Rocky Aoki Movies
- 1989
- R
Fans of movie industry satire will want to see That's Adequate, an all-star production which spoofs the popular series of documentary films honoring MGM's musical comedies, That's Entertainment. Narrated by Tony Randall, this mock-history chronicles the film output of the second-rate "Adequate Film Studios" during its six precarious decades of existence. At times the humor gets very broad, including a fair amount of vulgarity. We see clips from such Adequate Studios monstrosities as "Singing in the Synagogue," and "Sluts of the South." Some of the stars enlivening these parodies are Bruce Willis, Robert Downey, Jr., James Coco, Anne Meara, Professor Irwin Corey, Jerry Stiller and Robert Vaughn. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, James Coco, (more)
- 1983
Howard E. Rollins stars as martyred civil-rights spokesman Medgar Evers, while Irene Cara co-stars as his wife (and future NAACP leader) Myrlie. The film concentrates on the last years of Evers, an ex-insurance agent turned activist. His home in Jackson, Mississippi is besieged by bigots and he and his family are threatened with dire consequences, but Evers continues to work towards the goal of integrating his racially-polarized state. In June of 1963, the 37-year-old Evers is shot to death in front of his home. This 90 minute drama was adapted from a book co-authored by Mrs. Evers, Ossie Davis and J. Kenneth Rotcop. For Us, the Living was first telecast March 22, 1983 on PBS' American Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Irene Cara, (more)
- 1972
In the 1960s and '70s, Mike Douglas was the host of one of America's most popular TV talk shows. In his 22 years on the air, Douglas was famous for presenting a dizzying variety of entertainers and newsmakers, and this video features 75 minutes of great moments from the show's heyday. Guests featured in this collection include boxing legend Muhammad Ali, sportscaster Howard Cosell, novelist and screenwriter Budd Schulberg, comic ventriloquist Willie Tyler with his wooden sidekick Lester, restraunteur Rocky Aoki, and vocalist Gerry Granger. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Howard Cosell, Muhammad Ali, (more)
- 1962
California politics is the clinically dissected yet informative and interesting topic of this feature-length drama by co-directors Bernard Girard and Robert Lewis. Relegating any character development to secondary status, the two directors have opted for a mode more in keeping with a television educational drama (TV is their principle medium) than the dynamic, personal interactions of the larger screen. At issue is the mud-slinging involved in a campaign to stop legislation regulating the practices of collection agencies. A few California lawmen lead the legislation and are determined to succeed in spite of their underhanded detractors. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Myron McCormick, Edward Binns, (more)
Perhaps the best known film produced by the little poverty row company Goodwill, this is a typical 1920s haunted house thriller-comedy. Eight people gather in a deserted house in the Florida Everglades for the reading of a will. Strange things begin to happen -- sliding panels, clutching hand, mysterious bumps in the night (via subtitles, of course) and a masked avenger -- but, like always during the silent era, the "haunting" proves to be merely the work of a gang of crooks. The film abounds with red herrings, including a mysterious Chinaman (Edward Peil, Sr.), who proves to be an undercover agent, and a paraplegic (Charles Belcher), who isn't paralyzed at all. Francis X. Bushman, Jr., Goodwill's biggest star and Kathryn McGuire were the romantic leads, with Western star Jack Perrin as a lawyer, African-American comedian Martin Turner as a stereotypically frightened factotum, and spinsterish Nora Cecil as a Mrs. Danvers-type housekeeper. Rocky Aoki, the founder of the Benihana restaurant chain, played a bit part. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
