DCSIMG
 
 

Susan Tyrrell Movies

Susan Tyrrell was still a preteen when she made her Broadway debut in Time Out for Ginger. Tyrrell honed her craft in summer stock and repertory, generally cast as traditional ingenues. It was while at New York's Lincoln Rep that the actress truly blossomed, playing an astonishing variety of trollops, dysfunctionals and drunks. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of burned-out alcoholic Oma in Fat City (1972). Seldom bothering with subtlety, Tyrrell has essayed tough-shelled characterizations in films as far-ranging as Andy Warhol's Bad (1977) and Big-Top Pee-wee (1988). By the 1990s, her character range extended from small-town bartenders to big-city mayors. On TV, Tyrrell has played Gretchen Feester in Open All Night (1981) and an abrasive recurring character in MacGruder and Loud (1985). With all her movie and TV activity, Susan Tyrrell has never completely abandoned the stage, periodically trodding the boards in her self-written stage piece My Rotten Life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
1971  
PG  
Add Shoot Out to Queue Add Shoot Out to top of Queue  
This western drama from the team that made True Grit -- director Henry Hathaway, screenwriter Marguerite Roberts. and producer Hal B. Wallis -- stars Gregory Peck as a gunfighter who served a seven-year stretch in prison after his partner turned on him during a bank robbery. Shortly after his release, he's saddled with the responsibility of looking after a six-year-old girl while looking for his old sidekick with revenge on his mind. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Gregory PeckDawn Lyn, (more)
 
1971  
 
Richard Farina's late-1960s "alienation" novel Been Down So Long it Looks Like Up to Me was given a belated, and somewhat anachronistic, screen treatment in 1971. Though set in 1958, the original novel spoke most loudly to the post-Beat Generation hippies of the next decade. The film spoke to no one, except perhaps a few ageing hipsters who couldn't shake off the past. Barry Primus plays the central character, a sixties activist in the making on an uptight college campus. Amidst the jive-talk and the scrungy clothing, the film contains a few obligatory sex scenes, indicating perhaps that it was this element of beatnik life that most attracted the filmmakers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

 
1971  
 
Hoss Cartwright's testimony results in a prison term for the husband of alcoholic dance-hall girl Jill Conway (Susan Tyrell). Motivated by a combination of resentment and desperation, Jill leaves her son Petey (Johnny Lee) in Hoss' care. At first prepared to adopt the abandoned boy, Hoss opts instead to give the dissolute Mrs. Conway a second chance. Also appearing are Arthur O'Connell as Dr. Hubert and Ford Rainey as Judge Simms. Written by Ward Hawkins, "Fallen Woman" first aired September 26, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Lorne GreeneMichael Landon, (more)
 
1971  
R  
In this comedy, Harold Weiss (Richard Benjamin) is a professor at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when a nuclear holocaust seemed imminent. Rather than sit around waiting to die, he decides to drive from Long Island to Los Angeles, taking in such sights as Las Vegas along the way. As he travels, he assumes different momentary identities which he uses--to humorous effect--in his interactions with the people he meets. This story is captured in a number of short sketch-like episodes, as the professor acts out his fantasies with increasing abandon. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

 Read More

 
1972  
PG  
Add Fat City to Queue Add Fat City to top of Queue  
With a screenplay adapted by Leonard Gardner from his own novel, John Huston's drama examines the meager hopes and resigned dreams of small-time boxers. In limbo between retirement and his youthful prime, alcoholic farm laborer Tully (Stacy Keach) shacks up with fellow outcast Oma (Susan Tyrrell) and keeps trying to make a boxing comeback, but his personal demons repeatedly overpower his ambitions. Meanwhile, fellow Stockton, CA resident and budding fighter Ernie (Jeff Bridges) takes Tully's advice to join trainer Ruben (Nicholas Colasanto)'s gym and make something of himself. Learning the tough lesson that winning is not as easy as it sounds, Ernie is still determined to get what he can out of boxing and, unlike Tully, not let disappointments get the best of him. Shot on location in Stockton by Conrad Hall, the film maintains a realistic, slice-of-life view of Tully's and Ernie's struggles, eschewing theatrical boxing victories for psychological and social details. As Huston avowed at the Cannes Film Festival that Fat City's virtue was its "modesty," critics agreed that he had made his best film in two decades; and Tyrrell was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. However, despite the praise and the efforts of producer Ray Stark, Fat City failed at the box office. Even so, its unromanticized depiction of modest wins and personal losses revealed that old Hollywood pro Huston had adapted well to the late '60s-early '70s New Hollywood grit, and the film revived his artistic standing. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Stacy KeachJeff Bridges, (more)
 
1974  
R  
Screenwriter John Good's rock & roll adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello is a real oddity and features some surprisingly good tunes. Set in the American Southwest, Othello is a wandering evangelist who happens onto Iago's remote commune. There he marries the lovely Desdemona much to the chagrin of Iago, who also loves her. The conniving commune leader then manages to quietly pressure Othello until murder and tragedy ensue. Songs include: "Othello", "Working on a Building," "Eat the Bread, Drink the Wine," "Book of Prophecy," "That's What God Said," "Chug a Lug," "Open Your Eyes," "Lust of the Blood," "Put Out the Light" and more. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Richie HavensSeason Hubley, (more)
 
1974  
PG  
Based on Lillian Bos Ross' novel The Stranger and adapted by screenwriter Marc Norman 25 years before he would win the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for 1999's Shakespeare in Love (along with Tom Stoppard), Zandy's Bride is a romantic Western starring (Gene Hackman) as gruff rural rancher Zandy Allan. Looking more for an extra hand around the ranch than a companion, Zandy sends for a mail-order bride from Sweden. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't get what he expected. When his bride, Hannah (Liv Ullmann), arrives she is anything but compliant, bearing a headstrong attitude that rubs Zandy the wrong way. Although he mistreats her at first, Zandy and Hannah fall in love as hardship hits and they must struggle together for their survival. Also starring Eileen Heckart and Harry Dean Stanton, Zandy's Bride was also released under the title For Better, For Worse. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Gene HackmanLiv Ullmann, (more)
 
1975  
 
Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) goes undercover as a stevedore to investigate a series of dockside murders. Unfortunately, a waitress with a long-standing grudge against Baretta recognizes him. Will she blow the whistle on his cover, thereby putting both Tony and herself in jeopardy? Susan Tyrrell essays a dual role in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Robert BlakeEdward Grover, (more)
 
1975  
 
To Kill the King is an obscure mid-1970s political intrigue film. It's so obscure, in fact, that if it hadn't been listed in TV Guide, it might have been written off as a fabrication. Filmed shortly after the Watergate debacle, the story contains several far-from-veiled references to that political disaster. An assassination in the higher echelons of government trickles down to the private sector, sparking plots and conspiracies that would shame the Borgias. For such a little-known film, To Kill the King boasts an impressive cast, including Patrick O'Neal, Susan Tyrrell and Barry Morse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

 
1976  
R  
Stacy Keach plays Lou Ford, a deputy sheriff whose brutal childhood experiences have left him emotionally warped. Ford is prized by his community for his no-mercy treatment of criminals. But the danger that he will snap and begin killing indiscriminately is ever-present. Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, in this adaptation Ford's psychotic breaks are signalled by lightning flashes. Director Burt Kennedy handles his material in the manner of his earlier Welcome to Hard Times: nothing is quite of this earth, and everything is painted in broad, violent morality-play strokes. Despite Kennedy's predilection for "cutting in the camera" (that is, filming each scene with only one or two different camera angles, so that his directorial vision will survive the editing room), Killer Inside Me gives evidence of having been severely tampered with in the post-production process. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Stacy KeachSusan Tyrrell, (more)
 
1977  
R  
Add Andy Warhol's Bad to Queue Add Andy Warhol's Bad to top of Queue  
The final film released under the Andy Warhol moniker (which Warhol executive produced) is a much more polished affair than Flesh, Trash or Heat, but preserves the oddball wit and eccentric flair that made those films so memorable. Directed by Warhol film editor Jed Johnson, Andy Warhol's Bad focuses on Hazel Aiken, a New York housewife who has to support a houseful of relatives on her own. She pays the bills by operating an electrolysis service out of her home and also by running a murder-for-hire service staffed exclusively by women that specializes in unsavory jobs like killing children and house pets. As a result of her latter job, she has to deal with unwanted attention from Detective Hughes, a corrupt cop who wants her to surrender one of her employees so he can make an arrest. Hazel's complex life grows even more difficult with the arrival of her nephew J.T. (Perry King), a sleazy layabout who wants to join her hit squad. As the bodies pile up around her, Hazel discovers that her cold-blooded take on capitalism and family values comes with a price she didn't imagine. Andy Warhol's Bad differs from previous Warhol productions because of its higher production values and Hollywood-friendly casting, but retains its sense of underground credibility thanks to a wild story line that trashes every taboo in arm's reach to create a memorably bizarre satire. Some sources erroneously list the year of release in 1971; it was in fact produced in 1976 and issued to theaters by Roger Corman's New World Pictures in 1977. The MPAA classified that version of the film with an X. It was later reedited to receive an R, which is the version available on video. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Carroll BakerPerry King, (more)
 
1977  
R  
Add I Never Promised You a Rose Garden to Queue Add I Never Promised You a Rose Garden to top of Queue  
Without ever revealing the diagnosis, this film chronicles the inner life and outer circumstances of Deborah Blake (Kathleen Quinlan), a young mental patient. As the film opens, she is being accompanied by her subdued parents to yet another mental hospital. This one looks clean and cheerful, at least. Her treatment is handled by Dr. Fried (Bibi Andersson), a very skillful therapist who gets past her deranged defenses and reveals that Deborah harbors some very violent fantasies about some of her relatives. The movie is based on the best-selling autobiographical novel by Joanne Greenberg. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Bibi AnderssonKathleen Quinlan, (more)
 
1977  
PG  
Add Islands in the Stream to Queue Add Islands in the Stream to top of Queue  
After a parade of top-heavy blockbusters (Papillon, Nicholas and Alexandra), director Franklin J. Schaffner retreats, like the Hemingway character of the film, to peaceful tropical serenity in Islands in the Stream (based on Ernest Hemingway's posthumously published novel). George C. Scott plays the rich, but world-weary writer Thomas Hudson, living on Bimini in the Bahamas, where he carouses, drinks, and fishes to his heart's content. Invading Hudson's paradise is a parade of the sons of his ex-wives. His oldest son Tom (Hart Bochner) succeeds in getting closer to his father, but the bonding comes to a halt as ripples from the encroaching conflagration of World War II intrude upon Hudson's retreat. Tom leaves the island to fight for the RAF. Then, one day, Hudson receives a visit from his ex-wife Audrey (Claire Bloom), who tells him that Tom has died in the war. Rejecting his insulated existence, Hudson decides to make a stand by agreeing to smuggle a group of Jewish refugees onto the island. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
George C. ScottDavid Hemmings, (more)
 
1977  
 
Claude Lelouch's Another Man, Another Chance is set in 1870. Fleeing from the Franco-Prussian war, Jeanne (Genevieve Bujold) and boyfriend Francis (Francis Huster) escape to the American west. Their course does not run smooth, and soon Jeanne is left alone to care for her baby. Meanwhile, American veterinaran Jimmy (James Caan), an absolute stranger to Bujold, endures his share of woes, not least of which is the rape and murder of his wife by desperadoes. Inevitably, Caan and Bujold meet and fall in love. Having already suffered the death of Huster, Jeanne tries to dissuade Jimmy from his single-minded pursuit of his wife's murderers. This character conflict determines the outcome of the film's final scenes. Another Man, Another Chance was distributed in the US by United Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
James CaanGeneviève Bujold, (more)
 
1977  
PG  
Add Wizards to Queue Add Wizards to top of Queue  
In this animated futuristic tale, a pair of twins must fight for domination of what is left of the world, the good man using the powers of magic in an attempt to save the Earth, and the evil twin taking advantage of the horrors of technology that again threaten to destroy everything. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

 Read More

 
1977  
 
This film, aired on television as 24 Hours of the Rebel, delves into the hero-worship aura that surrounded James Dean following his tragic death. This stars The Waltons' Richard Thomas (getting a break from his usual "goody-goody" roles), who, as character "Jimmy J," is stunned by Dean's death and gathers his friends in a drinking foray where the stupor comes more from their turbulent emotions than from the suds. Quite respected for its real-life glimpses, this film is the debut of Dennis Quaid. ~ Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Richard ThomasSusan Tyrrell, (more)
 
1978  
 
Dyan Cannon stars in this film inspired by the true story of Sally Stanford, who rose from notoriety as the madam of a famous San Francisco brothel of the 1930s to winning election as the city's mayor in 1976. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

 Read More

 
1978  
 
The final episode of Kojak features an impressive non-comic performance by Danny Thomas) as Howard Brocure, a hard-nosed, by-the-book police inspector who commandeers Kojak's investigation of an upsurge in mob violence. As the case progresses, Brocure turns out to be more hindrance than help, but Kojak (Telly Savalas) is duty-bound to give the veteran inspector a wide berth. As it turns out, Brocure is going through a "Captain Queeg"-like breakdown as a result of being passed over for promotion--and his desperate efforts to restore his reputation may prove dangerous for everyone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

 
1979  
R  
Bert Convy is the lead fellow here who appears as a tennis pro who uses his fondness for matched points to his advantage as he plays stud-man to his wealthy female clients in order to gather funds enough for his own tennis club. This lame effort includes a cameo by tennis great Bjorn Borg and a lengthier appearance by the irrepressible Bobby Riggs. ~ Rovi

 Read More

 
1980  
R  
Preview trailers for movies not coming to a theater near you are collected in this satiric comedy. Loose Shoes is a sketch comedy which takes the form of a series of "coming attractions" for movies that don't happen to exist. The oddball trailers include the Billy Jack parody Billy Jerk Goes to Oz, the family comedy The Shaggy Studio Executive, a ribald Ma and Pa Kettle take-off, a biker film satire called Skateboarders From Hell, a vintage musical short entitled Darktown After Dark, a politically incorrect Charlie Chaplin two-reeler, a Play It Again, Sam goof in which "Duddy Allen" seeks romantic advice from a guy he thinks is the ghost of Clark Gable, and much more. Loose Shoes includes pre-fame performances from Bill Murray, Howard Hesseman, Ed Lauter, and Harry Shearer, while cult favorites Susan Tyrrell, Sid Haig, Jaye P. Morgan, Kinky Friedman, and Van Dyke Parks also appear in the cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Lewis ArquetteDanny Dayton, (more)
 
1980  
R  
Add Forbidden Zone to Queue Add Forbidden Zone to top of Queue  
Oingo Boingo fans and midnight movie mavens will love this bizarre black-and-white feature packed with music, madness, and members of the Elfman clan. The story revolves around the Hercules family, who live in a house that just happens to hide a secret entrance to the Sixth Dimension in the basement. When daughter Frenchy (Marie-Pascale Elfman) skips school one afternoon, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to the forbidden door, and winds up a prisoner in this alternate world. King Fausto (Herve Villechaize), the diminutive leader of the Sixth Dimension, is enamored with the beautiful young Frenchy and keeps her in the same cell as his favorite concubines, despite the disapproval of Queen Doris (Susan Tyrrell). Frenchy's brother, Flash (Phil Gordon), follows her into the Forbidden Zone with Gramps (Hyman Diamond) in tow, intending to save her, but they too are captured and must call school chum Squeezit (Toshiro Baloney, aka Matthew Bright) for help. Squeezit tries to assist, but ends up captured and decapitated by Satan (Danny Elfman), though this development doesn't keep his disembodied noggin from flying about and informing King Fausto that the Queen is planning to dispose of his beloved Frenchy. The appearance of the King's first wife and the kidnapping of his topless daughter further confuse matters, but everything is wrapped up neatly with an elaborate song and dance number at the conclusion. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Herve VillechaizeSusan Tyrrell, (more)
 
1981  
 
Ben Gazzara delivers a gutsy, four-barreled performance as skid-row poet and storyteller Charles Bukowski (rechristened Charles Serking onscreen) in Tales of Ordinary Madness, blackly comic Italian director Marco Ferreri's adaptation of Bukowski's roman à clef Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions and General Tales of Ordinary Madness. Half soused, with a 2 a.m. shadow and street urchin rags, Serking waltzes through the scummiest neighborhoods of the City of Angels, indulging in booze, poetry, and copulation, and lounging in flophouses and on grimy public buses. His bedmates are a midget, a string of seedy whores, and various earthy L.A. denizens, played by Susan Tyrell, Ornella Muti, and others; he eventually falls for a prostitute who can express her affection only via self-mutilation. Ferreri lets Bukowski's ribald humor flow throughout and exposes the dark erotic currents at the heart of the author's narratives. Laced with perverse, shocking imagery, this unbridled celebration of life's dark underbelly has been praised by critics such as The New Yorker's Pauline Kael and Playboy's Bruce Williamson for its "genuine audacity and risktaking." ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Ben GazzaraOrnella Muti, (more)
 
1981  
 
Like the 1960 theatrical feature of the same name, the made-for-TV Midnight Lace was inspired by Matilda Shouted Fire, a novel by Janet Green. Mary Crosby stars as Cathy Preston, the role originally essayed by Doris Day in the 1960 film, while Gary Frank steps into the old Rex Harrison role as Cathy's husband Brian, a recording executive. Though convinced that someone is trying to murder her, Cathy is unable to persuade anyone else of the danger she is in; even her beloved Brian insists that his wife is merely hallucinating. By the time it becomes obvious that Cathy has indeed been targeted for death, it is nearly too late, thanks to the clever machinations of the heretofore well-hidden instigator of the plot. Also in the cast is Celeste Holm as Cathy's wealthy aunt Sylvia, a part played by Myrna Loy in the earlier version. The TV adaptation of Midnight Lace debuted February 9, 1981, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

 
1981  
 
This detective drama was shot on location in New York City and chronicles the bloody wake of terror left by a murderous street saxophone player who hides out on the subway. The bizarre string of murders is investigated by a hard-bitten detective. Along the way he meets assorted New Wave scumbags. The mood of the film is heightened by an avant garde musical score. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Robbie ColtraneJohn Lurie, (more)
 
1982  
PG  
Against the wishes of both families, a poor boy (Matt Dillon) and a wealthy banker's daughter (Cindy Fisher) elope, only to discover that their immaturity and incompatibility may be the downfall of their relationship. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Matt DillonCindy Fisher, (more)