David Keith Movies
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, David Keith made his first significant theatrical appearance in Chicago. Keith was to star in the 1979 sitcom Co-Ed Fever, but it was pulled from the CBS lineup after one episode. Luckily, his more enduring movie career also began in 1979 with a small role in The Rose. Keith quickly became a specialist in portraying all-American boy roles who were cursed with a fatal character flaw or two, as witnessed in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). Keith's performance as a suicidal officer-in-training earned him two Golden Globe nominations. Retaining his military buzz-cut from Officer, Keith had his first above-the-title starring role in 1983's The Lords of Discipline. And with an uncharacteristic full head of hair, Keith played Elvis in the 1990 fantasy Heartbreak Hotel, performing the King's songs himself. An able director, Keith has thus far helmed two films: The Curse (1985) and Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck (1987). One of Keith's more unorthodox recent screen appearances was as a foot-tall toy figure who comes to life in 1995's The Indian in the Cupboard. Keith occasionally appears in made-for-television movies such as Guts & Glory: The Oliver Story in which he played the title role, and in miniseries like James Michener's Texas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1999
Jane Seymour stars in this made-for-TV drama as Rebecca Blake, a bookstore employee who lives contently in San Pedro, California with her construction-worker husband Joe (A Martinez). A chance meeting with a woman named Lynn Wyman (Cathy Lee Crosby), coupled with her recent nightmares and searing headaches (one of which has prompted a spectacular collapse at her local grocery store), lead Lynn to the inescapable conclusion that she is an amnesiac--and that she might be Abbie Stewart, who has another family in Fillmore County. Journeying to Abbie's hometown to learn the truth, our heroine is put off somewhat by the curiously mixed reaction of the man who might be her "other" husband, school principal Chase Stewart (Bruce Davison). The key to mystery may not be the surrealistic dreams experienced by Rebecca/Abbie, but instead that painful-looking gash in her head. Produced for the CBS network, A Memory in My Heart initially aired on March 2, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An ex-con finds that going straight isn't easy -- especially when it means going against your family. Johnny Cooper (Matthew Modine) is a petty criminal who has just gotten out of jail after doing time for armed robbery. While Johnny's brother James (Kevin J. O'Connor) and father Sean (John Hurt) are both involved in lives of crime, Johnny is determined to stay on the straight and narrow, despite his dad's objections, and has taken a job fixing cars for McGurdy (Bruce Dern). One day James stumbles back into Johnny's life, and while Johnny wants to welcome his little brother, James throws his brother's life into jeopardy when he attacks Gilmore (David Keith), Johnny's parole officer and a friend since high school. On the run from the police again, Johnny and James head for Mexico, where James tries to talk Johnny into joining him for one big score -- robbing the day's receipts from a bullfight arena. If... Dog... Rabbit was the first feature film written and directed by actor Matthew Modine; the supporting cast also features Lisa Blount, Lisa Marie, and Julie Newmar. It was released on home video as One Last Score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Kevin J. O'Connor, (more)
Young and misunderstood Diana (Camilla Belle) and her mother, Brenda (Nancy Allen), travel from their home in New York City, where Diana is somewhat of an outcast at school, to Argentina to visit Diana's estranged dad (David Keith), an American archaeologist desperate to find a legendary cache of lost gold. Diana, in defiance of the local cleric (John Rhys-Davies), dabbles in the supernatural with some of the local children, only to discover magical powers within themselves. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- 1998
For this TV movie, Bob Rafelson directed James Caan as famous shamus Philip Marlowe. The novel Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) was writing during the year of his death remained unfinished until it was completed 30 years later by Spenser author Robert Parker. The British-based, Czech-born screenwriter/playwright Tom Stoppard scripted this telefilm adaptation. In 1963, the middle-aged Marlowe has put on a few pounds and gained a new wife, wealthy heiress Laura (Dina Meyer). In Poodle Springs, California, on the Nevada border, the couple lives in a house given them by P.J. Parker (Joe Don Baker), Laura's father. Framed for murder, Marlowe is bailed out by Laura, and he's soon hired to locate a gambler who owes $100,000. Investigating lowlife photographer Larry Victor (David Keith), Marlowe learns of a blackmail plot involving stripper Lola (La Joy Farr); he follows a trail that leads to a land scheme, while corpses begin to litter the landscape. This was James Caan's first TV role since Brian's Song (1971, later released theatrically), and the whodunit premiered July 25, 1998 on HBO. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Dina Meyer, (more)
- 1998
Audrey MacLeah is a Texas Ranger on leave who is pressed back into service when a serial killer strikes terror and mayhem in the Lone Star state. Kelly McGillis stars in this crime thriller. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1998
- NR
In this crime drama an ex-Texas Ranger and a Houston policeman team up to hunt for the maniac who has killed a string of businesswomen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly McGillis, Bruce Dern, (more)
Low-life criminal Joseph Meeker (David Keith) is in the midst of a convenience store robbery when his plans are foiled by Michael Silvano (Martin Kove), a former cop. A shootout ensues, and Joseph's wife is killed, along with several innocent bystanders. Sentenced to death for his crimes, Joseph swears revenge, and after he's executed, the criminal rises from the grave to torture Michael in a Satanic court of justice and makes plans to kill his wife Grace (Laura Johnson). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Keith, Martin Kove, (more)
- 1996
- R
Cult hero Larry Cohen wrote this suspense thriller about a woman whose relationship with a sociopathic killer unwittingly makes her a political hot potato in the abortion rights movement. Theresa Barnes (Mili Avital) is a young woman working at a flower show who meets a handsome and charming young man, Josh (Jonathan Schaech), who as a child had a successful career as a model. Theresa and Josh quickly become a couple, and she thinks that she's finally found the man of her dreams until she becomes pregnant. Josh reacts to this news with unpredictable, psychotic violence, and as Josh becomes more and more unstable, Theresa decides for her own safety that she needs to get away from him. Theresa runs away and stays in a cabin in the woods, and she makes plans to get an abortion. However, Josh finds her and holds her captive, intending to keep her his prisoner until her pregnancy is too far along to be terminated. After several attempts at escape, Josh finally lets Theresa go, and she immediately goes to the police. Josh, however, promptly hires a lawyer who helps him bring his story to the media. As Josh tells it, he's a concerned and caring father trying to save the life of his unborn son from his callous and uncaring girlfriend, who does not respect the sanctity of life. Overnight, Josh becomes the new spokesman for the pro-life movement. In time, Theresa decides to have the baby, but she refuses to buckle under to Josh's public demands to be given sole custody of the child. In time, Theresa is able to convince Police Sgt. Rutherford (David Keith) that Josh is not all that he claims to be, and Rutherford's digging confirms that Josh is not a cheerful friend of the unborn, but a dangerous psychopath who has killed before and will likely kill again. Invasion of Privacy also features Naomi Campbell, Charlotte Rampling, and R.G. Armstrong. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mili Avital, Johnathon Schaech, (more)
In this family drama, a white Southerner discovers that his family history isn't what he thought it was -- with the fact that he's half-black only one of his many surprises. Earl Pilcher, Jr. (Robert Duvall) runs a gas station in Arkansas; he's a typical middle-aged Southern man who likes his pickup truck and loves his momma. Shortly after his mother's death, he receives some very unexpected news; she wasn't really his mother after all. It seems that years ago, Earl Sr. (James N. Harrell) raped the family's African-American maid, Willie Mae, who nine months later died while giving birth to Earl Jr. To avoid further scandal, Mrs. Pilcher simply raised Earl Jr. as her own. While the family has kept the matter a secret all these years, Earl Jr. has a half-brother living in Chicago, and it was his mother's wish that the two should some day meet and become friends. Earl travels to Chicago and tracks down Ray Murdock (James Earl Jones), a veteran police officer and Willie Mae's other son. Earl Jr. quickly learns that Ray has little interest in getting to know him better; he knows all the facts behind the matter, and he's always blamed Earl for the death of his mother. However, Earl Jr. isn't used to life in a big city up north, and after he's mugged and carjacked, Ray grudgingly takes in his half-brother, letting him stay in the home he shares with his son Virgil (Michael Beach) and Aunt T. (Irma P. Hall), who raised Ray as a boy. A Family Thing was written by Billy Bob Thornton shortly before his breakthrough as writer, director, and star of Sling Blade. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, James Earl Jones, (more)
- 1996
America's Most Wanted host John Walsh appears as himself and serves as producer in this made-for-TV movie, inspired by one of the most infamous crimes to be chronicled on Walsh's popular TV series. Antonio Sabato Jr. stars as John Hawkins, a frustratingly elusive criminal, con artist, drug dealer and murderer. Using both men and women with callous impunity, the bisexual Hawkins caps all of his previous scams by talking his partner-lover M. Eugene Hanson (Brad Dourif) into an insurance-fraud scheme that will require a real corpse for verification. The result: Hanson turns up dead, and Hawkins collects a $1 million dollar policy before skipping off to parts unknown. David Keith is cast as Peter Stanford, the dedicated California detective who makes it his mission in life to bring the wily (and undeniably charming and charismatic) Hawkins to justice. If Looks Could Kill: From the Files of America's Most Wanted" made its Fox network debut on February 6, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- PG
A teen from Los Angeles and her recently widowed mother move back to the family's Pacific Northwest home in 1980 to try to reassemble their lives. Young teen Beth at first hates country living, but then she meets the outspoken, defiant Jody and the two become fast friends. Jody has quite a reputation and has had to deal with the shame of having an alcoholic mother. Beth and Jody both adore Winnie the Pooh, and share an adventurous spirit. This spirit gets them into trouble when they decide to go explore the mysterious caves beneath Bear Mountain. Legend has it that in one of those caves, a very lucrative, 100-year-old lost gold mine can be found. This adventure chronicles Beth and Jody's experiences beneath the great mountain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Ricci, Anna Chlumsky, (more)
Based on the popular children's book by Lynne Reid Banks, this fantasy concerns a young boy who discovers that his toys are developing lives of their own -- which presents him with unexpected responsibilities. Omri (Hal Scardino), a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, receives an odd variety of presents for his birthday: a wooden cabinet from his older brother, a set of antique keys from his mother Jane (Linsday Crouse), and a tiny plastic model of an Indian from his best friend Patrick (Rishi Bhat). Putting them all together, Omri locks the Indian inside the cabinet, only to be awoken by a strange sound in the middle of the night. Omri opens the cabinet to discover that the tiny Indian has come to life; it seems that he's called Little Bear (Litefoot), and he claims to have learned English from settlers in 1761. Omri hides this remarkable discovery from his mother but shares it with Patrick; as an experiment, Patrick locks a toy cowboy into the cupboard, and soon Little Bear has a companion, Boone (David Keith), though predictably, the cowboy and the Indian don't get along well at first. Omri comes to the realizations that his living and breathing playthings are also people with lives of their own, and he begins to wonder how much control he should really have over their lives. The Indian in the Cupboard was directed by Frank Oz, best known as one of the original puppeteers for The Muppets and the voice of Miss Piggy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Scardino, Litefoot, (more)
This follow-up to 1989's unexpected comedy hit Major League continues the broadly humorous adventures of the misfit Cleveland Indians. No longer the scrappy survivors who pulled off an upset championship victory, the Indians have let success go to their heads, accepting movie roles and hefty endorsement deals. Unfortunately, with success comes complacency, and the Indians soon wind up back in last place. When this poor performance winds up threatening the franchise, the team rediscovers its roots and again achieves unlikely success. Original director David S. Ward brings back most of the first film's memorable characters, including unconventional pitcher Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), voodoo practitioner-turned-Buddhist Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), and base stealer-turned-movie star Willie Mays Hayes (Omar Epps, replacing Wesley Snipes). ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, (more)
- 1994
When John Davenport (Scott Valentine) married his lovely wife, Diana (Katherine Kelly Lang), he was totally unaware that she had been wed before. And beyond that, John had no idea that Diana's ex-husband, Drew D'Arcy (John Enos III), is a dangerous psycho. But Davenport soon wises up when, with help of a phony parole office, Drew begins stalking Diana and ultimately kidnaps her. Alerting the authorities to this abduction, John finds that no one will believe him -- especially since he himself has recently been implicated in a murder. Thus, John must tackle the challenge of rescuing Diana himself, leading to a nail-biting climactic showdown in the desert. For all its melodrama and grimness, this film has as astonishing amount of humor, mostly invested in the "sick" comments made by Drew D'Arcy and his partner in crime. Originally filmed for theatrical play but ultimately released directly to home video, Till the End of Night made its TV debut courtesy of the Lifetime cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Valentine, Katherine Kelly Lang, (more)
- 1993
Action genre veteran David A. Prior wrote and directed this thriller that unfolds like a B-movie version of Midnight Run (1988). David Keith stars as Mace, a former cop now working as a bounty hunter or "skip tracer." When his daughter is murdered, the mayor (Charles Napier) of a small Southern town hires Mace to find the killer, who's suspected to be Mitch (Robert Hays), the victim's date from the evening of her death. Mace tracks down his target but when Mitch is nearly killed in an explosion, it becomes clear that he's innocent and the real killer is trying to wipe him out. After being ambushed and nearly killed, Mace and Mitch are joined by Sarah (Pamela Anderson), a hooker who witnessed the attack. As the three of them try to stay alive, they uncover a political conspiracy involving the deputy mayor (Stacy Keach) and the corrupt police force that Mace once quit in disgust, led by a crooked detective (Leo Rossi). Also known as Skip-Tracer. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- 1993
In this fact-based made-for-television movie, a little girl finds herself a pawn in a bitter custody battle between her adoptive parents and her biological parents. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Dey, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1992
- R
In Ron Oliver's erotic psychodrama, Shannon Tweed stars as a mother whose teen-age son is traumatized by her new husband and her husband's freeloading brother. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Noted conservationist John Varty plays himself in this drama about Christine Shaye (Brooke Shields), a documentarian who travels to Africa in order to make a film about Varty and his work. Varty is attempting to protect a pair of baby leopards whose parents were killed; he finds himself guarding them against both their natural enemies and human poachers. However, despite John and Christine's best efforts, they find themselves constantly at odds with hunters and easily-bribed game officials. Also released under the title Born Wild, Running Wild features Martin Sheen and David Keith in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Varty, Brooke Shields, (more)
- 1992
- R
In this psycho thriller, Richard Sullivan is a mild-mannered, trusting ad-man who is tickled when his long lost cousin Harry suddenly shows up at his door. Harry is accompanied by Connie, his fiancee and the innocent Richard welcomes them into his happy home. Unfortunately, whereas Richard, his wife Kate and their son Alex live an idyllic existence, Harry and Connie's relationship is stormy and unstable. Connie constantly whines about wanting the perfect home, and both of them are intensely envious of the Sullivans. Their jealousy takes a darker turn when they try to become the Sullivans. First they begin undermining Richard and Kate's authority over Alex. Then Harry and Connie begin going through the couple's personal effects and files. Eventually, the spooky duo begins impersonating the Sullivans as much as they can. When Kate begins to get suspicious,the story takes a deadly turn for neither she nor Richard realize that they are dealing with cold-blooded, murderous psychopaths. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Harris, David Keith, (more)
- 1992
- R
Because of her thieving new husband, a young woman is thrown into jail where she is harassed by fellow prisoners and by the warden. Before long, hubby gets a chance to take on the identity of a guard so he can help her escape. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- PG13
Two people fleeing different sorts of danger find one another in this screwball romantic comedy from France. Danny (Edouard Baer) is a professional magician who has been struggling to find work and has somehow managed to get on the wrong side of his emotionally unstable brother-in-law Max (Joey Starr). With Max eager to hurt him, Danny decides to leave town, and drops his aging and senile mother (Bulle Ogier) off at a mental hospital, where he meets Sonia (Melanie Bernier), who seems a bit too interested in the opposite sex. As Danny hits the road, he picks up at attractive hitch-hiker, Irene (Nathalie Baye), who is carrying a large purse and gets frequent phone calls from men Danny assumes are her current or former lovers. But Danny doesn't know the half of Irene's story -- she's the paramour of a powerful politician (Guy Marchand) who has become involved in an illegal deal to sell arms to North Korea, and Irene is carrying both the politician's cash and evidence of his wrongdoings. Irene is also involved with a well-connected Korean gentleman (Park Jung-hak) and is dodging calls from both her lovers as she and Danny motor away in search of relative safety, and it isn't long before the traveling companions become attracted to one another. Passe-passe (aka Off And Running) also stars Maurice Benichou, Sandrine Le Berre and Hippolyte Girardot. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cyndi Lauper, David Keith, (more)
- 1991
- R
Certain fans of cheesy women-in-prison movies may be somewhat disappointed in this feature, as there is no nudity throughout the picture. In this story, Kristen Bell (Kristen Cloke) has taken the rap for her boyfriend's theft of an expensive ring and has been sentenced to prison. She finds herself in the thick of swirling conspiracies and alliances and is pushed into low-level "trusty" status, which only serves to put her into closer proximity with the head of prison security, a man who seemingly has it as his mission in life to rape her. The prison inmates include at least one certified dangerous psychotic, played by genre favorite Karen Black. Meanwhile, Kristen's no-good boyfriend (David Keith) has managed to take over the identity of a policeman (Ray Sharkey) who died while chasing him. It seems the cop was to become the warden of the prison Kristen is in. This is good luck for Kristen, but might not be such a good deal for the dissimulating jewel thief. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Keith, Deborah May, (more)
