Alison Doody Movies

This four-hour cable miniseries adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's classic adventure novel King Solomon's Mines dispenses with much of the original story in favor of a standard Indiana Jones-esque melodrama, complete with claim-jumping villains, snarling Russian soldiers, an ancient and deadly curse, and a damsel perpetually in distress. As played by Patrick Swayze, Haggard's hero, celebrated British safari hunter Allan Quartermain, is a born-again conservationist who returns to his former trade only to raise enough money to retain custody of his beloved son. Quatermaine accepts the assignment given him by toothsome Elizabeth Maitland (Alison Doody), to head into darkest Africa in order to rescue Elizabeth's father (John Standing), who had disappeared while searching for the fabled lost gold mines of King Solomon. This time around, the mines harbor another elusive treasure: the mysterious Stone of Power, which functions in much the same manner as the Ark of the Covenant the Indiana Jones pictures. Along for the ride are Quatermain's trusted friend Sir Henry (Ian Roberts), and loyal African guide Umbopa (Sideda Onylulo), who has traditionally been the story's most likeable and admirable character in all previous film and TV adaptations of the novel. The main villain, largely spun from whole cloth for the purposes of the miniseries, is Quatermain's greedy ex-partner Gavin Hood (Bruce McNabb). Debuting June 6, 2004, the two-part King Solomon's Mines posted some of the Hallmark channel's best-ever ratings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This follow-up to 1989's unexpected comedy hit Major League continues the broadly humorous adventures of the misfit Cleveland Indians. No longer the scrappy survivors who pulled off an upset championship victory, the Indians have let success go to their heads, accepting movie roles and hefty endorsement deals. Unfortunately, with success comes complacency, and the Indians soon wind up back in last place. When this poor performance winds up threatening the franchise, the team rediscovers its roots and again achieves unlikely success. Original director David S. Ward brings back most of the first film's memorable characters, including unconventional pitcher Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), voodoo practitioner-turned-Buddhist Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), and base stealer-turned-movie star Willie Mays Hayes (Omar Epps, replacing Wesley Snipes). ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

David Hasselhoff, Thomas Gottschalk and Cheech Marin play modern-day descendants of the original Three Musketeers. Though it's now the 20th century and derring-do is generally considered passe, these retro musketeers still subscribe to the old "all for one, one for all." They go to the rescue of a young boy who has been kidnapped by gangsters. Alison Doody, Harrison Ford's vis-a-vis in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, costars as a distaff Musketeer, while another Jones alumnus, John Rhys-Davies, huffs and puffs in a supporting role. Ring of the Musketeers has just enough violence and peril to justify its PG-13 rating. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The third installment in the widely beloved Spielberg/Lucas Indiana Jones saga begins with an introduction to a younger Indy (played by the late River Phoenix), who, through a fast-paced prologue, gives the audience insight into the roots of his taste for adventure, fear of snakes, and dogged determination to take historical artifacts out of the hands of bad guys and into the museums in which they belong. A grown-up Indy (Harrison Ford) reveals himself shortly afterward in a familiar classroom scene, teaching archeology to a disproportionate number of starry-eyed female college students in 1938. Once again, however, Mr. Jones is drawn away from his day job after an art collector (Julian Glover) approaches him with a proposition to find the much sought after Holy Grail. Circumstances reveal that there was another avid archeologist in search of the famed cup -- Indiana Jones' father, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) -- who had recently disappeared during his efforts. The junior and senior members of the Jones family find themselves in a series of tough situations in locales ranging from Venice to the most treacherous spots in the Middle East. Complicating the situation further is the presence of Elsa (Alison Doody), a beautiful and intelligent woman with one fatal flaw: she's an undercover Nazi agent. The search for the grail is a dangerous quest, and its discovery may prove fatal to those who seek it for personal gain. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade earned a then record-breaking $50 million in its first week of release. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

This made-for-TV adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden stars Gennie James as spoiled-rotten Mary Lennox. When her parents die of cholera, Mary is whisked from her home in India to live in the forbidding Victorian mansion of her flint-hearted uncle (Derek Jacobi). Thanks to the friendship--and vivid imagination--of gardener's son Jadrien Steele, Mary learns that life is lived best when one cares for others. At the same time, her uncle begins to act like a human being. The only false note in this otherwise flawless production was the decision to clumsily frame the story with the narration of the adult Mary Lennox. Blessed with a top-rank British cast, including Michael Hordern, Billie Whitelaw, Lucy Gutteridge and Alison Doody (Harrison Ford's vis-a-vis in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, this 1987 Secret Garden was first telecast as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Stefanie Powers does double duty as twin sisters in the two-part TV movie Deceptions. Stefanie #1 is a glamorous globetrotter; Stefanie #2 is a drab New Jersey housewife. On a whim, the two siblings exchange identities, leading to a dizzying series of unexpected complications. Filmed on location in England and Italy, Deceptions is too thin to be stretched over two days (it was originally telecast May 27 and 28, 1985), but Stefanie Powers can make anything work. The film is based on a novel by Judith Michaels (the joint pen name for Judith Barnard and Michael Fain); it was adapted for television by Oscar-winning writer/director Melville Shavelson, who also shared directorial responsibilities with Robert Chenault. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi