Dee Carroll Movies

The formal title for this TV mini-series was Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue, just in case you might mistake it for William Makepeace Thackeray's 79 Park Avenue. Originally presented in three parts, this adaptation of the Robbins best-seller stars Lesley Ann Warren as Marja Fludjicki, a Depression-era tenement girl who is accused of murdering her drunken stepfather. Part One details how Marja's "crime" was justifiable; she'd been raped by the bounder. Parts Two and Three would trace Marja's progress from teenaged prostitute to elegant, high-priced Park Avenue Madam--and mob mistress. Forced by circumstance into a life of prostitution, Marja marries Las Vegas high-roller Ross Savitch (Marc Singer). Ross is bumped off by the Syndicate, leaving Marja in the lurch. Marja rebounds from tragedy to become a federal witness against the Mob. 79 Park Avenue was first telecast on October 16, 17, and 18, 1977. Though all the names are changed, it isn't hard to discern the Bugsy Siegel story in this video equivalent to eating a whole box of chocolates in one sitting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nurse-in-training Mary Ellen Walton (Judy-Norton Taylor) makes the wrong diagnosis, and it is her own Grandma (Ellen Corby) who suffers. Elsewhere on the medical front, the Mountain's doctor (Victor Izay), fed up with working on a barter rather than cash basis, is on the verge of quitting. Meanwhile, Erin Walton (Mary Beth McDonough) takes her first job, as assistant to fussy switchboard operator Fanny Tatum (Sheila Allen). Be assured that all three of these plot strands will be interwoven by fadeout time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tonight's case log for Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) includes their high-speed pursuit of a teenage robber. And elsewhere, the two cops confront a gun-wielding father (Raymond Mayo) who has held his daughter (Mia Bendixsen) a virtual prisoner for nearly all her life. Among the "perps" on this occasion is ex-convict Reno West (Jed Allan, whom Jim and Pete will hear much more from in a later episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shirley MacLaine plays Charity Hope Valentine who, despite her job at a seedy dime-a-dance joint, is an incurable optimist. Charity never stops looking for true love and never seems to look for it in the right places. We first see her in the company of Charlie (Dante DiPaolo), a slimeball who steals her purse and pushes her into the Central Park pond. Next she stumbles into a one-night stand with Vittorio Vidal (Ricardo Montalban), an egotistical movie star; this comes to nothing when Vittorio's contrite girlfriend Ursula (Barbara Bouchet) comes calling, forcing Charity to spend the night hiding in the closet. Desperate to escape the dance hall, Charity heads to an employment agency, where a bureaucratic clerk (Alan Hewitt) informs her that she has no qualifications. Unhappily, Charity heads for the elevator, where she becomes trapped with the very shy -- and very claustrophobic -- Oscar Lindquist (John McMartin). Once they've gotten out of the stalled elevator, Charity begins dating Oscar, never telling him of her checkered past or her sordid dance-hall job. Oscar eventually finds out but assures her that it doesn't matter. However, at the engagement party held at the dance hall, Oscar's puritanical streak emerges. He walks out on Charity, leaving her alone and heartbroken once more. With the help of a group of flower children (among them Bud Cort and Kristoffer Tabori), Charity is able to pick herself up and start living "Hopefully Ever After." Sweet Charity was adapted from the 1965 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the 1957 Fellini flick Nights of Cabiria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A pair of crooks conspire to rob the ticket booth at the Los Angeles Coliseum during a Rams game. Before they can perform the heist, the two must find precisely the right henchmen to join them. Each potential gang member must undergo a rigorous test of skill. Thanks to care and precise planning, the caper comes off smoothly and afterward the gang leader (Jim Brown) hides the money in the apartment of his ex-wife (Diahann Carroll). She only agrees to keep the money on the provision that he reform so they can get back together. Unfortunately, the wife's lust-crazed landlord (James Whitmore) busts into her house the next day and tries to rape her. During the struggle he kills her and then takes the loot. Later a crooked cop (Gene Hackman) investigates. Meanwhile, when the gang members learn that the loot is missing, they suspect a double-cross and engage in a huge battle. The cop finds the money and at first keeps it for himself. The head crook eventually figures out that the cop has it and so goes to him to make a little deal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Ed Stander (Robert Morse), with the help of an all-star cast, teaches Paul Manning (Walter Matthau) the fine art of philandering in A Guide for the Married Man. Paul, happily married to sexy Ruth (Inger Stevens), has no burning desire to cheat, but Ed makes the prospect sound very attractive. Finally taking the "big step" with a glamorous brunette after months of careful preparation, Paul finds that he loves his wife way too much to betray her -- while the ever-careful Ed ends up in divorce court. Among the myriad of "advisors" peppered throughout Guide for the Married Man are Art Carney, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Jayne Mansfield, Terry-Thomas, and Carl Reiner. The best guest-star vignette features Joey Bishop as a man caught in bed with another woman by his wife -- whereupon he calmly puts on his clothes, straightens up the room, and quietly responds to his wife's outrage by saying "What bed? What girl?" Adapted by Frank Tarloff from his book of the same name, Guide for the Married Man was directed by Gene Kelly, who makes a cameo "appearance" of his own as a voice on a TV set. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The posh St. Gregory Hotel in New Orleans is the setting for this drama based on a popular novel by Arthur Hailey. Trent (Melvyn Douglas) is the long-time owner who realizes that the hotel is in dire financial straits. Trent calls on faithful manager Peter McDermott (Rod Taylor) to try and bring about the necessary reversal of fortune so that they can stay in business. After the Duke (Michael Rennie) and Duchess (Merle Oberon) of Lanbourne check in, the Duke is involved in a vehicular homicide after he has too much to drink. His car is traced back to the St. Gregory by hotel detective Dupere (Richard Conte), who blackmails the Duke. Although not on the same level of Grand Hotel, the film contains first-rate performances from a fine cast portraying a variety of eccentric guests. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Why have the millionaire Clampetts taken temporary department-store jobs during the Christmas season? It turns out that they have been motivated by sweet charity. Through yet another of the misunderstandings that crop up on this series with alarming frequency, the Clampetts are convinced that Mrs. Drysdale has gone broke -- and they're determined to help her out, whether she likes it or not. "The Christmas Present" first aired on December 21, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arthur O'Connell guest stars as William Lawrence, a new arrival at the Shady Rest Hotel. Clearly a man of wealth, Lawrence claims to be a rocket scientist. But ever-suspicious Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) is convinced that Lawrence is actually a wanted bank robber--and, characteristically, he makes an utter fool of himself to prove his theory! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Board of Education warns that Munsters that little Eddie's grades must improve immediately or he'll be expelled. To this end, Eddie (Butch Patrick) builds a robot for an upcoming science fair. Alas, the robot is accidentally sabotaged just before its unveiling--compelling Herman (Fred Gwynne) to come to the rescue in his inimitable flat-headed, flat-footed fashion! Dick Simmons, the former star of the popular 1950s adventure series Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, appears as Mr. Balding. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode is based on a mystery story penned by no less than Ellery Queen. When his son is mysteriously murdered, religious fanatic John Cooley (R.G. Armstrong) embarks upon a "mission from God" to wreak vengeance for the boy's death. Using a fragmentary clue found at the murder scene, Cooley heads to the small town of Northfield, where he holds the populace in a grip of terror. Hoping to prevent Cooley from destroying the town, Northfield sheriff Will Pearce (Dick York) sets about to solve the murder himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wally (Tony Dow) considers himself the luckiest teen on Earth when the wealthy and "sophisticated" Myra (Pamela Beaird) agrees to date him. There's only one problem -- Myra has made clear that she would like Wally to purchase an orchid for her corsage. This of course, requires more money than Wally has ever seen in his life -- and his dad Ward (Hugh Beaumont) isn't about to lend it to him. This was the first Leave It to Beaver episode directed by Norman Abbott, a future fixture of such '70s sitcoms as Sanford and Son (and incidentally, fans of the first Back to the Future will instantly recognize the exterior of Wally's high school). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a US marshal escorts five female killers across Texas to prison. Along the way, they are ambushed by Indians and by one of the women's outlaw husbands. They must also endure the rugged terrain, weather, and romantic yearnings. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide