Gus Trikonis Movies

In the conclusion of a three-part story, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) has given up his super-strength so he can marry Serena (Sam Jenkins), a demigod who has likewise relinquished her immortality. Meanwhile, war god Ares (Kevin Smith) and his nephew, Strife (Joel Tobeck), step up their efforts to destroy Hercules -- beginning with the murder of Serena. Accused of the crime, Hercules is targeted by a lynch mob. Will his loyal friends (including Xena the Warrior Princess Lucy Lawless) be able to rescue Hercules in time -- and will he ever regain his godlike strength? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Upon seeing Hades' sister Celesta (Belinda Waymouth), the embodiment of death, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) sorrowfully realizes that his old friend Jaris (Colin Moy) is about to die. With one day of life left in him, Jaris, a self-appointed vigilante, intends to kill as many local criminals as time allows -- including the members of a tough street gang. The only way Hercules can stop this one-man murder wave is to make a startling confession predicated upon a tragic incident in his youth. Ian Bohen makes his first series appearance as the younger Hercules. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hoping to avert a war between the Spartans and the Eleans in the village of Propontus, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Atalanta (Cory Everson) organize a series of peaceful athletic competition. Ever angling for a profitable publicity stunt, itinerant peddlar Salmoneus (Robert Trebor) comes up with an enticing name for the upcoming event: The Olympic Games. Spoiling the spirit of fair play is the very unsportsmanlike -- and very deadly -- Tarkon (Chris Bailey), who, with the aid of war god Ares, is determined to win the games no matter what the cost in human lives. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Don Rickles guest stars as Harold Schwan, a successful dry cleaner with more than his share of dirty laundry. Unbeknownst to Schwan, the gang of thieves who've been robbing his stores consists of his "three ex-es": his former wife, his former mistress and his former secretary. As for the ladies, they are blissfully unaware that they have stolen money that Schwan was laundering (no pun intended) for a mobster named Munks (Ron Karabatsos)--and that's how Hunter (Fred Dryer) gets involved in the intrigue. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, based on Shirley Lauro's play, a burned-out college speech professor finds himself inspired by an eager, sincere student who desires to leave his ghetto past. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

When the made-for-TV The Rumor Mill first aired on May 12, 1985, it bore the title Malice in Wonderland. This joyously inaccurate biopic concerns itself with Hollywood's two foremost gossipmongers of the 1930s and 1940s: Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper. Long involved in the film industry, Parsons used her ironclad relationship with publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst and the "confidential" information gleaned by her physician husband Harry "Docky" Martin to outscoop every other columnist in Tinseltown. Parsons' awesome power remained unchallenged until 1938, when Hedda Hopper, a character actress fallen on hard times, was hired as a gossip reporter by one of Hearst's rivals. Thereafter, it was every woman for herself: the blood feud between Parsons and Hopper raged unabated until the latter's death in 1966. Jane Alexander's on-target portrayal of Hedda Hopper won her an Emmy nomination; no less impressive (though not as accurate in her characterization) is Elizabeth Taylor as Louella Parsons. Other Emmy nominations went to the costume design and sound mixing, while Philip H. Lathrop won the statuette for his '30s-style photography. The "look who that is" supporting cast includes Richard Dysart as Louis B. Mayer, Eric Purcell as Orson Welles, Tim Robbins as Joseph Cotten (who once booted Louella in the derriere), Jason Wingreen as Jack Warner, Gary Wayne as Clark Gable, Denise Crosby as Carole Lombard, and Thomas Byrd as Hedda Hopper's actor-son William. Adapted from George Eels' waspish book Hedda and Louella, Malice in Wonderland is delightful, high-class claptrap. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Midas Valley might just as well have been titled Falcon Crest Goes to Silicon Valley. The heroes are a pair of handsome young computer executives, played by James Read and Brent Cullen. The boys' most formidable rival is their onetime mentor, electronics mogul Robert Stack. Relationships between these business enemies are further strained when Stack's daughter Shanna Reed joins Read and Cullen's firm. When first telecast in June of 1985, Midas Valley was advertised as an "open-ended" TV movie. English translation: it was a busted pilot film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The First Affair of the title is the one conducted by naïve but nubile college freshman Toby King (Melissa Sue Anderson). Struck by the girl's sense of responsibility, professor Jane Simon (Loretta Swit) hires Toby as a baby-sitter. Soon afterwards, however, Jane's susceptible husband Greg (Joel Higgins) finds himself being won over by Toby's unspoiled beauty and words of endearment. This standard-issue triangle drama was filmed under the title Freshman Year. Lensed on location at Harvard University, the made-for-TV First Affair premiered October 25, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This low-budget jungle adventure tale stars Deborah Raffin as a dedicated anthropologist who hires boozy, woman-hating helicopter pilot Peter Fonda to fly her into the dark inner depths of the Philippine jungle in search of one of her colleagues, who disappeared while searching for the legendary lost tribe of winged dwarf creatures. Re-titled Jungle Heat for video release and packaged like an Indiana Jones-style adventure, this plays like a low-rent, horror-tinged update of The African Queen, focusing more on the constant verbal sparring between the cultured Raffin and the coarse, hard-drinking Fonda than on the weird, gargoyle-like pygmies. The script -- based on the novel by Geoffrey Household -- sacrifices too many potential thrills for plodding exposition and half-baked humor. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

TV movies dealing with Elvis Presley are always good for a few vital extra rating points, and Elvis and the Beauty Queen was no exception to this rule. The King, here played by Don Johnson, is first seen here at the age of 37. Elvis falls in love with 21-year-old Miss Universe contestant Linda Thompson (Stephanie Zimbalist), and the two stay together for five years, remaining as close as it's possible to be a world populated of managers, gophers and sycophants. Linda tries to wean Presley off drugs, but you and I and everyone in the universe knows how that turned out. There's nothing here that hasn't already been trampled to death by the tabloids, but diehard Elvis fanatics will be satisfied. Three surprises: Elvis and the Beauty Queen was not telecast on Elvis' birthday; it wasn't telecast on the anniversary of his death; and it premiered in March of 1981, several weeks after the February "sweeps". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Inspired by Johnny Paycheck's song of the same name, Take This Job and Shove It is a comedy/drama of big business vs. little guys. His corporate employers put Frank Maclin in charge of a project to shape up a newly acquired brewery. It just so happens that this places him back in his Iowa hometown after ten years of being away. He soon is faced with a dilemma and he must consider both his position with the company and the interests of the blue-collar employees. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

Ever anxious to enter the "nighttime serial" market engendered by Dallas, NBC commissioned Flamingo Road, a casual remake of the 1949 Joan Crawford film of the same name. The TV-movie pilot, which aired in May of 1980, introduces the dramatiis personae. Howard Duff plays the corrupt political boss of a small Florida town (a role originated by Sidney Greenstreet in 1949). Cristina Raines is the Crawford counterpart, a faded nightclub singer who wanders into Duff's town and upsets the political and social apple cart by shacking up with a local contract (John Beck). Duff tries to destroy Raines by dredging up her past, to no avail. When Flamingo Road became a series in 1981, it manage to hang by its fingertips in the ratings for eighteen months. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Darker Side of Terror is a TV movie that wants to have its cake and eat it too: it is a science fiction drama and a romantic triangle all in one. Researcher Robert Forster submits to an experiment in cloning conducted by his former professor (Ray Milland) The operation is a success--except in terms of Forster's personal life. It seems that the researcher's wife (Adrienne Barbeau) finds the clone to be more desirable than the original. To make matters dicier, the clone is a homicidal maniac! Darker Side of Terror is derivative from start to finish; the producers should have simply put their cards on the table and titled the film The Adventure of Frankenstein's Sexier Brother. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi