Paul Larson Movies

"A little star with big dreams," Angelina Ballerina was introduced in a series of children's books written by Katharine Holabird and illustrated by Helen Craig. Angelina's real last name was Mouseling, altogether fitting, in that she was a cute little female mouse (albeit one dressed in ballet clothes and slippers). Determined to become a prima ballerina, Angelina studied tirelessly under her idol and mentor, Miss Lilly, along with such fellow dance classmates as Priscilla and Penelope Pinkpaws, and William Longstreet. While Angelina's family and her best friend, Alice, encouraged Angelina to follow her dreams, there were others not so politely inclined. Chief among our heroine's antagonists were crabby next-door neighbor Miss Hodgepodge, who hated all forms of dance, and neighborhood bully Sammy Watts, who thought that ballet was for wimps. After spawning a series of dolls and other ancillary products, the Angelina Ballerina franchise yielded a TV cartoon series, produced in England. Among the actors providing character voices were the illustrious Dame Judi Dench (as Miss Lilly) and her real-life daughter Finty Williams (as Angelina). The 26 fifteen-minute Angelina Ballerina episodes were broadcast in America, courtesy of PBS, beginning May 10, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This gripping 1979 drama about the dangers of nuclear power carried an extra jolt when a real-life accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania occurred just weeks after the film opened. Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda) is a TV reporter trying to advance from fluff pieces to harder news. Wells and cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas, who also produced) are doing a story on energy when they happen to witness a near-meltdown at a local nuclear plant, averted only by quick-thinking engineer Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon). While Wells and Adams fruitlessly attempt to get the story on their station, Godell begins his own investigation and discovers that corporate greed and cost-trimming have led to potentially deadly faults in the plant's construction. He provides evidence of the faulty equipment, which could lead to another meltdown (the "China syndrome" of the title), to the station's soundman to deliver to Wells and Adams at a hearing on nuclear power. However, on the way to the hearing, the soundman is run off the road by evil henchmen, leading Godell to realize that his own life is threatened, possibly by his bosses at the plant. Driven to the edge of a breakdown, Godell takes over the plant's control room at gunpoint and demands to reveal his findings on TV. The plant's management, however, has other plans, and the facility itself is becoming dangerously unstable. Whether or not you agree with the film's clear anti-nuclear bias, its sobering message and riveting, realistic story and performances are still difficult to ignore. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Preparing the grand opening of "Archie Bunker's Place," Archie discovers that being an employer can be just as vexing as working for wages. As one argument segues into another, Archie's entire staff walks out on him. There is nothing else for Archie to do but press Edith, Mike, and Gloria into service as temporary help -- and one can well imagine Mike's efficiency as a convivial bartender. Originally telecast on October 30, 1977, "Archie's Grand Opening" was written by Larry Rhine and Mel Tolkin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a play by Neil Simon, this comedy concerns Barney Cashman (Alan Arkin), the owner of successful seafood restaurant who is stuck in the depths of a mid-life crisis. Barney's marriage is no longer providing him with a sense of romantic adventure, and when he discovers his mother's apartment is empty one day a week, he decides that a series of extra-marital affairs is just what he needs. However, Barney's career as a spoiler of women quickly proves to be laughably unsuccessful; he's able to lure three different women to his make-shift love nest -- Elaine (Sally Kellerman), Bobbi (Paula Prentiss), and Janette (Renee Taylor) -- but try as he might, he can't convince any of them to sleep with him, and in the end, Barney has to settle for seducing his wife. Last of the Red Hot Lovers was the fourth of five Neil Simon adaptations that director Gene Saks would bring to the screen; Saks also directed a number of Simon's successes on Broadway. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Frank Sinatra gives a gritty performance in the crime thriller The Detective. When Teddy Leikman, the homosexual son of a politically connected department-store magnate, is murdered, detective Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) is sent in to investigate. Leland drags in Teddy's psychotic former roommate Felix Tesla (Tony Musante) and forces a confession out of him; for his work on the case Leland gets a promotion, which troubles him. Afterwards, Norma MacIver (Jacqueline Bisset), the widow of a well-heeled accountant, comes to see Leland. Her husband was killed after falling off the grandstand at a racetrack -- but Norma thinks he was pushed. She asks Leland to investigate her husband's death. Reopening the case, Leland discovers that the police are opposed to him scratching around any further, and after an attempt on his life, he uncovers some startling evidence that may connect the two deaths. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide