderson Starring: Richard Crenna, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Webber, Samantha Eggar, Kathleen Cody

Adaptation of the 1944 film noir of the same name. Starring: Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Barbi Benton, George Furth, Michael Brandon, Anne Ramsey Starring: Peter Boyle, Scott Jacoby, Tyne Daly, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Denise Nickerson, Dudley Knight, Robert Reed

Starring: Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Alan Oppenheimer, Britt Ekland*, Eric Braeden*, Earl Holliman*, David McCallum**, Michele Carey

Sequel to The Six Million Dollar Man, followed by The Solid Gold Kidnapping (5.26). Starring: Peter Graves, Buddy Ebsen, Arthur Kennedy, Rip Torn, Louise Sorel, Joseph Campanella

Starring: E.G. Marshall, Mildred Natwick, Alejandro Rey*, David Doyle*, Charles McGraw*, Cleavon Little**

Also released as Mint Condition. Starring: Arthur Hill, Diana Muldaur, James Stacy, Macdonald Carey**, Michael Ansara

Starring: Barbara Eden, Dean Jones, Kenneth Mars, Susanne Benton, Reta Shaw, Todd Lookinland, Diana Herbert Starring: Stella Stevens, Ed Nelson, John McIntire, John Saxon**

Based on a novel by John D. MacDonald Starring: Stockard Channing, Ed Asner**, Jim Backus**, Joe Flynn**, Chuck McCann**, Fred Grandy, Ruth McDevitt, Warren Berlinger, Larry Wilcox

Story by Joan Rivers, who also co-wrote the teleplay. Starring: Doug McClure**, Roy Thinnes, Lloyd Bridges, Eric Braeden, Ivor Barry

Also known as State of Division. Starring: James Brolin, Susan Clark, Earl Holliman, Robert Hooks** Starring: Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Alan Oppenheimer, Elizabeth Ashley*, Terry Carter*, John Vernon**, Maurice Evans**, Luciana Paluzzi**, Leif Erickson**

Preceded by The Six Million Dollar Man and Wine, Women and War.

Starring: Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Jamie Smith-Jackson, Bruce Davison, Frances Reid Starring: Bette Davis, Ted Bessell, Sian Barbara Allen, Christiane Schmidtmer Starring: Andrea Marcovicci, Peter Coffield, Greg Mullavey, Joseph Sirola, Whit Bissell Starring: Robert Culp, Marlyn Mason, Beah Richards, Jacqueline Scott, Ramon Bieri, Mark Lenard, Nicholas Hammond

Based on a true story. Starring: Kay Lenz, Barbara Bain, Michael Moriarty, Bruno Kirby, Mildred Dunnock, Debralee Scott, Michael Lembeck Starring: Ben Johnson, Gary Busey, Larry Hagman, David Doyle, Jan Clayton, William Lucking Starring: Meredith Baxter, David Hedison, Gale Sondergaard, John Carradine*, Keye Luke*, Stuart Whitman**

Teleplay credit and story co-credit to Robert Bloch. Starring: Kitty Winn, Martin Sheen, Bonnie Bedelia, Mark Slade, King Moody, Neva Patterson Starring: Ted Bessell, Larry Hagman, Lee Grant, Barbara Feldon** Starring: Joanna Pettet, William Shatner, David Janssen, Helen Hunt, Lance LeGault Starring: Harry Guardino, William Shatner, Ed Flanders, Susan Howard, George Grizzard, Reni Santoni, Eli Wallach, Myrna Loy, Ruta Lee Starring: Robert Forster, Michelle Phillips, Claude Akins, Mark Goddard, Melvyn Douglas** Starring: Richard Crenna, Stefanie Powers, Jack Elam, Arthur O'Connell, Michael Ansara, Dub Taylor, Gene Evans, Michael Anderson, Jr., Richard Egan**

Second live action feature film production by Hanna-Barbera. Starring: Elizabeth Montgomery, Robert Foxworth, L. Q. Jones Starring: Peter Graves, Clint Walker, Jo Ann Pflug, Philip Carey, Lee Paul Starring: Bobby Sherman, Ross Martin, Stefanie Powers, Tige Andrews, John Astin**, Joseph Campanella, Ruth McDevitt, Severn Darden

Exteriors filmed at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Starring: Teresa Graves, Harry Guardino, Louise Sorel, Paul Stevens

Early TV blaxploitation. Pilot for the 1974-75 TV series of the same name. Based on the novel, The Ledger by Dorothy Uhnak. Starring: Andy Griffith, Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, Marjoe Gortner, Robert Reed, Janet Margolin, Lorraine Gary, John Barbour

The film has since attained cult movie status due to the edgy casting of TV-dad Andy Griffith as the sociopath. Starring: Ben Murphy, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, David Huddleston*, John Anderson*, Robert Hogan, Dana Elcar Starring: Richard Long**, Karen Valentine, Louise Sorel, Tom Bosley, Dave Madden, Reta Shaw, Farrah Fawcett

Richard Long's penultimate role, before Death Cruise (6.14). Starring: Clint Walker, Carl Betz, Neville Brand, James Wainwright**, Robert Urich Starring: Katherine Cannon, Leslie Nielsen, Michael Parks, John Saxon, Louise Fletcher, William Katt, Kathleen Quinlan Starring: John Forsyth, Earl Holliman, Ralph Meeker, Norman Alden, Claudia McNeil, Anne Francis** Starring: James Farentino, Roddy McDowell, Craig Stevens, Don Stroud, Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy**, Carol Lynley**, Arlene Golonka**, Barry Livingston Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Lynn Carlin, Don Porter, Linda Lavin, Joshua Bryant Starring: Cliff Potts, Walter Pidgeon, Donna Mills, Mike Farrell, Geraldine Page**, Vera Miles** Starring: Cloris Leachman, Michael Brandon, Henry Darrow, Cameron Mitchell, Sherry Jackson Starring: Gloria Swanson, Kate Jackson, Edward Albert, Craig Stevens**, John Getz

Kate Jackson and Edward Albert would play another romantic couple in another Movie of the Week, Death Cruise (6.14) airing later in 1974. Starring: Joseph Bottoms, Kay Lenz, Beverly Garland, Kim Hunter, Joseph Campanella, William H. Bassett Starring: Robert Culp, Clu Gulager, Gary Collins*, Sandra Dee**, Ed Nelson***, Steve Franken Starring: Beau Bridges, Meredith Baxter, Walter Brooke, Neva Patterson, Whitney Blake** Starring: Kirk Douglas, Jean Seberg, John Vernon, Sam Wanamaker

Also known as Cat and Mouse. Star vehicle for Kirk Douglas. Douglas's son Michael would later star in Falling Down, a movie with a similar plot about an estranged father pushed over the edge. Filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in Montreal. Starring: Cathy Lee Crosby, Ricardo Montalbán**, Andrew Prine*

Unsold pilot; not related to the 1975-79 TV series of the same name. Starring: Steve Forrest, Dean Jagger**, Will Geer , Sharon Acker, Brendon Boone, Rafael Campos*, Barbara Luna*, Cameron Mitchell* Starring: Jared Martin, Katie Saylor, Robert Ito, Joseph Wiseman**

An American-produced chopsocky movie filmed on location in Hong Kong. Starring: George Kennedy, Joanna Pettet, Lee Montgomery, Collin Wilcox-Horne Starring: Marjoe Gortner, Slim Pickens, David Huddleston, Geoffrey Lewis, Pamela Sue Martin, Estelle Parsons**, Jeff Corey

Paul Junger Witt was the executive producer. Starring: Dale Robertson, Harris Yulin, Margaret Blye*, Matt Clark, Elliott Street, John Karlen, David Canary, Steve Kanaly, Woodrow Parfrey, Dick Sargent**

Paul Junger Witt was the executive producer. Starring: Bradford Dillman, Melvyn Douglas, Mildred Dunnock, Robert Webber, Denver Pyle, David Birney, Bettye Ackerman Starring: Pat Hingle, Lynn Carlin, Paul Jabara, Tracy Bogart, Sorrell Booke, Andrew Duggan*, John Hillerman Starring: John Saxon, Janet Margolin, Ted Cassidy, Diana Muldaur*

Second unsold pilot for a Gene Roddenberry concept; a reboot of his 1973 pilot Genesis II on CBS. Another unsold pilot without Roddenberry's involvement followed in 1975, Strange New World, also on ABC but not a Movie of the Week. That final reboot reused the PAX name, a plot point of prolonged suspended animation and had John Saxon return as lead actor, but had a completely different premise and backstory. Starring: Martin Sheen, Kim Darby, Michael Parks, Abe Vigoda, Ellen Corby, Joe Estevez, Ford Rainey, Steven Keats

Season 6: 1974–75

Starring: Larry Hagman, Martin Milner, Jessica Walter, Barry Sullivan, Michael Learned, Frank Sutton, Will Geer, Lonny Chapman, Barry Livingston, Jim Antonio, Patrick Duffy Starring: Andy Griffith, Sam Bottoms, Noah Beery, James Best, Randy Boone, Jim Antonio, Jim Chandler

Based on the novel Death Watch by Robb White. Starring: Connie Stevens, Shelley Winters, Milton Selzer, Madlyn Rhue, Nehemiah Persoff Starring: Jackie Cooper, Cleavon Little, Stella Stevens**, William Windom

Bobby Sherman was one of the producers. Starring: Richard Boone, Michael Sacks, Randy Quaid, Jennifer Salt, Burt Young

Filmed on location in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Starring: Martin Sheen, Vic Morrow, Michelle Phillips, Nick Nolte, Stuart Margolin

Produced by Howie Horwitz. Starring: Barbara Eden, George Grizzard, Joyce Van Patten, David Doyle, Nehemiah Persoff Starring: Cloris Leachman, Laurence Luckinbill, Nick Nolte, Alan Oppenheimer, William Schallert

Based on the 1968 novel After the Trial by Eric Roman. Starring: Yvette Mimieux, Joseph Campanella, Clu Gulager, Dack Rambo, Keenan Wynn

Written by Yvette Mimieux. Starring: Ben Johnson, Ron Howard, Katherine Helmond, Lisa Gerritsen Starring: Lee J. Cobb, Joshua Bryant*, Paul Michael Glaser*, Barra Grant*, Warren Kemmerling*, Cliff Potts*, Laurie Prange*, Martin Balsam**, Howard K. Smith (voiceover narration)

Inspired by the Johnson Sea Link accident. Starring: Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott, John Larch, Dabney Coleman, Kim Hunter, Lisa Eilbacher, Cindy Eilbacher, Cindy Fisher, John Fiedler Starring: Frank Langella, Ricardo Montalbán, Gilbert Roland, Louise Sorel, Robert Middleton, Anne Archer, Yvonne De Carlo

Unsold pilot, remake of The Mark of Zorro, with the teleplay adapted from John Taintor Foote's screenplay and music adapted from Alfred Newman's score. Starring: Richard Long, Polly Bergen, Edward Albert, Kate Jackson, Tom Bosley, Celeste Holm, Michael Constantine, Cesare Danova

Produced by Aaron Spelling, with the non-mystery aspects very similar to his later 1977-86 TV series The Love Boat; Richard Long's final role before his sudden death. Starring: Lee J. Cobb, Gig Young, Matt Clark, Robert Walden, Geoffrey Lewis, Grayson Hall** Starring: Stacy Keach, Samantha Eggar, John Savage, Robby Benson Starring: Stephen Elliot, David Huffman, John Sylvester White

Anthology of stories about a single firearm. Starring: Paul Sorvino, Michael Learned, Adam Arkin, Bob Dishy, Jo Anna Cameron, Graham Jarvis Starring: Bernie Casey, Lynda Day George, Andrew Duggan, Dana Elcar, Laurence Luckinbill, James Sloyan, Robert Walden, Eduard Franz, Reni Santoni, Linden Chiles, Robert Mandan, Ina Balin

Produced by Quinn Martin. Starring: Amanda Blake, Tisha Sterling, Dick Haymes, Sam Groom, Britt Leach Starring: David Birney, Michele Lee, John Astin, Judy Carne, Dom DeLuise, Gavin MacLeod Starring: Victor French, Warren Vanders, Henry Wilcoxon, Adriana Shaw, Stewart Moss

Music by David Shire. Starring: Tim Conway, Barra Grant, Jan Murray, Scott Brady, Robert Hogan, Henry Jones, Ruta Lee

Written and produced by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff (That Girl). Starring: Barbara Eden, Barbara Feldon, Barra Grant, Penny Marshall, Joyce Van Patten, Richard Schaal, Pat Harrington, Ron Glass Starring: Ed Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Gary Morgan, Kathleen Quinlan, Marjorie Lord, José Ferrer** Starring: Kim Novak, Doug McClure, Alejandro Rey, Ed Lauter, Jim Davis, Michael Conrad Starring: Jack Palance, Steve Forrest, Richard Hatch, Karen Lamm, James Keach, Robert Carradine, John Calvin, Gerrit Graham, Morgan Woodward Starring: Robert Wagner, Kathleen Quinlan, Lloyd Nolan, E.G. Marshall, William Windom, Ruth McDevitt, A Martinez, Milton Selzer, James Gregory, Martha Scott, Victor Mohica Starring: Dan Dailey, Dub Taylor, Ronne Troup, Christina Hart, Brooke Adams, Kathleen Freeman, Carl Betz**

Second unsold pilot for a TV series; the first of two sequels to The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (4.02), followed by The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (which, unlike the other two movies, was not an ABC Movie of the Week). Four orphaned children have 30 days to prove that they can remain together as a family without adult supervision. Starring: John Rubinstein, Glynnis O'Connor, Brad Savage, Helen Hunt, Dori Brenner, Bill Macy, Jane Withers Starring: James Franciscus, Joanna Miles, Lynda Day George, Dorothy Tristan, Harris Yulin, Charles Durning**

Based on the autobiographical account by Andrew Jensen, with Martin Abramson. Starring: Robert Culp, Elayne Heilveil, Ken Swofford, Julius Harris, Michael Lerner

A minister and his wife take in poor and troubled children that nobody else wants, and soon they find themselves with a family of more than a dozen kids. Starring: Shirley Jones, James Olson, Katherine Helmond, Woodrow Parfrey, Beeson Carroll, Claudia Bryar, Ann Doran, C. Lindsay Workman

Starring: Don Galloway, Barbara Anderson, Angel Tompkins, Walter Pidgeon, Anne Schedeen, Russell Johnson, Virginia Gregg.

A disabled Vietnam vet sets out to prove that disabled people don't have to be helpless by starting a 180-mile trip in a wheelchair. On the way he finds his life is endangered by a deranged truck driver. Starring: Tony Musante, Joanna Pettet, Jeanette Nolan, Lynn Loring, John Larch

Starring: Martin Milner, Pat Delaney, Michael-James Wixted, Eric Olsen, Cindy Fisher, Cameron Mitchell, John Vernon*, George DiCenzo, John Crawford

Pilot for Irwin Allen's 1975-76 TV series The Swiss Family Robinson, wherein two of the children were recast. Starring Dabney Coleman, Tom Selleck, James R. Miller, Whitney Blake, Joan Goodfellow, Sherry Jackson, Laurie Walters, James A. Watson Jr.

Remake of The Best Years of Our Lives. Starring: Paul Michael Glaser, David Soul, Michael Lerner, Michael Conrad

Pilot for the 1975-79 TV series of the same name premiering in September. Starring: Anthony Franciosa, Ann Turkel, Laraine Stephens, Patrick Macnee, John Vernon

Pilot for the 1975-76 TV series of the same name premiering in September.

References

References

1. "Roy Huggins on creating the Movie of the Week concept - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG".
2. Karol, Michael. (June 2005). "The ABC Movie of the Week Companion: A Loving Tribute to the Classic Series". iUniverse.
3. p.xxii McKenna, Michael ''The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen'' Scarecrow Press, 2013
4. "The ABC Movie of the Week Opening by Harry Marks". TVparty.
5. McKenna, Michael. (2013). "The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen". Scarecrow Press.
6. "The CBS Late Movie (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)".
7. "The TV Ratings Guide.com".
8. "The TV Ratings Guide.com".
9. "The TV Ratings Guide.com".
10. "The TV Ratings Guide.com".
11. "The TV Ratings Guide.com".
12. "The Unfinished Journey of Robert Kennedy".
13. ''[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070683/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv She Lives!]'' trivia at [[IMDb]]