Ron Feinberg Movies
- 1984
Suffering from a bad cough, court clerk Lana (Karen Austin) inadvertently overdoses on her medication. The result is some truly bizarre courtroom behavior, capped by Lana's all-stops-out rendition of "The Man I Love" (With this in mind, the male defendant dressed in woman's clothing comes off as entirely normal!) Former Bob Newhart Show regular Jack Riley makes the first of several Night Court guest appearances. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Made for TV, The Man in the Santa Claus Suit jumped the gun a bit by premiering December 23, 1979. The title "character" is threefold: John Byner, Gary Burghoff and Bert Convy all don Santa suits for various reasons. Byner is a fugitive tramp, Burghoff a lonely schoolteacher, and Convy a divorced father estranged from his young son. Unifying their three stories is top-billed Fred Astaire, who pops up in eight different roles (or seven different roles, if you don't count his "surprise identity") and sings the title song. The moral, as ever, is that Christmas is what you make of it: if you're merry, then you'll have a merry Christmas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
David Carradine and Kate Jackson spend most of their time peering over dashboards and revving up outboard motors in this extended chase film about moonshiners engaged in a frantic racing contest. Carradine is Harley Thomas, a Florida moonshiner who challenges Ralph Junior (Roger C. Carmel), the father of his girlfriend Nancy Sue Hunnicutt (Kate Jackson), to a competition to determine who can produce the most moonshine. Ralph Junior takes up the challenge and the two adversaries struggle to get the brew from their home stills to thirsty patrons without the cops or the mob trying to confiscate the firewater. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Kate Jackson, (more)
Based on the novella by Harlan Ellison, A Boy and His Dog is set in a post-apocalyptic future where canned goods are used as currency and where entertainment often consists of old porn reels. Vic (Don Johnson) is a violent, illiterate scavenger, principally interested in getting laid. He communicates telepathically with his deceptively cute-looking dog Blood (voiced by Tim McIntire); Vic finds food for Blood, while Blood sniffs out girls for Vic. One of these girls is the sexy Quilla June (Susanne Benton), who, unbeknownst to Vic is a spy for an underground society, headed by a Mr. Craddock (Jason Robards Jr.). This subterranean civilization needs a human "sperm bank" to stay alive, and the oversexed Vic fills the bill. Produced by character actor Alvy Moore (Mr. Kimball of TV's Green Acres), A Boy and His Dog was written and directed by another veteran actor, L.Q. Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Susanne Benton, (more)
- 1973
Laraine Stephens guest-stars as Eve Vayle, who masterminds the death of her mobster husband Johnny (Charlie Guardino) in order to steal the records of Syndicate boss Stanley Luchek (Ronald Feinberg). Though forced to hide from the mob, Eve hopes to eventually extort millions of dollars from Luchek and his family. In order to put both Eve and Luchek out of business, the IMF relies on one of its most time-honored ploys: The recreation of a dead man, fingerprints and all. Written by Howard Browne, "Boomerang" was originally telecast on January 12, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1973
The Rampart emergency team is confounded by a pair of accident victims who refuse treatment: One of them has sustained a punctured lung in the crash of a cropduster, while the other has suffered a concussion falling off a horse. In other cases, an ear infection is caused by exposure to mothballs, and a girl o.d.'s on lethal daffodil bulbs. And in a less serious but no less grueling situation, John (Randolph Mantooth) must wriggle out of a marriage proposal which he insists he never made. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Married couple Jean (Cloris Leachman) and Jim Mitchell (Ross Martin) stop at a rundown roadside eatery. When time comes to leave, Jean is ready, but Jim isn't. In fact, Jim is nowhere to be found. Jean's anguished efforts to locate her husband are mysteriously blocked by the hulking restaurant proprietor (Ned Beatty). This variation on the old radio play "Cabin 13" was written by Richard Matheson. The made-for-TV Dying Room Only debuted September 18, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1972
John Vernon, usually cast as a corrupt prison warden, plays a sympathetic (by default!) role in this episode. Escaping from Federal custody, second-echelon mobster Mike Durgom (Vernon) quickly learns that crime boss Nelson Wayland (Gene Lyons) has ordered him killed to keep him from testifying at Wayland's trial. The rest of the episode finds Durgom on the lam from both Wayland and the FBI--in other words, between the proverbial Rock and Hard Place. This is the final offering of The F.B.I.'s seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Written by Dan Ullman, "The Miracle" focuses in on $8,000,000 worth of heroin. The IMF must determine the location of the heroin and put Syndicate operatives Taynor (Ronald Feinberg) and Kearney (Joe Don Baker) out of business. The gimmick: a phony heart transplant, which will convert the homicidal Kearney into a religious pacifist. Filmed at Southern California's Marineland, "The Miracle" was originally telecast on October 23, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1970
The fate of a Middle Eastern nation hangs in the balance as terrorist Ismet El Kabir (Michael Tolan) is scheduled to be pardoned from prison. The IMF must prevent Kabir's release, thereby forcing him into an escape attempt that will cost him his life. The plan involves the infiltration of Kabir's terrorist organization--and yet another of the IMF's patented "prison break-ins". Written by Laurence Heath, "Terror" made its network broadcast debut on February 15, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1970
While performing a show at a Federal penitentiary, the Partridges are approached by convict Hank (Stuart Margolin), who claims to have written some poems that he hopes the family will set to music. It turns out that Hank will go to any extreme to get the poems performed, even faking a measles epidemic to "quarantine" the family behind prison walls. As it happens, however, Hank is a complete phony: the actual author of the poems is tough cell-block leader Max (Ronald Feinberg), who would just as soon crack a few skulls rather than reveal his artistic aspirations! Songs: "Singing My Song" and "Only a Moment Ago". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
One of the best known and most enthusiastically reviewed made for television films of the 1970's, this drama was based on the true story of football greats Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo. Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) and Piccolo (James Caan) both joined the Chicago Bears the same year, and while it was obvious from the start Sayers had the talent and drive to be a great player, Piccolo seemed destined to be an also-ran on the team. However, Sayers and Piccolo struck up a friendship which brought out the best in both players, and coach George Halas (Jack Warden) chose them for a special assignment -- they became the first interracial roommates in the history of the NFL. When Sayers suffered a knee injury that threatened to end his career, Piccolo took it upon himself to help his friend through rehabilitation so he could rejoin the team. But when Piccolo began having heath problems, it was a problem too great for Sayers to handle -- his close friend had developed cancer. Adapted from Sayers' autobiography I Am Third, Brian's Song also features Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus as himself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
- 1970
The "amateur" in this Mission:Impossible adventure is greedy Iron Curtain nightclub owner Eric Schilling (Anthony Zerbe). Having come into possession of one of the pieces of a new secret weapon, Eric endangers the IMF's effort to smuggle the weapon--and resistance leader Father Bernard (Peter Brocco)--out of the country. To put Schilling out of the way, the IMF agents again resort to elaborate disguises, with Dana Lambert posing as a singer in the villain's seedy cabaret (as good an excuse as any to show off Lesley Ann Warren's musical talents). First broadcast November 14, 1970, "The Amateur" was written by Ed Adamson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.