Eric Christmas Movies

Jamie (Helen Hunt) lands a City Hall job thanks to a gentlemen with whom her husband, Paul (Paul Reiser), attended high school. Paul is none too happy, since Jamie's new boss is the same person with whom he constantly competed -- and against whom he constantly ran a distant second -- during his teen years. As a result, Paul wreaks havoc on the financial aspirations of Jamie and her friend Fran (Anne Ramsay). Alan Ruck makes his first series appearance as Lance Brockwell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Helen's latest business venture, that of selling real estate, has crashed and burned. In desperation, Helen (Crystal Bernard) agrees to follow the gang's advice and take a career-placement exam. When the results of the exam threaten to send Helen into a deeper funk, her friends "alter" those results, leading to our heroine's ultimate decision to become a stand-up comedienne -- with a most unique gimmick! Not many TV episodes can boast cameo appearances by both comedian Jim Tavare and Col. Oliver North. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made for cable TV, this thriller finds a lawyer (Bryan Brown) plotting the murder of his wealthy wife so he can make off with his secretary. The wrong person ends up dead, however, and he finds himself accused of the crime. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Preparing for their PSAT exams, Will (Will Smith) is cool as a cucumber, while Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) is a bundle of nerves. Once this is established, the audience has no trouble understanding why Carlton is outraged when Will gets a higher test score--though the audience may be less inclined to excuse Carlton for resorting to cheating for the first time in his life. Meanwhile, the Banks kids are forced to do the housework (egad!) when butler Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell) walks out over a wage dispute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Upon learning that a beloved old vaudeville-movie theater is slated for demolition, Bull (Richard Moll) lodges a protest by shackling himself to the theater's door. It turns out that both Harry (Harry Anderson) and Mac (Charlie Robinson) also have a vested interest in the theater's survival. For Harry, the old buidling harbors many pleasant entertainment memories of his youth. And as for Mac, he puts forth the startling revelation that he made his singing debut at the theater as a member of a teenage R&B group called the Starlites! Watch for veteran kiddie-show host and cartoon voiceover specialist Vance Colvig as a derelict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season eight of Cheers ended with Sam (Ted Danson) and Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) on the sofa in his office, poised to consummate their new-found relationship. Season nine opens "the morning after" (more or less), with Rebecca staunchly denying to everyone -- including herself -- that she has slept with Sam. When Rebecca's ex-zillionaire boyfriend Robin Colcord (Roger Rees), now a fugitive from justice, suddenly shows up, he begs Rebecca to tell him that nothing went on between her and Sam -- prompting a surprising response from Sam. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Involved in a very minor traffic accident, Murphy (Candice Bergen) is touched by the sweetness and gentility of Bob and Myrna Bickner (Eric Christmas, Amzie Strickland), the drivers of the other car. But her feelings are slightly different when the Bickners hit her with a lawsuit amounting to $1.5 million! With all this going on, it is rather surprising that Murphy's ex-secretary Robert (Charley Lang) would have the courage to show up again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An old flame of Sam claims that he is the father of her child. In a panic, Sam (Ted Danson) uncharacteristically turns to God, promising that he will remain celibate for three whole months if it can be proven that someone else is the father. But once Sam's prayers are answered, he tries to back out of his celestial agreement. Meanwhile, Woody (Woody Harrelson) has a religious experience of his own when he's hired to understudy an actor playing Moses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This science fiction thriller was inspired by a mythical real-life event, the WWII era disappearance of an entire naval vessel during a radar-cloaking test. In 1943, David Herdeg Michael Pare and Jim Parker Bobby DiCicco are sailors stationed aboard a Virginia battleship. Their vessel is undergoing an experiment conducted by brilliant scientist Dr. Longstreeet (Eric Christmas), who is attempting to render Allied craft invisible to radar. The ship becomes briefly invisible, but the test is a disaster and most of the crew are horribly killed. However, two crewmen are missing. In 1984, Herdeg and Parker emerge in the Nevada desert, having somehow traveled through time. Longstreet, still trying to perfect the device after 40 years, is running another experiment that pulls the missing sailors into the present. Realizing what's occurred, Herdeg and Parker flee, fearing for their lives. Fugitives, they befriend a skeptical modern woman, Alison Hayes (Nancy Allen). An effect of time pulls Parker back into 1943, leading to a bizarre reunion between Herdeg, still trapped in the future, and Parker, now a senior citizen. The film was followed by a sequel nine years later. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Steve McQueen served as both star and executive producer for this film version of the drama by Henrik Ibsen, which was adapted by Arthur Miller. When Dr. Thomas Stockmann (McQueen) discovers that a tannery has dangerously polluted a hot spring in his community, he feels that it is his duty to share this information with the people. However, a number of prominent citizens (including Stockmann) intended to use the hot springs as the centerpiece of a health spa, and Tom's brother Peter (Charles Durning), the town's mayor, contends that a clean-up of the spring would be impractical, expensive, and would scare off potential customers. Stockmann is still eager to share his story with the community, but the town council is determined to silence him, and in time they turn public opinion against him. The outcry against Stockmann's activism eventually ruins his medical practice and drives a wedge between Stockmann and his wife Catherine (Bibi Andersson). While An Enemy of the People became a pet project for McQueen, it received indifferent reviews and poor distribution, opening in only a few scattered American cities several years after it was completed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

As is customary, Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) are faced with a baffling mystery which they must unravel in the episode's alotted sixty minutes. The game is afoot the moment that the skeleton of a former convict is found during an excavation on Alcatraz Island. There's only one problem: this particular convict was supposed to have escaped from "The Rock" in the 1950s--and in fact, is still purportedly sending letters to his family! Featured in the cast are two seasoned veterans of radio's Golden Age: Paul Stewart and Virginia Gregg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide