Deena Freeman Movies
- 1988
Joseph Stefano, the screenwriter of the original Psycho, wrote and co-produced this somewhat similar suspense-thriller. Gail O'Grady (Eight Is Enough) returns to her childhood home and is plagued by nightmares and disturbed by her cold-hearted mother (Carol Lynley). There is a screwdriver-stabbing and a few predictable revelations about the family's dark past and why O'Grady's father is missing, but the film is generally forgettable. Joanna Miles co-stars. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Lynley, Gail O'Grady, (more)
- 1986
John Ritter stars in this made-for-television comedy as a lonely philanderer who falls in love with a one-night-stand (Connie Sellecca) who is about to marry another man. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Considering how seldom she appeared on TV in the 1980s, Donna Reed could have picked a better vehicle than Deadly Lessons. Ms. Reed is cast as the headmistress of an exclusive all-girl's prep school. Like the title suggests, the school is being terrorized by a mysterious murderer. Only by discerning the killer's modus operandi can the Good Guys (or Good Girls) unmask the miscreant. Halfway down the cast list is Nancy Cartwright, better known as the voice of Bart Simpson. Deadly Lessons premiered March 7, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
A very young Sean Astin co-stars with his mother, Patty Duke, in this powerful drama about child abuse. Unlike most of his friends, who are cheerful and outgoing, eight-year-old Brian Reynolds (Astin) is shy, morose, and withdrawn. Curious as to why Brian behaves the way he does, teenager Nancy Parks (Nancy McKeon) stumbles upon a terrible secret: Brian's divorced, stressed-out mother, Barbara (Patty Duke), takes out her frustrations by savagely beating Brian on a regular basis. So now Nancy knows the reason for Brian's sadness -- but should she tell the authorities or simply mind her own business? Originally produced for the ABC Afterschool Special series, Please Don't Hit Me, Mom made its debut in prime time as one of three ABC Theater for Young Americans presentations; the film finally aired as part of ABC's afternoon schedule on January 19, 1983. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Astin, Patty Duke, (more)
- 1981
- Add Too Close for Comfort: Season 02 to QueueAdd Too Close for Comfort: Season 02 to top of Queue
Season two for the Britain-derived ABC sitcom Too Close for Comfort finds newspaper cartoonist Henry Rush (Ted Knight) still fretting over the welfare and virtue of his toothsome young daughters Jackie (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and Sara (Lydia Cornell) who live in the lower apartment of the two-story San Francisco townhouse owned by Henry and his wife Muriel (Nancy Dussault). Also still on hand is Sara's college chum Monroe Ficus (Jim J. Bullock), who, since following Sara home one day in his typical moonstruck fashion, has been a semi-permanent house guest of Henry and Sara. New to the series this season is Henry's hippie niece April Rush (Deena Freeman), who has left her Delaware home town to swing in Frisco -- and to "crash" at the home of Henry and Muriel. Additionally, the episode "My Unfavorite Martin" introduces Audrey Meadows in the role of Muriel's mother Iris Martin, who upholds the tradition of all sitcom mothers-in-law with her ill-concealed contempt for the long-suffering Henry. Halfway through the season, 42-year-old Muriel unexpectedly announces that she is pregnant. This paves the way for the obligatory "going into labor" series finale, with poor Henry enduring even more labor pains than his wife. Still stuck between two of ABC's most popular Tuesday night attractions, Three's Company and Hart to Hart, Too Close for Comfort emerged from its second season as the 6th most popular program on American network television, sharing this honor with CBS' The Dukes of Hazzard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Knight, Nancy Dussault, (more)
