Nicholas Worth Movies
- 1966
No relation to the 1977 Barbra Streisand vehicle of the same name, the independent 1966 film For Pete's Sake top-bills none other than evangelist Billy Graham. This well-intentioned effort concerns a gas-station attendant (Robert Sampson), his wife (Pippa Scott) and son (Johnny Jensen). Barely eking out a living, the attendant must endure harassment from a local motorcycle gang. After attending a Billy Graham revival meeting, the attendant and his family decide to apply their new found religiosity in dealing with the nasty cyclists. A remarkably stellar cast -- including Sam Groom, Al Freeman Jr. and Terri Garr -- do their best to lend credibility to this farfetched fable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this horror sequel from the director of Count Yorga, Vampire, a member of an American voodoo cult revives the fanged Prince Manuwalde (William Marshall), only to become his slave. Manuwalde then puts the bite on various victims, but finds himself fixating on pretty Lisa (Pam Grier), a voodoo princess whom he believes can finally put his soul to rest. Lynne Moody, Nicholas Worth, and Bernie Hamilton are among the familiar cast, but the various occult trappings seem somewhat out of place in the modern Los Angeles setting and the production values are pretty shabby. Blaxploitation and camp fans should still find it mildly amusing, however, and Shakespearean actor Marshall is a lot of fun as the obsessive vampire. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Marshall, Pam Grier, (more)
- 1975
Roy (Kevin Tighe) can't make up his mind about buying a house, and suffers the consequences. Back on the job, Roy and his fellow paramedics go to the rescue of a teenage epileptic trapped under a bridge on a concrete beam, and an unconcious girl on the second floor of a burning house. Elsewhere, it looks like a pair of driving-school students aren't going to pass their exam when they're involve in an accident; and the paramedics search for a lost dog on behalf of an injured youngster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In this light-hearted (and slightly light-headed) episode, Angel (Stuart Margolin) prevails upon Jim (James Garner) to recover some money from gambler Tom "Chicken" Little. When Little turns up dead, Jim finds out that the man was involved in an elaborate swindle, and that the money Angel had been after actually belonged to Mob. The only way Jim can recover the cash and avoid being offed by the Mob himself is to stage a swindle of his own--and that's why the episode ends with a free-for-all at Angel's "funeral." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
While doing volunteer work at Willowdale, a sanitarium which houses convicted criminals who have been deemed mentally incapable of serving prison time, Quincy (Jack Klugman) hears rumors that some of the inmates are being forced to participate in illegal boxing matches. After the mother of a recently deceased inmate comes forward insisting that her son's "accidental" death was anything but, Quincy is all the more determined to find out what's really going on--and not surprisingly, imperils his own life in the process. This is one of a handful of fourth-season Quincy M.E. episode deemed worthy of three prime-time NBC telecasts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This two-part episode (originally telecast as a single two-hour "TV movie") was a byproduct of Robert Altman's theatrical feature H.E.A.L.T.H, in which costars James Garner and Lauren Bacall hit it off so well that Bacall asked to play a guest role on Garner's TV series. The screen legend is cast as Kendall Warren, jet-setting best friend of Princess Irene Rachevsky (Dana Wynter). When it becomes obvious that someone is trying to kill Kendall, the Princess asks Jim (James Garner) to investigate. The trail of clues leads to a lethal costume party, capped by the inevitable arrival of Jim's perennial "bete noire" Lt. Chapman (James Luisi). And keep an eye out for that celebrated socialite "Lord Evelyn Martin"--who looks an awful lot like our old friend Angel (Stuart Margolin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
The staff of WKRP is perplexed when deejay Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid) refuses to pose for newspaper publicity pictures. Ultimately, the truth comes out: Venus' real name is Gordon Sims, and he has been on the lam from the authorities ever since deserting the Army at the age of 22. Although the super-patriotic Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) is aghast at this revelation, it is he who nobly tries to square things between Venus and the Military. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This mix of drama, camp, and brutal violence is anchored by the performance of Nicholas Worth. Worth plays Kurt Smith, a sweaty, balding maniac who strangles women with a stocking, raping and mutilating them during and after death. A Vietnam veteran, Smith prowls the streets of Hollywood posing as a photographer, then sells his violent porn to sleazy smut-peddler Sam (Porky's star Chuck Mitchell). At home, Smith lifts weights and tells off his dead father, whose abuse was obviously one cause of his mania. Sometimes he calls the radio show of psychiatrist Lindsey Gale (Flo Gerrish), posing as a Puerto Rican named Ramon and asking for advice about his headaches. Dedicated cop McCabe (James Westmoreland) has no luck solving the case until Smith murders one of Dr. Gale's patients, in an unforgivably sick scene. The patient (Paula Warner) was molested by her father, which Smith overhears. When he breaks into her house that night, Smith ties her up while cooing, "Daddy loves his little girl," and pouring hot wax on her as she cries into her teddy-bear. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Westmoreland, Flo Gerrish, (more)
- 1981
This 1981 sequel to the 1979 made-for-TVer Goldie and the Boxer once again stars O.J. Simpson and Melissa Michaelsen as, respectively, boxer Joe Gallegher and Joe's 10-year-old manager Goldie Kellog. When Joe incurs the wrath of an evil promoter, he and Goldie high-tail it to Hollywood. They take refuge in the home of Babe (Stubby Kaye) and Cuddles (Sheila MacRae) a pair of Tinseltown "fringies" distantly related to Joe's trainer Wally (Jack Gilford, taking over for the first film's Phil Silvers). Produced by Orenthal Productions (guess who ran that company?), Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood first aired February 19, 1981. It has been rerun incessantly since June of 1994, thanks to the latter-day notoriety of star O. J. Simpson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- O.J. Simpson, Melissa Michaelsen, (more)
- 1982
A young Jim Belushi appears as Wheezer, the new man in Laverne's life. Unfortunately for his ego, Wheezer exhibits a cowardly streak when Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Carmine (Eddie Mekka) are harrassed by a gang of bullies. Hoping to build up Wheezer's self-esteem, Laverne arranges for him to become a "hero"--with the requisite disastrous results! This episode was directed by Paul Sills, creator of the famed improvisational "Story Theatre" troupe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Wes Craven, who went on to fame as the force behind blockbuster horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, departed from his favorite genre to film this unique cult classic -- a spoof on the mad scientist movies of the 1950s. Adrienne Barbeau stars as Alice Cable, a government agent sent to replace a man who has disappeared while guarding a secret experimental lab in the middle of the Louisiana bayous. Dressed in heels and a skirt, Cable professes unease at her strange new surroundings, but she is soon wooed by Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise). Holland is working on a concoction that combines plant and animal cells. Arcane (Louis Jourdan) is the criminal mastermind who is trying to steal the secret recipe for the potion. When Arcane and his mercenaries break into the government camp, they kill Holland's sister Linda (Nannette Brown) and the scientist is accidentally doused with his own formula and bursts into flames, then dives into the swamp. Arcane's men pursue Cable, but she is rescued by a mysterious green man. It takes several rescues for her to understand that the Swamp Thing (Dick Durock) is Dr. Holland, transformed by his own formula. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, (more)
This standard, tongue-in-cheek, gangsters and good guys saga is carried on the star power and screen presence of Clint Eastwood as Lt. Speer, a taciturn, tough, play-it-by-the-book cop, and on Burt Reynolds as Mike Murphy, Speer's old friend in the force, now turned private eye but still a captivating rogue at heart. With a sub-text of playing their well-known screen personas off each other, Eastwood and Reynolds provide more than a surface interpretation of the characters that made them famous. After Murphy's partner is murdered, he focuses on pitting one mob boss against another in an attempt to have both mobsters kill each other. In the meantime, Lt. Speer -- who has never approved of Murphy's private detective business -- does not really know if Murphy is for or against the two top gangsters. Set in the era of speakeasies and Prohibition, an added layer of "film noir" can be discerned under the complex plot, verbal repartée, and episodes of toned-down violence (a kind of parody in themselves). Although this may not be the best film either star has made, it is still interesting to see them together on screen. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, (more)
This minor made-for-TV effort from horror auteur Wes Craven is one of the oddest attempts at seriously blending supernatural horror and science fiction elements, which amounts to a muddled but amusing failure. The convoluted plot involves scientist Robert Urich's experiments with a new spacesuit designed to detect non-human lifeforms for a proposed expedition to Venus. When a sultry succubus (Susan Lucci, who was born for such a role) begins exerting her demonic influence on the members of a country club -- including Urich's wife and children -- he dons the completed suit for a literal journey into hell itself to rescue them. Craven's skill manages to elevate this loopy premise slightly above the level of pure nonsense, but low production values and the constraints of TV censorship prevent it from being adequately explored. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Lucci, Robert Urich, (more)
Made for television, Broken Badge originally aired as The Rape of Richard Beck. Richard Crenna plays Beck, a hard-bitten cop who has little patience for female rape victims. Then he himself is sexually assaulted by two assailants. Crenna's excellent performance notwithstanding, the teleplay by James G. Hirsch is a bit simplistic, drawn up along the lines of the old bromide "a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged" Meredith Baxter Birney is seen all too briefly as a rape counsellor. The Rape of Richard Beck premiered on May 27, 1985, as an "ABC Theatre" presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
- R
This undistinguished comedy about life in prison features caricatures of inmates and law enforcement officers, as well as prison guards, in attempts at slapstick action. After Duke Jarrett (Jeff Altman) is put into prison because he had sex with the wife of a government VIP, he discovers that life in the prison is out of control -- until a disciplinarian takes charge. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Altman, Dey Young, (more)
- 1985
Married...With Children's Ed O'Neill guest stars as parole officer Dan Colson, an old pal of Detective Sgt. Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer). Unfortunately, the pressures of having to deal with the scum of the earth (to say nothing of enduring the murder of a close friend) have pushed Colson off the deep end, and now he is practicing his own bloody brand of vigilante justice. Grimly, Hunter sets about to stop Colson from murdering a framed parolee. Watch for a young Frances McDormand in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In Armed and Dangerous, John Candy plays a cop who has been kicked off the force on a trumped up charge. Eugene Levy costars as a disbarred lawyer. The two outcasts take low-paying jobs as security officers at a company controlled by mob boss Robert Loggia. In their own stumblebum fashion, Candy and Levy uncover a smuggling operation masterminded by Loggia. Meg Ryan also shows up in an early leading role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Eugene Levy, (more)
Having spent much of his directorial career emulating Don Siegel and John Ford, Clint Eastwood borrows a page from the catalogue of Sam Fuller in Heartbreak Ridge. Eastwood casts himself as an old-fashioned Marine Corps sergeant who is out of step with the new-fashioned military. He returns to his old outfit as a gunnery sergeant, where he runs afoul of 1980s-style superior officers to whom the words "Gung Ho" are foolish anachronisms. But through his tough tutelage, Eastwood's lackadaisical platoon is whipped into a first-rate fighting machine, favoring teamwork over such New Age gobbledygook as "self-fulfillment." Eastwood's men prove their mettle during the invasion of Grenada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Marsha Mason, (more)
- 1986
In the first episode of a two-part story, Dan (John Larroquette) insists upon disobeying his doctor's orders by returning to work immediately after minor ulcer surgery. Predictably ending up back in the hospital, Dan is still determined to prove that he's far from incapacitated, this time by making whoopee with sexy Sheila (Leslie Bevis) in his hospital bed. This, coupled with some angry words from Harry (Harry Anderson) , causes Dan to lapse into a coma--and to very nearly become a candidate for the morgue! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
A rare attempt by a female director to attack the issue of rape from a woman's perspective, this drama is sure to cause varied reactions. A sense of the film's perspective can be garnered from paraphrasing its publicity: "Rapists have two problems and the 'Ladies Club' is about to remove them both." Statistics of the time note that a woman was raped every seven minutes while the conviction rate was an incredibly low 2%. A policewoman who was brutally raped and the sister of a rape victim who was incurably traumatized band together for a surgical attack on the offenders, aided by a physician whose own tragedy inspires her to lend her skill with a scalpel to the cause. The encounters with rapists, court hearings, and sneaking through police files to identify the men who got away bring suspense to this crusade for justice. Comic relief crops up now and again to leaven the seriousness of the topic. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Austin, Diana Scarwid, (more)
- 1987
- PG13
A clumsy hipster gets more than he bargained for when he mistakenly picks up a bag full of drug money instead of his clean laundry in this comedy. Interestingly the film features Olympic champions Greg Louganis and Carl Lewis in major roles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leigh McCloskey, Jeanne O'Brien, (more)
No Way Out is told in flashback as Naval officer Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is grilled by his superiors regarding a recent "unpleasantness." While at a Washington party, Tom meets Susan Atwel (Sean Young), and they're soon sharing a steamy love scene in the back of a limo (marvelously parodied in 1993's Hot Shots! Part Deux). Several months pass before Tom meets Susan again; he discovers she's the mistress of the US Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman). When Susan is murdered by Brice, his loyal aide (Will Patton) dutifully destroys the evidence and invents the fallacious theory that a KGB mole was responsible. Tom is assigned to locate that mole -- a perilous situation, since Tom knows that no such mole exists, but must go along with the charade since he was the last person who was seen with Susan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, (more)
Ex-football player Carl Weathers stars in this violent action film as Detroit policeman Jericho Jackson. The dedicated but brutal cop is plunged into nefarious doings concerning a crooked industrialist (Craig T. Nelson) and his drug-addicted girlfriend (pop-singer Vanity), breaking many people's bones before solving the case. Sharon Stone stands out in a cast of genre veterans including Nicholas Worth, Sonny Landham, and Robert Davi. Heavy on the sex and violence, this film harkens back to the glory days of 1970s blaxploitation, but is a bit too mean-spirited to be as much fun. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, (more)
- 1988
The second of two TV-movie attempts to revive the Dobie Gillis sitcom series of the 1950s and 1960s, Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis rounds up as many cast members of the old show as humanly possible. Dwayne Hickman took a break from his busy career as a CBS daytime-drama executive to recreate the role of Dobie Gillis, while Bob Denver was back as his beatnik "good buddy" Maynard G. Krebs. Also making return appearances are Sheila James as Zelda Gilroy (now Mrs. Dobie Gillis), Steve Franken as ridiculously wealthy Chatsworth Osborne Jr., and William Schallert as Dobie's college teacher Mr. Pomfritt. The plot concerns the attempts by Dobie's former high school sweetheart, the ever-mercenary Thalia Menninger, to wrest Dobie away from wife Zelda and claim him for her own. Tuesday Weld, the original Thalia, wasn't interested in reprising the character (nor was Dwayne Hickman interested in working with the troublesome Ms. Weld again), so the role was assumed by another 1950s TV icon, Connie Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Denver, Dwayne Hickman, (more)
The great nuclear holocaust has come and gone, and humanity is hanging on a string. Women rule what's left, and the world is filled with giant mutant humanoid frogs who have started their own communities. Fertile human males have become one of the rarest things on Earth. This really low-budget sci-fi adventure chronicles the exploits of one of those men, the wandering loner Sam Hell (as played by former wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper). The tale begins as Hell is caught and tried for raping a woman. Realizing that he is fertile, Medtech, the organization devoted to repopulating the world, takes him and forces him to wear high-tech underwear designed to control his lusty tendencies and to keep him from squandering his seed on infertile ladies. The organization then forces him to go deep into froggy territory to bring back the fertile women stolen by the amphibian's leader. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roddy Piper, Sandahl Bergman, (more)
