Robert Clotworthy Movies
- 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)
- 1984
Convicted murderer Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald had hoped that, by telling his side of the story to investigative journalist Joe McGinniss, the authorities would be persuaded of MacDonald's innocence. Instead, McGinniss ended up unswerving in his belief of MacDonald's guilt, and the result was the devastating best-seller Fatal Vision. In this two-part TV adaptation of McGinniss' book, Gary Cole plays MacDonald, a former Green Beret officer, while Frank Dent essays the role of McGinniss. MacDonald's wife and two children are brutally murdered in their Fort Bragg, North Carolina home on February 17, 1970. The prime suspect, MacDonald insists that the killings were committed by a gang of stoned-out hippies, a story that at first is accepted in toto by the doctor's father-in-law Freddy Kassab (Karl Malden). But after MacDonald is officially exonerated, Kassab notices several holes in his son-in-law's story, and becomes convinced that MacDonald was in fact the murderer. Through Kassab's persistence, as well as the uncovering of new forensic evidence, MacDonald is ultimately convicted for all three murders in 1979. Since the TV premiere of Fatal Vision on November 18 and 19, 1984, there has been a growing movement by MacDonald's sympathizers to discredit McGinniss' book and to retry the case--a movement that has been hampered time and again by MacDonald's own erratic behavior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint, (more)
- 1984
The made-for-TV Shattered Vows stars Valerie Bertinelli as a young nun named Mary Gilligan. Though she tries to honor the edicts of her calling, Mary falls in love with a handsome priest (David Morse). Her overwhelming desire to marry and raise a family culminates in her leaving her order before taking final vows. The real-life Mary Gilligan Wong eventually became a clinical psychologist. Her autobiography Nun: A Memoir served as the basis for Shattered Vows, which first aired October 29, 1984 ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
In a rare television appearance, Dorothy McGuire plays a farm widow who has been impoverished by the siphoning of her water supply. A nearby big-city aqueduct has priority over water rights, leaving the rural outskirts virtually dry. Attempting to bring her cause to the forefront, McGuire dynamites the reservoir, half-hoping that she'll be "martyred" in the process. When she fails to arouse public support, she targets the local power plant for her next blast (Don't look for this film to be rebroadcast in the light of more recent bombing tragedies). Assistant DA Victoria Racimo, who as an orphaned Indian girl had been virtually raised by McGuire, decides to challenge the water-department bureaucracy on McGuire's behalf. Filmed on location in Utah, Ghost Dancing was a winner of the ABC Theatre Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story is a surfacy TV-movie rehash of the same real-life events which inspired the 1980 theatrical feature Star 80. Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Dorothy Stratten, here depicted as an ingenuous, highly vulnerable Canadian girl who aspires to show business stardom. Decked out with a generous toupee, Bruce Weitz co-stars as Paul Snyder, the "fringie" who married Dorothy and managed her career. The girl is discovered by Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, who features Dorothy in a nude foldout spread. As Dorothy's fame grows, Snyder becomes more obsessive and difficult to control. Dorothy tries to make a clean break from Snyder, which culminates in tragedy. Death of a Centerfold initially aired on November 1, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
References to the films of Alfred Hitchcock abound in this roller-coaster of an episode, in which Jim (James Garner) is mistakenly identified as a spy named Terrence Halsey. Unable to convince the Feds that he isn't who they think he is, Jim ends up being dispatched to South America, there to help a wide-eyed heiress (Dorrie Kavanaugh) whose villainous husband (Don Chastain) is using her family's good name to engineer a swindle. See if you can spot the "swipes" from such Hitchcock classics as North by Northwest, Saboteur and especially Notorious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Charles (David Ogden Stiers) revels in the humble servitude and remarkable resourcefulness of his new Korean houseboy (Sab Shimono). What nobody realizes is that the Korean is actually a Communist agent, sent to spy on the 4077th and send reports back to the North. Things take a surprising turn when the camp breaks out in rashes that no one can deal with--or at least, almost no one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Teenaged farm boy Tucker "Tuck" Holland (Stewart Petersen) is shy and lonely, afraid that he will be ridiculed because he stutters. As he walks home from school -- alone, as usual -- Tuck notices a construction site, where a new skating rink is being built. For the next several weeks, he hangs around the site, eagerly anticipating the rink's opening. Sure enough, once the building has gone up and Tuck has strapped on his skates, he manages to overcome his shyness and reticence by becoming a champion on the ice -- and absolutely no one cares that he still has trouble getting his words out! This ABC Afterschool Special is based on a novel by Bob Rodgers, and features Ron Howard's father, Rance Howard, as Tuck's dad. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Petersen, Jerry Dexter, (more)
- 1974
The Walton family spends a great deal of money to purchase a new suit of clothes for John-Boy's high school graduation. But when their cow suddenly dies, the Waltons desperately need ready cash to replace the bovine. Will John-Boy (Richard Thomas) stubbornly hold on to his graduation suit, or will he do the Right Thing and sell it back? Without revealing the ending, it can be noted that Grandpa Walton (Will Geer) comes to the rescue. Featured in the supporting cast is child actor Jeff Cotler, the brother of series regular Kami Cotler (Elizabeth). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Squad 51 paramedics Roy (Kevin Tighe) and John (Randolph Mantooth) don't quite know what to do with a large inheritance they've received from a former patient--until the IRS tells them exactly what do. On a more serious note, the emegency team must deal with a hard-driving stockbroker (Warren Berlinger) who insists he has no time to be treated for a possible heart attack. Elsewhere, a child is trapped in a car surrounded by high-power wires; and a teenager comes to grief during a hamburger-eating contest. Marion Ross makes a brief, pre-Happy Days appearance in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
