mkillentv Reviews

CBS Schoolbreak Special: Kids Killing Kids (1994) Season 12, Episode 4

A Proud Moment

[10/10 · 14 August 2009]

This was the final CBS Schoolbreak special I would work on. I had worked on my first in 1987 and had learned the genre well by this time. David Eagle was a great producer and this was my fourth project with him. It also gave me the chance to work with producer Arnold (Rescue 911) Shapiro.

The concept was simple but effective. Four kids with four stories. We took the four areas kids commonly get in trouble with guns and told each story twice, once where a gun was used and once where the teen chose not to use a gun. It was an exciting idea and I'm proud of the resulting film.

We filmed this on Super 16 in LA in the fall of 1993 with a tight budget. Despite the serious subject we all had a wonderful time making this ambitious project.

The reward for our hard work was having the project bumped up to prime time and shown on both CBS and Fox simultaneously. We were later nominated for a Prime Time Emmy and I was very excited when we won in September, 1994.

I had already moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a song writing career when the awards were held in Pasadena so the win was a wonderful close to my "Hollywood" days. I'll never forget standing with my fellow producers on stage and unable to form a cohesive sentence!

But this project is not about me or our Emmy Award. I hope that somewhere at least one kid saw our film and changed his or her mind about using a gun. I may never know but just the thought makes me smile every time I think about the days we all worked so hard on this film.

Michael Killen

Club Fed (1990)

I'm in this thing!

[7/10 · 7 August 2009]

My wife at the time was an actress and I accompanied her to the audition for this film. She didn't make the cut but someone spotted me in the parking lot waiting for her and asked if I'd like a small non-speaking part. Now I was working as a producer in Hollywood at the time and thought it might be fun to do a bit on camera. So I said yes. That's me driving the van with the funny nose and glasses early on in the film. Of course, I'm not really driving and the crash was fake. It makes me laugh to see myself as I had absolutely no desire to be a film actor. And my bit in this movie confirms it! It was a first and last for me. But I'm glad I did it!

CBS Schoolbreak Special: My Past Is My Own (1989) Season 6, Episode 4

Unforgettable Experience

[10/10 · 3 January 2009]

I was pleased to be the Associate Producer on this, my third CBS Schoolbreak special with Helios Productions. Having the opportunity to work with the amazing Whoopi Goldberg on this film was a thrill and the whole cast and crew gave their all to pull this period piece off on the slim budget CBS provided.

Set in the early 1960's in the south, the story of a group of young African Americans who stage a sit in at a drugstore lunch counter was intense and all of us were dedicated to getting it right.

Our director, Helaine Head, was the perfect choice for crafting this project and I have seldom worked with a more down to earth and gracious actress than Whoopi Goldberg. She was a top feature film actress at the time and we were incredibly blessed to have her in this film. She never complained once and her presence on the set put us all at ease when the schedule got tight and the hours got long. I will never forget her dedication and spirit.

The film was shot mostly in San Pedro, CA in a very authentic looking drugstore that still had a lunch counter. It was very cold that November and we all scrambled to keep warm as we shot mostly after hours. I remember craft service brewing a lot of coffee! We shot on super 16 and transferred to beta SP. We did the off line on one of the first non-linear MAC based systems which really sped up post.

I loved the final film and I wish it was available on DVD as its message most certainly is just as powerful today as it was when we made it. My thanks to execs Brad Wigor and Joe Maurer for having me along on this one.

Michael Killen, Associate Producer

Alf Loves a Mystery (1987 TV Movie)

A Long Tradition

[10/10 · 26 October 2008]

I worked on this special in the summer of 1987 at NBC Burbank. Each fall, NBC would produce a prime time special previewing the network's Saturday morning lineup. Producers Brad Wigor and Joe Maurer came up with the idea of utilizing Alf in the show and NBC made it happen. It was great fun to shoot the Alf sequences at the Alf sound stage in Culver City. The whole set was raised up and the puppeteers (it took three to bring Alf to life) would work from below.

The rest of the show was taped at NBC on the stage next to the Tonight Show. I enjoyed working with all the cast, especially the great Mary Wickes who was a last minute replacement. She was such a pro and told many great stories.

I also got to work with Don Messick and June Foray on this project. One of my jobs was to coordinate all the clips from the animated shows that we used in the special. We did a special bit with The Smurfs which needed custom voice work, thus the session with the two voice artist legends. For a kid from the 60's it was a thrill to meet the talent behind so many characters I had grown up with.

This show ran only once and no doubt is sitting in some vault at NBC never to be seen again. But the memories of my experience that summer will repeat in my mind forever.

Michael Killen

With Murder in Mind (1992 TV Movie)

A Special Experience

[10/10 · 29 September 2008]

During my time working in Hollywood, this was the one made for television movie I worked on. I was the post-production supervisor. I had worked for Helios Productions with Brad Wigor and Joe Maurer several times on CBS Schoolbreak specials and they had asked me to take this job on, manning the office in Beverly Hills while they were on location in Atlanta where the film was shot.

The film was edited entirely on film, only going to tape later from the finished print. The old film editing style was quickly being replaced by tape and computers so this was a thrill to work one last time on film.

One of my memories from this film include being assigned to coordinate a meeting in New York between Howard Rollins and producer Brad Wigor. We really wanted Howard to take the part of the bad cop but he was not sure if he wanted to take it. I remember getting Howard on the phone on the day that he had learned of a close friends death. He was very upset. He talked and I listened for a good long while. I'll never forget his voice and the fear he had. In the end, the meeting was arranged and Howard took the part. He was an excellent actor and really turned in a fine performance in this film.

I also cherish meeting both Ronny Cox and Elizabeth Montgomery during the ADR sessions. Ronny had just made an album in Nashville of country music. As a fellow musician, we talked about music and my planned relocation to Nashville. Ms. Montgomery was a class act. She arrived early for her session and she and I had a nice chat in the studio while we waited for the session to begin. I was thrilled to meet her and will never forget her interest and kindness.

As a final footnote, this idea was brought to Helios by our production secretary Joannie Cuff. She had grown up in the Buffalo, NY area and knew of the story. Brad and Joe secured the rights and the movie was made. Joannie was given the well deserved title of Associate Producer for her efforts.

Michael Killen

Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965–1967)

No Twin Beds

[10/10 · 28 September 2008]

I believe this show holds the dubious honor of being the first television series to show a married couple sleeping in the same bed. Twin beds (ala The Dick Van Dyke Show) were the norm back then. This was a fun family show for its time and I remember seeing it in color over at my friends house on a giant RCA set they had. Pat Crowley was by far my favorite TV mom. She had a lot of patience! I remember being disappointed when this show was canceled. I always had soft spot for family centered shows. I had two sisters and a brother and we actually got along very well with each other. We did have our share of adventures and we always found a way to find the humor in things. This show depicted this kind of situation very well. I wish we could bring back some of what's good about these kind of shows today.

CBS Schoolbreak Special: Dedicated to the One I Love (1991) Season 9, Episode 1

Powerful Film, Fun Times

[10 May 2008]

Making this film was at times a very intense experience. The story surrounding a young girl dealing with AIDS was very serious but working with executive producers Brad Wigor and Joe Maurer along with Producer Dale White made for more than a few laughs along the way. We had all teamed up before on previous projects so we had a a good working relationship.

Brad, who also directed, wanted to shoot the film in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio so I went to Ohio with him to set things up. As budgets go, we eventually had to trim plans down to only one day of location filming with a few of the cast members. But we did it and the results were fantastic.

As I think back on the making of this film I remember a couple of special moments. Going to dinner with the crew and sitting next to DP Jack Whitman while he told tales of working with Jack Lord on Hawaii Five-O. Joining members of the cast in Joely Fisher's hotel room in Cincinnati to watch "Misery" on TV. Also in Ohio, meeting Brad Wigor's family. (I'm still not sure if they really understood what line of work Brad was actually in!) And winning the Humanitas Prize for this film. An honor I still cherish today.

Perhaps this film will one day appear on TV or DVD. I know I'd like to see it again.

Michael Killen, Co-Producer

CBS Schoolbreak Special: Words to Live By (1989) Season 6, Episode 3

Timeless Message

[10/10 · 10 May 2008]

This was the second Schoolbreak Special I worked on and one of my favorites. Two teens get in trouble for publishing their own paper and distributing it at school. 1st Amendment rights are explored with sensitivity and depth and the end result was an effective little film. The cast was excellent and I will never forget the long hours and hard work it took to pull this off with the limited budget CBS provided for this project.

Producers Brad Wigor and Joe Maurer bumped me up from Production Coordinator to Associate Producer on this one and I am forever grateful to them for all the support they gave me on this and other the productions I worked with them on.

Michael Killen

CBS Schoolbreak Special: An Enemy Among Us (1987) Season 4, Episode 7

Powerful Topic

[10/10 · 10 May 2008]

This was the first Schoolbreak Special I worked on. In fact, it was my first job working as part of a film crew. Dale White (1st AD and Producer) hired me away from my job as a public access producer for an Orange County cable company and I never looked back. Producers Brad Wigor and Joe Maurer were wonderful to work for and I learned a great deal from them. The story of a young student who contracts AIDS from a blood transfusion was a first and Danny Nucci was perfectly cast in the title role.

As I recall, it seems I worked around the clock as production coordinator but I would do it all again to make such a quality product. Maybe someday these lost treasures will be released on DVD or shown on television again. Their relevance may indeed stand the test of time.

Thank you Dale, Brad and Joe for giving me a chance and setting a course for me in this business.

Michael Killen

CBS Schoolbreak Special: Two Teens and a Baby (1992) Season 9, Episode 2

We had fun making this one

[10 May 2008]

I had the pleasure of working on 11 CBS Schoolbreak Specials between 1987 and 1994 in various capacities. On this one, I served as Producer and had a great time working with director David Eagle. From the casting to the editing, we had lots of laughs in a genre that frequently utilized drama to explore issues aimed at kids. This film used humor to tell the story of a family that must adjust to a new member of the family. It's a shame these Schoolbreak Specials are not available for the public to see. Many would still be relevant today, and kids who grew up seeing these films I'm sure would enjoy revisiting them.

Michael Killen

Palm Springs Weekend (1963)

My First Movie

[10/10 · 4 April 2008]

This was the first movie I saw when I was a kid. I was almost seven at the time and it was on a double bill with "The Sword and The Stone." My mum dropped my two sisters and myself off at the Altantic Theater in Long Beach, California and this movie played first. I can't tell you a thing about the Disney movie, but I remember just about every scene from Palm Springs Weekend. The '63 Thunderbird, Bugs Bunny, Stephanie Powers, Connie Stevens, the pool with the bubbles and the car chase at the end. Hard to believe, but this film made me want to work in the movies.

And so I did. I have worked in film and video most of my career and I always tell people this was the film that first gave me the notion.

During my career I have been fortunate to meet two of the people involved with this film, Connie Stevens and Earl Hamner Jr (the man who wrote this film) When I met with Hamner over lunch, it was to talk about his classic television show The Waltons, but his eyes lit up when I asked him about PSW. He told me several stories and we had a good laugh. A very special memory.

I too would like to see this film released on DVD. It really captures a time and a generation and that '63 T Bird!

Amber Waves (1980 TV Movie)

Inspiring

[10/10 · 28 December 2006]

This is an excellent television movie with much to say that was made during the peak of the made-for-TV era. It's the story of a widower (Dennis Weaver) and his kids who travel around the farm belt hiring out as professional wheat harvesters. Kurt Russell signs on reluctantly to help. Weaver's performance is one of his best and the rest of the cast shines as well. Top notch writing, directing, photography and score. I saw this film during a very dark time in my life and it inspired me to press on and make changes. I recommend it to anyone in need of inspiration. They don't make these kind of intelligent, sensitive and involving films for television often anymore. But these are exactly the kind of films we need today.