Movies by Michael Pate

The Court Jester

The Court Jester

A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against a usurper who has overthrown the rightful king of England.

Secret of the Incas

Secret of the Incas

Harry Steele (Charlton Heston) is a tourist guide determined to make his fortune by finding the Sunburst, an Inca treasure.

California

California

Revolutionaries rise up against the Mexican government in California in 1841 is told through the story of doomed Mexican general Don Francisco Hernandez, who pits his troops against a tenacious team of revolutionaries led by his half brother, Don Michael O'Casey .

Bitter Springs

Bitter Springs

A family buy land set around a water hole in a remote location, that is occupied by native Australians. The two groups clash.

Target Hong Kong

Target Hong Kong

Yankee soldiers-of-fortune smash a spy plot aimed at seizing Hong Kong.

Westbound

Westbound

As the Civil War spills our nation’s blood, Capt. John Hayes (Randolph Scott) fights on a vital but little-known battlefront. He aims to ship gold to Union banks through a small Colorado town, defying Southern sympathizers who aim to stop him at any cost.

The Maze

The Maze

A Scotsman abruptly breaks off his engagement to pretty Kitty and moves to his uncle's castle in the Scottish highlands. Kitty and her aunt follow Gerald a few weeks later, and discover he has suddenly aged. Some mysterious things happen in a maze made from the hedges adjoining the castle.

Drums of Africa

Drums of Africa

David Moore is in East Africa to get to his employer's railway construction site. He's accompanied by the owner's son Brian and they've lined up Jack Cuortemayn, reputedly the best guide available, to take them there. Cuortemayn refuses as he doesn't care for the impact the railroad will have on the local inhabitants. While Moore tries to make other arrangements, he meets Ruth Knight who has lived there for many years working with her father in a medical clinic. There will be adventures along the way but when Ruth is captured by slave trader...

Face to Face

Face to Face

Two short films released together under a collective title. The first, "Secret Sharer", directed by John Brahm and starring James Mason, is based on a short story by Joseph Conrad. The second tale, "Bride Comes to Yellow Sky", directed by Bretaigne Windust and starring Robert Preston, is adapted from Stephen Crane's short story.

The Wild Duck

The Wild Duck

Ibsen's play, adapted to Australia, concerns a couple forced to answer for their daughter's legitimacy.

Death of a Soldier

Death of a Soldier

Based on a true story, James Coburn portrays a military lawyer assigned to defend a confessed psychotic killer. Set in the context of WWII and the uneasy US-Australian military alliance. The accused killer claims to have killed 3 women in order to possess their voices. Despite the defense lawyer's concerns that the killer is not fit to stand trial, the US military presses forward with the case and its desire to have the killer executed in order to strengthen the shaky alliance.

Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones

Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones

Jai, the orphaned boy adopted by the Monkey Man, helps missionary Charity Jones bring an organ to a friendly tribe, but they are captured by hostile natives.

Return of the Gunfighter

Return of the Gunfighter

A gunfighter and a cowboy help a Mexican girl avenge the land-related murder of her parents.

Hondo

Hondo

Army despatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring Apaches, and he becomes their protector.

El Alaméin

El Alaméin

A small group of men and a tank stave off a German attack in a Bedouin desert during World War II.

Casino Royale

Casino Royale

American spy James Bond must outsmart card wiz and crime boss LeChiffre while monitoring his actions.

Tragedy in a Temporary Town

Tragedy in a Temporary Town

Live television drama set in a caravan park in the US. Originally presented as a 1959 episode of the Australian anthology drama show Shell Presents starring Michael Pate. It was filmed "live" in Melbourne, then recorded and broadcast in Sydney. The same script was produced in 1956 for American television.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

In the 1840s, two boys get mixed up with an Indian accused of stealing money and rescue a pretty girl who is trapped in a cave.