Peggy Cass Movies

Melissa Gilbert stars in the title role of this made-for-television adaption of the novel by Danielle Steel. Gilbert stars as Zoya, an Russian orphan who flees her homeland and falls in love with an American Army soldier stationed in Paris. The two settle in New York, start a family and all seems well, but the dramatic twists and turns for Zoya have only just begun. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Like a glossy wrapping around an empty box, this film about sophisticated gamblers with nothing deeper than their gambling addiction involves a story no deeper than the tracks along its plot line: win at the casinos alone, win with a woman companion, and then cheat to win some more. Elric (Jacques Dutronc) is a professional gambler successfully working the roulette wheel at the casino in Portuguese Madeira when he meets Suzie (Bulle Ogier) at 7:07 p.m. wearing a T-shirt with the number "7" on it. Convinced she will bring him luck if she stays with him at the games for 7 days, Elric talks Suzie into keeping him company -- he is also hoping her disinterest in gambling will cure him of his habit. The reverse happens; he infects Suzie with the gambling bug. At that juncture, Jorg (Kurt Raab), a skillful cheat at many games, cons Elric into taking off with him to scam their way through one casino after another. The men leave and when they return, the temporary rift between Suzie and Elric is healed -- she objected to Jorg's methods -- but Elric is now infected with Jorg's methods himself and uses a remote-control electronic device to cheat at roulette, winning a fortune. With these proceeds, he and Suzie can start building that chateau in the French Alps they have always dreamed of owning -- though it remains to be seen if the gambling bug has been exterminated or is just lying dormant for awhile. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

An enchanted being from the Emerald Isle must rescue his village from an evil monster in this animated adventure from Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass. Dinty Doyle the Leprechaun wants to find the ideal Christmas tree for his family's home, but just when he's found a seemingly perfect pine near the Irish coast, he discovers a terrible banshee has been trapped inside the tree. Dinty accidentally releases the creature, which soon sweeps through the Leprechaun's village, stealing the golden treasures they'd been saving for Christmas presents. Can Lord Patrick, king of the little people, conquer the banshee and save Christmas? The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold features the voice talents of Art Carney and Peggy Cass. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

James Mason is Bradley Morahan, an Australian artist far away from home and trying to prod his muse in the bowels of New York City. Disgusted with life in the big city, Bradley decides to return to his roots and heads back home to Australia. Once there, he decides to become a Gauguin primitive and sets up shop on a deserted island on the Great Barrier Reef. To his disappointment, however, he discovers the island is populated by a drunken old harridan (Neva Carr-Glyn) and her attractive granddaughter Cora (Helen Mirren). One look at Cora, and Bradley excitedly begins to mix his pigments, offering Cora a job as his model. Soon enough, Cora goes native and poses for Bradley in the raw. Love is, of course, in the air. But just as things seem to being going fine in every way, Bradley's old friend Nat (Jack MacGowran) appears on the island out of the blue and proceeds to rob Bradley blind. Barely recovered from the theft, Bradley must also deal with an irate grandma, who discovers that Cora has been posing nude for Bradley and has been keeping her earnings hidden from granny. Bradley's island paradise is shattered and he finds he has to deal with an old woman threatening to turn him in to the authorities for having a minor pose naked before him and his easel. The character of Morahan was based on real-life Bohemian artist Norman Lindsay, who later became the subject of John Duigan's Sirens (1994). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Prosperous Poughkeepsie undertaker Arthur Motherwell (John McGiver) is looking forward to handling the funeral for Stanton C. Barryvale (Howard Smith), the richest man in town. Barryvale's family members have insisted upon a huge and ostentatious funeral -- and, of course, the cost is no object. But as he prepares to embalm Barryvale, Motherwell is shocked when the dead man suddenly arises from the dead...and then demands that his own personal funeral arrangements be carried out. This episode is based on a story by writer/director Garson Kanin, of Born Yesterday and Adam's Rib fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A master blend of comedy, domestic drama and sudden tragedy, The Marrying Kind remains one of the best collaborations between star Judy Holliday, screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, and director George Cukor. The film begins at the end, with married couple Florence and Chet Keefer (Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray) seeking a divorce. Both parties state their cases before understanding judge Carroll (Madge Kennedy)--whereupon the story of their marriage unfolds in a series of revelatory flashbacks. After an amusing recap of their courtship days, the film details the many major and minor trials and tribulations of married life. In the film's most unforgettable sequence, one of the couple's children dies by drowning while Florence and Chet are obliviously engaged in one of their petty squabbles. Throughout the testimony, the Judge gives equal time to both parties, and in so doing demonstrates that all aspects of marriage work both ways. In the final scenes, the Judge allows the Keefers to reconsider their impending divorce, but not before offering a few understanding and unobtrusive words of advice. Judy Holliday is in top form, while Aldo Ray delivers what may be his finest performance. Featured in the cast as Ray's sister-in-law is Peggy Cass in her film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide