Diana Chesney Movies

Ellen Barkin stars in this mystical comedy about a detestable male chauvinist temporarily reincarnated into the body of a woman. Steve Brooks (Perry King) foolishly accepts an invite for an evening of debauchery from three former girlfriends, and thinks he's got it made when he shows up to find them waiting for him in a hot tub. Eager to exact revenge on the scoundrel, the women proceed to drown him, and Steve is cast into a purgatory in which two unseen voices are deciding whether to send him to heaven or hell. Steve is given one chance to save himself from damnation -- if he can find a woman alive who actually liked him. To complicate his task and teach him a lesson, Steve is reincarnated as a sexy woman (Barkin), just the type who would have been the target of his cheesy advances. Sloppily adjusting to his new body, Steve (now Barkin) tells people he is the sister of the missing Steve Brooks, and begins working at his old advertising agency as a means toward completing his arduous task. As Steve's sister, he also enlists the help of his best friend, Walter (Jimmy Smits), despite the complication that Walter is noticeably attracted to the woman he has become. Steve's homophobia -- and several of his other hateful traits -- are put to the test. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

A latter-day attempt to update the swordplay success of Errol Flynn movies, this film is part burlesque, part homage to old-fashioned pirate films. James Earl Jones and Robert Shaw play Nick Debrett and Ned Lynch, two pirates who save a noblewoman, Jane Barnet (Geneviève Bujold), and take her to Jamaica. They find that their friends have been taken captive by a ruthless dictator -- Peter Boyle plays the foppish villain Lord Durant with an over-the-top swagger. Debrett and Lynch set out to rescue their friends and overthrow the perverted tyrant. Beau Bridges plays Major Folly, a fancy-dressing Scarlet Pimpernel sort. A young Anjelica Huston has a minor part as a nameless woman. There is plenty of swordplay, blood, slapstick, and cleavage, all directed by James Goldstone in a frenzied fashion. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Samantha's father, Maurice, must prove that his grandson, Adam, is a warlock, lest the Council of Witches declare the marriage of Sam and Darrin to be null and void. In his efforts to cover up Adam's "mortal-hood," Maurice sets himself wide open for a few startling surprises. This time around, Diana Chesney and Maryesther Denver are cast as "councilwomen" Enchantra and Grimalda. First telecast on December 29, 1971, "Adam, Warlock or Washout?" was written by Ed Jurist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Vito Scotti guest stars as peace-loving Italian officer Major Bonacelli, a role originated by Hans Conried in the first-season episode "The Pizza Parlor." Now working undercover for the Allies -- and for Hogan -- Bonacelli wants to chuck it all and escape to Switzerland. Hogan must persuade the Major to go on one final mission: photograph a top-secret German anti-aircraft base. Written by Arthur Julian, "The Return of Major Bonacelli" first aired on March 15, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This very economical remake of the 1952 Errol Flynn vehicle Against All Flags stars Doug McClure in the Flynn role. Cashiered from the royal navy in disgrace, McClure becomes a buccaneer, guiding his loyal crew to an island completely populated by cutthroats. Here he links up with pirate-captain Guy Stockwell and lady-swashbuckler Jill St. John. The plot comes to a head when the pirates conspire to hold lovely Middle-Eastern princess Mary Ann Mobley for ransom. McClure comes to her rescue and routs the rascals, revealing along the way that he's been working under cover on behalf of the king (a fact rather given away by the title). The most fascinating moments of The King's Pirate concern a pair of well-proportioned belly dancers, who keep the other pirates occupied while McClure goes about his business. The camera lovingly and longingly records each bump, grind, and wiggle, allowing the audience to get its mind off the creaky plot contrivances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Endora gives Darren a magical statue which forces everyone in its vicinity to speak the unvarnished truth. Trouble ensues when Darren and Samantha entertain Larry Tate's new client, Ed Hotchkiss (Charles Lane), and Ed's wife, Frances (Elisabeth Fraser). Needless to say, on this particular occasion the truth really hurts. Written by Paul David and John L. Greene, "Speak the Truth" made its first network appearance on December 16, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This is a routine tale about the vice squad versus pornographer and blackmailer Augie Cortona (Terence Morgan). After the petty criminal gets out of prison, he discovers his old partners in crime are not interested in him anymore, and the prostitution ring he once bossed is controlled by someone else. His solution is to set up a fake photographer's and model's studio during the day that becomes a place where porno photo men can do their work at night, as call girls engage in their trade with unsuspecting customers. The photographs bring in extra lucre through a blackmail scheme -- Cortona makes the hookers' clients pay to keep their activities quiet. As he is building up this racket, a gangland boss is out to get him -- and so is the vice squad. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Julian Caesar, the board chairman of a large company deals with jealousy and treachery among his underlings as he fights to maintain control and power in this reworking of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." The duplicitous directors are led by the ruthless R. Cassius who after much badgering convinces the one honest director left, Brutus Smith, to join up and vote Caesar down. Upon losing his position, poor Caesar dies of a heart-attack, leaving Mark Anthony to take over and immediately toss out all the bad apples on the board. The despondent Brutus then takes his own life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this romance, a crooked, over-ambitious clerk will do anything to make it to the top, even if it means getting engaged to a man she doesn't love. Her "beloved" is the son of her richest client. Fortunately, by the story's end, the woman reconsiders her goals and ends up falling for a minor executive. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Director John Ford traveled to England to film this adaptation of the novel by J.J. Maraca, which details a typical day in the busy life of a detective for Scotland Yard. Inspector George Gideon (Jack Hawkins) begins his working day by confronting one of his fellow officers who is believed to be accepting graft. The sergeant stubbornly denies the charge, but he dies later the same day in a mysterious hit-and-run accident that piques Gideon's curiosity. While confronting internal strife within Scotland Yard, Gideon also has more typical crimes to investigate, including a murder in Manchester and a burglary in London, both of which were performed by the same vicious criminal. Gideon himself becomes the victim of a holdup and is forced to take a bullet for his troubles, while on the home front he finds himself in disfavor with his family when he forgets to bring home salmon for dinner and lets his daughter's recital slip his mind. Along with Jack Hawkins, Gideon's Day features a stellar cast of British actors, including Cyril Cusack, Anna Massey, Laurence Naismith, Dianne Foster, and Billie Whitelaw. For its initial American release, Gideon's Day (also shown as Gideon of Scotland Yard) was cut from 91 minutes to a mere 54, and distributed in black and white prints instead of the original Technicolor. Fortunately, nearly all the prints currently in circulation are of the uncut, color edition. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

None of the characters in this grim little British drama are particularly likable. It is especially true of the protagonist, a ghetto kid who makes his living by robbing old ladies. He despises his mother, and at night dreams that his father, whom he never met, is a millionaire. One day he decides to find him. Along the way, he kills a woman in a small town. He then learns that the village doctor is his father. When the doctor finds out that his son is a killer, he decides the youth must die. Unfortunately, tragedy ensues before that can happen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, an author disbelieves a police report that states that his former friend, the town alcoholic, died of heart failure during a brawl at the local nightclub. In the end it is the killer's diabetes that gives him away. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide