Ted Zachary Movies

Wise-cracking, beer-drinking comedy star Drew Carey makes a change of pace as he tops the bill of this made-for-TV adaptation of Carlo Collodi's classic children's fantasy. Geppetto (Drew Carey) is a bachelor woodcarver who loves children, but has none of his own. As he works on a wooden puppet he calls Pinocchio, Geppetto sadly wishes he could have a son; the Blue Fairy (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) decides to grant his wish, and Pinocchio comes to life. Geppetto is thrilled, but he soon discovers that taking care of the little wooden boy is more trouble than he ever imagined. As Geppetto struggles with the responsibilities of parenthood, Pinocchio is kidnapped by Stromboli (Brent Spiner), a traveling puppet master who wants to use the enchanted marionette in his traveling show. Though Geppetto has become disillusioned with his abilities as a father, he can't let Pinocchio be stolen away by an ill-meaning stranger, and sets out to find the wooden boy. En route, Geppetto meets a number of strange and remarkable characters, including the inept magician Lazardo (Wayne Brady), the mysterious Professor Buonragazzo (Rene Auberjonois), and the Ring Leader (Usher Raymond), who spirits wayward boys away to Pleasure Island. Geppetto features several original songs by Steven Schwartz; the film was produced for the ABC television network, where it first aired on May 7, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When con man Eddie Dash (Richard Pryor) is released from prison he's told to fulfill the required 100 hours of community service as the bodyguard/escort of a recently released mental patient (Gene Wilder). It's not too long before Wilder figures out a way to make a little dough at the expense of his impaired charge. Together they manage to get involved in an inheritance scam that's loaded with troubles and trials for all. It's apparent to most viewers that the Richard Pryor appearing in this film is a far cry from the actor most have seen previously; this is the first film undertaken by Pryor following a very serious illness. ~ All Movie Guide

Lynn Redgrave stars as New York madam Xaviera Hollander in this romp based on Hollander's rise to the top of the sex-for-hire industry. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

James Toback made his screenwriting debut with this taut drama, loosely adapted from the story by Dostoevsky. Axel Freed (James Caan) is an intelligent and well-respected professor of literature at a noted New York university, who uses great writing as a springboard for examining moral and philosophical issues in his class. But when he's not in front of the chalkboard, Axel has a serious problem -- he's hopelessly addicted to gambling. Axel will bet on almost anything, and while he lives for the heady rush of winning, it doesn't happen all that often, and Axel's latest losing streak has put him in debt to his bookies to the tune of $44,000, more than a college professor could hope to pay in 1974. Even after tapping his mother (Jacqueline Brookes), his grandfather (Morris Carnovsky), and his girlfriend (Lauren Hutton) for cash, Axel still owes thousands to his bookie Hips (Paul Sorvino), who is quickly losing his patience with Axel, especially when he learns after he finally scored a major winning streak, rather than paying off his bills he used the money to keep gambling ... and lost it all, leading to visits from an increasingly threatening series of underworld "collectors." The Gambler also features supporting performances from Burt Young, James Woods, and M. Emmett Walsh. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This detective-themed action-adventure film spoofs The Big Sleep, which was based on the novel by Raymond Chandler. Burt Reynolds plays McCoy, a hard-nosed private detective. The story has more tangles than a bowl of spaghetti, but it begins when McCoy is called to the house of Hume (Ron Weyand), an eccentric diamond dealer, and is given the task of recovering some stolen gems. McCoy is beaten by a gang of thugs to warn him off the job, and this lets him know that he's onto something really big. By the end of the film, McCoy will have hooked up with a gorgeous blonde (Dyan Cannon), driven a tank through a warehouse wall, and delivered numerous crooks to the police. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Richard Roundtree cuts a startlingly new and powerful heroic figure as John Shaft, "the cat who won't cop out, when there's danger all about" in Gordon Parks' seminal action film, Shaft. John Shaft is a black private eye with a small office near Times Square. On his way there one day, he gets pumped for information by Lt. Victor Androzzi (Charles Cioffi), a friend of his on the police force, about something big going down in Harlem involving black crime kingpin Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn). Shaft can't help him and leaves, only to just miss being waylaid by two of Bumpy's strong-arm men at his office, one of whom ends up dead on the pavement eight floors or so below. Squeezed by the cops, who are holding a potential manslaughter arrest over his head, Shaft contacts Bumpy, who reveals that his teenage daughter, whom he's always kept away from his business, has been kidnapped. There's been no ransom demand and no clue as to who did it, and he wants Shaft to find the culprits, insisting that he start with a group of Harlem-based black militants led by Shaft's onetime friend Ben Buford (Christopher St. John). No sooner does he find Buford, holed up in a decaying part of Harlem, however, than his friend's comrades are mowed down by submachine gun fire, and Shaft and Buford barely escape. With Shaft angry and out for blood, everyone is forced to come clean -- Bumpy knows that it's the Mafia that kidnapped his daughter, as they want in on the Harlem drug trade that he controls; they're holding her somewhere else outside of Harlem, where his men are no good to him, which is why he wanted Shaft to hook up with Buford. Androzzi tells Shaft that a dozen Mob trigger men from out of town have been spotted in Greenwich Village. He doesn't know why they're there, but he does know that if fighting breaks out between Bumpy's men and the Mafia, it's going to look like a race war, and the whole city could erupt. Shaft doesn't like the way he's been manipulated, but he sees Androzzi's point -- he links the trigger men to the kidnapping and finds the girl, but loses her again, getting shot in the process. Even though he's wounded, Shaft heads for a final confrontation with the kidnappers, supported by Ben's friends in an armed assault on the building where they're holed up. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Paper Lion is taken from the actual experiences of journalist George Plimpton. George (Alan Alda) dons helmet and pads to play quarterback against the Detroit Lions. His experience is less-than-successful as he is mercilessly tackled by the Lion's defense, including Alex Karras. Roger Aaron Brown tackles George and carries the ball and the player over the line for a touchdown. Flashbacks include the reporter's three-round bout with "Sugar Ray" Robinson. Football legends Frank Gifford and coach Vince Lombardi also appear. The final scene is the actual pre-season game against the St. Louis Cardinals football team. After his retirement from the Lions, Alex Karras made a successful transition into acting in films and on television, joining Jim Brown who preceded and Bubba Smith and others who followed. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide