Ken Swofford

Ken Swofford

Born: July 25, 1933
Died: November 1, 2018
in DuQuoin - Illinois - USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ken Swofford (July 25, 1933 - November 1, 2018) was an American film and television actor noted for his red hair and ruddy complexion. He was often cast as "everyman", villains, or policemen.

Between 1962 and 1995, Swofford's film credits included The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson, Thelma and Louise, Black Roses and The Andromeda Strain, while his TV career during the same period was prolific. Appearing repeatedly as a guest and/or in recurring roles, he is best remembered as Quentin Morlock in Fame, Lt. Griffin in Switch, Cutler in The Oregon Trail, Al Barber in Rich Man, Poor Man Book II, Lt. Catalano in Murder, She Wrote and columnist Frank Flanagan in Ellery Queen.

Movies for Ken Swofford...

Teacher's Pet
Title: Teacher's Pet
Character: Officer White (voice)
Released: January 16, 2004
Type: Movie
Meet Spot, a clever little dog with big dreams of becoming a real boy. When Spot finds out that a crazy scientist can make his wish come true, he takes a cross-country trek with Leonard, his best friend and master, and their mom. However, Dr. Krank's experiments are a little less than perfect, and it will take Leonard and his pet pals to right this genetic wrong.
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Recess: School's Out
Title: Recess: School's Out
Character: Coach (voice)
Released: February 16, 2001
Type: Movie
The school year is finally ending, and T.J. Detweiler is looking forward to summer. But boredom quickly sets in when his friends leave for camp — until T.J. uncovers an evil plot to do away with summer vacation! A crazy former principal, Dr. Benedict, is planning to use a laser beam to alter the weather and create permanent winter. Faced with the dire threat of year-round school, T.J. rounds up the RECESS gang and bands together with some unexpected allies — Miss Finster and Principal Prickly — in a nonstop adventure to save everyone's summer break. As the kids discover the heroes inside themselves, a platoon of wacky characters, far-out music, and sci-fi surprises turn this madcap mission into a major victory for fun!
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Cops n Roberts
Title: Cops n Roberts
Released: January 1, 1995
Type: Movie
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Title: Diagnosis: Murder
Character: Rupert Leverton
Released: October 29, 1993
Type: TV
Dr. Mark Sloan is a good-natured, offbeat physician who is called upon to solve murders.
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Gunsmoke: To the Last Man
Title: Gunsmoke: To the Last Man
Character: Charlie Tewksbury
Released: January 10, 1992
Type: Movie
Retired marshal Matt Dillon tracks Arizona rustlers and lands in the middle of the 1880s Pleasant Valley War.
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The Taking of Beverly Hills
Title: The Taking of Beverly Hills
Character: Coach
Released: October 10, 1991
Type: Movie
A chemical spill has caused the occupants of Beverly Hills to be forcibly evacuated. A retiring football player left behind, finds that the toxic gas emulating from the spill is a bogus front for a heist set up by fired police officers out to plunder the city of all its valuables. Finding himself siding with a corrupt cop who was once apart of the plan until he discovered the city's mayor had just been blown away, by one of the chief crooks in charge. Now both on the run with no help in sight...both must do whatever they can to stop these murderous looters.
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Murder in High Places
Title: Murder in High Places
Character: Van Stamp
Released: June 2, 1991
Type: Movie
A small Colorado mountain town elects as its mayor a writer whom some residents consider "eccentric" and others don't care for because he's a former hippie. Complications ensue when soon after the election, a dead body crashes through the skylight of a local building, and the body turns out to be the new mayor's ex-wife.
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Thelma & Louise
Title: Thelma & Louise
Character: Major
Released: May 24, 1991
Type: Movie
Whilst on a short weekend getaway, Louise shoots a man who had tried to rape Thelma. Due to the incriminating circumstances, they make a run for it and thus a cross country chase ensues for the two fugitives. Along the way, both women rediscover the strength of their friendship and surprising aspects of their personalities and self-strengths in the trying times.
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Black Roses
Title: Black Roses
Character: Mayor Farnsworth
Released: November 1, 1988
Type: Movie
Teens in a small conservative town are turned into evil demons thanks to the music of the titular heavy metal band.
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Title: The Wonder Years
Character: Al
Released: January 31, 1988
Type: TV
The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.
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The Stepford Children
Title: The Stepford Children
Character: Frank Gregson
Released: March 15, 1987
Type: Movie
Steven and Laura Harding, along with their kids David and Mary, have moved to the quiet community of Stepford. Steven joins the men's club, which is still assimilating their wives into robots. This time, they have begun to turn their out of control teens into robots as well. Once they are assimilated, they are obedient, homework loving, big band dancing droids. Laura, David, and Mary stumble onto this mystery, and they must avoid Steven's plans to turn them into robots.
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Hunter's Blood
Title: Hunter's Blood
Character: Al Coleman
Released: September 26, 1986
Type: Movie
Five "city boys" travel to the country to relax by doing some hunting, drinking Bud, and generally having good time. However, the local inbred backwoods psychos turn the hunters to be the hunted, and they need all the ammo and wits they have to get out of the woods alive.
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Terror at London Bridge
Title: Terror at London Bridge
Character: Ed Nebel
Released: November 22, 1985
Type: Movie
London Bridge, London, England, 1888: Jack the Ripper dies in the Thames river. London Bridge, Lake Havasu, Arizona, 1985: the last original stone used to rebuild London Bridge is laid and all the city is happy...but then some strange murders start happening. Policeman Don Gregory has some suspects, but when he develops a theory that Jack the Ripper has been resurrected, no one believes him.
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Title: Murder, She Wrote
Character: Lt. Catalano
Released: September 30, 1984
Type: TV
An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.
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Title: Murder, She Wrote
Character: Sid Sharkey
Released: September 30, 1984
Type: TV
An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.
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Title: Murder, She Wrote
Character: Leo Kowalski
Released: September 30, 1984
Type: TV
An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.
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The Gambler: The Adventure Continues
Title: The Gambler: The Adventure Continues
Character: Witchita Pike
Released: November 28, 1983
Type: Movie
Brady Hawkes, Billy Montana, and Jeremiah Hawkes are on a train bound for a huge gambling event when the train is taken over by a gang of vicious killers in search of money. As ransom, the gang takes young Jeremiah hostage. Brady and Billy embark on a quest to rescue him and form a small gang of their own along the way.
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M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
Title: M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
Character: Sergeant Wagner
Released: March 13, 1983
Type: Movie
A mother relentlessly tries to spearhead a movement for national anti-drunk driver legislation after her own daughter becomes the victim of a hit-and-run by a drunk driver.
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Annie
Title: Annie
Character: Weasel
Released: May 21, 1982
Type: Movie
An orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan, Annie believes that her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is selected. While Annie gets accustomed to living in Warbucks' mansion, she still longs to meet her parents. So Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward, which brings out many frauds.
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Title: Fame
Character: Principal Morloch
Released: January 7, 1982
Type: TV
An American television series originally produced between 1982 and 1987. The show is based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name. With a mixture of drama and music, it followed the lives of the students and faculty at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. Although fictional, it was based heavily on the actual Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York. Most interior scenes were filmed in Hollywood, California, and in all seasons but the third, several exterior scenes were shot on location in New York City. The popularity of the series, particularly in the UK, led to several hit records and live concert tours by the cast. Despite its success, very few of the actors maintained high-profile careers after the series was cancelled. A number of the cast members were seen again briefly in Bring Back...Fame, a reunion special made for British television in 2008.
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All God's Children
Title: All God's Children
Character: Capt. Sam Pierce
Released: April 28, 1980
Type: Movie
Big city judge Parke Denison is involved in a forced busing dispute at the climax of his long career. The friendship between two families -- one white, one black -- and their sons, who are buddies, provides the microcosm of this major social issue that has been argued for several decades.
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Sultan and the Rock Star
Title: Sultan and the Rock Star
Character: George Mackenzie
Released: April 20, 1980
Type: Movie
Paul Winters, a rock star burnout, flees his fame and ends up by chance on an island where he comes face to face with Sultan, a domesticated Bengal tiger left there to be hunted by a wealthy businessman. He then befriends the animal and decides to do everything to save him...
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Captain America II: Death Too Soon
Title: Captain America II: Death Too Soon
Character: Everett Bliss
Released: November 23, 1979
Type: Movie
Crimefighting Captain America rights more wrongs by doing battle with a fanatical terrorist who uses his deadly drug that causes accelerated aging to finance his world revolution.
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Title: Battlestar Galactica
Character: General Maxwell
Released: September 17, 1978
Type: TV
When the 12 Colonies of Man are wiped out by a cybernetic race called the Cylons, Commander Adama and the crew of the battlestar Galactica lead a ragtag fleet of human survivors in search of a "mythical planet" called Earth.
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Title: The Eddie Capra Mysteries
Character: J.J. Devlin
Released: September 8, 1978
Type: TV
The Eddie Capra Mysteries is an American mystery television series starring Vincent Baggetta that aired on NBC from September 8, 1978, to January 12, 1979. The series centers on a lawyer who investigates murders and has a knack for solving them.
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To Kill a Cop
Title: To Kill a Cop
Character: Lt. Fitzgerald
Released: April 10, 1978
Type: Movie
Earl Eischied is a man with his hands full. As the Chief of Detectives in New York City he is trying to break up a group of black militants that are on a crime spree including the killing of a police officer. He is also trying to battle with a mayor and police commissioner that want him out of his job.
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Crisis in Sun Valley
Title: Crisis in Sun Valley
Character: Thorndike
Released: March 29, 1978
Type: Movie
Semi-follow up to "The Deadly Triangle" dealing with a sheriff and his deputy in a sleepy ski town involved with a group of urbanites planning a dangerous mountain climb as well as investigating sabotage in a condominium development.
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Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy
Title: Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy
Character: Greenway
Released: September 18, 1977
Type: Movie
The story of U.S. President John F. Kennedy's older brother Joseph, who undertakes a dangerous mission during World War II.
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The Domino Principle
Title: The Domino Principle
Character: Ditcher
Released: March 23, 1977
Type: Movie
Roy Tucker, a Vietnam war veteran with excellent shooting skills, is serving a long prison sentence when a mysterious visitor promises him that he will be released if he agrees to carry out a dangerous assignment.
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Scott Free
Title: Scott Free
Character: Ed McGraw
Released: October 13, 1976
Type: Movie
A professional gambler finds himself on the run from the mob, the federal government, and a band of Indians, all of whom have an interest in a piece of land he won in a poker game.
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Title: Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II
Character: Al Barber
Released: September 21, 1976
Type: TV
Weekly series spun off from the miniseries.
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Man on the Outside
Title: Man on the Outside
Character: Lt. Matthews
Released: June 29, 1975
Type: Movie
A retired police captain storms angrily out of retirement when his son is shot down before his eyes and his grandson is kidnapped by a syndicate killer in this pilot for Lorne Greene's brief "Griff" series, which went off the air 18 months before this film was aired.
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Sky Heist
Title: Sky Heist
Character: Deputy Pat Connelly
Released: May 26, 1975
Type: Movie
A husband and wife come up with a plan to steal $10 million in gold, using the hijacking of a police helicopter as a diversion.
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Switch [Pilot]
Title: Switch [Pilot]
Character: Capt. Griffin
Released: March 21, 1975
Type: Movie
In this pilot film that led to the series, an ex-con and a retired cop, partners in a private investigation agency, try to prove that a safecracker has been framed for a diamond robbery.
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A Cry for Help
Title: A Cry for Help
Character: Paul Church
Released: February 12, 1975
Type: Movie
A talk-radio host, who specializes in abusing and insulting his audience, gets a call from a disturbed teenage girl who says she is going to commit suicide. After first encouraging her, he has a change of heart and frantically tries to get his listeners to help find the girl before she makes good on her threat.
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Title: The Rockford Files
Character: DEA Agent Al Jollett
Released: September 13, 1974
Type: TV
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.
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Title: The Rockford Files
Character: Carl Wronko
Released: September 13, 1974
Type: TV
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.
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Title: The Rockford Files
Character: Col. John 'Howling Mad' Smith
Released: September 13, 1974
Type: TV
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.
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Title: The Rockford Files
Character: FBI Agent Patrick
Released: September 13, 1974
Type: TV
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.
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Title: The Rockford Files
Character: P.I. Floyd Ross
Released: September 13, 1974
Type: TV
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.
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A Case of Rape
Title: A Case of Rape
Character: Det. Riley
Released: February 20, 1974
Type: Movie
When she was raped, Ellen thought it was the worst thing to ever happen to her. What was worse, was the treatment by the hospital staff, police and the court system, when she reported it, and the man was caught.
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Title: The Six Million Dollar Man
Character: Dan Kelly
Released: January 18, 1974
Type: TV
Follow the adventures of Steve Austin, cybernetically enhanced astronaut turned secret agent, employed by the OSI, under the command of Oscar Goldman and supervised by the scientist who created his cybernetics, Rudy Wells. Steve uses the superior strength and speed provided by his bionic arm and legs, and the enhanced vision provided by his artificial eye, to fight enemy agents, aliens, mad scientists, and a wide variety of other villains.
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Title: The Six Million Dollar Man
Character: Roy Palmer
Released: January 18, 1974
Type: TV
Follow the adventures of Steve Austin, cybernetically enhanced astronaut turned secret agent, employed by the OSI, under the command of Oscar Goldman and supervised by the scientist who created his cybernetics, Rudy Wells. Steve uses the superior strength and speed provided by his bionic arm and legs, and the enhanced vision provided by his artificial eye, to fight enemy agents, aliens, mad scientists, and a wide variety of other villains.
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One Little Indian
Title: One Little Indian
Character: Pvt. Dixon
Released: June 20, 1973
Type: Movie
An Army deserter (James Garner) flees by camel across the desert with a white boy (Clay O'Brien) raised by Indians.
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Skyjacked
Title: Skyjacked
Character: John Bimonte
Released: May 24, 1972
Type: Movie
A crazed Vietnam vet bomber hijacks a Boeing 707 in this disaster film filled with the usual early '70s stereotypes, and demands to be taken to Russia.
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Title: Columbo
Character: Harry Stone
Released: September 15, 1971
Type: TV
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.
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Bless the Beasts & Children
Title: Bless the Beasts & Children
Character: Wheaties
Released: August 1, 1971
Type: Movie
A group of social misfits at a summer camp for boys run away to save penned-in buffaloes from a rifle club's slaughter.
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The Andromeda Strain
Title: The Andromeda Strain
Character: Toby (technician)
Released: March 12, 1971
Type: Movie
When virtually all of the residents of Piedmont, New Mexico, are found dead after the return to Earth of a space satellite, the head of the US Air Force's Project Scoop declares an emergency. A group of eminent scientists led by Dr. Jeremy Stone scramble to a secure laboratory and try to first isolate the life form while determining why two people from Piedmont - an old alcoholic and a six-month-old baby - survived. The scientists methodically study the alien life form unaware that it has already mutated and presents a far greater danger in the lab, which is equipped with a nuclear self-destruct device designed to prevent the escape of dangerous biological agents.
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The Intruders
Title: The Intruders
Character: Pomerantz
Released: November 10, 1970
Type: Movie
The James and Younger outlaw gangs ride into town, and it is up to the local marshal, who has lost both his nerve and his gun skills, to stop them.
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Title: The Odd Couple
Character: Cop
Released: September 24, 1970
Type: TV
Felix and Oscar are two divorced men. Felix is neat and tidy while Oscar is sloppy and casual. They share a Manhattan apartment, and their different lifestyles inevitably lead to conflicts.
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The Lawyer
Title: The Lawyer
Character: Charlie O'Keefe
Released: March 10, 1970
Type: Movie
Tony Petrocelli, a bright young lawyer practicing in the rich cattle town of Baker, becomes embroiled in a murder case.
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Cutter's Trail
Title: Cutter's Trail
Character: Clay Wooten
Released: February 10, 1970
Type: Movie
The Marshal of Santa Fe returns home to find his town almost wiped out by Mexican bandits and enlists the help of a young Mexican boy and his mother to track them down.
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Shadow on the Land
Title: Shadow on the Land
Character: Private
Released: December 4, 1968
Type: Movie
Patriotic freedom fighters struggle against a fascist dictatorship in a near-future USA.
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Title: Adam-12
Character: Floyd Delman
Released: September 21, 1968
Type: TV
Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12.
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Common Law Cabin
Title: Common Law Cabin
Character: Barney Rickert
Released: July 1, 1967
Type: Movie
After stealing a fortune in unclaimed jewelry, ex-detective Barney Rickert arrives at a run-down dude ranch in Arizona to hide out. When the owner, Dewey Hoople, refuses to sell the land to Rickert, he proceeds to win over the female inhabitants by seducing them one by one which leads to one refusing his advances and a dangerous game played out in which Rickert ruthlessly sets out to get what he wants.
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First to Fight
Title: First to Fight
Character: O'Brien
Released: January 25, 1967
Type: Movie
Jack is the sole survivor of a Japanese attack on his squad at Guadalcanal. Because of his heroism and the fact that he is still alive, he becomes a Medal of Honor hero. He returns to train new recruits for the Marines and falls for a girl named Peggy. When training and marriage leave him with an empty feeling, he decides on a transfer back to the front lines. Soon he will find that marriage and life will change his outlook on the grueling battles that lie ahead.
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Father Goose
Title: Father Goose
Character: Helmsman, Submarine USS Sailfin
Released: December 10, 1964
Type: Movie
During World War II, South Sea beachcomber Walter Eckland is persuaded to spy on planes passing over his island. He gets more than he bargained for as schoolteacher Catherine Frenau arrives on the run from the Japanese with her pupils in tow!
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Captain Newman, M.D.
Title: Captain Newman, M.D.
Character: Patient (uncredited)
Released: December 25, 1963
Type: Movie
In 1944, Capt. Josiah J. Newman is the doctor in charge of Ward 7, the neuropsychiatric ward, at an Army Air Corps hospital in Arizona. The hospital is under-resourced and Newman scrounges what he needs with the help of his inventive staff, especially Cpl. Jake Leibowitz. The military in general is only just coming to accept psychiatric disorders as legitimate and Newman generally has 6 weeks to cure them or send them on to another facility. There are many patients in the ward and his latest include Colonel Norville Bliss who has dissociated from his past; Capt. Paul Winston who is nearly catatonic after spending 13 months hiding in a cellar behind enemy lines; and 20 year-old Cpl. Jim Tompkins who is severely traumatized after his aircraft was shot down. Others come and go, including Italian prisoners of war, but Newman and team all realize that their success means the men will return to their units.