Tracy Bogart Movies
Harvey Fierstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit was adapted for the screen by Fierstein himself. The playwright also repeats his stage role of female impersonator Arnold Beckoff, aka nightclub entertainer "Virginia Hamm." The three-part plotline, whittled down to accommodate the film's 117-minute running time, concerns Arnold's seriocomic efforts to find a lasting relationship. We first meet Arnold in 1971, when his heart is broken by his bisexual lover, Ed (Brian Kerwin). Next we find Arnold in 1973, enjoying short-lived happiness with his true love, Alan (Matthew Broderick). The final act takes place in 1980: Arnold, still grieving over Alan's sudden death and struggling to raise the young boy that the couple had adopted, has a long-anticipated showdown with his uncompromising mother, superbly played by Anne Bancroft. A witty film that is by turns touching and outrageous, Torch Song Trilogy works well despite its somewhat soft-pedaled approach to the material. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anne Bancroft, Matthew Broderick, (more)
In the third and final film in the Oh, God! franchise, Bobby Shelton (Ted Wass) is a struggling musician who can't get a break, which bothers him all the more now that his wife, Wendy (Roxanne Hart), is about to have a baby. Desperate and depressed, Bobby announces that he'd sell his soul to get ahead. Suddenly, Harry O. Tophat (George Burns), Satan's earthly representative, appears and offers Bobby a deal -- seven years of unprecentented fame and fortune in exchange for his soul. Bobby cynically accepts and discovers that the devil is true to his word, but he finds that the trappings of fame and wealth are empty pleasures, and he loses Wendy along the way. When Bobby declares that he's made a horrible mistake, God (Burns), who has been watching over Bobby, offers to help get his soul back as the devil offers Bobby's place in eternity as the prize in a poker game. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Burns, Ted Wass, (more)
- 1979
Archie rushes Stephanie to the hospital when she suffers an attack of appendicitis. Upon meeting Stephanie's doctor, however, Archie very nearly rushes Stephanie back home again. It turns out that Dr. Shapiro (George Wyner) was once the childhood playmate of Archie's daughter, Gloria -- and seemingly for this reason alone, he refuses to operate on Stephanie. Written by Phil Sharp and Milt Josefsberg, "The Appendectomy" first aired on January 21, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1977
Archie is driven crazy by the persistent yapping of the dog owned by his neighbor Barney Hefner. Things get worse when Archie accidentally runs over the dog with his car, and tries to rush the animal to the vet without Barney knowing anything about it. As the episode draws to a conclusion, Archie's attitude towards animals in general and dogs in particular undergoes a few remarkable changes. Written by Charles Stewart, Ben Starr, Mort Lachman, and Milt Josefsberg, "Archie's Dog Day Afternoon" originally aired on March 12, 1977, as the final episode of All in the Family's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1975
In order to pass a company physical, Archie must lower his normally high blood pressure. This means that Archie must remain absolutely calm, no matter what the provocation. Unfortunately, the family is in the midst of debate over the naming of Gloria's baby -- and it's still two days before the physical. Often credited to Michael Ross and Bernie West, this episode was actually written by Mel Tolkin and Larry Rhine. "Grandpa Blues" was first telecast on November 10, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1974
Previously filmed with Paul Muni in 1959, Gerald Green's novel The Last Angry Man was adapted for television by Green himself, who restored the original book's Depression-era setting in the process. Pat Hingle steps into the Muni role as crusty, temperamental Dr. Sam Abelman, who tends to the residents of a seedy Brooklyn tenement neighborhood. Refusing to treat his patients as victims of society, Sam practices his craft with a heady combination of common sense and tenderness. He is particularly interested in the welfare of a hostile teenager (Paul Jabara), whose violent temper may be attributable to a serious brain condition. Since this was the pilot for a proposed TV series, Dr. Abelman was not permitted to "die" in as spectacular a fashion as his counterpart in the 1959 film, but instead soldier on at fadeout time with the assistance of his daughters Sarah (Lynn Carlin) and Eunice (Tracy Bogart). This version of The Last Angry Man was broadcast by ABC on April 16, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
- R
In this sexploitation film from Roger Corman's New World films, three buxom student teachers use alternative methods to instruct their handsome young students. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1971
Skin Game was historically significant as the 2000th film produced by Warner Bros. studios. The film is a comedy western starring James Garner and Louis Gossett Jr. as a pair of clever Antebellum con men. Garner regularly "sells" the black Gossett into slavery for an exalted price, then "liberates" Gossett so that they can move on to the next sucker. Unfortunately, they outsmart themselves, and before long Gossett seems doomed to a lifetime of forced servitude. They are rescued by pretty pickpocket Susan Clark, who has a few surprises in store for them. Skin Game was supposed to be spun off into a TV series, but the project never got any farther than the 1974 pilot film Sidekicks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
