Richard Anders Movies

A smooth-talking confidence trickster makes his way into congress (where the cynical would suggest he'd have plenty of company) in this comedy. Thomas Jefferson Johnson (Eddie Murphy) is a con man from Florida who gets the bright idea that a scam artist could make a tidy sum if he was able to get inside the political arena. When a Florida congressman named Jeff Johnson dies and a special election is held to replace him, Thomas puts his name on the ballot as "Jeff Johnson," and enough confused voters check the ballot for him that he wins the race and is on his way to Washington D.C. Johnson soon finds a mentor in Dick Dodge (Lane Smith), chairman of the Power and Industry Committee, who shows Johnson the ropes on raking in PAC money while the late Mr. Johnson's aide, Reinhardt (Grant Shaud), gives him the inside scoop on how things work in Washington. Johnson's plans are going just as he hoped until he meets Celia Kirby (Victoria Rowell), a volunteer lobbyist and political activist whose uncle is a noted religious leader, The Rev. Elijah Hawkins (Charles S. Dutton). Johnson quickly becomes smitten with Celia, but it's obvious that she's not buying his act, and if he wants to win her heart, he'll have to stop fooling people into thinking he's honest and actually be honest. Joe Don Baker and Sheryl Lee Ralph also co-star. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Gregor Kamirov (Malachi Throne) has hired a double to pose as deceased East European premier Pavel Zagov. Having concealed Zagov's death from the public, Kamirov hopes to use the phony premier to install himself as dictator. In order to foil Kamirov's plans, Phelps must substitute a robot for the fraudulent Zagov. In the course of the action, Phelps impersonates a nightclub entertainer, while Paris adopts a dizzying array of master disguises. The supporting cast includes Lee Meriwether in her third appearance as IMF agent Tracey, and future MASH costar Larry Linville as Alexi Silensky. First telecast on November 23, 1969, "The Robot" was written by Howard Berk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This violent motorcycle gang drama finds the outlaws riding onto an Indian reservation to take over. A rival gang has other ideas. There are few likeable characters in this feature, the possible exception being Johnnie (Robert Walker), and he is a convicted thief. Rock-guitar legend Duane Eddy plays off the seven, while Penny Marshall makes an early big screen appearance. Marshall would gain fame for her television work in the 1970s, and by the 1990s she would become one of Hollywoods leading directors. The Savage Seven is a modern-day cowboys and Indians tale, only instead of horses, the outlaws ride motorcycles. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The 1938 Marx Brothers comedy Room Service was the obvious inspiration for "Monkees Manhattan Style" (aka "Monkees in Manhattan"). Arriving in New York to star in a rock musical, the Monkees discover that the show is being cancelled because the backer has bailed out. The boys spend the rest of the episode trying to escape the wrath of irate hotel manager Weatherwax (Philip Ober while simultaneously attempting to raise money for the musical's producer ($Dick Anders). The superb supporting cast includes Doodles Weaver as a butler, "lovable lush" Foster Brooks as a conventioneer, Olan Soule as a waiter, and Susan Howard and Geoffrey Deuel as a honeymooning couple. Songs: "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)", "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", and "Words". At the end of the episode, the Monkees appear out of character for an interview with director Bob Rafaelson -- a tantalizing preview for the series' first-season closer, "The Monkees on Tour." Written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, "Monkees Manhattan Style" first aired on April 10, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide