Jack Ritchie Movies
Michael Ritchie's The Couch Trip follows a long line of Hollywood films (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Disorderly Orderly) in which the psychos are seen as saner than the psychiatrists. Charles Grodin plays Dr. George Maitlin, a pompous radio self-help guru, who is having his own personal mental breakdown. Maitlin's lawyer puts in a call to a Cicero, IL, mental facility and the telephone is answered by schizophrenic mental patient John Burns (Dan Aykroyd). Thinking Burns is a crony of Maitlin, Burns is offered the job of replacing Maitlin during his recovery. Of course, Burns accepts the job. Immediately jetted to Los Angeles, Burns meets panhandler Donald Becker (Walter Matthau) at the airport. While wearing the garb of a priest, Becker sounds off against the madness of societal conventions; Burns takes to him immediately and they become fast friends. When Burns assumes command of the airwaves in Maitlin's place, his words of wisdom are so obvious and commonsensical that he is an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, in London, where Maitlin is convalescing, he gets wind of Burns' success. With renewed vigor and outrage, Maitlin leaves his recovery room and hops on a plane back to Los Angeles in an effort to recover his radio show. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, (more)
- 1971
- G
Elaine May wrote and directed (credits May attempted to have removed after the studio made extensive cuts in the film) this dark and funny comedy about marriage, murder, and money. May also stars as Henrietta, a shy and clumsy wallflower, who is also heir to a large pile of money. Indigent playboy Graham (Walter Matthau), who has squandered his inherited trust fund and needs to get a new source of money, begins to ply his affections upon Henrietta. When his butler (George Rose) recommends that Graham should marry Henrietta and gain control of her funds, Graham borrows money from his miserable uncle (James Coco) and wines and dines Henrietta. Graham's dastardly plan is to marry Henrietta, take her off on a trip to the mountains, and murder her. Graham can then return from her funeral and inherit his wealth. But thrown into his path toward the perfect murder are a collection of Henrietta's loyal -- and not so loyal -- retainers and the small dim light of Graham's own conscience. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Elaine May, (more)
- 1964
As an experiment to find out if spouses are truly capable of murder if given the chance, psychology professor James Parkerson (Barry Nelson) places a newspaper ad offering the "ultimate solution" for domestic discord. When the authorities protest, Parkerson assures them that his experiment is strictly theoretical, and that he intends to do no harm. But circumstances change considerably when a prospective client named Johnson (Richard Dawson) asks Parkerson's help in devising a method to kill the husband of Johnson's girlfriend -- whereupon the professor realizes that he is being asked to plan his own murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Nelson, Patricia Breslin, (more)
- 1964
A major metropolis has been thrown into panic by a series of bomb threats. Making matters worse, an eccentric artist named James Bellington (Donnelly Rhodes) has shown up at various municipal buildings bearing a variety of ticking packages. In each instance, the contents of the package prove to be harmless, and the authorities are invariably forced to let Bellington go. The question: is Bellington a lunatic who is crying wolf so that he will ultimately be able to plant a real bomb -- or does he have another insidious scheme in mind? Watch for David Carradine at the end of this episode in an unbilled bit role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnelly Rhodes, Lonny Chapman, (more)
- 1962
Prison warden Bragen (Edward Asner) can't understand why former convict and recent parolee Fred Riordan (R.G. Armstrong) would commit a minor crime which lands him back behind bars. Thinking that Fred simply isn't psychologically capable of living in the outside world, Bragen asks the man to tell him his story. It turns out that, once sprung, Fred had been ordered to commit a murder by a gangster named Tony Wando (Steven Peccaro) -- and the only way Fred could solve his dilemma was to give up his freedom again. Of course, there is a bit more to the story...but Fred will reveal all when the time comes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
