Kim Darby Movies
Kim Darby's assertive acting style was likened by one film historian to "a 1938 Judy Garland forever waiting to burst into song." The daughter of "The Dancing Zerbies," Kim was a stage performer from childhood, when she was billed as Derby Zerby. Her short stature and cherubic face enabled Kim to play teenagers well into her twenties. After several TV appearances, she began her film career in 1965, reaching a peak with the role of Maddie Ross in True Grit (1968). Forever feisty, Kim earned one of the biggest laughs in 1977's The One and Only when she decked Henry Winkler with a one-two punch. Kim Darby has continued in secondary roles into the 1990s, recently making a guest appearance on that crowded way-station for former celebrities, TV's Murder She Wrote. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on the actual events of one of the most horrific cases of child abuse ever to be documented, this haunting drama tells the tale of a young girl so severely affected by her traumatic experiences that she was unable to integrate into society after being rescued from her tormenting parents. When thirteen-year-old Katie Standon (Tarra Steele) was discovered in the early days of November 1970, the nation was shocked to learn that she had been isolated by her parents for fourteen years; spending her days in a closet wearing diapers and unable to utter a word. Assigned to social worker Sandra (Melissa Errico), Katie attempts to reintegrate herself into society, though her progress is tragically hindered by abusive Dr. Judy Bingham (Sean Young). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Errico, Joe Regalbuto, (more)
In this thriller, John McNamara (Michael Rooker) is an investigative reporter whose desire to root out a juicy story has not endeared him to many of the people he's written about, and he's lost a few jobs in the process. John wants to hold on to his latest job, but when he's assigned to write about a nuclear power plant that has recently opened, he discovers the plant's manager, Jake McCallum (Judge Reinhold), is the center of a web of corruption that has ensnarled the city's government -- including John's father (Robert Culp). Now John is determined to bring the story to the people, but McCallum's forces are just as determined to stop him. Newsbreak also stars Kelly Miller, Kim Darby, Greg Mullavey, and David Proval.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Rooker, Judge Reinhold, (more)
Two teenagers, each dealing with a different set of emotional burdens, find love and understanding with each other in The Last Best Sunday. Lolly Ann (Angela Bettis) is a high-school student in Pickley, a small agricultural community in California where she's growing up under the thumb of her strict, deeply religious mother (Kim Darby). Joseph (Douglas Spain), on the other hand, is struggling to get along without his parents; he came to Pickley with his family as migrant workers, but opted to stay on after his folks left so he could finish his final year of high school and earn his diploma. However, Joseph finds Hispanics are not always welcome here; a pair of bullies beat him savagely, and when he tries to get revenge, he finds town's bigoted sheriff (William Lucking) is after him. On the run, Joseph breaks into what he thinks is an empty house, only to find Lolly Ann at home while her parents are away for the weekend. Once she overcomes her initial fear and distrust, Lolly Ann finds she has a lot more in common with Joseph than she thought, and a grudging respect soon grows into affection. The Last Best Sunday was directed by Don Most, who as Donny Most is best remembered for playing Ralph Malf on the sit-com Happy Days; his former co-star Marion Ross briefly appears in a supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Spain, Angela Bettis, (more)
- 1995
Hollywood is abuzz with the news that a film completed back in 1960, but shelved after its director died mysteriously, has been rediscovered and restored. This takes place at a studio that has become a target for a wide variety of movie pirates--and not a few dedicated film buffs. When one of those buffs is killed, Jessica suspects that a murder has been committed, and that this killing is tied in with the death that occurred way back in the sixties. Featured in the cast is a young James Caviezel, who a decade later would star in Mel Gibson's controversial The Passion of the Christ. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- R
- Add Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers to QueueAdd Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers to top of Queue
Picking up six years after the events of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, this competently produced but ultimately disappointing sequel attempts to tie up the uneven horror series' loose ends with a less-than-convincing resolution. This installment opens with Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy), young niece of supernatural psycho-killer Michael Myers, giving birth on an altar amid a mysterious Druid ceremony. Before she is killed by her monstrous uncle, Jamie manages to leave her baby in the care of young Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd), who has pursued a lifelong obsession with the horrific Myers family legacy in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Living with members of the Strode family, Tommy comes to suspect that one of them, little Danny Strode (Devin Gardner), is cursed with the same malevolent power that drove Michael to murder several members of his family. When Michael arrives in Haddonfield to find and destroy Jamie's baby, Tommy joins forces with Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Michael's ex-psychiatrist and a life-long crusader against his sinister former patient, to find the connection between Michael and the Man in Black and end the curse once and for all. Released shortly after Pleasence's death, this confusing, horribly-edited blend of tired slasher clichés and X-Files-inspired subplots is a poor testament to the long career of the distinguished and compelling character actor. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Pleasence, Mitchell Ryan, (more)
- 1990
- R
A man sets out on a dangerous journey in order to save the life of the woman he loves in this politically charged drama from South Korea. Yeong-su (Cha In-pyo) was once a noted professional soccer player, but since his career came to an unexpected halt, he's struggled to support his wife and family, which has become all the more difficult since his wife developed a serious illness. Yeong-su learns of a drug that could help his wife, but while it's available in South Korea, he's living in North Korea. Throwing caution to the wind, Yeong-su pays a smuggler to sneak him into South Korea with hopes of finding the needed medicine, but his plan takes an unexpected and dangerous turn. As Yeong-su struggles to make his way home, his son Jun (Shin Myeong-cheol) is locked up in a prison camp for juveniles, and when a handful of other kids try to make a break for freedom, Jun joins them. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danielle Spencer, Russell Crowe, (more)
- 1987
- PG
Jason Bateman stars in this sequel to Teen Wolf as the original's cousin, Todd. Though not a boxer, he receives a college boxing scholarship, and upon discovering that he is afflicted with the same werewolf genetics, transforms from unremarkable to unbelievable. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Bateman, Kim Darby, (more)
- 1985
First Steps was inspired by a widely-seen, enthusiastically received 1982 piece on 60 Minutes. Amy Steel plays Nan Davis, a young woman totally paralyzed in an auto accident. Judd Hirsch costars as Dr. Jerold Petrovsky, a bioengineer who attaches computerized electrodes to Nan to enable her to reclaim her muscle power. After many torturous months, this state-of-art physical therapy works magnificently, and Nan is able to take ten steps on her own at her college graduation. While the technique was still rather controversial at the time First Steps was telecast, there was no denying that it had worked in the case of Nan Davis, who eventually became the subject of two 60 Minutes follow-ups and reams of upbeat magazine articles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judd Hirsch, Amy Steel, (more)
- 1985
Nick Mancuso stars in the made-for-TV Embassy. Cast as an American ambassador stationed in Rome, Mancuso's life is thrown into turmoil by a crucial computer chip. When not trying to keep U.S. defense secrets from falling into the wrong hands, he must juggle the affections of his press-attache-girlfriend, (Mimi Rogers), and his girlfriend's chief rival (Blanche Baker). Embassy was intended as the 2-hour pilot for a weekly series; it didn't sell, but Nick Mancuso's next venture in the TV-pilot field, Stingray, proved successful. Embassy was initially telecast on April 21, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Most animation aficionados of the 1990s know "Savage Steve Holland" as the cocreator (with Bill Kopp) of the all-stops-out TV cartoon series Eek! The Cat. But Holland had been exercising his own peculiar brand of deviltry on live characters long before Eek! came into being. In Holland's Better Off Dead, John Cusack plays a lovestruck teenager, hopelessly enamored with Amanda Wyss. When she dumps him in favor of a more popular high-schooler, the boy's entire day quickly goes to Hell. In the words of Hamlet, all occasions do inform against Cusack: he is bullied, tormented and torn apart by everyone from the paperboy (who seemingly turns up everywhere) to the disembodied voice of a radio deejay. Cusack attempts suicide, but his efforts are just as unsuccessful-and amusing-as Bud Cort's in Harold and Maude. Meanwhile, French exchange student Diane Franklin, held a virtual prisoner by her host family, develops a long-distance crush on Cusack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, (more)
- 1984
The duplicitous owner (James Coco) of a popular theme park engages Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to design a "house of horror". Shortly, thereafter, the owner is murdered in his underground office--an "impossible" crime, inasmuch as the office was securely locked from the inside. Inasmuch as the wife of investigating detective Lt. Donovan (James Stephens) is Jessica's niece Carol , it is perhaps a "given" that our heroine will take a hand in solving the murder. Incidentally, the two Donovan children are played by a very young Joaquin Phoenix (here billed as "Leaf") and his sister Summer Phoenix. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
In this suspenseful thriller, the happy family life of a married couple is dangerously disrupted by a wicked, seductive baby-sitter who wants their children for her own. She is ready to kill for the privilege and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1982
A wilderness-loving man must clear himself of a wrongful murder charge and rescue his daughter who may be sent to an orphanage in this made-for-TV movie. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Haggerty, Chuck Connors, (more)
- 1980
This made-for-TV historical drama chronicles the personal and professional lives of Colonel Tibbets and the airmen who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The story is based on a book by Gordon Thomas and Max Gordon Witts and also looks at the ways in which the aftermath of the bombing affected their lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Flatbed Annie is played by Annie Potts; her sidekick Sweetiepie, aka Ginny La Rosa, is played by Kim Darby. Annie is a hard-bitten veteran, Sweetiepie a starry-eyed novice. Harry Dean Stanton co-stars as a mean, nasty, awful bad guy who wants to repossess the girls' truck. The plot is further complicated by a gang of hijackers. Fred Willard plays Sweetiepie's hubby, while Arthur Godfrey, of all people, is the lovable Special Guest Star. And they hoped that this thing would graduate into a weekly TV series, did they? Flatbed Annie & Sweetiepie: Lady Truckers was first telecast February 10, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Based on the best-selling novel by Anton Myrer, the three-part NBC miniseries The Last Convertible chronicles the lives of five former Harvard roommates, all of whom share the titular Packard automobile. Beginning with the quintet's graduation in 1944, the teleplay by Philip de Guere, Stephen McPherson, and Clyde Ware covers an eventful 30 years, during which time the male protagonists all take turns romancing resident heroine Chris Farris (Deborah Raffin). Perry King is top-billed as Russ Currier, with Bruce Boxleitner as George Virdon, Edward Albert as Ron Dalrymple, John Shea as Terry Garrigan, and Michael Nouri as Jean des Barres. An Emmy nomination was bestowed upon Pete Rugolo's musical score. Originally telecast from September 24 to 26, 1979, The Last Convertible was, incredibly, intended as the pilot for a weekly series, though one would assume that the story possibilities had been pretty much exhausted during the inaugural six hours. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Brash young Andy Schmidt (Henry Winkler) can't make a go of it as an actor in the early 1950s. Still, he wins the hand of Mary Crawford (Kim Darby), and the two of them try to make ends meet in New York City. Andy is on the verge of starvation when he befriends wrestling-promoter Sidney Seltzer (Gene Saks). At last, Andy has found the perfect outlet for his overbaked performing style: he becomes "The One and Only," a Gorgeous George-like professional wrestler. Though his ring career skyrockets, Andy's private life suffers until his wife Mary lets him know (with a mean uppercut!) who's going to be boss. Like many of director Carl Reiner's directorial efforts, the real strength in The One and Only lies in its impeccable supporting cast, ranging from Polly Holliday as Darby's mother to Herve Villechaize as a horny midget "rassler." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Winkler, Kim Darby, (more)
- 1976
More ambitious and expensive than ABC's first "novel for television" miniseries QB VII, the eight-episode, 12-hour Rich Man, Poor Man was the one that truly put the genre on the map, its phenomenal success in the ratings making possible the even more spectacular Roots. Adapted from the mammoth novel by Irwin Shaw, the miniseries covers the years from WWII to the 1960s, detailing the vacillating fortunes of the immigrant Jordache brothers. "Rich Man" Rudy Jordache (Peter Strauss) is determined to use his hard-earned education -- and his inherent ruthlessness -- to carve out a business and political empire not unlike that enjoyed by Joseph P. Kennedy and his progeny. "Poor Man" Tom Jordache (Nick Nolte), a quick-fisted hothead, goes an entirely different route, first as a professional boxer, then as a functionary of the evil gangster chieftain Falconetti (William Smith). Naturally, both brothers become entangled in romance along the way, with Julie Prescott (Susan Blakely) ending up as Rudy's benighted spouse. Originally telecast on February 1, 2, 9, 16, 23, and March 1, 8, and 15 in 1976, Rich Man, Poor Man earned 20 Emmy nominations and led to a weekly sequel, Rich Man, Poor Man -- Book 2, in the fall of 1976 (this version necessitated a title change for the original, which was rebroadcast as Rich Man, Poor Man -- Book 1 in the spring of 1977). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, (more)
- 1975
In this sad French romance, a factory owner gives up everything to win the love of a hooker who loves only her job. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mireille Darc, Pierre Mondy, (more)
- 1975
In this first episode of Baretta's second season, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) goes after heroin dealers who are trafficking in a very pure, and very lethal, grade of the addictive drug. Singer-composer Paul Williams, who co-wrote the script, guest stars as a music emporium owner who sidelines as a dope pusher -- and who is unwittingly doling out the deadly "horse." Edward Grover joins the cast as Lt. Hal Brubaker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1975
Kim Darby smells a rat when two of her roommates answer a want ad, but fail to return from the interview. The police are sympathetic but ineffective, so Darby follows the tradition of every other foolhardy murder-mystery heroine. She--have you caught on yet?--she answer the ad herself. Good Salary - Prospects - Free Coffin will seem new to those who've never seen the 1948 Lucille Ball vehicle Lured (or for that matter the French film upon which Lured is based, 1937's Pieges). This videotaped 90-minute thriller was first telecast on ABC's Wide World Mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Clyde Ware both scripted and directed this made-for-TV biopic. Martin Sheen stars as Floyd, a depression-era farmboy who (it says here) turns to crime to avoid starving to death. Sheen's real-life brother Joseph Estevez plays Floyd's younger brother in this 73-minute film. As an added fillip, the 92-year-old mother of the genuine Pretty Boy Floyd appears in the film's prologue. Originally titled The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd, this film was first telecast on May 7, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The lighthearted title of this made-for-TV film deftly sets the mood for the 74 minutes to follow. Ben Murphy stars as a rogueish Wild Bill Hickok, carrying on with an incongruously glamorous Calamity Jane (Kim Darby). Amidst the gambling and lovemaking, Will Bill must fend off a gang of vengeful gunslingers. This being a Roy Huggins production, we shouldn't be amazed that Rockford Files regular Stuart Margolin shows up as "Blind Pete". Also starring Jane Alexander (who'd later play Calamity Jane herself) and Tony Franciosa, This is the West That Was premiered December 17, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In this western, Wild Bill Hickock and his gal Calamity Jane have numerous adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
