Andrew Gottlieb Movies

Though filmed in Oregon, this Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation is set in the American South, several months after the end of WW2. Decorated war hero Noah (Chris Klein) returns home to find his parents dead, his brother Travis (Jackson Rathbone) in prison, and his family farm in the hands of strangers. With literally nothing to keep him in his home town, Noah embarks on a personal odyssey, using his remarkable fishing skills to stay alive. In the course of his perambulations, he meets a mysterious old codger named Hoke (Robert Prosky), who claims a gift for "seein' the other side." Hoke guides Noah to another small town "over the ridge", where he is immediately made welcome by the townsfolk, and before long has become a local legend by virtue of his fishing prowess. He has also bonded with a lonely war widow named Eleanor (Gretchen Mol), and with a fatherless mute boy named Matthew (Zach Mills). But when tragedy strikes again, will the disillusioned Noah desert his new home, to say nothing of his new friends and loved ones? Throughout the latter half of the story, Noah's fate is inexorably linked with that of a huge bass which has eluded capture for years--and which has transformed the town into a mecca for fishing enthusiasts throughout the nation. Made for television and first seen over the CBS network on January 28, 2007, Valley of Light is based on the novel by Terry McKay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the 1999 bestseller by K.C. McKinnon, this touching Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation stars Alicia Silverstone as Dee Dee, a single mom and professional candlemaker who returns to her Maine hometown after a lengthy absence. Having left town with a somewhat sullied reputation, she returns with apparently the best of intentions--bringing her 12-year-old son Trooper (Matthew Knight) along for the sentimental journey. Dee Dee's reappearance is initially met with hostility by veterinarian Lydia, whose husband (and coworker) Sam had once been Dee Dee's sweetheart. Ultimately, however, Lydia warms up to both her "rival" and her son--just before Dee Dee poignantly reveals the real reason for her unexpected homecoming. Filmed for television on location in Nova Scotia, Candles on Bay Street was first broadcast by CBS on November 26, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Luanne Rice, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production begins in Manhattan at Christmastime. Christopher "Christy" Byrne (Tate Donovan), a Nova Scotian Christmas tree farmer, has arrived in the Big Apple to sell his wares, assisted by his teenaged children Danny (Michael Mitchell) and Bridget (Courtney Jines). After an argument between Christy and Danny sparked by the boy's desire to become a photographer rather than a farmer, Danny runs away, and is eventually befriended by widow Catherine O'Mara (Anne Heche), who had earlier refused to by a tree from the Byrnes family. One year later, a chance meeting brings Catherine and Christy face to face, leading to an extremely tense situation that can be alleviated only by Christy's acceptance of Danny's life goals--and by Catherine overcoming the grief attending the loss of her husband. Weaving throughout the narrative is a "silver bells" promotional stunt staged by the museum for which Catherine works, a stutnt which will (inevitably!) figure prominently in the tearful finale. Silver Bells premiered November 27, 2005, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tom Selleck stretches his dramatic range by playing a liberal Democrat in this comedy-drama satirizing the underside of party politics. Governor James Pryce (Tom Selleck) is a well-respected politician with a strong reformist streak who is a shoo-in for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, thanks to a well-run primary campaign organized by his manager Lauren Hartman (Laura Linney), and the savvy speechmaking and moral support of his wife Jenny (Nancy Travis). Now Pryce has to pick a vice-presidential candidate, which proves to be not all that simple. Senator Parker Gable (Robert Culp) helped give Pryce his start in politics, and his wife Meg (Faye Dunaway), a Queen Bee on the Washington social scene, has asked Pryce to consider Gable as VP. Pryce believes Gable would be the right man for the job, but he's well known to chase anything in a skirt, and Pryce thinks his nomination would be a scandal waiting to happen. Besides Gable, the two most likely choices for Pryce's running mate are Senator Mitchell Morris (Bruce McGill), whose strong links to a number of corporate benefactors make Pryce nervous, and Senator Terrence Randall (Bob Grunton), whose outspoken support of campaign finance reform does not sit well with Shawna Morgan (Teri Hatcher), the fundraising expert who has been filling Pryce's war chest. Running Mates was produced for the TNT cable network, where it first aired on August 13, 2000; Gerald Rafshoon, the film's executive producer, has an inside perspective on Washington wheelings and dealings, having served as White House director of communications under President Jimmy Carter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Produced for U.S. cable outlet TNT, You Know My Name is based on the colorful true story of Bill Tilghman, who went from Wild West lawman to Hollywood filmmaker to lawman again. Tilghman, played by Sam Elliott, was once an associate of Wyatt Earp and had run-ins with such famous outlaws as Cattle Annie and Little Britches. After retiring from law enforcement, Tilghman moved to California and began producing a series of silent Westerns that stressed historical authenticity over the grand-standing heroics of Tom Mix and William S. Hart. However, his films lacked name stars and failed to click at the box office. After his career in film went bust, Tilghman, nearly 70, answered a call from a friend to help him reform Cromwell, Oklahoma. Once called "the most sinful town in America," Cromwell was a place where vice was freely traded in many forms and the only peace officer was a violent, cocaine-addicted tyrant named Wiley (Arliss Howard). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The original Disney feature film, That Darn Cat, was a feel-good hit in 1965, thanks largely to stars such as Hayley Mills, Roddy McDowall, and William Demarest. This 1996 remake also closely follows the novel Undercover Cat by Mildred Gordon and Gordon Gordon and features Christina Ricci in the Hayley Mills role. In a small Massachusetts town, two bumbling criminals mistakenly kidnap a maid, thinking her to be the wife of a prominent businessman. D.C., short for Darn Cat, is an alley cat who, while looking for his nightly snack, stumbles upon the kidnap victim, bound and gagged in a shed. The kidnap victim scratches a plea for help on the back of her wristwatch and puts it around the cat's neck. Patti (Ricci) finds the watch and links it to the missing maid. Playing amateur detective, she enlists the aid of an FBI agent, Zeke (Doug E. Doug), who has been assigned to the case. Patti and Zeke follow D.C. through tight openings to track down the captive. The cat also leads them to the woman's abductors (Peter Boyle and Rebecca Schull) and to a climactic car chase. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV western stars Rick Schroder as a hotheaded cowboy who guns down the man responsible for the death of his parents. On the run from his victim's powerful father, Schroder is sheltered by old codger Wilford Brimley. Brimley seems to be operating out of friendship, but his reason for keeping Schroder alive is deliberately obscured until close to the end. Blood River was written by John Carpenter, a name usually associated with science fiction and horror. Though set in the Wild West, the film was lensed in Alberta and British Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Outback Bound is a made-for-TV film tailored to the talents of Donna Mills. She plays a pampered Beverly Hills resident whose cash flow bottoms out. Learning that her late father owned an opal mine in Australia, Mills packs what's left of her things and heads for the Outback. The mine is virtually tapped out, but that won't stop our dauntless Mills. Filmed on location in late 1987, Outback Bound made the syndication and cable rounds in the US in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this melodramatic made-for-television romance, a Singapore financier falls in love with the daughter of a powerful smuggler. The film is a remake of a popular "B" movie from the '30s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

First Steps was inspired by a widely-seen, enthusiastically received 1982 piece on 60 Minutes. Amy Steel plays Nan Davis, a young woman totally paralyzed in an auto accident. Judd Hirsch costars as Dr. Jerold Petrovsky, a bioengineer who attaches computerized electrodes to Nan to enable her to reclaim her muscle power. After many torturous months, this state-of-art physical therapy works magnificently, and Nan is able to take ten steps on her own at her college graduation. While the technique was still rather controversial at the time First Steps was telecast, there was no denying that it had worked in the case of Nan Davis, who eventually became the subject of two 60 Minutes follow-ups and reams of upbeat magazine articles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Loretta Swit was still appearing on a weekly basis in MASH when she starred in the made-for-TV Games Mother Never Taught You. She plays Laura Bentells, the first female executive in a traditionally "good ole boy" office. Refusing to be patronized or disregarded, Laura quickly learns the ropes of corporate gamesmanship. Sam Waterston and Eileen Heckart co-star as, respectively, Laura's husband and mother. And that's an uncredited Madlyn Rhue as the wife of skirt-chasing executive David Spielberg. Based on the "from the front lines" book by Betty Lehan Harrigan, Games Mother Never Taught You first aired November 27, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide