Joan Hackett Movies
Former model Joan Hackett diligently studied acting under Lee Strasberg; proof that her diligence paid off was her critically acclaimed performance in the 1961 Broadway production Call Me By My Rightful Name. A versatile actress who successfully combined brains with beauty (not always the case with ingenues of the 1960s), Hackett made her film debut in 1966's The Group. Perhaps her best film performance was as the lonely frontier wife who is briefly attracted to drifter Charlton Heston in Will Penny (1968). Hackett's TV work included recurring roles on the dramatic weekly The Defenders in the early 1960s and the situation comedy Another Day in 1978. Ravaged by cancer in her last months, Hackett could take some small comfort in the knowledge that her penultimate movie appearance in Only When I Laugh (1981) had won her a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination. Joan Hackett was at one time the wife of actor Richard Mulligan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1980
In this made-for-TV sequel to When Every Day Was the Fourth of July, a Jewish family fights prejudice in their New England community in the years before World War II. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1981
James Garner's longtime Rockford Files colleague directed this Saroyanesque 1982 TV movie. George Adams (Garner) is a railroad steam-engine handyman in Cushing, Oklahoma, circa 1952. Increasing reliance upon the diesel engine has rendered George's job obsolete; the only employment he can find is as a night watchman, which subjects him to ridicule from the community. George struggles to hold his home and family together, despite such roadblocks as a tattered relationship with his wife (Joan Hackett), a brief affair with the town temptress (Anjanette Comer), a fistic bout with the local business bigwig, and a nocturnal tussle with a gang of bank robbers. The Long Summer of George Adams was based on a novel by Weldon Hill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Joan Hackett, (more)
One of the bigger non-cartoon moneymakers for Disney in the 1970s, The North Avenue Irregulars is predicated on the premise of the "Neighborhood Watch" system. Priest Michael Hill (Edward Herrmann), newly arrived on North Avenue, decides to buck the patriarchal notions of his superiors by delegating church responsibilities to the neighborhood women. Since the ladies include Vickie, Jane, Anne, Claire and Rose (Barbara Harris, Karen Valentine, Susan Clark, Cloris Leachman and Patsy Kelly), we're well primed for a surfeit of feistiness. Father Michael entrusts the church funds to Rose, who loses it all at the race track. In trying to retrieve the cash, he comes up against an influential bookie ring, controlled by several of the above-suspicion town officials. The wily priest responds by organizing the ladies of his congregation into the North Avenue Irregulars, a two-fisted crimefighting unit. There's slapstick aplenty within the film's 99 minutes, including the expected comic car crash. North Avenue Irregulars is based on a (drawn-from-life?) novel by the Reverend Albert Fay Hill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Herrmann, Barbara Harris, (more)
- 1970
Joan Hackett plays the neglected wife of prominent attorney Arthur Hill. Almost before she know what is happening, Joan is drawn into an affair with handsome stranger Roy Thinnes. Her indiscretion leads to an attempted murder. All that transpires is part of a complicated plan by an ex-convict to wreak vengeance upon lawyer Hill. Broadway actress Tammy Grimes makes a rare TV appearance in The Other Man, which was filmed on location at Big Sur, California. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
An ex-priest helps exorcise the demons that have taken over the residents of an exclusive girls' school in this made-for-TV supernatural thriller. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- PG
Based on a novel by Michael Crichton, Terminal Man is a sci-fi thriller about a scientist who decides to be the lab rat in an experimental surgery to control his violent tendencies. During the surgical procedure, a miniature computer is implanted in his head. Unfortunately, the mechanism malfunctions, and he becomes a vicious killer. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal
- 1962
An atypical Twilight Zone entry from scriptwriter Earl Hamner, Jr., this episode stars Barry Morse as theatrical critic Fitzgerald Fortune, whose snide cynicism is matched only by his sadistic streak. While seeking out a birthday present for his young wife Esther (Joan Hackett), Fortune happens upon an old player piano, which, when activated, forces the people in its vicinity to reveal their true feelings. Wickedly amused by this, Fortune utilizes the piano at his wife's birthday party, resulting in a deluge of hidden emotions -- and, ultimately, disaster for Fortune himself. Not one of the better Twilight Zone episodes, this one benefits immensely from a stellar supporting cast, including Muriel Landers and Cyril Delevanti. Directed by future Hill Street Blues stalwart David Greene, "A Piano in the House" first aired February 16, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Morse, Joan Hackett, (more)
- 1970
In this made-for-television western adventure, a gambler has many exciting experiences while looking for the rightful owner of a stolen cache of cash. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This adventure chronicles two boys' search for a treasure buried somewhere in the Florida Keys during the mid 1800s. The children are assisted by three adults, who each have the their own agendas for finding the cache. The hunters are followed by a greedy gang of villains. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Foxworth, Joan Hackett, (more)
- 1977
In this mystery, a female detective finds herself traveling in wildly different circles as she begins investigating the case of a famous nude model who first disappears and then ends up discovered dead. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Rambling along at its own measured pace, Will Penny is a vivid western character study, completely dominated by the rapport between stars (Charlton Heston) and (Joan Hackett). Heston plays Will Penny, an aging and impoverished cowboy. With his cohorts Blue (Lee Majors) and Dutchy (Anthony Zerbe), the trio sets out to find employment before winter sets in. Their job search is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Preacher Quint, a vicious Bible-thumping bandit (Donald Pleasance) and his moronic, sadistic sons. Dutchy gets wounded in the fight and Blue stays with him in a small town nearby to nurse him back to health. Will gets a job on a ranch, and though he is supposed to keep squatters off the land, he can't kick out Catherine (Joan Hackett) and her little son (Jon Gries). She herself is en route to join her husband, an Oregon farmer. Despite her wedding vows, Catherine finds herself drawn to Penny -- who makes no unwarranted move towards the woman, but is equally attracted to her. Then the murderous Quint and his sons reappear to exact their revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett, (more)
