Milo O'Shea Movies
Blustery, bushy-eyebrowed Irish character-actor Milo O'Shea was on stage from the age of 10, at which time he became a protégé of Sir John Gielgud. At 19, O'Shea joined Dublin's Abbey Players, where he remained for well over two decades. He made his Broadway debut in 1968's Staircase, and later starred as the gladhanding priest in the original stage production of Bill C. Davis' Mass Appeal (a role played in the 1984 movie version by Jack Lemmon). In films from 1951, O'Shea was cast as Leopold Bloom in Ulysses (1967), Mister Zero in The Adding Machine (1969), Durand-Durand in Barbarella (1968), and scene-stealing Judge Hoyle in The Verdict (1981). His TV roles include Dr. Stanislaus Lotaki on the pioneering miniseries QB VII (1973) and eccentric cartoonist Abner Bevis in the short-lived superhero satire Once a Hero (1987). Though only in his seventh decade, Milo O'Shea seems to have been around forever, eliciting gasps of "Hooray! He's still working!" from delighted fans whenever O'Shea pops up on such 1990s TV series as Frasier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1980
This drama chronicles the real-life story of Native America's first declared saint, Elizabeth Bayley Seton. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Lee Remick made her TV movie debut in And No One Could Save Her. She plays an American heiress whose husband (Frank Grimes) has apparently disappeared in the middle of a transcontinental flight. Remick heads to Ireland, her husband's original destination, to get to the bottom of things. And No One Could Save Her was the first TV production of the Robert Stigwood Group (Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Can't Stop the Music etc.) The film originally aired February 21, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
In Angel in Green, an unlikely alliance between a Jesuit missionary and a trained-for-combat Green Beret trooper is formed to help protect the island natives from insurgent-spawned violence. ~ All Movie Guide
A valiant prince battles an evil sorcerer to rescue his true love in this colorful fantasy, which features high adventure and plenty of special effects. The hero must overcome a number of dangers, along the way receiving help from a beautiful street urchin and a magical rose. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Lee, Milo O'Shea, (more)
A voluptuous outer space agent travels to another galaxy in search of a missing inventor in this science fiction send-up. Barbarella (Jane Fonda), an interstellar representative of the united Earth government in the 41st century, is dispatched to locate scientist Durand Durand, whose positronic ray, if not recovered, could signal the end of humanity. Outfitted in an array of stunning Star Trek/Bond girl outfits and cruising around in a plush, psychedelic spaceship, Barbarella travels to the Tau Seti system and promptly crash-lands. She then spends the rest of the film discovering the joys of interstellar sex with a keeper of feral children (Ugo Tognazzi), a blind, beatific angel (John Phillip Law), and an inept revolutionary named Dildano (David Hemmings). Slowly but surely, she also finds her way to Durand Durand by moving from one exotic, Wizard of Oz-style locale to another. Along the way, she meets the kindly Professor Ping (a surprisingly verbal Marcel Marceau), a Eurotrash dominatrix named the Great Tyrant (Rolling Stones gal pal Anita Pallenberg), and the Concierge (Milo O'Shea), a strangely familiar lackey of the Great Tyrant who tries to destroy Barbarella with his great big organ of love. Jean-Claude Forest, who created the character Barbarella in 1962 for V-Magazine, served as visual advisor on the adaptation. The film's missing scientist character famously inspired the band name of '80s pop stars Duran Duran (who altered the spelling slightly). Almost two decades later, the film also inspired electronic act Matmos, which was named after the aqueous personification of evil unleashed by the Concierge at the movie's climax. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, (more)
- 1967
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The late velvet voiced crooner Bing Crosby headlined the 1967 television special, Bing Crosby: A Little Bit of Irish, which originally aired on American networks. Shot live in Dublin circa 1966 as a tribute to the country of St. Patrick and the great potato famine, A Little Bit of Irish features Crosby and a series of guests - among them Milo O'Shea, The Guinness Choir, and John McNally -- performing a plethora of Irish ballads - an area of song for which Crosby became well known via his recordings. Eighteen numbers are sung in this hour-long event; the tracks include the much-beloved "Molly Malone," "Macnamara's Band,""The Boys of Wexford," "Courtin' in the Kitchen," "I'm Off to Philadelphia," and "Isle of Innisfree." ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Siobhan McKenna, (more)
This drama explores the inner turmoil of a parish priest who begins to question his beliefs and his celibacy after he becomes mixed up with the girlfriend of a murder victim. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Annette O'Toole, (more)
- 1963
The seventh film in the long-running "Carry On" series (24 more were to follow), this chapter features Sidney James as Charlie, owner of the Speedee Cab Company. Business has been good for Charlie, so good that it's been a source of great aggravation for his wife Peggy (Hattie Jacques), who complains that he never spends any time with her anymore. When Charlie misses taking his wife out on their anniversary because he's busy with work, Peggy decides that she's had enough, and she fights fire with fire by starting her own taxi service, Glamcabs. Unlike the other cab companies in town, Glamcabs' fleet of drivers are exclusively beautiful women in skimpy uniforms, which not surprisingly makes them the taxi of choice for men in town. Glamcabs takes a big bite out of Speedee's business, which leads to an all-out war between Charlie and Peggy. The "Carry On" gang followed this with Carry On Spying; two more "Carry On" titles hit theaters before the end of 1964. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney James, Hattie Jacques, (more)
- 1992
In Cheers' hour-long tenth season finale, Woody (Woody Harrelson) and Kelly (Jackie Swanson) experience last-minute trepidations about getting married -- but this doesn't stop them from a bit of pre-nuptial hanky panky. When the big day finally arrives, the loving couple must overcome such matrimonial roadblocks as a terrorized chef, a gun-toting outraged lover, and a dead minister. This episode is currently available in syndication as either a one-hour "special" or two half-hour installments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The exploits of the title sheepdog provide the basis of this family-oriented comedy fantasy. Digby started out as an ordinary puppy but then one day got in to a bowl full of Project X, a special formula meant to grow larger vegetables. As he galumphs along in the countryside causing all kinds of trouble, the Army decides to blow the big woofer to kingdom come. Fortunately for Digby, his devoted owner is frantically searching for the serum that will save him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1983
The seven-hour TV miniseries Ellis Island was adapted from a novel by Fred Mustard Stewart. Per its title, the film is a mosaic of subplots involving several European immigrants who passed through New York's Ellis Island before taking up residence in the Big Apple. Most of the characters are based on real people, notably the Irving Berlin-like musician played by Peter Riegert. Co-stars Faye Dunaway, Richard Burton (in his last film role) and Ann Jillian were honored with Emmy nominations. Ironically, this essentially American saga was largely filmed in London. Originally telecast November 11, 13, and 14, 1984, Ellis Island was re-edited and re-telecast in the summer of 1986, just in time for the Statue of Liberty Centennial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Milo O'Shea guest stars as Dr. Schachter, a "couples" specialist. During this particular session, the good doctor is counseling a most odd couple indeed -- namely, sibling psychiatrists Frasier and Niles Crane (Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce), whose relationship is in danger of collapsing. In flashbacks, Frasier and Niles woefully recall their foredoomed efforts to save money on office space by opening up a joint practice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this British comedy drama, a dotty old widow finally finds a new love and happiness until her unruly sons bust out of prison and beg her to hide them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
The miserable life and long-overdue death of thrill killer Charles Starkweather is the basis of the two-part TV movie Murder in the Heartland. Over a bloody few months in 1958, Starkweather (Tim Roth), a 19-year-old high school dropout, embarked on a killing spree, snuffing out 11 victims. Along for the ride was Charlie's 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate (Fairuza Balk). The debate still goes on as to whether Caril Ann was a willing accomplice or a reluctant prisoner; as played by Ms. Balk, she comes off as dumb as mud. A shorter, fictionalized account of the Starkweather killings was offered in the critically acclaimed 1973 theatrical feature Badlands, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Murder in the Heartland originally aired May 3 and 4, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Roth, Fairuza Balk, (more)
- 1964
Pat Boone plays Stephen Cole, a young Irish man who believes himself to be worthy of a promotion from his employer. Believing that his boss instead is practicing nepotism, giving the promotion to his own nephew, Stephen writes--and mails--the company a caustic letter. Before long, however, Stephen finds that he has, indeed, just been named general manager/junior partner rather than the nephew. Now he must rush to London to intercept the letter before it reaches its initial destination. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat Boone, Milo O'Shea, (more)
- 1985
This British double-feature is comprised of mysteries based on Frederick Forsyth stories. The first, A Careful Man centers upon an ailing millionaire who bilks his greedy relatives out of their rightful inheritance. In Privilege, an ingenious stamp salesman uses the law to get revenge upon a slanderous gossip columnist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In this fantasy, a comic-book hero, worried that he will simply fade away because of his dwindling fans and a burned-out creator, decides to enter the real world and see if he can bolster his flagging reputation while simultaneously cleaning up crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1977
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A Marguerite Henry novel was the source for the made-for-TV Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion. Recording artist Leif Garrett assumes the title role, a teen-aged boy growing up in the years just prior to the Civil War. The adventuresome Lundy signs on as a rider for the new Pony Express service. Over the next few months, Lundy "comes of age" as he rides from one exciting experience to another. The colorful supporting cast includes Milo O'Shea as a rambunctious surveyor, John Quade as a friendly blacksmith, and John Anderson as the visionary head of the Pony Express. Peter Lundy & the Medicine Hat Stallion first aired November 6, 1977, in the NBC Sunday-night slot normally reserved for The Wonderful World of Disney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger was written by Blanche Hanalis, a specialist in turning out quality teleplays with a feminist slant. Bonnie Franklin stars as pioneering birth-control advocate Margaret Sanger, who in the early part of the 20th century conducted a 25-year battle to have her views legitimized by the puritanical, male-dominated medical establishment. The film covers the years 1912 through 1917, starting with Sanger's work as a New York City public health nurse. Appalled by the deaths brought about by self-induced abortions, Sanger campaigns to enlighten uneducated "lower-class" women in the proper methods of birth control, eventually opening her own clinic. Her efforts are rewarded with public scorn, attacks from various censorship advocates (her informational pamphlets are deemed "pornographic") and frequent jail terms. In order to spice up an already fascinating story, the film places undue emphasis on the brief romance between Ms. Sanger and British sexual-liberation guru Havelock Ellis (Richard Johnson). Portrait of A Rebel might make a piquant double feature with the 1995 cable-TV Margaret Sanger biopic, which starred Dana Delany. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In this comedy an odd-ball science teacher and his young protege begin experimenting with their new shrinking formula. Unfortunately, it works too well. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Drake
- 2002
Based on the best-selling novel by Irish comedian Spike Milligan, Puckoon is a political satire about a town cut in half by the partitioning of Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1924. The action takes place in a town known as Puckoon where an ordinary fellow named Dan Madigan wakes up one day to find barbed-wire fences running right through his neighbors' houses. All at once, Madigan's friends begin altering their personalities to suit the side of the fence they've found themselves on. So it's up to Madigan, the last sane man in town, to restore order. Originally written in 1963, Puckoon is considered the forerunner of anti-humor comedy which became the staple of shows like Monty Python and Saturday Night Live. ~ Connor McMadden, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Hughes, Elliott Gould, (more)
- 1971
One of the most notorious American judicial cases of the 20th century is paced and photographed like a spaghetti Western in the Italian Sacco and Vanzetti. There is no denying that Nicola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volontè) were anarchists. But it is highly doubtful that Sacco and Vanzetti were guilty of murder. However, their trial took place at the height of the 1920s "Red Scare," so there was little opportunity for the two men to receive fair treatment. Despite worldwide protests from politicians, intellectuals, and "average Joes," Sacco and Vanzetti were executed on August 23, 1927, after spending nearly seven years on death row. Like most TV and film accounts of this story, Sacco and Vanzetti is clearly sympathetic to the main characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
This satirical fantasy is based upon an Elmer Rice play from 1923. A hard-working office employee is rewarded for his years of slavish devotion to the company by getting fired just prior to retirement and being replaced with an adding machine. Now, with only his nagging wife waiting at home to add more misery to his dreary life, the man has nothing left and goes over the edge. He murders his boss and then goes on trial. He is convicted and put to death. He dies a happy and free man, thinking that he will surely go to Hell. Strangely enough, he ends up in a heavenly waiting area with other killers who are all there to be reassigned to new lives back on Earth. While waiting, he meets his new guardian angel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Diller, Milo O'Shea, (more)
Bernard Malamud seldom saw his works faithfully transferred to the screen (take a look at The Natural sometime), but he issued no complaints over the cinemazation of his The Angel Levine. Zero Mostel plays an elderly Jew whose life experiences have left him an embittered agnostic. Into Mostel's life floats Alexander Levine (Harry Belafonte), who must convince the old man that life has value, else he'll never earn his wings. The novelty of a black Jewish angel has lost some of its "shock" value over the years, allowing modern audiences to cherish the storyline for its own merits. The Angel Levine was lovingly adapted for the screen by Bill Gunn and Ronald Ribman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zero Mostel, Harry Belafonte, (more)
