Randy Quaid Movies
Whether he is playing a clumsy redneck, spoofing an American president, or portraying a quietly psychotic father, Randy Quaid has a screen and stage presence that is difficult to ignore. Part of this is due to his physical appearance. The curly headed Quaid stands a muscular 6'4" tall, and unlike his handsome younger brother, Dennis, he is an ordinary-looking man with a flexible face that enables him to disappear into a wide variety of characters.An electrician's son, the Houston-born and raised Quaid was majoring in drama at the University of Houston and working as a standup comedian with actor Trey Wilson when he met Peter Bogdanovich. The young director was impressed with Quaid and cast him in a number of his films, beginning with Targets (1968), then The Last Picture Show (1971), Paper Moon (1973), and Texasville (1990). In 1973, Quaid received an Oscar nomination for his moving portrayal of a convicted, bewildered sailor escorted to prison by guards Jack Nicholson and Otis Young in The Last Detail. Other notable Quaid performances can be found in Midnight Express (1978), the National Lampoon Vacation films of the '80s and '90s, The Curse of the Starving Class (1994), and Kingpin (1996). In 1999, he stepped in front of the camera for his wife, Evi Quaid, in High Expectations, her directorial debut. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival that year. Moving into the 2000s, the veteran actor continued to appear in a number of high-profile features, including Ang Lee's 2005 Oscar-winner Brokeback Mountain, though his eccentric behavior quickly began to overshadow his impressive film resume. Arrested in 2009 for allegedly defrauding an innkeeper and again the following year on burglary charges, he promptly fled to Canada and sought asylum with wife Evi.
Though successful in feature films, Quaid has had even better luck on television. The burly actor has excelled on the small screen since making his debut in the 1971 movie Getting Away From It All. He has been nominated for an Emmy for playing President Lyndon B. Johnson in the NBC miniseries LBJ: The Early Years (1986), a role that also won him a Golden Globe award. Quaid's television work extends beyond the dramatic: During the 1985-1986 season, he was a regular on NBC's sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, and starred in the sitcom Davis Rules from 1991 until 1992. In addition to his film and television career, Quaid has also found success on-stage in both New York and Los Angeles. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 2006
From the producers of Colonial House, this eight-part PBS miniseries took a family of contemporary California suburbanites and transplanted them to a reasonable facsimile of a "typical" Texas cattle ranch, vintage 1867. Patriarch Bill Cooke, in real life a hospital emergency-services administrator, donned the Stetson and buckskins of a 19th century Texas rancher, while his wife, Lisa, a part-time genealogist, laced herself into the corsets and calico of the standard-issue frontier spouse. Also going along for the ride were the Cookes' daughters, Vienna, Lacey, and Hannah, as well as Stanford University anthropology student Maura Finkelstein, who assumed the role of the Cookes' housekeeper. The ranch hands included a New Yorker of Puerto Rican heritage, a Mexican-American descended from a long line of "vaqueros," a cultural-diversity student, a journalist, a computer geek, a career soldier, and émigrés from Sweden and Great Britain. The producers saw to it that the denizens of the ranch lived under the exact conditions that they would have in the late 1860s, with all the hardships, deprivations, and insect infestations in full attendance. The menfolk were obliged to round up cattle and drive them to market, clear land, build fences, and break horses; the women were confined to the "traditional" household roles of the period, which led to a few flare-ups from the fiercely independent Cooke girls and budding-feminist Maura. There was even a Comanche raid in which one of the ranch hands was taken hostage -- with genuine Comanches reenacting the exploits of their ancestors (and griping about this latest encroachment of white people on their territory). Randy Quaid served as narrator for Texas Ranch House, which debuted in most U.S. markets on May 1, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Bill Cooke, (more)
- 2005
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A series of devastating storms are leveling major cities across the globe, and it's up to discredited scientist Faith Clavell (Shannon Doherty), dedicated storm chaser Tommy Tornado (Randy Quaid), and the FEMA head Judith Carr (Gina Gerson) to journey into the eye of the storm and find out just why mother nature has turned so violently on mankind in the shocking sequel to 2004's weather-gone-wild thriller Category 6: Day of Destruction. An unprecedented Category Six storm has leveled the Eiffel Tower and reduced the Great Pyramids to rubble, and as the pitch black funnel clouds lay waste to anything and everything in their path, three dedicated heroes attempt to discover whether the malevolent weather is the cause of global warming, or something far more sinister. When a vengeful gang of terrorists threaten to use the storms to their advantage by staging a large scale attack the likes of which the world has never seen, it seems as if it very well may be the end of the world. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gina Gershon, Cameron Daddo, (more)
Seven years after playing the David Bowie-esque glam rocker in Velvet Goldmine, actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers tackles the role of the biggest rock-and-roller of all time -- The King -- in this television miniseries. CBS' Elvis traces Elvis Presley's rise from being a humble, poor kid in early-'50s Memphis to being an isolated, prescription-drug-addicted superstar fearful of going on-stage for his 1968 comeback special. Along the way, he's torn between his devotion to his mama Gladys (Camryn Manheim) and the machinations of his stealthy manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker (Randy Quaid). Among Presley's hurdles: his R&B music and performance style prompts cries of obscenity from community leaders; he's drafted for the Army and decides to go; and he longs to become a serious movie star, although the Colonel has different ideas. Elvis was significant in that it was the first biopic of the star to allow the use of The King's original recordings, lip-synched by Rhys-Meyers. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Camryn Manheim, (more)
- 2004
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The family adventure story Treasure Island Kids: The Pirates of Treasure Island features John Callen as Conrad Dawson, a man who has failed at his dream of finding gold treasures on an island. In order to keep his dream alive, he converts the land into a summer camp. Randy Qauid co-stars as the bloodthirsty pirate Captain Flint, who the camp kids must battle in order to protect the island's treasure. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Niko Vella, (more)
Of all of the ways humankind can destroy the planet, none can hold a candle to the awe-inspiring and earth-shattering power of Mother Nature. As chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, Andy Goodman (Brian Dennehy) has seen his share of storms. Now, just days shy of his eagerly anticipated retirement, Goodman is disturbed to discover three separate storm fronts approaching Chicago: a cluster of tornados from the west, a warm storm front from the south, and an Arctic system from the north. As Goodman enlists the aid of his longtime storm-chasing friend "Tornado Tommy" (Randy Quaid) in tracking the storms, ambitious Chicago television reporter Amy Harkin (Nancy McKeon) is busy researching the mysterious drought and record heat wave that has plagued the city for nearly six weeks. Though the citizens of Chicago are warned to reduce their energy consumption by secretary of energy Shirley Abbott (Dianne Wiest) the Windy City is thrust into darkness when severe thunderstorms destroy the city's main power-generating plant. With no means to warn the outside world of the dangers fast approaching, Harkin and Midwest Electric chief of operations Mitch Benson (Thomas Gibson) must race against time to get the word out to citizens and emergency workers before the snowballing blackout causes a complete collapse of the entire North American power grid. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Thomas Gibson, Nancy McKeon, (more)
In the tradition of such elliptical thrillers as The Dead Zone and Memento, prolific television director Michael Watkins' tense tale of murder and intrigue is certain to have viewers firmly planted on the edge of their seats. Physics professor J.T. Neumeyer (Timothy Hutton) is well-renowned for his extensive knowledge and exceptional teaching skills. When J.T. receives a police file detailing his own murder, he notes that the report is dated five days into the future -- triggering a frantic race against the clock to solve the time-bending mystery and escape death's ever-tightening grip. If he had any doubts of the report's validity, any questions are soon put to rest when events in his life begin to mirror those of the ominous report. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Randy Quaid, (more)
- 2003
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After four proper Vacation films, the people at National Lampoon churned out the first spin-off of the series. The direct-to-video National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure stars Randy Quaid as the lovable doofus made popular in the first and third entries in the series. Eddie and his clan are awarded a tropical vacation for the holidays, but their trip doesn't go quite as planned. With the whole family stranded on an island in the South Pacific, they're in for a Christmas like none before. Fred Willard and Ed Asner also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, (more)
- 2003
A typically quirky and eccentric offering from prolific TV producer David E. Kelley, the weekly drama series The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire was set in the titular fictional community, wherein virtually everything of any importance was handled by the three Shaw brothers. Oldest sibling Hank Shaw (Randy Quaid) was the town's police chief and hockey coach; middle brother Garrett (John Carroll Lynch) was the mayor of Poland; and younger brother Waylon (Chris Penn) managed to wield a lot of authority despite the fact that he was an unemployed ex-convict. Also seen were Mare Winningham as Hank's wife Dottie, Elizabeth McGovern as Garrett's wife Helen, Ann Cusack as Waylon's wife Julie, Megan Henning as Garrett's daughter Monica, and Angela Goethals as Waylon's daughter Katie. Best described as Northern Exposure with middle-aged angst and populated with the sort of oddball supporting characters so typical of the Kelley oeuvre, The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire premiered September 24, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Carroll Lynch, Randy Quaid, (more)
The fun begins when Kenny Witowski, a typical middle school student, begins seeking out e-mail pals on the Internet. Thanks to a glitch in the system, Kenny is connected with a correspondent who signs himself "Average Joe," and who solicits our hero's opinion on practically everything. Little does Kevin realize that "Average Joe" is actually one A. Thorton Osgood II -- President of the United States! Mail to the Chief was first telecast on April 2, 2000, as an entry in the ABC anthology The Wonderful World of Disney. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Holland Taylor, (more)
- 2000
Daniel McCabe and Paul Steckler direct this scrupulously-balanced and exhaustively-researched documentary on reactionary Alabaman firebrand George Wallace. The film opens with the outset of Wallace's public career, when -- surprisingly -- he had a reputation of being progressive in regards to race. After a bruising defeat in a 1958 gubernatorial election in which his fire-breathing racist rival John Patterson painted him as something terrifyingly close to being a liberal, Wallace vowed to be seen as soft on race. In 1962, Wallace was swept into office promising "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever." In spite of this confrontational stance and his outspoken opposition to the NAACP, Wallace was, as McCabe and Steckler argue, genuinely furious over the brutal violence against civil rights activists -- if only because it made Alabama look bad. Of course, it was this very violence that eventually gave him a national platform. By the 1968 presidential election, George Wallace garnered 46 electoral votes as a third party candidate, nearly forcing the race into the House of Representatives. For the 1972 race, he was a serious presidential contender, this time for the Democrats, before he was crippled by an assassin's bullet. After being wounded, Wallace claimed that he had found God, and he abandoned his politics of hate. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid
- 1999
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An American businessman rents a cottage in Ireland, only to find the cottage is also inhabited by leprechauns as well. Soon, the American finds himself embroiled in a fierce dispute between the leprechauns and their enemies, the fairies, that only he can help settle. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Whoopi Goldberg, (more)
Bill (Randy Quaid), a wealthy Texan, is fooling around on his wife (Sally Kellerman) with two different women (Jennifer Tilly and Daryl Hannah). But Bill begins realize that he's gotten himself into hot water when all three women in his life begin receiving parts of the same gun in the mail. Gun: All the President's Women also features Sean Young. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daryl Hannah, Sally Kellerman, (more)
The tragic story of the Ruby Ridge "massacre" has been so thoroughly covered and disseminated by the mainstream press that to add anything here would be pointless. Suffice to say that the two-part TV movie The Siege at Ruby Ridge uses the facts at hand to show how the tragedy occurred, and how but for a multitude of blunders and miscommunications on both sides, it could all have been avoided. Randy Quaid stars as white separatist Randy Weaver, who for ten terrible days in 1992 barricaded himself, his family, and a number of zealous followers in a tiny refuge on a remote Idaho mountaintop, while 200 government agents surrounded Weaver's headquarters with orders to arrest Weaver's group alive -- if possible. The catalyst for the crisis is of course Randy Weaver himself, though his wife Vicki (Laura Dern) is shown to be just as rigid, stubborn, and foolhardy as her husband -- maybe even more so. Ultimately, blood is shed and lives are lost, the result of such gross ineptitude that the ramifications of the tragedy would reverberate for decades to come. Featured in the cast is Laura Dern's real-life mother, Diane Ladd, and, in the small role of the Weaver's daughter, a very young Kirsten Dunst. The Siege at Ruby Ridge first aired over CBS on May 19 and 21, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Laura Dern, (more)
This miniseries follows the original Lonesome Dove miniseries, and both are based on the characters created by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry. Although much of the cast has changed from the original, the compelling saga is as satisfying as ever. The Western tale continues with the gritty Captain Woodrow Call (played this time by James Garner), a former Texas Ranger who is hired as a bounty hunter to track down the elusive and brutal Mexican gunman Joey Garza (Alexis Cruz). The characters Pea Eye Parker (Sam Shepard) and Lorena (Sissy Spacek) also return in this moving and atmospheric drama. ~ Jessica Frost, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Garner, Alexis Cruz, (more)
- 1995
A grizzled frontiersman, a snooty Frenchman, and a plucky young lass search for Esperanza, the famed lake of gold up in a remote corner of the Yukon. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Georges Corraface, (more)
- 1995
This made-for-TV drama, based on a series of popular novels by Ed McBain, stars Randy Quaid as Steve Carella, a police detective investigating a series of grisly murders. A serial killer is targeting women who compete in track and field events, and Carella and his team have to find the perpetrator before he can strike again. Supporting cast includes Ving Rhames, Alex McArthur and Eddie Jones; directed by Bruce Paltrow, whose daughter Gwyneth has done all right for herself in the film industry. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1995
When a serial killer starts to prey on female coed runners, the 87th precinct detectives put their own problems on hold on order to catch the maniac. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Alex McArthur, (more)
- 1994
This black comedy about "keeping up with the Joneses" pits a sophisticated college professor and his schoolteacher wife against their next-door neighbors, a loutish beer-drinking butcher, his wife and their son. As each family's pranks against the other escalate, they also start to get crueler and more destructive. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- 1993
The miserable life and long-overdue death of thrill killer Charles Starkweather is the basis of the two-part TV movie Murder in the Heartland. Over a bloody few months in 1958, Starkweather (Tim Roth), a 19-year-old high school dropout, embarked on a killing spree, snuffing out 11 victims. Along for the ride was Charlie's 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate (Fairuza Balk). The debate still goes on as to whether Caril Ann was a willing accomplice or a reluctant prisoner; as played by Ms. Balk, she comes off as dumb as mud. A shorter, fictionalized account of the Starkweather killings was offered in the critically acclaimed 1973 theatrical feature Badlands, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Murder in the Heartland originally aired May 3 and 4, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Roth, Fairuza Balk, (more)
- 1993
Filmed in Eastern Europe, this direct-to-cable adaptation of Mary Shelley's iconographic monster tale features Patrick Bergin as Victor Frankenstein, a medical genius obsessed with the secret of creating life, who uses a bizarre cloning apparatus to grow a complete human being (Randy Quaid) from his own cellular material. Though sensitive and intelligent, the rebellious humanoid is driven by a murderous rage against his creator, compelling him to destroy everything that he holds dear. Aside from the introduction of a psychic link between Victor and his monstrous genetic offspring -- a concept never satisfyingly explored -- this adaptation brings nothing particularly fresh or revolutionary to Shelley's novel. However, production values are admirably high and performances are superb throughout, particularly that of John Mills as the blind forest hermit who befriends the monster. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- 1992
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This video offers a profile of filmmaker Bogdanovich's first great movie, The Last Picture Show, as Cybill Shepherd, Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms and Sam Bottoms, Polly Platt, Randy Quaid and others reveal the impacts that the film had on their lives. ~ Rovi
- 1988
A cocky, irresponsible professional golfer discovers that he will have to clean up his act if he wants to compete in the PGA tour. Based on a novel by Dan Jenkins, this drama originally aired on cable television. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1986
Randy Quaid avoids caricature and cliché in his multifaceted portrayal of Lyndon Baines Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years. This made-for-TV film chronicles the years 1934 through 1963, tracing the beginnings of Johnson's public career, chronicling his reputation for down-and-dirty politicking, and following his progress from congressman to senator to majority leader to vice president. Staunchly at LBJ's side through thick and thin is faithful-wife Lady Bird (Patti LuPone), whose fidelity remains unshaken even while Johnson dallies with other women. Charles Frank co-stars as John F. Kennedy, whose assassination catapults the reluctant Johnson into the presidency that he'd always wanted to win on his own merits. Less than six days before LBJ: The Early Year premiered on February 1, 1987, author Larry L. King picked apart the film's inaccuracies in a TV Guide article. Audiences cared not for absolute truth, and had a grand old time watching Randy Quaid impersonate the amazing Mr. Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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