Ralph Bruneau

This NBC-TV movie, which premiered around the time of the issuance of the famous Elvis Presley postage stamp, chronicles the relationship between Elvis and his manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker (Beau Bridges). Contrary to the prevailing view of Col. Parker, this film does not show him as a villain (although it does portray him as somewhat uncouth and vulgar). Oddly enough, the film is narrated "from beyond the grave" by Elvis himself (Rob Youngblood). ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

When a San Diego socialite is convicted of murdering her ex-husband and his new bride, truth is stranger than fiction as she hires a public relations firm in an effort to keep the media in her corner. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

Wings moved from its second-season Friday slot back to its original Thursday-evening berth for this episode, in which Joe (Tim Daly), having lost his taste for piloting, inaugurates a flight school, with the full support of Helen (Crystal Bernard). Unfortunately, Joe's only students are his funky mechanic Lowell (Thomas Haden Church) and another misfit. Backing away from the flight school that she'd so eagerly promoted, Helen decides to take up Brian's (Steven Weber) offer to let her fly his plane -- only to be forced into a dangerous solo situation! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, the ancient curse of a priceless ruby, known as the Byzantine Fire, comes into play when it is accidentally stolen by a group of thieves, headed by Gus Cardinale (Christopher Lambert). The crooks soon discover that their heist might have been more trouble than it was worth when they are pursued by the police, the CIA, the Turkish government, and the local underworld. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

A darkly comic and surreal contemporization of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, this effects-heavy Bill Murray holiday vehicle from 1988 sees the former SNL funnyman assuming the role of television executive Frank Cross, the meanest and most depraved man on earth. Cross will stoop to unheard of levels to increase his network's ratings -- even if it means mounting outrageous programs to retain an audience, such as "Robert Goulet's Cajun Christmas" and Lee Majors in "The Night the Reindeer Died," with an AK-47-toting Santa. Cross plots his foulest move, however, for the Christmas holiday, when he will force his office staff to mount a live production of A Christmas Carol on national television -- and thus work through Christmas Eve. Cross's life is turned upside down with visits from three ghosts: a craggy-faced cabbie known as The Ghost of Christmas Past (David Johansen); the sugar-plum fairy Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) (who gets her jollies by bonking Frank across the face with a toaster oven); and, eventually, the caped, headless Ghost of Christmas Future, who will send Frank sliding into a crematory oven -- just before he gives the sleazoid one last chance to redeem himself. Along the way, the spirits carry Frank to scenes from his past, present, and future (per Scrooge) and impart a glimpse of how he became so thoroughly rotten. The radiant Karen Allen co-stars as Frank's girlfriend, Claire Phillips, and the film packs in cameos from countless celebrities -- among them, Mary Lou Retton, John Houseman, Jamie Farr, and, in a truly grisly and tasteless bit, John Forsythe. Richard Donner directs, from a script credited to the late Michael O'Donoghue and Mitch Glazer. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A jewelry store is robbed, one of the suspects is dead, and Hunter (Fred Dryer) is stuck without any clues. But there may be a break in the case: a beautiful model named Angie Chavina (Ada Maris), who was acquainted with the dead man, has boarded a train bound for San Diego. Hunter buys a ticket and catches up with Angie, ultimately falling in love with her--but is she merely an innocent bystander, or the "brains" behind the heist? Watch for Michael Dorn of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame as a highway patrolman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide