Joan Severance Movies
Lead actress, onscreen from 1987. ~ Rovi- 1998
This film is based on the extraordinary and at times outrageous life of Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman (aptly played by Ann-Margret), who arrived in America from her native England. During her 40 years in the U.S. she managed to marry powerful and wealthy men and work her way into the highest echelons of New York and Washington's society. Part of her success was due to her ability to periodically reinvent herself to meet the changing face of society and the men she needed to feed her considerable ambitions. It was not until much later in her life that she discovered that she could find success on her own, without a man. The highlight of her new life was when President Bill Clinton appointed her the ambassador to France. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ann-Margret, David Dukes, (more)
- 1998
Loosely following the format of ABC's 1969-74 comedy anthology series Love, American Style, Aaron Spelling's first Love Boat set sail September 24, 1977 with the series' intertwining stories all taking place aboard the cruise ship Pacific Princess, captained by Gavin MacLeod. Spelling Television updated the concept in this 1998 romantic comedy series with Captain Jim Kennedy III (Robert Urich) retired from the Navy and now at the helm of the luxury liner Sun Princess. There's a full crew of regulars on board, and Kennedy's 15-year-old mischievous son Danny (Kyle Howard) roams the ship while it cruises about in search of love, Caribbean style. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Urich, Joan Severance, (more)
In this sequel to John Dahl's acclaimed thriller, Bridgette Gregory (Joan Severance) is hiding out in Spain when she sinks her claws into an unscrupulous British businessman; meanwhile, she has to stay a few steps ahead of a bounty hunter who wants to bring her to justice. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Severance, Con O'Neill, (more)
- 1997
- R
A deadly secret results in a dangerous bond between a young man, his best friend and his sexy half-sister, a woman who has no trouble seducing both men and pitting them against each other. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Severance, Bryan Kestner, (more)
- 1997
- R
In this erotic crime thriller, a gad-about millionaire (Lance Hendrickson) accused of killing a series of female club patrons in Los Angeles sets out to seduce the criminal psychologist (Joan Severance) assigned to assess him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lance Henriksen, Joan Severance, (more)
- 1997
- R
Assistant District Attorney Theresa (Joan Severance) is getting threatening messages -- a mutilated cat in her car, bizarre notes regarding her attempts at getting pregnant -- pressuring her to purposely lose a high-profile case of a suspected serial killer who shot a detective. When her high-strung surgeon husband (Nick Mancuso) is kidnapped, and a finger with his wedding ring is found frying in a pan in Theresa's kitchen, she calls for help from Michael D'Angelo (C. Thomas Howell), a disgraced alcoholic detective who frequents bondage nightclubs and was recently dismissed from the force. The two are former lovers, and the stress of the continued slayings of prostitutes, the kidnapping of her husband, and the icky-sicky messages rekindle their passion for each other. But then Theresa discovers who all the clues to the killings and mysterious goings-on point to. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Joan Severance, (more)
- 1996
Jack Wagner stars in this made-for-TV drama as Nick Rawlings, a Dallas-based commercial airline pilot with (to say the very least) a well-populated private life. But bluntly, Nick is a serial bigamist, with one wife named Jobeth (Shelley Hack) in Dallas and another named Alison (Joan Severance) in Chicago--and a young fiancée named Miriam (Nicole Eggert) in Hawaii. Though he has managed to keep the various women in his life from finding out about one another via a sophisticated system of high-tech subterfuge, Nick's chickens start coming home to roost when Jobeth begins wondering about a bill for a $9000 anniversary present which she has never received. Though based on a true story, the film ends on a note of comic irony that would not be out of place in a Billy Wilder picture! Frequent Flyer first aired March 10, 1996 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1996
- R
This campy but inferior sequel from director Jonathan Winfrey stars sexy Joan Severance as the masked avenger Black Scorpion, here pitted against a crazed earthquake researcher (Sherrie Rose). The mayor wants federal construction contracts, so he sabotages Rose's project, a revolutionary earthquake-blocking device. All Rose wanted was to be a hero, and the treachery drives her insane enough to don a tight red outfit and becomes a super-villain. Calling herself Aftershock, the disturbed scientist breaks depraved master criminal Gangster Prankster (Stoney Jackson) out of jail, and together they plan to level the city. Garrett Morris is back as Argyle, and Gangster Prankster kidnaps his girlfriend in order to get the Scorpion-mobile. It's up to Black Scorpion to stop them, but in doing so she must confront her own cowardice and win the heart of her new partner/roommate (Whip Hubley). This adventure is even more Batman-oriented than the 1995 original, especially with regard to Gangster Prankster's Joker-like hideout, henchmen, and deadly traps. Still, except for Stoney Jackson -- who is delightfully manic -- the rest of the cast seems to forget that campy films require exuberance, and they mostly phone in their performances. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Severance, Whip Hubley, (more)
- 1995
- R
For men such as Trent Turner having it all is never enough. In this actioner, his intrinsic avarice gets him involved in a deadly web of drug smugglers, extortion and murder. The trouble begins when he decides to leave his wife and lovely home to spend a hot weekend with his mistress in Vancouver. There he learns that she makes her living as a drug runner. She is in the midst of making a delivery when a threatening DEA agent shows up. In the ensuing scuffle, Turner kills the agent to save the girl and himself. He thinks his troubles are over then, but they are far from it, for soon he finds that the drug lord who employs his girl friend is trying to blackmail him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
This B-movie from director Rodman Flender (The Unborn) was originally broadcast on Showtime's Roger Corman Presents series. Joan Severance stars as a cop who becomes a leather-clad superhero named Black Scorpion when her father is murdered in a barroom shooting. The murder is part of a seemingly random crimewave engineered by an asthmatic villain called the Breathtaker, who wears a big metal suit like comic book bad-guy Dr. Doom. Breathtaker is planning to turn the whole city into his wheezing slaves by way of poisoned gas masks, and Severance must stop him. In between, she gets former car-thief Argyle (Saturday Night Live alumnus Garrett Morris) to build her a super Scorpion-mobile and tries to keep her identity secret from former partner/lover Bruce Abbott (Re-Animator). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Severance, Garrett Morris, (more)
- 1994
In this unofficial remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, an ex-con gets a job at a run-down roadside diner owned by a blind former prison guard. He commences an affair with the owner's wife, and they both plan to kill him and find a hidden treasure. Their plan starts to unravel, however, and a deputy sheriff and another ex-con start to cause problems for the couple. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Joan Severance, (more)
- 1993
Joan Severance stars in this erotic thriller as Melanie Hudson, a police officer involved with a man suspected of several sex-related killings. Her partner, who is also her ex-boyfriend, is convinced the man is guilty; Melanie is certain he's innocent, until her investigation plants a seed of doubt in her mind. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Severance, Anthony John Denison, (more)
This erotic drama stars Joan Severance as Irene, a repressed housewife who develops a lustful and somewhat obsessive attraction to Billy (Billy Zane), a handsome landscaper working with a crew of laborers on her yard. With both her husband and son gone on a fishing trip for a few days, Irene becomes a stowaway in her own camper, which Billy steals for a weekend getaway with his girlfriend Grace (May Karasun), unaware that Irene is inside. After Irene joins the surprised couple, she's invited to join them as they relax in rural environs and enjoy a Chinese festival being held nearby. Thanks to the willing and able assistance of Billy and Grace, Irene also unlocks her sexual side and discovers some deeply repressed desires. Lake Consequence (1992) was created by the soft-core drama duo of director Rafael Eisenman and writer/producer Zalman King. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- 1991
- R
In this thriller, Jamie Sanford (Chris Mulkey) is murdered by a group of counterfeiters when he attempts to expose them in order to secure an early parole. However, when aspiring writer Clark (Scott Valentine) learns of his brothers death, he sets out to exact revenge and bring the guilty to justice. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Scott Valentine, Joan Severance, (more)
- 1991
- R
When an archaeologist uncovers an ancient Norse power stone, he returns with it to his New York City home. Too bad for the relic-digger, because it's not long before an evil spirit is projected from the stone into the archaeologist, turning him into a hairy beast. And too bad for the people of NYC, because this hairy beast goes on a vicious marauding spree that befuddles the local police. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Riegert, Joan Severance, (more)
- 1991
Dom DeLuise's son Michael holds the directorial reins in the direct-to-video Almost Pregnant. Onetime "Charlie's Angel" Tanya Roberts plays a woman who'll do anything to become pregnant. Since her hubby Jeff Conaway can't deliver the goods, she decides to rely upon a surrogate. Her first new partner turns out to have had a vasectomy-and this is only the beginning. The director's dad makes an amusing appearance in this strident but undeniably funny bedroom farce. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1991
Jack Scalia stars as a Hollywood policeman whose wife (Joan Severance) will stop at nothing to claim a $2 million inheritance. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1991
- Add Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind to QueueAdd Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind to top of Queue
The original made-for-TV Pair of Aces starred Kris Kristofferson as a Texas Ranger who, while searching for a serial killer, is aided and abetted by introspective safecracker Willie Nelson. The Kristofferson-Nelson combo proved so unbeatable in the ratings that a sequel was immediately commissioned. In Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind, Kris and Willie team up to rout out a dangerous vigilante organization, headed by Rip Torn. The "third" of the kind is Joan Severance, playing Kristofferson's unlikely love interest. Written by Rob Gilmer and directed by actor Bill Bixby (Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Incredible Hulk et. al.), Another Pair of Aces was first telecast April 9, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, (more)
The can't-miss teaming of Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn is squandered on a clumsy, illogical romantic melodrama. Running across her old boyfriend Gibson at a Wisconsin gas station, Hawn is astounded that he seems not to recognize her. How could she have known that Gibson was put into the Witness Relocation Program after testifying against a homicidal mob boss (say, don't they usually alter your appearance when they put you in that program?) Curious over Gibson's furtive behavior, Hawn unknowingly sets herself up as a target for the bad guys. The whole affairs culminates in an after-hours showdown at a zoo (a plot device vastly improved upon in the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Eraser). While Bird on a Wire admittedly has its moments of enjoyment, most of the film is on a par with Gibson's embarrassing, homophobic scene with a pair of epicine hairdressers. And whoever heard of the Chinatown section of Racine, Wisconsin? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, (more)
A self-centered womanizer makes a wager that he will be able to propose to three women in a three month time and have each one accept in this romantic Philadelphia-set comedy. His three victims are an icy concert pianist, an innocent blonde receptionist for the Philadelphia Eagles, and a rich, horny hausfrau. The fellow plans to prove his success by videotaping each proposal. Sure enough he succeeds, but things quickly sour when the ladies find out that he's duped them. They then team up to get revenge and teach him a thing or two about real love. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Madeleine Stowe, (more)
The third pairing of comic actors Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder was much less successful than their previous team-ups, Silver Streak(1976) and Stir Crazy (1980). Wilder plays Dave, the deaf proprietor of a newsstand and employer of blind gambler Wally (Pryor). When Wally's bookie is shot and killed at the stand, Dave and Wally are arrested for the crime. Since the deaf Dave had his back turned and didn't see the crime, while the blind Wally only heard it, the clues they have to offer the police are slim -- Dave's glimpse of a shapely leg and Wally's whiff of a perfume called Shalimar. It turns out the dead man was in possession of a coin that he dropped into Dave's tip box, which Wally is now carrying. The coin contains a valuable microchip sought by crime baron Sutherland (Anthony Zerbe), for whom hired killer Eve (Joan Severance) and her British partner, Kirgo (Kevin Spacey), are working. Posing as lawyers, Eve and Kirgo spring Dave and Wally from jail, leading to a series of misadventures as the coin changes hands and the two sensory-challenged pals attempt to learn who has framed them and why. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
Hulk Hogan, in an inarguably appropriate casting choice, plays a professional wrestler in this action-packed drama. Rip (Hogan) is a grappling star who is approached by Brell (Kurt Fuller), the new head of the World Television Network. Brell wants Rip to wrestle on his network, but Rip insists on honoring his commitment to another outlet. Brell responds by launching a show called "Battle of the Tough Guys," in which the beefy regulars of a particularly rough drinking establishment fight each other on camera. Zeus (Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr.) soon emerges as the bad guy champion on this new show, and Brell uses Rip's friendship with his assistant Samantha (Joan Severance) to arrange a bout between Zeus and Rip. Rip is not at all interested until Zeus injures his brother and makes the fight a matter of personal pride. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hulk Hogan, Kurt Fuller, (more)
