Elinor Donahue Movies

After some pestering, Fred (Bob Elliott) reluctantly agrees to take his son, Chris (Chris Elliott), on his annual weekend camping trip. Chris brings along his friend Larry (Sam Robards), and neither one of them knows the first thing about the woods. The two annoy Fred so much that he ditches them, leaving them to fend for themselves. Before long, they grow hungry. Larry has only brought an assortment of sweaters with him. Chris' backpack contains a woman's shoe, shoe polish, his collection of desert island 45s, an extension cord, and three staplers. Luckily, he's also brought along his "lucky can of soup," but the two have no way to open it. In desperation, Chris turns to eating dirt ("kinda tastes like chicken") and sticks. When they find a berry bush, they think it's their salvation, but if they could only see Fred's survival book, they'd know these berries cause "paranoia and homicidal delusions." Meanwhile, Fred, enjoying his solitary fishing trip, finally grows concerned enough about the two idiots to go looking for them. But by this point, the berries have had their effect on Chris and Larry, and when they spot Fred, Chris initially thinks he's his "giant talking pet hamster," President Roosevelt. When they realize it's Chris' dad, they think Fred is hunting them. "That's why he's been fattening me up all these years," Chris reasons, "I'm his ultimate trophy." The two decide they have to strike first. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Season two of the blithely surrealistic Fox sitcom Get a Life begins as over-aged paperboy Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) celebrates his 31st birthday by moving out of the apartment over his parents' garage -- and moving into the apartment over the garage of his grumpy neighbor, police officer Gus Borden (Brian Doyle-Murray). The defection of series regular Sam Robards is amusingly addressed in the next episode, wherein Robards' character, Chris' best friend Larry Potter, runs out on his wife, forcing Chris to launch a search...for a new best friend. As for Larry's wife Sharon (Robin Riker), her hatred of Chris reaches epic proportions in the episode which finds them both trapped in a meat locker. In other episodes, Chris becomes a food inspector after finding a dead rat in a milk carton, belatedly has his tonsils removed, is held hostage by his prison inmate pen pal (A crisis that does not seem to faze Chris' parents -- played by Bob Elliott and Elinor Donahue -- in the least!), becomes a male escort to meet rich and sexy young girls (only to end up with a poor and elderly old bag), "stalks" an attractive doctor (Emma Samms) while simultaneously being stalked by a love-starved drugstore clerk (Amy Yasbeck), becomes a genius when exposed to toxic waste, misguidedly tries to adopt an obnoxious space alien named Spewey, and screws up the time-space continuum while attempting to save Gus' job. Just the sort of mishaps that could happen to anyone, right? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

In 1990, the upstart Fox network took a chance on a chubby, balding thirty-ish kid with a big dream, and began airing Get a Life, Late Night with David Letterman regular Chris Elliott's absurdist sitcom about a chubby, balding thirty-ish kid who lives with his parents and works as a paperboy. Actually, as Chris Peterson (Elliott) would point out, he's "head paperboy." David Mirkin, who had worked on Newhart and The Simpsons, was the executive producer, and former Late Night scribe Adam Resnick was the co-producer. Both would later go on to HBO's groundbreaking The Larry Sanders Show, as would Get a Life's writing supervisor, Bob Odenkirk, also of The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who would later write the script for Being John Malkovich, got his start writing two of the more memorable episodes of Get a Life, "Prisoner of Love" and "1977 2000." The show was also perfectly cast, with Elliott's own father, Bob Elliott, of the beloved "Bob and Ray" comedy team, cast as Chris Peterson's cantankerous father, Fred, and the lovely Elinor Donahue, who starred in the classic sitcoms Father Knows Best and The Andy Griffith Show, playing Gladys, Chris' sweet but bluntly honest mom. The first season cast was rounded out with Sam Robards as Chris' slow-witted and naïve best friend, Larry Potter, and Robin Riker as Larry's caustic wife and Chris' nemesis, Sharon. Riker was the only one of these cast members to move on to the second season. Brian Doyle-Murray was added to the cast in season two, playing Chris' perennially grumpy landlord, Gus Borden. With such an assemblage of comedic talent, and Elliott's own modest following from his hilarious Late Night appearances as "The Guy Under the Seats" and other characters, the show was predicted by some to be a hit and run for years. It even had a hit show for its lead-in (although one with, arguably, a very different target audience demographic), the urban sketch comedy show, In Living Color. But when Get a Life failed to garner an immediate following (in part due to the relative weakness of the first episode, "Terror on the Hell Loop 2000"), the fledgling network began moving it all over the Sunday night schedule. Loyal viewers, and there were some, never knew at what time the show would air from week to week. This doomed the bizarre, innovative, and very funny sitcom to even worse ratings than it would otherwise have had. It was an unusual program. Chris was a loser of epic proportions, but eternally optimistic about his prospects. He seemed to believe he could accomplish anything, whether it was becoming a male model despite his flabbiness and baldness ("The Prettiest Week of My Life"), or traveling through time to 1977 to save a friend's job ("1977 2000"). The humor was hyper-ironic, as many of Late Night's sketches had been. Get a Life was a meta-sitcom. It was rife with non-sequiturs and amusing pop culture references. The story lines ranged from outrageous parodies of ancient sitcom plots (Chris gets trapped in a meat locker with Sharon, his least favorite person) to absurd and ridiculous original stories (Chris becomes a spelling bee champion after being exposed to toxic waste). Chris also had a number of sitcom-style quirks, such as his obsession with the song "Alley Cat," and his unnoticed but seemingly supernatural ability to take a full glass of whatever beverage he wants from the refrigerator without ever opening a container or pouring. He also suffered a violent death at the end of many episodes, but it never seemed to get him down. The show was a flop and ran for only two seasons, even though it was on a network that seemed desperate for content, but it developed a passionate and loyal cult following. It has since been sporadically syndicated, and several episodes have been released on DVD. Cabin Boy, a feature film starring Elliott and featuring many of the same creative personnel, was released in 1994 to similar widespread public apathy but cult interest. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

After 18 years as a paperboy, Chris (Chris Elliott) faces his own obsolescence in this episode. Called in for a meeting with his boss, Chris thinks he's getting a promotion, but explains to his parents that he won't take a desk job. He tells them he's going to demand "a padded seat for my bike, a thermos, and a mistress on 24-hour call, seven days a week." But he has a rude awakening when he gets to his boss' office. Mr. Martin (Graham Jarvis) isn't promoting Chris -- he's replacing him and all the other paperboys with a massive robotic newspaper delivery vehicle, the Paperboy 2000. Chris organizes a town meeting to save his job, but when the people get a look at the fancy high-tech robot, they're instantly won over. Ben Spangler (Hal Landon Jr.) excitedly comments that having the new robot deliver his paper will be "just like living in outer space." Chris quickly gives up the idea of finding another job and sinks into depression. Eventually, he decides to challenge Paperboy 2000 to a contest and show everyone he's better than the robot. He prepares for the "Man vs. Machine" showdown by duct taping athletic pads and tin foil to himself, and putting on eye black. The whole town turns out to watch the contest. His friend Larry (Sam Robards) tells him, "No matter what happens today, they can't take away your dignity. Because you've pretty much already done that with that outfit." This episode features John Waters regular Mink Stole in a small role. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Will Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) find true love with Charleene (Blair Tefkin)? Not if Charleene's sister, Sharon Potter (Robin Riker), can help it. Sharon is married to Larry (Sam Robards), Chris' best friend, and she's always despised Chris. The trouble starts for her when she has Charleene and some friends over for a dinner party. Chris naturally crashes, and proceeds to describe a dream to the assembled guests, in which he was chased by a frozen turkey through a Brazilian supermarket. This long, demented story drives away the other guests, and Chris, over Sharon's strenuous objections, ends up making a date with Charleene. The date is going well until Chris, confused by the fact that they're watching a French film, starts to complain loudly about how everyone in the movie is speaking "baby talk." He's eventually dragged from his seat and beaten by angry ushers. After the big date, Larry reassures Sharon that Charleene has probably lost interest in Chris. But to Sharon's horror, she finds the couple naked in her and Larry's bed. Chris is ecstatic, and Charleene seems fairly content, but Sharon quickly leaves the room, explaining, "I'm going to wash my eyes out with soap." When Chris starts talking about spending holidays with the Potter family, Sharon decides she's had enough, and hatches a plan to end the two lovebirds' happiness. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Chris (Chris Elliott) is down at the coffee shop, regaling his fellow newsboys with tales of his sexual conquests, when the subject of the Newspaper Boy Semi-Annual Father and Son Day comes up. Chris reminisces about he and his dad, Fred (Bob Elliott), competing in the event when he was a boy, but he says it would be unfair to the younger newsboys to enter it now, "kinda like Meryl Streep showing up at Star Search." When young Otto (David Tom) calls Chris' courage into question, Chris claims he just has better things to do -- "adult things, like playing with matches, and eating candy from strangers. That's right -- strangers -- who, by the way, have the best candy, but I guess you wouldn't know that, would you?" Chris eventually caves in, but then he has to convince Fred to enter the competition with him, despite their history of being humiliated, and his advanced age. Gladys (Elinor Donahue), Chris' mom, thinks it's a grand idea. Fred is dead set against it, but Chris brings out the heavy ammo -- "the face." After three days of being subjected to Chris' childish pouting, Fred relents and the two start training. They practice sack racing and egg racing, but when the day of the event arrives, it turns out to be a brutal, American Gladiators-style battle, emceed by James Hampton (who played Dobbs on F-Troop) as Fletcher. Otto and his dad, the returning champs, insult Chris and Fred throughout the events, and Chris discovers a way to make crashing to the ground again and again less painful. "Just let your face catch the brunt of it," he tells Fred, "It's nature's shock absorber." ~ Josh Ralske, 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

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

Mickey Gilley shows up in Hazzard County to perform a charity concert. Figuring that charity begins at home, Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) plans to cash in on the concert by making a bootleg tape and selling it to a pirate record company. When the FBI shows up, Boss' flunkeys make their escape by commandeering the "General Lee"--and of course, the Dukes are framed on the illegal-taping charge. Somehow or other, guest star Gilley finds time to sing "The Object of My Affections" and "Don't the Girls Get Prettier?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Doctors' Private Lives was the 2-hour pilot film for the shortlived TV series of the same name. Ed Nelson and John Gavin star as, respectively, chief surgeon Dr. Michael Wise and cardiovascular unit chief Dr. Jeffrey Latimer. The drama arises from the ongoing clash of egos between these two medical giants. Nelson and Gavin were carried over to the series, as was Randolph Powell as Dr. Rick Calder. The guest cast includes Bettye Ackerman, who had ironically costarred in an earlier hospital series, Ben Casey (Ackerman was the wife of Sam "Dr. Zorba" Jaffee). Doctors' Private Lives premiered March 20, 1978; the series itself ran from April 5 to 28, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas was the second of three TV pilot films for a proposed (and abandoned) revival of the 1950s sitcom classic Father Knows Best. Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Laurin Chapin reprise their old TV roles as the Anderson family. Jim and Margaret Anderson (Young and Wyatt), facing the prospect of celebrating Christmas alone, are further depressed by the possibility of having to sell their home. Their children Betty, Bud and Kathy (Donahue, Gray and Chapin), now grown and pursuing their own lives, drop what they're doing to rally around their parents. Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas was slightly more realistic than its 1950s inspiration, but Sentiment wins out over Truth once more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Elinor Donahue makes her third guest appearance as obstetrician Jennifer Ethrington (Elinor Donahue), the sister of Sr. Bertrille. Determining that Jennifer is working too hard, the nuns try to lighten her burden by hiding the fact that she's a doctor. Not surprisingly, a crisis results. Nancy Malone also appears as The Countess. Originally shown on January 7, 1970, "My Sister, the Doctor" was written by Michael Morris and Milt Rosen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide