Jack Denton Movies
Actor/comedian Jack Denton is best remembered for his portrayal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a role he played on both stage and screen. Following experience as a professional drummer, Denton worked as a stand-up comic and by the age of 22 became a writer for Milton Berle. He also worked as a deejay, a talk-show host and a writer for the local newspaper and has done announcing and voiceover work. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1986
A six-hour adaptation of Danielle Steel's best-selling novel, the ABC miniseries Crossings began on board a transatlantic ocean liner in 1938. In the course of a truly eventful sea voyage, a torrid romance developed between powerful American steel magnate Nick Burnham (Lee Horsley) and Liane DeVilliers (Cheryl Ladd), the wife of French ambassador Armand DeVilliers (Christopher Plummer). This indiscretion would ultimately embroil both characters in the political intrigues leading up to WWII, with a rousing denouement in Nazi-occupied France just after America's entry into the war. To give the project a semblance of verisimilitude, several prominent historical figures flitted in and out of the action, notably Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and France's Marshal Petain. Even so, most of the audience's interest was focused on the antics of Nick Burnham's hot-to-trot wife Hilary, played by Jane Seymour. Billed near the bottom of the huge cast was future Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer as "Craig Lawson." Partially filmed on the old British liner Queen Mary (then dry-docked as a tourist attraction), Crossings originally aired from February 23 to 25, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, Lee Horsley, (more)
"I'm in love with a mermaid!" read the opening line of Leonard Maltin's original review for Splash. And with the delightful Darryl Hannah in the lead, who could fault Maltin for his public declaration of ardor? The story begins in 1959, when a young boy is rescued from a watery grave by an adolescent mermaid. Twenty-five years later, the boy has grown up--and lo and behold, it's Tom Hanks. Meanwhile, the mermaid, likewise grown up, has surfaced in search of Hanks, her long-lost love. On dry land, the mermaid is able to walk about on legs; any contact with salt water, and she reverts to her half-fish form. Adopting the name of Madison from a New York street sign, the girl manages to win Hanks' heart. Alas, a secret government lab, populated by such smarmy types as Richard B. Shull and Eugene Levy, captures Madison for research purposes--and possible vivisection. Egged on by his brother John Candy, Hanks rescues his beloved, joining her in the ocean depths as a mer-man (mer-fellow? mer-guy?) A captivating confection from the peerless creative team of director Ron Howard and screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, Splash was a winner all the way--especially at the box office, where the $11 million film racked up a huge profit. Historical sidebar: Splash was the first release from Disney's Touchstone Pictures division. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, (more)
This effort from exploitation auteur Jack Hill was a profitable early entry in one of the most beloved subgenres of sexploitation cinema, the cheerleader movie. The soap opera-styled premise focuses on the lives of a squad of cheerleaders at Mesa University. Mary Ann (Colleen Camp) is worried with trying to get her roving football player boyfriend, Buck, to settle down and marry her; Lisa (Rosanne Katon) is caught up an in an affair with the married Professor Torpe (Jason Sommers); and Andrea (Rainbeaux Smith) frets over whether or not to give her virginity up. There is also a new cheerleader named Kate (Jo Johnston), who is actually a journalism student using the experience to write a feminist-slanted paper for her thesis. Kate soon learns that the cheerleaders and football players deserve more respect than she gives them and also uncovers a secret gambling ring involving the coach, Professor Torpe, and Mary Ann's father. The narrative that results from these surprisingly involved plot threads delivers all the raciness the title promises, and, thanks to the gambling subplot, even a bit of action. The Swinging Cheerleaders is less inspired and kinetic than Hill's other exploitation fare, but it delivers the sexploitation goods and manages to work in a little subversive social commentary to boot. As a result, it became a drive-in hit and earned a cult following amongst fans of drive-in movies. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jo Johnston, Cheryl Smith, (more)
- 1971
Esmerelda is in another funk and Samantha takes it upon herself to restore the maid/witch's confidence. To this end, Sam creates a magic mirror that makes Esmerelda seem younger and more attractive -- but only to herself. Even so, the results are quite surprising when Esmerelda is reunited with her 400-year-old warlock boyfriend, Ferdy (Tom Bosley). Originally telecast on April 8, 1971, "Samantha's Magic Mirror" was written by Ed Jurist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick Sargent, (more)
- 1969
Comic musician Jack Sheldon appears as self-styled fundraiser Freddie Kirby, who breezes into Hooterville with plans to raise money for a new church organ. The townsfolk eagerly agree to participate in Kirby's scheme to stage a benefit show, little suspecting that he intends to skip town with the dough the minute the final curtain falls. Steve (Mike Minor and the Bradley girls (Linda Kaye Henning, Meredith MacRae and Lori Saunders) sing "While Strolling Through the Park". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Two law-abiding citizens pose as ne'er-do-wells on choppers in this Sixties biker flick. The Hellcats are an outlaw motorcycle gang who spend their days swilling beer, looking for kicks and supporting their nomadic lifestyle by acting as drug mules for a small but powerful crime syndicate. An undercover cop was on the verge of infiltrating the Hellcats when the mobsters found him out and had him murdered; the late detective's fiancée Linda (Dee Duffy) meets his brother, former Army sergeant Monte (Ross Hagen), and they decide to pick up where he left off by posing as bikers and joining the gang to ferret out the killers. Monte and Linda soon discover that while the men do most of the carousing in the Hellcats, it's the biker mamas who do most of the work in transporting heroin, and Linda forms a dangerous alliance with Shelia (Sharyn Kinzie), the brains of the drug-running outfit to maintain her cover. Meanwhile, Monte finds Shelia is falling for his moody charm, despite Linda's clear disapproval. Del "Sonny" West, a member of Elvis Presley's "Memphis Mafia," appears in the supporting cast as a biker named Snake. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ross Hagen, Dee Duffy, (more)
- 1924
A daring young pugilist saves a woman from a terrible fate at the hands of gypsies in this silent British adventure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1924
This engaging fantasy is taken from the cartoons created by Bruce Bairnsfather. Old Bill (Syd Walker) is a veteran soldier who dreams he is a part of great moments in British history. He fights alongside William the Conqueror and witnesses the Boston Tea Party. Old Bill also meets William Shakespeare (Austin Leigh), Queen Elizabeth (Gladys Ffolliott), and Ann Hathaway (Franzi Carlos) in this historical fantasy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1921
A comic novel by Israel Zangwill resulted in 6 reels' worth of nonsense titled The Bachelor's Club. The hero is a henpecked husband whose worm turns when he inherits a fortune. Emboldened by his riches, hubby establishes a club for men who, like himself, have been browbeaten by their wives. This seminal version of Our Gang's He-Man Woman Haters' Club is doomed to failure thanks to a variety of humorous complications. The Bachelors' Club served as an early sampling of the comic expertise of Ernst Thesiger (Bride of Frankenstein). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Ernest Maltravers was based on a novel by Lord Lytton. Cowley Wright plays the title character, a wealthy man in love with less wealthy Alice Darvil (Lillian Hall Davis). After she saves his life, Alice disappears from Ernest Maltravers' life, to marry a man she does not love. Enduring several years of connubial hell, Alice is at last reunited with the hero. It's interesting that a film which argues against arranged marriages was written by a British aristocrat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1915
The Mark Melford play Flying From Justice was pared down to 4 reels' running time (approximately 50 minutes) for this 1915 screen treatment. Gregory Scott stars as Charles Baring a divinity student who falls into bad company. Accused of being an accomplice to a gang of counterfeiters, Baring is forced to hop it to the hinterlands. Heroine Winnie (Joan Ritz) does her best to clear Baring's name. Like many British programmers of the pre-WW I era, Flying From Justice seems to have deteriorated into nonexistence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1914
Frances Hodgon Burnett's popular novel Little Lord Fauntleroy was first adapted to the screen in this 6-reel British version. Master Gerald Royston plays the title character, aka Cedric Erroll, who is unwillingly separated from his widowed American mother "Dearest" (Jene Wells) when he falls heir to a British earldom. Winning over his crusty old grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt (H. Agar Lyons, Cedric is able to convince the old gent to welcome "Dearest" back into the family fold. But first, Cedric must foil a scheming pretender to his title. Filmed in the revolutionary Kinemacolor process (which required special -- and very expensive -- projection equipment), the first Little Lord Fauntleroy has been dwarfed by its better-known remakes, featuring such luminaries as Mary Pickford (in the dual role of Cedric and "Dearest"), Freddie Bartholomew, and Rick Schroder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
