Under-rated producer and director of note, whose illustrious career spanned the 1960s and 1970s. During this period, he made a significant impact on the television landscape by directing numerous episodes of cult TV shows, including one episode of the iconic series, The Twilight Zone.
In the 1970s, Rich capitalized on the disaster movie craze by producing and directing a plethora of disaster films, with a total of five productions, including four television movies and one feature film, The Concorde...Airport '79.
One of his most notable works is Horror At 37,000 Feet (1973),a film that combined a flight disaster with supernatural events, featuring an unforgettable performance from the inimitable William Shatner. The Runaway Train (1973) may have suffered from a studio-bound aesthetic, but the strong performances from Vera Miles and Martin Milner kept viewers engaged throughout.
Adventures Of The Queen (1975) saw Rich at the helm, directing a talented cast on the iconic Queen Mary, with Irwin Allen, dubbed "The Master Of Disaster," producing the film. The direction of the entire cast was particularly noteworthy, with Bradford Dillman delivering a standout performance as the villain.
SST: Death Flight (1977) marked Rich's return to the airplane disaster genre, with the same level of quality acting seen in Horror At 37,000 Feet. Martin Milner, who had appeared in The Runaway Train, also starred in this film.
Rich's most ambitious project, however, was The Concorde...Airport '79 (1979),his first disaster film for theatrical release. Unfortunately, the film failed to impress, and its poor reception marked the end of the Airport movie series. Despite this setback, Rich's films, including The Concorde...Airport '79, remain entertaining and engaging, with the director's talent for guiding actors and extracting memorable performances from them being a hallmark of his work.
