Geraldine Fitzgerald Movies
The daughter of a Dublin attorney, Geraldine Fitzgerald was still in her teens when she made her theatrical bow with the Gate Theatre. In films from 1934, she played a series of petulant ingénues in a string of forgettable quota quickies; in later years, she sarcastically summed up her early screen roles by repeating her most frequent snatch of dialogue, "But daddy, it's my birthday!" With her first husband, she moved to New York in 1938, where she was hired by her old Gate Theatre colleague Orson Welles to star in the Mercury Theater production Heartbreak House. This led to several choice Hollywood assignments in such films as Dark Victory (1939) and Wuthering Heights (1939). Forever battling with studio executives over her often inconsequential screen assignments (exceptions included such roles as Edith Galt in the 1945 biopic Wilson), Fitzgerald briefly gave up films in 1948 to return to the stage. Carefully picking and choosing her subsequent movie roles, she established herself as a reliable character actress in quality films like Ten North Frederick (1958) and The Pawnbroker (1965). She briefly pursued a folksinging career before returning to Broadway in the ultra-demanding role of Mary Tyrone in the 1971 revival of Long Day's Journey Into Night. Active into the late '80s, Fitzgerald has added a welcome dash of Hibernian feistiness to such projects as Arthur (1981) and Easy Money (1983). Geraldine Fitzgerald is the mother of prominent British film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1993
- PG13
Steven Soderbergh, after the success of sex, lies, and videotape and the commercial failure of Kafka, pulls a rabbit out of his hat with this quiet and evocative recollection of a childhood lived in the Depression, based on A. E. Hotchner's memoir. Twelve-year-old Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) is coming of age in a rotting working class section of St. Louis in 1933. As the film begins, Aaron's family is coming apart at the seams due to the increasingly bleak economy. His father (Jeroen Krabbe) ekes out a living with a series of failed sales jobs as the family lives in the dilapidated Empire Hotel in a seamy section of town. When his younger brother (Cameron Boyd) is sent to live with relatives to save expenses, his consumptive mother (Lisa Eichhorn) goes away to a sanitarium and his father abandons him to sell watches in Iowa. At first Aaron retreats into a concocted fantasy world but he gradually becomes drawn into the shattered lives of the tenants of the hotel. Aaron sees the rotting social fabric laid bare and discovers he must temper his childhood dreams with the hard-hitting realities of adult existence. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jesse Bradford, Jeroen Krabbé, (more)
- 1991
Karen Arthur, the Emmy-winning director of Cagney and Lacey, was in the driver's seat for the made-for-TV psychological terror film Bump in the Night. Meredith Baxter-Birney plays a onetime famous reporter who's drunk herself into near-oblivion. Her turbulent life takes a desperate turn when her 8-year-old son (Corey Carrier) is kidnapped by a dangerous pedophile (Christopher Reeves). The boy has escaped from his captor, and now his mother must find him before the kidnapper does. Richard Bradford plays the cop on the case, who'd rather do without the interference of Ms. Baxter-Birney. Bump in the Night is commendably subtle and straightforward in handling the potentially lurid details of its story. Historical note: In March of 1995, Bump in the Night became the first feature film ever telecast on the E! Entertainment Cable Network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Twice Shy was originally telecast on the syndicated anthology "Mystery Wheel of Adventure." It was one of three dramas based on the works of novelist Dick Francis. Ian McShane stars as David Cleveland, investigator for the British Jockey Club. Cleveland uncovers an illegal computer betting service, after a cartel of gamblers causes the death of his friend. Kate McKenzie costars in this Irish/Canadian TV mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian McShane
In this sequel to the 1981 hit comedy Arthur, the story picks up where it left off with the bibulous millionaire hero (Dudley Moore) marrying poverty-stricken Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli) instead of going through with a prearranged wealthy marriage. The vengeful father (Stephen Elliott) of the justifiably jilted bride begins pulling a few crooked strings, and before long, Arthur is broke. Worse still, Linda is pregnant. Will Arthur crawl back into a bottle, or will he save the day? John Gielgud makes a cameo appearance as the ghost of the family-retainer character he played in the first Arthur, while Dudley Moore's real-life wife Brogan Lane shows up in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, (more)
- 1987
Barnard Hughes stars in this compelling TV movie as an elderly urbanite who allegedly refuses to shelter a young Hispanic (David Hernandez) from a marauding gang. The youth is killed right before the old man's eyes. Branded a "Bad Samaritan," the man is raked over the coals of adverse public opinion, until a probing high school teacher learns the truth of his supposed act of cowardice. While the same basic premise had been utilized in several earlier dramas (notably the 1960s Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "Small Craft Warnings"), Night of Courage tackles its issues with freshness and nuance. Bryan Williams' script, the winner of the 1986 ABC Theatre Award, was based on Williams' own stage play In This Fallen City, which had previously received an award from the Eugene O'Neill National Playwright's Conference. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barnard Hughes, David Hernandez, (more)
- 1986
Abuse is the key word of this made-for-TV drama. This time, it is abuse levelled against ageing parents by their own children. As the title indicates, the violence grows from mounting frustrations. Tuesday Weld stars as an emotionally tattered woman who goes off the deep end when her husband Peter Bonerz leaves her. Weld vents her spleen upon her mother, heartrendingly portrayed by Geraldine Fitzgerald. Of special interest is the early appearance by River Phoenix as Weld's teenaged son. Filmed under the title A Family of Strangers, Circle of Violence: A Family Drama originally aired October 12, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1986
- PG13
One of the more effectively spooky and financially successful horror films of the '80s got an inevitable sequel with this effects-heavy installment. The Freeling family is trying to grapple with the devastation wrought by the ghosts and ghouls that destroyed their lives. The insurance company doesn't believe their story about what happened to their house, so Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), and their kids, Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) and Robbie (Oliver Robins), have been reduced to living in the home of Diane's mother, Jess (Geraldine Fitzgerald). Unfortunately for the Freelings, however, their new residence, just like their last, is situated on a haunted patch of unholy ground. A century before, the mad cult leader Kane (Julian Beck) slaughtered his followers nearby, and his evil spirit has returned in an effort to kidnap Carol Anne. When the Freelings realize what's happening, they call upon the psychic medium Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein) to help them again, and they also receive aid from a kindly Native American spiritualist, Taylor (Will Sampson). Noticeably absent from the sequel was older daughter Dana, who had been played by actress Dominique Dunne; Dunne was killed in 1982 by her obsessed boyfriend. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, (more)
- 1985
Originally made for TV consumption, the story focuses on a madam sent to a New Orleans convent for rehabilitation. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1985
Given the credibility of the story and the sincerity of the players, it is surprising to learn that the made-for-TV Do You Remember Love? is not based on a true story. Joanne Woodward stars as a brilliant college professor and poet, struck down in her prime by Alzheimer's disease. Her husband Richard Kiley tries to cope, but is ultimately disheartened by Woodward's degenerating condition. Even sadder is the fact that Woodward, in her cogent moments, is fully aware that she is losing her ability to function. Written by Vickie Patek, this potentially depressing drama has a logically conceived uplifting finale. Do You Remember Love? was first telecast May 21, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1984
Following the lead of the CBS soap opera Capitol, NBC's daytime drama Loving was introduced by a two-hour, prime-time TV movie. Created by Agnes Nixon, Loving is largely set on the campus of the fictional Alden University. The serial's "backstory" is cleverly related by having TV anchorwoman Merrill Vocheck (Patricia Kalember) unearth a hotbed of intrigue while doing a report on Alden. The main plot is spiced up by a murder mystery, and Merrill's meeting with a man who (according to the original prints ads) "will change her life forever." Future Loving regulars Patricia Kalember, John Shearin and Wesley Addy (among many others) share screen space with special guest stars Lloyd Bridges and Geraldine Page. The Loving pilot aired June 26, 1983; the series proper began the following day. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ideally tailored to the talents of Rodney Dangerfield, Easy Money casts Rapid Rodney as Monty Capoletti, the black sheep of a prominent family. Nothing can curb Monty's drinking, gluttony, gambling, smoking, or general carousing. Nothing, that is, except the possibility of inheriting millions from mother-in-law Mrs. Monahan (Geraldine Fitzgerald). For one whole year, Monty must toe the line and clean up his act. Can he do it? And will viewers laugh uproariously? The answer to the second question: Yes, they will! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, (more)
The 1,000-day presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the early '60s is depicted from the glorious beginning to the tragic ending. Kennedy (Martin Sheen) faces down the Soviets, the Cubans, his military leaders (over the war in Vietnam), FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Vincent Gardenia), and Jackie (Blair Brown), who suspects him of infidelities. He gets by with the brilliant and compassionate help of his Attorney General brother Robert (John Shea). After pulling the nation out of one crisis after another, Kennedy makes a trip to Dallas on November 22, 1963, and the world would be forever changed. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Sheen, Blair Brown, (more)
In this crime comedy, Dixie's life changes completely after the prostitution ring she runs is raided. She too is arrested and ends up sentenced to spend time in a convent. Though she is there to learn, she ends up teaching the Mother Superior and the others a thing or two about running a successful business. By the story's end, Dixie has learned to respect herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1982
Craig has a psychic link to Keith, and travels from his home in the United States to Hamburg, Germany, after telepathically sensing details of his brother's gruesome crimes. After bludgeoning an aging boxer (Cameron Mitchell) to death, Keith -- who can also sense his brother -- traps Craig by telling the dead fighter's daughter, Christine (Sarah Langenfeld), where he is. Naturally, Craig and Christine begin an affair, only to have Keith drug Craig and murder Christine after his impotence prevents him from raping her. Craig ends up in jail for the murder and Keith continues his bloody killing spree until Craig's girlfriend (Penelope Milford) shows up from America. And that's when the film starts getting extremely nasty. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Penelope Milford, (more)
The ads for Arthur suggested that this was an obnoxious film about an obnoxious man, an eternally drunken millionaire indulging his every whim. Instead, Arthur (Dudley Moore) is a sweet, somewhat pathetic character whose millions have left him lonely and with no motivation in life. When the film opens, Arthur is on the threshold of an arranged marriage with simpering socialite Susan (Jill Eikenberry), whom he does not love. Everyone expects Arthur to behave himself, but nobody truly cares for his well-being, with the exception of father-figure butler Mr. Hobson (John Gielgud, who won an Oscar for his performance) and blue-collar shoplifter Linda (Liza Minnelli). Arthur would prefer to marry the lowly Linda, but his iron-willed grandmother (Geraldine Fitzgerald) threatens to pull the plug on his huge inheritance if he doesn't honor his position in life and go through with his marriage to Susan. A sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks, followed in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, (more)
- 1980
- PG
A young Hector Elizondo (of TV's Chicago Hope) stars in this low-key thriller about a harried, unemployed young husband who finally tires of the incessant badgering of his mother-in-law (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and uses his puzzle-solving skills to concoct the perfect murder and get his hands on her inheritance (a mere $80,000). Unfortunately, the old bat's short-term dirt nap only manages to make her even more annoying, and she comes back to torment him from beyond the grave... maybe. Clearly the makers of this low-budget film were inspired by Diabolique and/or the collected works of Hitchcock -- but unlike those films, the endless plot convolutions fail to add up to an enthralling whole, generating more irritation than suspense. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- 1980
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Based on Katherine Anne Porter's short story, the touching saga of a elderly matriarch who still mourns over her lost love when she was jilted many years ago. ~ Rovi
The romance between the wife of a 9th century Irish monarch and her husband's nephew is the focus of this drama also known as Tristan and Isolde. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
Lafayette (Gerard Depardieu), a young-ish misfit Frenchman and Nocello (Marcello Mastroianni), an older misfit Italian, live in a run-down section of New York City and are friends. Lafayette works for Flaxman (James Coco), an excitable antiquarian who owns and runs something called the "Roman Museum," by means of which he upholds the standards of a former age. Lafayette also works for a women's lib group, which one day decides to "rape" him to see how the shoe fits on the other foot. Rather than being much bothered, Lafayette starts a liaison with the woman who actually had sex with him. In this rambling tale, these men are shown to have great difficulty enduring intense emotions, and the situations that arise force them to confront this difficulty repeatedly. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
- 1977
The Quinns follows the exploits of four generations of an Irish-American family. Much of the screen time is spent on domestic problems regarding growing pains, romance, and the generation gap. Amidst these personal travails, director Dan Petrie inserts several moderately exciting fire sequences involving the firefighting members of the Quinn family, intercut with stock shots of actual conflagrations. The Quinns was well cast and attractively assembled but failed to sell as a series. Perhaps the "firehouse" concept had already been played to death by the popular series Emergency, while the "extended family" notion had been exhausted by such series as The Waltons and Eight is Enough. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
This growing-up story, set in Australia during the '20s, features a young man (Christopher Pate) who gains from his wise grandmother's experience (Geraldine Fitzgerald). The 1977 film was produced and written by Michael Pate, who cast his son as the lead. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Geraldine Fitzgerald, Robert Helpmann, (more)
A bitter love triangle sets the stage for tragedy between two brothers and the woman only one of them can have in the McCarter Theater's production of Eugene O'Neill's first full-length play. Staged in 1976 and starring John Houseman, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Maria Tucci, and John Randolph, O'Neill's perilous tale of disillusionment and discontent tells the sorrowful tale of two brothers in love with the same girl, and the heartbreak that follows when she chooses to reject one brother and marry the other. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Explore a more innocent time in Eugene O'Neill's nostalgic coming-of-age tale about a boy and his first experiences in love and life. It's summer in New England and young Nat Miller is teetering on the edge of adulthood and responsibility. As the carefree Nat dabbles in poetry, politics, and alcohol, the prospect of romance with a beautiful young woman leaves him feeling the highs and lows of love as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
