Dena Dietrich Movies
Ambitious young advertising man Phillip Fielder (Chad Lowe) has no time for relationships, and seems to have affection only for his creature comforts -- a source of great dismay for his erstwhile girlfriend, Holly Ford (Marin Hinkle). When his orphaned nephew, an autistic eight-year-old named Zachary (K'Sun Ray), comes to live in Phillip's lavish apartment, Phillip wants no part of surrogate fatherhood and tries to pass the youngster along to his cousin Rose (Miriam Flynn), who happens to live near a group home for special children. But Zach nixes this idea and insists upon living with Phillip, thus throwing together two extremely self-absorbed, obsessive-compulsive characters under one roof. This being a Hallmark Channel presentation, Fielder's Choice will undoubtedly work its way toward a happy and heartwarming finale, though it definitely takes some doing! The film made its TV bow on June 18, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
If not the best new drama series of the 2001-2002 TV season, Philly bade fair to be the loudest and most abrasive. NYPD Blue alumnus Kim Delaney stars as idealistic law school graduate Kathleen Maguire, who, after her divorce from assistant DA Daniel X. Cavanaugh (Kyle Secor), put out her shingle as a Philadelphia defense attorney. When Kathleen's partner Marion (Joanna Cassidy) suffers a nervous breakdown, she reluctantly goes into business with highly unethical lawyer Will Friedman (Tom Everett Scott), thereby launching a series-long shoutfest between the two strange bedfellows. If Will weren't headache enough, Kathleen also has to deal with slimy clients, ill-tempered judges, and a seemingly endless parade of eccentric courtroom habitué, most of whom have nothing but sex on their brains. Providing a bit of moral support and affection to the long-suffering Kathleen is her outspoken ten-year-old son Patrick (Scotty Leavenworth). It should be noted that a number of genuine Philadelphia lawyers actively disliked the series, labeling it "unrealistic" and "insulting" -- but they never said it wasn't entertaining. Executive-produced by the prolific Stephen Bochco, the weekly, 60-minute Philly was supposed to have been unveiled by ABC on September 18, 2001, but the network's coverage of the World Trade Center tragedy pushed the debut date up to September 25. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Delaney, Tom Everett Scott, (more)
- 1997
To prove to Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) that he has good business sense, Cory (Ben Savage) takes advantage of Feeny's absence to transform his teacher's home into a Bed & Breakfast. As for Feeny, he and Eric (Will Friedle) unexpectedly become close friends while vacationing at a hotel; in fact, there's a fascinating role reversal when Eric provides comfort and advice to an unlucky-in-love Feeny! And incidentally, where did Shawn (Rider Strong) learn how to speak Dutch? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Now that Phil has passed away, the ownership of the Bullpen, the "FYI" gang's favorite waterhole, passes to Phil's widow Phyllis (Dena Dietrich). When she puts the bar up for sale, the "FYI"-ers decide to take over the place, hoping to preserve its nostalgic ambience while making a few--er--improvements. But they haven't reckoned with another player--namely, Phil's somewhat addlepated son Phil Jr. (Pat Finn). Radio host Larry King and former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro) appear as themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
As the Sipowicz-Costas nuptuals approach, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) expresses a desire to get married quickly in a Maryland civil service, while Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence) wants a big, fat Greek Orthodox Wedding. Back on the job, Sipowicz and Simone (Jimmy Smits) investigate an execution-style multiple slaying at an upstate restaurant. And in the midst of a rape investigation, Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) expresses jealousy when his partner Lesniak (Justine Miceli) is reunited with her high-school friend Paul (Tom Verica), who happens to be the doctor tending to the elderly rape victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In the conclusion of Murphy Brown's two-part second season finale, Corky (Faith Ford) develops a bad case of pre-nuptual jitters on the eve of her marriage to Will Forrest (Scott Bryce). Yes, this will mean that she will soon be known as Corky Sherwood-Forrest--and this as much as anything is making her reconsider going through with the wedding. It is up to Murphy (Candice Bergen) to make sure that the ceremony proceeds as planned. . .though in all fairness, Murphy is given a bit of help by the soul-singing Temptations. Frances Bergen, real-life mother of Candice Bergen, appears as Will's mom, while Entertainment Tonight's Leeza Gibbons and John Tesh and telejournalist Kathleen Sullivan show up as "themselves." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When a conniving Montana thief (Corbin Bernsen) decides to rob the local bank, he organizes a gang of four to meet at a remote cabin to initiate the crime. The ringleader is delayed, however, by a pair of ineffective cops. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hoyt Axton, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
- 1981
- R
- Add History of the World -- Part I to QueueAdd History of the World -- Part I to top of Queue
Mel Brooks produced, directed, wrote, and starred in this episodic comedy in the spirit of Monty Python and the 1957 studio travesty The Story of Mankind. The film is divided into five sequences that play like blue-toned Eddie Cantor vaudeville sketches -- "The Dawn of Man," "The Stone Age," The Spanish Inquisition," "The Bible," and "The Future." Also included is a Brooksian depiction of The Last Supper and a long-winded sequence about the French Revolution. The film starts with a 2001: A Space Odyssey parody, narrated by Orson Welles, in which a collection of ape-men learn to stand erect (in more ways than one). The Stone Age reveals the origins of both the first homo sapien and homosexual marriages. Brooks then appears in an Old Testament sequence as Moses, descending from Mount Sinai with three heavy stone tablets bearing the 15 Commandments; after he drops one of these tablets, the laws of God become 10 Commandments. The Roman period picks up with Brooks as Comicus, attempting to get a gig as a "stand-up philosopher" at Caesar's Palace. The Spanish Inquisition is a musical production number with monks torturing Jews to lively Broadway musical strains. The final French revolution section is a broad parody of The Man in the Iron Mask story. The film closes with coming attractions of "History of the World, Part II" that features a rousing Star Wars parody (anticipating Space Balls) called "Jews in Space" that includes a jaunty theme song. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1980
The sequel to the popular 1979 TV movie And Baby Makes Six, Baby Comes Home reteams Colleen Dewhurst and Warren Oates as middle-agers who find themselves the parents of a newborn child. The first film dealt with the impact of the 47-year-old mother's unexpected pregnancy on her three grown children, as well as on her own well-ordered lifestyle. The sequel concentrates on the alienating effect that Dewhurst's affection towards her baby has on the rest of her family. Both And Baby Makes Six and Baby Comes Home were intended as pilot films for a weekly series, though one wonders if the ever-busy Colleen Dewhurst would have found the time to star in such a project. The point is a moot one: The series never sold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- PG
In this low-budget adventure a teen-aged dweeb becomes a success when he starts up a subversive rolling radio station and plays music banned by the FCC. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
One of the bigger non-cartoon moneymakers for Disney in the 1970s, The North Avenue Irregulars is predicated on the premise of the "Neighborhood Watch" system. Priest Michael Hill (Edward Herrmann), newly arrived on North Avenue, decides to buck the patriarchal notions of his superiors by delegating church responsibilities to the neighborhood women. Since the ladies include Vickie, Jane, Anne, Claire and Rose (Barbara Harris, Karen Valentine, Susan Clark, Cloris Leachman and Patsy Kelly), we're well primed for a surfeit of feistiness. Father Michael entrusts the church funds to Rose, who loses it all at the race track. In trying to retrieve the cash, he comes up against an influential bookie ring, controlled by several of the above-suspicion town officials. The wily priest responds by organizing the ladies of his congregation into the North Avenue Irregulars, a two-fisted crimefighting unit. There's slapstick aplenty within the film's 99 minutes, including the expected comic car crash. North Avenue Irregulars is based on a (drawn-from-life?) novel by the Reverend Albert Fay Hill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Herrmann, Barbara Harris, (more)
- 1978
In this romantic comedy, a news anchorwoman's prenuptial jitters increase dramatically when another man, a songwriter, falls deeply in love with her and decides that he would do anything to be her husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Bess Armstrong, (more)
- 1974
- PG
In this drama, a Vietnam vet, living in the psycho ward of a V.A. hospital, has difficulty coping with the crazy world he returned home to. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This made-for-TV horror film stars Robert Stack and Vera Miles as a couple whose new home in the country turns out to be inhabited by evil spirits. Director John Llewellyn Moxey (Horror Hotel) manages to raise his share of small-screen chills in this low-key story co-starring L.Q. Jones and Herb Edelman. Fans of the haunted-house subgenre should note that the film was co-written by Sandor Stern, who would go on to script the similar Amityville Horror and direct its third sequel. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Director James Ivory has disowned this Hollywood drama, inspired by the Fatty Arbuckle/Virginia Rappe case and based on a satirical poem by Joseph Moncure March, which was heavily cut by American International Pictures from two hours to 90 minutes. The story concerns Jolly Grimm (James Coco), whose career as a famous silent film comic is coming to an end with the advent of talking pictures. He plans a last hurrah by making one more silent film and invites a collection of Hollywood big shots to his mansion in hopes of convincing one of them to distribute the picture. His mistress, Queenie (Raquel Welch), encourages him, but it quickly becomes apparent the film is a bomb. As Jolly Grimm keeps drinking, his mood becomes less jolly and more grim, particularly when movie star Dale (Perry King) starts getting quite familiar with Queenie. Meanwhile, young starlet Nadine (Annette Ferra), after finding her sister in bed with a guest, seeks out Jolly for solace. When Jolly tries to comfort her by kissing her full on the mouth, a drunken party guest, thinking Jolly is trying to seduce the girl, begins to beat Jolly senseless. Dale halts the fracas, but when Jolly doesn't thank Dale properly for saving him from a shellacking, Dale retreats with Queenie to the boudoir. Jolly, already keyed up to a dangerous level, awaits their emergence from the bedroom with a gun in his hand. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Coco, Raquel Welch, (more)
- 1974
The doctors and paramedics encounter unexpected difficulties while planning a surprise party for head nurse Dixie (Julie London)--especially when it appears that she won't even show up due to a broken ankle. Back on the job, the team rushes to the rescue when a 1000-pound advertising sign threatens to collapse on two workers, a man is stuck in his own sauna bath, and and stubborn old woman becomes trapped in a an apartment building that will soon explode. Former Dick Van Dyke Show regular Ann Morgan Guilbert has a rather prickly cameo role as a motorcyclist who has landed in a cactus patch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
