Lucy Lee Flippin Movies
Clint Eastwood, hot off of his Academy Award win for Unforgiven, directed this small character study, appearing in the guise of a cops-and-robbers action picture. The film takes place during the fall of 1963. Eight-year old Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther), the son of a devout Jehovah's Witness mother, is staying home while all the other children are out trick-or-treating. But then prison escapee Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) appears in his kitchen. Needing a hostage to aid him in his escape from jail, he grabs Phillip. Phillip curiously looks up to Butch and willingly accompanies him. Butch gets rid of his fellow escapee after he tries to molest the child, and Butch and Phillip take to the Texas highway, on the run from the cops. The cop in pursuit in this instance is Police Chief Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood), riding in his sleek Populux Airglide trailer -- his "mobile command headquarters." On the road with Garnett is Sally Gerber (Laura Dern), a pushy pre-feminist criminologist, along with a creepy federal agent who is an expert sharpshooter. Butch is not particularly anxious to make it to the Texas borderline, and neither is Garnett in any particular hurry to catch Butch. As Butch and Phillip form a father-son attachment, the paths of Butch and Garnett gradually come together, in time for a final confrontation, after which Garnett confesses, "I don't know nothing. I don't know a damn thing." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, (more)
- 1984
It's Halloween, and Mel (Vic Tayback) dresses for the occasion as his favorite comic-book superhero Captain Galaxy, replete with cape and winged headband. En route to a Halloween party, the costumed Mel manages to foil a bank robbery. The ensuing publicity leads the swell-headed Mel to conclude that his future lies in being a "caped crusader" for all seasons! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Woody Allen's romantic comedy of the Me Decade follows the up and down relationship of two mismatched New York neurotics. Jewish comedy writer Alvy Singer (Allen) ponders the modern quest for love and his past romance with tightly-wound WASP singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton, née Diane Hall). The twice-divorced Alvy knows that it's not easy to find a mate when the options include pretentious New York intellectuals and lifestyle-obsessed Rolling Stone writers, but la-di-dah-ing Annie seems different. Along the rocky road of their coupling, Allen/Alvy weigh in on such topics as endless therapy, movies vs. TV, the absurdity of dating rituals, anti-Semitism, drugs, and, in one of the best set pieces, repressed Midwestern WASP insanity vs. crazy Brooklyn Jewish boisterousness. Annie wants to move to Los Angeles to find that fame that finally does in the relationship -- but not before Alvy gets in a few digs at vacuous, mantra-fixated California. Originally entitled Anhedonia (the inability to enjoy oneself), Annie Hall blended the slapstick and fantasy from such earlier Allen films as Sleeper (1973) and Bananas (1971) with the more autobiographical musings of his stand-up and written comedy, using an array of such movie techniques as talking heads, splitscreens, and subtitles. Within these gleeful formal experiments and sight gags, Allen and co-writer Marshall Brickman skewered 1970s solipsism, reversing the happy marriage of opposites found in classic screwball comedies. Hailed as Allen's most mature and personal film, Annie Hall beat out Star Wars for Best Picture and also won Oscars for Allen as director and writer and for Keaton as Best Actress; audiences enthusiastically responded to Allen's take on contemporary love and turned Keaton's rumpled menswear into a fashion trend. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, (more)
Frank McBain (Gary Busey) is a cop who earned the nickname of "bulletproof" from the dozens of shootings he has survived over his career. He is called on to retrieve a tank held by communists across the border of Mexico. The enemies are cardboard caricatures of Arabs, Russians, and Mexicans led by the evil Colonel Kartiff (Henry Silva). Darlanne Fluegel co-stars with Juan Fernandez and Rene Enriquez in this forgettable feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Darlanne Fluegel, (more)
- 1999
The ER staffers treat three teenagers injured in a fiery car crash while on their way to their prom. An AIDs patient and her son are flown into County General after a fishing mishap. Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Corday (Alex Kingston) grow closer, while Benton (Eriq La Salle) awaits word about the Trauma Fellowship. And amidst all this confusion, the hospital is besieged by obstreperous FBI agents who demand immediate and preferential medical treatment for a wounded stripper -- but is this incredible scenario too "good" to be true? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this madcap comedy, Geena Davis plays Valerie, a manicurist living in the valley with her cold fiancé, Dr. Ted Gallagher (Charles Rocket). At the Curl Up and Dye beauty salon where she works, Valerie enlists the help of her boss, Candy Pink (Julie Brown), for some style advice to try and win back Ted's affections. After undergoing a brand-new hairstyle, Valerie learns that Ted is having an affair and she kicks him out of the house. Soon, while lounging around in her bikini, a spaceship from the planet Jhazzalan crash-lands in her swimming pool. Curious, Valerie befriends the ship's inhabitants -- three horny aliens covered in fur named Mac (Jeff Goldblum), Whiploc (Jim Carrey), and Zeebo (Damon Wayans). Introducing her new friends to Candy, the aliens get a shave and a total makeover transformation into hot, available dates. They all go out dancing at L.A. nightclubs and party. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, (more)
Jennifer Beals stars as Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh steel-mill welder by day, and bar dancer by night. Harboring dreams of a career in ballet, she is given financial support in this endeavor by her boss Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri) and moral support by demanding but big-hearted instructor Hanna Long (Lilia Skala). The film's signature scene is, of course, Alex's water-drenched dance audition, largely performed in long shot by her dance double Marine Jahan. Essentially an old-fashioned backstage yarn, Flashdance was given a contemporary spin by its pulsating, musical score featuring the Oscar-winning Best Song, Flashdance...What a Feeling, (music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Irene Cara). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, (more)
- 1989
It's the beginning of another school year, and DJ (Candace Cameron) isn't all that keen about entering the 7th grade, especially since she will now be forced to deal with the "cool kids". As for Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), the 2nd grade isn't any more pleasurable, nor does preschooler Michelle (played by the Olsen twins) look forward to another year separated from her older siblings. Elsewhere, Joey (David Coulier) and Jesse ($John Stamos) pull a "Ralph Kramden" by trying to learn golf in a hurry to impress a business client. This is the first episode in which little Michelle utters her soon-to-be-famous catchphrase "You got it, dude." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sentenced to hang in a backwater western town, horse thief Henry Moon (Jack Nicholson) is saved when frontierswoman Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen) agrees to marry him. Taking advantage of the town law that prohibits the execution of married men, Moon follows Tate back to her ranch, planning all the while to escape at the first possible opportunity. But Tate insists that he honor his end of the bargain at work on the ranch. She has no intention of consummating the union, a fact that drives the hot-to-trot Moon up a wall. She puts him to work on the gold mine that she has on her property, while his old gang prepares to relieve the couple of their gold once it's on the surface. Jack Nicholson personally selected movie newcomer Mary Steenburgen for Goin' South. The film also features John Belushi in the role of a dyspeptic deputy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Mary Steenburgen, (more)
O'Brien (Chuck Norris) is a detective who captured the psychotic maniac Simon Moon (Jack O'Halloran), aka the Terror, by mistake. When the obese 6' 6'' villain fell from a ladder trying to escape, he was knocked cold and the lucky O'Brien got the credit for his collar. With his psychiatrist sweetheart Kay (Brynn Thayer), pregnant with their first child, the Terror escapes. Although he is large and unforgettable, the terrible Titan manages to evade the police, and no one even notices him when he carts cadavers on his massive shoulders. This routine actioner provides a view of several historic sights in Santa Monica, California. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, Brynn Thayer, (more)
In this supernatural nostalgia piece, a young boy tracks down a murderer with help from the ghosts of a slain little girl and her mother. In a voice-over, grown-up writer Frankie Scarlatti describes the disturbing events that intruded on his idyllic small-town boyhood. Locked in the school cloakroom by some other boys on Halloween 1962, young Frankie (Lukas Haas) encounters the ghost of Melissa Anne Montgomery (Joelle Jacobi), who re-enacts her own death by strangulation just before an unseen adult enters the school and tries to do away with Frankie himself. While recuperating in the care of his widower father (Alex Rocco), Frankie conducts some detective work and learns that Melissa is one of ten children killed over the past decade. Further encounters with the girl's ghost -- and the mournful specter of her mother, the Lady in White (Karen Powell) -- do little to help the boy solve the mystery of who killed the kids. Meanwhile, an innocent black maintenance man becomes the scapegoat on which the police hang the killings. However, thanks to the damning but enigmatic evidence Frankie has discovered, the boy faces imminent danger from the actual killer, who ends up lurking terrifyingly close to home. The sophomore feature from writer/director Frank LaLoggia, who made his name with the low-budget horror film Fear No Evil, Lady in White starred the young Lukas Haas halfway between his appearances in Witness and Rambling Rose. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, (more)
- 1981
While attending a literature seminar in Arizona, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) is reunited with her sister-in-law Eliza Jane (Lucy Lee Flippin). This happy reunion is compromised when, failing to land a local tutoring job, Laura is forced to take menial work at a local restaurant. Before long, Laura and Eliza Jane find themselves in a quasi-romantic triangle involving the erudite Professor Woestehoff (Joseph Lambie). Though a married woman and certainly disinclined to stray, Laura allows the professor to flatter her in hopes that he will give a positive assessment of her writing efforts -- while the unattached Eliza Jane seethes with jealousy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Although the people of Walnut Grove are delighted when a carnival comes to town, Nels Oleson (Richard Bull) is in despair. It seems that the carnival's fat lady, Annabelle (Harriet Gibson), is Mr. Oleson's long-estranged sister. Elsewhere, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) has a new rival for the affections of Almanzo (Dean Butler) in the form of snooty Christie (Wendy Schaal). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
After the death of Caroline's mother, her heartbroken father, Frederick Holbrook (Barry Sullivan), moves into the Ingalls' sod house. Little Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) quickly gravitates to Frederick, who has a gift for weaving fascinating stories out of his lifetime experiences. As a means of pulling Frederick out of his loneliness, Charles (Michael Landon) persuades the old man to gather together his reminiscences in book form -- and even offers to raise enough money to get the book published. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Season six of Little House on the Prairie begins with introduction of Dean Butler as Almanzo Wilder, future husband of series narrator Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert). The brother of Walnut Grove's new schoolmarm, Eliza Jane Wilder (Lucy Lee Flippin), Almanzo immediately upon arrival becomes the romantic bone of contention between lovestruck teenagers Laura and Nellie Oleson (Alison Angrim) -- and for a while it looks as though nasty Nellie will emerge triumphant. But Laura has a delicious revenge on her longtime rival when Nellie invites Almanzo for a home-cooked chicken dinner. This is the first episode of a two-part story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
In the concluding episode of Little House on the Prairie's two-part season six opener, the rivalry between Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Nellie (Alison Arngrim) over the affections of their teacher's handsome brother, Almanzo (Dean Butler), reaches a fever pitch when the two girls come to blows. Breaking up the fight, Almanzo decides that it might be best to take Laura to his home to get over her anger. Naturally, Laura's dad, Charles (Michael Landon), suspects that Almanzo is harboring ulterior motives -- and thus another fight is inevitable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
No sooner has Walnut Grove's first telephone been installed in the town's hotel than self-appointed operator Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) begins eavesdropping on her neighbors. Overhearing a conversation between Alice Garvey (Hersha Parady) and her mother, Mrs. Oleson is shocked to discover that Alice was married before her union with her present husband, Jonathan (Merlin Oleson). This revelation causes a serious rift in the Garvey household -- at least until Jonathan finds out the real reason that Alice has never talked about her first husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
On a stormy night, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) are held captive at the blind school by three escaped convicts. Since one of the men is wounded, Laura is permitted to go to town to get a doctor -- with the warning that Mary will suffer should she alert the authorities. Even so, Laura returns to the school with her father, Charles (Michael Landon) -- not a doctor, but just what the doctor ordered to resolve this terrifying situation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1982
In this special 90-minute episode, the first in a two-part story, the Wilders are beset by one calamity after another: A hailstorm destroys their crops, and Almanzo (Dean Butler) suffers a stroke that leaves him semi-paralyzed. Amidst all this strife, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) gives birth to her first child. Assessing the situation, Almanzo's sister, Eliza Jane (Lucy Lee Flippin), invites the young couple to move in with her -- but this hardly brings an end to their troubles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1982
In the conclusion of a two-part story, the troubles that have recently beset the Wilders continue unabated. Their crops have already been wiped out by hail, and Almanzo (Dean Butler) has been partially paralyzed in an accident. Now, a tornado destroys the couple's home, injuring Laura (Melissa Gilbert), who has recently given birth. In the depths of depression, Almanzo is ready to give up -- but is suddenly galvanized into a valiant effort to get back on his feet, both figuratively and literally, with the help of Laura's father, Charles (Michael Landon). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
In the first episode of a two-part story, Almanzo (Dean Butler) asks Charles' permission to marry Laura (Melissa Gilbert), but Charles insists that she cannot wed until she is 18 -- two years from now. Upset that Laura concedes to her father's wishes, Almanzo leaves town. Meanwhile, Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) hires a new restaurant worker named Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy) -- who promptly falls in love with Mrs. Oleson's daughter, Nellie (Alison Arngrim). And outside of Walnut Grove, Adam Kendall (Linwood Boomer), the husband of Laura's sister Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), receives some discouraging news. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) tries to get over the departure of her fiancé, Almanzo (Dean Butler), by helping her sister Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) and brother-in-law Adam (Linwood Boomer) set up a new school for the blind in the town of Sleepy Eye. As fate would have it, this is the same town where Almanzo has relocated -- and when she sees her beloved in a compromising situation with a saloon gal, Laura angrily breaks off her engagement. Things change dramatically when Laura discovers a remarkable secret about Almanzo while nursing him through an illness. And Laura's father, Charles (Michael Landon), is prompted to reconsider his insistence that the girl wait until she is 18 to get married. But what of the still-blossoming romance between Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim) and Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy)? This was the final episode of Little House on the Prairie's sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
The first episode of Little House on the Prairie's two-part season-seven opener takes place some six months after the end of season six. Although Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim) has wed Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy), her childhood rival, Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert), must still wait until she is 17 before she can marry Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler). Alas, Almanzo has been tricked into squandering all his money on a crooked land deal and must postpone the wedding even further -- and when Laura offers to help him out financially by taking a teaching job, he won't hear of it. Meanwhile, romance comes into the life of Almanzo's schoolmarm sister, Eliza Jane (Lucy Lee Flippin), in the form of hired hand Harv Miller (James Cromwell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
In the conclusion of Little House on the Prairie's two-part season-seven opener, the wedding of Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) and Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler) is still on hold due to financial problems. When Almanzo's schoolteacher sister, Eliza Jane (Lucy Lee Flippin), has her heart broken by Harv Miller (James Cromwell), she decides to leave town. As it turns out, Eliza Jane's loss is Laura's gain when the latter is hired as the new schoolmarm -- thereby allowing the wedding to go forth as planned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
In this special two-hour episode, a fire at the blind school claims the lives of both Mary's baby and the wife of farmer Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen). In the aftermath of the tragedy, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) goes into a state of shock and Jonathan angrily rails against God. The only person who can set things right is Mary's adoptive brother, Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) -- but he is also the person who accidentally started the fire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
