Robert Christian
- 1982
Made for television, this film chronicles the life and work of real-life New York City undercover policewoman Mary Glatzle, here played by Karen Valentine). A single mom, Ms. Glatzle is in dire need of money to pay for her son's mounting medical expenses. Thus we she joins the NYC police force, Mary makes it known that she will take on any dangerous assignment so long as it fattens her bank account. Providing to be adept at disguises, Mary acts as a decoy for muggers and rapists, posing as everything from a hooker to a little old lady--and in the process, she becomes famous as "Muggable Mary". Though Karen Valentine did most of her own stunts, in certain hazardous sequences she was doubled by Tanya Russell. Muggable Mary: Street Cop made its first CBS network appearance on February 25, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
It's The African Queen meets Richard Pryor in this schmaltzy and salty attempt by Pryor to appeal to the family crowd. Pryor plays Joe Braxton, an inept burglar whose parole officer Donald (Robert Christian) wants to help out. Knowing that Joe is an excellent mechanic, he refers him to Vivian Perry (Cicely Tyson), the director of a school for emotionally disturbed children. The school is about to close for lack of funds, and Vivian wants to flee Philadelphia with eight of her charges and get to a farm in Washington State where the children can grow up in the fresh air and away from the urban environment. Joe is enlisted to drive the bus, which continually breaks down en route, permitting Joe plenty of time to interact with the kids -- taking them fishing, teaching them strip poker, and convincing a Vietnamese girl not to sell her body. The prim and proper Vivian holds up her nose at the vulgar and sloppy Joe, so it is inevitable that at journey's end the two will find true romance. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson, (more)
Inspired by a true story, Prince of the City stars Treat Williams as a Manhattan detective who agrees to help the US Department of Justice weed out corruption in the NYPD. Williams agrees on the assurance that he'll never have to turn in a close friend. Wired for sound, Williams almost immediately stumbles upon a police conspiracy to smuggle narcotics to street informants in order to insure cooperation. While this might be condonable in a stretch, the fact is that the many cops are using the drugs on their own, and are also highly susceptible to bribes. Williams gets the goods on the miscreants, but in so doing he breaks the "code" and becomes a pariah to his fellow officers. As we learn in the unsettling final scene, Williams will always be considered a "fink," even by honest cops. Prince of the City is too long for its own good, but its opening expository sequences and its final twenty minutes more than compensate for the duller stretches. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, (more)
- 1979
- R
Alan Alda wrote and starred in this tale about a big-time politician's struggles with his own morality and the corruption he finds surrounding him. He plays a U.S. Senator, Joe Tynan, who falls for a lovely lady attorney and has an affair that jeopardizes his marriage, and possibly, his career. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Barbara Harris, (more)
Norman Jewison's blackly satirical look at the American justice system has gained in stature as one of the more incisive social commentaries of its time. Al Pacino plays Arthur Kirkland, an incorruptible attorney who attempts to initiate reforms in the Maryland justice system. Kirkland is haunted by the fates of two past clients, one of whom committed suicide in jail; the other is still alive but is locked up on a trumped-up traffic violation. The ability of power and money to distort the pursuit of justice becomes all too clear as Kirkland finds out how deeply the rot has spread. He finally retaliates by representing a repulsive judge (John Forsythe) accused of rape. Pacino's and Forsythe's performances are intense and powerful. Many critics found the film biting and almost painful in its razor-sharp indictment of the justice system, while others declared the script too outrageous. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Jack Warden, (more)
- 1978
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry was a TV pilot film in the form of a three-part miniseries. Set in 1933 Mississippi, the story focuses on the Logans, a closely knit, fiercely independent African-American family. In Part One, the Logans spearhead a boycott against a bigoted merchant who clandestinely heads a Klanlike organization. In part two, Mary Logan is fired from her teaching job for detailing the history of slavery to her students. The concluding chapter finds the Logans faced with foreclosure, while their oldest son's friend is framed on a robbery-murder rap. The impressive cast list includes Janet MacLachlan, Robert Christian, Claudia McNeil, Morgan Freeman and Rockne Tarkington. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry was first telecast (with surprisingly little advertising fanfare) on June 2, 3 and 4, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
With a storyline evocative of the previous year's smash gay-themed The Boys in the Band, this drama centers on a varied group of homosexuals who meet in a New York bar on a Christmas Eve to talk about their lives, their travails, and relationships. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Onetime juvenile star Bobby Diamond (remember him in Fury?) produced and starred in this patriotic quickie. Diamond plays a rural youth who joins the paratrooper training school at Fort Bragg. His city-bred colleagues have a great deal of fun at Bobby's expense during training. But when the trainees actually get into the air, it is Our Hero who shows everyone else up. James Landis produced and wrote Airborne, which is highlighted by the expertly lensed parachute-drop photography of Larry Raimond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bobby Diamond, Robert Christian, (more)
