The Wild McCullochs

Max Baer, Jr. produced, directed, and had a role in The Wild McCullochs who might be better classified as dysfunctional rather than wild. Julie Adams and Forrest Tucker head the clan with children Don Grady, Janice Heiden, Dennis Redfield, and Chip Hand.

Most of the film is a combination of Dallas and The Last Picture Show. Forrest Tucker runs a trucking company and he's the Jock Ewing of the local area in Texas. Max Baer is one of his drivers and is courting his daughter Janice Heiden which doesn't sit well with Tucker. Oldest son Don Grady is a chip of the rough old block. He joins the Air Force just in time to get sent to Korea. The other two sons have issues which quite frankly are not brought out too well in the script. Especially Redfield whose main problem just seems to be he won't grow up.

The film looks like it could have been a failed TV pilot. Quite frankly the characters were just not interesting enough for me to care. And while those other two items that I cited are the basis for most of the film, the rather wild climax was completely ripped off from The Quiet Man.

It didn't become a TV series for good reason.