Russ Doughten
1927 - 2013While he worked on films, most notably as producer and director (uncredited) of the 1958 sci-fi/horror classic The Blob, he was best known for the religious Thief In The Night series, which dramatizes the Rapture and Second Coming of Christ and the struggles of a small band of believers against an increasingly hostile worldwide Antichrist dictatorship.
The films of that series are:
A Thief in the Night (1972)
A Distant Thunder (1978)
Image of the Beast (1980)
The Prodigal Planet (1983)
Doughten appears in all four films as Reverend Matthew Turner, a survivalist who has an elaborate chart of the End Times events, but does not fully believe in the Bible. With his long, graying hair usually worn in a ponytail and shaggy beard, he didn't look the part of the stereotypical Christian fundamentalist, a fact that is credited with earning him secular fans, as is his use of unusual camera angles and layered audio.
While there had been feature-length Christian films before, including the End Times film If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? directed by Ron Ormond in 1971, a sweeping, ambitious project like "Thief"—with three sequels telling one continuous story over the course of a decade—had never been undertaken even in Hollywood.[citation needed] Doughten's identification of the Antichrist not with Communism as Ormond had done, nor with Jack Chick's sinister view of the Vatican, but rather with a worldwide government that initially acts as a global peacemaker, would set the tone for most fundamentalist interpretations of the End Times in the decades that followed.
While the films were clearly made on a low budget, and the dated 1970's fashions shown in the early films provide unintentional amusement today, there is no denying the series' influence among Christian fundamentalists. "A Thief in the Night" is said to be the most widely seen Gospel film in the world and has been influential in many conversions to Protestant Christianity. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins cite Doughten's films as being the primary influence for their million selling Left Behind series of books and films. Doughten's films are frequently shown in churches and on Christian television stations to this day.
In the mid-1960s, Doughten taught English and drama and supervised and directed student productions at South Pasadena High School in California. His former students report that he was exacting in demanding their best efforts, but, they were proud of the results and the quality of the productions he directed and they regretted his departure in 1964 to return to film making in Ohio.
Doughten died from a cardiac-related illness on August 19, 2013.
-Wikipedia
Nite Song
Russ Doughten
Bobby Smith, Tom Hoffman
The story of two friends who become heroes. Was Joe’s courage based on faith or foolishness? Pete wasn’t sure, but there was no turning back. Two teenagers struggle together to rid their neighborhood of the evils of drug use in this award winning action drama. Inspiring and entertaining for all ages.
Nite Song
Happiness Is...
Russ Doughten
Diane Bertouille, Brent Campbell
Humorous adventures and dangerous escapades of young Mike Adams and his mischievous friends. Together, they learn when character counts. This delightful, Tom Sawyer-like story presents the adventures of Mike Adams and his mischievous friends. Their efforts to keep the neighborhood tomboy out of their secret “boys only” club lead to a series of humurous and harrowing escapades. Heartwarming entertainment that will bring back memories for parents as they watch it with their children, HAPPINESS IS…illustrates that faith, truthfulness and honesty are possible in today’s world.
Happiness Is...
Whitcomb's War
Russ Doughten
Patrick Pankhurst, Leon Charles
A businessman, a preacher, and a host of comic characters battle for spiritual control of a small mid-western town. Bible carrying preacher, David Whitcomb battles stubborn businessman Phil Esteem and three bumbling and treacherous demons as they plaque a small midwestern church, catching the ear of certain members of the flock causing mayhem and confusion… But who is really in charge? A warm and witty satire.
Whitcomb's War
The Hostage
Russ Doughten
Don Kelly, Harry Dean Stanton
The Hostage is a 1967 Crown International low-budget motion picture starring Don O'Kelly, James Almanzar and Joanne Brown, with Leland Brown, John Carradine, and Harry Dean Stanton. The plot centers on a young boy who becomes a hostage after he is accidentally closed inside a moving van.
The Hostage
The Healing
Russ Doughten
Brian Jones, John Lormer
He finally met someone who specialized in damaged hearts. In this stirring drama, a promising young physician slides into alcoholism, following his wife’s tragic death. Having lost everything, he lands in a skid row mission, where he meets some unlikely characters. Vibrant with joy, laughter, sorrow and struggle, The Healing is compelling entertainment for all ages.
The Healing
A Distant Thunder
Donald W. Thompson
Patty Dunning, Sally Johnson
Patty is lying awake one night in a church basement, distraught and scared. She is to be executed the next morning for refusing to take the Mark of the Beast. Patty knows what lies ahead if she takes the mark but can still not believe in Christ.When those around her try to comfort her and encourage her to accept the Lord, she lashes out at them.
A Distant Thunder
A Thief in the Night
Donald W. Thompson
Patty Dunning, Mike Niday
Patty, a young woman caught up in living for the present with little concern for the future, awakens one day to find her husband missing and the radio reporting that millions of people around the globe have mysteriously vanished. As dramatic, earth-shaking events begin to unfold around her, Patty realizes she is living in the end times spoken of in biblical prophecy.
A Thief in the Night
The Prodigal Planet
Donald W. Thompson
William Wellman Jr., Lynda Beatie
About to executed by the forces of the Antichrist, a fundamentalist Christian guerrilla is rescued by an Antichrist agent pretending to be a double agent for the Believers' Underground. The agent hopes to trick the Christian into leading her to the dissidents' hidden base. Meanwhile, Armageddon and the Second Coming draw nigh.
The Prodigal Planet
Image of the Beast
Donald W. Thompson
William Wellman Jr., Susan Plumb
Third and best known entry in the Mark IV series of fundamentalist apocalypse films. Fundamentalist Christian guerrilla David helps condemned dissidents escape, attempts to subvert the computerized Mark of the Beast, and generally tries to survive as prophecy unfolds in the rise of the Antichrist to the pinnacle of his power and the beginning of God's war on sinful man.
Image of the Beast
Ride the Wind
Russ Doughten
Kent Petersen, Marty Baldwin
A father’s desire to win at any cost changes his son’s innocent challenge into a dangerous race. Sparkling entertainment for kids and parents. RIDE THE WIND is the story of two families who learned what true winning is all about.
Ride the Wind