Robert Costanzo Movies
Actor Robert Costanzo is generally typecast an urban Italian-American, prone to mouthing such lines as "You gotta problem with that?" Costanzo began popping up with regularity in such films as Saturday Night Fever in the late '70s. The first of his many TV-series stints was as plumber Vincent Pizo, the blue-collar father of Travolta clone Joe Piza (Paul Regina), in 1978's Joe and Valerie. He retained his man-of-the-people veneer as maintenance engineer Hank Sabatino in the weekly series Checking In (1980), Lt. V.T. Krantz in the 1990 TVer Glory Days, and the voice of Detective Bullock in Warner Bros.' Batman: The Animated Series (1992). In 1995, Robert Costanzo joined the cast of television's NYPD Blue as Detective Giardella. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1989
After several weeks of reruns, Next Generation offered a first-run episode on July 1, 1989. In Manhunt, the Enterprise is assigned to transport a group of delegates to an important Federation conference. One of the delegates is Troi's mother Lwaxana, played by former Star Trek regular Majel Barrett. Ostensibly on a diplomatic mission, Lwaxana is actually in search of a new husband, and she decides that Captain Picard fits the bill. "Manhunt" was written by Terry Devereaux. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Little White Lies is a frenetic TV-movie hark bark to the "screwball comedies" of yore. Ann Jillian plays a just-getting-by Philadelphia policewoman who poses as a wealthy CEO because she's sick of "lady cop" jokes. Tim Matheson portrays a rich doctor who poses as a poverty-stricken orderly because he doesn't want women to pay attention to him because of his money. Mattheson falls for Jillian thinking that she's rich, while she falls for Matheson thinking that he's poor. And they went all the way to Rome to film this one. Little White Lies first aired November 27, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Jillian, Tim Matheson, (more)
- 1988
In this romantic comedy, a grocery store employee endeavors to attract the attention of a wealthy playboy by pretending to be a high society girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Jason Bateman's troubles begins when he gets his girl friend pregnant. Thrown out of high school, he falls in with traditional bad crowd, and soon he's up to his eyelids in mob activity. When his family is threatened, Bateman must turn stoolie...if he can avoid sleeping with the fish before the film is over. Most trade mags barely acknowledged this TV movie's existence, chalking it up as a ratings-hype assignment for young star of The Hogan Family. Crossing the Mob was originally telecast October 14, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
When a drug dealer is found harassing local teenagers, the new operator of an inner-city clinic confronts the dealer. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1987
Once again, the Night Court staff and a diverse group of defendants are trapped in the courtroom by a natural disaster. This time, it's a freak snowstorm--and to make matters worse, the court's boiler is broken. The person who suffers most from this dilemma is Bull (Richard Moll), who is anxiously awaiting a visit from his mother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
Daniel Stern plays an up-and-coming stockbroker; Christopher Plummer is his boss; and Arielle Dombasle is the boss' wife. As a sort of litmus test for future executives, Plummer invites Stern and coworker Martin Mull for a weekend in the country. The sexy Dombasle takes a liking to Stern, who wonders if cohabiting with the boss' wife will improve his chances at promotion. This is but one element of writer/director Ziggy Steinberg's Felliniesque script, which throws in all sort of eccentrics and bizarre situations to pad out what is essentially a one-joke situation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Stern, Arielle Dombasle, (more)
- 1986
Originally telecast as a two-hour episode of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney anthology, Little Spies gets under way when a bunch of kids lose their adopted dog to the mean owner of a puppy kennel. Enter Jimmy the Hermit (Mickey Rooney), a reclusive WW2 hero who takes a shine to the youngsters. Harking back to his wartime experiences, Jimmy organizes the neighborhood kids into a "commando raid" of the kennel to rescue the pooch. The main characters are direct from the standard Disney stereotype manual, right down to the nerdish kid with glasses and the funny fat one. Little Spies first aired on October 5, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
A trio of rich ex-cops begin to investigate a murder involving baseball and gangsters. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Wass, Markie Post, (more)
Before entering this story of a battle between the ostensible forces of good over evil, viewers should know that a lightship is a floating lighthouse, anchored in dangerous waters to warn other ships away. The German-American Captain Miller (Klaus Maria Brandauer) is in charge of one such lightship and is haunted by the memory of leaving some Americans to die at sea in World War II while he chose to go after a German U-boat. Miller was free of all wrong-doing technically, but he cannot forget the results of his decision. One night, with his son illegally on board, Miller takes on the sailors of another boat before a severe storm hits -- a mistake. The rescued men are modern-day pirates, gang members out to meet another ship and pick up some illicit cargo. From the moment they are taken on board, the thugs and their leader Caspary (Robert Duvall) are at war with the crew and Captain Miller for control of the lightship. This story was adapted from a novella by Siegfried Lenz, and both Brandauer and Duvall give stellar performances in their dueling roles. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Klaus Maria Brandauer, (more)
- 1984
No one pays much attention when 10-year-old Ruffy Collier (Marissa Mendenhall) reports that her carrier pigeons have been stolen. But Hunter takes a special interest in the little girl's story after her uncle is murdered by thugs looking for a cache of missing drugs. To save Ruffy from being kidnapped or worse, Hunter and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) are pressed into service as babysitters--a job that may prove even more treacherous than the case at hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this drama, a casino owner (Rock Hudson) fights against his double-crossing ex-partners by remodeling the ramshackle joint across from theirs. Soon he has made it the grandest place in Las Vegas. This was Hudson's final film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Sharon Stone, (more)
- 1984
- R
This melodrama chronicles a couple's attempt to deal with a failing marriage in the '80s. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Made for cable television, The Ratings Game was directed by Danny DeVito, who co-starred in the film with his wife Rhea Perlman. DeVito plays the owner of a New Jersey trucking firm who yearns for a televison career. He offers several TV-series ideas to a receptive network programming head. On the verge of being fired, the network exec decides to have his revenge on his ex-bosses by selecting the very worst of DeVito's concepts. The "born to fail" series becomes a hit, and soon DeVito is the hottest programmer in the industry! More truthful than many of us are willing to admit, The Ratings Game premiered with astonishingly little fanfare over The Movie Channel cable service on December 15, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, (more)
- 1984
- R
In this inane teen comedy, a rafting competition is going to determine whether four friends will graduate or not (an interesting amendment to college practices), and up against their team is a group of offensive rich kids. Meanwhile, a band of expelled military rafters is out to thwart the race as a whole. Bob (Tim Matheson) of the aspiring group of graduates, and Heather (Jennifer Runyon), a convert from the military rafting side, are a hot item, as are many other couples, since sex seems to be the only known activity carried out on land. A game of charades with a dog -- in order to locate a hostage -- is the funniest sequence in an otherwise routine story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Matheson, Jennifer Runyon, (more)
- 1983
Blood Feud was a two-part TV drama, originally presented as an "Operation Prime Time" special. Robert Blake is disturbingly convincing as labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, engaged in a decade-long war of words with attorney (and later attorney general) Robert F. Kennedy. Cotter Smith makes his TV debut as Kennedy, a role he'd repeat on future occasions. Thoroughly compelling when sticking to the facts, the drama falls apart whenever indulging in flight of fanciful speculation (Sample: two of Hoffa's lieutenants watch the live telecast of Lee Harvey Oswald's murder, then celebrate the fact that Oswald will never be able to reveal their complicity in the JFK assassination!) Blood Feud was syndicated to local TV stations beginning April 24, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Cotter Smith, (more)
- 1983
- PG
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John attempt to rekindle the box office sparks of Grease with this screwball fantasy comedy. The tale begins during a golf match in heaven among four angels --Charlie (Charles Durning), Earl (Scatman Crothers), Gonzales (Castulo Guerra), and Ruth (Beatrice Straight)-- who have been in charge of heaven for the last twenty-five years. But their game is interrupted by God (voice of Gene Hackman), who has now returned to the office and doesn't like what he sees down on earth. God wants to order up another flood and start all over again, but the angels persuade God to reconsider, reasoning that if a typical earth man can reform, it would prove that all mankind is capable of it. God agrees to the scheme and the typical man selected is Zack Melon (John Travolta) a failed inventor who, threatened by loan sharks, decides to hold up a bank. Zack points his gun at bank teller Debbie Wylder (Olivia Newton-John) and she gives him all of the money. But when Zack peers into the sack after the robbery, he sees that Debbie has substituted bank deposit slips for the cash and realizes that she has kept the money for herself. Zack tracks her down to reclaim his stolen money and the two fall in love. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, (more)
Fed up with watching vicious criminals walk on technicalities and loopholes, judge Michael Douglas accepts his older colleague Hal Holbrook's invitation to join "The Star Chamber." This sub-rosa organization consists of nine like-minded judges who endeavor to take the law into their own hands. Essentially, these are robed vigilantes, but Douglas joins them, determining that the end justifies the means. Before long, however, Douglas finds himself balking at sanctioning the murder of freed criminals -- and as a result becomes the target of the Star Chamber himself. Worth noting in the supporting cast of The Star Chamber are Diana Douglas, Michael Douglas' real-life mother, and Frances Bergen, widow of Edgar Bergen and mother of Candice Bergen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, (more)
- 1983
Vera (Beth Howland) is overwhelmed with plaintive poems, pretty balloons and assorted expensive presents. The explanation: Vera has a secret lover. The question: Is it anyone she knows (or for that matter, anyone WE know)? Originally filmed for Alice's seventh season and slated to air on June 5, 1983, this episode was held back until Season Eight due to a Hollywood writer's strike. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Alan Parker and writer Bo Goldman chronicle the emotional disintegration of an unhappy marriage. Albert Finney and Diane Keaton play George and Faith Dunlap, a seemingly happily married couple living with their four daughters in a converted farmhouse in Marin County, California. George is inwardly empty and decides to have an affair with Sandy (Karen Allen), who has doubts about how long their affair will last. Faith is also suffering from ennui and takes up with Frank Henderson (Peter Weller), the contractor for the Dunlap's tennis court. Frank, after discovering about Faith's affair, is in a confused state: he wants to leave and live with Sandy but doesn't want his wife to date other men and demands the love of his daughters -- all of whom now detest him. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Diane Keaton, (more)
- 1982
Rob Reiner coproduced, cowrote and costarred in this TV-movie about suburban "angst" in the 1980s. Reiner is one of four wealthy Long Islanders who play for an amateur softball team. All four men (Reiner, Bruno Kirby, Robert Costanzo and Christopher Guest) suffer from profound personal and professional problems, thus the weekly ball game becomes a method of working out their frustrations. So adept do they become at this cathartic activity that their team makes it to the state-wide championship--which leads to yet another crisis. Million Dollar Infield was the first of several "behind the scenes" projects for onetime TV sitcom star Rob Reiner; more recently, Reiner has been responsible for such moneymaking theatrical films as This is Spinal Tap, Misery and A Few Good Men. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this dark and sometimes sad comedy, Dominick -- an extremely obese man -- is pushed by his sister Antoinette to shed a few pounds lest he end up dead like his cousin. To do so, she helps him enroll in the fanatical weight-loss group, the Chubby Checkers, who will do anything to keep fellow members from over-eating. Another incentive for Dominick is his love for Lydia, a women whom Dominick fears has deserted him because of his obesity.The process of weight loss is torture, and he is left with a painful choice (one that the naturally thin don't always understand), suffer the pain and lose the weight or somehow learn to live with it. After his initial attempts to lose weight end in failure, and he goes on a gigantic food bender (one of the great binge scenes in movie history), in the end, Dominick learns that Lydia loves him for who he is, and he decides that he should do himself the same favor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dom DeLuise, Anne Bancroft, (more)
- 1978
The recent film hit All the President's Men was the clear inspiration for this episode of Alice. Richard Erdman guest stars as a DC-based investigative reporter, who hides out at Mel's Diner in fear of his life. Wanna bet that there's a "Deep Throat" character waiting in the wings? Although many sources claim that this episode's original telecast date was February 12, 1978, the TV Guide listings for that date indicate that it was pre-empted by a movie. More likely it was shown on February 15, right after CBS' telecast of the Muhammad Ali-Leon Spinks heavyweight championship bout. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Several of vice-principal Emily's students have gotten low scores in reading, and their parents are angry about it. Demonstrating the leadership qualities for which he is famous, Principal Bannister (Edward Andrews) goes on vacation, leaving Emily to deal with the problem all by her lonesome. The supporting cast includes Robert Costanzo as Sal Petrone, Patricia Stevens as Wanda Moss, Jan Fisher as Ms. Hunsinger, Bill Zuckert as Mr. Kreever, Delores Albin as Miss Nightingale, and Brian Miller as Billy. Written by Earl Pomerantz, this was one of several sixth-season episodes in which series star Bob Newhart did not appear. "Crisis in Edukation" first aired on March 11, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily, (more)
