Simon Henderson Movies
- 2000
Written by the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall, Baby was produced for the TNT cable service. Set in New England, this is the story of the Malones, a family nearly torn apart by the death of an infant son. While trying to cope with this tragedy, Lily and John Malone are surprised by the arrival of an abandoned baby girl, left on their doorstep. Though at first reluctant to welcome the child into their home, the Malones soon become inextricably attached to her -- no one more so than 12-year-old Larkin Malone who, in a pathetic effort to use the baby as a replacement for her lost little brother, hides the letter written by the child's now-repentant birth mother. Despite such lighthearted scenes as a drunken tap dance rendition of "Singin' In the Rain", Baby is rather heavy going for the most part, especially in the scenes with the family's dying grandmother. Co-produced by actress Glenn Close, Baby was first telecast on October 8, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farrah Fawcett, Keith Carradine, (more)
- 1973
Few theatre marquees could accommodate the title It's a 2'6" Above the Ground World, so most British exhibitors chose the film's alternate title, The Love Ban. Based on a potty-mouthed stage play by Kevin Laffan, this comedy concerns the tribulations of a devoutly Catholic couple, played by Nanette Newman and Hywel Bennett. When Newman decides she doesn't want to be burdened with children, she decides to take the pill--which, as we all know from those ubiquitous posters of the 1960s, was a "No No" so far as the Pope was concerned. What seemed racy and daring in 1973 is now almost as harmless as an episode of Barney and Friends. Best to forget the dated quality of the lines and revel in the performances of Newman, Bennett and Milo O'Shea. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Henry VIII and His Six Wives is a feature film based upon the 1971 BBC miniseries The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Keith Michell weathers several makeup changes as the much-married titular monarch. While the miniseries was able to explore the political and personal reasons for the selection (and sometimes rejection) of the wives, the shortened version concentrates chiefly on such highlights as the birth of Queen Elizabeth and the execution of Anne Boleyn. The film is constructed in flashback form, with an aged Henry recalling his marital record. Side note: Donald Pleasence appears as Thomas Cromwell in Henry VIII and His Six Wives; Pleasence's daughter Angela had played Katherine Howard, Bride No. 5, in the original Six Wives of Henry VIII. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Michell, Donald Pleasence, (more)
