Merie Earle Movies

In this comedy, the death of his rich father leaves Foster (Tony Danza) as the sole heir to a five-million-dollar estate -- if he can keep his dad's three pet orangutans safe and sound for the next five years. With the help of his disgruntled girlfriend (Stacey Nelkin), Foster must struggle keep the outrageous apes out of trouble. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

In this dark and sometimes sad comedy, Dominick -- an extremely obese man -- is pushed by his sister Antoinette to shed a few pounds lest he end up dead like his cousin. To do so, she helps him enroll in the fanatical weight-loss group, the Chubby Checkers, who will do anything to keep fellow members from over-eating. Another incentive for Dominick is his love for Lydia, a women whom Dominick fears has deserted him because of his obesity.The process of weight loss is torture, and he is left with a painful choice (one that the naturally thin don't always understand), suffer the pain and lose the weight or somehow learn to live with it. After his initial attempts to lose weight end in failure, and he goes on a gigantic food bender (one of the great binge scenes in movie history), in the end, Dominick learns that Lydia loves him for who he is, and he decides that he should do himself the same favor. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Acting under orders from his supervisor Dr. Astin (John S. Ragin), Quincy (Jack Klugman) fills in for Max Gilliam (Walter Brooke), a vacationing small-town general practitioner. This assignment was supposed to distract Quincy from his incessant crusading and crimesolving. Instead, the exact opposite occurs when our hero gets mixed up in a possible cover-up and conspiracy involving the victim of a car crash. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) has a new friend, 16-year-old Joe Douglas (Peter Miner), who shares his love of aviation. Joe claims that he is on his way to sign up with the Air Corps, and suggests that Jim-Bob go along. The truth, however, is that Joe is a runaway orphan--and the authorities are hot on his trail. Meanwhile, Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) semi-adopts old Maude Gormley as her "temporary" grandma. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), new mother Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) is in a state of panic after her baby son John Curtis Willard disappears. It turns out the infant has been kidnapped by a girl named Cassie (Beth Raines), who has not been in her right mind since the death of her own infant. Elsewhere, the Walton men conspire to keep Olivia (Michael Learned) from finding out that Jason (Jon Walmsley) has landed a piano-playing job in a seedy burlesque house! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Erin (Mary Elizabeth McDonough) turns down his wedding proposal, G.W. Haines (David Doremus) promptly joins the army. Shortly thereafter, Erin is invited to visit G.W. at Camp Lee--all by herself. Should John (Ralph Waite) and Olivia (Michael Learned) put faith in their daughter's common sense and let her travel alone, or should they be worried that G.W. will surrender to his "baser instincts?" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A heavy snowstorm may prevent the Walton family from gathering on the Mountain for Christmas Eve. No one is more upset by this than Olivia (Michael Learned), who has convinced herself that this will be the last Christmas in which the whole family will be able to get together. A plethora of unexpected mishaps and eleventh-hour emergencies only serve to deepen Olivia's depression...but the story isn't quite over yet! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

It is a tradition on Walton's Mountain for a young girl to declare herself eligible for marriage by participating in a quilting bee with the older ladies of the community. Feeling that this is demeaning and insulting, Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) refuses to have anything to do with the quilting ritual--and thus begins a rancorous battle of wills between Mary Ellen and Grandma Walton (Ellen Corby). Inasmuch as this would seem to be a "Ladies Only" crisis, it is somewhat surprising that Mary Ellen's brother John-Boy (Richard Thomas) comes up with a satisfying resolution. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Assigned to a story about a famous wing-walker (a daredevil who climbs out on the wing of a plane in flight for the entertainment of the people on solid ground), John-Boy (Richard Thomas) is pleasantly surprised to disover that the legendary "Bobby Strom" is actually a very attractive young woman (Lee Purcell). Before long, John-Boy finds himself at the center of a mystery involving a an unidentified young Romeo who is plying Bobby with gifts and love letters. Meanwhile, elderly Maude Gormley (Merie Earle) entrusts her beloved goat Myrtle to a younger member of the Walton clan. Appearing in this episode as Rex Barker is Tom Bower, who would later join the series' cast in the role of Mary Ellen Walton's husband Curt Willard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The name of this Bob Newhart Show episode is proof incarnate that the series' producers were growing tired of coming up with clever titles that would never show up on screen. Yes, Bob is in the hospital on Christmas Eve, and he's not the only one who is miserable. Merie Earle makes another appearances as octogenarian Mrs. Loomis, while Graham Jarvis plays Dr. Bickwell. Written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, the episode originally aired on December 20, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV Dr. Max is cut from the same cloth as The Last Angry Man. Lee J. Cobb stars as a taciturn elderly doctor who chooses to work in a dingy Baltimore neighborhood and minister to those far less fortunate than themselves. His refusal to succumb to the creature comforts of a more lucrative practice causes a great deal of friction between himself and his family. In traditional "movie of the week" fashion, however, the old medico proves to have a lot more sense than those around him. Dr. Max was first telecast April 4, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

No sooner has Olivia (Michael Learned) taken a job as a door-to-door salesman to help make ends meet in the Walton home than she discovers she is pregnant...again. As John (Ralph Waite) wonders if the family can afford another child, his youngest daughter Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) makes no secret of her disappointment over being supplanted as the "baby" of the family. Ultimately, the family comes to accept what seems to be The Inevitable--and then an unexpected plot twist puts the situation in a whole new light. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi