Amos (film)

Last updated
Amos
Based onAmos: To Ride a Dead Horse
by Stanley Gordon West
Screenplay byRichard Kramer
Directed by Michael Tuchner
Starring Kirk Douglas
Elizabeth Montgomery
Dorothy McGuire
Pat Morita
James Sloyan
Ray Walston
Composer Georges Delerue
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersWilliam R. Finnegan
Sheldon Pinchuk
Cinematography Fred J. Koenekamp
EditorDavid Campling
Running time100 minutes
Production companies The Bryna Company
Amos Productions
Original release
Network CBS
Release
  • September 29, 1985 (1985-09-29)

Amos is a 1985 American made-for-television drama film directed by Michael Tuchner and written by Richard Kramer. It is based on the 1983 novel Amos: To Ride a Dead Horse by Stanley Gordon West. The film stars Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Montgomery, Dorothy McGuire, Pat Morita, James Sloyan and Ray Walston. The film premiered on CBS on September 29, 1985. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

The opening of the movie reveals a couple having breakfast, then going on a road trip or outing, when suddenly Amos (Kirk Douglas), who is driving, and his wife are involved in a major accident that claims her life and severely injures him. Amos wakes up in a hospital, to realize that his wife died as a result of the accident and his home has been sold.

Amos is sent to the Sunset Nursing Home. There, he meets an old baseball friend and gets in a relationship with a female resident, Hester. The head nurse, Daisy Daws (Elizabeth Montgomery), is notorious for running the facility with strict rules that are enforced by Roland, an orderly (male CNA). Daisy also has an affair with the local Sheriff so none of the residents dare to complain about her. Even when a County Commissioner, Burt, pays a surprise visit, he is only told good things about the facility and Daisy.

One night, Daisy administers an overdose of barbiturates to Amos' roommate, while Amos pretends to be sleeping. He watches it happen and can't do anything about it. Later, after the remains are picked up by morticians, Amos questions Daisy of why she did that and she threatens to do the same to him unless he puts his life insurance policy in her name.

Amos' grandson pays him a visit and offers to let his grandfather come live with him, but Amos does not want to abandon his friends in the nursing home.

Amos then sneaks into Daisy's bedroom to steal a syringe, needle, and the barbiturates which were used to euthanize her residents. He picks a fight with Roland so that he suffers bruises and other skin injuries, injects himself with the barbiturates and is found dead the next morning. Just before he administered his own lethal injection, Amos had written a letter to the state that Daisy forced him to put his life insurance on her name, he fears she will kill him, and if he dies, an autopsy should be performed and that the benefits from his life insurance policy should be shared between his grandson and Hester.

Faced with the letter that Amos wrote and the results of the autopsy (which reveals "enough barbiturates to kill seven people"), the Sheriff arrests Daisy despite her screams and threats to expose his infidelity.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy McGuire</span> American actress (1916–2001)

Dorothy Hackett McGuire was an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for Friendly Persuasion (1956). She starred as the mother in the popular films Old Yeller (1957) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Montgomery</span> American actress (1933–1995)

Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She portrayed the good witch Samantha Stephens on the popular television series Bewitched, which earned her five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pier Angeli</span> Italian actress (1932–1971)

Anna Maria Pierangeli, known internationally by the stage name Pier Angeli, was an Italian actress, model and singer. She won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress for her debut role in the 1950 film Tomorrow Is Too Late, and subsequently won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance in the American film Teresa (1951).

<i>Robert Montgomery Presents</i> American TV series or program

Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on.

<i>The Big Trees</i> 1952 film

The Big Trees is a 1952 American lumberjack Western film starring Kirk Douglas and directed by Felix E. Feist. It was Kirk Douglas's final film for Warner Brothers, a film he did for free in exchange for the studio agreeing to release him from his long-term contract.

"Autopsy" is a television series of HBO's America Undercover documentary series. Dr. Michael Baden, a real-life forensic pathologist, is the primary analyst, and has been personally involved in many of the cases that are reviewed.

<i>Quick Millions</i> (1931 film) 1931 film by Rowland Fox

Quick Millions is a 1931 pre-Code crime film directed by Rowland Brown and starring Spencer Tracy, Marguerite Churchill, Sally Eilers, and featuring George Raft as the sidekick with a solo eccentric dance performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Corcoran</span> American actor and film director (1949–2015)

Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. His nickname, Moochie, established him as an irrepressible character in film.

<i>The Last Sunset</i> (film) 1961 film by Robert Aldrich

The Last Sunset is a 1961 American Western film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Rock Hudson, Kirk Douglas, and Dorothy Malone.

<i>Top Secret Affair</i> 1957 film by H. C. Potter

Top Secret Affair is a 1957 American romantic comedy film made by Carrollton Inc. and distributed by Warner Bros. that stars Susan Hayward and Kirk Douglas. It was directed by H. C. Potter and produced by Martin Rackin and Milton Sperling from a screenplay by Roland Kibbee and Allan Scott.

<i>Private Affairs</i> (1940 film) 1940 film

Private Affairs is a 1940 comedy film starring Nancy Kelly, with a supporting cast including Hugh Herbert, Roland Young, and Robert Cummings. The film was directed by Albert S. Rogell.

Peter Vincent Douglas is an American television and film producer. He is the eldest son of actor Kirk Douglas, and also the first by his first wife, German-American producer Anne Buydens. Douglas worked closely with his father and became president of The Bryna Company, an independent film and television production company formed by Kirk Douglas in 1949. In 1978, he formed his own film production company, Vincent Pictures.

Sir Richard Bulkeley, 1st Baronet was an Irish politician and baronet.

<i>Make Haste to Live</i> 1954 film by William A. Seiter

Make Haste to Live is a 1954 American film noir thriller film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Dorothy McGuire, Stephen McNally and Mary Murphy. Seiter's last feature directorial effort, the film is an adaptation of the Gordons’ novel of the same name. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures.

<i>Hyde Park on Hudson</i> 2012 British film directed by Roger Michell

Hyde Park on Hudson is a 2012 historical drama film directed by Roger Michell. The film stars Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Samuel West as King George VI, Olivia Colman as his wife Queen Elizabeth and Laura Linney as Margaret "Daisy" Suckley, a cousin and childhood friend of the President. It was based on Suckley's private journals and diaries, discovered after her death and fictionally dramatizes her close relationship with Roosevelt and the 1939 visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Roosevelt's country estate.

<i>The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker</i> 1959 film by Henry Levin

The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker is a 1959 American DeLuxe Color comedy film starring Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuire directed by Henry Levin in CinemaScope. The film is based on the 1953 Broadway play of the same title, which ran for 221 performances and which had featured Burgess Meredith as Horace Pennypacker and Martha Scott as 'Ma' Pennypacker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Douglas filmography</span>

The following is the filmography of American actor Kirk Douglas (1916–2020). His popular films include Out of the Past (1947), Champion (1949), Ace in the Hole (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Lust for Life (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Vikings (1958), Spartacus (1960), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), Seven Days in May (1964), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), Saturn 3 (1980) and Tough Guys (1986).

"Devils You Know" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they work with a rival organization to hunt Inhumans. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Paul Zbyszewski, and directed by Ron Underwood.

"Chaos Theory" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they deal with the monstrous Lash. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Lauren LeFranc, and directed by David Solomon.

<i>Silent Madness</i> 1984 3D slasher film

Silent Madness is a 1984 American 3D slasher film directed by Simon Nuchtern and starring Belinda Montgomery, Viveca Lindfors, David Greenan, Sydney Lassick, and Solly Marx. One of the later films in the 1980s 3-D revival, Silent Madness was filmed with the ArriVision 3-D camera system.

References

  1. Farber, Stephen (1985-09-23). "DOUGLAS IN TV FILM". The New York Times . Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  2. Jeff Jarvis (1985-09-30). "Picks and Pans Review: Amos". People.com. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  3. Hal Erickson. "Amos (1985) - Michael Tuchner". AllMovie. Retrieved 2018-07-05.