John Gabriel Movies

Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) learn that a murdered coed was in a relationship with college professor Miguel Clemente (Miguel Sandoval). Of equal interest to the D.A.'s office are two other suspects, a pair of male students with seemingly airtight alibis. The original print ads for this episode were right on the money when they promised "Shocking evidence will uncover the truth." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This heart-warming made-for-television holiday comedy drama from Great Britain tells the tale of a recently unemployed art dealer whose every Christmas wish comes true after he finds a genie bottled up in a tarnished old lamp. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Bill Bixby stars as physicist Dr. David Banner, the mild-mannered alter ego of the raging green mutant The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno), in this made-for-TV film based on the 1978 series (which was inspired by the Marvel Comics characters). In this outing, Dr. Banner teams with Thor, the Norse god of thunder. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Director Bruce Beresford has safely stayed within the domain of the Bible and not strayed into patches of Hollywood fiction in this routine version of the story of David (Richard Gere). For that reason, anyone unfamiliar with Biblical history might be puzzled by the episodic presentation of David's life. In the opening scenes, Samuel condemns Saul and anoints the young David as his heir, and in fairly quick succession David slays Goliath, incurs Saul's jealous wrath, leaves, and, much later, comes back to rule after Saul has died. Once David is on the throne, Bathsheba and then Absalom enter into the picture. Interspersed are brutal scenes of fighting, but not much in the way of motivation for David's complex behavior. Gaps in the narration or unclear motivation may be the result of trying to cover too many events in a 114-minute running time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This made-for-TV suspenser stars Suzanne Pleshette as famous soap opera writer Carla Webber. Carla turns detective when the cast members of her program begin dying under mysterious circumstances. Barry Newman plays the investigating detective, while Robert Vaughn and Patrick O'Neal are special guest suspects. The film's principal attraction (and a hardly unexpected one) is the presence in the supporting cast of then-current soap opera stars: All My Children's Peter Bergman, General Hospital's Stuart Damon and Robin Mattson, Ryan's Hope's John Gabriel, and One Life to Live's Robert S. Woods. Fantasies was first networkcast January 18, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this Sidney Lumet romantic comedy, Max Herschel (Alan King) is a powerful businessman who keeps a bevy of beauties for pleasure to escape his alcoholic wife, Connie (Dina Merrill). His main minx is Bones Burton (Ali MacGraw), a successful television producer who is tiring of Max's lack of commitment. When she takes up with Steven (Peter Weller), Max does everything in his power to win her back. Silent screen star Myrna Loy plays Max's faithful secretary, in her last big-screen role, and steals the show. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this grim, violent crime drama, a hit man murders a politician and then boards a ship to New York. During the voyage, the assassin abducts the captain's daughter, holds her captive in his cabin and rapes her while her father agonizes over what he should do. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Having struck pay dirt with his 1958 western Rio Bravo, Howard Hawks more or less remade the picture twice in the 1960s. The first of these rehashes was El Dorado, with Rio Bravo star John Wayne back for more. Wayne plays a gunfighter who rides into El Dorado to link up with his old pal, sheriff Robert Mitchum ("It's the big one with the big two!" declared the film's advertisements). Wayne has turned down a job with evil land baron Ed Asner, who'd hoped to drive a family off the land that he needed for its water. That family, headed by R.G. Armstrong, is convinced that Wayne is working with Asner; when Armstrong's son Johnny Crawford dies, Wayne is held responsible, earning him a bullet in the spine from Crawford's sister Michele Carey. A year passes: Wayne returns to El Dorado, in the company of his new saddle pal James Caan. They find that Asner is still up to his old tricks, and that Mitchum has descended into alcoholism. Several plot twists and power shifts ensue, leading to the slam-bang climax, with the partially paralyzed Wayne, the newly crippled Mitchum (on crutches), and the concussion-suffering Caan battling together to stave off Asner's minions. The final long-shot, of Wayne and Mitchum limping off together arm-in-arm, is one of the most enduring images in the entire Hawks canon. If they loved it twice they'll love it thrice: in 1969, John Wayne and Howard Hawks teamed up for a third Rio Bravo derivation, Rio Lobo--which, like the first two films, was scripted by Leigh Brackett. Incidentally, that's famed artist Olaf Weighorst (whose paintings appear in the title sequence) in a cameo as the gunsmith. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Outbound from a small town recently besieged by Indians, a stagecoach carries several diverse characters. They include rummy sawbones Josiah Boone (Bing Crosby), dance-hall girl and prostitute Dallas (Ann-Margret), embezzling bank clerk Gatewood (Robert Cummings), pregnant army officer's wife Lucy Mallory (Stefanie Powers), policeman Curly (Van Heflin), and several others. En route, the drunken Doc Boone is forced to sober up and deliver Lucy's baby, and the travelers are joined by Ringo (Alex Cord), an outlaw falsely accused of killing his own father and brother. Despite being arrested by Curly, Ringo helps fight off Indians and falls for Dallas. Once the coach reaches its destination, Luke Plummer (Keenan Wynn) and his two sons, the real killers of Ringo's family, shoot Gatewood for his stolen loot and wound Curly. A showdown between the Plummers and Ringo is inevitable. Famed painter Norman Rockwell, who rendered cast portraits for the film's closing credits sequence, appears in a brief cameo. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

A cad who goes through women faster than his laundry finally meets his match while vacationing in Puerto Rico. ~ Rovi

In this epic medieval adventure, King Arthur is in his second decade of ruling Camelot when he becomes gravely ill and must journey to the castle of a good Saxon friend to recuperate. The ailing king does not know that the treacherous Saxons there are planning to kill him and commandeer the throne. At first the traitors' plans are foiled by a dashing outlaw who saves the king. Unfortunately, the Saxon dogs eventually succeed. Their leader tries to insure that he gets the crown by marrying Arthur's daughter. But instead, she goes off with another, causing the usurper to proclaim that she has died and that he is now the rightful king. Fortunately, she is not dead but off in the country seeking Merlin. She and her lover succeed and with the mighty magician manage to return to Camelot just as the new king is to be crowned. At this point the crusty Merlin demands that the Saxon prove his fitness to reign by removing Arthur's beloved Excalibur from its scabbard. Of course he fails. And of course the good princess succeeds. Immediately, the usurper and his band flee the country, but not before they are vanquished by the newly united British army. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Bernard Lee, better known as "M" in the James Bond movies, makes one of his periodic appearances as novelist Edgar Wallace's diligent Scotland Yard investigator protagonist in The Share Out. This time Lee takes on a clever blackmailing ring which preys upon above-suspicion government officials. As usual, Lee wraps things up in little more than an hour, permitting this film to slip comfortably into the syndicated Edgar Wallace Theatre weekly TV package. Reliable supporting players like Patrick Cargill (the inspector in the Beatles' Help!) and Alexander Knox (the Canadian actor best known for playing the title role in 1945's Wilson) lend credence to the proceedings. The Share Out was the 35th in producer Jack Greenwood's 47-installment Edgar Wallace series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The gangs of London during the early 60s form the basis of this thriller. It tells the story of a Chicago mobster and a Londoner who try to get involved in a jukebox racket. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi