James Callahan Movies

A resourceful and spirited woman leads a band of orphans across war-torn China to safety in this Taiwanese drama set in 1947 during the nationalist and communist conflict. May Jean goes to work for Catholic school after her husband is killed for deserting the communist army. At the school she meets Sister Helen who teaches 40 Chinese orphans. May Jean must take the children to safety after Sister Helen is injured. Her goal is to reach a ship that is preparing to sail to the U.S. They will have to walk for 20 days through the middle of the fighting to make it. While they march, another American nun and a diplomat battle it out. She wants the ship to wait for the children. He says it cannot. Will the children make it on time? Will May Jean get to accompany them? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Stephen Frears' Hero is a contemporary re-working of a Frank Capra-styled fable about a two-bit criminal named Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) who saves several passengers from a plane crash and leaves the scene without being identified, leaving only a lost shoe for identification. One of the passengers happens to be news-reporter Gale (Geena Davis) who is intent on finding her savior, and offers a million dollars to the "hero" of the crashed flight. Bernie has since given his remaining shoe to a homeless man named John (Andy Garcia) who decides to cash in on the offer. A handsome, charming man, John wins the hearts of the entire city. Soon, Bernie realizes that he's been cheated out of a million dollars, and he begins an effort to get his proper recognition--and his money. Hero manages to be quite funny and satirical while sticking to a story that is essentially a Hollywood fable. That is to the credit of director Frears and the cast, who turn in uniformly excellent performances. Nevertheless, Hoffman is superb as a bitterly comic and spiteful variation on his classic Ratso Rizzo character. By the way, be on the lookout for Chevy Chase in a very funny cameo. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Charles in Charge begins its fourth season on the air -- and its third season in off-network syndication -- with the title character, a now-22-year-old college student, still earning his bread and board as male governess for the three Powell children: Jamie (Nicole Eggert), Sarah (Josie Davis), and Adam (Alexander Polinsky). Helping Charles perform his duties is his best friend Buddy (Willie Aames), while the Powell kids' mom Ellen (Sondra Kerns) and grandfather Walter (James Callahan) carefully watch over our hero to make sure he doesn't screw up (which he hasn't yet, at least not to any great extent!). A few changes are in store this season. First off, Charles' freewheeling mom Lillian (Ellen Travolta) purchases the cast's favorite hangout, Sid's Pizza Parlor, reconverting it into the '50s-themed Yesterday Café -- a move that does not assume full significance until the two-part episode "Charles Splits," in which a bump on the head transforms Charles into his favorite TV character, "the Fonz" from Happy Days. (Is it necessary to remind anyone that Scott Baio himself was a Happy Days alumnus?) Secondly, Justin Whelan is introduced in the role of Lillian's wise-guy nephew Anthony, who shakes things up in the Powell household for a handful of episodes. Thirdly, Charles meets the love of his life, Stephanie Curtis, played by none other than Erika Eleniak. And finally, we meet Commander Robert Powell (James O'Sullivan), long-absent husband of Charles' employer Ellen Powell, for the very first time. Guest stars this season range from veterans like Charles Nelson Reilly and Donny Most to comparative newcomers Kellie Martin and Tracey Gold. The most poignant guest appearances is that of Sally Struthers, playing a demure schoolteacher who turns out to be a fugitive '60s activist in the episode "Still at Large." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having survived its freshman year in off-network syndication (following a desultory network run a few seasons earlier), Charles in Charge returns for a third season of 26 episodes, with Scott Baio returning as the title character, a 21-year-old college student who works as male governess to the three children of the Powell family. The season opens with two-parter in which Charles is reunited with Gwendolyn Pierce (Jennifer Runyon), the girl whom he had ardently pursued back during the series' brief tenure on CBS. In subsequent episodes, Charles' mother Lillian (Ellen Travolta), having left her hometown of Scranton far behind, takes over operation of Sid's Pizza Parlor, where the entire cast congregates on a regular basis; Charles proves his mettle by organizing a homecoming celebration for Commander Powell, the long-absent Naval officer husband of his boss Ellen Powell (Sondra Kerns) -- the Commander has not yet shown up on the series -- nor will he show up in this episode; and venerable character actor Dabbs Greer (he was the "older" Tom Hanks in the movie The Green Mile) guest-stars as the crusty seafaring father of Ellen's taciturn dad Walter (James Callahan). Other familiar actors making guest appearances this season include John Astin, Mindy Cohn, Jerry Van Dyke, Jack Riley, Vito Scotti, and a very young Mark-Paul Gosselaar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two and half years after it was cancelled at the end of its first season on CBS, the youth-oriented sitcom Charles in Charge staged a spectacular revival in off-network syndication, returning to the air in most markets in January of 1987. Of the original CBS cast, only Scott Baio as 20-year-old college student Charles and Willie Aames as his best friend Buddy were carried over into the syndicated version. When last we saw Charles, he was working as "male governess" in the New Brunswick home of the Pembroke family, riding herd on the three Pembroke children, whose ages ranged from 10 to 14. In the first episode of the "new" Charles in Charge, Charles and Buddy return from a two-week camping trip only to discover that the Pembrokes (played by different actors than in the network series) have decided to move to Seattle, and to sell their home to the Powell family. Quickly ingratiating himself with Ellen Powell (Sondra Kerns) and her curmudgeonly father Walter (James Callahan), Charles manages to secure a new male-governess position, agreeing to watch over Ellen's three children while her husband, a Navy officer, is commanding a station in the South Seas. Fortunately for Charles, two of three kids are virtual carbon copies of the Pembroke children: oldest daughter Jamie (Nicole Eggert) is crazy about boys just as Lila Pembroke had been; and 12-year-old Adam (Alexander Polinsky) is very much the same carefree sprite as his "clone" Jason Pembroke. Only middle child Sarah (Josie Davis), a shy, mild-mannered girl, represents a contrast to her Pembroke counterpart, the wisecracking Douglas. Halfway through the season, Ellen Travolta makes her first appearance as Charles' free-spirited mother Lillian, whose personality clashes harshly with that of the staunch traditionalist Walter Powell. Though Lillian is supposed to make only a brief visit, she ends up moving to New Brunswick, and by the next season she'll be a full-fledged regular. Although the budget of the syndicated Charles in Charge was lower than that of the CBS version, the producers did not cut corners in their choice of talented and instantly recognizable guest performers. Among the actors showing up in the series' first 24 off-network offerings are Ben Stein, Betsy Palmer, Robert Costanzo, Michael Dorn, Kay Lenz, and Michelle Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Farrah Fawcett earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of Francine Hughes in the television movie The Burning Bed. The film is structured as a series of flashbacks while Francine's character endures a murder trial after she poured gasoline on her sleeping spouse and burned him to death. Her husband Mickey (Paul Le Mat) drove her over the edge after years of physical and emotional abuse when he rapes her. Television regular Richard Masur has a prominent co-starring role. Fawcett parlayed her work in this film into a series of more serious movies, including Extremities and Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

B.A. (Mr. T) owes his life to his fellow Vietnam veteran Captain Fallone (James Callahan), a former army doctor. Now it is B.A.'s turn to repay the favor when he and the rest of the A-Team respond to Fallone's call for assistance when the tropical island where his clinic is located is overrun by murderous drug dealers, who have enslaved the local populace to do their heavy lifting. A mercurial native woman named Kalani (Carole Davis) looms large in the proceedings, as does a derelict WW2 tank which the Team "resuscitates" in the slam-bang action finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Marilyn Cooper appears as Brenda, an old high-school chum of Alice (Linda Lavin). When Brenda pays a visit, Alice is surprised to discover that her friend still has a debilitating inferiority complex. Our heroine determines to change this situation while both she and Brenda attend a 1950s-themed reunion dance, leading to a joyously melodic denoument. This episode was originally scheduled to air on January 10, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A 1940s-themed banquet populated by an audience of prominent Arizona restauranteurs may prove to be a stepping-stone to stardom for our girl Alice (Linda Lavin). The starry-eyed waitress lands a singing gig at the banquet, one guaranteed to show off her talent for belting out the "oldies." Alice's appearance does indeed prove to be a momentous one--but not in the way that she imagined. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Forced to take a brief leave of absence, Quincy (Jack Klugman) is none too pleased to find out that his temporary replacement, pathologist Gerry McCracken (Beverly Sassoon), performs a major autopsy on congressman Lawrence Bridges, who died in an apparent accident. When it appears that Dr. McCracken is rushing the procedure to satisfy the media's demand for a quick diagnosis, Quincy returns to LA to give the poor woman a hard time. Ultimately, however, Quincy and McCracken work in close harmony to prove that the volatile congressman was the victim of foul play. Watch for a young Dennis Haysbert in a small role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the once-notorious trilogy of novels by James T. Farrell, the three-part miniseres Studs Lonigan isn't quite as earthy and explicit as its source, but is lot more faithful to the original than the 1960 film version. Set in Chicago and covering the years from 1916 to 1931, this is the story of a brawling, braggadocio young Irish-American lad named Studs Lonigan (played as a child by Dan Shor, and as an adult by Harry Hamlin in his first major TV role). Despite his rough veneer, Studs is sensitive and concerned about his future, though he doesn't want to follow the values set forth by his tradition-bound parents (Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst). Hanging around with his childhood buddies, Studs gets into all sorts of scrapes and becomes involved with a number of women, notably the decent, demure Catherine (Diana Scarwid) and the lusty, libidinous Lucy (Lisa Pelikan). Though he grows in age and size, Studs has trouble maturing emotionally, surrounded by the pressures of a rough, prejudice-ridden neighborhood and the increasing hooliganism of his cronies. As the Depression crashes heavily upon the scene, Studs finds himself "trapped" in the very sort of middle-class quagmire that he'd always hoped to avoid. Earning an Emmy Award for art/set direction, the 6-hour Studs Lonigan originally aired March 7, 14 and 21, 1979, as part of NBC's Novels for Television anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young girl really has her hands full when her pet calf grows up to be a rambunctious steer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide