Jamie Farr Movies
American actor Jamie Farr was the only son of a Lebanese butcher living in Toledo, Ohio. An easy target for bullies due to his short stature and large nose, Farr became the neighborhood clown to save himself from physical abuse. Humor gave him confidence, and by the time Farr graduated from high school he was a top student, extremely popular and active in numerous extra-curricular activities. Always a big movie fan, Farr harbored dreams of being an actor, and to that end studied at the Pasadena Playhouse. In 1955, Farr was cast in his first film (still billed under his own name, Jameel Farrah), The Blackboard Jungle, playing a redeemable hoodlum named Santini; shortly thereafter, he was cast in the Broadway production of No Time for Sergeants, just before he was drafted. The two years in the Army upset the momentum of Farr's career, and he found himself from 1958 through 1971 rebuilding himself from the ground up in bits and supporting roles. (Farr was not in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians during this period, as has often been reported; the cast of that turkey included a Broadway actor named Al Nesor, who bore a startling resemblance to Farr and played many of the same type roles).One of Farr's one-day bits was for the sixth episode of the new TV series M*A*S*H in 1972; Farr had the almost wordless role of a GI who dressed in women's clothing in hopes of getting out of the Army. The character of "Corporal Klinger" was meant to be a onetime joke, but the producers of M*A*S*H sensed possibilities in the character. By Season Two of M*A*S*H, Farr became a full supporting character; by Season Three he was being given co-starring billing in the series' opening credits sequence. After misguidingly "camping" the character in the earliest rehearsals, Farr played Klinger "straight" in every sense of the word: Neither gay nor transvestite, Klinger was simply a guy who'd go to great extremes to get out of military service. Gradually the character began to become fashion conscious, and before the eighties were over Klinger was making several fashion lists as one of the best-dressed characters on TV! Farr's role was expanded when Gary Burghoff left M*A*S*H in 1979; promoted to company clerk, Klinger began to thrive in the military, and the outrageous costuming was allowed to lapse. By the time M*A*S*H left the air, Klinger had taken a Korean wife, and Jamie Farr had become a true-blue celebrity. Unfortunately neither Farr nor Klinger were able to extend their audience appeal into the sequel series After M*A*S*H, not even when the scripts contrived to have Klinger become a fugitive from justice in a move to repeat his "outsider" status on M*A*S*H. Nonetheless, Jamie Farr has kept busy in the years following the cancellation of After M*A*S*H in 1984 with TV guest spots and stage appearances in such roles as Ali Hakim in Oklahoma and Evil Eye Fleegle in Li'l Abner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A small town baseball announcer embarks on the journey of a lifetime after facing the prospect of being placed in a retirement home against his will in this bittersweet drama featuring Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger in his final film role. Despite the fact that his health is fading, and having recently suffered a mild stroke, Charlie McCabe is reluctant to give up his announcing position for the local baseball team and settle quietly into a local nursing home. Recalling an unfulfilled promise that he had made to his late wife that he would make amends with his estranged son, Charlie and his loving granddaughter Biddy set out to make good on his word and lay old ghosts to rest. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Crabby Clarence normally is not a generous person, but the apple lady and the ghost of George Washington convince him otherwise in this episode of Reading Rainbow: The Sign Painter's Dream. His story was written by Roger Roth and is read by Jamie Farr. LeVar Burton visits a sign company to investigate sign making from conception to installation, and also takes a look at the way advertisements are produced. In another segment, viewers will see a comparison of television commercials past and present. Books reviewed by the youngsters include I Read Signs, The Letter Jesters, and Sign Maker's Assistant. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- LeVar Burton
- 1993
- R
Bolo Yeung heads the rather intimidating cast of Fearless Tiger. The plot is a mixture as before: Kung-fu masters and students, betrayals, lifelong searches, revenge, final one-on-one confrontation. The film's selling cards are its dizzying action content and its variety of Far Eastern backgrounds. And, hey, there's good old Jamie Farr in a supporting role. Director Ron Hulme also wrote the script for Fearless Tiger, contributing such rapier-wit dialogue as "Ugh", "Arggh", and "Aiyee!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jalal Merhi, Monika Schnarre, (more)
- 1990
In this martial arts actioner, a skilled fighter teams up with his master to exact vengeance upon members of the Hong Kong street gang who murdered his brother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- PG
A sheriff struggles vainly to keep the annual Cannonball Run cross-country race from taking place in this comedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Peter Boyle, (more)
A darkly comic and surreal contemporization of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, this effects-heavy Bill Murray holiday vehicle from 1988 sees the former SNL funnyman assuming the role of television executive Frank Cross, the meanest and most depraved man on earth. Cross will stoop to unheard of levels to increase his network's ratings -- even if it means mounting outrageous programs to retain an audience, such as "Robert Goulet's Cajun Christmas" and Lee Majors in "The Night the Reindeer Died," with an AK-47-toting Santa. Cross plots his foulest move, however, for the Christmas holiday, when he will force his office staff to mount a live production of A Christmas Carol on national television -- and thus work through Christmas Eve. Cross's life is turned upside down with visits from three ghosts: a craggy-faced cabbie known as The Ghost of Christmas Past (David Johansen); the sugar-plum fairy Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) (who gets her jollies by bonking Frank across the face with a toaster oven); and, eventually, the caped, headless Ghost of Christmas Future, who will send Frank sliding into a crematory oven -- just before he gives the sleazoid one last chance to redeem himself. Along the way, the spirits carry Frank to scenes from his past, present, and future (per Scrooge) and impart a glimpse of how he became so thoroughly rotten. The radiant Karen Allen co-stars as Frank's girlfriend, Claire Phillips, and the film packs in cameos from countless celebrities -- among them, Mary Lou Retton, John Houseman, Jamie Farr, and, in a truly grisly and tasteless bit, John Forsythe. Richard Donner directs, from a script credited to the late Michael O'Donoghue and Mitch Glazer. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Karen Allen, (more)
- 1988
In this detective drama, a private gumshoe takes so many little cases that he can barely afford to support his wife and kids. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
During a political fundraiser in San Francisco, a necklace is stolen (apparently) and a man murdered (positively!) The dead man was a powerful publisher with senatorial ambitions, whose body was found on the balcony of the hotel room occupied by Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury); the necklace belonged to the decedent's wife. Suspecting that the man accused of the crime--a professional jewel thief who'd hidden himself in Jessica's room--is not guilty, Jessica sets about to crack the case. Keith Michell makes his first series appearance as the delightfully larcenous Dennis Stanton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
This in-name-only sequel to the mediocre H.P. Lovecraft adaptation The Curse is a slight improvement on its predecessor, eschewing any trace of Lovecraft in favor of a standard nuclear-mutant-beast plot but imbuing this theme with a menagerie of brain-damaged setpieces. When the protagonist and his girlfriend stumble across an abandoned atomic test site, he's bitten on the arm by an irradiated snake-monster; in a creative but excessively grotesque twist, only the venom-infected arm begins to undergo the inevitable transformation into a fanged beast (sort of a reptilian variant on Bruce Campbell's rebellious demonic hand in Evil Dead 2), which leads to some unpleasant quirks in the young couple's relationship. Before long, the poor guy becomes a veritable snake-factory, churning out baby serpents at an incredible clip. The performances are quite good and the makeup effects (by Screaming Mad George) deserve credit for their disgusting audacity. Very weird but more fun than its predecessor, this is probably the film that Sssss! wished it could have been. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Schoelen, J. Eddie Peck, (more)
- 1987
- R
John DeBello, the man who brought you The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes back in 1978, was responsible for the 1987 fantasy farce Happy Hour. The premise: a Coors-like beer manufacturer stumbles onto a secret ingredient that compels the guzzlers of America to consume its product exclusively. The complication: the magic formula has been stolen by a rival brewery. The original beermeisters send Rich Little out to steal back the formula, while the rival company dispatches Jamie Farr to prevent Little from completing his mission. Upon meeting one another, Rich and Jamie discover that they're old college chums and former student activists. Together, Little and Farr attempt to foil the mercenary machinations of both beer companies. Is Happy Hour as funny as John DeBello imagined it to be? Let us merely observe that the film's high point is a shot of a group of six-year-olds chugging beer, and that the closing image is of a pretty blonde who chastises the audience for not being smart enough to follow the plot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gilliland, Jamie Farr, (more)
- 1986
Bob Hope makes his first starring film appearance in 14 years in this made-for-TV movie. Hope stars as a seedy private eye, hoping to get one last good case before calling it quits. Don Ameche, a retired art thief reduced to working as a chauffeur, teams with his old friend Hope to solve the mystery of a missing painting. The unknown criminal has a murderous streak, resulting in a few close calls for the octogenarian heroes. Masterpiece of Murder is murder, all right, but definitely no masterpiece. Bob Hope appears to be sleepwalking, while Don Ameche does his utmost to breathe life in the tiresome proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In this youthful film, to juvenile delinquents must spend a year in a military academy. They immediately begin driving their superior officers crazy. The film is also titled Combat Academy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Culp, Keith Gordon, (more)
- 1984
Joanna Piper (Suzanne Pleshette) and Mike Coyne (Gil Gerard) are far more concerned with money than with love. To that end, they sign up as contestants for a TV giveaway show. The catch: in order to claim the grand prize of one million dollars, Joanna and Mike must pretend to be hopelessly, passionately in love with one another. The viewer can see the ending coming a mile away, but getting there is half the fun. Made for television, For Love or Money premiered November 20, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
(Burt Reynolds) as J.J. McClure takes off across the country again in this rickety sequel to Cannonball Run. A sheik has offered $1,000,000 to the first driver to reach a destination in Connecticut from Redondo Beach, California, inspiring J.J. and others to go for the gold. With cameos from more name performers than any dozen films together, (Frank Sinatra and the rat pack, Telly Savalas, Susan Anton, Shirley MacLaine, Jackie Chan, Sid Caesar, Marilu Henner, Catherine Bach, etc., etc., etc.), the movie becomes a pastiche and is executed as though no rehearsals were required, or ever happened. A disparate group of people racing to get a lot of money was first successfully exploited in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a much better film, and with just as many cameos, in fact. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1983
Margaret (Loretta Swit) has a new phonograph but no records. Charles (David Ogden Stiers) has a huge record collection, but a lousy phonograph. Obviously, one of these people is going to try to curry favor with the other--and B.J., caught in the middle of the intrigue, tries to play both ends down the middle. Meanwhile, Col. Potter (Harry Morgan) must confront the possibility that his old WW1 buddy, Col. Woody Cooke (John McLiam), is a dangerously incompetent military leader. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
As the 11th season of M*A*S*H* got under way in the fall of 1982, everyone involved with the series knew it would be their last (the program had already lasted eight years longer than the actual Korean War!) Looking back, the cast and crew could take pride in the series' many accomplishments, not least of which was its making palatable and entertaining a number of hot-button issues that had previously been verboten on American network television. The series had also come a long way from its zany, iconoclastic, hit-or-miss "anything for a laugh" origins, maturing into a thoroughly credible blend of comedy, drama and tragedy (its credibility enhanced by the decision to complete eliminate a canned laughtrack), with fully rounded, three-dimensional characterizations. The fact that the series had managed to win eleven Emmy awards further served to enhance the participants' sense of achievement. Viewers were honestly saddened that their favorite series, which had long since transcended the boundaries of standard sitcomery to become a national institution, would cease production at the end of season 11. Perhaps because the faithful fans were determined to savor every final moment of the series' existence, M*A*S*H was propelled from the ninth most popular TV program of 1981-82 to number three in 1982-83, with the now-legendary 2 1/2 hour finale, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen," being seen by the largest audience ever to watch a single TV episode. Although this landmark episode would bring M*A*S*H to a poignant close, it was not quite the end of the story. Debuting September 26, 1983, the CBS sitcom AfterMASH detailed the further adventure of several M*A*S*H regulars, all hired by a Missouri VA hospital upon the Korean cease-fire. Carryovers from the original M*A*S*H included Harry Morgan as Sherman Potter, Jamie Farr as Max Klinger, William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, and a character that had been introduced in the penultimate M*A*S*H episode "As Time Goes By," Klinger's Korean-born wife Soon-Lee, played by Rosalind Chao. Suffering the ignominous fate of most such spinoffs, AfterMASH failed to live up to the standards of its distinguished predecessor, and was cancelled after only a season and a half on the air. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, (more)
- 1981
Mary Beth Allen (Barbara Eden), the widow of a member of the long-defunct Eagle Rock Rebels motorcycle gang, supports herself by running a small campground. Unfortunately, the future of this enterprise is endangered by the arrival of several young punks who have been scaring off the customers and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Riding to the rescue are Mary Beth's old pals, the ex-members of the Rebels, who have gathered at the camp for their 25-year reunion. Along the way, Mary Beth falls in love with the Rebels' now middle-aged leader, Sonny (Don Murray). The fun to be had in this made-for-TV movie is seeing such sitcom stalwarts as M*A*S*H's Jamie Farr and Soap's Robert Mandan in black leather jackets astride their souped-up Harleys. Return of the Rebels made its CBS network bow on October 17, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham team up for the fourth time, this time bringing an all-star cast of characters on a cross-country car race in the vein of 1976 release The Gumball Rally. The police are the least of the Cannonballers' worries as they push the pedal to the metal in a race from Connecticut to California. Reynolds stars as J.J. McClure, a speed-loving racer disguised as an ambulance driver to outsmart the police. He is paired up with Dom Deluise, who plays his dimwitted sidekick Victor and who, on occasion, dons the suit of Captain Chaos. Rat Packers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. join the lineup as Ferrari-driving priests, while martial arts expert Jackie Chan takes on one of his first U.S. film roles driving a souped-up Subaru. Among the many other stars are Roger Moore doing a parody of his 007 character, complete with secret devices and weapons, Farrah Fawcett as Pamela, a woman McClure and Chaos pick up, and Jamie Farr as a deranged Islamic sheik. Jack Elam joins the cast as a crazed proctologist along for McClure's ambulance ride, and Needham makes a cameo as a patient. ~ Rachel Koetje, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, (more)
Its ninth season shortened to a mere 20 episodes thanks to a Hollywood writers' strike, M*A*S*H returned to a full 24-episode manifest for its tenth season, which began in October of 1981. With the defection of series regular Gary Burghoff two seasons earlier, the starring-cast lineup was now firmly "set" at seven actors--Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, Loretta Swit, David Ogden Stiers, Jamie Farr and William Christopher--and would remain so until its 11th and final season one year later. Although there were signs of fatigue and repetition during season 10, for the most part M*A*S*H managed to remain fresh and surprising with the occasional "gimmick" episode. The most noteworthy of these was the program's only foray into the paranormal, "ollies of the Living--Concerns of the Dead", in which the ghost of a dead GI looked on as the surgeons of the 4077th saved the life of his wounded buddy--and also occasionally carried on other-worldy conversations with a feverish Cpl. Klinger (Jamie Farr). M*A*S*H's ratings continued to be impressive during the 1981-82 season, though its drop from fourth to ninth place indicated that viewers might have been taking the decade-old series for granted. The same could not be said of the people responsible for the Emmy awards, who bestowed upon M*A*S*H its tenth and eleventh Emmys, with costars Alan Alda and Loretta Swit as the lucky recipients. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, (more)
After a late start thanks to a Hollywood writer's strike, M*A*S*H launched its ninth season on November 17, 1980. With the past defections of Wayne Rogers, Maclean Stevenson, Larry Linville and Gary Burghoff, Alan Alda (as Hawkeye), Loretta Swit (as Margaret Houlihan), Jamie Farr (as Klinger) and William Christopher (as Father Mulcahy) were the sole survivors from the series' first season cast lineup--and of those four, only two (Alda and Swit) had been "regulars" from the beginning. The series' occasional digressions from its established format was represented by one memorable "gimmick" episodes during season nine. In " War for All Seasons," the men and women of the 4077th celebrated the New Year by looking back on the events of 1951. Going a step farther than the familiar "letter home" episodes of previous seasons, in which the events of a single week were highlight in flashback fashion, "A War for All Seasons" boldly telescoped an entire year into a mere 22 minutes' screen time--and succeeded brilliantly. Still dominating the ratings on CBS' Monday-evening lineup, M*A*S*H sustained its ranking from the previous season as America's fourth most-watched network program. And though no additional Emmy awards came the its way during season nine, the series garnered eight Emmy nominations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, (more)
- 1980
During the 1970s, the Gong Show was a game/talent show phenomenon. With equal measures of parody, camp and pure lowest-common denominator exploitation, it presented a bizarre assortment of talented and untalented contestants (for example, the musician who played his trumpet with his bellybutton) making their bid for stardom, and a ridiculous prize of $516.32 while three rambunctious minor celebrity judges looked on offering scores for acts they liked, or instantly stopping showing disapproval by pounding furiously on a large Chinese gong. The co-creator, producer and acid-witted but smarmy daytime host of this tawdry kitsch pastiche was Chuck Barris (AKA "Chuckie Baby"). This attempt at a serious drama chronicles a day in his hectic life as he tries to prepare a new episode of his crazy show. As he deals with a seemingly unending string of increasingly freaky acts, the pressure begins to get to the sensitive, caring (as portrayed in the film) Barris and by the day's end he becomes a true lunatic. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Barris, Robin Altman, (more)
- 1980
Producer Aaron Spelling's made-for-TV Murder Can Hurt You is an unsubtle take-off of Neil Simon's theatrical feature Murder By Death. A crime is committed by the unknown, all-seeing Master Criminal. To solve the case, several top detectives are summoned, each one a takeoff of a popular TV gumshoe. Victor Buono plays Ironbottom, Jamie Farr and John Byner are Studsky and Hatch, Tony Danza is Pony Lambretta, Gavin McLeod impersonates Nojak, Connie Stevens goes by the name of Salty Sanderson, Burt Young portrays Palumbo....you get the idea. Just so we don't miss the joke, each character is introduced with the theme song of his or her "real" TV counterpart. The sporadically chucklesome Murder Can Hurt You was first telecast May 21, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Buono, John Byner, (more)
- 1979
Director Joel Schumacher makes like Robert Altman in the made-for-TV Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill. In the tradition of Altman's Nashville, Schumacher's film is a rambling, anecdotal study of an amateur talent show in a tawdry Southern saloon. The link between the two films is strengthened by the presence in Amateur Night of Henry Gibson, who'd played a Porter Wagoner type in Nashville. Among the contestants is country-western singer Tanya Tucker, who also contributed some of the background themes for the film's musical score. Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill was produced by Motown Industries' motion picture division. Sidebar: To improve ratings, the ad copy for this film was headlined "Disco Killer on the Loose!"--then, in smaller type, the copy explained that "killing" was merely a slang term for winning over the audience! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Season eight of M*A*S*H was marked by the last of the series' major regular-cast defections. As the quietly resourceful and eerily clairvoyant company clerk, Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, Gary Burghoff had been the only actor from the 1970 movie version of M*A*S*H* to carry over his role into the TV-series version in 1972. Now a full-fledged star with an Emmy award under his belt, Burghoff felt the time had come to move on. Radar O'Reilly made a ceremonious and emotionally charged exit from the series in the two-part episode "Good-Bye Radar." Breaking from the tradition established by such previous series defectees as Wayne Rogers, Maclean Stevenson and Larry Linville, Radar said his goodbyes only four weeks into the 1978-79 season, rather than waiting until the final episode of season eight. It was decided not to bring in a new actor to replace Radar. Instead, Cpl. Max Klinger (Jamie Farr), who previously spent the bulk of his time dressed in women's clothing in hopes of getting out of the Army on a Section 8, was promoted to company clerk. After a nervous "shakedown" period, Klinger adapted quite well to his new responsibilities, so much so that he cut back on his efforts to escape military service--and, simultaneously, was seen more often in the "proper" male garb. Having previously digressed from its established format, M*A*S*H expanded its efforts at experimentation during season eight with a brace of "gimmick" episodes. In "Life Time," the surgeons raced against the clock to save the life of a seriously wounded GI--and, to heighten the tension, that selfsame clock was seen ticking away throughout the episode, superimposed at the lower corner of the TV screen. And in "Dreams," the men and women of the 4077th were plagued by bizarre, surrealist nightmares reminiscent of the cinematic delusions of Ingmar Bergman and Luis Bunuel. The series' previous season move from a Tuesday-night timeslot to a Monday-evening berth had had a most salutary effect on M*A*S*H's ratings. Ranked as the seventh most popular series during its seventh season, the program climbed to fourth place for season eight. Additionally, M*A*S*H earned its eighth and ninth Emmy awards during this season, with the gold statuettes going to series regulars Harry Morgan and Loretta Swit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, (more)
