Conchata Ferrell Movies
Expressive comic actress Conchata Ferrell attended drama classes at West Virginia University and Marshall University. Ferrell's first off-Broadway appearance was as good-natured hooker April Green in Lanford Wilson's Hot L Baltimore (1972), a role she would reprise in the short-lived 1975 TV sitcom version. In 1973, she won an Obie Award for her performance in The Sea Horse. Her first major film role was feisty frontier widow Elinore in the 1981 western Heartland, a performance that earned her a "Wrangler Award" from the Cowboy Hall of Fame. She has also been seen in Network (1976), Mystic Pizza (1988) and Edward Scissorhands (1991), to name but a few. As active on TV as elsewhere, Conchata Ferrell has played such regular TV-series roles as female cop Wilhelmina "The Fox" Johnson in BJ and the Bear (1979), café owner Vangie Cruise in McClain's Law (1981), nurse Joan Thor in the original ER (1984), zoo secretary Kate Galindo in A Peaceable Kingdom (1989), entertainment lawyer Susan Bloom in LA Law (1991-92 season, earning an Emmy nomination in 1992), and cynical psychologist/advice columnist Dr. Madeline Stoessinger in Hearts Afire (1993-95). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Don Murray plays Lacy, a blatantly bigoted New York cop who finds that his rabid hatred forces him into a bloody rampage in order to save himself and his job in the derivative cop melodrama Deadly Hero. At one point in the film, Lacy rehearses a speech to be given to a cadre of right-wingers by intoning, "These are troubled times." This is certainly the case for Lacy, since this 18-year veteran of the NYPD has been demoted from detective to patrol car because of his liberal use of deadly force on nasty perpetrators. When Lacy, a lit fuse of seething anger and racial epithets, encounters nasty black mugger Rabbit (James Earl Jones), who is terrorizing young schoolteacher Sally (Diahn Williams) at knifepoint in her apartment, it doesn't take much for the cop to decide to put the thug on terror alert by shooting him. Is Sally grateful for blowing away the object of her torture? To Lacy's surprise, she instead testifies against him, accusing him of being a cold-blooded killer. Now Lacy has to figure out a way out of this high-shootin' mess. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Don Murray, Diahn Williams, (more)
A trenchant satire of "trash TV," Network seems to grow only more relevant with each passing year. Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the dean of newscasters at the United Broadcasting System, is put out to pasture because he "skews old." Network executive Max Schumacher (William Holden), Howard's best friend, is forced to deliver the bad news. Beale can't stomach the idea of losing his 25-year post as anchorman simply because of age, so in his next broadcast he announces to the viewers that he's going to commit suicide on his final program. Network head Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) is all for kicking Beale out then and there, but when it looks as though the UBS is going to have its greatest ratings ever on the night of Beale's self-destruction, ambitious programming exec Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) talks Hackett into treating that fateful final telecast as a special event. Naturally, Beale doesn't go through with it -- but he does begin rambling about the horrible state of the world in general and television in particular. He concludes his tirade by admonishing his viewers to "Go to the window and shout as loud as you can: 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!'" With that, Howard Beale becomes the hottest TV personality in America, and Diana becomes the network's fair-haired girl. She draws up plans to treat the nightly news broadcast as garish entertainment (complete with a psychic), all built around the rants of Beale, billed as "The Mad Prophet of the Airwaves." Network won Oscars for Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay as well as for three of four acting categories -- Dunaway for Best Actress, Peter Finch for Best Actor (in the only posthumous Oscar yet awarded), and Beatrice Straight for Best Supporting Actress, in one of the shortest-screen-time performances ever to win an Oscar. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Faye Dunaway, William Holden, (more)
- 1977
After catching a shoplifter, Willona (Ja'net DuBois) is promoted to store detective. When she finds out that her job entails spying on shoppers from behind a two-way dressing room mirror, she balks, insisting that her strict moral values precludes invading anyone's privacy. On the other hand, Willona really needs the extra cash to finance her figure-skating lessons... ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
First telecast by CBS on October 12, 1977, the made-for-TV A Girl Called Hatter Fox was adapted from a novel by Marilyn Harris. Joanelle Nadine Romero plays the title character, a sullen 17-year-old Navajo orphan girl who has been sent to a New Mexico reformatory. Endeavoring to save Hatter from a bleak future, dedicated doctor Teague Summer (Ronny Cox) butts up against the intractability of ancient Indian superstitions and sorcery, not to mention the girl's own "born loser" mindset. A Girl Called Hatter Fox has been syndicated under the title Lost Legacy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
While defending pro football player Davy Woodhull (Howard McGillin) on a robbery-murder charge, Beth (Gretchen Corbett) is harrassed by an unknown psycho. Jim (James Garner) must not only protect Beth, but also locate Doreen Carpenter (Sondra Blake), the only person who is able to clear Woodhull. Alas, Doreen is killed just before testifying in court--the first of several clues leading to the inexorable conclusion that Beth's tormentor is much closer to her than she thinks! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Based on Rachel Maddux' book The Orchard Children, this still-timely 1978 TV movie stars Shirley Jones and Len Cariou as the foster parents of two "cast-off" children. After several years, Shirley and Len press to legally adopt the kids. But the natural parents (Cassie Yates and David Hayward) materialize virtually out of nowhere, demanding that their children be returned. The script is careful not to take sides, but audiences generally tend to favor the foster couple. Set in rural Tennessee, Who'll Save Our Children was actually filmed in British Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Paul Clemens plays the real-life Peter Reilly, who in September of 1973 was charged with the mutilation and murder of his mother. The confused 18-year-old signs a confession after being told that he's flunked a lie detector test. Later renouncing the confession, Reilly demands a reopening of his case. The citizens of Peter's home town of Canaan, CT, who'd been willing to see the boy thrown in jail for life when the case first hit the papers, now rally around the youth, insisting that his constitutional rights have been violated. New evidence uncovered by a sympathetic detective enables Peter to press his case. Stefanie Powers plays Joan Barthel, the Canaan resident and free-lance journalist who chronicled Peter's bid for freedom. The made-for-TV A Death in Canaan was first telecast March 1, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Clemens, Stefanie Powers, (more)
- 1979
The "before" version of Patty Duke is obese and slovenly. Emerging from a "fat farm," the "after" version of Patty Duke discovers that her husband (Bradford Dillman) has been playing the field while she's been trying to shed her excess poundage. Duke then takes up with a handsome artist (Art Hindle), who gives her new incentive to lose weight, even though he's made it clear that her physical appearance isn't all that important to him. His jealousy aroused, Duke's hubby tries to win her back, but she soon learns that he hasn't really changed a bit. The made-for-TV Before and After was initially broadcast October 5, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patty Duke, Bradford Dillman, (more)
- 1980
The landmark 1978 courtroom prosecution which determined that a married man can by law be brought up on charges of raping his wife, was meticulously--and tastefully--detailed in this made-for-TV movie. Linda Hamilton stars as Oregon housewife Greta Rideout, who after years of abuse at the hands her husband John (Mickey Rourke) (it is the sort of marriage described by one observer as "usually [winding] up as suicide or homicide") finally takes him to court, accusing him of forcing her to have sex against her will. Among those involved in the case are feminist activists Helen (Conchata Ferrell) and Jean (Gail Strickland) and opposing attorneys Gary Gortmaker (Eugene Roche) and Charles Burt (Rip Torn). Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case originally aired October 30, 1980 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Linda Hamilton, Mickey Rourke, (more)
The "heartland" of the title is rural Wyoming in the early 20th century, where dwells taciturn, reclusive Scottish farmer Rip Torn. Conchata Ferrell arrives at the Torn spread to work as his housekeeper. Paid near-starvation wages, Ferrell continues working day and night, hoping to use her savings to ensure a bright future for her 10-year-old daughter Megan Folsom. Touched by her diligence, Torn slowly falls in love with Ferrell, and after seeing the woman and her child through the torturous Wyoming winter, he marries her - but their union gets off to a shaky start and threatens to buckle, thanks to several unforeseen casualties. Heartland is based on several autobiographical works by Elinore Randall Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Conchata Ferrell, Rip Torn, (more)
- 1980
In this romantic drama, a misanthropic college teacher with a love of solitude ends up falling in love with her married handy man. Though they are in love and want to marry, his wife refuses to divorce him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1980
An eccentric college professor prefers solitude until romance blooms between her and her married campus maintenance man in this drama that is based on a novel by Elizabeth Gundy. The story contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1982
After three members of the same family are found murdered in their home, the police arrest the family's son, Glen Werner (Kelly Ward), for the killings. Glen's attorney tries to cop a plea for his client, claiming that the boy was insane at the time of the murders. Both Quincy (Jack Klugman) and DA Sal Angeletti (Joseph Sirola) are convinced that Glen is feigning insanity--but unless they act quickly, the murderer will be back on the streets in less than 90 days. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice is a fact-based TV movie starring Carol Burnett and Lloyd Bridges. Burnett plays Beatrice (emphasis on the second syllable: "Be-AT-trice") who compensates for her shyness and lack of self-respect by drinking heavily. Bridges plays Beatrice's husband, who tolerates his wife alcoholic intake until he can stand no more. She begins attending Alcoholics Anonymous and cleans up her act. But that's not the end of the story: Beatrice then sets out to establish a halfway house for other female alcoholics. The domestic scenes between Burnett and Bridges are far more compelling than Burnett's climactic tiltings with bureaucracy during her efforts to realize her dream. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
Lensed on videotape, Emergency Room was the first presentation of the syndicated Commworld Prime Time Showcase. Sarah Purcell and LeVar Burton star in this hospital melodrama. Purcell plays the doctor in charge of the E.R., dealing not only with an onrush of patients but also with hospital red tape and an on-again, off-again romance with a fellow physician (Gary Frank). The guest cast includes Penny Peyser, Paul Stewart, Julie Sommars, Gary Lockwood and Conchata Ferrell. Most markets first saw Emergency Room in mid-July 1983. The film was barter-sponsored to local stations by Procter and Gamble, as was the second and last Commworld Prime Time Showcase effort, Desperate Intruder (see separate entry). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
- G
This lively, funny Faerie Tale Theatre production of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale is about a thumb-sized girl (Carrie Fisher) who has to find her way back home after being kidnapped by a toad and a mole. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- 1984
Ralph Maccio plays teenaged Billy Grier, the victim of a rare degenerative disease that speeds up the ageing process. With only a few months left on earth-if that-Billy wants to realize three goals. He wants to be reunited with his long-gone father; he wants to play sax in a jazz band; and he wants to know a woman, in the Biblical sense. The story isn't as touching as the producers hoped it would be, but Macchio's character makeup (courtesy of Emmy-winner Michael Westmore) is astonishing. Made for television, The Three Wishes of Billy Grier was originally telecast November 1, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This made-for-television biopic tells the story of phenomenal Rumanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, a little girl who blew away the judges at the 1976 Summer Olympics by getting an unprecedented series of six perfect scores. Unfortunately, though the games were a dream come true, her subsequent life was a nightmare that culminated in a suicide attempt. Fortunately that was Nadia's lowest point and she was able to make a comeback in time to have a happy ending. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leslie Weiner, Johann Carlo, (more)
- 1985
In this socially conscious drama, an ex-con meets constant opposition from avaricious land owners who want the land on which he has set up a ranch-style juvenile correctional facility. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1986
Based on a true story, the made-for-television Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story is the tale of a Washington, DC-based Vietnam veteran (Martin Sheen) who fights for America's homeless by staging hunger strikes and battling with various government agencies, eventually winning the attention of several city officials. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- 1986
- PG
This drama concerns the clash of two worlds in the person of a young boy. The small boy (Alessandro Rabelo) is the offspring of a missionary who died before the he was born, and a Native American who is later killed by white prospectors. Father O'Reilly (Charles Durning) comes to hear about the legend of the orphan born to a holy man and a "sorceress" and guesses the truth about his parentage. He manages to bring the young boy to a Catholic orphanage where the lad is confronted with "civilized" behavior and is quite shocked by it. Meanwhile, Father O'Reilly is having second thoughts as the boy indirectly teaches him something about the values of his "primitive" culture. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Durning, Alessandro Rabelo, (more)
- 1987
Quon Le (Denice Kumagai) races against the clock to be sworn in as a US citizen before her baby is born. Ah, you're way ahead of us: The moment she raises her right hand, Quon Le goes into labor--and at the same time, her husband Mac (Charlie Robinson) is stricken with appendicitis. As things turn out, Quon Le's child may very well be delivered by a podiatrist! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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