Joe Dorsey Movies

This follow-up to the sizable horror hit concerns a Maine teenager who discovers the eerie power of a legendary local haunt. Edward Furlong stars as Jeff Matthews, who, with his veterinarian father Chase (Anthony Edwards), moves to latter's small hometown of Ludlow, Maine, in order to escape unhappy memories. Jeff's divorced mother, low-budget horror movie actress Renee (Darlanne Fluegel), was recently electrocuted and killed in a freak accident -- the entire incident was witnessed by Jeff. In his new community, Jeff hears stories of an ancient Indian burial ground nearby where dead pets that are interred come back to life. Jeff also becomes friends with pudgy Drew (Jason McGuire), whose abusive, bullying dad Gus (Clancy Brown) is Ludlow's sheriff. When Gus kills his son's dog, Drew and Jeff bury the animal, which returns from the dead. When the vengeful dog kills Gus, Drew and Jeff bury the lawman in the cemetery and he comes back significantly the worse for wear, wreaking evil havoc that temporarily puts several of Ludlow's residents six feet under. The original Pet Sematary (1989) was based on a novel by Stephen King, who did not participate in the sequel. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this complex, gripping made-for-TV courtroom drama, the new DA of a small town is given the job of prosecuting the alleged murderer of a stripper. Unfortunately, his own father is in charge of the defense. To make matters worse, both attorneys are in love with the wife of the accused. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This is one of several seventh-season Murder She Wrote episodes introduced by Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) but starring Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell), a jewel thief turned insurance investigator. Stanton's latest assignment is to investigate the suspicious events surrounding a fire that destroyed the hands of famous concert pianist Vaclav Maryska (Ricardo Montalban). The intrigue reaches a crescendo when Maryska's wife Milena (Patricia Neal) is murdered, with a veritable orchestra of suspects at Stanton's disposal. As usual, Stanton is more or less assisted by ditzy Rhoda Markowitz (Hallie Todd) and by flustered Lt. Catalano (Ken Swofford). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This week we're off to Canada, where Jill Morton (Kristy McNichol), the niece of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), has joined the rodeo circuit. While visting Jill, Jessica is disturbed by the presence of the girl's somewhat disreputable rodeo-performer boyfriend. More disturbing still is the trailer fire that takes the lives of a nasty rodeo doctor and his patient--a torching for which Jill is among those under suspicion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thelo (Ned Beatty) is a middle-aged librarian who is fired from his job for drinking too much. He sets out for the woods in hopes that getting back to nature will inspire him to write poetry. There he meets Melanie (Mira Sara), who is the embodiment of everything he finds beautiful in women, and he watches as she is mistreated in the next cabin. Melanie and Thelo meet by the river and make love, but their splendor is interrupted by Melanie's abusive mate. After the thug is shot and falls into the river, the two begin to receive blackmail threats from someone who supposedly witnessed a murder. A routine, unimaginative, and predictable so-called thriller. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Robin Williams' comic shtick sabotages any attempt at comic development in Harold Ramis' patchy comedy farce Club Paradise. Williams plays Jack Moniker, a Chicago fireman injured in the line of duty, who uses his disability money to open up a run-down Caribbean resort. Jack eagerly awaits the planeload of tourists who will be his first patrons. This group of low-rent jackanapes include Barry Nye (Rick Moranis) and Barry Steinberg (Eugene Levy), a couple of horny geek bachelors; Phillipa Lloyd (Twiggy) and Terry Hamlin (Joanna Cassidy) as a couple of gals on the make; and Linda White (Andrea Martin), as a bossy American tourist. While the tourists shindig around Jack's ramshackle resort, a revolution is brewing on the island headed by revolutionary Ernest Reed (Jimmy Cliff). Trying to prevent the revolutionary upheaval is the dissipated British governor-general of the island, Governor Anthony Cloyden Hayes (Peter O'Toole), and the pompous Prime Minister Solomon Gundy (Adolph Caesar). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A sprawling adaptation of the same-named novel by David Nevin, the three-part CBS miniseries Dream West starred Richard Chamberlain as colorful, controversial American explorer John Charles Fremont (1813-1890). The story detailed the visionary (and occasionally mercenary) Fremont's lifelong war against shortsided authority figures, beginning with his early skirmishes with the "brass" as an Army officer. In 1842, Fremont embarked upon his greatest adventure, heading an expedition to map the Oregon Trail -- the first step towards opening the entire North American continent to free and unimpeded exploration. His mission pitted Fremont against hostile Indians, the Mexican army, and the U.S. government itself. Along the way, he crossed paths with scores of historical figures, including Kit Carson, Jim Bridge, John Sutter, and President Abraham Lincoln. Alice Krige, Richard Chamberlain's vis-à-vis in the earlier Wallenberg: A Heroes' Story, co-starred as Jessie Benton, the headstrong senator's daughter who became Fremont's wife. Running seven hours in all (plus commercials), Dream West was originally telecast from April 13 to 15, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second half of Murder She Wrote's two-part Season Three opener, Jessica's long-missing brother in law Neil Fletcher (Jackie Cooper), who has been working under an alias with the Carmody Circus, has confessed to the murder of circus manager Hank Sutter. Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is convinced that Neil is innocent, and that he is covering up for somebody else--and this proves to be a reasonable conclusion when a second murder occurs, in which the victim is rival circus owner Harry Kingman (Joe Dorsey). Seriously hampering Jessica's investigation is the stone wall of resistance built up by the highly clannish circus folk--and by the curiously hostile local authorities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this action movie, a wanderer goes looking for a missing woman's brother and instead gets entangled in a war between two gangs of smugglers along the Arizona-Mexico border. The film is also titled "Dalton." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Originally broadcast as a two-hour TV movie, this opening episode of Highway to Heaven has since been divided into two one-hour installments for syndication. In part two, probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon), adopting the guise of an earthly handyman, continues in his efforts to bring some joy and sunshine into the lives of the unhappy residents of Havencrest, a retirement home slated for demolition. Although most of the elderly residents respond positively to Jonathan's efforts, a bitter, selfish old lady named Estelle (guest star Helen Hayes) refuses to have anything to do with either Jonathan or her contemporaries. Not only is Estelle's attitude hurting her, but it also might ruin Jonathan's chances of ever earning his wings. ~ All Movie Guide

This science fiction thriller was inspired by a mythical real-life event, the WWII era disappearance of an entire naval vessel during a radar-cloaking test. In 1943, David Herdeg Michael Pare and Jim Parker Bobby DiCicco are sailors stationed aboard a Virginia battleship. Their vessel is undergoing an experiment conducted by brilliant scientist Dr. Longstreeet (Eric Christmas), who is attempting to render Allied craft invisible to radar. The ship becomes briefly invisible, but the test is a disaster and most of the crew are horribly killed. However, two crewmen are missing. In 1984, Herdeg and Parker emerge in the Nevada desert, having somehow traveled through time. Longstreet, still trying to perfect the device after 40 years, is running another experiment that pulls the missing sailors into the present. Realizing what's occurred, Herdeg and Parker flee, fearing for their lives. Fugitives, they befriend a skeptical modern woman, Alison Hayes (Nancy Allen). An effect of time pulls Parker back into 1943, leading to a bizarre reunion between Herdeg, still trapped in the future, and Parker, now a senior citizen. The film was followed by a sequel nine years later. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Prolific voiceover actor Danny Cooksey appears in this episode as Terry Lee, a dewey-eyed orphan who is anxious to spring a stray basset hound from the local dog pound. The Dukes come to Terry's aid, little realizing that the hound is actually quite valuable, and in fact had previously been kidnapped from a high-class dog show run by John J. Hooper (Joe Dorsey). The plot thickens when the kidnappers mistake the Dukes' own dog Flash for the prize pooch! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide