Death Journey

Death Journey is a 1976 action crime film written by Abel Joney and directed by Fred Williamson, who also stars as Jesse Crowder.

Plot
Jesse Crowder is hired to transport a witness from Los Angeles to New York but instead befriends him and helps him evade his foes.

Cast

 * Fred Williamson as Jesse Crowder
 * Bernard Kirby as Finley
 * Art Maier as District Attorney Virgil Riley
 * Lou Bedford as Assistant District Attorney Jonas
 * Heidi Dobbs as Agent
 * Stephanie Faulkner as Agent
 * Ed Kovins as Stern, The Mouthpiece
 * Patrick McCullough as Jack Rosewald, Gang Leader
 * Emil Farkas as Karate Instructor
 * Sam Coppola as Detective Johnson
 * Geoffrey Land as Judge
 * James B. Campbell as Judge
 * D'Urville Martin as Detective Don
 * Tony Brubaker as Gas Station Attendant
 * Jack Oliver as Detective Don
 * Alexis Tramunti as Alice
 * Jean Dancy as Woman At Gas Station

Sequel
Fred Williamson returned as Jesse Crowder in No Way Back.

Jesse Crowder character
The Jesse Crowder character would be used in four or five films featuring Williamson. He first appeared in Death Journey then returned in No Way Back. He would be used again in Efren C. Piñon's Blind Rage, which was released in 1976. The character's final appearance was in The Last Fight, which was released in 1983.

According to The Hammer: an American Hero by Harold D. Edmunds, Williamson actually knew a guy in high school called Jesse Crowder. Crowder was a tough no-nonsense guy that nobody messed with. After the name was used in Williamson's films, Crowder took legal action against Williamson. The case went to court and Williamson's lawyer placed some phone books on the table and asked him which Crowder he was. Crowder realized he didn't have anywhere to go with this. In the end Williamson decided to cease using the Crowder character.