Alan DeWitt Movies
- 1976
- PG
Alexander Main (Jack Lemmon) is a tired, middle-aged bail bondsman who hears from his former girlfriend Maritza (Genevieve Bujold) for the first time in quite a while. The news isn't good: Maritza is accused of the attempted murder of her abusive lover, and she hopes that Alex can get her out of jail. Alex arranges to have Maritza released into his custody, but while their romance begins to blossom once again, their relationship is still doomed to failure. This downbeat romantic comedy was based on the novel The Bailbondsman by Stanley Elkin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Geneviève Bujold, (more)
- 1975
This Americanized remake of John Osborne's play changes the locale from a seedy British amusement pier to an equally seedy burlesque house in Santa Cruz, California. Jack Lemmon assumes the Laurence Olivier role as Archie Rice, a third-rate entertainer who's a failure but won't admit it. Selfishly feeding his own ego, Archie destroys the lives of those around him, including his long-suffering wife (Sada Thompson), his formerly famous father (Ray Bolger) and his disenfranchised grown children. This made-for-TV film is set in the 1940s to allow for several period-flavor tunes by Marvin Hamlisch, the best of which is the jaunty "Honolulu Lulu". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Ray Bolger, (more)
- 1972
- PG
Loosely based on the life and work of cartoonist and essayist James Thurber, The War Between Men and Women stars Jack Lemmon as cartoonist Peter Wilson, who, while visiting an eye doctor for his failing vision, quite literally stumbles upon Terry Kozlenko (Barbara Harris), an attractive but somewhat volatile divorcee with three children. Peter has a well-documented antipathy for women, children, and dogs, so everyone he knows is rather surprised when he finds himself falling in love with Terry -- and she falls in love with him. Peter and Terry get married, but her affection for him is not shared by her kids, who still idolize their father Stephen (Jason Robards, a successful photojournalist; Terry's dog doesn't care for Peter, either. When Peter's eye condition worsens, leaving him nearly blind, he suggests to Terry that she should go back to Stephen for the sake of her children, only to learn that Stephen has been killed while on assignment. Peter is now the only father the children have, and he's forced to find a way to reach out to them. The War Between Men and Women's interpolation of Thurber's life and work, using both live-action and animation, was inspired by a respected but short-lived television series, My World and Welcome to It, in which William Windom starred as Thurber. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Barbara Harris, (more)
- 1971
- R
A six-foot biker chick grabs a shotgun, jumps on her Harley and hits the highway with two compadres to search for the ones who murdered her brother in this lurid actioner that is the first biker flick to have a female director. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1970
At least Angels Die Hard strives to be something different. The usual motorcyle bums are in attendance, but this time they're the heroes rather than the antagonists. The storyline, concerning a mine cave-in in a small community, bears traces of the 1931 German film Kammeradschaft. Though on the outs with the community, the bikers prove to be heroes as they aid in the rescue of the trapped miners. But don't be lulled into thinking that Angels Die Hard is family fare: it still carries an R rating. The familiar faces dotting the film's cast include R. G. Armstrong, William Smith (what would a biker flick be without William Smith?) and Dan "Grizzly Adams" Haggerty. Filmed in 1970, Angels Die Hard was not given a general release until 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Baker, William Smith, (more)
- 1970
They used to say "don't trust anyone over 30," but there's no one over 30 left to distrust in this loosely plotted satirical comedy directed by Roger Corman. During the opening ceremonies for a chemical and biological weapons facility in Alaska, an experimental gas is accidentally released which has an unusual effect -- it rapidly advances the aging process of those over 25, while those under 25 are left untouched. Soon, the world's elders are dead, with the planet left to the youth. Wisecracking hippy Coel (Robert Corff) and his girlfriend, Cilla (Elaine Giftos), discover that rookie cops and conservative frat rats have taken over their hometown of Dallas, TX, so they hit the road in his vintage Ford Edsel in search of a friendly commune in New Mexico. Along the way, they pair up with music-obsessed Marissa and her radical boyfriend, Carlos (Ben Vereen), and as they look for their new home, they encounter Hell's Angels-turned-country club members, a neo-fascist football team, a pack of painfully shy would-be sexual predators, rock star and self-proclaimed "godhead" A.M. Radio (Country Joe McDonald), and Edgar Allen Poe (Bruce Karcher), who roams the highways on his motorcycle. Gas-S-S-S! (aka Gas-s-s-s...or, It May Become Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It) proved to be the last of Roger Corman's many projects for American International Pictures; according to Corman, AIP subjected the film to severe prerelease cutting without his consent, and the interference was one of the factors that inspired him to start his own company, New World Pictures. The film also provided early supporting roles for Bud Cort and Talia Shire, the latter billed as Tally Coppola; psychedelic rock band Country Joe & the Fish appear in a concert sequence and provide the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Corff, Elaine Giftos, (more)
- 1967
Three friends play a game of musical chairs with their relationships in this quirky comedy based on the hit play by Murray Schisgal. Harry Berlin (Jack Lemmon) is a deeply depressed man who is convinced his life is going nowhere -- so much so that he has decided to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. Just before he makes his big leap, Harry is interrupted by Milt Manville (Peter Falk), an old friend in high school who has struck it rich as a combination stock broker and salvage dealer. Milt is not-very-happily married to wildly neurotic Ellen (Elaine May), and is having an affair on the side with Linda (Nina Wayne), a buxom gym teacher. Milt fixes Harry up with Ellen, hoping they'll hit it off and Ellen will leave him so he can marry Linda. The ruse works, in part -- Harry and Ellen decide to tie the knot, but in the divorce settlement Ellen gets all the money, and Milt decides marriage to Linda is not all he imagined. Harry and Ellen's happiness proves to be short lived, and she begins to wonder if its too late to give Milt another chance. Jazz great Gerry Mulligan composed the film's musical score; keep an eye peeled for a bit part by a young Harrison Ford. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, (more)
- 1964
On the verge of bankruptcy, undertaker Vincent Price hits upon a novel method of drumming up business. Together with his cringing assistant Peter Lorre, Price sneaks into the homes of wealthy old men under cover of night and smothers the sleeping occupants to death--then collects a hefty commission when the victims' relatives come calling. At home, Price is continually frustrated in his efforts to poison his senile father-in-law Boris Karloff, who owns the undertaking business. Meanwhile, Price's neglected wife Barbara Nichols takes quite a shine to the shy Lorre. The homicidal undertaker's best-laid schemes go terribly agley when his latest "customer," wealthy Basil Rathbone, doggedly refuses to stay dead. Joe E. Brown has a cameo as a cockney graveyard attendant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, (more)
- 1955
The "one desire" of ex-gamblers Rock Hudson and Anne Baxter is to escape their shady former lives and settle down to respectability. Rock and Baxter move to a small town, with Hudson's younger brother (Barry Curtis) and an orphaned girl (Natalie Wood) in tow. Julie Adams, daughter of the town banker, set her sights on Hudson and tries to win him away from Baxter. Adams dies in a convenient-to-the-plotline fire, but everybody else lives happily ever after. Conrad Richter's novel Tracey Cromwell was the base for this 1890s soap opera, produced by Ross Hunter with a veneer of class that the material itself lacks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Baxter, Rock Hudson, (more)
