Elinor Donahue Movies
Elinor Donahue's mother, a theatrical costumer, moonlighted as a department store saleswoman in order to pay for her daughter's dancing lessons. Appearing in dancing-chorus film roles from the age of five, Donahue was at one point a ballet-school classmate of future Fred Astaire partner Barrie Chase. Striking out on her own at 12, Donahue attained work as a Las Vegas showgirl at 14; the fact that she was underage was discreetly covered by her agent and her co-workers, who took a paternal interest in the impressionable young dancer's career. Breaking her ankle at 16, Donahue decided to forego dancing in favor of acting; she was almost immediately cast in the role of sensitive teenager Betty Anderson in the long-running (1954-60) sitcom Father Knows Best. It was the first of many TV stints for Donahue; over the next three decades she would appear as a regular on such series as The Andy Griffith Show, Many Happy Returns, The Odd Couple, Mulligan's Stew, Please Stand By and Doctor's Private Lives. She became a special favorite of writer/director Savage Steve Holland, who cast Donahue as the ditsy mother of a teen-aged secret agent on the 1987 Fox network series The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, and as the voice of a suburban mom who spends her waking hours trying to learn an indecipherable foreign language on Holland's cartoon series Eek! The Cat. This fey, eccentric quality was carried over into Donahue's performance as the eternally bathrobe-clad wife of Bob Elliot and mother of 30-year-old paperboy Chris Elliot on the 1990 Fox sitcom Get a Life. Donahue's film appearances have been less frequent; when she showed up in a cameo as a department store clerk in Gary Marshall's Pretty Women (1987), there was an audible appreciative sigh of recognition from movie audiences everywhere. Elinor Donahue was the wife of Columbia TV executive Harry Ackerman from 1961 to Ackerman's death in 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1990
An intoxicating tribute to the joys of musical theater, this episode begins with Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) telling his parents, Fred (Bob Elliott) and Gladys (Elinor Donahue), that he's auditioning for a local production of "Andrew Todd Keller's masterpiece, Zoo Animals on Wheels." In response to Fred's skepticism, Chris explains that the show answers one of life's eternal questions: "What would it be like if zoo animals put on roller skates, and danced around and sang?" When Chris arrives at the audition, he finds, to his dismay, that his nemesis, Sharon (Robin Riker), is not only a member of the company, she is playing the female lead in the show. She scoffs at his desire to be a part of her theatrical community, but he is undaunted. Because the pianist at the audition does not have the sheet music for "Dream Weaver," Chris performs a dramatic monologue for the director, Hastings (Craig Richard Nelson), and then does his famous "Alley Cat" dance. To Sharon's chagrin, he gets the lead, playing the poor sickly Wildebeest. There follows a stunning homage to the "Showtime" sequence in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. Trouble arises when, on the night of the show, Chris is preparing backstage, and overhears Sharon and a rival actor cruelly discussing his shortcomings. Chris sobs to her, "I wouldn't appear on-stage with you for all the money in the ocean!" before he runs out of the theater. Will the show go on? More importantly, as Fred asks Gladys shortly after the performance begins, "Is it actually medically possible to die of embarrassment?" ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1942
In this WW II-era drama, an over-ambitious beauty contestant's single-minded pursuit of movie stardom causes her to step upon the people who love her the most. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edith Fellows, June Storey, (more)
- 1959
This sexually explicit, low-budget film makes no pretensions about being anything other than offensive. There is no plot since none is especially necessary. Director Charles Haas (his last film was the following year), opens with a scene of sexually active men and women at a party. Then one of these women, Silver Morgan (Mamie Van Doren), is mistakenly accused of a crime and sent to an institution, run by Catholic nuns, for wayward young women. As it turns out, the inmates in the institution actually run it through sadistic means. One of them is even more seriously mentally disturbed than the others, and so the nuns welcome her as a novitiate, making even a non-Catholic viewer grimace. The content of this story, such as it is, is made all the worse by an accompanying disregard of the craft of filmmaking. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mamie van Doren, Mel Tormé, (more)
- 1983
- R
In this comedy, a stuffy congressman is dismayed when he discovers that his beloved daughter intends to marry limousine driver John Bourgignon (John Candy). While intending to put on a good show for his father-in-law to be, John is captured by some political opponents of the congressman. His capturers attempt to brainwash him into assassinating the congressmen, but things don't go exactly as planned. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Eugene Levy, (more)
- 1963
Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to escort a notorious wife murderer named Fairchild (Whit Bissell) to trial. But during a stopover in Osage Springs, Sheriff Stinchcomb (Paul Fix) demands at gunpoint that Paladin hand Fairchild over to him. It seems that every time the chief of a neighborhood Indian tribe dies, custom dictates that a white scalp be used in the burial ceremony--and Fairchild's scalp just about fills the bill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Former child star Margaret O'Brien is Betty Foster, the "all growed up" heroine of Her First Romance. Hoping to rendezvous with handsome teenager Bobby Evans (Allen Martin Jr.) at a fancy summer camp, Betty bamboozles her parents into sending her there. Once she's arrived, Betty proves her devotion to Bobby by committing a robbery on his behalf. She reasons that since she's robbing her own father's safe, her crime is none too serious. Boy, is she wrong! A curious blend of comedy, melodrama and sentiment, Her First Romance failed to establish Margaret O'Brien as an adult box-office favorite, though the film itself is easy to take. Featured in the cast are Jimmy Hunt, of Invaders from Mars fame, and future TV-series perennial Elinor Donahue. Margaret O'Brien's parents are played by Ann Doran and Arthur Space, who'd later be reteamed on the weekly TVer National Velvet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Allen Martin, Jr., (more)
Michael J. Fox is among the young sitcom stars enlisted for this made-for-TV teen film, about a battle between the rich, popular kids and their average counterparts. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Nancy McKeon, (more)
- 1943
Honeymoon Lodge is a musical variation on the old Awful Truth plotline. Divorce-bound Bob and Carol Sterling (David Bruce, June Vincent) make a last-ditch attempt to avoid their legal breakup by restaging their mountain-resort honeymoon. Things get complicated when a rancher named Big Boy (Rod Cameron, in a Ralph Bellamy-style "sap" role) shows up at the resort in ardent pursuit of Carol, while Lorraine Logan (Harriet Hilliard) sets her cap for Bob. Though it has more plot than usual for a film of this kind, Honeymoon Lodge is worth seeing only for its musical highlights, including a few delightful numbers teaming Harriet Hilliard with her real-life bandleader husband Ozzie Nelson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Bruce, June Vincent, (more)
- 1969
This by-the-numbers TV movie features an all-star cast in a comedy of marital mix-ups and misunderstandings. Consultants Michael Callan and Ann Prentiss arrange the marriages of several couples, only to discover that all the unions are illegal. Among those affected are a cop (Christopher Connelly) and his hippie spouse (Heather Young); A bachelor at heart (Bill Daily) who thinks he'd be happier without his wife (Elinor Donahue); and a dull missus (Ruth Buzzi) and her "swinger" hubby (Herb Edelman). Whether or not the now-unmarried couples will want to tie the knot legally forms the basis of the comedy. In Name Only has innocently caused resentment among film buffs who've tuned in expecting to see the 1939 film In Name Only, a quite different dramatic opus starring Cary Grant and Carole Lombard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Though completed in 1950, Love Is Better Than Ever was held back from release until 1952, due in great part to the "political undesirability" of star Larry Parks, whose career was effectively ruined after he humbled himself before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Parks plays Broadway talent agent Jud Parker, who takes a fancy to small-town dance teacher Anastacia Macaboy (Elizabeth Taylor). Parker wines and dines Anastacia during her visit to New York for the purposes of seduction. But the girl assumes that his intentions are honorable, and sends word of her "impending" engagement to her hometown newspaper. With his reputation on the line, Parker agrees to confirm the engagement if asked, with the understanding that he doesn't really mean it. Rest assured that by fade-out time, he will mean it. Gene Kelly makes an unbilled cameo appearance in Love Is Better Than Ever, which also features such reliables as Ann Doran, Kathleen Freeman, and Dick Wessel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Parks, Elizabeth Taylor, (more)
- 1943
Drama students rebel in this musical set in a tiny drama school. The trouble begins when the students begin complaining to the school's proprietor that they should be doing more than just the classics. The kids are more interested in performing swing-type entertainment. When the owner takes a trip, the students decide to overcome the difficulties and put on their own show. They work hard, and manage to pull the whole thing off and prove to the owner that new music and dance has value too. Songs include: "This Must Be a Dream," "Kittens with Their Mittens Laced," "Things I Want to Say," "Spirit Is in Me," "Rude, Crude, and Unattractive," "Thee and Me," "We're Not Obvious," "Moonlight and Roses." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, (more)
- 1977
In the short-lived TV series Mulligan's Stew, high school football coach Michael Mulligan (Lawrence Pressman) and his wife Jane (Elinor Donahue), already the parents of three children, suddenly find their family unit increased from five to nine. This occurs when Michael's sister and brother-in-law, whose name was Friedman, perish in a plane crash, whereupon the dead couple's four youngsters move into the already crowded Mulligan manse in Birchfield, California. Much of the drama (and humor) revolve around the culture clashes between the laid-back Mulligan kids and their three urban "step-siblings"--not to mention Kimmy (Sunshine Lee), a Korean war orphan adopted by the late Mr. and Mrs. Friedman. Add to this the fact that Michael's salary can hardly cover the needs of his "real" family, and the viewer has a stew indeed. The pilot for Mulligan's Stew aired June 20, 1977, on NBC; the series proper was broadcast by the same network from October 25 to December 13, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lawrence Pressman, Elinor Donahue, (more)
- 1990
While Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is off vacationing somewhere, her nephew Grady (Michael Horton) and his pregnant wife Donna (Debbie Zipp) agree to take care of Jessica's house. Unfortunately, in past episodes Grady could barely take a breath without getting mixed up in murder, and this episode is no exception: the victim is a peg-legged sailor, who is killed smack in the middle of Jessica's living room! As indicated by the episode's title, the key to the mystery is a valuable artifact...and this time it's up to Grady rather than his aunt to crack the case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Self-involved corporate raider Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) has recently split up with his girlfriend. Seeking directions to the Beverly Hills Hotel, he makes the acquaintance of free-spirited hooker Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) and decides to put her on a 3,000-dollar retainer as his "date." He Cinderellarizes her by bankrolling a full wardrobe and cosmetic makeover. Of course, the setup will be strictly platonic. A disarming modern-day fairy tale, Pretty Woman was the picture that made Julia Roberts a superstar. As charming as she is in her "giggling" sequences, Roberts' best scene is her triumphant return to a posh Rodeo Drive shop where she'd been previously snubbed. Keeping Pretty Woman afloat throughout is the buoyant direction of Garry Marshall and the always welcome presence of Marshall's stock company of actors, including Hector Elizondo as a stuffy but golden-hearted concierge. Pretty Woman began its life as a much darker story of prostitutes and homicidal drug dealers, but more box-office-savvy heads ultimately prevailed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, (more)
- 1967
The crew of the Enterprise encounter an unexpected figure from their own history in this installment of the enduringly popular science-fiction television series. The meeting takes place when a shuttle transporting Federation official Nancy Hedford, along with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy, is captured by an unknown force. This force leads them to a planet which seems to have only two inhabitants. The first is Zefram Cochrane, the legendary inventor of the warp drive, who had long been presumed dead of old age. The second is the Companion, an alien creature that has cared for Cochrane, keeping him from aging. Indeed, it was out of concern for Cochrane's growing loneliness that the being abducted the shuttle, in order to provide him with human companionship. Kirk and the others soon realize that the alien intends to trap them on the planet for eternity, and they desperately try to find a way to escape. The character of Zefram Cochrane later served a crucial role in the feature film Star Trek: First Contact. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- 1950
Tea for Two is a Technicolor adaptation of the 1924 Broadway musical No No Nanette, previously filmed under its own title in 1929. Doris Day stars as Nanette, a Roaring '20s Jazz Baby with showbiz aspirations. Nanette offers to put up $25,000 if producer Billy DeWolfe will star her in a Broadway show. The girl's wealthy, and stingy uncle S.Z. Sakall agrees to advance her the money, but only on one condition; for the next 24 hours, Nanette must answer "No" to every question. Gordon MacRae co-stars as Nanette's attorney, who worships her from afar and who finally manages to win her hand with a little wager of his own. The songs, culled from several sources and written by hands ranging from Irving Caesar to George Gershwin, include "Crazy Rhythm," "Do Do Do," "I Want to Be Happy," "I Only Have Eyes for You" and the title number. In 1970, the original No No Nanette was successfully revived for Broadway, with veterans Ruby Keeler and Patsy Kelly in the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, (more)
- 1961
Once again, Barney solicits Andy's aid in an affair of the heart. This time around, Barney and his sweetie Thelma Lou have quarreled (he claims that she doesn't take their relationship seriously), and Andy is expected to bring them back together again. The scheme involves Andy pretending to be a rival for Thelma Lou's affections-a scheme that backfires spectacularly. First shown on March 6, 1961, "Cyrano Andy" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
The people of Mayberry tend to be a bit resistant when an "outsider" sets up shop in town. Thus, several locals look askance when Ellie May Walker (Elinor Donahue), niece of the local druggist, takes charge of Walker's Drug Store. Almost immediately, Ellie's "modern" notions rub the traditionalist townsfolk the wrong way; for example, she refuses to sell sugar pills to the town's resident hypochondriac. Attempting to straighten things out, Sheriff Andy realizes that his interest in Ellie is more than professional. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "Ellie Comes to Town" first aired on October 24, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Sheriff Andy's male chauvinism boils over when his girlfriend Ellie Walker decides to run for town council-the first woman ever to do so. As the campaigning proceeds, Andy and Barney do everything they can to throw roadblocks in Ellie's political career. The Sheriff realizes the error of his ways when his own son Opie begins spouting anti-female propaganda. First shown on December 12, 1960, "Ellie for Council" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Sheriff Andy mistakenly believes he can second-guess the opposite sex in general and Ellie Walker in particular. Convinced that Ellie is trying to snare him into marriage, Andy escorts her to the church picnic and encourages three local bachelors to woo her away. When Ellie finds out what's up, she and Andy's son Opie conspire to teach the misguided Sheriff a good lesson. First broadcast on October 31, 1960, "Irresistible Andy" was written by David Adler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
A man named Ernest Maxwell (Hugh Marlowe) arrives in Mayberry, claiming to be a talent scout for a major record company. Armed with a tape recorder, Maxwell begins auditioning local talent, and soon everyone in town is currying the man's favor-everyone, that is, except Sheriff Andy Taylor. Suspecting that Maxwell is nothing more than a con artist, especially after the locals begin investing money in Maxwell's company. But someone is in for a big surprise-and that someone is Guess Who. Written by Benedict Freeman and John Fenton Murray, "Mayberry on Record" originally aired on February 13, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
It is time for the annual Mayberry Founders Day celebration, and the committee has decided to hold a beauty contest. Sheriff Andy is all for the idea-until he is appointed to judge the contest. Making matters worse, Andy's girlfriend Ellie is one of the contestants. How is the Sheriff going to get out of this predicament without hurting everyone's feelings-and messing up his own love life? The solution provided by scriptwriters Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart is in keeping with the warmth, humanity and insight that always set The Andy Griffith Show apart from its sitcom competitors. "The Beauty Contest" was originally telecast on January 23, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This classic episode of The Andy Griffith Show begins when Sheriff Andy compassionately decides not to lock up moonshiner Sam Muggins during Christmas week, so that Sam can spend the holidays with his family. But old Ben Weaver (Will Wright), who can out-Scrooge Scrooge and out-Grinch the Grinch any day, demands that Andy follow the letter of the law and throw Sam in the clink, Christmas or no Christmas. Andy does so-but in his own inimitable fashion, enabling the Muggins clan to remain together all the same. Written by David Adler, "The Christmas Story" originally aired on December 19, 1960, then was rebroadcast during Christmas week of 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Jim Lindsey (James Best), the wandering troubadour introduced in the 1960 episode "The Guitar Player," pays a return visit to Mayberry. The townsfolk are impressed by Jim's stories of his newfound fame and fortune-stories that seem to be backed up by the guitarist's fancy new Mercedes Benz. Ultimately, however, Sheriff Andy discovers that Jim isn't the huge success he claims to be. Also repeating his role from "The Guitar Player" is Henry Slate as bandleader Bobby Fleet. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "The Guitar Player Returns" was first shown on May 15, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Hoping to rid Mayberry of that old eyesore cannon in the town square, Sheriff Andy fabricates a tall tale about the cannon's "celebrated" history to a potential buyer. The scheme backfires when Andy's son Opie begins to imitate his father's propensity for stretching the truth. Casey Adams, later billed as Max Showalter, plays the out-of-town buyer. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "The Horse Trader" originally aired on January 9, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
