Julie Mannix Movies
- 1991
- Add White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd to QueueAdd White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd to top of Queue
Based on the book Hot Toddy, by Andy Edmunds, this made-for-TV movie revolves around the mysterious death of '30s film star Thelma Todd (Loni Anderson). ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loni Anderson, Robert Davi, (more)
- 1985
Made for television, Hostage Flight fomented a well-publicized controversy when first aired by NBC on November 17, 1985. On a domestic flight headed for Detroit, 65 passengers are held hostage by four international terrorists. The demands of the hijackers are simple: Release their imprisoned leader or the hostages will be executed one by one. Only after innocent blood is shed do the outraged passengers form a united front to rebel against their captors, and, ultimately, to take justice in their own hands. The film's original ending found the passengers, having staged their own "trial" of the hijackers, doling out punishment in a gruesome manner (and a highly unlikely manner, given the limited head-space on a typical jetliner). This denouement proved too horrifying for the NBC executives, who demanded that a modified ending be filmed (though the original climax was shown when the film was released outside the United States). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
It's Airplane on the rails in the made-for-TV Disaster on the Coastliner. A crazed engineer holds his employers responsible for the deaths of his wife and daughter. He gets even by setting two passenger trains on an irrevocable collision course. Salvation comes from a most unexpected corner in this otherwise thoroughly predictable disaster flick. The requisite all-star cast includes Mike Connors, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Fuller, Pat Hingle, E. G. Marshall, Yvette Mimieux and William Shatner. Disaster on the Coastliner premiered October 28, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This made-for-TV drama tells the story of how a nice young widow becomes a stripper. She only does it because she desperately needs money to support her young son. When her son's grandfather finds out, he immediately starts a custody battle to take the son away from her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Flatbed Annie is played by Annie Potts; her sidekick Sweetiepie, aka Ginny La Rosa, is played by Kim Darby. Annie is a hard-bitten veteran, Sweetiepie a starry-eyed novice. Harry Dean Stanton co-stars as a mean, nasty, awful bad guy who wants to repossess the girls' truck. The plot is further complicated by a gang of hijackers. Fred Willard plays Sweetiepie's hubby, while Arthur Godfrey, of all people, is the lovable Special Guest Star. And they hoped that this thing would graduate into a weekly TV series, did they? Flatbed Annie & Sweetiepie: Lady Truckers was first telecast February 10, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In this romantic comedy, a news anchorwoman's prenuptial jitters increase dramatically when another man, a songwriter, falls deeply in love with her and decides that he would do anything to be her husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Bess Armstrong, (more)
- 1977
A Southern big shot (Mitch Ryan) runs his local community like a personal fiefdom. His despotism extends to his abusive marriage to Maggie (Jaclyn Smith). Denied her basic rights as a woman and a human being, Maggie tries to file for divorce, only to run up against a corrupt, good-ole-boy legal system. Her only recourse is to escape from Bogen County without attracting the attention of the paid-off police force. The film's feminist trappings do not entirely compensate for the exploitational nature of the script. Made for TV, Escape from Bogen County first aired October 7, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- R
This futuristic parody on television is made up of various sketches, and features some early performances of later well-known comics. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Proctor, Howard Hesseman, (more)
- 1973
Prolific character actor Joe Don Baker is evil incarnate in the role of Leonard Collier Cord, a convicted rapist, torturer and murderer. Paroled after twelve years, the unrepentant Cord vows to get even with Mike Stone (Karl Malden), the detective who sent up. With fiendish calculation, Cord decides to hit Stone where it will hurt the most--by killing Mike's daughter Jeannie (Darleen Carr). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
An unsubtle but effective TV-movie satire of the "Miss America" syndrome, Great American Beauty Contest stars Joanna Cameron as a fire-breathing feminist who enters the contest of the title. She plans to win the crown, then utterly destroy the contest by delivering a scathing attack on exploitation and sexism instead of an acceptance speech. A subplot concerns contest judge Louis Jourdan, who uses his position to extract sexual favors from the more desperate contestants. Eleanor Parker, the girls' chaperone, gives Jourdan his comeuppance in the film's most satisfying sequence. We won't spoil the twist ending, but we will note that one of the contestants is played by Farrah Fawcett, whose specialty is an endearingly ridiculous belly dance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
