Heather Angel Movies

During an outing in the park, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) see a mother bird shooing her children out of the nest. Somehow this causes the twins to worry that their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) will be lonely and miserable when they, too, "leave the nest." Clearly, there is only one solution to this future dilemma: The kids must play matchmaker between Bill and their pretty teacher Ms. Berry (Joan Freeman). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode focuses on the recurring character of housekeeper Emily Turner, played by the inimitable Nancy Walker). Even while trying to play matchmaker between butler Mr. French and nanny Miss Haversham (Heather Angel), Emily turns thumbs-down on a potential romance between her own Jim (Peter Duryea) and Cissy (Kathy Turner). The Davis family is angry about this, believing that Emily is putting herself down by thinking that Jim isn't good enough for Cissy...but strangely, the opposite turns out to be the case! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tired of being taken for granted by kids and adults alike, Mr. French leaps at the opportunity to assert his authority and influence when his old friend Cedric (Michael Allinson) asks French to talk Cedric's daughter Anne (Jill Townsend) out of her plans to become an actress. Alas, things don't quite work out for French when, at the urging of the kids, Bill arranges an important audition for Annie, wherupon she lands a good small role in a Broadway play. Now feeling more useless and powerless than ever, French is shakens out of his doldrums only by a surprise plot twist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In an incredible turn of events, the very proper and above-board Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) has become involved in a rather nasty scandal. Someone has been sending poison-pen letters to the nonplussed butler, linking his name with that of a young English lady. Playing detective, Bill (Brian Keith) tries to determine the source of the nasty letters--and both he and Mr. French are in for quite a surprise. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this unusually serious episode, Dana Andrews guest-stars as Harv Mullen, ex-convict. Recently released from prison, Harv drops in on his old friend Bill (Brian Keith), hoping to get a job. Unfortunately, Harv's visit is marred by the self-conscious behavior of twins Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker), who regard him as a threat; by Cissy (Kathy Garver), who idealistically aspires to "rehabilitate" the man; and by Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), who will have nothing to do with a former lawbreaker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Still bristling at the thought of being a "nanny", Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) is further aggravated by the joshing he is receiving from his fellow valets. Clearly, the time has come for Mr. French to assert his dignity--and manhood. And somehow, French's determination translates to thoughts of matrimony, a prospect that thrills and delights the many female nannies in his circle of friends! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Theorizing that an apartment in downtown Manhattan is no place to raise three children, Bill (Brian Keith) decides to purchase a big house in the suburbs. Upon visiting their prospective new home, Cissy (Kathy Garver), Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) express an abundance of pleasure and satisfaction. This, however, is merely an expert job of acting: The kids would rather stay in New York, but they play along with Bill because they think a suburban life is what HE really wants! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Misunderstanding a situation as usual, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) try to play matchmaker for Mr. Nigel French (John Williams) and Miss Faversham (Heather Angel). Likewise misunderstanding the same situation is Mr. French, who thinks that the twins are trying to get him to resign because he has punished them harshly. Thus, French goes in the entirely opposite direction and begins treating the kids like royalty--and of course, things go rapidly downhill from there! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

For a school assignment, Cissy (Kathy Garver) decides to write a paper about Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot). Dogging the man's trail one Thursday afternoon, Cissy discovers a shocking secret about Mr. French: each week at the same time, he has a mysterious rendezvous with an English matron named Mrs. Allenby (Kathryn Givney). Upon learning the wistfully poignant reasons for French's covert behavior, Cissy lets slip that she knows all about his Thursday meetings--with near-disastrous results. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Roger Corman's success with low-budget adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe tales continued with this third installment, the first to lack the commanding presence of Vincent Price. Instead, we have Ray Milland as tormented protagonist Guy Carrell, who is so traumatized by the death of his father -- whom he believes was entombed alive after suffering a cataleptic attack -- that he becomes convinced that he will meet a similar demise. Guy's mounting dementia rapidly undermines his recent marriage to the lovely Emily (Hazel Court), particularly after he begins the construction of a specially designed crypt rigged with numerous escape devices. Encouraged by Emily to face his fears, Guy decides to view his father's remains, to prove once and for all whether he died peacefully. When the crypt is opened, however, what he finds there is so horrifying that he succumbs to a cataleptic episode himself, which doctors misdiagnose as a fatal heart attack... and Guy's worst fear soon becomes a reality. Milland's performance conveys the requisite amount of hand-wringing torment (in the mode of The Lost Weekend), even if he fails to capture the manic intensity that Price brought to the other Poe films. Corman's deft direction, employing a rich palette of colors and superb widescreen compositions, is on a par with the series' finest installments. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

A pet project of Walt Disney's since 1939, this animated version of James M. Barrie's Peter Pan reached full fruition in 1953. Eschewing much of Barrie's gentle whimsy (not to mention the more sinister aspects of the leading character), Disney and his staff fashioned a cheery, tuneful cartoon extravaganza, which cost $4 million and reaped several times that amount. The straightforward story concerns the Darling family, specifically the children: Wendy, Michael and John. Wendy enjoys telling her younger siblings stories about the mythical Peter Pan, the little boy who never grew up. One night, much to everyone's surprise, Peter flies into the Darling nursery, in search of his shadow, which Wendy had previously captured. Sprinkling the kids with magic pixie dust, Peter flies off to Never-Never Land, with Wendy, Michael and John following behind. Once in Peter's domain, the children are terrorized by Captain Hook, who intends to capture Peter and do away with him.

After rescuing Indian princess Tiger Lily from Captain Hook, Peter must save the children, not to mention his own "Lost Boys," from the diabolical pirate captain. In addition, he must contend with the jealousy of tiny sprite Tinker Bell, who doesn't like Wendy one little bit. Breaking with several traditions, Peter had been played by a girl in all previous incarnations, Tinker Bell had always been depicted by a shaft of light, etc ... this "Disneyized" version of Peter Pan may not be authentic James Barrie, but it has never failed to enthrall audiences of all ages. Adding to the fun are the spirited voiceover performances by Bobby Driscoll (Peter), Hans Conried (Captain Hook and Mr. Darling), Kathryn Beaumont (Wendy) and Bill Thompson (Smee), and the sprightly songs by Sammy Cahn, Sammy Fain, Ollie Wallace, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Frank Churchill and Jack Lawrence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, an egomaniacal producer freely treads upon those around him without regard to the harm he does. The devoted wife of a novelist sees this after the producer foists himself on her during a party; she tries to warn her novelist husband who wants the man to produce his play, but he does not listen. Later the producer tries to destroy his own girl friend's career by spreading vicious rumors; he succeeds and she loses her contract. Meanwhile the writer and his wife, thanks to the producer's manipulation, have separated. The writer is then forced to revise the play. The result is so bad that he cannot attract the actor he wanted to play his leading man. The novelist's wife gets her revenge on the producer by showing an original draft of the play to the actor her husband wanted. He is impressed and helps her find another producer. When the husband hears about his wife's actions he immediately returns, but not before punching the egotistical producer in the eye. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi