Sarah Douglas Movies

This TV-movie adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel of the "undead" was adapted by Richard Matheson and photographed by Oswald Morris. As the titular count, Jack Palance is a reluctant victim of an unwelcome fate, rather than a grinning bloodsucker. Nigel Davenport co-stars as Van Helsing, vampire-hunter deluxe, who pursues the count with his bagful of hammers and stakes. Much of the Stoker novel that had been eliminated in earlier versions has been restored by Matheson. Originally slated for telecast in October of 1973, Dracula was reshuffled to February 8, 1974, due to the late-breaking vice-presidential nomination of Gerald Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this fantasy adventure tale based on a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne) sets out to find Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure), a fellow explorer who was lost during an expedition to the island of Caprone, a tropical oasis in the midst of the arctic. McBride arrives at Caprone to discover that Tyler is fending off tribes of savage cavemen, doing battle with strange prehistoric beasts, and contending with frequent volcanic erruptions. Of course, life on Caprone isn't all bad, as a glimpse of Tyler's significant other Ajor (Dana Gillespie) would suggest, but the men still face many significant challenges as they try to get off the island and back to civilization. The People That Time Forgot was Doug McClure's third go-round in an Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure vehicle, following adaptations of The Land That Time Forgot and At the Earth's Core. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Richard Donner's big-budget blockbuster Superman: The Movie is an immensely entertaining recounting of the origin of the famous comic book character. Opening on Krypton (where Marlon Brando plays Superman's father), the film follows the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) as he's sent to Earth where he develops his alter-ego Clark Kent and is raised by a Midwestern family. In no time, the movie has run through his teenage years, and Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet, where he is a news reporter. It's there that he falls in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who is already in love with Superman. But the love story is quickly sidetracked once the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a diabolical plan to conquer the world and kill Superman. Superman: The Movie is filled with action, special effects and a surprising amount of humor. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

There have been almost enough Meatballs to make a plate of spaghetti, but this entry about a decisive boxing match between two youth camps is basically inedible without Bill Murray to add the necessary zest, as he did in the original Meatballs. "The Flash" (John Mengatti) is out on probation but has to serve time at Camp Sasquatch as a counselor-in-training (!) as a part of the probation terms. There, he meets the super-innocent Cheryl (Kim Richards), adding interest to his job, but none of the characters in Camp Sasquatch or its rival Camp Patton add much interest to the film. Hershey (Hamilton Camp) is the one-dimensional fascist who runs the militaristic Camp Patton and sure enough, his aide-de-camp is a closet gay (John Larroquette). (Paul Reubens) of Pee Wee Herman fame is a minor player, Richard Mulligan is Giddy (an apt name for his character) and when these oddballs are combined with a strange- looking alien and the final boxing match that will save Camp Sasquatch if only The Flash can win, the pastiche is somewhat hard to digest. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Angela Lansbury plays a dual role in this episode, as Maine-based mystery writer Jessica Fletcher and as Jessica's flamboyant cousin, British music-hall headliner Emma MacGill. Arriving in London to attend Emma's funeral, Jessica is surprised to learn that her cousin is still alive. Having survived one murder attempt, Emma has decided to "play dead" until she can find out why someone wants to kill her--allowing Jessica to join in on the sleuthing, of course. The highlight of this episode is Emma's performance of the sentimental ditty "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird"--which Angela Lansbury had previously sung to great acclaim in the 1945 theatrical feature The Picture of Dorian Gray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In order to flush out the person or persons who have attempted to steal a valuable statuette of the Hawaiian god Amakua, Magnum stage-manages a luxury cruise in which all the passenger roster consists of the principal suspects. Sure enough, murder and mayhem quickly ensue, and it soon becomes apparent that a crooked toy manufacturer is at the center of all the trouble. Most of this episode was lensed on location on the decks of the "S.S. Constitution." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Most of the original cast members of TV's Eight is Enough are on hand for the "retro" feature Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion. The single most conspicuous defector is Betty Buckley, who is here replaced by Mary Frann in the role of Abby Bradford. The premise: On the eve of his 50th birthday, Tom Bradford (Dick Van Patten) is in danger of losing his job as a journalist. He is offered moral support by his offspring, who have gathered together to celebrate Tom's half-century mark. Grant Goodeve, Willie Aames, Susan Richardson, Lani O'Grady, Adam Rich, Connie Needham, Dianne Kay and Laurie Walters portray the Bradford kids. The warm-and-fuzzy script is by Gwen Bagni-Dubov, who'd been churning out teleplays since the black-and-white era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This sci-fi drama is based upon a classic story by Isaac Asimov. It is set upon a planet located in a solar system with three suns. The trouble begins when both a seer and an astronomer predict a once-per-millenium solar eclipse and the prediction comes true. Never having seen darkness, the people are terrified and in trying to cope, a great social schism occurs. Half the population begins believing that the eclipse heralds the demise of their civilization and live accordingly, while the other more optimistic half simply head underground to await the dawning of a brand new day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Wings Hauser both stars in and directs The Art of Dying. Hauser plays Jack, a vice cop who tries to unravel the mystery behind a series of murders in which each of the corpses has been found with stage makeup on its face. Turns out that the killer is Roscoe (Gary Werntz), a demented movie-maker whose overwhelming desire for realism has resulted in a variety of horrible deaths for his unwary actors. Each victim is dispatched in a manner evoking a famous film: one is killed in the shower, another dies while playing Russian Roulette a la The Deer Hunter, and so forth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Anyone even vaguely familiar with the endless antics of the deliberately eccentric Catalonian artist Salvador Dali (1904-1989) may find this biographical tidbit fascinating. By 1940, still in his thirties, this strikingly handsome (though slightly pop-eyed) artist had made waves around the world among those who followed the avant garde. His best-known painting, The Persistence of Memory, was already synonymous with surrealism. However, it is his mad-seeming publicity-hound antics that polished his already notorious reputation to a high gloss. In this movie, Dali (Lorenzo Quinn) has just arrived in New York harbor wearing fried eggs on the lapels of his elegant suit, with a loaf of bread on his head. This is appropriate attire for a surrealist who explores the power of putting objects in places where they do not "belong." He is immediately taken in hand by a reporter from the New York Times, and is encouraged to tell the reporter the story of his life, which shows up in flashbacks. Among those whose lives he has sparkled in is the famously homosexual Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, who fell in love with the artist when he was a gorgeous young man; the more sexually conventional filmmaker Luis Buñuel, who created some of his more famous and outrageous classics (e.g. Un Chien Andalou) while he associated with the artist; and his fellow artist Pablo Picasso, who surely took a leaf or two from this brash man in the self-promotion department. Though filmed in English, the film was released in a dubbed Catalan version. Though he frequently appeared to be quite mad, Dali's picturesque madness was entirely deliberate -- and very, very profitable. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The most fascinating thing about Beastmaster 2 is how well the cartoonish sword-and-sorcery characters blend in to contemporary Los Angeles -- it may as well be documentary. Marc Singer plays Dar, a muscle-headed barbarian whose main claim to fame is his ability to communicate with a wide array of animal friends. Dar is informed that his evil brother Arklon (Wings Hauser) has nefarious designs on the universe. Arklon has teamed up with Lyranna (Sarah Douglas), a sexy witch who cracks wise in Valley Girl vernacular, a parlance picked up during her travels through the portal of time to a netherworld called L.A. Arklon has to find a quick way to decimate the universe, so Arklon and Lyranna travel through the portal to steal a neutron detonator from a military base close to Los Angeles. Dar and Southern California teen Jackie Trent (Kari Wuhrer) -- who had gotten stuck in the portal and ended up in Togaland -- pursue Arklon and Lyranna as they make their way through the time hole. Once in La-La land, Dra and his companion find themselves pursued by the LAPD, which considerably slows up their race to catch Arklon. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

David Warner and Olivia Hussey, both of whom look great in period garb, head the cast of Quest of the Delta Knights. A long time ago in a land far, far, away, a wicked queen and king rule with an iron hand. Only a dedicated group of swashbucklers known as the Delta Knights can rescue the peasantry from the evil monarches. The knights must rely upon a secret storehouse, containing advanced technology from the lost city of Atlantis. For those who like to see ancient legends mixed and matched, Quest of the Delta Knights is a good bet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Find out how celebrity parties and dinners differ from those attended by most people. Hosts Bernard Erpicum of Spago and Paula McClure introduce the viewer to such basics as the Elegant Winter Meal, the Festive Holiday Dinner and the Afternoon or Evening Get-Together Meal. Tasty recipes for such culinary treats as Rack of Lamb with White Wine Sauce and Glazed Turkey with Rice and Nut Stuffing are shared. A variety of other tips are provided by such celebrities as Rod Steiger, Jon Voight, Dudley Moore and Ed Begley, Jr. Viewers are even shown the proper way to carve a turkey and which dinnerware and wine glasses should be used for various occasions. There's even a special tip on what type of lighting is best for different meals. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide