Linda G. Miller Movies
The daughter of comedian Jackie Gleason, American actress Linda Miller saw little of her restless father during her childhood and even less after he became a major TV star in the '50s. Despite first-hand experience with the rigors and heartaches of showbiz, Miller decided to pursue an acting career, herself. Not wishing to capitalize on Gleason's fame, she adopted her married name, Miller, for her professional moniker (her husband of many years was playwright/actor Jason Miller). Miller's films included King Kong Escapes (1968), One Summer Love (aka Dragonfly, 1976), and An Unmarried Woman (1978), while her television jobs included a regular role on the 1983 series The Mississippi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One by-product of two consecutive Oscar wins is that Tom Hanks no longer has to appear in such potboilers as Turner and Hooch. Hanks plays Turner, a meticulously groomed, excruciatingly well-organized detective working in a small California coastal town. When local "character" John McIntyre is murdered by drug smugglers, the only witness is McIntyre's slobbery, smelly mutt Hootch. You're way ahead of us, folks: Turner, who despises dogs in general and Hooch in particular, is compelled to put the cantankerous dog up as his house guest. Also easily predictable is the fact that Turner and Hooch will, by the next-to-last reel, become boon companions. To its credit, the film has an abundance of laughs and thrills...but, gee, that ending! Neither terrific nor terrible, Turner and Hooch is a pleasant time-filler; we do wish, however, that more time had been spent on the budding romance between Turner and veterinarian Emily Carson (Mare Winningham). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, (more)
- 1988
It was axiomatic back in the 1980s that, if you put the name "Elvis" in the title of your made-for-TV movie, your ratings would go through the roof. Such was the case of the two-part Elvis and Me, which not only cleaned up in the ratings, but also earned a TV Guide cover (the week , before it aired!) Based on the reminiscences of Elvis' wife Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, the film stars Susan Walters as Priscilla and Dale Midkiff as The King. In Part One, 14-year-old army brat Priscilla meets Elvis while he's doing his military duty in Germany. Their courtship is sporadic at best, but when Priscilla visits Presley in Hollywood in 1962, the story really gets going. The first part of Elvis and Me originally aired February 7, 1988 (see separate entry for details on Part Two). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Midkiff, Susan Walters, (more)
- 1980
- R
The protagonists are secondary and uni-dimensional in this unlikely actioner about a divorced father (James Brolin) tearing through New York chasing the man who kidnapped his daughter (Abby Bluestone). Sean Boyd (Brolin) is an ex-cop with an enemy on the force out to kill him. Between dodging his would-be assassin, fighting off street thugs, and getting crashed into by one car after another, Boyd is not about to give up or get seriously hurt. In the meantime the police themselves are too inept to catch the kidnapper (Cliff Gorman), and the winsome Marie (Julie Carmen) has decided to hang out with Boyd and help him find his daughter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, (more)
A New York wife learns about the satisfactions of single life in this landmark 1970s "woman's film." Unlike her dysfunctional friends, vibrant Erica (Jill Clayburgh) seems to have it all: a nice Upper East Side home, a well-adjusted teenage daughter (Lisa Lucas), a job at a Soho art gallery, and a loving husband, Martin (Michael Murphy). Erica falls apart, however, when Martin leaves her for a younger woman. Finally, at her female therapist's urging, Erica ventures out into the world of singlehood, finding solace in female bonding and even casual sex. As she adjusts to her new life, Erica realizes that she likes her freedom and independence. But when she falls in love with sensitive bearded artist Saul (Alan Bates), Erica must decide whether to turn down a lucrative job to spend the summer with her man in Vermont or forge ahead with her new existence. One of a group of new "women's pictures" made in the wake of post-1960s feminism, including Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and The Turning Point (1977), An Unmarried Woman updated the genre's concern with relationships and love by turning the heroine's unwedded status into a positive growth experience. The great female stars of the past like Joan Crawford and Bette Davis may be gone, as Erica and her friends mourn, but so is the all-consuming suffering of classical weepies, as writer/director Paul Mazursky ends the film on a note of reserved affirmation. While some critics (including feminists) complained that Saul was too much of a romantic fantasy, An Unmarried Woman was praised for Clayburgh's performance, and earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. A hit with 1978 audiences, An Unmarried Woman provoked viewer debate over Erica's final choice and its meaning for women. Either way, An Unmarried Woman astutely pointed to how far the new 1970s woman had come -- and how far she still needed to go. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates, (more)
The shockingly brutal murder of a little girl in a church where she was just about to receive her first Communion sets a strong tone for terror in this disturbing horror film. The prime suspect in the death of Karen Spages (Brooke Shields) is her sister, Alice (Paula Sheppard), who happily tormented Karen by donning a mask and a raincoat to scare her. Comforting the grieving mother, Catherine Spages (Linda G. Miller), is her sister, Annie (Jane Lowry); local priest Father Tom (Rudolph Willrich); and Catherine's estranged husband, Dominick (Niles McMaster). Other characters include Father Tom's quirky housekeeper, Mrs. Tredoni (Mildred Clinton); a pair of detectives (Tom Signorelli, Michael Hardstark); and Catherine Spages' obese, cat-loving landlord (Alphonso De Noble). While the police investigation and all visual clues quickly point to Alice, director Alfred Sole manages to cast doubt on the killer's identity while the masked madman strikes several more times. About two-thirds of the way through the movie, Sole allows the viewer to see the killer. However, he smartly keeps his characters in the dark setting up a tense finale which culminates in yet another bloody slaying on holy ground before the lunatic is finally stopped. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda G. Miller, Mildred Clinton, (more)
- 1976
- PG
One Summer Love is a drama about a man (Beau Bridges) who is released from a mental hospital and sets out to rejoin his nutty family. Along the way, he meets a pretty gal (Susan Sarandon) who works in a movie theatre, and they fall in love. In a dramatic manner, their love exorcises the psychological devils which have troubled him. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beau Bridges, Susan Sarandon, (more)
- 1968
This shoestring-budget science fiction drama finds astronauts plagued by a mysterious green slime that clings to the men's backs, then turns into tentacled, red-eyed creatures that kill their victims. Jack Rankin (Robert Horton) is sent to a space station commanded by Vince Elliot (Richard Jaeckel). The two have a personality clash but soon must set aside their differences to destroy an asteroid, believed to be the source of the rapidly multiplying slime. The object is obliterated, but the mysterious slime remains. This feature is believed to be the first to combine United States and Japanese productions for a film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Horton, Luciana Paluzzi, (more)
Rhodes Reason is the requisite Hollywood "name" actor in the Japanese-produced King Kong Escapes. While hacking through the jungle, expedition leader Nelson (Reason) and his companions are attacked by a dinosaur. They are rescued by King Kong, who since his traumatic experiences in New York has evidently changed his spots and become a lovable old Joe. Susan (Linda Miller), the prettiest member of Nelson's expedition, takes quite a liking to the big ape (Kong, not Nelson), and the feeling is reciprocated. The emphasis then shifts to dome-headed mad scientist Dr. Who (Eisei Amamoto), whose plans to take over the world include building a huge "Mechni-Kong," a robot designed to put the real Kong out of commission (if Amamoto sounds familiar to you, that's because his voice is dubbed by the ubiquitous Paul Frees). The climactic battle between the two Kongs is staged on a tinker-toy replica of Tokyo Tower -- hardly as imposing a structure as the Empire State Building, but consider what they're working with here. The Rhodes Reason/Linda Miller scenes were directed in Canada by Arthur Rankin Jr., the man responsible for the King Kong animated TV series of the late 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rhodes Reason, Mie Hama, (more)
