Richard Thomas Movies
Richard Thomas was seven years old when he made his first Broadway appearance in Sunrise at Campobello (1958). The wide-eyed, mole-cheeked, sensitive-looking Thomas soon found himself very much in demand for television roles. He was seen in the distinguished company of Julie Harris, Christopher Plummer and Hume Cronyn in a 1959 TV presentation of Ibsen's A Doll's House, worked as a regular on the daytime soap operas As the World Turns and Flame in the Wind, and co-starred with Today Show announcer Jack Lescoulie in the captivating 1961 Sunday-afternoon "edutainment" series 1-2-3 Go. While attending Columbia University, Thomas made his theatrical-film debut in Downhill Racer, then settled into a series of unpleasant, psychologically disturbed characters in films like You'll Like My Mother (1971) and such TV series as Bracken's World. In 1971, Thomas was cast as John-Boy Walton in the Earl Hamner-scripted TV movie The Homecoming. Though there would be a number of cast changes before The Homecoming metamorphosed into the weekly series The Waltons in 1972, Thomas was retained as John-Boy, earning a 1973 Emmy for his performance and remaining in the role until only a few months before the series' cancellation in 1981. During the Waltons years, Thomas starred in several well-mounted TV movies, including the 1979 remake of All Quiet on the Western Front. Ever seeking opportunities to expand his range, Thomas has sunk his teeth into such roles as the self-destructive title character in Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story (1983) and the amusingly sanctimonious Rev. Bobby Joe in the satirical Glory! Glory!. In 1980, Thomas made his first Broadway appearance in over two decades as the paralyzed protagonist of Whose Life is It Anyway. Working through his own Melpomene Productions, Thomas has continued seeking out creative challenges into the 1990s. Richard Thomas has also served as national chairman of the Better Hearing Institute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2005
This heartwarming made-for-cable "road" picture begins in Chicago, where widowed grandmother Annie Eason (Betty White, convincingly portraying a 69-year-old while herself in her eighties!) wants to grant the final request of her husband Elliott: To release his ashes from the top of "Annie's Point"--3000 miles away. Embittered over having to manage his late father's business, Annie's son Richard (Richard Thomas) flatly refuses to take her to Annie's Point, so she goes instead with her free-spirited granddaughter Ella (Amy Davidson). Their odyssey turns into a frantic and sometimes funny chase after Annie goes on a gambling spree in Las Vegas, prompting Richard to hotly pursue his mother with the intention of having her institutionalized. Annie's Point made its Hallmark channel bow on January 22, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
- NR
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Also known as the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater, the Mariinsky Theater, located in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, is one of the world's most prestigious venues for music and dance. Built in 1859, the building briefly fell into disuse following the Soviet Revolution in 1917, but was reopened as a cultural center that brought high art to the people, and despite extensive damage during the Siege of Leningrad, the building was restored in 1944. Though it played host to some of Russia's most famous performers for over a century and a quarter, the Mariinsky's future became uncertain following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but under the guidance of artistic director Valery Gergiev, the theater has re-established its reputation as one of the most vital centers for opera and ballet in the world, and attracts fans from all corners of the globe. Sacred Stage: The Mariinski Theater is a documentary which offers a look at this beautiful home to the performing arts, as well as offering glimpses from its distinguished past and energetic present. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2002
If one didn't know better, one might suspect that the weekly, 60-minute PAX Network series Just Cause was really the theatrical feature Erin Brockovich with different clothes and characters. Richard Thomas headed the cast as celebrated civil attorney Hamilton Whitney III, who maintained a suite of posh offices in San Francisco. Whitney's sense of serenity and decorum was shattered when he hired feisty single mom Alex DeMonaco (Elizabeth Lackey) as a paralegal. Having been thrown into prison because of her ex-husband's financial shenanigans, Alex managed to get a law degree via the internet, but her trumped-up felony conviction prevented her from practicing law on her own. Thus she latched onto the uptight Whitney, and together these two wildly divergent crusaders set about to right all manner of wrongs and to tilt at the windmills of corporate greed and political corruption. Along the way, Alex endeavored to fully clear her name so that she could reclaim custody of her beloved daughter Mia. Just Cause debuted September 15, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Elizabeth Lackey, (more)
- 2002
A sequel to the 2000 TV movie Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, this two-hour film chronicles the later events in the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose evocative autobiographical novels also inspired the long-running TV series Little House on the Prairie. After enduring many a hardship in South Dakota, 19th century schoolteacher Laura (Meredith Monroe) and her homesteader husband Almanzo (Walton Goggins) pull up stakes and move to Missouri, along with their daughter Ruth (Skye McCole Bartusiak). The little family's dream of achieving financial security as apple farmers is sorely threatened when Laura, substituting for her ailing husband, attempts to handle all the farming chores herself -- as a cold and merciless winter swiftly and inexorably approaches. Monroe and Goggins repeat their roles from the earlier film, as does Richard Thomas as Laura's father Charles Ingalls. Beyond the Prairie II: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder Continues made its CBS network debut on March 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meredith Monroe, Walton Goggins, (more)
- 2002
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One of the strongest vocal ensembles on the gospel music scene, the Mississippi Mass Choir lift their voices in praise on the electrifying concert video. Director David Curry leads the choir through 13 inspiring selections, including "Lord I Thank You," "My God Said It," "Holding On (And I Won't Let Go of My Faith)," "A Widow's Love," and "We Give You All the Praise." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The Christian kids show Bloodhounds, Inc focuses around a couple of teenage brother-and-sister sleuths named Sean and Melissa Hunter who, together with their gang of investigators known as the Slobs, employ their skills at detective work to solve mysteries in their hometown of Midvale, always learning an important moral lesson along the way. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Craig Hauer, (more)
- 2002
Lindsay Felton stars as Anna Morgan, a teenaged gymnast left paralyzed and wheelchair-bound after a fall. Anna's efforts to adjust to her situation are almost as painful as the accident which brought it about, no small thanks to the well-meaning but rather clumsy efforts by her friends and family to "help" her. As Anna slowly triumphs over tragedy, her parents and siblings also manage to overcome the many day-to-day crises which have caused them to drift apart over the years. The presence of Richard Thomas in the cast was evidence enough that Anna's Dream was produced on behalf of the PAX TV network. The film originally aired on October 4, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Connie Sellecca, Richard Thomas, (more)
- 2001
- NR
The Miracle of the Cards is the true story of eight-year-old English youngster Craig Shergold (Thomas Sangster), who in 1989 is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Although the prognosis is negative, Craig's mother Marion (Catherine Oxenberg) becomes convinced that somewhere in the world there is a cure for the boy's affliction, and that the means of finding that cure is to break the Guinness record for receiving greeting cards. Broadcasting a plea to everyone on Earth, Marion is successful in bringing a whopping 350 million cards to Craig's door -- and yes, one of those cards provides the key for Craig's ultimate salvation. Filmed in Vancouver, The Miracle of the Cards premiered November 10, 2001, over the PAX Network. Richard Thomas, the star of the PAX anthology It's a Miracle, is herein cast as Dr. Kassell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Oxenberg, Kirk Cameron, (more)
In this comedy, a middle-aged man juggles his problems with women, literature, and a career, while a younger man chases the artifact of his dreams. Pittsburgh college professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is currently single following his divorce from his third wife; after publishing an acclaimed first novel, Grady has been working on a follow-up, but he's been sidelined by a severe case of writer's block. Grady has more than his writing career to think about; his affair with one of the (married) chancellors at the University of Pittsburgh (Frances McDormand), has resulted in her pregnancy, while Hannah (Katie Holmes), a student boarding at Grady's house, has developed a crush on him. While Grady is obsessed with his book, one of his students (Tobey Maguire) has an obsession of his own: finding a jacket once owned by Marilyn Monroe. Based on the novel by Michael Chabon, The Wonder Boys also features Robert Downey Jr., Rip Torn, and Richard Thomas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, (more)
- 2000
Based on a play by Tim Boland, the made-for-TV drama In the Name of the People stars Scott Bakula as death-row inmate John Burke. Facing execution for the murder of a teenaged girl, Burke's only concern is over the future of his own 13-year-old daughter Lisa (Robin Ann Phipps). Connie Murphy (Amy Madigan), mother of the murdered girl and the unforgiving leader of the activist group which lobbied for Burke's death, finds that there is a curious bond between the soon-to-be orphaned Lisa and Connie's own husband Jack (Richard Thomas), to whom forgiveness and compassion are second nature. The garrulous nature of Richard Leder's teleplay led one TV critic to characterize the film as "Dead Man Talking." In the Name of the People originally aired on February 2, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Madigan, Richard Thomas, (more)
- 1999
- PG
A young boys buys a winning lottery ticket worth $50 million and the household is turned upside down. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1998
This is the first episode of a two-part story, which originally concluded on the Touched by an Angel spinoff series Promised Land. Monica (Roma Downey) and her fellow angels once again pay a visit to the family of Russell Greene (Gerald McRaney), on the one-year anniversary of the traffic accident in which Russell's ne'er-do-well brother Joe (Richard Thomas) killed two people. Though Joe has ostensibly reformed, he is still not quite out of the woods: Sandra Mills (Karen Silas), whose husband and son were killed in the accident, has sworn to put Joe in his grave. In a curiously parallel development, Russell's wife Claire, who teaches reading to Death Row inmates, tries to help condemned prisoner Darlene (Tracy Gold) reconcile with her family. The episode ends in a cliffhanger, with two lives (and maybe more!) in the balance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Newly arrived in the town of Cedar Island, perennial misfit Picasso Dewlap (Robert Burke) has trouble making friends, even when he joins his junior-high basketball team. But Picasso's stock with his peers rises considerably when he recruits a rather hirsute young "man" with remarkable hoop skills to play on the team. It so happens that Picasso's pal, Ed Tibbetts (Trevor Jones), is actually a Sasquatch, or "Bigfoot"--but that hardly matters so long as the team keeps racking up wins. Eventually growing homesick for his family back in the woods, Ed escapes on the eve of the championship game--forcing Picasso to make a fateful decision. Adapted by Brian Daly from his own novel, the made-for-cable Big & Hairy originally aired November 30, 1998, on the Showtime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Burke, Trevor Jones, (more)
- 1997
Based on actual events from the early '90s and first aired on the Family Channel, this exciting drama centers on the attempts of one small town to keep the Mississippi river from destroying it. The leaders in this seemingly impossible quest are widower farmer Herb and the Army Corps of Engineers woman he loves. Despite their efforts to shore up the town's levees, the water keeps rising, and the town is increasingly at risk. When a levee up-river breaks, Herb's kids are caught in the flood and a massive search ensues. Finally, just as the town is about to be inundated, Herb finds himself forced to make a difficult decision between the town's welfare and his own. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Kate Vernon, (more)
- 1997
Based on a true story, the sentimental TV movie A Thousand Men and a Baby takes place during the final months of the Korean War in 1953. Spiritually adopting an abandoned boy, the crew members of the U.S.S. "Point Cruz" set about to find a proper home for the infant. All the while, ship's doctor Hugh Keenan (Richard Thomas) struggles to keep the baby alive. According to some sources, the grown-up protagonist of the story appears in a bit role in this film. Originally telecast by CBS on December 7, 1997, A Thousand Men and a Baby has since been telecast in the UK under the slightly more lurid title Narrow Escape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerald McRaney, Richard Thomas, (more)
