Lyla Graham Movies
- 1989
Based on a true story, the two-part TV movie I Know My First Name Is Steven tells the tragic story of Steven Stayner. At age seven, Steven was kidnapped by two men who held him captive in a tiny shed for seven years. One of the men, a habitual child abuser named Kenneth Parnell, sexually assaulted Steven on an almost daily basis during the boy's ordeal. At age 14, Steven finally was able to escape and return to his family. But we are shown that Steven's safe return was far from the happy ending it appeared to be. He's forced to adjust to a family he'd never really known, to convince himself that his parents had never forgotten him, and to put his seven-year hell behind him. While I Know My First Name Is Steven ends on an upbeat note, the real Stayner died in a motorcycle accident only a few months after this film was first telecast in May 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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, All Movie Guide
The first major breakdancing film, Breakin' stars Lucinda Dickey as a dancing student who dislikes the hidebound regimen of her demanding teacher. She breaks free from terpischorean tradition when she befriends a bunch of street kids devoted to breakdancing. Within a year of its release, Breakin' spawned a sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucinda Dickey, Adolpho "Shabba Doo" Quinones, (more)
Robert Mulligan directed this Americanized re-make of the successful Brazilian comedy Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands. Sally Field stars as Kay Villano, a lonely widow of three years who can't forget the memory of her dead husband, Jolly (James Caan). Jolly was a selfish and unfaithful Broadway choreographer who still managed to win Kay over with his charm. But Kay has fallen in love again with Rupert Baines (Jeff Bridges), a stuffy professor of Egyptology. As her wedding day approaches, Kay receives a visit from Jolly's ghost, who taunts and harasses her, clearly upset that Kay is marrying someone so dull. Kay goes ahead with the marriage and Jolly refuses to disappear, resulting in a bizarre menage-a-tois. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Field, James Caan, (more)
A group of teens search for a woman to help them lose their innocence in this sex comedy from Boaz Davidson. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lawrence Monoson, Diane Franklin, (more)
When pimp Ramrod (Wings Hauser) is wanted by the police for murder, an undercover detective, Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson), enlists the aid of prostitute Princess (Season Hubley), a loving mother struggling to support her kid, to help capture the fiend. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Season Hubley, Gary Swanson, (more)
- 1981
While driving under the influence of alcohol, wealthy and influential attorney Preston Claymore (Charles Aidman) strikes and kills a pedestrian (Chevi Colton). Even though he has attempted to cover up his crime, the worst that Claymore will receive in court is a nominal fine and a slap on the wrist. Quincy (Jack Klugman) is outraged, but can do nothing: that's the way the legal system operates. Ultimately, outrage gives way to astonishment when, after performing an autopsy on the victim, Quincy uncovers evidence that this is something far more sinister than a mere drunk-driving accident. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
When handsome bachelor Arthur Stanwycke (Anthony Eisley) moves next door to the Petries, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) is once again seized by the matchmaking urge. Unfortunately, she overplays her hand by inviting both Sally Rogers (Rose Marie) and Donna Palmer (Lyla Graham) to meet Arthur on the same night. Worried that Sally will once again be unlucky in love, Rob does everything he can to keep Arthur and Donna apart. It turns out, however, that there is already a woman in Arthur's life -- and what a woman! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Eisley, Lyla Graham, (more)
- 1955
John Ericson essays the title character in Return of Jack Slade. Actually, Ericson plays Jack Slade Jr., determined to make amends for the wrongs perpetrated by his outlaw dad. Hired as a Pinkerton agent, the younger Slade goes undercover, joining a criminal gang in Wyoming. He falls in love with gang moll Texas Rose (Mari Blanchard), who like Slade isn't as bad as she seems. The villain of the piece is Harry Sutton, played with the fury of a mad dog by Neville Brand. One of the more exploitable aspects of Return of Jack Slade was the inclusion of the ballad "The Yellow Rose of Texas" then enjoying a resurgence of popularity on the top-10 record charts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ericson, Mari Blanchard, (more)
