Lara Parker Movies
Blonde American leading lady Lara Parker came directly from the stage to daytime drama. Not so unusual, that: what was unusual is that Parker was not your typical long-suffering soap ingenue. She was, in fact, a witch--not a witch by disposition, but by birth, for she played glamorous 200-year-old Angelique on the Gothic serial Dark Shadows (1966-71). Lara was later more conventionally cast as Linda Vandenburg on another daytime cliffhanger, Capitol (1982-1987). Most recently, Lara Parker appeared in the 1990 TV movie The China Lake Murders. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2010
A fierce female street gang enlists the aid of a mysterious lone wolf in seeking vengeance for the murder of their best fighter in director Chris Seaver's comic homage to the revenge films of the 1980s. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1996
Ths film takes an in depth look at the history of the vampire myth and its continuing hold on the public's imagination. Is there some truth to the legends and stories that would explain the endless fascination that humans have for the "children of the night"? William Marshall, star of the film Blacula narrates the show, which traces the vampire myth through various times and cultures. There is a wide sampling of vampire literature and lore, film clips from Hollywood's scariest vampire movies, and interviews with film stars whose work has led them to a deeper study of the vampire legend. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Marshall, Bela Lugosi Jr., (more)
- 1990
In this made-for-cable chiller, a psychopath provides himself with a veritable smorgasbord of victims by masquerading as a member of the California Highway Patrol and bedeviling the residents of a small desert town during his vacation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Skerritt, Michael Parks, (more)
- 1984
- PG
The never-smiling Tippi Hedrin plays an ice-queen matron in Foxfire Light. Her daughter (Lara Parker) falls in love while on an Ozark vacation. It's Romeo and Juliet in the hinterlands, as both families oppose the romance. Leslie Nielsen and Barry Van Dyke, generally seen in funnier surroundings, round out the cast. Made in 1981, Foxfire Light was released three years later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
This drama chronicles the destruction of a family from the viewpoint of a blue-collar husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1980
This TV movie consists of two episodes of Galactica 1980 edited together. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1980
Christopher Plummer has all the best dialogue in the hokey made-for-TVer Desperate Voyage. Plummer plays a modern-day pirate who hijacks private yachts, steals the valuables on board, and, weeping crocodile tears, sends the passengers to Davy Jones' Locker. His captives on this voyage are Cliff Potts, Christine Belford, Lara Parker and Nicholas Pryor, none of whom have any intention of being tossed into the briny. Much was made of the fact that Desperate Voyage was filmed entirely at sea, with no studio work. Those who didn't suffer from "mal de mer" were able to watch this film from start to finish when it debuted November 29, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Acting with more speed than usual, Dr. Astin (John S. Ragin) files an autopsy report declaring that a body found in the ruins of a fire was murdered. But Quincy subsequently discovers that the dead man suffered from a bad heart, which might have brought about his demise. This revelation gets Astin into hot water with his superiors--and now Quincy must determine the actual cause of death while simultaneously saving his boss' reputation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
Kojak (Telly Savalas) goes on a manhunt for "The Grim Reaper", a serial killer who preys upon merchants whom he feels have stiffed him financially. Six such murders occur before a hostile graffiti artist named Roger Villers (Ken Sylk) confesses to the crimes. Refusing to believe that Villers is actually guilty, Kojak decides to use the man as bait to trap the real murderer. "Out of the Shadows" was originally scheduled as the opening episode of Kojak's fourth season, but was moved back several weeks in favor of "Birthday Party". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
Alice (Linda Lavin) has long been worried that her 12-year-old son Tommy (Philip McKeon) may not be growing up in an appropriate environment. Her fears would seem to be confirmed when she finds a picture of a naked woman in Tommy's wallet. Clearly, the time has come to tell Tommy the Facts of Life--and is Alice surprised when Tommy reveals how much he already knows! Former "Batman"Adam West guest stars in this episode, which originally marked Alice's move from a Tuesday-night to a Saturday-night timeslot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This novel fusion of car-chase film and spooky horror became a surprise box-office hit in 1975. The story begins with car enthusiasts Frank (Warren Oates) and Roger (Peter Fonda) taking their wives, Kelly (Lara Parker) and Alice (Loretta Swit), on a vacation in a recreational vehicle. Their camping trip goes horribly awry when Frank and Roger accidentally stumble upon a group of hooded cultists committing a human sacrifice. The cultists give chase and the two couples barely escape with their lives. They go to the local police for help, but the officers can find no evidence to back up the story and send the two couples on their way. As they try to continue their vacation, strange events continue to occur that culminate in four protagonists and their cultist tormentors having a brutal automotive showdown on the open road. The end result of all this genre-hopping suffers from a lightweight approach that downplays the story's darker and more interesting elements, but still manages to deliver plentiful action and a few genuine chills. As a result, Race With the Devil became an unexpected success for 20th Century Fox and remains something of a cult favorite. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, (more)
- 1975
When an armored car is stolen, the SWAT team is faced with two disturbing questions: How do the thieves plan to use the all-but-impenetrable vehicle, and how will the team be able to stop them with conventional weapons? The answers are not long in coming: The armored-car robbers swoop down to steal the valuable crown and scepter used in the Miss American Beauty Pageant -- and kidnap Miss New Mexico (none other than Farrah Fawcett-Majors) in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steve Forrest, Rod Perry, (more)
- 1975
The emergency team encounters more frustrations than usual during a long, long shift. For starters, an elderly woman fakes stomach problems in order to get attention from her squabbling family. Elsewhere, the doctors treat a boy with meningitis, whose civic-activist mother seems unconcerned about his plight. Also, a drunk is trapped by a faulty elevator in a burning apartment, and the injured victims of an auto accident mysteriously vanish just before help arrives. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Jim (James Garner) is baffled by the sudden disappearance of his girlfriend Karen (Pat Delaney). Even more disturbing is the fact that Karen's next-door neighbor was found murdered at the same time Karen vanished. Investigating, Jim discovers that both Karen and her neighbor had something in common: Michael Cordeen (Alan Miller) a man with apparent mob connections. But by the time he has made this discovery, someone else has been killed...and that "someone else" was likewise linked to Cordeen. This episode is based on Thin Air, a mystery novel by Howard Browne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
The Queen is a luxury cruise ship, "played" by the Queen Mary in this made-for-TV thriller. The villain has it in for one of the ship's millionaire passengers. Accordingly, he (or she-we're not telling) plans to destroy the vessel and everyone on board. The producer of this all-star disasterfest was-drum roll, please-Irwin Allen. TV movie "regulars" John Gay and David Lowell Rich served as scripter and director, respectively, for Adventures of the Queen, which first sailed into American homes on February 14, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
My Three Sons star Fred MacMurray once more finds himself the paterfamilias of an extended family. MacMurray plays Ned Chadwick, a newspaper publisher on a tiny California offshore island. Ned and his wife (Kathleen Maguire) have three daughters and one son, who in turn have provided the elder Chadwicks with numerous grandchildren. The "racial balance" so common to TV-movies of the 1970s is maintained by the Chinese/American fiance (Frank Michael-Liu) of the youngest Chadwick daughter. By the time we're introduced to everyone, the film is half over. Chadwick Family was the pilot film for a potential Fred MacMurray TV series; the networks passed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Star Jack Lemmon was so eager to see Save the Tiger make it to the big screen that he waived his salary rather than have the film exceed its tiny budget. Lemmon portrays "the great American tragedy" as upwardly mobile garment manufacturer Harry Stoner, whose underhanded business tactics are beginning to catch up with him, and whose keeping-up-appearances lifestyle has forced him into bankruptcy. The script, by producer Steve Shagan, does nothing to endear us to Stoner: he flagrantly cheats on his wife, arranges business deals by servicing his clients with prostitutes, and finally agrees to torch his warehouse to collect the insurance money, all the while paying empty lip service to his lost ideals. Nonetheless, one "feels" for Stoner throughout, especially when he breaks down while giving a speech to his assembled buyers, imagining that the audience is populated by his dead army buddies, who gave up their lives to make the world safe for good-for-nothings like himself. Lemmon's performance won him an Academy Award. Appearing in supporting roles are Jack Gilford as Lemmon's conscience-stricken partner and Thayer David as a smarmy arsonist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, (more)
- 1973
In this sequel to the highly popular 1972 TV movie All My Darling Daughters, it has been one year since the four grown daughter of widowed judge Charles Raleigh (Robert Young) were married on the very same day. Now it is the Judge's turn to march down the aisle with his new old sweetheart, Maggie Cartwright (Ruth Hussey, who had previously costarred with Young in the 1942 film H.M. Pulham, Esq.) Unable to pin down his peripatetic daughters (or the husbands) to announce the good news, Raleigh states his intentions toward Maggie in his "happy anniversary" cards to his offspring. Upon learning that their dear daddy is going to take the matrimonial plunge, daughters Susan (Darlene Carr), Robin (Judy Strangis), Jennifer (Sharon Gless) and Charlotte (Lara Parker) are at first delighted, but then begin to fret over the possibility that Maggie won't be quite "good enough" for the jovial Judge. Raymond Massey makes his final film appearance in the role of Matthew Cunningham. My Darling Daughters' Anniversary debuted November 7, 1973, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
After a routine heist, two-bit car thief Artie Fowler (Mark Alaimo) is killed in cold blood. Kojak suspects that there's something bigger than a standard robbery going on--especially after Artie's girlfriend Maria (Lara Parker) lets slip that an upcoming "caper" will make fools of the authorities. It turns out that a $500,000 heist is in the works, masterminded by mob leader Hugh Jellicoe (Paul Lambert) and an unknown party whose theatrical bravado astonishes even the professional crooks. Future Dallas costar Ken Kercheval appears in a significant role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
This is the second full-length motion picture feature based on the popular television soap-opera/horror melodrama Dark Shadows. The first film was House of Dark Shadows. This film lacks the grand guignol glee provided by Jonathan Frid and Joan Bennet. However, it has a new storyline, not a rehash of one previously explored in the television series. Here, artist Charles Collins (David Selby, who performed the same part in the TV series) brings his new bride to live in the family mansion, which he has just inherited. The gentle and sensitive young Collins, the last of his clan, has troubled sleep. He dreams of the past, of his family, and of the house. Perhaps his dreams are not just dreams? Increasingly deranged by these visions, it begins to look like he will re-enact the atrocities committed by his family in the past. It is interesting to note that the film uses the mansion of 1890s railroad robber/baron Jay Gould for its setting. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1971
The daytime drama featuring a vampire gained cult status in the late sixties and early seventies. This collection highlights the most memorable moments and characters. ~ Rovi
- 1971
Kendrick (John Karlen) grimly prepares for his nocturnal ordeal in the cursed room. Eavesdropping on Catherine (Lara Parker), Morgan (Keith Prentice) learns that she is pregnant with Bramwell's (Jonathan Frid) child. Episode 1,241 of Dark Shadows made its first network daytime appearance on March 29, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Daphne is finally laid to rest. Luring Bramwell (Jonathan Frid) into the cursed room, Morgan (Keith Prentice) locks him in, hoping that Bramwell will die for his "betrayal" of Catherine (Lara Parker). Upon learning this, Catherine rushes to the room -- and her own rendezvous with destiny. This episode originally aired on March 30, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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