Monroe Arnold Movies
- 1986
An TV news satire from director Robert Downey, this film concerns a cable evening news show that gradually turns into chaotic performance art. Head newscaster Terrence Hackley (Zack Norman) has been caught by his wife Joy (Tammy Grimes) with a plaid skirt in his suitcase, so he covers up by wearing it in his interviews. The sagging ratings start to go up and then they zoom sky-high after Joy and the weatherman bounce the station's signal off the moon and it lands in houses around the world. Several zany vignettes send up media moguls and film directors as the news program becomes increasingly bizarre. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zack Norman, Tammy Grimes, (more)
Intrigued by the counterculture tale of Arlo Guthrie's epic 1968 talking-blues record The Alice's Restaurant Massacree, director Arthur Penn, co-scripting with playwright Venable Herndon, adapted the song into the 1969 feature Alice's Restaurant. Hippie outsider Arlo (Guthrie, playing himself) encounters suspicion from the straight world; visits his dying father, renowned leftist activist/singer Woody Guthrie (Joseph Boley), in the hospital along with friend Pete Seeger; and hangs out in the title converted church/commune created by his friends Alice (Pat Quinn) and her husband Ray (James Broderick). After Alice's "Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat," Arlo is arrested for littering by rule-following Officer "Obie" Obanhein (William Obanhein, playing himself). That littering arrest helps Arlo avoid the Vietnam draft, but the commune is threatened after more personal, old-fashioned conflicts over sex and partnerships permeate Alice and Ray's alternative world. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arlo Guthrie, Pat Quinn, (more)
Based on one of author Phillip Roth's shorter works, Goodbye Columbus stars Richard Benjamin as Neil, a young man of humble means who falls in love with Jewish-American-princess Brenda (Ali MacGraw). Their romance is out of the question so far as Brenda's suburbanite parents are concerned, so Neil and Brenda rendezvous in some of the sleaziest motels ever seen in a 1960s film (and that assessment includes The Bates Motel). Unwilling to take birth control pills because they upset her tummy, Brenda opts for a diaphragm, which unfortunately is discovered by her mother. Their rocky relationship comprises the bulk of the film. The trendy, New Wave-influenced direction by Larry Peerce gained a great deal of critical attention in 1969, notably such self-indulgent devices as having a close-up of a girl's navel dissolve into a long-shot of a swimming pool. Far more memorable is Peerce's amusingly straight-on depictions of upper-class Jewish/American social functions. In their film debuts, Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw are appealingly awkward; the more memorable performance is delivered by Michael Meyers as MacGraw's adenoidal younger brother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Benjamin, Ali MacGraw, (more)
- 1968
- NR
Friends don't let friends mess around on the side in this comedy, though it quickly becomes obvious that making this happen isn't as easy as it may sound. When David Sloane (Dean Martin), a single lawyer with an eye for the ladies, learns that his best friend, Harry Hunter (Eli Wallach), has been cheating on his wife, he finds himself worried for his pal and decides to help him get his life back on the straight and narrow. David thinks that Harry is having an affair with his secretary, Carol Corman (Stella Stevens), so David begins romancing her himself, and soon he has Carol installed in a cozy love nest of their own. However, David has been using his seductive powers on the wrong woman; Harry has actually been fooling around with Muriel Laszlo (Anne Jackson), who lives nearby. When David tells Harry that he's stolen his mistress away from him, Harry isn't sure what's going on, but the message has the intended effect, and Harry patches things up with his wife Mary (Katherine Bard). But when Carol and Muriel compare notes, they decide that something is fishy, and the two draw up a series of demands -- Muriel insists that Harry leave Mary and marry her, while Carol wants David to make it legal with her. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Jack Albertson, (more)
- 1967
When an aging philanthropist falls on hard times, her butler starts to rob the rich so that she can keep on giving to the poor in this comedy. Claude Fitzwilliam (Dick Van Dyke), known to his friends as "Fitzwilly," works as a butler for Victoria Woodworth (Edith Evans), who -- ever since the death of her husband -- has been using her inheritance to benefit her favorite charitable causes. However, no one has the heart to tell Mrs. Woodworth that she doesn't have much money left, and to compensate for the shortfall brought on by her philanthropy, Fitzwilly and his fellow domestics have been pulling a series of robberies at department stores. When Mrs. Woodworth gets the idea of compiling "A Dictionary for Dopes," which indexes phonetic spellings of commonly misspelled words, she hires Juliet Nowell (Barbara Feldon) to help on the project as a secretary. Juliet senses that there's something fishy about Fitzwilly, especially when she finds out that he has a college education but earns a meager salary as a butler, and she imagines the worst when she finds out about his criminal activities. Watch for Sam Waterston in a small role; this was his first film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Feldon, (more)
- 1966
Now using the alias "Paul Keller", Kimble (David Janssen) gets a job at a carnival with the help of pretty Tina Andresen (Joanna Pettet). Unfortunately, Tina's uncle Harry (Andrew Duggan) is a retired detective with a very suspicious mind. . .and he's certain he's seen Kimble's face somewhere before. Having falling in love with the fugitive, Tina offers to help him escape--only to reveal herself as a dangerous psychotic when Kimble refuses to take her along with him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Accidentally striking the Munster Koach, female motorist Mrs. Kingsley (Dorothy Green) takes one look at Herman (Fred Gwynne) and assumes that he's been horribly disfigured in the "accident". The guilt-ridden woman sends an insurance man to the Munster Mansion, hoping to settle out of court for $10,000. But Herman misunderstands the situation and thinks that he is being sued by Mrs. Kingsley--and rather than see his family disgraced, he runs away from home! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Tim (Bill Bixby) accidentally interferes with the special "black light" that was intended to give Martin (Ray Walston) a small jolt of rejuvenation--and as a result, Martin regresses to infancy. When Detective Brennan (Alan Hewitt) shows up and asks where the baby came from, Tim alibis that the child was abandoned at his doorstep, whereupon Brennan whisks the miniaturized Martin to a hospital nursery. Dutifully, Tim sneaks into the nursery to rescue Martin--but which baby is which? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Klink bugs the POWs' quarters, making it impossible for Hogan to relay vital information to London. As a means of getting the info to the Allies, Hogan convinces Klink that he has been won over to the German side. In exchange for what he knows about the Underground, Hogan requests a rest-and-relaxation visit to a local village -- while Klink is kept preoccupied with the phony information dispensed by the rest of Hogan's heroes. Sigrid Valdis, who later took over the role of Klink's secretary Hilda, is here seen as Gretchen. Written by Laurence Marks, "Top Hat, White Tie and Bomb Sight" first aired on November 19, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1964
In this modern parable of middle-American values, a nine-year-old boy leaves behind the family farm for a few very instructive days in New York. A disagreement with his father sends Brill (Richard Bray) hitching to New York City to seek his fortune. After arriving in Manhattan, he falls in with a young gang of shoe-shine boys and paper carriers who are "managed" by Rick (Jaime Charlamagne), a teenage punk who "protects" them in exchange for half their earnings. With the help of his new friend Paco (Roberto Marsach), a Puerto Rican boy about his own age, Brill gets a job selling papers. The next day Brill wins most of Rick's money in a crap game and he takes Paco out for a night on the town. When Rick's gang beats up Brill for winning the money, Suzy (Lee Grant), a prostitute, takes him home to care for him. The next morning, Suzy buys Brill new clothes and takes him on a tour of the city. He sees Suzy picked up by the police and decides to return home, purchasing a bicycle for the trip. Rick's gang spots him and gives chase, but Paco intercepts them, allowing Brill to escape. On the highway home, a truck wrecks the bike, and Brill stays the night at an elderly African-American couple's house. Upon returning home the next day, he presents his father with the remainder of his "fortune."
Pie in the Sky was Allen Baron's second attempt at directing and screenwriting. His 1961 Blast of Silence received good reviews, but never gained popularity in the United States. Pie in the Sky is a better film, painting a realistic yet heartwarming picture of a young boy's adventures. Richard Bray gives a commendable performance as the wayward youth, despite his non-professional status as an actor. The film was criticized for choppy narration in 1964, giving a "too European" feel, although modern audiences would likely be more accepting. Donald Malkame's cinematography is one of the film's strongest points. It is clear, crisp, and shot entirely on location -- including 42nd Avenue through hidden camera, and the exciting bicycle chase through upper Manhattan. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, All Movie Guide
Pie in the Sky was Allen Baron's second attempt at directing and screenwriting. His 1961 Blast of Silence received good reviews, but never gained popularity in the United States. Pie in the Sky is a better film, painting a realistic yet heartwarming picture of a young boy's adventures. Richard Bray gives a commendable performance as the wayward youth, despite his non-professional status as an actor. The film was criticized for choppy narration in 1964, giving a "too European" feel, although modern audiences would likely be more accepting. Donald Malkame's cinematography is one of the film's strongest points. It is clear, crisp, and shot entirely on location -- including 42nd Avenue through hidden camera, and the exciting bicycle chase through upper Manhattan. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Grant, Richard Bray, (more)
- 1964
At a dinner party, Samantha is pestered by Darrin's flirtatious new client, Rex Barker (Jack Warden). When she can stand no more of this unwarranted attention, Sam turns the client into a dog. Sam's problem now is to restore the man to his original human form without revealing to the world that she is a witch, but the outcome of the story is determined by the mortal behavior of Darrin. Written by Jerry Davis, "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog" first aired on October 1, 1964, in place of the episode originally slated for that evening, "Mother, Meet What's His Name." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
- 1963
This independent New York film takes place in the bohemian coffeehouse hangout in Greenwich Village. A trio of robbers knock off a bank, but to perish in the ensuing gun battle with police. The surviving crook stumbles into the basement of some beatnik performers who take him in. When they discover the hunted man is carrying $90,000 in cash, their distaste for money quickly changes to greed. The coffee shop owner (Lionel Stander) and his girlfriend Angel (Barbara London) join the beatniks, a drunken doctor, and the police who all want the money. Angel talks the wounded crook into leaving with her, waiting for an opportunity to seize the loot. This film was produced, written, directed and edited by Larry Moyer. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lionel Stander, Barbara London, (more)
