Pat Corley Movies
Bulky, blustery American actor Pat Corley came to films in the early '70s after several years of stage character parts. He appeared conspicously (it was hard for a man his size to be inconspicuous) in such films as The Super Cops (1973), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977), Coming Home (1978), True Confessions (1982) and Against All Odds (1984), often cast as an antagonistic athlete or a law enforcement officer. He also showed up on episodic television, co-starring as shifty baseball-team owner Ray Holtz on Bay City Blues (1983) and bumbling police chief Walter Padgett on He's the Mayor (1986). Since 1989, Pat Corley has been on duty as Phil, the affable bar owner on the Candice Bergen sitcom Murphy Brown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ellen Burstyn stars in this warm family drama. Mattie (Burstyn) is an aging southern belle who realizes that she's getting too old to go on living in a house. After an odd encounter with the local dogcatcher Lamar (Mark Hamill), Mattie befriends Lamar's bad-egg nephew, Wesley (Jonathan Taylor Thomas). Soon he betrays her trust and escapes from juvenile detention. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Burstyn, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, (more)
- 1998
In the first part of Murphy Brown's series finale (originally telecast as a single 60-minute episode along with Part Two), Murphy's plans to retire from "FYI" are sidetracked when another mammogram shows a possible malignancy. Wishing that the late tavernkeeper Phil (Pat Corley) were around to provide comfort and support, Murphy is astonished when he shows up in ghostly form--and even more astonished by the ghost's advice. Meanwhile, the rest of the "FYIers" decide to follow Murphy's example by moving on with her lives. Among those making cameo appearances are Bette Midler as Murphy's 93rd and final secretary, Candice Bergen's real-life mother Frances Bergen, an actress who goes by the name of Julia Roberts, and even a computer-generated Edward R. Murrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
As Murphy Brown begins its eighth season, the titular heroine (played by Candice Bergen) has decided not to marry her current amour (and journalistic rival), Peter Hunt (Scott Bakula). Even so, wedding bells do ring at the outset for season eight -- but they're ringing for Murphy's fellow TV reporter Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), who in a surprise move has wed Murph's producer, Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud), in an episode featuring John F. Kennedy Jr. as "himself." Meanwhile, Andrew Lansing (Paul Reubens), Murphy's obnoxious secretary and the nephew of network head Stan Lansing (Gary Marshall), wreaks havoc when he is promoted to an executive post -- and even more so when he decides that he's in love with Murphy. Elsewhere, anchorman Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) magnanimously grooms the vacuous Miller Redfield (Christopher Rich) as his potential replacement, then catches everyone unawares by accepting another job with rival network ICN. Also, former Cheers regular Shelley Long makes her first series appearance as Dottie Wilcox, a syrupy morning-TV host clearly patterned after Kathie Lee Gifford. Other guest stars this season include Dom DeLuise, Katie Couric, and Elizabeth Taylor. As in previous years, season eight of Murphy Brown ends on a cliffhanger, with the entire staff of Murphy's TV newsmagazine "FYI" facing unemployment -- and Miles Silverberg preparing to take a job in New York, forcing him to leave wife Corky behind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
- 1994
Few other TV sitcoms could boast Murphy Brown's distinction of opening its seventh season with an episode guest-starring both Senator Barbara Boxer and TV's "Captain Kangaroo." This initial episode also introduces Dyllan Christopher in the role of Avery, the son of TV reporter Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) -- and considering that Avery was "born" only three years earlier, how that boy has grown! New to the series this season is actor-producer Gary Marshall as Stan Lansing, the new head of the network carrying Murphy's TV newsmagazine show "FYI." It is clear from the get-go that Lansing and Murphy will never see eye to eye, especially since he is far more interested in staging wild ratings-grabbing publicity stunts than in straight journalism. The limit comes when, upset that Murphy has hired and fired 76 secretaries in the past seven years, Lansing forces our heroine to engage the services of his own nephew Andrew, played by Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman). Obnoxious though he is, Andrew does too good a job to get himself canned -- and it is obvious that he will remain a thorn in Murphy's side for several episodes to come. In other developments, Murphy's house painter, Eldin Bernecky (Robert Pastorelli), who still hasn't finished decorating her living room after all these years, leaves the series to accept an opportunity to pursue a stellar art career in Europe. Also, Murphy's co-worker Corky (Faith Ford) has divested herself of her husband Will, and has begun dating vacuous anchorman Miller Redfield (Christopher Rich). And in another affair of the heart, swaggering international reporter Peter Hunt (Scott Bakula) finally proposes to Murphy -- but will she accept? This season, Murphy Brown won the second of two Emmy awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
- 1993
Season six of Murphy Brown gets under way with the first appearance of Scott Bakula as Peter Hunt, a dashing and rather arrogant international reporter who is hired to pep up the ratings of the TV newsmagazine "FYI." Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen), heretofore the series' star reporter, resents Peter's presence, especially since she is forced to give up some of her own air time to accommodate his ego, but despite this rocky start the two rival reporters end up having an affair -- while the rest of the "FYI" staff begins placing bets as to how long it will be before the romance crashes and burns. In other episodes, future West Wing star Martin Sheen appears as a reclusive Salingeresque novelist whom Murphy is determined to nail for a TV interview; and real-life broadcast journalist Joan Lunden shows up in the episode wherein Murphy, long barred from covering the White House beat, does her darnedest to ingratiate herself with the new Clinton administration -- only to end up accidentally kidnapping Socks the cat! In other season highlights, Wallace Shawn makes the first of several appearances as "FYI"'s obnoxious and self-destructive former anchorman; and the number of secretaries hired and fired by Murphy reaches 66 when The Bob Newhart Show's Carol Kester Bondurant (played, as always, by Marcia Wallace), fails to make the final cut. Season six concludes with Murphy landing a role in a film directed by the great Louis Malle -- who happened to be the real-life husband of series star Candice Bergen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
- 1992
In the weeks just prior to the opening episode of Murphy Brown's fifth season, the series, and its star Candice Bergen, were at the center of a controversy largely stirred up by then Vice President Dan Quayle. Commenting on the fact that season four had ended with an unmarried Murphy giving birth to a baby, Mr. Quayle decried the series' lack of "family values." In response -- or rather, in protest -- series producer Diane English saw to it that the fifth-season opener made several pointed satirical references to the vice president's verbal attack, capping this skewering by titling the episode "You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato" (a swipe at Mr. Quayle's questionable spelling skills). Once that's over with, Murphy returns home with her new son, Avery, in her arms, quickly going through a series of nannies whom she finds unsuitable. Eventually, Murphy's live-in house painter, Eldin (Robert Pastorelli), proves to be the perfect choice to care for little Avery, a job which, of course, distances Eldin even farther from ever finishing the decorating job for which he was originally hired...five years ago. Back on the set of "FYI," anchorman Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) is in for his share of headaches when his wife launches her own showbiz career, while executive producer Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud) dreads the arrival of his '60s-activist parents for a demonstration on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Also, author Will Forest's (Scott Bryce) childish reaction to a series of financial setbacks drives the final nail in the coffin so far as his marriage to Murphy's co-worker Corky (Faith Ford) is concerned. And in the episode "Bump in the Night," otherwise fearless investigative reporter Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto) is a bundle of nerves while preparing for an appearance on David Letterman's talk show. Season five ends with Murphy seriously considering giving up her career for the sake of her son; and at last count, the number of secretaries hired and summarily fired by our heroine has reached 58. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
- 1991
What TV reporter Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) suspected at the end of season three of her eponymously titled sitcom has turned out to be true: Murphy is pregnant. Thus, season four of Murphy Brown begins with our heroine figuring out that her ex-husband, Jake (Robin Thomas), with whom she had a one-night "reunion," is the father, and also worrying if her condition will allow her to continue appearing on the Washington-based newsmagazine "FYI." As if this isn't enough to keep Murphy awake nights, she must also cope with the death of her mother (a plot twist necessitated when the actress who played Avery Brown, Colleen Dewhurst, herself passed away). In other episodes, future Frasier co-star Jane Leeves appears as Audrey Cohen, the first of Murphy's many secretaries who actually keeps her job for more than a single episode; an interview with Aretha Franklin may prove to be disastrous thanks to a confused limo driver; "FYI"'s investigative reporter Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto) finally wins a coveted local TV award, whereupon his head swells to ten times its normal size; Murphy's co-worker Corky (Faith Ford), realizing that her marriage is in tatters, drifts into a relationship with anchorman Miller Redfield (Christopher Rich), the only person in Washington more vacuous than she; Murphy tries to get around her lifetime ban from covering the White House; and Kate Mulgrew, still a few years away from Star Trek: Voyager, plays Murphy's temporary replacement, who like our heroine turns out to have a not-so-little problem with booze. The season concludes with the celebrated, Emmy-winning episode in which Murphy goes into labor -- a segment that would famously incur the outrage of a certain American vice president. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
- 1990
Season three of Murphy Brown opens with star TV reporter Murphy (Candice Bergen) and her co-workers balking at the "improvements" that executive producer Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud) has made in the weekly newsmagazine "FYI." In subsequent episodes, a pre-Shield Michael Chiklis is cast as a controversial comic whom Murphy interviews on the air; fearless investigative reporter Frank (Joe Regalbuto) quivers and quakes at the notion of planning his parents' 50th anniversary, just as cool, calm, and collected "FYI" anchorman Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) goes into a mammoth panic attack after making his first and only on-air goof; Jim's sometimes replacement, birdbrained pretty boy Miller Redfield (Christopher Rich), once again demonstrates his journalistic ineptitude while covering a strike; and hotshot news personality Jerry Gold (Jay Thomas) briefly joins the "FYI" staff -- but does that mean that he and Murphy will re-stoke the flames of their brief affair? Also, Larry King shows up in the classic episode in which Murphy runs roughshod over the sweet-tempered "environmental terrorists" who have kidnapped her; Jim writes a roman à clef which intimates that he has a crush on Murphy; the marriage between "FYI"'s junior correspondent Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford) and writer Will Forest (Scott Bryce) is already showing signs of erosion; the network is sold to a conglomerate which puts an egotistical and supremely incompetent management consultant (Nancy Youngblut) in charge; Murphy's house painter, Eldin (Robert Pastorelli), has one of his works exhibited in an art gallery, but he's none too happy about the method of presentation; and after being reported killed in a plane crash, a very much alive Murphy and Jim attend their own wake. This is the season that ends with Murphy wondering if she is pregnant -- and if so, who's the father? (Calling Dan Quayle! Calling Dan Quayle!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
- 1990
This TV movie is not necessarily in defense of married man Michael Ontkean. That responsibility is taken by Judith Light, Ontkean's wife. When Ontkean is accused of murdering his mistress (Cynthia Sikes), his wife Light, a defense attorney, handles the case. Beyond the unavoidable emotional involvement, Light must wrestle with whether or not she really wants to ask her husband if he did it. In Defense of a Married Man is an exercise in the mundane, brightened by Stan Getz' jazz score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Season two of Murphy Brown begins as the titular TV-reporter heroine (Candice Bergen) gets on the bad side of her neurotic producer, Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud), by dating his brother Josh (Jon Tenney) in an episode which also introduces Christopher Rich in the role of vacuous pretty-boy anchorman Miller Redfield, potential replacement for Murph's "FYI" co-star Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough). In later misadventures, Morgan Fairchild appears as the star of a new sitcom based on Murphy Brown and her co-workers (it'll never sell!); Jay Thomas returns as competing reporter Jerry Gold, with whom Murphy, much to her amazement, has an affair; "FYI"'s resident cute blonde, Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), wins a local TV award, beating out her more experienced (and frankly more talented) co-workers; and broadcast-journalism legends Walter Cronkite and Irving R. Levine show up at a surprise testimonial for Jim. Other season highlights include the two-part episode "Brown Like Me," which not only introduced Colleen Dewhurst in the role of Murphy's mother, Avery Brown, but also won Candice Bergen an Emmy award; future Blossom star Mayim Bialik appears as a junior-edition Murphy in a children's-TV version of "FYI"; and Murphy herself lands in jail when she refuses to appear before a grand jury. At season's end, Corky is about to marry a writer named Will Forest (Scott Bryce) -- that's right, she'll be Mrs. Corky Sherwood Forest -- and the "body count" of secretaries hired and fired by Murphy has reached number 37. This season, Murphy Brown won the first of two Emmy awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
Fresh from a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic, hard-driving (but no longer hard-drinking) TV personality Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) launches the first season of the CBS sitcom bearing her name. Returning to her job as star reporter of the Washington-based TV magazine show "FYI," Murphy is none too thrilled to discover the changes made in her absence, specifically the addition to the on-air staff of ditsy ex-beauty queen Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), and the hiring of greenhorn executive producer Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud). Miles' inability to make a decision drives Murphy up a wall, but not nearly as much as Corky's gushing hero worship. At least Murphy still has her longtime associates, stuffy "FYI" anchorman Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) and gonzo investigative reporter Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto) to kick around -- er, kick around with. And back in her own townhouse, Murphy can occasionally bounce her innermost thoughts off house painter Eldin (Robert Pastorelli), who from the looks of things will never finish redecorating her living room. In the course of season one, Murphy is faced with the challenge of interviewing her radical-activist former husband, Jake Lowenstein (Robin Thomas); she carries on a love-hate (and sometimes hate-hate) relationship with her journalistic rival Jerry Gold (Jay Thomas); she tries to talk Frank into donating his sperm for her artificial insemination; the inauguration of president-elect Bush is occasion enough for Murphy to be permanently banned from covering the White House; Jim is used as Murphy's "beard" when she tries to break down the gender barriers of Washington's last men-only club; disaster reigns when Murphy co-anchors an international broadcast with her Russian counterpart Vladia (Robin Strasser); and, just to get off the topic of Murphy Brown (which she never seems able to do), Eldin falls in love with Corky. Meanwhile, the first of many secretaries marches into Murphy's office, only to march right out again; by season's end, our heroine has run through 20 secretaries -- and the series is only one year old! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Charles Kimbrough, (more)
- 1988
This is the second of four "Day in the Life" episodes, in which the Night Court staff must process a huge number of cases before a midnight deadline. Upping the stakes on this occasion is a Texas millionaire (Pat Corley) who has agreed to finance an orphanage if the staff can successfully try 207 cases within the time allotted; also, Dan (John Larroquette) stands to win a large an office pool if he's guessed the correct number of convictions. Keep an eye out for those "Three Stooges" nuns! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
We've been told that Poker Alice, a Boston-bred lady of means who managed a wild-west gambling hall and bordello in the 1870s, was based on a real person. She certainly seems real as portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in this made-for-TV film (Taylor's first). After winning her house of ill repute in a five-card stud game, Taylor finds true love in the form of bounty hunter Tom Skeritt. Also in hand is George Hamilton as Taylor's slick partner "Cousin John" (the original ads for this film billed Hamilton and Taylor as "The King and Queen of Hearts"). In addition, Susan Tyrrell shows up for a down-and-dirty cat fight with the feisty Taylor. Poker Alice rode into TV land on May 22, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
This film takes place in that strange bastion of middle-class living, Stepford, CT. The trouble begins when a former resident returns with his new family and forces them to become as strangely contented as their neighbors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Eden, Don Murray, (more)
- 1986
Somewhere in the Deep South, young singer Matt Burns (Brian L. Green) has been arrested for the murder of local bully Ed Bonner (Jeffrey Osterhage), son of the town's most influential citizen (Stuart Whitman). Innocent bystanders to this developing drama are Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) and her friend and fellow writer Ames Caulfield (Craig Stevens), one of whose former students happened to be Matt's mother. At the request of Matt's girl friend (and the dead man's sister) Linda (Cindy Fisher), Jessica does her best to prove Matt's innocence--while an angry lynch mob begins to swarm around the town jail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In this holiday drama, a widowed architect tries to mix business with pleasure when he takes his daughter on a business trip to a strange town in Colorado. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Denver, Jane Kaczmarek, (more)
- 1986
In this sequel to the 1985 TV movie Stark, Nicholas Surovy once again assumes the role of no-nonsense Wichita cop Evan Stark. When his former partner Steve Graves (Ben Murphy) is murdered, Stark exceeds his authority by tracking the killer to Las Vegas. In addition to Surovy, Dennis Hopper, Pat Corley, and Barry Gordon repeat their Stark roles, respectively cast as Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Ron Bliss, Wichita Police Chief Waldron, and Lee Fogel. Also in the cast are two future stars: Kirstie Alley as sultry lounge singer Maggie Carter (performing "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" and "Taking a Chance on Love") and Gina Gershon as Allison Cromwell. Like its predecessor, Stark: Mirror Image, which debuted May 14, 1986, on CBS, was intended as the pilot for a weekly series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Much to the amazement of one and all, Rick (Larry Manetti) returns from vacation with a million dollars and a new fiancee. The money is the result of Rick winning a lottery, and the girlfriend, presumably, is the result of the money. Inevitably, the burden of instant wealth has a negative effect on Rick, nearly ruining everything he holds near and dear. Meanwhile, in their battle to prevents an evil land developer from bulldozing a clubhouse for underprivileged kids, Magnum (Tom Selleck) and T.C. (Roger E. Mosley end up getting arrested--three times! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
A young wife and her husband witness the brutal barroom rape of a young woman and now must decide whether or not to testify against the culprits or remain quiet in this made-for-TV drama that exploits an actual Massachusetts case. Compounding her difficulties is the fact that one of the rapists is her brother-in-law. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this drama, a divorced and irresponsible motocross racer grows up as he prepares to run the Big Race. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Having been conned into keeping the Blue Moon Detective Agency alive, Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) reluctantly agrees to team up with arrogant private eye David Addison (Bruce Willis) to solve their first "official" case. A man (Pat Corley) has come to the agency in hopes of locating his long-lost son Michael (Gary Graham). Following the trail of clues, the detectives discover that Michael is a professional contract killer--but they haven't the heart to tell Michael's father. What they don't realize is that dear old dad is likewise a professional hit man, and that father and son have been assigned to knock each other off! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This drama was originally made as a television pilot for a potential series. It centers on a police detective from Wichita who heads for Las Vegas to find his sister and ends up entangled with mobsters and crooked politicos. This film was followed by a sequel, Stark: Mirror Image in 1985. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas Surovy, Marilu Henner, (more)
- 1984
In this crime drama, an antique dealer falls and marries a seemingly successful businessman who ends up conning her out of every penny and leaving her. Unlike the many others he has conned, this plucky lady decides to stop him once and for all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tuesday Weld, Peter Coyote, (more)
Just guess what this TV movie is about. Yes, that's right, someone is killing the centerfolds of a certain prominent girlie mag. Poor Miss March went out like a lion and now cops are trying to keep disaster from raining down on Miss April. One of the glamour girls in Calendar Girl Murders is none other than Sharon Stone, billed second in the film (but not at all in the print ads!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
This drama is adapted from the true story of Barbara Graham, a woman sentenced to die in the mid-1950s after she allegedly committed a murder during a robbery. Graham pleaded innocent until the day she died in the San Quentin gas chamber. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
