Jeanne Cooper Movies
Actress Jeanne Cooper entered films in 1953. Though she worked often, Cooper appeared in only a handful of memorable movies, including the rare Roger Corman social-protest film The Intruder (1961) and The Boston Strangler (1968). She was seen to better advantage on television, guesting in a wide range of roles on such series as The Twilight Zone and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. From 1969 to 1970, she was seen as Grace Douglas on the prime-time "inside Hollywood" series Bracken's World. She is best known for her ongoing characterization of Kay Chancellor on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Unlike many other daytime-drama actresses, who prefer to keep their onscreen characters and actual personalities separate, Cooper has invested many of her own life experiences in the role of Kay Chancellor. She harked back on her own bout with alcoholism to realistically portray Kay's recovery from a chronic drinking problem; and, when Jeanne underwent a facelift, so did Kay -- complete with in-progress shots of the actual operation. Jeanne Cooper is the mother of actor Corbin Bernsen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A high-profile advertising executive who's struggling to land a lucrative promotion gets an important lesson from a most unlikely source in the feature directorial debut of prolific television actor Corbin Bernsen. Joel Goodman (Rick Hearst) is content with his high-paying job and his happy home life, but when a hard-working and high-ranking colleague literally works himself to death, the friendly competition between Joel and his co-worker Tom (Sean Kanan) turns as serious as a heart attack. In Joel's eyes, the only thing standing between him and the newly available corner office is the slow-going, bumper-to-bumper Los Angeles traffic that he is forced to contend with on a daily basis -- a problem easily resolved when Joel hires a homeless man (Anthony Geary) to join him in the daily commute so that Joel may have access to the faster moving carpool lanes. Though at first the pair seem to have little in common, conversation soon reveals that, despite outward appearances, Joel's new traveling companion knows a thing or two about getting ahead in business, and that in order to be successful in the office one must first find happiness in the home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Hearst, Sean Kanan, (more)
- 2003
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The second of two made-for-cable films inspired by the old Ivan Tors series Gentle Ben, Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain was more blatantly a "pilot" for the revival of the series than its predecessor. Dean Cain stars as Jack Wedloe, overseer of a North California wilderness preserve which serves as the home for himself, his young nephew Mark (Reiley McClendon) and a big, lovable bear named Gentle Ben. Trouble begins when Jack's headstrong friend, land developer Fog Benson (Corbin Bernsen), enters into a business arrangement with a pair of shady entrepreneurs. Intending to cultivate the land abutting Wedloe's preserve, Fog naïvely insists that his partners intend to open a natural spring-water business. By the time Fog realizes that his new cronies actually plan to drill for oil, poor Jack has been arrested on trumped-up charges and Mark is bundled off to a foster home. Not surprisingly, it is Gentle Ben who sets things right in his own inimitable bruin fashion. Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain debuted January 5, 2003 on the Animal Planet cable channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Cain, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
- 1997
This episode features a rare joint appearance by longtime TV leading man Corbin Bernsen and his real-life mother, daytime-drama diva Jeanne Cooper). Bernsen is cast as celebrated escape artist Eric Weiss, whose lack of concern over his own safety has earned him the Nickname "The Angel of Death". Posing as Eric's assistant, Monica (Roma Downey) becomes painfully aware that her boss harbors a genuine death wish, stemming back to a childhood tragedy involving his twin brother Peter. A visit to Erich's mother (Cooper) brings several long-suppressed secrets to light. Meanwhile, Hudson Leick makes her first appearance as nervous apprentice angel Celeste, who is worried that she won't be able to live up to her Heavenly responsibilities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Married for 12 years to dentist Corbin Bernsen, Markie Post comes to the sudden and startling conclusion that her husband is a murderer-many times over. While she is able to get a divorce, she is unable to pin any of the killings on Bernsen. Scott free, Post's ex threatens dire consequences for herself and her child. Federal agent Kelsey Grammer attempts to trap Bernsen into a confession; to do this, he must rely on Post to win back her former husband's confidence. Though it starts rather too pokily, the fact-based Beyond Suspicion builds steadily and craftily to its heart-pounding conclusion. Made for television, the film first aired November 22, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Markie Post, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
Markie Post, Corbin Bernsen, and Kelsey Grammer headline this tightly wound thriller about a devoted wife who makes a shocking discovery about her successful and outwardly upstanding husband, a successful dentist. Inspired by a true story, Appointment for a Killing opens as Joyce Benderman (Post) basks in the glow of her recent good fortune. Raised in poverty, Joyce can't believe her luck when she is married to charismatic dentist Stan (Bernsen). Stan is everything a woman like Joyce could ever want; he's successful, handsome, and a good provider. But Stan has a dark side that's about to flip his wife's world upside down. When Joyce discovers that Stan is an adulterer, who thrives on sexually ensnaring and manipulating young, unsuspecting women, she begins to suspect that he may also be the culprit responsible for a recent series of heinous murders. At once terrified of her husband yet determined to stop him, Joyce agrees to aid a federal agent (Grammer) in tricking her husband into admitting his guilt. But this game is deadly serious, because should Joyce arouse her husband's suspicions odds are good that she'll become his next victim. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corbin Bernsen, Markie Post, (more)
- 1992
- PG13
A rising young executive is ecstatic to learn that he is to be acting president at the small-town bank his company just purchased until he gets there and realizes that it is a sperm bank. This base little comedy centers on his attempts to make the place profitable and also chronicles the growing love between himself and the uptight but pretty biologist who works there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
- 1975
In this made-for-television drama, a fugitive mental patient kidnaps an illiterate girl from a nearby farm and forces her to go to a lonely mountain cabin. There he teaches her to read and, ultimately, how to love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Squad 51 isn't exactly looking forward to an inspection by a very exacting battalion chief. The emergency manifest this week includes a parachutist snagged on a high radio tower, an accident victim who lapses into a deep and dangerous shock, and a heart-transplant patient (Warren Berlinger) with a far from supportive spouse (Jeanne Cooper). Legendary rock deejay Wolfman Jack appears as a TV commercial director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Filmed in the late 1960s, The All-American Boy was finally afforded a release in 1973, after its star Jon Voight had risen to worldwide prominence. Voight plays a young boxer who never has, and never will, achieve fame in the ring. Rather than find a new role in life, he prefers to hang around his old buddies, all losers like himself. Two hours too long, The All-American Boy carries "Age of Aquarius" disenfranchisement to the Nth degree. The film's main appeal lies in its cast: Jon Voight, Anne Archer, Rosalind Cash, Jeanne Cooper, Leigh French, Art Metrano and Jaye P. Morgan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Season Seven of Ironside begins as Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) goes head-to-head with the staff of a smarmy gossip magazine that has held a grudge with the San Francisco police department ever since the "botched" investigation of a missing actor. Now the magazine is going after Ironside himself, threatening to tell all about the Chief's alleged romance with a notorious Madam (Dorothy Malone). Ironcially, Ironside soon finds himself having to protect the lives of the magazine's employees from a mysterious bomber. A key player in the proceedings is an elderly caretaker William Schallert who seems to know more than he's letting on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
While Raquel Welch was a household name and an international sex symbol through much of the 1960s'and 1970s, Hollywood didn't seem sure about what to do with her; this was one of her more unusual vehicles from this period, in which Welch plays K.C. Carr, a divorcee with two children who becomes romantically involved with Burt Henry (Kevin McCarthy). Burt is the owner of a roller derby team, the Kansas City Bombers, and convinces K.C. that a career on the rink might be just the thing for her. K.C. soon discovers that the sport is rougher than she imagined, and her teammate Jackie (Helena Kallianiotes) is convinced that K.C. is out to replace her as the Bombers' star attraction. But another member of the team, Horrible Hank Hopkins (Norman Alden), shows K.C. the ropes and stands up for her. When Hank gets traded to another team, K.C. has to learn to fend for herself against Jackie as well as Burt. Raquel Welch did all her own skating for this film; an accident while filming one of the derby sequences left her with a broken wrist that shut down production for six weeks. Legendary singer and songwriter Phil Ochs was tapped by the producers of Kansas City Bomber to write a theme song for the film; it wasn't used, though it was released as a single and appeared on the compilation CD The War is Over: The Best of Phil Ochs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raquel Welch, Kevin McCarthy, (more)
An offbeat 1970s black-comic Western with an all-star cast, this Joseph L. Mankiewicz film is set in 1883 in Arizona. Paris Pitman, Jr. (Kirk Douglas) is the leader of a band of outlaws that steals $500,000 from a wealthy businessman named Lomax (Arthur O'Connell). The other gang members die in a shootout, but Pitman escapes and hides the loot in women's underwear and drops it into a snake pit. After Lomax recognizes Pitman in a brothel, he is arrested by Sheriff Woodward Lopeman (Henry Fonda). At the territorial prison, Pitman bribes Warden Le Goff (Martin Gabel), offering him a share of the hidden money if he lets him escape. But before the scheme is carried through, the warden is killed by a prisoner. Lopeman becomes the new warden, and he is bent on ridding the prison of corruption. Pitman convinces Lopeman that he will cooperate with the reforms, then he uses the new freedoms given to him to plan an elaborate escape with several other men. The escape is to take place during an inspection by the governor. The screenwriting team for this film was Robert Benton and David Newman, who had penned the brilliant Bonnie and Clyde. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, (more)
- 1970
Even though Jason Banning (Carl Betz), a hard-drinking Police Pension Fund investment manager, has confessed to the murder of his secretary, all existing evidence proves otherwise. Ironside (Raymond Burr) takes it upon himself to find out if Banning is actually guilty, or if he is simply suffering from a really bad cases of the D.T.s. If the latter is true, then who DID kill the secretary--and why? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
After an explosion at SF International Airport, Ironside discovers that someone has abandoned a baby in his van. Subsequent events suggest that the child's mother was the intended victim of the bombing, prompting Ironside (Raymond Burr) to use the baby as bait in hopes of locating the mom and persuading her to reveal all the facts of the case. In an amusing plot development, the cantankerous Chief proves to be an ideal babysitter! Two sets of 11-month-old twins were cast as "Officer Bobby" in this episode, which was coscripted by "Michael Shayne" creator Brett Halliday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Boston Strangler adopts the split-screen technique then in vogue (see also The Thomas Crown Affair) to relate the true story of self-confessed mass murderer Albert DeSalvo. Adapted by Edward Anhalt from the book by Gerold Frank, the film covers the years 1962 to 1964, during which time a dozen women were raped and murdered in the Boston area. State-appointed officer John Bottomly (Henry Fonda) arrests as many known sex offenders as he can get his hands on in hopes of finding a clue as to the Boston Strangler's identity. As these things often happen, the police come across the necessary evidence through pure luck. Well-played by Tony Curtis (whose makeup is startling), DeSalvo himself does not appear until an hour into the film. When caught, the schizophrenic DeSalvo insists that he knows nothing of the murders. Under interrogation and hypnosis, his homicidal impulses are exposed. Meticulously cast, The Boston Strangler offers excellent vignettes by Sally Kellerman as the Strangler's only surviving victim and by Hurd Hatfield as an erudite sex pervert. When Boston Strangler was first shown on TV in 1974, a voice-over coda was added, noting that Albert DeSalvo was stabbed to death in prison on November 26, 1973, and that many experts were convinced that he was not the killer but that his confessions were the product of a delusional mind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, (more)
Frank Sinatra brings a sneering Rat Pack ethos to his first hard-boiled detective role in Tony Rome. Tony is an ex-cop who lives on a houseboat off Miami, accepting fees for private-eye work. His former partner, Ralph Turpin (Robert J. Wilke), asks Tony for help in locating Diana Pines (Sue Lyon), the daughter of rich construction magnate Rudolph Kosterman (Simon Oakland). Tony finds her unconscious and drunk in a sleazy motel room and returns her to her home. Rudolph decides to hire Tony in order to find out why his daughter is behaving so erratically. In the meantime, Diana's stepmother, Rita (Gena Rowlands), also offers Tony money to inform her first about whatever Tony finds out. He discovers that Diana has lost an expensive diamond pin, but before he can act upon the information, he is beaten up by two goons and nearly killed by Diana's crazy step-uncle. Tony then finds out that Turpin has been murdered. With help from sultry and sexy divorcée Ann Archer (Jill St. John), Tony discovers that Diana has been funneling large sums of money to her alcoholic mother, Lorna (Jeanne Cooper), with Rita's priceless jewelry being replaced by fakes. A collection of disagreeable human sludge all take their turns trying to get Tony and the information that he holds -- including his old pal Lieutenant Santini (Richard Conte). After a murder attempt on Rudolph's life, Tony uncovers a series of vile connections involving blackmail, deceit, and betrayal. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Jill St. John, (more)
- 1966
So far as the authorities are concerned, Dr. Stacey Fielding (George Wallace) died in a plane crash while flying to Salt Lake City--and the cause of death was not the crash but a heavy dose of poison. As the last person to see Dr. Fielding alive, his wife Miriam (Jeanne Cooper) is the most likely murder suspect, but she is cleared thanks to attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). End of story? No way! After Miriam's day in court, Perry finds out that the man who died in Dr. Fielding's plane was actually mechanic Al Dolby (John Goddard)--and that Fielding may have faked his death in order to run off with his sexy nurse! This episode is based on Erle Stanley Gardner's "Perry Mason" novel The Case of the Fugitive Nurse, which was previously filmed under that title in 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Though written by Sam Peckinpah (he adapted the film from a novel by Hoffman Birney), the direction of The Glory Guys was entrusted to the competent but perfunctory Arnold Laven. Cavalry captain Demas Harrod (Tom Tryon) and his faithful scout Sol Rogers (Harve Presnell) are placed under the command of xenophobic general Frederick McCabe (Andrew Duggan), who hates Indians almost as much as his own men hate him. When not preparing to decimate every Native American in their path, Harrod and Rogers carry on a rivalry over the hand of pretty Lou (Senta Berger; another authentic Wild West type). The novelty of the film is that the Indians, rather than the cavalry, win the final battle. Despite a few bursts of cinematic creativity from Laven in the climactic scenes, it still would have been more interesting to see how Sam Peckinpah would have handled The Glory Guys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tryon, Harve Presnell, (more)
- 1965
Disgraced Army officer Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) crosses the path of another outcast in the form of saloon girl-turned-dressmaker Elsie Brown (Jeanne Cooper). Inasmuch as Elsie once saved her life, Jason comes to the town of McKinley to return the favor. His visit coincides with that of a low-life named Charlie Vance (Brad Weston), who has made it his mission in life to ruin Elsie's reputation by dredging up memories of her unsavory past. Not long afterward, Vance is found shot in the back--and Jason is accused of murder. Featured in the cast is future Family Affair costar Kathy Garver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
At the behest of the family of the missing Alice Bradley (Sheila Bromley), Paul Drake (William Hopper) tracks the woman down to a mental institution, where she is suffering from amnesia--and as such is totally unaware that she is wanted for the murder of her husband. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) manages to clear Alice of that charge, but soon afterward has another client on his hands: Alice's son Charles (Richard Rust), who has been arrested for the murder of his embezzling coworker Henry Clement. The second victim is played by ventriloquist Paul Winchell, in a rare dramatic role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
John "The Cropper" Cropsey (Don Gordon) is fed up with doing the dirty work for bootlegger Jules Flack (Harold J. Stone), so he cooks up a plan to go into business for himself. Stealing 50,000 gallons of industrial alcohol, Cropsey sells it to Flack for a cool million bucks. What "The Cropper" doesn't know is that every move he makes is being closely monitored by Elliot Ness (Robert Stack). And there's another small detail: Cropsey is now in business with Belle Alpine (Jeanne Cooper), who hasn't forgotten that Cropsey and Flack were the men who orchestrated the murder of her husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
The fifth season of Bonanza commenced on September 22, 1963 with the episode titled "She Walks in Beauty." Gena Rowlands guest-stars as Ragan Miller, whose ravishing good looks have brought her nothing but misery and disastrous romantic relationships. Despising all men, she merely uses them to get what she really wants out of life. Ragan's arrival in Virginia City immediately sows the seeds of jealousy between brothers Hoss and Adam Cartwright, culminating in a bloody fistic brawl. Jeanne Cooper costars as Ragan's older sister Emilia. "She Walks in Beauty" was written by Don McDougall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1963
This violent, gore-filled, effective horror tale by director Robert Gordon is about a totally wacko private zoo keeper, Michael Conrad (Michael Gough) whose literal worship of the animals he tends -- especially the cat species -- starkly contrasts with his cold-blooded disregard for human life. Conrad has a mute son Carl (Rod Lauren) with a simmering Oedipal hatred, and a wife who should have left him eons ago. Whenever Conrad gets miffed with anyone coming a little too close to his private affairs he simply feeds the hapless victim to the animals. It seems inevitable that if the animals do not get him, then the human species will. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Gough, Jeanne Cooper, (more)
- 1962
Leaning heavily on violence to ostensibly deliver a pacifist message, this standard drama by Philip Leacock looks at the problem of teen gangs from a slightly different angle -- these teens are all wealthy. Everything starts off when aerospace engineer Walt Sherill (Alan Ladd) is accosted and severely beaten by a group of young punks. The victimized man decides to hunt down the thugs on his own, at first just for curiosity and then increasingly for vengeance. His actions spark retaliatory measures, and before the credits roll, the body count is elevated by a few more victims in what amounts to nothing more than a blood feud. In the end, justice of the legal and politically correct sort makes a token appearance. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, Rod Steiger, (more)
- 1962
In this prison drama, a remake of Caged, House of Women (1950), a pregnant woman is wrongly convicted of armed robbery. She is sentenced to five years in prison. After her child is born, the inmate is allowed to keep it. She then has three years to earn parole. If she does not, the babe will be put up for adoption. When the prison warden finds himself attracted to the woman, he makes her his personal maid. Time passes and he falls in love with her resulting in better treatment for the other prisoners. Three years pass and the woman's parole seems assured until the sadistic warden, not wanting to lose the woman he loves, decrees that she will not be paroled and that all imprisoned mothers will lose custody of their children. This harsh action spawns a bloody revolt amongst the inmates. It is the brave woman that quells the uprising. Later media coverage of the event results in her release. The warden is fired. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley Knight, Andrew Duggan, (more)
