Abraham Benrubi Movies
A character actor with an unmistakable stature, Abraham Benrubi first became beloved to Gen-Xers when he played misunderstood high schooler "Koob" on the cult-hit comedy series Parker Lewis Can't Lose. His 6'7" linebacker stature combined with his soft-spoken voice made him unforgettable in his long-running portrayal of Jerry Markovic on ER, though his contributions to the Cartoon Network series Robot Chicken feature his voice only, and are just as memorable. In 2006, Benrubi joined the cast of the one-hour dramedy Men in Trees, playing the intriguing, peculiar character of bartender/millionaire Ben Tomasson. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Having all but forced its CBS medical-show competition Chicago Hope off the Thursday-night schedule, NBC's ER reigned supreme as the series entered its second season. Having wrongly assumed that he would leave Chicago County after his third year of med school, John Carter (Noah Wyle) remains on staff as a surgical sub-intern, and by and by is given a promotion; later on, he follows the example of his sexually supercharged colleagues by getting involved in a romantic triangle. Carter's short-tempered supervisor, Dr. Benton (Eriq La Salle), likewise enters into a relationship, with divorcée Jeanie Boulet (Gloria Reuben) -- who may or may not be entirely free of her troublesome ex, Al (Michael Beach). Left standing at altar by her fiancée at the end of season one, Head Nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) falls for Ray "Shep" Shepard (Ron Eldard), a rather reckless paramedic. And Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) has become quite comfortable caring for her irresponsible sister Chloe's baby, Suzy -- until Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite) pops up out of nowhere to demand custody. Season two marks the introduction of Laura Innes as Dr. Kerry Weaver, whose brusque, fingernails-on-the-blackboard attitude gets on everyone's nerves. In other developments, Dr. Ross (George Clooney), facing dismissal because of his maverick behavior, redeems himself by saving a boy trapped in a culvert during a torrential downpour; Shep goes over the edge when his paramedic partner is killed in a fire; and, in the season-ending cliffhanger, Benton discovers that Jeanie's former husband, Al, has infected her with the HIV virus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noah Wyle, Anthony Edwards, (more)
- 1995
- PG
Lonely and already cynical about the world, 13-year-old Jack Carlisle's mother is so busy working since his father abandoned them, that she doesn't seem to care or notice whether or not he is alive. Feeling sorry for himself, he decides to run away, but just before he departs, his wise nanny hands him a magic book containing stories of Magic Island, pirates, and the good Prince Morgan. The book transports Jack to the thick of the action and soon all thoughts of running away disappear. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zachery Ty Bryan, Edward Kerr, (more)
A crime fighter created in the 1930s and popularized in movies, pulp novels, and a radio show starring a young Orson Welles, The Shadow came back to life in 1994 in this slick, well-cast production. Alec Baldwin stars as Lamont Cranston, a murderous opium dealer reformed by a Tibetan mystic, who teaches him how to use his keen mental powers to manipulate others. As penance for his past misdeeds, Cranston masquerades as a degenerate New York City playboy by day and secretly plays the heroic Shadow by night, staving off evildoers with a network of agents and a cab-driving sidekick (Peter Boyle). A greater challenge arrives when Cranston must fight Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the final descendent of Genghis Khan, who has received training from the same Tibetan master who instructed Cranston. Shiwan plans to use atomic weapons to take over New York and then the world. At the same time, Cranston meets socialite Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller), and, although he's instantly enamored of her, he discovers that her psychic abilities render his secret identity vulnerable. The Shadow was directed by former music video creator Russell Mulcahy, whose feature film debut Highlander (1986) was a cult classic. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Baldwin, John Lone, (more)
The first season of the prestigious NBC medical drama ER is seen largely through the eyes of new third-year medical student John Carter (Noah Wyle) as he tries to survive his shakedown cruise in the Emergency Room of Chicago's County General Hospital. Carter is swiftly introduced to his ill-tempered, ultra-demanding supervisor Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle), ER head Dr. Morganstern (William H. Macy), and his new co-workers, womanizing Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney), workaholic Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards), and troubled Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield). Likewise appearing for the first time -- and almost the last -- is Ross' current amour, Head Nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), a character who was supposed to have appeared only once before committing suicide, but who proved so popular that she recovered and returned to work. The many first-season plot strands include Greene's ever-growing domestic problems with his restless wife, Jennifer (Christine Harnos), the normally ice-cold Benton's anguish over the failing health of his mother (Beah Richards), and Lewis' tribulations with her irresponsible, drug-addicted sister, Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite), who presumptively deposits her baby at Lewis' home and disappears. Showing up in mid-season during a major medical crisis is Dr. Angela Hicks (CCH Pounder), one of the few people who can match Benton in anger and imperiousness. Another character conflict develops between Lewis and rule-bound Dr. Kayson (Sam Anderson), who first brings charges of incompetence against her -- and then tries to date her! On a more salutary note, Greene is promoted to attending physician. The Emmy award-winning episode "Love's Labor Lost" dramatized a career turning point for Greene when a misdiagnosis causes the death of an expectant mother. Shortly afterward, new ER chief William Swift (Michael Ironside) makes trouble for the staff with his eccentric approach to medicine. Also introduced is another third-year med student, Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen (Ming-Na), who enters into intense competition with Carter -- with disastrous results. Another first-season recurring character, Lewis' erstwhile boyfriend Dr. Div Cvetic (John Terry), breaks under the pressure of the ER and runs naked into the streets, never to be seen again. Worth special notice is the episode "Motherhood," directed by no less than Quentin Tarantino; and the season finale, in which the marriage between Carol Hathaway and Dr. John Taglieri (Rick Rossovich) is scuttled at the last moment, leaving poor Carol with another emotional cross to bear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noah Wyle, Anthony Edwards, (more)
Comedian John Candy, who died during the making of this poorly received comic western, plays James Harlow, a 19th century wagon master who is heading back east with a wagon train full of oddball characters who have had their fill of Western life. They include ex-doctor Phil Taylor (Richard Lewis), kind-hearted prostitute Belle (Ellen Greene), and a bookseller, Julian (John C. McGinley). Harlow is a drunken, washed-up leader who frequently gets lost. The travelers eventually discover that he was a member of the famous Donner party, which resorted to cannibalism when stranded in the mountains. Railroad magnates try to turn back the party, figuring it's bad publicity for people out East to learn that the West is not really a paradise. The tycoons hire gunfighters and villains to stop the expedition, but local Indians protect the wagons, because they are glad to see disgruntled white settlers leaving their lands. This "backwards" western was based on a story by Jerry Abrahamson. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Richard Lewis, (more)
Eastern State University isn't particularly notable for anything except its football program. Lately, even that hasn't been doing too well, and the athletic staff led by Coach Winters (James Caan) are under considerable pressure by the administration and alumni to bring in a winning season. To do that, he has to recruit some able, promising young players out of high school. It's not too surprising to learn that he will do almost anything to get these kids, and its even less surprising that, as long as they keep producing on the field, he and the college will overlook almost any obnoxious behavior the boys can perpetrate to the limit of their ability. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Halle Berry, (more)
- 1993
In this sequel to the earlier episode The Wedding Show, the Bundys' cousin Jimmy (a young Abraham Benrubi) finds out that someone else slept with his wife Janie on their wedding day. In desperation, Jimmy appeals to Bud (David Faustino) to help him find the guilty party--little suspecting that Bud himself is the very guy he seeks. This episode offers yet another variation on the Bundy Family Credo: "Lie, Sell Shoes, and Lie". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this coming-of-age drama, three recent high school graduates from Detroit must make a difficult choice when they are offered a fortune to smuggle hashish from Canada into the US. As they are quickly going nowhere in their grimy suburban town, the three buddies are sorely tempted. Each of them undergoes a major change in their personal lives and they are left with the feeling of having nothing left to lose. Unfortunately, their lark across the border becomes deadly serious when they meet the dealer at an isolated farm and realize that he wants them to smuggle heroin, not hash. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Charles, Jason Gedrick, (more)
- 1992
Roseanne stays home while everyone else goes out to a Halloween party. She gets visited by the ghosts of Halloween Past (Lee Arenberg), Halloween Present (Mario Roccuzzo), and Halloween Future (Garry Bullock). Laurie Metcalf's daughter Zoe Perry plays Jackie as a little girl. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Married. . .With Children launches its sixth season with the first episode of a two-part story, as Marcy D'Arcy (Amanda Bearse) informs her new husband Jefferson (Ted McGinley, now promoted to star billing) that she is pregnant. Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) chortles and guffaws at Jefferson's discomfort--until Peg Bundy (Katey Sagal) tells Al that she, too, is expecting. The news proves devastating not only for Al but to his kids Bud and Kelly, who aren't keen upon sharing the spotlight with a squalling brat. Future ER and Men in Trees regular Abraham Benrubi shows up in a dream sequence as the future Bundy Baby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Macho airline owner Roy (David Schramm) surprises one an all by allowing his high-school football star son R.J. (Abraham Benrubi) to take cello lessons from Helen (Crystal Bernard). It turns out that Roy is amused at the prospect of his son having a crush on Helen, who works for his chief rivals the Hackett brothers. Well, R.J. does have romance on his mind, all right...but it isn't the sort of romance that Roy could ever have imagined! This episode had originally been slated for Wings' first season, but was withheld because of its sensitive subject matter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
A flu epidemic at Dewey High School affords Mike (Kirk Cameron) the opportunity of becoming a substitute teacher. But it's not going to be easy sailing: Not only is Principal DeWitt (Sam Anderson) openly hostile to former troublemaker Mike, but our hero has been assigned the rowdiest class in school, crammed full of hostile kids just one step removed from the penal system! Meanwhile, baby Chrissy learns a dirty word--and refuses to stop repeating it. Watch for future ER and Men in Trees regular Abraham Benrubi as an oversized high-schooler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG
In this sports drama, a diver has all the right stuff to make it to the Olympics. There is only one catch--he is terrified of heights. Fortunately his lovely coach is there to patiently help him overcome his terror and go for the gold. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Adler, Kristy Swanson, (more)
