Ruta Lee Movies

A ne'er do well father and ex-husband who always raced his way through the holidays is forced to relive Christmas Day time and again until he gets it right in this family oriented fantasy comedy starring Jay Mohr. It's Christmas time once again, and as usual Kevin (Moore) is scrambling to get his son Ben a last minute gift before stopping by his ex-wife Jill's house for a quick swig of eggnog. Ben can't stand Jill's impossibly perfect new boyfriend, and the prospect of spending the entire evening with his former inlaws is nearly too painful to ponder. But this Christmas things are going to be different, because this Christmas might just last forever. At first Kevin resists the curious development by simply reverting to his childish ways, though he is about to find out that sometimes in order to build a better future one must finally make amends with the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The comedienne who shot to stardom as "the world's worst housewife" offers an intimate look at her life and career on the eve of her farewell stand-up performance. Phyllis Diller has been keeping her fans in stitches for nearly half-a-century. A gleefully self-depreciating comic whose outlandish sense of style always set her apart from the pack, Diller not only recollects her rise to stardom, but also allows viewers into her home to show just what life is like behind the scenes. A press conference leading up to her final performance showcases the quick-witted Diller at her unscripted best, with additional rehearsal and dressing room footage showing just what an incredible impact she has had on the world of show-business. Additional appearances by Rip Taylor, Don Rickles, Roseanne Barr, Red Buttons, and Lily Tomlin offer a chance for some of Diller's best known fans to reflect on their fondest memories of the star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Jackie and Mark (Glenn Quinn) watch female wrestling, D.J. and Heather (Heather Matarazzo) take their relationship to another level, and Bev (Estelle Parsons) introduces her new friend, Joyce (Ruta Lee). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) is a struggling stand-up comedian who has tried for years to get out from under the shadow of his father, George Fawkes (Jerry Lewis), himself a famous humorist. Tommy finally scores a showcase spot at a major resort in Las Vegas, but when opening night rolls around, Tommy's act is an unqualified disaster, with the failure made even more painful by his father's presence in the audience. In search of a fresh start, Tommy heads to Blackpool, England, where he was born and raised, to look for a new act. Hoping to buy material from local performers, Tommy auditions a large number of acts, most of whom are utterly hopeless, until he sees a hilarious vaudeville team, the Parker Brothers. Their act seems more than a bit familiar, however, and Tommy soon realizes that they're doing his father's old material. But they have every right to be doing George's schtick -- it seems George stole his act from the Parkers ages ago. What's more, the younger and more eccentric of the Parker Boys, Jack (Lee Evans), is actually Tommy's half brother, the product of a fling with a Blackpool showgirl years ago. Veering between comedy and drama, Funny Bones has more than its share of effective moments on either side of the fence, and features fine supporting performances from Oliver Reed, Leslie Caron and Harold Nicholas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Premiering December 1, 1984, First and Ten was a raunchy HBO TV series about a third-rate football team. Delta Burke starred as Diane Barrow, who acquired the California Bulls as part of a divorce settlement. The series had quite a cast turnover during its six years on the air; one of the longest-lasting costars was none other than O. J. Simpson. Two ersatz feature films were compiled from the first-season First and Ten episodes. The second of these was the 101-minute The Team Scores Again; the guest stars in this patchwork feature included Geofrey Scott, Clayton Landey and Fran Tarkenton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young man tries to break up the oft-disparaged sport of cockfighting in a rural Southern town. He's up against a whole lot of cockfight supporters and could use a few more folks on his side. ~ All Movie Guide

Poorly written, directed and photographed, The Doomsday Machine is one of those cheap sci-fi farragos which rounds up several faded stars and then gives them nothing to work with. Among the trapped former luminaries are Denny Miller, Mala Powers, Bobby Van and Henry Wilcoxon. The plot (for lack of a better word) involves a spaceship and its squabbling crew. The space travellers must bury the hatchet long enough to try to save the Earth from destruction. Beware: That alluring videocassette on your local rental shelves titled Escape From Planet Earth is really Doomsday Machine in disguise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Duplicitous German officer Col. Becker (H.M. Wynant), hoping to trade assignments with Klink, tries to persuade the Kommandant that being transferred to the Russian front wouldn't be so bad. Learning of Becker's schemes, Hogan concocts a plan of his own whereby Klink will unwittingly appropriate some top-secret German documents. To cinch the deal, Hogan arranges a cozy tête-à-tête between Klink and sexy Soviet spy Olga (Ruta Lee). Written by Arthur Julian, "To Russia Without Love" first aired on January 31, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan is ordered to kill British defector Leslie Smythe-Beddoes during an award ceremony for Colonel Klink. The plan hits a snag when Hogan discovers that Leslie is a woman (Ruta Lee). Unwilling to liquidate her in the usual fashion, Hogan concocts a scheme whereby Leslie's credibility with the Gestapo will be destroyed. Ubiquitous Hogan's Heroes supporting player Alan Oppenheimer is here seen as Colonel Sitzer. Written by Phil Sharp, "Who Stole My Copy of 'Mein Kampf'?" originally aired on January 11, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Vicious, cop-hating Frank Vincent (Pernell Roberts) threatens dire consequences when he is arrested on a drunk driving charge by Ed Brown (Don Galloway) and two other officers (one of whom is played by director-stuntman Hal Needham, the other by Bing Russell, father of film star Kurt Russell)). Later, both of his colleagues turn up dead, convincing Ed that Vincent is the killer; unfortunately, he has no proof, and is told to leave Vincent alone. Ultimately suspended from the force, Ed literally puts his life on the line to expose Vincent as a murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This sci-fi drama is set aboard a nearly derelict spaceship about to fail. With little remaining supplies and little oxygen, only a few of the crew will survive to make it back to Earth, leaving them to decide which of them must die. The film is also known as The Doomsday Machine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

On the eve of her vacation to Lake Arrowhead, Lucy (Lucille Ball) is introduced to Audrey Fields (Ruta Lee), her temporarily replacement at the bank. Accurately sizing up the bleach-blonde Audrey as a conniving predator who hopes to permanently replace Lucy by playing up to Mooney (Gale Gordon), Lucy decides to stick around town long enough to show up Audrey for the phony that she is. This mission, of course, requires a few clever disguises--and that is why Lucy shows up at various junctures impersonating an interior decorator, a carper shampooer, and a wealthy (and elderly) depositor! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is in Reno, helping Pete Warren (Peter Breck) finalize his divorce from his wife Myrna. When an incriminating photo reveals that Myrna (Myrna Fahey) is mixed up in a counterfeit gambling-chip scam at a local gambling casino, Pete tells a pack of lies to the authorities to save his soon-to-be "ex" from prosectuion. Before long, Pete is facing a far more serious charge than counterfeiting: Myrna has been murdered, and all the evidence points to him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide