Gift SubscriptionsJames Cromwell
A Christmas Without Snow originally premiered December 9, 1980. The title refers to the film's setting: the snowless San Francisco. The story is told from the point of view of newly divorced Michael Learned, who comes to grips with disillusionment with a little help from her friends in the church choir. As the singers prepare for a performance of Handel's "Messiah" under the autocratic leadership of choirmaster John Houseman, we learn a little something about the personal lives of several choir members, including Ramon Bieri, Ruth Nelson and Valerie Curtin--and the lonely Houseman himself. Christmas without Snow was presented by CBS in conjunction with the network's Family Reading Program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adapted from James Agee's posthumously published, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Death in the Family is set in Knoxville, TN, in 1915. The death of husband and father Jay Follett (John Slattery) in a car accident has profound and long-reaching effects upon his wife, Mary (Annabeth Gish), and his sensitive, seven-year-old son, Rufus (Austin Wolff). At the core of the crisis is Mary's prickly relationship with her own family, exacerbated by her late husband's unwillingness to "go with the flow" in terms of religion and race relations. The kindly intervention of Mary's free-spirited artist brother, Andrew (David Alford), enables her and her son to go on with their lives. Told from Rufus' point of view, the novel version of Death in the Family had previously served as the source for the Broadway play and film All the Way Home. This production, filmed on-location in Tennessee, was telecast by PBS on March 25, 2002 as part of Masterpiece Theatre's "American Collection." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Blake Edwards comes a cropper in this lunk-headed slapstick homage to Laurel and Hardy, Mack Sennett, and Jerry Lewis. Ted Danson and Howie Mandell play Spence Holden and Dennis Powell, a couple of idiots who find themselves involved with a pack of gangsters. Spence is a two-bit actor who is at a racetrack location with his pal Dennis, when he overhears two small-time thugs, Wayne "Turnip" Parragella (Richard Mulligan) and Maurice "Binky" Drundza (Stuart Margolin), talk about doping a horse set to run a race. It turns out that Turnip and Binky are under orders to carry out the dastardly scheme by their underworld boss Tony Pazzo (Paul Sorvino). When Spence and Dennis are found out, they find themselves pursued all over the Los Angeles area by an angry Tony Pazzo mob in an ever-escalating series of races and chases, crashes and smashes, and shouting and screaming. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Danson, Howie Mandel, (more)
Based on a novel by Donald E. Westlake, this seriocomic tale of murder and manipulation stars William H. Macy as nerdish but powerful movie critic Terry Thorpe. During an argument with his lover, Terry accidentally kills the woman, forcing him to go great lengths to cover up his crime. Unfortunately, the dead woman was being tailed by smarmy private eye John Edgerson (James Cromwell), who suspects foul play and blackmails Thorpe accordingly. Meanwhile, the case is being officially investigated by police detective Fred Stapelli (Adam Arkin), an aspiring screenwriter who hopes that Thorpe will help him make a Hollywood sale. Playing Stapelli like a fine piano, Thorpe not only shifts suspicion from himself to a third party, but also begins an affair with Stapelli's wife Patricia (Julia Campbell). And how does Thorpe's current girlfriend Kit (played by Macy's real-life spouse Felicity Huffman) figure into all this intrigue? Also known as A Travesty, A Slight Case of Murder made its TNT cable network debut on September 19, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William H. Macy, Adam Arkin, (more)
- 1978
Demonstrating a bigger heart than usual, Mel (Vic Tayback) decides to serve a free Thanksgiving dinner to a group of orphans. Though willing to be generous, Mel has his limits, and is willing to buy his turkeys at the lowest possible cost. Unfortunately, the birds turn out to be "hot"--as in stolen. Seen in minor roles are a brace of child actors who would go on to enjoy a modicum of fame: Nancy McKeon(the sister of series regular Philip McKeon) and Corey Feldman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This second episode of a three-part story arc (which came about when Carroll O'Connor briefly ankled All in the Family over a salary dispute) finds the Bunker family deep in worry over the fact that Archie has been missing for 24 hours. At first, Edith thinks that Archie might have met with an accident or foul play. But mounting evidence suggests that Mr. Bunker has actually run off with another woman. The truth of the matter is not revealed until the very end of "Archie Is Missing," which was written by Lloyd Turner and Gordon Mitchell, and first aired on November 9, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, (more)
- 1974
Never much of a churchgoer, Archie finally "sees the light" after a near-death experience at his job. Suddenly, there is no one more fervently religious than Archie -- and no bigger pain in the neck. Lloyd Turner and Gordon Mitchell's teleplay cleverly contrives to have the audience eagerly await the moment that Archie returns to his old self. "Archie and the Miracle" was originally telecast on November 23, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1975
In the conclusion of a four-part story arc, an increasingly paranoid Archie is still out of work due to a union strike, while Edith has settled into her new job with George Jefferson's dry-cleaning establishment. At long last, the strike is settled, and Archie is able to tell Edith to quit her job. But this is hardly an occasion for celebration; the "generous" terms of the new union contract leave Archie almost as bad off as before. Future Oscar nominee James Cromwell makes his first appearance as Archie's loquacious co-worker, Stretch Cunningham. Written by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "Archie's Raise" first aired on October 5, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
The epic HBO miniseries Angels in America is directed by Mike Nichols and written by the play's author, Tony Kushner. This six-part drama is adapted from the two full-length award-winning plays (Part I: The Millennium Approaches and Part II: Perestroika) originally performed on Broadway in 1993. Set in New York City during the mid-'80s, the story follows the interconnected lives of several people affected by the AIDS crisis, intense spiritual experiences, and the Reagan Administration. Newcomer Justin Kirk plays Prior Walter, a young man dying of AIDS. Things are made worse when he's abandoned by his lover, Jewish court clerk Louis Ironson (Ben Shenkman). Then he's visited by an Angel (Emma Thompson), who keeps crashing through his roof and insisting that he's a prophet.
Meanwhile, conservative power monger Roy Cohn (Al Pacino) is also dying of AIDS, but he's in serious denial about it. While in the hospital, he's continually visited by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg (Meryl Streep), a woman he had sent to the electric chair. Roy's protégé is Mormon lawyer Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson), who also tries to deny his own homosexuality. Joe's estranged wife Harper (Mary-Louise Parker) suffers from a Valium addiction and has an acute sensitivity to the world around her. Joe leaves her to start up a relationship with Louis, who works in his building. Jeffrey Wright reprises his stage role of the trusty friend and nurse Belize. Angels in America first aired in two parts on HBO during December of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Meanwhile, conservative power monger Roy Cohn (Al Pacino) is also dying of AIDS, but he's in serious denial about it. While in the hospital, he's continually visited by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg (Meryl Streep), a woman he had sent to the electric chair. Roy's protégé is Mormon lawyer Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson), who also tries to deny his own homosexuality. Joe's estranged wife Harper (Mary-Louise Parker) suffers from a Valium addiction and has an acute sensitivity to the world around her. Joe leaves her to start up a relationship with Louis, who works in his building. Jeffrey Wright reprises his stage role of the trusty friend and nurse Belize. Angels in America first aired in two parts on HBO during December of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, (more)
Oscar nominated filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen executive produced this TNT/Warner Brothers co-production concerning a small-town lawyer and one-time Special Forces operative who embarks on a violent quest to avenge the brutal murder of his daughter, and soon finds his thirst for vengeance threatening world stability. Cal Dexter (screen veteran Sam Elliott) never expected to assume the role of avenging angel of death, but when his daughter suffered a horrifying death his all-consuming hunger for revenge proved too powerful to resist. Now two years have passed, and Stephen Edmonds (William Hope), a wealthy business tycoon, has enlisted Dexter's meting out a similar brand of justice to Serbian war criminal Zoran Zilic (David Hayman) - who recently murdered the high-profile industrialist's worker-aid son in Bosnia. Zilic isn't any run-of-the-mill bad guy though, because despite his sordid history he's currently being utilized by the CIA in a covert operation. Now the agent in charge of the case (Timothy Hutton) must follow his boss (James Cromwell)'s orders and prevent the determined Dexter from carrying out his treacherous mission before the decorated war hero sets of a destructive chain of events that could plunge the entire planet into war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Elliott, Timothy Hutton, (more)
- 1995
A young pig fights convention to become a sheep dog -- or, rather, sheep pig -- in this charming Australian family film, which became an unexpected international success due to superior special effects and an intelligent script. The title refers to the name bestowed on a piglet soon after his separation from his family, when he finds himself on a strange farm. Confused and sad, Babe is adopted by a friendly dog and slowly adjusts to his new home. Discovering that the fate of most pigs is the dinner table, Babe devotes himself to becoming a useful member of the farm by trying to learn how to herd sheep, despite the skepticism of the other animals and the kindly but conventional Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell). Because technically impeccable animatronics and computer graphics allow the farm animals to converse easily among themselves, first-time director Chris Noonan can treat the film's menagerie as actual characters, playing scene not for cuteness but for real emotions. The result is often surprisingly touching, with Noonan and George Miller's script, based on Dick King-Smith's children's book and, indirectly, a true story, seamlessly combining gentle whimsy and sincere feeling. These same qualities are embodied by in Cromwell's beautifully understated performance as Farmer Hoggett, which anchors the film. Despite its unlikely premise and low profile, Babe's inspirational story was embraced by audiences and critics, and the movie became an international sleeper that won an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. It was followed in 1999 by the less successful Babe: Pig in the City. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, (more)
The 1995 Academy award-winning film Babe was Australian-made and featured the latest in talking animal anima-tronics. It told the heart-warming story of a sheepherding pig named Babe and his rise to community fame. The film was a tremendous hit, both financially and critically. Babe: Pig in the City is the higher budgeted American-made sequel that picks up where the original left off. It was directed by George Miller (Mad Max trilogy) who produced the original Babe film, and received a lot of criticism for being much darker than the original. The story owes more to George Orwell's Animal Farm or Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist than the original film. Having triumphed at the National Sheepdog trials, Babe returns home a hero. But after farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) suffers from a farming accident, Mrs. Hoggett, a naive portly woman, is left to work the ranch alone. It's not long before the bank comes knocking. Desperate to save her farm from foreclosure, she accepts an offer for Babe to perform his sheepherding abilities at an overseas state fair. Babe, Mrs. Hoggett, Ferdinand the duck, and the singing mice travel across the ocean to a surreal metropolis, where they suddenly become stranded and separated. Soon Babe is performing with circus apes, being chased by wild strays (sounding a lot like Marlon Brando in The Godfather), and making a new wheelchair-bound canine friend (voiced by Adam Goldberg). He also is anointed leader of the animal community. What Babe lacks in street smarts he makes up for in honest goodness as he teaches audiences yet again that "an unprejudiced heart can mend a broken world." ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Magda Szubanski, James Cromwell, (more)
Events from the life of the author Jane Austen inspired this romantic historical drama, which speculates of a romance that may have had a significant impact on her life and work. Twenty-year-old Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) is the daughter of Rev. Austen (James Cromwell), a minister who looks after a flock in a small rural community in Southern England with his wife (Julie Walters). While her older sister, Cassandra (Anna Maxwell Martin), is engaged to be married, Jane resists her family's efforts to match her up with Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), the wealthy but dull nephew of Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), a minor member of the British nobility. Jane has the heart of an artist, and hopes to distinguish herself as a musician or a writer, though her parents don't think much of her prospects. When Jane meets Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), a young man her own age, she's intrigued; while he scoffs at her writing style, he clearly sees she has talent, and is eager for her to learn more of the larger world by exposing her to more daring literature and modern pastimes such as boxing. As Tom begins to court Jane, she finds herself increasingly attracted to this poor but keenly intelligent man, though she soon realizes her own ideas about love and marriage are sometimes at odds with the conventions of the society in which she lives. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, (more)
- 1988
China Beach was the second and more successful of two Vietnam-era TV dramas of 1987-88 (the other was Tour of Duty). Set at a Da Nang r-and-r center in 1967, China Beach recounts the era as seen through eyes of several women who served. The distaff stars are Dana Delany (the nurse), Nacy Giles (the AFRS disc jockey), Concetta Tomei (the special services officer) and Marg Helgenberger (the civilian volunteer worker). The anecdotal two-hour pilot film for the series was first telecast April 26, 1988. Chloe Webb, who appeared in the pilot and the first few episodes, portrays a buoyant USO entertainer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In this episode, defense attorney Cromwell investigates the case of a woman accused of killing her rich husband. She discovers an underlayer of greed and adultery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2001
James Cromwell starred on this weekly, hour-long drama series as veteran politician Elliott Baines. After three successful terms as senator, Baines is cast adrift when a fourth-term bid comes a cropper. Knowing no other life but politics, the widowed Baines returns home to Seattle, there to contend with the exigencies of being a private citizen -- and to reestablish family ties with his three grown, estranged daughters. Yes, the whole thing sounded a lot like King Lear, which of course was the producers' intention. Also in the cast were Embeth Davidtz as Baines' lawyer daughter, Ellen; Jane Adams as Baines' unhappily married "middle child" Reeva; and Jacinda Barrett as youngest daughter Dori, the obligatory iconoclastic "bohemian." Originally titled The Second Act, Citizen Baines was to have made its CBS debut on September 22, 2001, but was moved to September 29 due to TV coverage of the World Trade Center bombing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cromwell, Embeth Davidtz, (more)
Director Sean Meredith's animated entry into the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival details one man's curious voyage into the deepest depths of the underworld. Upon awakening in an unfamiliar part of the city after an especially rough night, Dante asks the first person he spots for a little help in gathering his bearings. When the man responds that he penned an ancient poem called The Aeneid, the perplexed Dante recalls that particular piece of prose being penned two thousand years ago. But with no one left to turn to, Dante has little choice but to follow his enigmatic guide. When the man reveals that it is his duty to lead Dante on an extensive journey through a dreadful world of "horror and torment," the weary traveler becomes convinced that his only hope for survival is to follow his host into the scorching heart of Satan's vast inferno. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dermot Mulroney, James Cromwell, (more)
- 1977
Twice during the mid-1970s, Andy Griffith unsuccessfully attempted to launch a TV detective series titled Abel Marsh. The first pilot film was The Girl in the Empty Grave; the second was The Deadly Game. Griffith once again stars as resort-town sheriff Abel Marsh, this time wrestling with a sinister conspiracy involving a dangerous chemical spill. Lane Slate produced, directed and wrote the film, while Griffith's longtime manager Richard O. Linke functioned as executive producer. Deadly Game was first telecast December 3, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker) directed this science-fiction disaster drama about the possible extinction of human life after a comet is discovered headed toward Earth with the collision only one year away. Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team of astronauts will travel to the comet and destroy it. The team leader aboard the spaceship Messiah is Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall), who was once the last man to walk on the moon. However, the mission fails, splitting off a chunk of the comet, now due to land in the Atlantic with the impact sending a 350-foot tidal wave flooding 650 miles inland, destroying New York and other cities. The larger part of the comet, hitting in Canada, will trigger an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), not unlike a "nuclear winter" as dust clouds block out the sun and bring life to an end. President Beck reveals Plan B: a cavernous underground retreat constructed to hold one million Americans, with most to be selected through a national lottery. Since teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovered the comet, his family gets a pass to enter the cave, but his girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) and her parents will be left behind. Meanwhile, still in space, Spurgeon Tanner devises a plan for a kamikaze-styled operation that could possibly save the Earth. Special visual effects by Scott Farrar and Industrial Light & Magic. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, (more)
- 1986
A sprawling adaptation of the same-named novel by David Nevin, the three-part CBS miniseries Dream West starred Richard Chamberlain as colorful, controversial American explorer John Charles Fremont (1813-1890). The story detailed the visionary (and occasionally mercenary) Fremont's lifelong war against shortsided authority figures, beginning with his early skirmishes with the "brass" as an Army officer. In 1842, Fremont embarked upon his greatest adventure, heading an expedition to map the Oregon Trail -- the first step towards opening the entire North American continent to free and unimpeded exploration. His mission pitted Fremont against hostile Indians, the Mexican army, and the U.S. government itself. Along the way, he crossed paths with scores of historical figures, including Kit Carson, Jim Bridge, John Sutter, and President Abraham Lincoln. Alice Krige, Richard Chamberlain's vis-à-vis in the earlier Wallenberg: A Heroes' Story, co-starred as Jessie Benton, the headstrong senator's daughter who became Fremont's wife. Running seven hours in all (plus commercials), Dream West was originally telecast from April 13 to 15, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Back from maternity leave, Chen (Ming-Na) returns to the ER just as the staff is confronting a somewhat startling case of the measles. In other developments, Benton (Eriq La Salle) offers to act as mentor for African-American medical student William White (Keith Robinson) -- until he finds out the real reason that White was accepted as an applicant. Weaver (Laura Innes) begins to question her relationship with Kim Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell). And despite his own deteriorating state of health, Bishop Stewart (John Cromwell) insists upon taking charge of an ordination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
While wrestling with her feelings regarding Kim Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell), Weaver (Laura Innes) delivers her evaluation of Carter (Noah Wyle). Elsewhere, Abby (Maura Tierney) angrily drops her AA sponsorship of Carter; Kynesha (Toy Connor) continues to be a source of trouble for Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Finch (Michael Michele); and an unexpected visit causes Corday (Alex Kingston) to panic. John Cromwell guest stars as an ailing bishop who forces Kovac (Goran Visnjic) to re-examine his own religious convictions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Lourdes Benedicto makes her first series appearance as new pediatrics intern Rena Trujillo. The episode's pre-eminent crisis occurs at the site of a commuter-train accident, where Carter (Noah Wyle) and Kovac (Goran Visnjic) are forced to extreme measures to save the life of trapped firefighter Larkin (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The doctors also try to rescue a woman (Stacy Haiduk) who, though impaled by a shard of medal, is more concerned about the health of her son. Likewise at the scene of the accident, Corday (Alex Kingston) begins to go into contractions; and even psychiatrist Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell) makes an appearance when the person who caused the crash is located. Finally, an ongoing story arc is wrapped up as the dying Bishop Stewart (John Cromwell) tries to assuage Kovac's (Goran Visnjic) guilt over "deserting" his family during the Balkan wars. Advertised as ER's 150th episode, "The Crossing" is number 151 in the current syndication package. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Kovac (Goran Visnjic) again treats the stubborn Bishop Stewart (John Cromwell). Sixteen-year-old cardiac patient Nick Stevens (Josh Peck) balks at having another heart transplant. Another patient, a gay man named Jeff (Robert Beitzel), refuses to use contraceptives, and indeed seems eager and willing to contract the AIDs virus. Greene's (Anthony Edwards) erratic behavior increases. And Carter (Noah Wyle) asks Abby (Maura Tierney) to be his date at a gala charity function -- leading to an uncomfortable "reunion" for Abby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
