Frank Bonner Movies

In this darkly witty independent drama, Tom (Scott McCord), a novice thief who has come down with a serious case of the jitters after his first major job, is waiting at the Come On Inn, a low-rent motel in the middle of nowhere where he's supposed to meet his partner so that they can split their proceeds and head to Mexico. While waiting, Tom meets Christine (Martine Charron), a good-natured prostitute who explains to Tom that she believes that everything in this world happens for a reason. Shortly after, Tom sees Christine murdered; in his confused state of mind, Tom is convinced that he was meant to see Christine's murder, and that if he can bring the killer to justice, he will be forgiven for his own crimes. Tom does a little digging and comes to the conclusion that a low-level bookmaker named Louis (Earl Pastko) is responsible, but Gressil (Frank Bonner), the police detective in charge of the case, doesn't think much of Tom's deductive powers, leaving the thief to take law enforcement into his own hands. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A young Ohio man moves to Los Angeles in search of a career and a girlfriend in this romantic comedy, whose action centers on the '80s singles scene. Eddy (David Packer) heads to California after his cousin, Skip (Scott McGinnis), promises him a job in the ad biz, but Eddy ends up with the unenviable task of handing out flyers on the beach. Turning his focus from the professional to the romantic, Eddy joins a video dating service and endures a series of inaccurate match-ups that drive him to adopt wilder and wilder guises for his video ads. Along the way, he meets Peggy Kellogg (Bridget Fonda), an employee of the dating service, but she's always got her boyfriend on her arm. Frustrated over Peggy's inaccessibility and the dead-end job he's unfairly been stuck with, Eddy finally decides to take a gamble -- to be himself in the yuppie fantasia of L.A. The soundtrack to You Can't Hurry Love features singer Phil Collins' cover of the '60s song from which the film takes its name. Kristy McNichol, Charles Grodin, and Sally Kellerman all appear in cameo roles. Kellerman previously appeared in writer/director Richard Martini's previous outing as a screenwriter, Three for the Road. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

With a cast starring such comic veterans as Harvey Korman, Anne Meara, Jack Weston and Tim Conway (who also wrote the script), and executive produced by Mike Nichols, it is normally a safe bet that hiliarity will ensue. Unfortunately, this sure thing does not pay off and is disappointingly dumb as it tells the tale of four luckless gamblers who in desperation borrow a large sum for a local loanshark so they can bet on a particular horse. Unfortunately, they bet on the wrong nag and suddenly the foursome must scramble around for quick cash before the loanshark's thugs show up for some bruising payback. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Quon Le (Denice Kumagai) hopes that her marriage to big-hearted Mac (Charlie Robinson) will enable her to finance a Vietnamese restaurant. But things turn sour when Mac's bigoted millionaire grandfather (Charles Lampkin) cuts him off without a cent. Bumper Robinson makes his first appearance as courtroom shoeshine specialist Leon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on Jane Adams' book of the same name, the made-for-TV Sex and the Single Parent stars Susan Saint James as Sally and Mike Farrell as George. Newly divorced from their respective spouses, both Sally and George intend to celebrate their independence by throwing sexual caution to the wind. But the couple's romance is complicated by their sense of obligation to their children. Accompanied by a raunchy ad campaign that promised much more than the film delivered, Sex and the Single Parent was first seen over CBS on September 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Debuting September 18, 1978 on CBS, WKRP in Cincinnati was a weekly, half-hour "ensemble" sitcom largely set in the offices of a Major-Market radio station. Languishing at the bottom of the ratings chart with its moribund "beautiful music" format, WKRP was given a major shot in the arm with the arrival of ambitious new program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy), who tossed out all the old Lawrence Welk records and installed an ultrahip Top-40 rock format. As WKRP's ratings rose slowly but steadily, Andy and the other staffers did their best to keep the momentum flowing despite an unprepossessing lineup of sponsors (ranging from nursing homes to funeral parlors) and the formidable opposition of WKRP's wealthy, imperious owner, Mrs. Lillian Carlson (played by Sylvia Sidney in the pilot episode, and thereafter by Carol Bruce). The other regulars included station manager Arthur "The Big Guy" Carlson (Gordon Jump), a well-meaning but ineffectual oaf who kept his job only because he was the owner's son; WKRP's sales manager Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), whose boorish behavior was rivaled only by his garish wardrobe; prissy, uptight and incredibly naïve newscaster Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), whose mission in life was to win the coveted Buckeye Newshawk Award; Dr. Johnny Fever, aka Johnny Caravella (Howard Hesseman), the station's mercurial, all-but-burned-out morning DJ; Venus Flytrap, aka Gordon Sims (Tim Reid), the funky, low-key nighttime platter-spinner; and Ms. Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers, Andy's ebullient young assistant and traffic-and-billing expert, a classic example of "still waters run deep." Ultimately emerging as the true star of the series was Loni Anderson as WKRP's blonde, curvaceous receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, who though she refused to type or take dictation was the station's most efficient and level-headed employee, forever running interference for her bosses and coming up with last-minute solutions to otherwise insoluable problems (appropriately, Jennifer was the station's highest-paid staffer). One of the series' many running gags found Jennifer forever fending off the advances of the libidinous (and very married) Herb Tarlek, while simultaneously dating a never-ending parade of elderly millionaires. Created by Hugh Wilson, who drew extensively from his own professional experiences at various local radio stations (notably in the classic first-season episode "Turkeys Away"), WKRP in Cincinnati almost instantly built up a loyal critical and fan following, though thanks to CBS's haphazard scheduling practices it never truly clicked in the ratings. Nevertheless, the series lasted four seasons, ending its network run on September 20, 1982, and later yielding a moderately successful first-run syndicated spinoff (with a largely different cast), The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1991-1993). The catchy opening-theme music for the original WKRP was written by Tom Wells and Hugh Wilson, and performed by Steve Carlisle, while the closing-credits rock tune was composed and peformed by Jim Ellis.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this s-s-suspenseful drama, a submarine carrying a load of poisonous snakes accidentally wedges itself amidst the rocks near the bottom of the sea. Now the crew must somehow avoid the unwanted slitherers and manage to extricate themselves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Singer Nancy Wilson guest stars as Darlene Clark, a nasty, selfish nightclub entertainer who incurs the wrath of her long-suffering manager Abel Norton (Hal Linden) by reneging on a promise to finance an operation for Norton's desperately ill son. Grieving over his boy's death, Norton exacts revenge by kidnapping Darlen's daughter Linda (Hal Linden)--forcing Darlene to do some serious soul-searching while the FBI canvasses Las Vegas in search of the missing girl. Future Magnum PI star Tom Selleck appears in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide