George Gaynes Movies

Though their latest slide has thrust Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) and Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) headlong into a raging battle, Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) and Colin (Charlie O'Connell) apparently emerge from the experience with no difficulty whatsoever. Once the four travelers are reunited, Quinn and Maggie suddenly begin to grow older and sicker, ending up on the verge of death. While the two afflicted Sliders are quarantined in the Chandler Hotel, Remmy and Colin are confronted on the street by a spectral figure (David Dukes) who claims to be Thomas Mallory, Quinn and Maggie's son from a parallel universe. These curious events lead to an extremely grim prognosis for all four of the principal characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the late 1980s, noted theatrical director Andre Gregory assembled a group of friends and actors and began rehearsing a new translation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya by David Mamet, not with any specific performance in mind but as a way of exploring the beauty and precise construction of Chekhov's play. Louis Malle, a friend of Gregory's, became interested in the project and spent two weeks filming Gregory's actors as they performed Uncle Vanya without an audience in a run-down theater near New York's Times Square. In these performances, the line between theater and real life is blurred as conversations between actors -- juggling take-out cups of coffee and wearing street clothes -- slowly grow into a superb performance of Chekhov's classic, with Wallace Shawn as Vanya, Julianne Moore as Yelena, Brooke Smith as Sonya, and Larry Pine as Dr. Astrov. With a certain sad irony, this marvelously realized adaptation of a play about people wondering what they've done with their lives proved to be Louis Malle's final film; he died of cancer in 1995. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Unreleased to the general public and infamous for its poor quality within geek circles, this Roger Corman adaptation of the Marvel Comics supergroup is an interesting cult item that ranks up there with the dismal Captain America feature and the cheap Hulk TV movies. The story of the film goes back to the late '80s when Marvel Comics were licensing out their characters for mild profit in a time when the comic industry was failing. Enter a German company called Neue Constantin and producer Bernd Eichinger, who held the rights for almost four years before their contract was about to run out. In order to retain the rights to future remake/options and get out of paying a five-million-dollar fee, Neue were forced to put something to film, so they made a deal with Roger Corman's New Horizons studio to make the film quick and on the cheap for $1.5 million. Once the film was finished, Eichinger bought out Corman's interest, then turned around and sold it to 20th Century Fox, who were then prepping a 50-million-dollar adaptation with director Chris Columbus. The film then dove into virtual obscurity, save for the comic convention bootlegs and later through the internet. The storyline follows the basic framework of the comic, with the exception of a few minor details, including the introduction of a new villain, The Jeweler, who directly becomes responsible for the team's mishap in space and takes liberally from another one of the comic's famous villains, The Mole Man. In reference to its underground popularity, Corman now regards it as his most profitable film that never saw release, while Marvel president Avi Arad reportedly burned Fox's only print. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Season one of Hearts Afire takes place in Washington D.C., where transplanted Southerner John Hartman (John Ritter) has relocated as chief of staff to ultra-conservative Senator Strobe Smithers. Recently divorced and the father of two sons, Ben (Justin Burnette) and Elliott (Clark Duke), Hartman has developed a mile-long misogynistic streak, fueled by the calculated bitchery of Mavis Davis (Wendie Jo Sperber), the politically ambitious wife of his best friend and fellow senatorial aide Billy Bob Davis (Billy Bob Thornton), and by the vapidity of Senator Smithers' -- ahem -- secretary, the voluptuous Dee Dee Starr (Beth Broderick). But what has really turned John against the opposite sex is the fact that his wife has left him not for another man, but for another woman! Thus, when liberal journalist Georgie Anne Lahti (Markie Post), broke and jobless after years of circling the globe and filing left-of-center news reports, comes to Smithers' office hoping to sign on as his press secretary, John's first instinct is to boot her out. But despite this, and the vituperative political arguments between the two of them, John agrees to let Georgie Anne have the job, and Georgie Anne, against her better judgment accepts. The reason? John has the hots for Georgie Anne -- and the feeling is mutual! Circumstance dictates that Georgie Anne move into the house occupied by John and his sons, which only intensifies the torrid feelings between the two protagonists. Even the put-down pragmatism of Georgie Anne's childhood nanny Miss Lula (Beah Richards) does little to extinguish the flames, as does John's dismay over the fact that Georgie Anne's dad George (Ed Asner) is an ex-convict who shows no signs of wanting to mend his ways.
As originally conceived, John and Georgie Anne were to remain single, in hopes of stirring up the same "will they or won't they" intrigue that had added spice to such mismatched-couple series as Cheers and Moonlighting. But the executives at CBS were antsy over the unhitched status of the Hearts Afire protagonists, especially since the series was being seen in a relatively early Wednesday-night time slot. Under protest, producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason agreed to make things more "family friendly" by having John and Georgie Anne get married before the first season was over -- and that was only the first of several radical changes in the series' concept. Surprisingly, despite Thomasons' well-known Washington connections, only one political figure appeared during the series' first season -- if "political figure" is the correct phrase to describe "Presidential brother" Roger Clinton! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

America's most inept law enforcement team mixes business with pleasure as they head to sunny Florida in this comedy. The aging and often-confused head of the Police Academy, Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes), has reached mandatory retirement age, much to the pleasure of the devious Capt. Harris (G.W. Bailey), who is still scheming to take over his job. Lassard, Harris, and a handful of the Academy's "distinguished" graduates (including Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, and Marion Ramsey) travel to Miami Beach for a special ceremony to commemorate Lassard's years of service as he leaves the force; however, a luggage mix-up puts the clumsy cops in the middle of a massive illegal arms deal. Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach was the first film in the long-running series that did not star Steve Guttenberg (Bob Goldthwait also left the franchise at this point), but most of the other regulars bravely soldiered on without him. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this comedy/thriller, starring writer/director Alberto Sordi, Pietro (Sordi) and his wife (Anna Longhi) are Romans through-and-through. In their whole lives, they have never traveled far from their beloved city, though once they traveled to Bologna. Somehow, their son, the apple of their eye, has enrolled in New York University, in Manhattan. In this film, they decide to visit him there, and when Pietro witnesses a mafia killing, the police set him up in his own taxi and give him a phony identity. Since he doesn't know the city at all and doesn't speak English, this probably puts him an equal footing with a lot of other taxi drivers, so he fits right in. Eventually, in order to flush out the killers, the police use him as bait in a sting operation set in Miami. Meanwhile, the hapless fellow must cope with the peculiar culture he finds in America, (a country where everyone evidently speaks fluent Italian, as that is the language the film is shot in). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Canceled by NBC at the end of its second season in 1986, the family sitcom Punky Brewster was revived in off-network syndication one year later -- partly due to public demand, and partly to add more episodes to the series' surprisingly successful network-rerun package. Back on duty are Soleil Moon Frye as feisty 11-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster and George Gaynes as her irascible-but-lovable foster father, Henry Warnimont. Also on hand are Punky's loyal school chums Cheri (Cherie Johnson), Margaux (Ami Foster), and Allen (Casey Ellison), as well as Cherie's legal guardian, registered nurse Mrs. Betty Johnson (Susie Garrett). The first of the syndicated episodes is "Reading, Writing, and Rock & Roll," featuring the then-hot singing group DeBarge. In a later two-part installment, Punky's beloved dog, Brandon, runs away from home, only to end up being "adopted" by a boy who is exactly Punky's age -- and who is about to leave for California. Also worth noting is "It's a Dog Life," in which series regular George Gaynes plays the dual role of Henry Warnimont and his man-about-town brother Lars. And of course, season three has its share of "very special episodes," notably "The Anniversary," in which Punky's friend Cherie is overcome with grief on the anniversary of her parents' deaths. In the season finale, Henry abandons his career as a photographer to open up his own restaurant -- and since it was Punky's idea to make this career move, the new establishment is christened "Punky's Place." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Spunky nine-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) and her foster father, middle-aged bachelor photographer Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes), continue to adjust themselves to one another's presence (sometimes successfully) as the heartwarming sitcom Punky Brewster begins its second season on NBC. Likewise coming back for more is Susie Garrett as nurse Betty Johnson, Henry's upstairs neighbor. New to the series this year is T.K. Carter as schoolteacher Mike Fulton, who is extremely simpatico with Punky and her classmates Cherie (Cherie Johnson), Margaux (Ami Foster), and Allen (Casey Ellison). The season opens with an episode featuring a guest-star turn by boxer Marvelous Marvin Hagler. In subsequent stories, former Happy Days regular Cathy Silvers appears as a confused "client" when Punky and Cherie establish their own baby-sitting service; teacher Mike Fulton helps Punky through a difficult emotional crisis by revealing that he, like she, was adopted; Allen learns a vital lesson when he foolishly pokes fun at a mentally challenged classmate; and Peter Billingsley, star of the classic theatrical feature A Christmas Story, is seen, appropriately enough, in the series' Yuletide episode (but he doesn't shoot his eye out!). Perhaps the most memorable of the second-season Punky Brewsters is the two-part "The Perils of Punky," in which Soleil Moon Frye plays a dual role. With the season's final episode, "Accidents Happen," featuring Buzz Aldrin in a cameo role, Punky Brewster's NBC run came to an end. However, the series proved so successful in rerun syndication that it was revived as a syndicated series in 1987 -- nearly two years after its initial cancellation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Abandoned by her parents, eight-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster and her little dog, Brandon, set up a home of their own in an abandoned Chicago apartment, where they are discovered by the building's manager, Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes). A bachelor with no great love for either kids or dogs, Henry nonetheless takes a liking to Punky and Brandon, and arranges with the authorities to have the two castaways live with him -- temporarily of course. Thus begins season one of the NBC sitcom Punky Brewster, in which the wide-eyed, spunky heroine brings happiness and purpose to the life of grumpy old Mr. Warnimont -- and several others along the way. During the series' initial season, Eddie Deezen appears as eccentric apartment-building maintenance man Eddie Malvin, while Dody Goodman is seen as Punky's schoolteacher, Mrs. Morton. Both Deezen and Goodman would be gone from the series before long, but three other characters introduced this year, Punky's classmates Cherie Johnson (played by Cherie Johnson!), Margaux Kramer (Ami Foster), and Allen Anderson (Casey Ellison), would "go the distance" right to the end of the run. Likewise seen throughout the series' four seasons, both on and off the network, is Henry's upstairs neighbor Betty Johnson (Susie Garrett), a registered nurse who has been legal guardian to Cheri ever since the deaths of the girl's parents. Once past its three-part opener, "Punky Finds a Home," the series settles into a unique pattern. While most of the subsequent episodes run a full half-hour, others ("Punky Gets Her Own Room," "Gone Fishin," "Go to Sleep") run a scant 15 minutes each. This is because Punky Brewster was originally telecast on Sunday evenings, just after NBC's weekly football telecasts; whenever a game ran overtime, Punky lost half of its 30-minute time slot, necessitating a stockpile of shorter episodes. Conversely, Punky Brewster's season-one finale, "Fenster Hall," ran a full hour -- that is, it was seen in two half-hour segments over a period of two weeks. In addition to bringing the season to a lively close, this elongated episode was also intended as the pilot for a series starring Billy Lombardo as a resourceful orphan named T.C. Fenestra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Micki (Ann Reinking) is the wife of Rob (Dudley Moore), an airheaded TV talk show host. Maude (Amy Irving) is an attractive musician who is unaware of Micki's existence, and with whom Rob falls in love. Rob is a guy who can't say no, thus when Maude announces that she's pregnant, Rob obligingly marries her. Trouble is, he's still married to Micki who is also pregnant. To make matters worse, Rob's wives are due to give birth on the same day, forcing the double dealer to work doubly hard to keep both demanding women happy. Matters reach their comical climax when the Big Day arrives and Rob is expected to attend both births at the same time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Public safety takes a turn for the worse in this hit comedy, which spawned a long-running franchise. As a crime wave sweeps through a major city, the mayor decides that part of the problem may stem from overly restrictive qualifications for police officers, so she opens the door of the city's Police Academy to anyone who wants to join. Soon, the new class is overrun with misfits and losers, including Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), who is given the choice of joining the force or going to jail; Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall), a pretty cadet whom Mahoney has his eye on; Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), a mountain of a man who likes to tend flowers; and Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), who has an uncanny ability to imitate the sound of practically anything. Constantly befuddled Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) and his lackey, Lt. Harris (G.W. Bailey), are none too thrilled with their new charges, but as they try to wash their hands of the cadets, Mahoney and his classmates become all the more determined to make good. The surprising success of Police Academy spawned six sequels and two TV series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Upon learning that likeable neighborhood eccentric Malcolm Kramer (George Gaynes) is terminally ill, Sam (Ted Danson) compassionately allows him to tend bar for a few hours. The old man is so grateful that he leaves behind a paper-napkin will, bequeathing 100,000 dollars to the Cheers gang. You guessed it: Friendship flies out the door when money flies into the bar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman), a brilliant but troublesome New York actor, has managed to alienate every producer on both coasts. Michael's agent George Fields (Sydney Pollack) can't even get his client a commercial since Michael complained that the tomato he was playing wasn't properly motivated. "You were a tomato!" screams George in desperation, adding that Michael is so obnoxious that he will probably never work again. Dorsey thinks otherwise; when he hears of an opening on a popular soap opera, he applies for the job--even though the job is for a woman. Posing as "Miss Dorothy Michaels," Michael wins the part and becomes a widely-known actress. Yet complications ensue when Michael falls for his co-star Julie (Jessica Lange, in an Oscar-winning performance) but, as Dorothy, is courted by Julie's widowed father (Charles Durning). Michael ultimately finds that his disguise as a woman has made him a better man. One of the classic comedies of the 1980s, Tootsie's gender-bending premise boasts a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal, and by a host of memorable supporting comic performances from Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr, George Gaynes, and Bill Murray. Future Oscar-winner Geena Davis makes her screen debut as a daytime drama queen, which indeed she had been before Tootsie came along. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide