Mary McCormick Movies
An aggressive publicity campaign mounted by ABC in the fall of 1996 left no doubt that the first season of the network's new courtroom drama Murder One would break standard weekly series precedent by focusing on a single, solitary murder case throughout the entire season. Led by ruthless criminal attorney Theodore Hoffman (Daniel Benzali), a crack team of lawyers builds a persuasive defense on behalf of arrogant movie star Neil Avedon (Jason Gedrick), who is the prime suspect in the murder of his drug-abusing girlfriend Jessica. Even as Hoffman and his associates Chris Docknovich (Michael Hayden), Arnold Spivak (J.C. MacKenzie), Justine Appleton (Mary McCormick), and Lisa Gillespie (Grace Phillips) move heaven and earth to get Neil off, the equally diligent prosecution team, headed by DA Roger Garfield (Gregory Itzin) and ADA Miriam Grasso (Barbara Bosson), are dedicated to establishing Neil's guilt. Complicating matters is the presence of another suspect: Richard Cross (Stanley Tucci), multimillionaire businessman and owner of the building where Jessica died. Even so, Avedon is tried and convicted -- but there's a breathtaking twist at the very end of season one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Benzali, Michael Hayden, (more)
When the original format of Murder One, that of chronicling a single murder trial through an entire TV season, proved to be less successful than hoped, the series' format was altered for its second season on ABC. This year, three cases would be prosecuted and defended, the first involving the murder of California governor Van Allen and his mistress. Replacing season one's head defense lawyer, Theodore Hoffman, is Anthony LaPaglia as James "Jimmy" Wyler; and while three members of Wyler's defense team -- Chris Docknovich (Michael Hayden), Arnold Spivak (J.C. MacKenzie), Justine Appleton (Mary McCormick) -- are still on the job, fourth member Lisa Gillespie (Grace Phillips) has been replaced by streetwise Aaron Mosely (David Bryan Woodside). As for the prosecution, Assistant DA Miriam Grosso (Barbara Bosson) finds herself in a potential conflict-of-interest quandary when her own boss, DA Roger Garfield (Gregory Itzin), is shown to have ties with chief murder suspect Malcolm Dietrich (Ralph Waite). The second case on the docket bears a remarkable resemblance to a recent real-life trial involving a major sports figure. Rick Worthy is cast as swaggering basketball star Rickey Latrell, accused of killing a shady Las Vegas team owner named Sandy Fortas. Murder One was canceled as a weekly series before the season's third murder trial could get off the ground. However, the property returned in a five-part miniseries format, in which Wyler's team defends a serial killer (Pruitt Taylor Vince) who considers himself above the law because all of his victims are notorious criminals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony LaPaglia, Michael Hayden, (more)
- 1995
During its first year on the air, the weekly, hour-long ABC series Murder One was unique among legal dramas, in that it dealt with only a single murder case per season. Debuting September 19, 1995, the series spent all of season one focusing on the murder of a young substance-abusing woman, with her lover, obnoxious movie star Neil Avedon (Jason Gedrick), as prime suspect. Handling Avedon's defense were Chris Docknovich (Michael Hayden), Arnold Spivak (J.C. MacKenzie), Justine Appleton (Mary McCormick), and Lisa Gillespie (Grace Phillips), all ambitious young attorneys working for celebrated, controversial, and not entirely ethical criminal lawyer Theodore Hoffman (Daniel Benzali). Appearing for the prosecution were ruthless Assistant DA Miriam Grasso (Barbara Bosson), who worked for the even more ruthless DA Roger Garfield (Gregory Itzin). The Grasso-Garfield team included police detective Arthur Poulson (Dylan Baker) and investigator David Blalock (Kevin Tighe). Among the other first-season regulars were Patricia Clarkson as Theodore Hoffman's long-suffering wife, Ann; John Fleck as Hoffman's office manager, Louis; and Grace Phillips as his receptionist, Lila. While the "one case per year" gimmick attracted a lot of publicity, and -- for a while, anyway -- a lot of viewers, the ratings for Murder One fell precipitously as season one wore on. Thus, when the series returned for its second season, several changes had been imposed, the first being that three cases would be dramatized, rather than merely one. On the docket for season two were a political assassination in which DA Garfield was implicated, an O.J.-like celebrity murder case involving an arrogant basketball star, and a case involving a serial killer who preyed only on professional criminals. Series co-star Daniel Benzali was gone, replaced by younger but no less crafty and cunning defense attorney James "Jimmy" Wyler (Anthony LaPaglia). Also missing was Grace Phillips as Lisa Gillespie, whose replacement, hotheaded junior attorney Aaron Mosely, was played by David Bryan Woodside. Concluding its weekly run on January 23, 1997, Murder One briefly returned five months later in a miniseries format, remaining on the air from May 25 to 29, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Benzali, Anthony LaPaglia, (more)
- 1982
- R
This martial arts action film is about Tom, a man conned into joining the CIA and then forced into fighting against it when his ethics lead him to protect those connected with an exposé of the agency. Danny has written the exposé and when he is taken into custody by the CIA, Tom sees his partner kill off an innocent witness -- and decides to join forces with Danny's side. From that moment onward, there are chase scenes and martial arts displays, as Tom and Danny's sister and the accusatory manuscript all fight for survival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Thayer, Shawn Hoskins, (more)
- 1933
At age 26, Janet Gaynor was still playing "gamin" roles in such musical trifles as Paddy, the Next Best Thing. Gaynor stars as a spirited Irish lass whose older sister (Margaret Lindsay) is about to marry a wealthy gent (Warner Baxter). Fully aware that Sis doesn't love the man, Gaynor sacrifices herself by marrying him instead--hence the "next best thing" part of the title. It takes about seven reels for Gaynor and Baxter to succumb to the inevitable and declare their true love for each other. Paddy, the Next Best Thing was a little bit of Heaven to Janet Gaynor's fans, but mere Irish stew to everyone else. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Gaynor, Warner Baxter, (more)
