Madlyn Rhue Movies
Madlyn Rhue, on her own in New York since the mid-'50s, took short-term jobs ranging from cigarette girl to magician's assistant. She made her TV acting debut in 1959, the same year that she appeared in her first film, The Miracle. Not a great beauty by 1960s standards, Rhue's face had an aura of inner resilience, enabling her to portray virtually everything from long-suffering heroines to calculating villainesses. Her busy private life was always a source of interest to gossip columnists; in her heyday, she was squired by such eligibles as Cary Grant and Vic Damone. In the 1980s, Rhue fell victim to a neuromuscular illness which limited her to roles that did not require her to walk or stand up. Eventually, Madlyn Rhue worked just long enough each year to cover her medical expenses; she was most often seen in the recurring role of the Cabot Cove librarian in the weekly TV mystery series Murder She Wrote. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1996
Seth Hazlitt (William Windom arranges for Cabot Cove to stage a rock concert benefit to save a local patch of woods. The star of the concert is Tommy Vaughn (eith Coulouris), a popular singer who is anything but popular to the people who work for him. Inevitably, a murder occurs, with an electric guitar as the weapon. Jessica (Angela Lansbury) plays a few detection riffs herself to find out which of the dead man's many enemies is the guilty party. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1995
Megan Follows leaves her Anne of Green Gables TV persona behind to portray Lila Nolan, a young Boston-based nurse who is suspected of mercy killing. Two of Lila's elderly patients have died under mysterious circumstances, and now she has arrived in Cabot Cove to provide home care for ailing Maggie Saunders (Audra Lindley)--who happens to be the best friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). Be assured that murder will soon rear its ugly head, and that Jessica will find herself in the position of defending Lila against a false charge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1994
Season Ten of Murder, She Wrote concludes as a small-time carnival pitches its tents just outside Cabot Cove. The troupe's arrival coincides with a series of mysterious burglaries which plagued the town. Then, the carnival's larcenous magician Carl Dorner (Bradford Dillman) is murdered--and that's when Jessica (Angela Lansbury) stars performing a bit of verbal prestidigitation in order to figure out which of Dorner's many enemies perpetrated the deed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1993
A mysterious gentleman named Lawrence Baker (David Birney) moves into Cabot Cove and takes possession of a Victorian mansion that is regarded as a local landmark. Baker's curious behavior causes rumors to fly that there is something supernatural, even vampiric about him. And then, Baker is found dead...with a wooden stake through his heart. Jessica (Angela Lansbury) of course wants to find out what really happened--after all, detective work is in her bloooood! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1991
The mother of the title is played by Meredith Baxter. Her daughter (Carrie Hamilton) is raped by an unknown assailant who leaves no tangible clues behind. Obsessed with bringing the rapist out in the open, Ms. Baxter sets herself up as a potential assault victim. Farfetched though it sounds, A Mother's Justice was based on an actual case that occurred in Portland, Oregon. This TV movie had the rotten luck to be scheduled opposite Monday Night Football and a CBS M*A*S*H retrospective when it was first telecast on November 25, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Father Barnes (Hunt Block), a young Cabot Cove priest, refuses to reveal the words spoken by a parishioner during Confessional. It doesn't matter that the parishioner has confessed to killing a person in self-defense: Father Barnes is bound by the rules of his order, and remains mum. The situation gets worse when another person is accused of the killing, at which point Jessica Fletcher, bound by no rules other than her own, decides to intervene. This episode marks the first of several series appearances by Madlyn Rhue, an actress who had been forced into virtual retirement by multiple sclerosis, but who was able to pay her medical bills by occasionally appearing on Murder She Wrote through the auspices of her friend Angela Lansbury. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
Loretta Swit was still appearing on a weekly basis in MASH when she starred in the made-for-TV Games Mother Never Taught You. She plays Laura Bentells, the first female executive in a traditionally "good ole boy" office. Refusing to be patronized or disregarded, Laura quickly learns the ropes of corporate gamesmanship. Sam Waterston and Eileen Heckart co-star as, respectively, Laura's husband and mother. And that's an uncredited Madlyn Rhue as the wife of skirt-chasing executive David Spielberg. Based on the "from the front lines" book by Betty Lehan Harrigan, Games Mother Never Taught You first aired November 27, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Loretta Swit, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1981
This made-for-TV suspenser stars Suzanne Pleshette as famous soap opera writer Carla Webber. Carla turns detective when the cast members of her program begin dying under mysterious circumstances. Barry Newman plays the investigating detective, while Robert Vaughn and Patrick O'Neal are special guest suspects. The film's principal attraction (and a hardly unexpected one) is the presence in the supporting cast of then-current soap opera stars: All My Children's Peter Bergman, General Hospital's Stuart Damon and Robin Mattson, Ryan's Hope's John Gabriel, and One Life to Live's Robert S. Woods. Fantasies was first networkcast January 18, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
It's a personal matter for Quincy's boss Dr. Astin (John S. Ragin) when his teenage niece Melody (Karlene Crockett) is charged with vehicular homicide. An alcoholic who suffers from lapses of memory, Melody may have been behind the wheel in the car crash that claimed the life of her best friend. Making matters worse, Astin himself is obliged by law to make a ruling on the case. Reluctant to pass judgment on his own flesh and blood, Astin asks Quincy to temporarily switch places with him, leading to some surprising complications. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
All but forgotten in recent years, the made-for-TV Goldie and the Boxer enjoyed a new lease on life when it was resyndicated to TV in the mid-1990s to capitalize on the notoriety of its star, O. J. Simpson. An old-fashioned tearjerker from the Champ school, the film stars Simpson as unknown boxer Joe Gallegher. Spurred by his friendship with Goldie Kellog (Melissa Michaelsen), the 10-year-old daughter of deceased boxing champ Paul Kellog (John Roselius), Joe goes the distance to the Title. Phil Silvers does an "Ed Wynn" as Joe's heart-of-gold trainer. First telecast December 20, 1979, Goldie and the Boxer performed well enough to encourage a 1981 sequel, Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- O.J. Simpson, Melissa Michaelsen, (more)
- 1979
This attenuated adaptation of Helen Van Slyke's novel stars Donna Reed (her first TV appearance in 12 years) as a widow with financial and domestic problems. Her adult daughter Stephanie Zimbalist has turned to drugs; her sons Michael Shannon and Tim Hutton have less severe but no less time-consuming personal difficulties; and her mother Mildred Dunnock is aloof and remonstrative. In addition, Reed is torn between two loves: old flame Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and doctor John Phillip Law, who is young enough to be her son. The above-mentioned plot contrivances would seem to be sufficient to fill the four hours (and two parts) of The Best Place to Be several times over; still, there's time enough left over for a tragedy to strike Reed's family before she finally settles down with the elder Zimbalist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephanie Zimbalist
- 1976
Big-game hunter David Farrow (Roy Thinnes) is hired to track down bank robbery suspect Clel Bocock (William Smith), who has escaped into the swamps of Louisiana. Complications arise when Farrow confronts Bocock's backwoods family and falls in love with the fugitive's wife, Mara (Sandra Dee). Originally intended for broadcast in 1968, The Manhunter was, for reasons unknown, consigned to the shelf until it was sold to British television, where it debuted in the spring of 1972. The film finally aired in America courtesy of the NBC network on April 3, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
In an intriguing change of pace, gimlet-eyed SFPD detective Mike Stone (Karl Malden) dons the greasepaint, red nose and floppy shoes of a circus clown. It's all part of an undercover assignment to ferret out the murderer of two retired circus riggers whose deaths occur just before a gala Big Top performance at San Francisco's Cow Palace. Featured in the cast as "Sparky" is former Sugarfoot star Will Hutchins, who in real life had retired from acting to pursue a career as a professional clown. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
In this pilot film for the NBC TV series Medical Story, idealistic young intern Dr. Steve Drucker (Beau Bridges) clashes with three of his superiors over whether a prominent actress should have a hysterectomy. The woman in question is played by Harriet Karr, who had undergone a similar experience in real life. In fact, Karr's ordeal was the inspiration for this film, which was produced and written by her husband, Abby Mann (who also partially adapted the script from an unrelated novel by Dr. Howard A. Oglin). Medical Story first aired on September 4, 1975; the series itself was broadcast weekly until January 8, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
In this first episode of Baretta, gonzo undercover cop Tony Baretta sets up a phony numbers bank to trap prominent mobster Frank Cassell (Joseph Mascolo). In his off hours, Baretta romantically pursues the lovely Sharon Fowler (Madlyn Rhue), whom he wants to marry despite her protests that living together is the way to go. Tragically, their relationship is literally terminated when Sharon is killed by Cassell's hired thugs. Throwing "police procedure" in the wastebasket, the grieving Baretta vows to take his own personal revenge against Cassell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Dana Elcar, (more)
- 1974
Connie Stevens appears both with and without clothing in this made-for-TV a clef version of the Marilyn Monroe saga. The script, based on Alvah Bessie's novel The Symbol, contrives to have Stevens portray La Monroe in everything but name, right down to entering into a marriage with a famous sports figure (also given a fictitious name). ABC was threatened with legal action by several interested parties upon announcing plans to telecast Sex Symbol. The film was ultimately shown, albeit with several minutes of nudity and profanity trimmed (this was 1974, not 1994), though the missing footage was well documented in the press. The full "director's cut" version was shown theatrically in Europe, but has yet to be released on videotape. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Connie Stevens, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1974
Policewoman Fran Belding (Elizabeth Baur) has a new man in her life: Jim Marshall (Gary Lockwood), a police detective who is long on charm but dangerously short on temper. Marshall's well-known propensity for violence catches up with him when he is suspected of two murders. Ironside (Raymond Burr) wants to know if Marshall's current dilemma is linked to a case he once pursued with his former partner--a private detective who is no saint himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Ironside (Raymond Burr) heads to a farming community at the request of Vickie Dunhill (Kathy Cannon), the 18-year-old fiancee of wealthy middle-aged rancher Aaron Clark (Steve Forrest). It seems that a murder has occurred, and that the local citizens, resentful over the fact that Clark has "stolen" the delectable Vickie from her flock of young male admirers, are anxious to pin the blame on him. Though he tries to prove the rancher's innocence, Ironside is hampered by the fact that he and Clark have hated each other since their Navy days! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
Murray Hamilton guest-stars as deranged nuclear scientist Dr. Jerome Cooper, who threatens to destroy an unspecified American city with a hydrogen bomb unless the President capitulates to his demands. Normally, the IMF would have no trouble defusing such a bomb; the problem here is to find out where the bomb has been planted--and the agents have only 15 hours to do so. Barbara Anderson again subs for series regular Lynda Day George as the resident female IMF agent. Scripted by Harold Livingston from a story by Livingston and Sheyrl Hendrix, "Ulitmatum" was originally broadcast on November 18, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1972
In this comedy, a burned out bookkeeper thinks about selling his soul to Satan. His thoughts invoke the presence of a bungling messenger from the devil himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1972
An insurance investigator looks into the mysterious disappearance of a professional football player during a live, televised game. An episode of the "Banacek" TV series. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- 1972
- PG
This gag-filled movie makes a stab at examining the women's liberation movement but never quite gets there. The effects of the movement are shown through a series of comic and romantic episodes between men and women. The story is loosely tied together as the research of Sheila Hammond (Jacqueline Bisset), a fashion magazine editor who is preparing an article on women's liberation. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1971
This episode marks the first series appearance of Elizabeth Baur as rookie policewoman Fran Belding. Anxious to prove that her murdered police-captain father is innocent of corruption charges, Fran tags along with Ironside and his team as they conduct their investigation of the killing. Though the overeager rookie proves to be more hindrance than help, Ironside is impressed by her diligence and dedication. Meanwhile, two-bit gambler Charlie (played by singer Bobby Darin in one of his last TV appearances) weaves in and out of the plotline, "helpfully" providing information that might clear Fran's dad--all the while pursuing a sinister hidden agenda. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
- G
Kenner (Jim Brown) arrives in India to seek revenge on the people who killed his business associate. An Indian lad Saji (Ricky Cordell) befriends the American adventurer and helps Kenner. The boy's mother Anasuya (Madlyn Rhue) is wary of the situation until she discovers Kenner is a good man and falls in love with him. The duo tracks down the villain Tom Jordan (Charles Horvath) to set up the ultimate battle between good and evil. Spectacular scenery of India and one of the movies' earliest interracial kisses dominate this action drama. The feature was filmed in 1967 in Bombay, India and reveals many Hindu customs and rituals. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jim Brown, Madlyn Rhue, (more)
- 1967
The Enterprise discovers a seemingly abandoned spaceship that proves to be an Earth vessel dating from the late 20th century in this episode of the original Star Trek series. A search of the ship reveals several crew members in suspended animation, whom Captain Kirk and the others proceed to reanimate. Unluckily for the Enterprise, these inhabitants prove to be the only survivors of a group of power-hungry, genetically engineered superhumans who had once led a violent attempt to take over the Earth. Soon, under the guidance of their ruthless, charismatic leader Khan, they have seized control of the Enterprise, as the first step towards universal domination. The character of Khan, portrayed by Ricardo Montalban, was a memorable enough villain to be resurrected years later as Kirk's driven nemesis in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan(1982). ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
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