Arne Sultan Movies
Comedian Arne Sultan got his start performing standup at Catskill Mountain resorts in New York. During the 1950s, he became a television writer for such artists as Steve Allen and Martha Raye and for such shows as The Judy Garland Show. In the '60s, Sultan was an executive producer and writer on Get Smart. He also produced other series, including Barney Miller and The Governor and J.J. With writer Marvin Worth, Sultan wrote stories for three feature films, including Promise Her Anything (1964). He has also co-scripted with other writers. In the 1970s, Sultan worked closely with Earl Barret to adapt British television series into American shows. He also worked as co-writer and executive producer on at least two television movies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The third pairing of comic actors Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder was much less successful than their previous team-ups, Silver Streak(1976) and Stir Crazy (1980). Wilder plays Dave, the deaf proprietor of a newsstand and employer of blind gambler Wally (Pryor). When Wally's bookie is shot and killed at the stand, Dave and Wally are arrested for the crime. Since the deaf Dave had his back turned and didn't see the crime, while the blind Wally only heard it, the clues they have to offer the police are slim: Dave's glimpse of a shapely leg and Wally's whiff of a perfume called Shalimar. It turns out the dead man was in possession of a coin that he dropped into Dave's tip box, which Wally is now carrying. The coin contains a valuable microchip sought by crime baron Sutherland (Anthony Zerbe), for whom hired killer Eve (Joan Severance) and her British partner Kirgo (Kevin Spacey) are working. Posing as lawyers, Eve and Kirgo spring Dave and Wally from jail, leading to a series of misadventures as the coin changes hands and the two sensory-challenged pals attempt to learn who has framed them and why. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, (more)
- 1981
Ray Middleton makes his first series appearance as Huey Rush, 75-year-old father of cartoonist Henry Rush (Ted Knight). Feeling blue over the fact that his daughter Jackie (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) plans a move to New York, Henry invites Huey to stay with the family, hoping that the old man will fill the emotional void left by Jackie's departure. Unfortunately, Huey is every bit as libertine as Henry is prudish -- in fact, the old boy has been booted out of five different retirement homes for putting the grab on every female senior citizen within his reach! ~ All Movie Guide
- 1981
Hamilton Camp makes his first series appearance as Arthur Wainwright, new publisher of the newspaper for which cartoonist Henry Rush (Ted Knight) works. Immediately embarking on a big-time "relevancy" kick, Wainwright announces plans to cancel Henry's comic strip, "The Cosmic Cow," because he feels it is out of step with the times. Unfortunately, if the Cow goes, so does Henry -- and Too Close for Comfort would come to an end after only eight episodes. (Horrors!) ~ All Movie Guide
Maxwell Smart, the infamous Agent 86 from the '60s television sitcom Get Smart makes his feature-film debut in this goofy espionage spoof. This time, Smart and his cohorts must stop enemy spies from detonating a bomb that would destroy all the world's clothing. On television, the film was renamed The Return of Maxwell Smart. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Adams, Sylvia Kristel, (more)
- 1980
- Add Too Close for Comfort: Season 01 to QueueAdd Too Close for Comfort: Season 01 to top of Queue
A mere eleven months after the ITV debut of the British sitcom Keep It in the Family, the American version of the series, Too Close for Comfort, made its bow on ABC. Actually, the latter series might have arrived on the scene even earlier but an actors' strike delayed the start of the 1980-1981 TV season by two months.
Ted Knight starred as Henry Rush, a San Francisco-based cartoonist and creator of the popular comic strip "Cosmic Cow." Prudish and conservative, Henry was extremely overprotective of his gorgeous college-age daughters, brunette Jackie (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and blonde Sara (Lydia Cornell). Henry's wife, Muriel, who prior to her marriage had led a freewheeling (but respectable) existence as a band singer, now worked as a freelance photographer. Less strict and strait-laced than Henry, Muriel tended to allow her daughters a freer reign, though she still made sure that they didn't make too many mistakes. Season one began as Jackie and Sara moved into the downstairs apartment of dad Henry's two-apartment town house, recently vacated by the death of tenant Mr. Rafkin (who, much to Henry's dismay, turned out to be a transvestite). Having reluctantly agreed to this arrangement, Henry agonized over what might have been going on in the lower apartment, especially considering the steady stream of attractive young men who paid regular visits to his darling daughters. (He had nothing to worry about, of course, but that didn't stop him from doing so.) During the series' first 19 episodes, Jackie worked at a bank while Sara attended college -- where she met and befriended that walking mass of neuroses and insecurities known as Monroe Ficus (J.M. J Bullock), who from episode four onward was a more or less permanent house guest of Henry and Muriel. A handful of other recurring characters were introduced during the series' maiden season. Among these were Mr. Wainwright (Hamilton Camp), Hamilton's short-statured, dictatorial publisher; Mildred Rafkin (Selma Diamond), the abrasive and insulting sister of Henry's deceased tenant; and Henry's libidinous 75-year-old father Huey Rush (Ray Middleton). Also given prominence was another "character," the Cosmic Cow hand puppet with whom Henry "consulted" in moments of crisis. Scheduled as part of ABC's virtually unbeatable Tuesday-night sitcom lineup (which in 1980 included Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Three's Company), Too Close for Comfort emerged from its inaugural season as America's 15th most-watched program, with a Nielsen rating of 20.8. ~ All Movie Guide
Ted Knight starred as Henry Rush, a San Francisco-based cartoonist and creator of the popular comic strip "Cosmic Cow." Prudish and conservative, Henry was extremely overprotective of his gorgeous college-age daughters, brunette Jackie (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and blonde Sara (Lydia Cornell). Henry's wife, Muriel, who prior to her marriage had led a freewheeling (but respectable) existence as a band singer, now worked as a freelance photographer. Less strict and strait-laced than Henry, Muriel tended to allow her daughters a freer reign, though she still made sure that they didn't make too many mistakes. Season one began as Jackie and Sara moved into the downstairs apartment of dad Henry's two-apartment town house, recently vacated by the death of tenant Mr. Rafkin (who, much to Henry's dismay, turned out to be a transvestite). Having reluctantly agreed to this arrangement, Henry agonized over what might have been going on in the lower apartment, especially considering the steady stream of attractive young men who paid regular visits to his darling daughters. (He had nothing to worry about, of course, but that didn't stop him from doing so.) During the series' first 19 episodes, Jackie worked at a bank while Sara attended college -- where she met and befriended that walking mass of neuroses and insecurities known as Monroe Ficus (J.M. J Bullock), who from episode four onward was a more or less permanent house guest of Henry and Muriel. A handful of other recurring characters were introduced during the series' maiden season. Among these were Mr. Wainwright (Hamilton Camp), Hamilton's short-statured, dictatorial publisher; Mildred Rafkin (Selma Diamond), the abrasive and insulting sister of Henry's deceased tenant; and Henry's libidinous 75-year-old father Huey Rush (Ray Middleton). Also given prominence was another "character," the Cosmic Cow hand puppet with whom Henry "consulted" in moments of crisis. Scheduled as part of ABC's virtually unbeatable Tuesday-night sitcom lineup (which in 1980 included Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Three's Company), Too Close for Comfort emerged from its inaugural season as America's 15th most-watched program, with a Nielsen rating of 20.8. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Knight, Nancy Dussault, (more)
- 1980
Based on the British comedy series Keep It in the Family and first telecast on November 11, 1980, the ABC sitcom Too Close for Comfort starred Ted Knight as Henry Rush, an uptight, traditionalist newspaper cartoonist who in midlife had found unexpected fame and fortune as the creator of the popular comic strip "Cosmic Cow." Henry was married to former band singer and latterly freelance photographer Muriel (Nancy Dussault), and was the fiercely overprotective father of two knockout college-age daughters, brunette Jackie (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and blonde Sara (Lydia Cornell). The main source of Henry's vexation was the fact that his daughters had moved into the downstairs apartment of his two-story townhouse. While Muriel welcomed the girls' close proximity and was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding visitors (particularly of the male persuasion), neurotic Henry was terrified that the girls' virtue would be compromised by their steady stream of boyfriends, and thus found all manner of excuses to drop in on the girls unexpectedly, and to eavesdrop. Other characters weaving in and out of the farcical proceedings were Henry's boss Arthur Wainwright (Hamilton Camp); the elder Rushes' semi-permanent house guest Monroe Ficus (Jim J. Bullock), a friend and fellow student of collegiate Sara; Muriel's flamboyant mother Iris (Audrey Meadows), who, in fine sitcom tradition, thought only the worst of Henry; Henry's hippie niece April (Deena Freeman), who briefly moved in with the family; and Jackie's policeman fiancé, Brad Turner (Jordan Suffin). During the series' second season, 42-year-old Muriel unexpectedly became pregnant again, ultimately giving birth to a son named Andrew, played first by twins William Thomas Cannon and Michael Philip Cannon, then by Joshua Goodwin. This was clearly a bid to improve the series' ratings, but ABC decided to cancel at the end of season three all the same. Too Close for Comfort was revived the following year in syndication, maintaining the same cast and basic premise for the next two years. In 1986 the series was retitled The Ted Knight Show, whereupon the format was retooled so that Henry Rush became the owner of a small-town newspaper. The actresses playing his daughters left the series, making room for a whole new supporting cast. The Ted Knight Show remained in production until the star's death in late 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Knight, Nancy Dussault, (more)
- 1980
Normally seen on Tuesdays during its first ABC season, Too Close for Comfort was given a rare Sunday showing when this episode originally aired. Henry Rush (Ted Knight) goes ballistic when he learns that a sailor plans to spend his shore leave with his attractive daughter Sara (Lydia Cornell). It gets worse when, while snooping around Sara's apartment, Henry finds a cache of pills. Putting two and two together, Henry characteristically comes up with the wrong equation. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
Its premiere delayed two months by an actors' strike, Too Close for Comfort finally made its debut on November 11, 1980, with an airing of the series' pilot episode. Newspaper cartoonist Henry Rush (Ted Knight) and his wife, Muriel (Nancy Dussault), have missed their daughters, Jackie (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and Sara (Lydia Cornell), since the girls moved out. This doesn't mean, however, that Henry is crazy over the idea of his nubile daughters moving into the newly vacant downstairs apartment in his San Francisco townhouse. Even so, the girls manage to talk Henry into agreeing to their move -- leading to an extremely nervous evening as the overprotective Henry agonizes over every imagined noise emanating from below his floor. This pilot episode is a rewrite of "Downs and Ups," the debut episode of Too Close for Comfort's British sitcom predecessor Keep It in the Family. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1974
Hard to believe that a rape could be played for laughs, even in a TV movie of the 1970s, but such was precisely the case with It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy. The well-ordered life of stout, middle-aged real estate salesman Harry Walter (Paul Sorvino) is left in shambles when he is sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a beautiful woman. Wandering naked into a nearby town, poor Harry can't get anyone to believe his story -- least of all his wife, Janet (Michael Learned). An indication of the subtlety to be found hereabouts is the fact that the initials of Harry's seducer are "W.O.W." Wow indeed. It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy was presented as an ABC "Movie of the Week" on November 19, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In this comedy, a burned out bookkeeper thinks about selling his soul to Satan. His thoughts invoke the presence of a bungling messenger from the devil himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Some ancient stone tablets unearthed on the island may provide the Castaways with the means to return to Civilization. Only one problem--the hieroglyphics on the tablets are virtually indecipherable, not to mention incomplete. As the main plotline plays itself out, Gilligan (Bob Denver) dreams himself back to Caveman days, thereby permitting producer Sherwood Schwartz to recycle a few sets from his recently cancelled sitcom It's About Time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Artist Christopher Pride (Jerry Lewis) has just been commissioned to work in Paris. Wanting to kill two birds with one stone, he plans to bring his soon-to-be bride along to celebrate their honeymoon. Unfortunately, his girlfriend (Janet Leigh) is a psychiatrist trying to contend with a trio of young women who utterly despise men. These women are too unstable to leave alone. In hopes of hastening the women's treatment, Christopher impersonates three men in hopes of helping them realize that not all men are cads. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1964
A woman has to choose between the rich man she wants and the bohemian type who loves her in this comedy. Michele O'Brien (Leslie Caron) is a young widow raising a baby in Greenwich Village. She's decided that her child needs a father, and she determines that her best bet as a prospective mate is Dr. Phillip Brock (Robert Cummings), a well-heeled child psychologist. The only trouble is, Phillip doesn't like children very much, so Michele tries to keep her baby a secret from him. Michele's upstairs neighbor, Harley Rummell (Warren Beatty), is in love with her and is more than happy to baby-sit; however, Harley makes his living shooting nudie films in his flat, and when the baby begins making cameo appearances in the films, Michele starts wondering if Harley might be a bad influence on the tyke. William Peter Blatty, later to write the best-selling novel The Exorcist, penned the screenplay. Keep an eye peeled for a young Donald Sutherland in a bit part. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Leslie Caron, (more)
- 1963
In this collection of clips from The Judy Garland Show, which ran for 26 episodes on CBS television in 1963 and 1964, the legendary singer and actress performs a number of songs, several of them collaborations with up-and-comer Barbra Streisand, grand dame Ethel Merman, and Garland's own daughter, the then-teenaged Liza Minnelli. Garland's solos include several of her signature numbers, from "I'm Nobody's Baby," which she performed as a fresh-faced MGM star in 1940's Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, to "The Man That Got Away," written especially for 1954's comeback vehicle A Star Is Born. Garland and Streisand alternate friendly banter about hating each other's talent with solo renditions and two extended medleys. The most famous of these pairings is their show-stopping combination of the standards "Get Happy" and "Happy Days Are Here Again"; Garland had performed the former in 1950's Summer Stock, while Streisand recorded the latter the same year the program aired. In another segment, Merman appears in the middle of the audience and joins Streisand and Garland for a leather-lunged rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business." The Merman and Streisand footage was taped on October 4, 1963, for episode nine of Garland's eponymous program. A sequence featuring three duets and lots of clowning with Minnelli was taped a few months earlier, on July 16, for episode three. Several years after her program was cancelled, Garland was set to play Helen Lawson, a character based on Merman, for the film version of Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls; she was replaced, however, by Susan Hayward. Streisand would go on to star in her own remake of A Star Is Born, while Minnelli would mine her mother's legacy in her own repertoire. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this squeaky clean sex comedy (the sort that could only have been made in the early 1960s), Kathy (Kim Novak) is a sociology student preparing her doctoral thesis, "Adolescent Sexual Fantasies in the Adult Suburban Male." She poses as a call girl to gain perspective on the sexual attitudes and behaviors of contemporary men, and she is soon installed as a kept woman for four men, Fred (James Garner), George (Tony Randall), Doug (Howard Duff), and Howard (Howard Morris). Except for Fred, all the men are married and looking for some of that loose, swinging action they've been hearing about, which makes the situation a research gold mine for Kathy. But she quickly discovers that while the men can talk about sex, they're too inhibited to actually do anything about it; what they really want isn't a wild fling, but an understanding ear. Fred is the only one who makes any romantic overtures, and in time he asks for her hand in marriage. Janet Blair, Anne Jeffreys, and Patti Page plays the wives of the would-be white-collar lotharios, and Zsa Zsa Gabor plays their boss's girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Novak, James Garner, (more)
