Noble Willingham

Season eight of Walker, Texas Ranger resolves the cliffhanger finale of season seven, as Cord Walker (Chuck Norris), his partner Jimmy Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), his fiancée Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), and his best friend C.D. (Noble Willingham) survive a harrowing plane crash. The trick now is to get back to Dallas in time to prevent elusive serial killer Thomas Openshaw (Stephen McHattie) from being released for lack of evidence. Once this crisis is resolved, Walker and Alex begin a season-long preparation for their marriage, which will occur during the two-part season eight finale (we hope). Meanwhile, Walker's crime-fighting team has taken in two new members: undercover police officers (and masters of disguise) Francis Gage (Judson Mills) and Sydney Cooke (Nia Peeples). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Noble Willingham stars as Ace Barker, a duplicitous redneck whose ugly past starts to catch up with him in The Corndog Man. Ace is a boat salesman, and one of the best in his part of South Carolina. One day, he gets a phone call from someone who claims to be in the market for a boat, but before long it's obvious that this caller isn't interested in a day on the water and actually harbors ill will against Ace. It seems that despite his salesman's exterior, Barker is a vicious coward with a racist streak, and he turned his back on a black friend who needed help while in the Army. Barker's new stalker isn't about to let him forget this -- and he also knows about a few of Barker's more recent sexual indiscretions. Ace's nemesis is played by Jim Holmes, who also co-wrote the script with Andrew Shea (who also directed) and David Steen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Season five of Walker, Texas Ranger finds unsmiling, karate-kicking Cord Walker (Chuck Norris) settling accounts with all manner of criminals and lowlifes, aided and abetted by his partner, Ranger Jimmy Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.). While Walker's girlfriend, Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), cannot entirely approve of his methods, she cannot entirely disapprove of them either -- especially in light of how many times Walker has saved her life in past seasons! This year, in addition to the standard, garden-variety crooks, Walker must go after his own when a renegade trio of vigilante cops begin taking down the innocent as well as the guilty. In another episode, Walker's prey is the world's most dangerous assassin, who has seemingly had a hand in every major political killing in the past thirty years (he might even been that "second gunman" on the Grassy Knoll). Later on, Walker goes on a personal crusade to destroy the man who shot his fiancée a decade earlier, and who intends to take advantage of an early pardon by killing off Trivette and Alex -- to say nothing of Walker's best friend C.D. Parker (Noble Willingham). One two-part story, "Sons of Thunder," serves to establish the personalities of two recurring characters: Walker's friend, Dallas detective Carlos Sandoval (Marco Sanchez), and Walker's former karate student Trent Malloy (Jimmy Wlcek), now the owner of a martial arts school. This two-parter was planned as a pilot for a spin-off series which was to have featured Sandoval and Malloy as partners in a private eye agency. As it turned out, Carlos and Trent remained on Walker, Texas Ranger as semi-regulars for the next two seasons -- at least until the series version of Sons of Thunder was finally launched in the spring of 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Flinty-eyed, karate-chopping Cord Walker (Chuck Norris) continues to dispense his own rather direct brand of justice on a wide variety of miserable miscreants as Walker, Texas Ranger enters its fourth season. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Walker is his partner, Ranger Jimmy Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), who may not entirely approve of Walker's violent methods but is certainly grateful that the man is on his side. Also, the relationship between Walker and his sometime legal adversary, Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), grows ever stronger during this season (though wedding bells were still far in the future). This year, in addition to the usual homicidal robbers, cold-blooded drug runners and repulsive rapists, Walker broadens his "eye for an eye" base to include Irish militants and the Russian Mafia. In one exhilarating episode, things take on a personal slant as the man who killed Walker's parents thirty years earlier "returns from the dead," a turn of events that may bode very, very ill for everyone whom Walker holds near and dear, including Alex, Jimmy, and his best friend C.D. Parker (Noble Willingham). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, Woman with a Past is about a prosperous real estate agent whose hidden life is revealed when federal agents arrest her for her past crimes. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

After a three-episode trial run in the spring of 1993, the contemporary Western Walker, Texas Ranger graduated to full weekly status as it began its second season in the fall of that year. Star of the proceedings is Chuck Norris as taciturn, karate-chopping Texas Ranger Cord Walker, who operates out of the organization's Dallas office with his more scientific partner, Jimmy Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.). While Walker tends to get his best results by smashing the heads and cracking the ribs of criminals, these methods are frowned upon by his erstwhile girlfriend, assistant D.A. Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson). This season, Walker tangles with clever crooks who have been released on the flimsiest of technicalities, overambitious bounty hunters, a gang of skyjackers, a vicious illegal adoption ring, and even a hurricane. We are also given a glimpse into Walker's Native American heritage as he tries to protect his cousin David Little Eagle (Gregg Rainwater), after David has stumbled upon the grisly evidence of a modern day massacre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal) returns in this sequel to the original City Slickers that attempts to recapture the first film's warmth and character comedy. Despite feeling re-invigorated when we last left him, Mitch again faces a few personal dilemmas: his radio station job is going nowhere and his schlep of a brother (Jon Lovitz, replacing Bruno Kirby as the third of Mitch's cowboy threesome) has come to stay for a while. Things get really strange when Mitch is haunted by the ghost of cowboy Curly (Jack Palance), who died while leading Mitch and friends on their first cattle-herding adventure. Mitch unexpectedly finds a treasure map in the band of Curly's hat and, together with his brother and his friend Phil (Daniel Stern), heads back to the West to find Curly's lost gold mine. Along the way, they hitch up with Curly's twin brother, again played by Palance. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Karate-champion-turned-movie-star Chuck Norris was ideally cast as the title character in the contemporary Western series, Walker, Texas Ranger. Introduced as a two-hour TV movie on April 21, 1983, the weekly, hour-long CBS series starred Norris as Cordell Walker, who worked out of the Dallas office of the Texas Rangers with his youthful partner, Baltimore-born former football pro Jimmy Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.). While Jimmy, like his superiors, preferred to rely upon modern crime fighting techniques -- computers, forensic science, strict adherence to civil liberties and due process -- the impassive, taciturn Walker was generally of the opinion that criminals were subhuman scum, worthy only of a slug in the face or a kick in the groin. Kicking, in fact, was a Walker specialty, notably whenever he came within close proximity of a locked door or bolted window. Though she didn't always approve of his methods, Walker's off-and-on girlfriend, assistant D.A. Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), admired his strong sense of justice and fair play, especially when protecting those weaker than himself. Too, Alex found Walker extremely handy whenever she got kidnapped, which seemed to happen at the rate of once every other week! Despite his loyalty to his friends, those close to Walker remained so at their own risk, inasmuch as the bad guys were not above hurting them to get to him. Others within Walker's orbit included his old pal C.D. Parker (Noble Willingham), a former Ranger who, after being invalidated out of the service, opened up a restaurant; Uncle Ray Firewalker (Floyd Red Crow Westerman), the sagacious old Native American who raised Walker from childhood and had taught him the value of restraint and contemplation -- unless of course, violence was absolutely called for; Carlos Sandoval (Marco Sanchez), an undercover detective who owed his life to Walker; and Walker's former martial arts student Trent Malloy (James Wlcek), who owned a karate school (and who, teamed with Carlos Sandoval, was briefly spun off into his own TV series, Sons of Thunder). During the series' final seasons, undercover Rangers Francis Gage (Judson Mills) and Sydney Cooke (Nia Peeples) linked up with Walker's team. In the course of events, Uncle Ray Firewalker passed away; C.D. Parker was killed by a band of elusive assassins who intended to work their way up to Walker in their efforts to knock off every Texas Ranger in Dallas; and in the series' seventh season, Walker and Alex became engaged, with wedding bells ringing at the end of season eight and the birth of a baby daughter in the final episode. After ending its CBS run on July 28, 2001, Walker, Texas Ranger launched what was apparently an endless rerun cycle in syndication and on cable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unique among the many made-for-TV dramas about spousal abuse--most of which are about women victimized by men--Men Don't Tell dramatizes the true story of a loving husband who is terrorized by the violent behavior of his wife. Ed MacAffrey (Peter Strauss) has long endured the physical and emotional abuse heaped upon him by his neurotic wife Laura (Judith Light), not only because he loves her and is concerned over the welfare of his daughter, but also because men are traditionally regarded as weaklings if they allow themselves to be battered by their wives. Even worse, after one of Laura's destructive tantrums brings the attention of the police, Ed is suspected of being the aggressor! Finally, Laura goes too far and Ed tries to defend himself--whereupon Laura crashes through the front window of her home and is rendered comatose, and Ed is arrested for attempted murder. Although the ending of the story could be considered positive and upbeat, it is painfully clear that there are many issues that will never be resolved. First telecast by CBS on May 14, 1993, Men Don't Tell was never rebroadcast on over-the-air television, reportedly because it incurred the wrath of several women's groups. However, the film has since been shown a number of times on cable's Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A smooth-talking confidence trickster makes his way into congress (where the cynical would suggest he'd have plenty of company) in this comedy. Thomas Jefferson Johnson (Eddie Murphy) is a con man from Florida who gets the bright idea that a scam artist could make a tidy sum if he was able to get inside the political arena. When a Florida congressman named Jeff Johnson dies and a special election is held to replace him, Thomas puts his name on the ballot as "Jeff Johnson," and enough confused voters check the ballot for him that he wins the race and is on his way to Washington D.C. Johnson soon finds a mentor in Dick Dodge (Lane Smith), chairman of the Power and Industry Committee, who shows Johnson the ropes on raking in PAC money while the late Mr. Johnson's aide, Reinhardt (Grant Shaud), gives him the inside scoop on how things work in Washington. Johnson's plans are going just as he hoped until he meets Celia Kirby (Victoria Rowell), a volunteer lobbyist and political activist whose uncle is a noted religious leader, The Rev. Elijah Hawkins (Charles S. Dutton). Johnson quickly becomes smitten with Celia, but it's obvious that she's not buying his act, and if he wants to win her heart, he'll have to stop fooling people into thinking he's honest and actually be honest. Joe Don Baker and Sheryl Lee Ralph also co-star. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The title Article 99 refers to a fictional legal loophole which states that American veterans cannot be treated in VA hospitals unless their illnesses are related to their military service. The pinchpenny administrator of a Kansas City hospital intends to follow this proviso to the letter, while his irreverent staff does everything it can to circumvent rules and red tape. When freewheeling surgeon Ray Liotta is fired for exhibiting traces of humanity, the patients stage a revolt. Playing a new medico, Kiefer Sutherland also stars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Producer Joel Silver, director Tony Scott, and screenwriters Shane Black and Greg Hicks team up for this gridiron-set action thriller. Bruce Willis stars as Joe Hallenbeck, who was once a top-of-the-line Secret Service agent but has since become an alcoholic, flea-bag detective. While performing the chores of a two-bit shamus, he discovers his wife Sarah (Chelsea Field) is having an affair with his best friend. Joe is hired to protect Cory (Halle Berry), a stripper who has been getting death threats; Joe begins to sober up when Cory is blown to smithereens. Cory's boyfriend, Jimmy Dix (Damon Wayans), was at one time a NFL football quarterback, but was thrown out of the game for gambling and addiction to Demerol. Smelling something fishy, Joe and Jimmy begin to investigate further and discover layers of corruption in professional football circles, leading up to Sheldon Marcone (Noble Willingham), a corrupt team owner who wants to pay off legislators to legalize gambling on pro football games. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide