Micaela Nelligan Movies

A forest ranger stumbles into a den of eccentrics when he takes a job in a small town in this Mormon-themed comedy. Tartan Jones (Dan Merkley) is a 29-year-old man trained as a forest ranger who lives in Provo, UT, but is eager to get away, mainly so his friends and relatives will stop trying to fix him up with a "nice" girl, especially his mother (Jan Broberg Felt). Jones takes a job in a small town in the Southwest called Longfellow, though the locals prefer to call it Longwinded. Longfellow is home to 524 people -- 262 Mormons and 262 Baptists, a matter that has inspired no small amount of lively debate and less than friendly rivalry among the townsfolk over the years. Jones' membership in the Church of Latter Day Saints becomes a matter of contention when it's learned he's the "tiebreaker" who finally gives the Mormons a numerical advantage over the Baptists. Jones attempts to broker peace between both sides by staging an "all faith barbecue" for the entire community, but getting everyone involved to eat a burger together turns out to be a lot more difficult than expected. Making matters all the more complicated for Jones is Charity Hall (Heather Beers), an attractive woman who has arrived in town following a bad breakup with her boyfriend; she seems to like Jones but would prefer to stay out of Longfellow's religious debate altogether, perhaps wisely. Baptists at Our Barbecue was based on the comic novel of the same name by Mormon author Robert Farrell Smith. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A horrible-looking stranger proves yet again that looks can be deceiving in this family-oriented fable. The story is set during the Depression in the town of Castlegate. The young Bonnie secretly dreams of becoming a singer. Suddenly a stranger moves into a nearby abandoned mansion on a hill; immediately he earns the distrust of the town by evicting everyone who lives on the surrounding rental properties. Among the tenants are Bonnie and her widowed mother who pleads with the stranger to let them stay--the volatile newcomer allows this, but only on the condition that Bonnie come to work for him as his servant. Ribaldi, her new employer, has a dreadfully disfigured face and a most unpleasant demeanor, but despite his gruff exterior, Ribaldi has a love of fine singing voices and so offers to teach Bonnie all he knows. Back in town, the citizens grow more suspicious when all of the bankrupt farms in the area begin to be purchased by a mystery man. Meanwhile, the town's sick children begin to miraculously recover, and the poor residents suddenly find themselves receiving badly needed money for medical and other expenses. They never suspect that the money is coming from Ribaldi, and they continue to reject him on the basis of his face and outward personality. Only Bonnie and the other children know the real truth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Oscar-winner Kathy Bates stars in this tearjerker about a strong-willed widow determined to make it on her own. Bates is Frances Lacey, mother of six, left alone to provide for the family after her husband dies. Hoping to steer the kids away from the hazards on the streets of Los Angeles, she packs the brood up in the family car and heads out to find a new place to plant some roots. When Frances spots the unfinished frame of a house owned by a lonely Japanese man (Soon Tek-Oh), she cuts a deal with him to get the house in exchange for chores done by the family. Despite the trappings of poverty and the miseries that accompany financial uncertainty, Frances refuses to allow herself or her children to wallow in self-pity and instead forges ahead teaching them valuable life lessons. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

This 1970s true story features a fanatically religious woman and her son-in-law who hold her children prisoner while waiting for her late husband's resurrection in Utah. ~ All Movie Guide

Victoria Principal plays the sightless but extremely independent wife of Stephen Macht, who is murdered by intruders in her presence (a harrowing sequence, even within TV standards). Though she could see nothing, Principal is counting on her sensory and olfactory reminiscences, as well as her own instincts, to help the police track down the murderer. Naturally, this results in the killer stalking the "helpless" Principal, who proves to be nothing of the sort. Victoria Principal not only starred in Blind Witness (working like a demon to make her blindness utterly convincing), but also functioned as the film's co-executive producer. This made-for-TV movie debuted on November 26, 1989, heralded by the requisite TV Guide cover story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide