Mitchell Anderson Movies

This three-part drama, produced for HBO, examines the changing tides of the lives of lesbians in America, both politically and personally, as we eavesdrop on three stories taking place in the same house over a span of five decades. In 1961, the house is home to Edith (Vanessa Redgrave) and Abby (Marian Seldes), an elderly lesbian couple whose lifestyle is not accepted or acknowledged by their families. When Abby suffers a serious stroke and is on the verge of death, her family rallies to her side, but not understanding the nature of her relationship with Edith, she is not included as her loved ones say their final good-byes. After Abby's death, her nephew (Paul Giamatti) and his wife (Elizabeth Perkins) arrive from out of state with plans to sell the house, without consulting Edith. In 1972, the house is now home to four college students, Michelle (Amy Carlson), Linda (Michelle Williams), Karen (Nia Long), and Jeanne (Natasha Lyonne), all of whom are actively involved in the women's movement and also happen to be lesbians. The four find themselves at odds with the campus women's group when they try to promote an all-women's dance, while the other members of the group feel that feminism, not lesbianism, should be the focus of the group. Similarly, Linda faces hostility from her friends when she becomes involved with Amy (Chloe Sevigny), a very butch townie; Linda's friends see Amy's masculine attire and attitude as a form of self-loathing against being a woman, and while Linda cares deeply for Amy, she's not always comfortable with her and isn't sure that she wants to be public with their relationship. In 2000, Fran (Sharon Stone) and Kal (Ellen DeGeneres), a happy and firmly committed couple, are sharing the house, and after much discussion, they decide that they want to take their relationship to the next level and have a baby. However, deciding that they want a child and dealing with the practicalities of getting pregnant are two different things; Fran and Kal first debate about going to a sperm bank as opposed to asking one of their male friends to help out, and later, either going to a doctor to perform the procedure or trying it at home. DeGeneres' significant other, Anne Heche, wrote and directed the final segment; the 1972 story was directed by Martha Coolidge, and the 1961 episode was directed by Jane Anderson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Inspired by the example of her English teacher Gary Prescott (Neil Prescott), Julia (Neva Campbell) decides to become a professional writer. At the same time, Avery Baltus (Neil Roberts), an old friend of the late Diana Salinger, offers to transform Claudia (Lacey Chabert) into a violin virtuoso. Ultimately, both Julia and Claudia are persuaded that it is a bit too early to map out the rest of their lives...but not before plenty of tortuous soul-searching and family friction. Meanwhile, Bailey (Scott Wolf) is consumed by guilt over his sexual fling with Callie, especially when Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) insists upon camping out at his apartment to nurse him through the chicken pox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While out of town to watch Claudia (Lacey Chabert) rehearse for a concert, Bailey (Scott Wolf) is seized with the overwhelming urge to start drinking again. Back at home, Grace (Tamara Taylor) thinks that she's prengant--and Charlie (Matthew Fox) is disappointed when it turns out that she isn't, nor does she ever want to be. And while driving to Nevada with Julia (Neve Campbell), Griffin (Jeremy London) makes a snap decision that will profoundly change both their lives. This episode marks the final appearance of Alexondra Lee as Callie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, Disney's made-for-television film Goodbye, Miss 4th of July is about the daughter of Greek immigrants in pre-World War II West Virginia. The girl and her family befriend an elderly, ailing former boxer, who happens to be African-American. The boxer and the family are forced to battle the racism of their community during the first half of the film, while the second half concerns an influenza epidemic. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Season Two of Doogie Howser M.D. finds the titular hero (Neil Patrick Harris entering his third year of residency at LA's Eastman Medical Center--not bad for a 17-year-old kid who still has to be home before curfew! The responsibilities of his job has child-prodigy Doogie worrying that he is missing out on the typical pleasures of teendom; fortunately, he is able to keep in touch with his peers with the help of his best pal Vinnie (Max Casella) and his high school sweetheart Wanda (Lisa Dean Ryan). New to the series' regular cast this year is Markus Redmond as Raymond Alexander, introduced the previous season as a street-gang member and inept holdup man, but now gainfully employed as an orderly at Eastman Medical. Also making the first of several recurring appearances are Rif Hutton as Doogie's new colleague, Dr. Ron Welch and Robyn Lively as Nurse Michele Faber, who is destined to become the new love of Doogie's life once Wanda heads off to college. And in another development, Vinnie begins to exhibit talent as an experimental filmmaker, anticipating his pursuing a career in the field in later seasons. One of the more popular programs on ABC's Wednesday-night schedule, Doogie Howser, M.D. ranked as America's 24th most-watched series during its second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although 16-year-old prodigy Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris) is America's youngest physician, he still has a lot to learn in the maturity department, as amply demonstrated during Season One of Doogie Howser, M.D.. Doing his appointed rounds as second-year resident at Eastman Medical Center in L.A., Dr. Howser has earned the (sometimes grudging) respect of Chief of Services Dr. Canfield (Lawrence Pressman), fellow resident Dr. McGuire (Mitchell Anderson) and Nurse Spaulding (Kathryn Layng), in his own home our hero is generally treated like the shy, awkward youngster he truly is, especially by his strict but loving mom Katherine (Belinda Montgomery). While Doogie can rely upon his doctor father David (James B. Sikking) to keep him abreast of the latest advances in medical science and technology, his main conduit to his "own" world--that is, the world of pimply-faced, hormone-driven teenagers--is his best pal Vinnie (Max Casella),who regularly delivers reports from the high-school front in his weekly visits to Doogie via the bedroom window. The pilot episode firmly establishes the strange dichotomy in Doogie's life, as he passes his driver's exam and enjoys his first kiss with girlfriend Wanda (Lisa Dean Ryan) while struggling to cope with a tragedy involving a young, critically ill patient. The eternal inner struggle between Doogie the typical teen and Doogie the boy genius is further illustrated in the famous episode wherein he and Wanda are out on a date when she suffers a sudden appendicitis attack--and he is forced to give her a rather intimate examination just before she undergoes emergency surgery (this is the one in which a jealous Vinnie asks Doogie: "Did you put your hand on her conundrum?") One of the more fascinating first-season episodes is "Use a Slurpy, Go to Jail", in which Doogie and Vinnie find themselves in the middle of a botched convenience-store holdup. The ill-tempered gang member who tries to pull off the heist is one Raymond Alexander, played by Markus Redmond. Beginning with the series' second season, Raymond Alexander would be a Doogie Howser MD regular, hired as an orderly at Eastman Medical. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a father has an affair with his son's girlfriend and finds it difficult to regain the love of his estranged family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This third sequel to the 1975 mega-hit Jaws returns Lorraine Gary to the role of Ellen Brody, widow of the Roy Scheider character from the first two films. When her son Sean, the current police chief of shark-plagued Amity Island, is killed by the beast, Ellen goes to the Bahamas to comfort her surviving son. Michael Brody (Lance Guest) and his friend Jake (Mario Van Peebles) are marine biologists there to help, but in the end it is up to Ellen and her new beach-bum love -- played by Michael Caine -- to put a halt to the fishy horror. Director Joseph Sargent concludes the series with an ending chosen from several alternate possibilities. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Considering his later well-publicized involvement in "l'affaire Heidi Fleiss," Ivan Nagy was ideally suited to direct the-made-for TV Encounters in the Night. Even more prescient so far as Nagy is concerned is the film's original title: Intimate Encounters. Donna Mills plays an attractive young woman stuck in a blah marriage. To alleviate her ennui, she begins fantasizing about affairs with handsome strangers. It sounds like a romance novel and plays that way too. James Brolin, Veronica Cartwright and Cicely Tyson co-star in Encounters in the Night, which debuted September 28, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide