James Gregory Movies
"As familiar as a favorite leather easy chair" is how one magazine writer described the craggy, weather-beaten face of ineluctable character actor James Gregory. Indeed, it is hard to imagine any time in the past six decades that Gregory hasn't been seen on stage, on TV or on the big screen. There were those occasional periods during the 1930s and 1940s when he was working on Wall Street rather than acting, and there were those uniformed stints in the Marines and the Naval Reserve. Otherwise, Gregory remained a persistent showbiz presence from the time he first performed with a Pennsylvania-based travelling troupe in 1936. Three years later, he was on Broadway in Key Largo; he went on to appear in such stage hits as Dream Girl, All My Sons, Death of a Salesman and The Desperate Hours.In films from 1948, Gregory was repeatedly cast as crusty no-nonsense types: detectives, military officers, prosecuting attorneys and outlaw leaders. With his bravura performance as demagogic, dead-headed senator Johnny Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Gregory launched a second career of sorts, cornering the market in portraying braggadocio blowhards. One of his best characterizations in this vein was as the hard-shelled Inspector Luger in the TV sitcom Barney Miller. He played Luger for six seasons (1975-78, 1979-81), with time out for his own short-lived starring series, Detective School (1978). He also played Prohibition-era detective Barney Ruditsky on The Lawless Years (1959-61) and T. R. Scott in The Paul Lynde Show (1972), not to mention nearly 1000 guest appearances on other series. James Gregory has sometimes exhibited his sentimental streak by singing in his spare time: he has for many years been a member of the SPEBQSA, which as any fan of The Music Man can tell you is the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
When his wife becomes the new family breadwinner, a football coach must learn the ins and outs of child care and housecleaning. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Michael Glaser, Dee Wallace, (more)
- 1982
This animated fantasy film, from the creators of The Last Unicorn, unfolds in an age when magic and science coexist uneasily, and humans still walk the earth alongside wizards, unicorns, and dragons. One of the four most powerful mages on the planet, Carolinus the Green Wizard (voice of Harry Morgan) realizes that magic's power is slipping in favor of the logic of science -- a potential detriment to men, who need such magic to provide regular inspiration for themselves. Carolinus thus summons his three brothers for an emergency tête-à-tête, and suggests that they create a separate magical realm for themselves, via which they can send man the magic he needs on a regular basis. Two of the brothers agree, but the third -- the evil wizard Ommadon -- not only refuses to be shuttled off to this removed existence but vows to wage full-scale war on humankind with evil feelings and ideas. Because the rules of the universe forbid Carolinus and his other two siblings from going head-to-head with Ommadon, they must seek out a human hero with the power to stop him. Carolinus sends this request to the Fates. They, in turn, select Peter (voiced by John Ritter), who is, of all things, a man of science. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1982
While attending the opening ceremonies of a Naval museum named in his honor, Rear Admiral Burgess McKenzie (Albert Paulsen), an old comrade in arms of medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman), suddenly drops dead. Peforming the autopsy, Quincy discovers that a microchip has been implanted in the Admiral's body, suggesting that he might have been involved in treasonous activities. The plot thickens when several people demand that Quincy turn over the corpse and the chip--including three ladies all claiming to be McKenzie's widow. This semicomic episode is capped by a supremely silly but highly appropriate punchline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
This 1981 sequel to the 1979 made-for-TVer Goldie and the Boxer once again stars O.J. Simpson and Melissa Michaelsen as, respectively, boxer Joe Gallegher and Joe's 10-year-old manager Goldie Kellog. When Joe incurs the wrath of an evil promoter, he and Goldie high-tail it to Hollywood. They take refuge in the home of Babe (Stubby Kaye) and Cuddles (Sheila MacRae) a pair of Tinseltown "fringies" distantly related to Joe's trainer Wally (Jack Gilford, taking over for the first film's Phil Silvers). Produced by Orenthal Productions (guess who ran that company?), Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood first aired February 19, 1981. It has been rerun incessantly since June of 1994, thanks to the latter-day notoriety of star O. J. Simpson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- O.J. Simpson, Melissa Michaelsen, (more)
- 1980
In this made-for-TV farce, the urban phenomenon of the traffic jam and the effect it has on the lives of the participants is examined. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Made for television, a former professional baseball player (John Ritter) coaches a team of misfits to the little-league crown. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal attempt to recapture the screwball spark of What's Up, Doc? in the labored farce The Main Event. Streisand plays Hillary Kramer, a bankrupt perfume executive who discovers that one of her tax write-offs from more prosperous times was the ownership of prizefighter Kid Natural (Ryan O' Neal). Kid Natural is now a driving instructor who wants nothing to do with boxing, but Hillary is determined to resurrect the Kid's less-than-spectacular boxing career. She installs herself as the Kid's manager and tries to get him in shape to go the distance. Along the way, the two fall in love. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, (more)
- 1978
Produced for the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series, The Bastard is the first of John Jakes' "Kent Family Chronicles" (followed by The Rebels and The Seekers). Presented in two parts, the story begins in 1771, with 17-year-old French commoner Philippe Charboneau (Andrew Stevens) discovering that he is the illegitimate son of a British Duke. He goes on a long journey, girdling several countries, to claim his birthright, with his mother (Patricia Neal) along for the ride. Settling in America in 1772, our hero--now known as Phillip Kent--becomes involved with the American Revolution. The all-star cast includes Buddy Ebsen, Barry Sullivan, Harry Morgan, Lorne Greene, Donald Pleasence, Tom Bosley (as Ben Franklin), William Shatner (as Paul Revere) and William Daniels (as Samuel Adams). Distributed nationally beginning May 22, 1978, The Bastard was re-titled Kent Family Chronicles in the more conservative TV markets. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
A young organizer for a California farmhand union dies of carbon monoxide poisoining, and the evidence points to suicide. Quincy (Jack Klugman), however, suspects that the man was murdered--and that one of two rival union leaders, currently embroiled in a bitter power struggle, may have been responsible. Conducting a personal investigation, Quincy exposes a great deal of corruption within the the union system...and also unearths a motive for murder that surprises even him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy is a TV dramatization of the notorious Cold War incident of 1960. The story is told from the point of view of Powers (Lee Majors), an American pilot who was shot down over Russia while taking photographs on behalf of the CIA. The event occurs just before a crucial summit meeting between American President Dwight D. Eisenhower (James Flavin) and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev (Thayer David). Eisenhower tries to cover up the incident, allowing Khrushchev to make propagandistic hay of the whole affair. Robert E. Thompson's teleplay tends to depict the Americans as jerks, and the Russians as essentially good guys; even Powers' Soviet interrogator, portrayed by Nehemiah Persoff, comes off comparatively sympathetic. Also in the cast are Noah Beery as Powers' father and Lew Ayres as Allen Dulles. Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy was originally telecast September 29, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Sanford and Son launched its sixth and final season with an unforgettable location-filmed jaunt to Hawaii. Heading to the land of pineapples and hula skirts for a junkman's convention, Fred and Lamont Sanford (Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson) get innocently mixed up with jewel thieves. The crooks plant their loot on Fred in hopes of smuggling the gems to L.A. -- but of course, their best-laid schemes go hilariously agley. Highlighting Part One of "The Hawaiian Connection" is Fred Sanford's impromptu hula lesson. (This episode, originally running a full hour, has since been edited into two half-hour segments for syndication.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1976
In the conclusion of a two-part story, a gang of jewel thieves have planted their stolen gems on Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), who is in Hawaii to attend a junkman's convention with his son Lamont (Demond Wilson). Pursued all over Honolulu with the bad guys one step behind him, innocent Fred (who has since "misplaced" the loot) has no idea what is going on -- even with that Hawaii Five-O music playing incessantly in the background. Singer Don Ho makes a guest appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1975
James Gregory guest stars as Neal Brackett, the father of Rampart's chief surgeon Kelly Brackett, who checks into the hosptial to be treated for phlebitis. It's a tense situation, to be sure--but not quite as tense as the one facing the emergency squad as they try to rescue a man from a power transformer which has crashed into his bedroom, and another man whose fireplace has exploded. And in a lesser crisis, the squad helps an elderly magician (Tony Giorgio) extricate himself from a malfunctioning trunk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
- G
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Kurt Russell returns as Dexter Riley, the dedicated student of Medfield College who just can't stay out of trouble, in this follow-up to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and Now You See Him, Now You Don't. In this story, Dexter is trying to devise a formula for a chemistry project that will increase human strength . By accident, he discovers that, when he mixes his concoction with another student's recipe for vitamin-fortified cereal, it gives people super-human strength, but only for a few minutes. Ignoring these drawbacks, Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) makes a deal to sell the miracle cereal to a leading breakfast-food concern, unaware that it's Dexter's secret ingredient that makes the cereal work. Meanwhile, when word gets out about the new strength-boosting cereal, several competing companies decide that they need to wipe the new product off the market. Cesar Romero returns from the first film as A.J. Arno, with Phil Silvers, Eve Arden, and Richard Bakalyan highlighting the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, (more)
- 1975
They've Kidnapped Anne Benedict is the rerun title for the made-for-TV movie The Abduction of St. Anne. Robert Wagner stars as detective who is hired by Vatican for $100,000. It's his job to find out if it's true that a mobster's 17-year-old daughter (Kathleen Quinlan) has miraculous and healing powers. If the rumors are fact, Wagner is expected to kidnap the girl on behalf of the Church, with the help of bishop E.G. Marshall. Before the film runs its course, all three principals--Wagner, Marshall, and Quinlan--find themselves up to their necks in life-threatening peril. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Convinced that he's learned everything he needs to know, Danny (Danny Bonaduce) decides to drop out of school. On the advice of a child psychologist, Shirley (Shirley Jones) allows Danny to try his luck in the professional world, certain that he'll see the folly of ways--but the plan nearly backfires when Danny meets Claude Tubbles (James Gregory), a self-made millionaire who never finished the sixth grade. Songs: "Lookin' for a Good Thing" and "Workin' on a Groovy Thing". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Syndicate chieftan Rudy Keppler (John Vernon) leaves the security of his Caribbean hideway and sneaks back into the States. He plans to kill Nick Thomas (Vic Mohica), the young hood who has murdered Keppler's brother in a Mob power play. Striking while the iron is hot, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) hopes to persuade Keppler to get even in a nonviolent fashion by testifying against his former colleagues--but Keppler isn't buying. A young Joan Van Ark appears as a duplicitous Syndicate moll. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The 1947 film comedy Miracle on 34th Street starred Edmund Gwenn as a bearded gentleman named Kris Kringle, who was convinced that he was the genuine Santa Claus. The earlier Miracle was good enough as it stood, so why remake it? Still, the full-color 1973 Miracle on 34th Street has the considerable advantage of Sebastian Cabot, his trademarked beard dyed snowy white, as Kringle, so it isn't as bad as expected. The story, which involves the commercial and legal ramifications of the "real" Santa taking a job as a department store Santa at Macy's, was barely updated for the 1970s, meaning that several of the plot devices--including a nasty psychiatrist who has Kringle committed--were somewhat anachronistic. The uplifting final scene, wherein a cynical little girl becomes a true believer of Santa Claus (as do the adults in the story), still works well in the remake, even though Suzanne Davidson isn't in the same league as the original Miracle's Natalie Wood. The TV-movie version of Miracle on 34th Street wasn't too successful, but that didn't stop John Hughes from churning out a second remake in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Upon his return from Vietnam, ex-POW Mike Doyle (Cliff Potts) is certain that he sees his police-officer father (Warren Kemmerling) waiting for him at the airport--just before disappearing in the crowd. But the Commissioner (Gene Lyons), and everyone else who knows and cares about Mike, insists that the elder Doyle was killed in a car crash two years earlier. Worried that he is losing his mind, Mike conducts a frantic search for his father...while Ironside (Raymond Burr), who knows the whole truth about the father's reported "death" but is honor-bound to remain silent, tries to prevent the hapless veteran from going off the deep end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Stone (Karl Malden)and Keller (Michael Douglas) spring into action when a priest is killed in his Confessional. It turns out that the victim had attended the same seminary as three other priests who were murdered in similar fashion. To root out the killer, Stone goes undercover, donning the collar and robe of a Roman Catholic prelate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Could Edith Bunker be a kleptomaniac? That's what Edith thinks when she is arrested for shoplifting after accidentally leaving a store with an unpaid-for item. Mike and Gloria advise that Edith visit a psychiatrist, but Archie insist that he handle the matter himself -- and guess what happens next! The supporting cast includes James Gregory as Kirkwood and Barnard Hughes in the recurring role of Father Majeski. Written by Sam Locke, Olga Vallance, and Don Nicholl, "Edith Flips Her Wig" first aired on October 21, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1972
Hildegarde Withers, the schoolteacher/sleuth created by Stuart Palmer, was the central character in a series of RKO "B" films of the 1930s. Television tried to revive Hildegarde in the unsold pilot film A Very Missing Person, starring Eve Arden as a distressingly updated Ms. Withers and James Gregory as long-suffering Inspector Piper. Hildegarde and Piper join forces to ascertain the whereabouts of a runaway girl (Skye Aubrey), whose disappearance is connected with a murder. A Very Missing Person was one of three pilots for the proposed "rotating" series The Great Detectives, wherein the adventures of Hildegarde Withers would alternate with those of Sherlock Holmes and Nick Carter. None of the three components made it any farther than the pilot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Weekend Nun was an unsold TV pilot film based on the life and career of Louisiana nun Sister Fabian (real name: Joyce Duco). Joanna Pettet stars as Sister Mary Damien (aka: Marjorie Walker), who on weekdays holds down a job as a probation officer (she even packs a gun). The schism between the outside world and Sister Fabian's religious calling is brought sharply into focus when tragedy strikes. Vic Morrow costars as the sister's probation department associate, while Ann Sothern appears as the head nun. The real Sister Fabian/Joyce Duco, who had left the Order long before this film was made, acted as technical adviser on Weekend Nun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
