Joe E. Tata Movies

Based on the 1976 autobiography My Luke and I by Eleanor Gehrig and Joseph Durso, Love Affair: The Eleanor & Lou Gehrig Story provides a slightly different slant on the events previously dramatized on film as Pride of the Yankees (1942). The story is told in flashback from the point of view of the wife of baseball's "Iron Man". Sitting in a deserted Yankee stadium, Eleanor (Blythe Danner) relates her tale to her biographer Joseph Durso (Robert Burr). She recalls how she met the painfully shy ballplayer Lou Gehrig (Edward Herrmann) on a blind date in 1933. She remembers her battle of wills with Lou's domineering and possessive mother (played with a nearly impenetrable foreign accent by Patricia Neal), and her 1934 elopement with her "Luke." Other memories include the New York Yankees' goodwill trip to Japan, where relationships became strained between teammates Gehrig and Babe Ruth (Ramon Bieri). Also recalled is the fact that Lou played 2130 consecutive games (a record was only recently broken by Cal Ripken Jr.). Eleanor's story ends inevitably with Lou's slow death from amyotropic lateral sclerosis. In summing up, Eleanor insists that despite the tragic final years, she wouldn't have traded her short time as Mrs. Lou Gehrig for anything. Edward Herrmann took pride in the fact that his portrayal of Lou Gehrig won the unqualified praise of the real Eleanor (though Herrmann learned to bat southpaw for the role, he is seen actually playing baseball only once) Originally scheduled for broadcast on October 9, 1977, the made-for-TV Love Affair was bumped by a World Series playoff game; it was rescheduled for January 15, 1978--smack dab opposite the Super Bowl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In addition to tackling the usual traffic and drug violations--not to mention a thief posing as a cab driver-- Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) find themselves in the middle of a bizarre hostage situation. A frustated actor has taken a stewardess captive in hopes of forcing a producer to give him an audition. Ironically, the actor is played by Frank Sinatra Jr.), who had himself been the victim of an audacious pair of kidnappers back in 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lenny (Tom Sizemore) is the kind of man who simply cannot get through the day without messing up, or suffering some amazing piece of bad luck. As a consequence, he has lost every one of the jobs his uncle has set him up with. That's how he loses his job as a gas station attendant: he leaves the place to ferry Eloise, a particularly good-looking girl, to a job interview. She looks like a good thing for him though, and they move in together, despite a lack of funds. Soon, he even loses his job at a porno flick, when that gets raided by the police. Oddly, he is almost insanely jealous of Eloise's former boyfriends. After the pair of them become homeless, he cooks up a scheme to recoup some money that proves he is completely clueless, once and for all. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The prime television destination for many younger viewers during the early '90s, Beverly Hills 90210 delivered scandal, controversy, and sexy story lines on a weekly basis. The series centered on the lives of the teenage Walsh twins, Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Brandon (Jason Priestly), who move with their parents from rural Minnesota to drama-rich Beverly Hills at the beginning of Season 1. Learning to assimilate to the California lifestyle isn't easy; it takes the help of their high school friends Kelly (Jennie Garth), Donna (Tori Spelling), Steve (Ian Ziering), Andrea (Gabrielle Carteris), and David (Brian Austin Green), as well as bad boy (and teen heartthrob) Dylan (Luke Perry) to get Brenda and Brandon to come out their shells. Season 2 (1991-92) of the Aaron Spelling/Darren Star-created drama features a pregnancy scare for Brenda; Dylan's rehab stint; the truth about Steve's birth mother; an accidental shooting; and the introduction of the fascinating but troubled Emily Valentine (Christine Elise). Also new to the scene is Jake Hanson (Grant Show), who eventually went on to anchor the 90210 spin-off Melrose Place, which launched in the autumn of 1992. Bonus features in this eight-disc include: "Our Favorite Valentine," Elise's look back at Emily; "Meet the Walshes," during which actors Carol Potter and James Eckhouse discuss their roles as the "perfect" Beverly Hills parents Cindy and Jim Walsh; and "Everything You Need to Know About Beverly Hills 90210 Season 2," featuring pop-culture experts and comedians Michael Colton and John Aboud.

The ensemble drama about young adults growing up in Beverly Hills is a blend of romantic drama and subject matter that crosses all cultural boundaries. The storyline has followed the Walsh family as they moved from a middle-class Midwestern neighborhood to wealthy and glamorous Beverly Hills, maturing from high school to college students, facing new challenges as they continue to grow and discover more about themselves and their personal ambitions. As their worlds evolve, old friendships will be tested as new relationships develop, but no matter how complicated their worlds become, they will always share in their strengths and experiences.

The ensemble drama about young adults growing up in Beverly Hills is a blend of romantic drama and subject matter that crosses all cultural boundaries. The storyline has followed the Walsh family as they moved from a middle-class Midwestern neighborhood to wealthy and glamorous Beverly Hills, maturing from high school to college students, facing new challenges as they continue to grow and discover more about themselves and their personal ambitions. As their worlds evolve, old friendships will be tested as new relationships develop, but no matter how complicated their worlds become, they will always share in their strengths and experiences.

For those of you who didn't get your T&A fill from the 1979 TV movie The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, we submit for your approval The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Part Two. The first film dealt with the selection and training of the famed pulchritudinous cheerleading lineup. The sequel finds the girls prepping for the Super Bowl and a hectic USO tour. Returning from the first film are Laraine Stephens as reporter Suzanne Mitchell, and several anonymous real-life members of the troupe. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Part 2 first jiggled its way into the hearts of televiewers on January 13, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 1975 TV movie Death Scream is based on the shameful Kitty Genovese affair of 1964, in which a N.Y.C. woman was stabbed to death while 38 witnesses locked their windows and doors and pretended not to hear. Raul Julia stars as the detective who investigates the murder and stirs up the guilt feelings of those who refused to help. The film casts celebrity actors in the roles of the witnesses (Diahann Carroll, Cloris Leachman, Lucie Arnaz, Nancy Walker, Art Carney, et al.). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Seeking the location of a New York repair shop for his broken antique watch, Oliver (Eddie Albert) gets in touch with his former secretary Carol Rush (Elaine Joyce), who is now working for a realtor. One thing leads to another, and by the end of the story Oliver and Carol have combined forces to save her boss from being bilked out of 10,000 dollars. This 170th and final episode of Green Acres was intended as the pilot for a spinoff series starring Elaine Joyce, Emmaline Henry, and Richard Deacon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hans Conried guest stars as Major Bonacelli, a pacifistic Italian POW commandant. Assigned to study under Stalag 17's Col. Klink, Bonacelli would much sooner defect to Switzerland. Ordered to extract information from Bonacelli, Hogan tries to convince the major to work on behalf of the Allies by bribing him with LeBeau's mouth-watering pizza. Written by Arthur Julian, "The Pizza Parlor" first aired on February 11, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The story of "red light bandit" Caryl Chessman, previously dramatized in the 1955 film Cell 2455, Death Row (based on Chessman's own book), was adapted for television as Kill Me If You Can. In a radical departure from his usual duties as MASH's Hawkeye Pierce, Alan Alda plays Chessman, who in 1948 was found guilty of robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault. Under the laws of the era, Chessman was sentenced to die in the gas chamber. But by studying the law and publishing four books on his plight, the brilliant (albeit still repugnant) Chessman managed to forestall his execution for 12 years. Though no effort is made in the film to make the sociopathic Chessman any better than he was, John Gay's script comes out squarely in opposition of capital punishment. Kill Me If You Can first aired on September 25, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti (billed as "Dan Travanty") guests in this episode as Ilan, shaggy-haired leader of a band of space cyclists. Hoping to rise above their "misfit" status, Ilan and his fellow cycle bums agree to blow up a planet in order to keep it colliding with their own. Alas, the planet slated for destruction is currently occupied by the Robinsons--and the cyclists have no intention of letting them escape! The plot takes a bizarre twist when, thanks to a gaseous substance, Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) is suddenly transformed into a green-haired muscleman--whose awesome strength keeps failing him at the most inopportune moments! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide