Gammy Burdett Movies
- 1979
- R
Bobby (Asher Brauner) has never had to work hard or worry much about his future. After all, his father (Rudy Solari) owns a carpet factory, and he has been brought up in the lap of luxury. His father offers him a chance to take over the factory after a few years, and he jumps at the chance. However, he is surprised when he learns that his father's plan is for him to learn about the place from the bottom up. His first job is as a delivery driver, and he begins to see how the other half lives. He makes friends with a good-humored fellow driver, and all seems to be going well until he discovers that his new friend and some others are involved in a theft ring which affects the future of the factory. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Asher Brauner, Rudy Solari, (more)
- 1978
Hoping to alleviate the monthly rent problem, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) opens the doors of the Evans apartment to a boarder. Little does J.J. realize that the new tenant is in protective police custody. But this state of affairs becomes painfully evident when the Evans family find themselves in the cross hairs of a likely syndicate hit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Sixth and Main is the Los Angeles street corner where on any given day you might find itinerant local "character" John Doe (Leslie Nielsen). Elegant authoress Monica (Beverly Garland) discovers that the supposedly derelict Doe has in his possession several manuscripts, all brilliantly written. John Doe had once been a high-priced screenwriter, but dropped out when he got sick of playing the Hollywood game. When Monica announces that she wants to "rediscover" him, he fakes his own death and disappears. This independently produced seriocomedy is buoyed by character vignettes from a variety of "underbelly" LA types, ranging from bitter junkies to philosophical quadriplegics.. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Roddy McDowall, (more)
Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier, co-stars of the comic capers Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again, team up again for this socially conscious comedy-adventure. This time out, Poitier and Cosby play Manny Durrell and Dave Anderson, Windy City con artists with a long history of cheating crooks who rip off the poor. They are blackmailed by retired cop Joshua Burke (James Earl Jones) into "giving back to the community." Manny and Dave soon find themselves posing as career counselors for a group of surly inner-city youths at a local community center. Despite the efforts of such unruly kids as class clown Gerald (Eric Laneuville) and bitter Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Manny actually begins to take pride in the help he's giving to his students. Soon, though, he's forced to deal with two additional obstacles: the arrival of his girlfriend's obnoxious parents (Gammy Burdett and Wonderful Smith) and the attentions of a local mobster (Titos Vandis) upset that he's been had. As with his previous Cosby collaborations, Poitier directed A Piece of the Action, whose cast also includes Denise Nicholas as a community center leader, Tracy Reed as Manny's girlfriend, Nikki, and Ja'net DuBois as Nikki's tipsy aunt, Nellie. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hope Clarke, Bill Cosby, (more)
Jamaa Fanaka produced, directed and wrote the inner-city drama Black Sister's Revenge. Jerri Hayes plays a young, naïve black girl from Georgia. She grows up way too fast when she relocates to LA, where she ends up keeping company with gang leader Ernest Williams II. After a series of humiliations, Williams dumps Hayes -- a bit of callousness he'll come to regret when she lashes back with flailing fists. Black Sister's Revenge was originally titled Emma Mae. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jerri Hayes, Ernest Williams II, (more)
- 1976
In this drama that was a UCLA student thesis expanded to feature length, two African-Americans come from Tennessee to Los Angeles. The man will not marry the woman as he has just been released from prison and cannot commit himself. He ends up working in a factory, while she gets a job as a maid. The two split up after he gets involved in a strike. She goes to school but ends up laid off from a good paying job. Later the two meet again. Both are surprised by the great changes in their lives since they have been apart. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mel Rosier, Gammy Burdett, (more)
- 1975
In the first episode of The Rockford Files' second season, private eye Jim Rockford (James Garner) is unexpectedly reunited with his boyhood pal Aaron Ironwood (James Hampton). Outwardly a dimwitted rube, Aaron has nonetheless become a multimillionaire by promoting his own "School of Success" self-help system. Much to Jim's surprise, Aaron is willing to sign his lucrative business over to him--lock, stock and barrel. But this is no act of generosity: Mr. Ironwood is on the lam from mobsters who are willing to go to any extreme (and we all know what that means!) to control his operation. With this episode, former recurring player Joe Santos becomes a regular in the role of Jim Rockford's police contact Dennis Becker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
