Nicholas Colasanto Movies

Margot Kidder guest stars as Terry Lake, the erstwhile girlfriend of small-time hood Danell (Nicholas Colasanto). A murder has been committed, and Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) is convinced that Danell is the guilty party. Protesting his innocence, the hoodlum is confident that Terry will supply him with an alibi -- but both he, and Baretta, are in for several surprises. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In an event deemed worthy of a TV Guide cover, the cast and crew of Cheers celebrates the series' 200th episode. Moderated by John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group fame, this special telecast not only features the then-current cast of Cheers, but also several former regulars and semi-regulars. Foremost among the latter is Shelley Long, whose much-publicized acrimonious exit from the series in 1987 made viewers wonder if she would dare wander into any sort of "reunion" (but she did). Innumerable highlights from past episodes are shown, and there's a special tribute to the departed members of the company, notably Nicholas Colasanto as the beloved Coach. Originally telecast as a one-hour special, this episode has since been divided into two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Seldom has a television sitcom opened with such assurance as Cheers. Within the very first episode, the basic setting was firmly established, the characters clearly drawn, and the interrelationships fully defined. Although there would be plenty of "fleshing out" over the next 11 seasons, Cheers knew exactly where it was going from its beginning. Sam Malone (Ted Danson), former star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a recovering alcoholic, was the owner and main bartender of the nearly-century-old Boston watering hole Cheers. Assisting Sam behind the counter was Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (Nicholas Colasanto), a retired baseball coach and manager with a veritable fountain of colorful anecdotes and sage advice and Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman), acerbic waitress and single mother (she had recently been divorced from the slimy Nick Tortelli, who would not appear on camera until the show's second season). Cheers' regular patrons included Norm Peterson (George Wendt), a perennially underemployed accountant and full-scale worry wart who was forever grousing about his marriage to the never-seen Vera; and, less frequently than Norm during the first season, trivia-spouting, know-it-all postal worker Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger). Other recurring patrons filled in the background, with the notable exception of local scam artist Harry "The Hat" Gittes, played by Harry Anderson as something of a dry run for his starring stint on another sitcom, Night Court. The one square peg in the round hole known as Cheers was Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), an attractive, intellectual graduate student who came into the bar early in the first episode to await the arrival of her boss and fiancé, Professor Sumner Sloan (Michael McGuire). Upon realizing that Sloan had jilted her, the now-unemployed Diane, with no discernible practical skills, was forced to accept a job as a Cheers waitress. This delighted Sam, an inveterate womanizer who regarded Diane as a hot prospect, but was greeted with less than enthusiasm by Carla, who never had a good word to say about anyone. Gradually, Sam came to resent the well-meaning but inherently annoying Diane as much as Carla, but viewers knew that this constantly combative couple were secretly attracted to one another -- even if they would not declare that attraction until the very last episode of season One. Although Cheers' audience was relatively small during its first year, this was more symptomatic of the sorry state of NBC's sitcom lineup in 1982 than any lack of quality. Indeed, only two NBC series even made the Top 25 during that season, and neither was a comedy. Nonetheless, those who did tune in Cheers instead of its chief competition, CBS's Simon and Simon, were enthusiastic in their support, and the series was warmly embraced by the TV industry as a whole. Upon completing its freshman season, Cheers walked away with five Emmy awards: Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Directing (James Burrows for the season finale); Outstanding Lead Actress (Long); Outstanding Writing (Glen and Les Charles for the opener); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences (James Castle and Bruce Bryant); and eight total nominations, including one for the series' now-classic theme song ("Where Everybody Knows Your Name," by Judy Hart-Angelo and Gary Portnoy). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There was good news and bad news for Cheers during its third season. In the former category, the series continued to climb upward in the ratings (thanks largely to the goodwill engendered by NBC's most popular Thursday-night series The Cosby Show), sharing 12th place with ABC's Hotel. The sitcom also took home two more Emmys -- Outstanding Supporting Actress (the second such award for Rhea Perlman) and Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects (Douglas Gray, Michael Balin, and Thomas J. Huth for the episode entitled "The Executive's Executioner") -- in addition to ten other nominations. In the "bad news" category, the cast and crew were forced to bid farewell to one of the series' most beloved regulars, who died all too soon. Picking up where season two left off, the romance between Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) was kaput thanks to a foolish argument. Recovering alcoholic Sam crawled back into the bottle and Diane briefly had herself committed to a mental institution, where she was placed under the care of imperious, insufferable Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer, inaugurating a role which he would play for the next two decades in two different series). Once Sam had come to terms with the loss of Diane and had sobered up, he had to deal with the fact that Diane and Frasier were now lovers. By season's end, the couple had embarked upon a working vacation to Europe, where Frasier finally popped the question -- but would the notoriously mercurial Diane accept his proposal? And back at Cheers in Boston, the still-unmarried Carla (Perlman) was pregnant yet again (for the sixth time). Amidst all this comic intrigue, the ineffable Coach (Nicholas Colasanto), Cheers' venerable bartender, emerged as the sole spokesman for calm and reason. Alas, actor Colasanto was suffering from cancer, and died February 12, 1985, shortly after completing work on the episode entitled "The Executive's Executioner" (for which the actor received a posthumous Emmy nomination). Rather than have the character die, as well, the producers went through an elaborate charade during the season's climactic episodes, explaining away Coach's absences with a multitude of lame excuses, or having him briefly show up via outtakes from earlier episodes. Perhaps this was done to avoid an excess of melancholy, or simply to keep the audience's attention on the Sam-Diane-Frasier triangle which determined the outcome of the third-season finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast November 26, 1966, Fame is the Name of the Game was the first official entry in NBC-TV "Project 120" series of made-for-TV movies (after two false starts in 1964). Tony Franciosa plays a magazine writer investigating the suicide of a beautiful girl. He uses the girl's address book as a key to piecing together the mystery of her self-destruction--and in so doing discovers that she'd actually been murdered. Advertised as an "original" for television, Fame is the Name of the Game was actually a remake of the 1949 Alan Ladd melodrama Chicago Deadline, right down to the identity of the mystery killer. Jill St. John and Jack Klugman co-star, with Jack Weston, Robert Duvall, Nanette Fabray and Jay C. Flippen popping up in supporting roles. This film served as the pilot for the 1968-71 TV series Name of the Game, with cast members Tony Franciosa and Susan St. James retained for the series proper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With a screenplay adapted by Leonard Gardner from his own novel, John Huston's drama examines the meager hopes and resigned dreams of small-time boxers. In limbo between retirement and his youthful prime, alcoholic farm laborer Tully (Stacy Keach) shacks up with fellow outcast Oma (Susan Tyrrell) and keeps trying to make a boxing comeback, but his personal demons repeatedly overpower his ambitions. Meanwhile, fellow Stockton, CA resident and budding fighter Ernie (Jeff Bridges) takes Tully's advice to join trainer Ruben (Nicholas Colasanto)'s gym and make something of himself. Learning the tough lesson that winning is not as easy as it sounds, Ernie is still determined to get what he can out of boxing and, unlike Tully, not let disappointments get the best of him. Shot on location in Stockton by Conrad Hall, the film maintains a realistic, slice-of-life view of Tully's and Ernie's struggles, eschewing theatrical boxing victories for psychological and social details. As Huston avowed at the Cannes Film Festival that Fat City's virtue was its "modesty," critics agreed that he had made his best film in two decades; and Tyrrell was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. However, despite the praise and the efforts of producer Ray Stark, Fat City failed at the box office. Even so, its unromanticized depiction of modest wins and personal losses revealed that old Hollywood pro Huston had adapted well to the late '60s-early '70s New Hollywood grit, and the film revived his artistic standing. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Ironside (Raymond Burr) launches an investigation when his psychologist friend Paul Bragen (Noah Keen) is murdered. It seems that the dead man possessed a large collection of rare artworks, created by several artists whom he had been consulting. A passing remark provides a vital clue as to the murderer's identity, whereupon Ironside enters the rarefied world of fine art to capture the elusive (and in this case, fiendishly clever) culprit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A burly professional wrestler falls in love with a caring woman who helps convince him to abandon his vengeful search for the one who murdered his brother in this drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the second half of the two-part Mission: Impossible adventure "The Council", the IMF's plan to topple a gangland syndicate is threatened when one of the mobsters apparently sees through Rollin's impersonation of crooked businessman Frank Wayne (Paul Stevens). Meanwhile, the real Stevens lies unconscious on the operating table of a master plastic surgeon. And in a startling development, Phelps is the victim of a mob "hit"--or is he? Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, Part Two of "The Council" originally aired on November 26, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Martin Scorsese's brutal character study incisively portrays the true rise and fall and redemption of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, a violent man in and out of the ring who thrives on his ability (and desire) to take a beating. Opening with the spectacle of the over-the-hill La Motta (Robert De Niro) practicing his 1960s night-club act, the film flashes back to 1940s New York, when Jake's career is on the rise. Despite pressure from the local mobsters, Jake trusts his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) to help him make it to a title bout against Sugar Ray Robinson the honest way; the Mob, however, will not cave in. Jake gets the title bout, and blonde teenage second wife Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), but success does nothing to exorcise his demons, even as he channels his rage into boxing. Alienating Vickie and Joey, and disastrously gaining weight, Jake has destroyed his personal and professional lives by the 1950s. After he hits bottom, however, Jake emerges with a gleam of self-awareness, as he sits rehearsing Marlon Brando's On the Waterfront speech in his dressing room mirror: "I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody." Working with a script adapted by Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader from La Motta's memoirs, Scorsese and De Niro sought to make an uncompromising portrait of an unlikable man and his ruthless profession. Eschewing uplifting Rocky-like boxing movie conventions, their Jake is relentlessly cruel and self-destructive; the only peace he can make is with himself. Michael Chapman's stark black-and-white photography creates a documentary/tabloid realism; the production famously shut down so that De Niro could gain 50-plus pounds. Raging Bull opened in late 1980 to raves for its artistry and revulsion for its protagonist; despite eight Oscar nominations, it underperformed at the box office, as audiences increasingly turned away from "difficult" films in the late '70s and early '80s. The Academy concurred, passing over Scorsese's work for Best Director and Picture in favor of Robert Redford and Ordinary People, although De Niro won a much-deserved Oscar, as did the film's editor, Thelma Schoonmaker. Oscar or no Oscar, Raging Bull has often been cited as the best American film of the 1980s. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

This action drama is adapted from a TV movie, The Faceless Man. The story centers around a secret service agent who goes undercover as hitman into a counterfeit ring. Most of the story takes place at a waterfront bar. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) investigates a fatal plane crash that was rigged to hide the fact that someone working for defense contractor Steven Colton (Fritz Weaver) has been shipping defective equipment to Vietnam. Time is of the essence in rooting out the villain, inasmuch as the lives of thousands of a American soldiers are at stake. But Erskine's boss Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott) has a more personal stake in the matter: Steven Colton's wife Elyse (Diane Baker) is an old friend of his. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Detective movies and film-noir are parodied in this comedy that tells the story of a rookie detective who is hired via mail-order to find out who killed the milkman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide