Lisa Eilbacher Movies
Born in the Middle East to American parents, Lisa Eilbacher was the sister of busy child actress Cindy Eilbacher. Likewise launching her career at an early age, Lisa made her film debut as Jason Robards Jr.'s teenage daughter in The War Between Men and Women (1972). Best remembered for her portrayal of pilot trainee Cory Seegar in An Officer and a Gentleman (1984) and for her work as Eddie Murphy's leading lady in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Eilbacher also has the distinction of being the first actress to portray kidnaped heiress Patricia Hearst in the 1979 TV movie The Ordeal of Patty Hearst. Lisa Eilbacher's other TV work has included regular roles on such series as The Texas Wheelers, The Hardy Boys: Nancy Drew Mysteries and Ryan's Four, and the starring role in the 1985 private eye weekly Me and Mom (1985, as "Me"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Charles Bronson at 63 or so, continues his vigilante persona in this run-of-the-mill crime drama about a Richard Speck-style killer who knifes young nurses to death. There is no doubt that the film exploits both the heinous, 1966 Speck murder of eight nurses in Chicago and an audience's willingness to go along with the Bronson character, Leo Kessler, when he uses illegal means to entrap criminals. The captured killer, Warren Stacey (Gene Davis) manages to go free because of red tape and the need to wait for the outcome of his insanity plea. When he returns to his murderous predilection, Kessler takes action to permanently stop him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Lisa Eilbacher, (more)
Richard Gere plays Zack Mayo, an aloof, taciturn man who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he's arrived at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.). Mayo --or "Mayonnaise," as he is dubbed by the irascible Foley -- is an excellent cadet, but a little cold around the heart. Foley rides Mayo mercilessly, sensing that the young man would be prime officer material if he weren't so self-involved. Zack's affair with working girl Paula Pokrifi (Debra Winger) is likewise compromised by his unwillingness to give of himself. Only after Mayo's best friend Sid Worsley (David Keith) commits suicide over an unhappy romance does Zack come out of his shell and mature into a real human being. Take away the R-rated dialogue and the sex scenes, and Officer and a Gentleman could have been a 1937 MGM flick, maybe with Robert Taylor as Zack, Wallace Beery as Foley, and Jimmy Stewart as Sid. An Officer and a Gentleman was nominated for 7 Oscars, with wins to Gossett and to the hit song "Up Where We Belong." The closing scene has surely become a classic of movie romance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Debra Winger, (more)
- 1978
Another of the many Arthur Hailey literary properties which were transformed into TV miniseries in the 1970s, the five-part, ten-hour Wheels took place in Detroit sometime in the late 1960s. Rock Hudson starred as Adam Trenton, executive in charge of project development at the fictional auto-manufacturing firm of National Motors. Ambitious and ruthless, Adam let nothing stand in the way of his development and production of a new, youth-marketed car known as the Hawk. Meanwhile, Adam's bored and neglected wife Erica (Lee Remick, who earned an Emmy nomination for her performance) drifted into an extramarital affair and a brief "career" as a shoplifter. Eventually, Adam himself acquired a mistress, who in turn fell in love with Adam's son Kirk (James Carrol Jordan). As if things couldn't get any seamier, Kirk's brother Greg (Howard McGillin) was plagued by a blackmailer, while crooked car dealer Smokey Stevenson (played by miniseries stalwart Anthony Franciosa) cooked up a sinister deal that threatened to destroy National Motors. Originally telecast from May 7 to 15, 1978 on NBC, Arthur Hailey's Wheels posted such disappointing ratings that, when it was later rebroadcast, the property was whittled down from ten hours to four -- with episodes three and four summarily dropped from the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Lee Remick, (more)
- 1974
"Bad" Ronald (Scott Jacoby) has been in hiding in a secret room ever since going off the deep end and killing a teenaged girl who'd made fun of him. Ronald's mother (Kim Hunter) helps her son to remain hidden, even when the house in which he is sequestered is rented by a family. As luck would have it, three of the family members are nubile young girls--perfect targets for the lonely, and looney, Ronald. In the original John Holbrook Vance novel on which this TV-movie is based, Ronald abducts, repeatedly rapes and ultimately kills two women. The video version of Bad Ronald is heavily laundered, but no less terrifying. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott, (more)
What's that wisecracking young black guy (Eddie Murphy) in that beat-up Chevy Nova doing in lily-white Beverly Hills? He's Axel Foley, a Detroit detective who's been sent on involuntary vacation because he refuses to drop his intention of avenging his friend's murder. Warned by Beverly Hills police chief Ronny Cox to stay out of trouble, Foley nonetheless dogs the trail of above-the-law Steven Berkoff, the British crime czar who was responsible for the murder of Foley's friend. With the help of sympathetic local cops Judge Reinhold and John Ashton and lady friend Lisa Eilbacher, Foley attempts to corner Berkoff in his mansion, which leads to a wild slapsticky shootout. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, (more)
- 1991
We wish we had a nickel for every time some producer cleverly titled his film Blind Man's Bluff -- then offered us a sightless hero or heroine. This time around, Robert Urich plays a blind professor, who finds himself the main suspect in a murder case. Investigating on his own, Urich comes to the inescapable conclusion that the killer is his own former girlfriend (Lisa Eilbacher). The suspense slackens only towards the end, when the film seems to be racing uncontrollably to a predictable dénouement. Made for TV, Blind Man's Bluff first aired on the USA cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Young Jamie is once more riding for a fall when he falls in love with the much-older Kelly (Pamela Franklin). Making things worse is the fact that Kelly is the wife of Jamie's schoolteacher Dan Edwards (Jordan Rhodes), whose jealousy borders on insanity. Featured in the cast are Lisa Eilbacher as Eloise, David Doremusas Gene, Steve Benedict as Henry, Michael Blake as Lew, and Eileen Ryan as Emily. Written by former blacklistee Richard Collins, "First Love" first aired on December 26, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
Based on a popular novel by Judith Krantz, this sudsy romantic drama features a prominent photographer who heads to Gay Paree, unaware that greedy family members are plotting to bilk her father out of his valuable ranch land. Love blossoms in the City of Light when she encounters a fellow picture taker. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Hartman, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1987
Matt Salinger suffers a double blow when his wife is murdered and his baby disappears. All evidence points to the grim possibility that the child has also met with foul play. With the help of reporter Lisa Eilbacher, Salinger unearths a horrible family secret that may hold the key to the mystery-and learns the truth about his baby. Cunningly written with a surfeit of nightmarish setpieces by Gordon Cotler, the made-for-TV Deadly Deception costars Bonnie Bartlett and Mildred Natwick as two human cogs in a wheel of lies. The film was first telecast March 8, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- R
An archaeologist has come back home with a priceless gem in his possession. However, it was ill-gotten and his life is in extreme danger. After he's killed, his widow becomes the mark of several treasure-seekers. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Eilbacher, Steve Railsback, (more)
- 1992
Brian Dennehy makes one of his many TV-movie appearances as Chicago homicide cop John Reed in the two-part Deadly Matrimony. Reed's quarry this time is mob lawyer Treat Williams, who murders his wife and then effectively covers his tracks. The closer Reed comes to the truth, the more he's in jeopardy of losing his job (and possibly his life) thanks to Williams' friends in high places. Based on a true story, part one of Deadly Matrimony was first telecast on November 22, 1992. In part two, which debuted November 23, Reed is victimized by the crooked cops under Williams' thumb, but refuses to knuckle under to mob pressure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Lisa Eilbacher, (more)
- 1978
Richie Brockelman, the intellectual but naive 23-year-old private eye played by Dennis Dugan, was introduced in the 1976 TV movie Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours. He was revived for a 2-hour episode of James Garner's The Rockford Files, telecast February 24, 1978. Three weeks later, Richie Brockelman: Private Eye premiered on NBC as a five-week replacement for Rockford Files. The Diary of Richie Brockelman is a 2-hour syndicated TV "movie" comprised of highlights from the series and narrated by Dennis Dugan. Richie's case load includes suspected embezzlement, a stolen classic car, industrial espionage, a gambling ring, and a missing accident victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Based on a true story, the made-for-television Hunt for the Night Stalker is about a pair of Los Angeles police detectives who hunted down the satanic Californian serial killer Richard Ramirez during the mid-'80s. The film was originally aired under the title Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker and was shown on the day Ramirez's death sentence was announced. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
The crush felt by a young boy for his father's girlfriend creates heartbreak when the adults call the relationship off. ~ All Movie Guide
Leviathan, a sci-fi thriller directed by George Pan Cosmatos, is the story of a group of scientists who discover a sunken Russian submarine which contains a monster that is the product of a genetic experiment. This film, a hybrid of both The Abyss and Alien, has a decent cast, including Peter Weller as Beck, the lead oceanographer. Working with a good budget, action director Cosmatos, should have been able to put together better action sequences and a more frightening monster, but he gives this derivative, silly film below-par special effects and no particular visual style. Leviathan, while it may entertain a less-sophisticated viewer, has little to offer fans of the genre who are looking for thrilling special effects. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, (more)
Pierce Brosnan stars as Danny O'Neill, an FBI explosives expert on the trail of a mad bomber in this made-for-cable thriller. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierce Brosnan, Lisa Eilbacher, (more)
- 1979
The old 1930s song was "Love For Sale;" now it's the 1970s, and, just like cars and condominiums, it's Love for Rent. Lisa Eilbacher is the innocent midwestern girl who comes to wicked old New York looking for her sister Annette O'Toole. O'Toole is now gainfully employed by an "escort bureau" (note those quote marks), and Eilbacher is likewise drawn into this questionable lifestyle. The ad copy for this TV movie notes that the sisters are "forced to face reality", which is more than the scriptwriters did. Not surprisingly, Love for Rent was based on a Playboy magazine story (by Don Pierce). Its initial audience on November 11, 1979, was most likely close to zero, since a rival network was offering the TV premiere of Dog Day Afternoon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
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Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker was a made-for-TV factual drama about the elusive killer who terrorized Southern California in the summer of 1985. Richard Jordan and A. Martinez star as the two LA detectives heading up the investigation. So much time is taken up with police procedure that the Night Stalker himself is virtually a bit player in his own movie. The suspect, one Richard Ramirez (watch the film to find out who plays him), makes up for his long absences with a bravura closing scene. The film utilizes the clever (and tasteful) approach of showing the victims going about their everyday activities just before the murderer strikes, without resorting to re-enacting the murders themselves. By accident or design, Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker was telecast November 12, 1989--the very day that Richard Ramirez was sentenced to the gas chamber. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A made-for-TV miniseries set during World War II, Monte Carlo features a Russian singer (Joan Collins) who works in the French city. She moonlights, however, as an Allied spy to retaliate against the Nazis who murdered her husband. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Collins, George Hamilton, (more)
- 1988
In this exciting New Zealand-set actioner, a pair of average people find themselves fighting for their lives when they are inadvertently entangled in a plot involving international espionage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Temuera Morrison, Lisa Eilbacher, (more)
- 1981
- PG
In this drama, a homeless shoeshine boy who lives in a locker at the train station finds himself quite popular after he reveals a talent for picking winners at the racetrack. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Coleman, Michael Lembeck, (more)
- 1976
Panache, that dashing 17th century poet, swordsman and lover, is played by Rene Auberjonois. In true Alexander Dumas fashion, Panache is accompanied in his adventures by two musketeers, naive Alain (Charles Frank) and worldly Donat (David Healy). In this made for TV pilot film, Panache and his comrades protect the Queen (Amy Irving) from the machinations of Cardinal Richelieu (Joe Ruskin), whose chief lieutenant is the insidious Rochefort (Charles Siebert). Everyone obviously had a lot of fun making Panache, especially Rene Auberjonois, a consummate character actor who never received a TV role quite this colorful again. What a wonderful series this would have made...but 1976 wasn't the year of the TV swashbuckler, not with such 20th century favorites as Henry Winkler and Suzanne Somers around. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
- PG
A lame racehorse is healed with the aid of a youngster's loving care and is able to enter the famed Kentucky Derby. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Miles, Stuart Whitman, (more)
- 1983
In this soapy episode from a short-lived television medical drama, four doctors try to juggle their personal and professional endeavors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1977
In this TV movie based upon the Marvel superhero, college student Peter Parker suffers a spider bite which turns him into the amazing webbed crime fighter. The plot finds a no-good scientist using mind power techniques in an attempt to pocket big bucks by extorting world leaders. this Swackhamer-produced tale presents some excellent special effects portraying the wall climbing Spider-Man. This was also the pilot for the Spider-Man TV series that would follow. ~ All Movie Guide
