Tyne Daly Movies
The daughter of actor James Daly and sister of actor Tim Daly, Emmy award-winning American actress Tyne Daly was destined early on to enter the family business. After graduation from the American Academy of Dramatic Art, Tyne worked on stage and appeared in TV guest spots starting in the early '70s. While applauded for her talent, Daly found full stardom eluding her for several years during a long string of busted TV pilots like In Search of America (1971), Doctor Granger (1972), Fitzgerald and Pride (1972) and Hotshot Harry and the Rocking Chair Renegades (1979) did little to make her bankable (though her performance as Kate, female partner to Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry Callahan, in the 1976 action opus The Enforcer, most assuredly helped).
Then in 1981, Tyne Daly and Loretta Swit were cast in the pilot of Cagney and Lacey, an unusual (for U.S. prime time television) story of two policewomen who could handle their jobs with courage and assuredness. The success of the pilot led to a series in 1982, with Daly cast as Detective Mary Beth Lacey (opposite Meg Foster and later Sharon Gless). The series witnessed the character fighting to be accepted on equal terms with her male counterparts, and also struggling to maintain a normal home life as wife and mother. Daly's realistic portrayal earned her considerable praise from real-life law enforcement officials. Cagney and Lacey was cancelled in 1983, but returned to the air a year later thanks to a letter-writing campaign mounted by viewers. By the time the series ended in 1988, Daly had won four Emmy awards for her portrayal of Lacey. In 1994 she starred opposite Kellie Martin in the short-lived inspirational TV drama Christy, and in 1995 appeared in a trio of Cagney and Lacey reunions.
In subsequent years Daly switched venues, devoting her energies to the Broadway stage. Her accomplishments during this period included scoring a personal triumph and winning a Tony as Mama Rose in the 1989-90 revival of the 1959 musical Gypsy, and taking on untold challenges in a five-role, one-woman show, Mystery School, at Gotham's Angel Orensanz Foundation Center in 1998 (revived 2008). As time rolled on, the actress (like Cagney co-star Gless) returned to television, notably with a key supporting role as the lead character's domineering, judgmental mother on the series drama Judging Amy (1999-2005) (a series on which Gless occasionally appeared as a guest star)). Having caught the theatrical bug, however, Daly also retained her footing on stage in such outings as the acclaimed Rabbit Hole (2006) (opposite John Slattery and Cynthia Nixon). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Although advertised as a "reunion" of former I Dream of Jeannie stars Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman, the made-for-TV A Howling in the Woods is actually a vehicle for Eden, with Hagman contributing a glorified cameo role. The scene is a remote wooded area in Nevada, where disillusioned housewife Liza Crocker (Eden) has arrived for a solitary camping trip. It so happens that Liza's "sanctuary" is located near the small and cloistered town where she was born -- a town that does not necessarily want to have her back. As Liza's husband, Eddie (Larry Hagman), searches for her in hopes of a reconciliation, the heroine is terrorized by the mournful sound of a howling dog, which triggers painful and frightening memories that she had hoped were long, long buried. Based on a novel by Velda Johnston, the underrated and almost unbearably suspenseful A Howling in the Woods debuted November 11, 1971, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
This fact-based made-for-television drama tells the story of nurse Joy Ufemal and her invaluable work with those dying of incurable diseases. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This drama about a family of Italian-American apple farmers sees New York entertainment publicist Bob Tredici (Marc Grapey) return to the family farm in Indiana after learning that his father, Franco (Robert Breuler), has been in an accident. Since Bob rejected farming duties long ago to pursue a career in showbusiness, his cousin Greg (Jeff Puckett) assumes that he will take over the farm when Franco dies. Bob, however, discovers that he likes farming, and he convinces his secretary Happy (Rebecca Harrell) to come to the farm and pose as his wife to help him win back his father's trust. A Piece of Eden also features Tyne Daly and Frederic Forrest in supporting roles. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca Harrell, Robert Breuler, (more)
Set in Salt Lake City, this thriller stars Stephen Baldwin as a police detective who is still learning to deal with his loss after the death of his son. He is forced to put his grief on hold when he's assigned to a new case -- a psychotic murderer is terrorizing the city, bludgeoning each victim to death and then meticulously cleaning the crime scene so that few, if any, clues remain. The supporting cast includes Rob Knepper and Shawn Huff. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Baldwin, Robert Knepper, (more)
- 1970
Angel (Don Stroud) is the biker who joins a commune of hippies near a small town out West. When the town rednecks attack them in a dune buggy convoy, Angel calls up some of his bad biker buddies to exact revenge. Tremaine (Luke Askew) is the commune leader targeted extermination by the looney locals. Tyne Daly plays a hippie chick and Aldo Ray is the lazy local sheriff who refuses to calm things down in this cycle drama. Music provided by Randy Sparks and Jim Helms. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Stroud, Luke Askew, (more)
- 1979
The elderly residents of a nursing home tire of being oppressed and stage a revolution in this made-for-television comedy. Following the ensuing riot they rush out and commandeer a passing train to go out for a few final adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harold Gould, Strother Martin, (more)
- 1995
- PG
Seinfeld's Jason Alexander stars in this made-for-television remake of the 1963 classic musical. Alexander stars as Albert J. Peterson, a man hoping to make his fortune and get the girl by promoting the big send-off for a newly drafted pop star named Conrad Birdie (Marc Kudish). A song-and-dance movie, actress-dancer Ann Reinking served as choreographer of this film. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
In 1994 -- six years after the final episode of the groundbreaking 1980s television crime drama Cagney & Lacey -- Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly reprised their iconic roles for the first of four TV-movie sequels. Cagney & Lacey: The Return finds the now-retired Lacey reuniting with the now-married Cagney for a case involving weapons smuggling, all while dealing with women's issues such as career, marriage, parenthood -- and, this time around, menopause -- in the trademark style that made the parent show such a cultural touchstone. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, (more)
- 1981
This pilot film for the TV detective series Cagney and Lacey stars Loretta Swit as Chris Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey. C and L are NYPD undercover officers, spending their first week on the job disguised as hookers. It's all part of a plan to flush out the person who's been going around beating up prostitutes. The storyline, which also includes the murder of a diamond merchant, shifts from Cagney and Lacey's street duty to their constant struggle against sexism at precinct headquarters and at home. Executive producer Barney Rosenzweig claimed that he'd come up with the idea of Cagney and Lacey after reading a Molly Haskell piece concerning the patronizing treatment of women in films. First telecast on October 8, 1981, the pilot film for Cagney and Lacey held its own opposite the season premiere of Taxi, leading to a weekly series which lasted from 1982 to 1988. But when the series proper went into production, Loretta Swit was replaced by Meg Foster, who in turn was replaced by Sharon Gless (later the wife of executive producer Rosenzweig). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyne Daly, Loretta Swit, (more)
- 1995
New York's toughest lady detectives re-team to solve the murder of a homeless transient who had been terrorizing the residents of a posh apartment building with screaming threats, insults and physical intimidation. Though the cops think the culprit is another street person, Cagney and Lacey believe the real killer is one of the tenants, many of whom have ample reason to have murdered the boorish bum. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Gless, Tyne Daly, (more)
- 1992
Peter Falk returns as dishevelled Lieutenant Columbo in this 2-hour TV special. This time, Columbo investigates the murder of football-team owner Steve Forrest. The prime suspect is Forrest's nephew Greg Evigan, meaning of course that he "done it." Naturally, Evigan has an airtight alibi, but when has that ever stopped Columbo? Tyne Daly co-stars. Columbo: A Bird in the Hand originally aired November 22, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Actress Tyne Daly narrates this documentary which follows a group of American activists visiting Nicaragua in the 1980's. The vistors are witness as civil war rages between the Sandanista rebels, who had the support of much of the population, and the Contras, who not only had the backing of the Nigaraguan govenment, but the financial support of the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Based on a true story, this crime drama is adapted from Emily Mann's play about the murder of Harvey Milk (Peter Coyote), the first openly gay City Supervisor in San Francisco, who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone (Stephen Young) in 1978. While city employee Dan White (Timothy Daly) was found guilty of the crime, the charge was reduced from murder in the first degree to voluntary manslaughter when his lawyers claimed that White became emotionally unstable after eating too much junk food; this controversial and much-derided legal tactic became known as the "Twinkie Defense." White served five years in prison for the double murder before committing suicide in 1985. Execution of Justice was produced for the Showtime premium cable network. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Daly, Stephen Young, (more)
- 1991
In this touching drama, based on a magazine article by Mary Stuart, a wealthy socialite finds herself impoverished following her husband's sudden death. Across the street from her tiny apartment, there lives a bag lady in large cardboard box. The women, realizing that they have more in common than they thought, become good friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Heat of Anger is about a sharp female lawyer who defends a businessman charged with the murder of a blue-collar construction worker. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
The producers of In Search of America never declared outright that the made-for-TV film was intended as a series pilot, but there sure are plenty of loose plot ends. Carl Betz and Vera Miles play the parents of shaggy-haired college dropout Jeff Bridges. At the boy's suggestion, Betz and Miles pack their family--including grandma Ruth McDevitt--into a 1928 Greyhound bus and hit the road, in search of you-know-where. The picaresque plotline brings the family in contact with a variety of colorful characters. Written by Lewis John Carlino, a name that would mean a lot more to filmgoers after The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976), In Search of America was first telecast March 23, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Miles, Carl Betz, (more)
- 1986
In this drama, a nurse, interred in a Vietnamese prison camp for ten years, is finally released and goes home with her Asian son. There she finds difficulty adjusting to society and the fact that her husband has found a new life and a lover to boot. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1977
This grim made-for-TV domestic drama examines the terrible effects caused by spousal abuse. The story centers on the mental and physical battering endured by a wife at the hands of her troubled husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1970
This episode marks a rare joint appearance by actor James Daly and his daughter Tyne Daly. The elder Daly is cast as Judge McIntire, who is presently touring college campuses giving lectures about a controversial death sentence he'd levied eight years earlier. During a classroom re-enactment of the trial, McIntire is himself marked to death by an unknown party. Law student Mark (Don Mitchell) must rely upon his boss Ironside (Raymond Burr) to save the judge's life and ferreting out the would-be "executioner". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John and Mary attracted a great deal of press coverage in 1969 for being the one of the first American films in which the male and female leads (Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow) start out the film by spending the night together, rather than holding off until the end. The morning after, the boy and girl wander about New York, wondering if they'll truly commit themselves to one another. Both characters are haunted by unsuccessful earlier affairs, and both have enough hang-ups to fill volumes of psychological textbooks. Come nightfall, John and Mary end up back in bed...and learn each other's names for the first time. John and Mary was considered "beautiful," "progressive" and "significant" in the permissive 1960s; nowadays it's about as controversial as The CBS Morning News. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Mia Farrow, (more)
