Estelle Parsons Movies

This two-part HBO miniseries is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Richard Russo. Having long since sacrificed youthful ideals and values to remain in his New England hometown for the sake of his family, middle-aged Miles Roby (Ed Harris) finds his "secure" little world disintegrating when his wife, Janine (Helen Hunt), divorces him. Equally vexing is the emotional and financial pressure exerted by domineering town matriarch Francine Whiting (Joanne Woodward), who owns (among other things) the Empire Grill, the little diner that Ed has run for several years. As he reflects on what he considers to be a wasted life, Ed flashes back to memories of his curmudgeonly father, Max (Paul Newman, who also executive-produced the miniseries); his long-dead mother, Grace (Robin Wright Penn); his scapegrace brother, David (Aidan Quinn); his blossoming daughter "Tick" (Danielle Panabaker); and Francine's late husband, C.B. Whiting (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Also tied in with Miles's reminiscences is the spectacular saga of the rise and fall of Empire Falls, a once-prosperous mill town that has fallen into disrepair -- as have the town's once-rigid and inviolate social barriers. Despite the initial bleakness of Miles' plight, and the revelation of innumerable family skeletons as the plot progresses, the story is ultimately both heartwarming and life-affirming. Filmed on location in Maine, Empire Falls originally aired on May 28 and 29, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Roseanne gets overwhelmed by producers and such who want to turn her life into a television movie. Bev (Estelle Parsons), Joyce (Ruta Lee), and Leon (Martin Mull) unwittingly tell stories about Roseanne to a local merchant, who ends up being a reporter in disguise. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

In the two-part series conclusion episode, Darlene and David (Johnny Galecki) bring home their daughter, Harris Conner Healey, from the hospital. Bev (Estelle Parsons), Leon (Martin Mull), Scott (Fred Willard), and Nancy (Sandra Bernhard) come over to celebrate and order pizza. Leon and Scott announce that they've adopted a baby, and Becky reveals she's pregnant. Finally, Roseanne concludes the episode with a monologue explaining how much of the series comes from her real life, and that the ninth season was a fictionalized fantasy for the character of Roseanne. Supposedly, Dan Conner died when he had a heart attack at Darlene and David's wedding at the end of season eight. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

In this Thanksgiving episode, Roseanne is glad that she won't have to cook, but she's upset that Dan won't be there. Leon (Martin Mull) and Scott (Fred Willard) visit with the news that they are thinking about adopting a child. This leads into a discussion with Bev (Estelle Parsons) where she announces her attraction to women. The episode ends at the homeless shelter. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

The original Disney feature film, That Darn Cat, was a feel-good hit in 1965, thanks largely to stars such as Hayley Mills, Roddy McDowall, and William Demarest. This 1996 remake also closely follows the novel Undercover Cat by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon and features Christina Ricci in the Hayley Mills role. In a small Massachusetts town, two bumbling criminals mistakenly kidnap a maid, thinking her to be the wife of a prominent businessman. D.C., short for Darn Cat, is an alley cat who, while looking for his nightly snack, stumbles upon the kidnap victim, bound and gagged in a shed. The kidnap victim scratches a plea for help on the back of her wristwatch and puts it around the cat's neck. Patti (Ricci) finds the watch and links it to the missing maid. Playing amateur detective, she enlists the aid of an FBI agent, Zeke (Doug E. Doug), who has been assigned to the case. Patti and Zeke follow D.C. through tight openings to track down the captive. The cat also leads them to the woman's abductors (Peter Boyle and Rebecca Schull) and to a climactic car chase. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

This emotion-filled story stars Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, and Drew Barrymore as three women from different walks of life who find comfort in each other through tragedy. Parker plays Robin, an HIV-positive real estate executive who meets Jane (Goldberg), a lesbian lounge singer on her way to the West Coast who needs a driver. Robin volunteers for the job, and along the way, they stop in Pittsburgh to visit her friend Holly (Barrymore), who is pregnant and abused by her boyfriend. In an attempt to save Holly, all three decide to head West together to begin a new life. But they get only as far as Arizona before Robin falls ill and the three are forced to learn to rely on one another for growth and emotional sustenance. Jane, though concerned about Robin's condition, also finds herself with a romantic interest in her ailing companion. Holly confronts her need to be with abusive men, while Robin comes to grips with her fear of being alone and the realization of her own impending death. Fans of Herbert Ross' earlier Steel Magnolias (1989) might appreciate this movie, which tackles some of the same themes. Sometimes referred to as a "feminist road movie," the film deals with women who find one another in a time of crisis and realize that the bonds among women are more powerful than any of life's obstacles. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Jackie and Roseanne get the news that their father has died. Roseanne makes the arrangements, comforts Jackie, and ends up getting a drink with her father's girlfriend, Joan Crinshaw (Kay Arnold, Tom Arnold's aunt), who finally meets Bev (Estelle Parsons) for the first time. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Red Buttons guest stars as Jake, Bev's (Estelle Parsons) new friend from the retirement home. Roseanne and Jackie interfere and try to get a romance started between them. Meanwhile, Darlene gives David (Johnny Galecki) hell after Molly (Danielle Harris) kisses him. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Roseanne schemes to reunite Darlene and David (Johnny Galecki) while trying to get Darlene to tell her what D.J. has been up to. Meanwhile, Fred (Michael O'Keefe) goes to Jackie's housewarming party in hopes of winning her affections. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

This made-for-cable version of Arthur Miller's play The American Clock was adapted for television by Frank Galati. Inspired partly by Studs Terkel's oral history Hard Times, and partly by Miller's own recollections, the film is set at the beginning of the Depression. When the stock market crashes, the well-to-do Baumler family (John Rubinstein, Mary McDonnell, Loren Dean) loses everything. The Baumlers are forced to move from their plush penthouse apartment to the less-attractive Brooklyn digs of Mrs. Baumler's sister (Joanna Miles). Twelve-year-old Lee Baumler (Dean), the Arthur Miller counterpart, hits the road to find out how others are coping with the Long National Nightmare. The alternately depressing and uplifting storyline moves along briskly to a surprisingly abrupt climax. Kelly Preston, David Strathairn, Eddie Bracken, Darren McGavin, and Estelle Parson co-star in The American Clock, which premiered over the TNT Cable Network on August 23, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Roseanne develops severe back problems, Bev (Estelle Parsons) visits the Conner kids to help out in her own special way. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Nancy (Sandra Bernhard) tells Roseanne and Jackie that she is gay. (Morgan Fairchild) guest stars as Nancy's lover Marla. Meanwhile, Bev (Estelle Parsons) moves into a retirement home, making Roseanne feel old. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi