Bill Persky Movies

Meant to be a parody of the recent invasions of Grenada and the Falkland Islands, this comedy about the laid-back governor (Michael Caine) of "Cascara," a fictional British island somewhere in the Caribbean, and the international parade of characters who come through his territory is a pastiche without a clear center. Among these multinational characters are an American industrialist out to exploit the island's rich source of mineral water -- also the source of all the subsequent trouble on the island -- some inexplicable French-German visitors, a singing revolutionary with ties to Fidel Castro, and various parodies of Brit diplomats and politicians, Margaret Thatcher included. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer is a TV movie inspired by the same real-life 1982 murder that formed the basis of the Judith Rossner novel (and 1977 movie adaptation) Looking for Mr. Goodbar. George Segal plays the diligent detective who tries to rout out the murderer of a "swinging" schoolteacher, played by Diane Keaton in the 1977 film. The print ads for Trackdown imply that Segal's costar Shelley Hack takes over the Keaton role. In fact, Ms. Hack is merely around to portray Segal's totally extraneous love interest. George Segal's lukewarm performance is matched by the noncommittal direction of sitcom veteran Bill Persky. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two giants of American TV comedy--Dick Van Dyke and Sid Caesar--were teamed for the first (and thus far last) time in Found Money. Forced into early retirement, bank executive Max Shepherd (Van Dyke) befriends bank guard Sam Green (Caesar) who likewise has been given the sack. Since both men have been cheated of their pensions, Max and Sam plot an intricate revenge. They will use their combined "inside" know-how to rob the bank, then cleanse themselves of perfidy by redistributing the wealth to the needy. Originally telecast December 19, 1983, Found Money was directed by former Dick Van Dyke contributor Bill Persky; it was co-written by actor Richard Sanders, of WKRP in Cincinnati fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though Desi Arnaz Jr. gets star billing in How to Pick Up Girls, the film's true leading man is third-billed Fred McCrarren. He plays a clueless Nebraska boy whose efforts to score with chicks in the Big City come to naught. Finally he stumbles upon the "secret" to successful dating with the help of his superstud roommate (Desi Arnaz Jr.) McCrarren is transformed into a makeout king--much to consternation of the nice girl (Bess Armstrong) who likes him for himself. Based on the book by Eric Weber (which one supposes was supposed to have been taken seriously), How to Pick up Girls is a made-for-TV smarmfest. At that, it is a few notches above the standard "horny teenager" flick which glutted the market in the early 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Landing a singing gig in a somewhat shady nightclub, Alice (Linda Lavin) is unaware that most of the other ladies on the premises are engaged in another--er--profession. However, she soon learns what's what when she and two "working girls" (Liberty Williams, Caren Kaye) are hauled off to jail by the vice squad! Though she could be freed by simply paying her fine, Alice refuses to go anywhere until her name and reputation are cleared. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In keeping with producer Carl Reiner's edict, "Always leave 'em laughing," the final episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show (though not the final one to be shown) is one of the series' funniest outings. Assigned to write a cowboy sketch for his boss Alan Brady, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) dreams up an elaborate "High Noon" Western-spoof casting himself as a sheriff slated for a showdown with notorious outlaw "Big Bad" Brady (Reiner, of course). The show's entire cast joins in on the dream sequence, with Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) performing a spirited (and interminably repeated) rendition of "I Don't Care," Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) showing up as Rob's deputy, Sally (Rose Marie) appearing as the local saloon gal, and Richard Deacon, Jerry Paris, Larry Mathews, and Ann Morgan Guilbert likewise cavorting about in Old West costumes. The script contains more classic gags and one-liners than one can shake a stick at, and as the bonus, includes the only Dick Van Dyke Show sequence to be filmed out-of-doors." The Gunslinger" is everything a great series finale should be...even if it wasn't telecast as the series finale! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In one of the series' best-ever episodes, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) is the victim of a practical joke perpetrated by Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) and his prankster pal Phil Franklin (Lennie Weinrib). At first delighted by the notion of ribbing Rob, Buddy is suddenly seized with paranoia as he wonders what sort of revenge Rob has planned for him. With a sharkish smile, Rob insists that he isn't going to do a thing to get even -- but then, Buddy is visited by a suspicious-looking IRS agent with the unlikely name of William Handlebuck (Alvy Moore). For full enjoyment of this episode, you must put it in a paper bag, wave it around your head, and scream like a chicken! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this marvelous spoof of "Beatlemania," singers Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde guest star as The Redcoats, a wildly popular British rock duo who've signed to appear on "The Alan Brady Show." Unfortunately, the Redcoats' horde of screaming teenaged fans make it impossible for the boys to rehearse -- or for that matter, to stay in a Manhattan hotel room. Producer Mel (Richard Deacon) comes up with a solution to the latter problem: The Redcoats will spend their week in the States at the home of Rob and Laura Petrie (Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore). Chad & Jeremy perform "I Don't Want No Other Baby But You" and "My, How the Time Goes By." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season five of The Dick Van Dyke Show opens with one of the series' best episodes -- and an Emmy Award-winner to boot. While in the audience of "The Johnny Patrick Show," Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) is coerced to join host Patrick (Dick Curtis) on-stage, even though she's been warned that Johnny specializes in getting his guests to make embarrassing statements. True to form, Patrick maneuvers Laura into revealing that Alan Brady (Carl Reiner), the comedian boss of her writer husband Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), wears a toupee. The climax of this episode contains some of the funniest lines ever written for the show, beginning with Alan's melancholy farewell speech to a row of expensive hairpieces, and culminating with Laura's far-from-helpful reference to "needy bald people"! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

During a magazine interview, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) recalls his first job interview with Alan Brady (Carl Reiner) -- which, quite frankly, he can barely remember at all. It seems that, just before the all-important interview, Rob, then a radio DJ, had participated in a stunt wherein he was obliged to broadcast nonstop for 100 hours. Naturally, this required him to go without sleep -- and by the time he presented himself to Alan Brady, Rob was, to put it mildly, a gibbering shell of his former self! This episode was originally slated to air on April 7, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, lovable convict Lyle Delp (Don Rickles) arranges for the staff of "The Alan Brady Show" to give a special performance for the men at the state penitentiary. Dressed in a convict costume for a dance routine with Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), Rob is mistaken for a genuine prisoner and locked up with a bunch of showbiz-happy inmates. The episode's musical highlights include "In Them Old Cotton Fields Back Home," "Sweet Sue," and -- delightfully appropriate to the prison setting -- "I've Got Your Number." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi