Faith Ford Movies

In this TV sitcom, Maggie Winters (Faith Ford), after a bitter divorce, returns home to Shelbyville, Indiana, where she was once voted "most likely to succeed." Minus husband and job, she spends time with her insensitive mom (Shirley Knight), and her high-school friends, including cynical boutique owner Lisa (Alex Kapp Horner). She finds former BMOC Tom (Brian Haley) is now a bartender with a case of arrested development, and her gal-pal Robin (Jenny Robertson) is busy filling cribs with babies. Maggie turns to her old high-school flame Bobby (Vincent Ventresca). Filmed in L.A., this series premiered September 30, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Rita Rudner was both co-writer and co-star of this multi-plotted romantic comedy, set in a bed and breakfast in the middle of Southern California's wine country. In the course of the film's 90 minutes, a number of curiously matched couples will find true romance -- and sometimes even true happiness. Standout performances amongst the star-studded cast include Rita Rudner's turn as a pregnant food critic, Jack Lemmon as a desperate concert promoter, and Dudley Moore as a lonely vintner. Made for cable television, A Weekend in the Country debuted June 12, 1996, on the USA network; a mildly R-rated version was later prepared for home video release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With the defection of series regular Grant Shaud at the end of Murphy Brown's eighth season, it was necessary to eliminate the actor's character Miles Silverberg, executive producer of "FYI," the Washington-based TV newsmagazine on which Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) is star reporter. Miles' immediately replacement is snotty Andrew Lansing (Paul Reubens), nephew of the network's president -- a promotion that prompts the entire "FYI" staff to resign in protest. As it turns out, Andrew was a saint compared to his replacement, a contentious former game-show producer named Kay Carter-Shepley (new series regular Lily Tomlin). Clearly in over her head on "FYI," Kay hides her ineptitude with her overbearing behavior and her fondness for playing nasty mind games with the staff. Clearly, Murphy and Kay are going to be at each other's throats for the remainder of the season...and only one of them may come out alive. In other developments, Murphy and her co-workers purchase their favorite neighborhood bar when its owner, Phil (Pat Corley), who has functioned as a sort of house philosopher and father confessor for the past eight seasons, suddenly dies (or does he?). And in the series' most outrageously self-referential episode, Murphy discovers that the dozens of secretaries whom she has fired in seasons past have formed their own support group -- with branches on both the East and West coasts! The season-ending cliffhanger finds Kay being fired for an on-the-air gaffe perpetrated by Murphy -- who, as it happens, may be on her way out as well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As Murphy Brown begins its eighth season, the titular heroine (played by Candice Bergen) has decided not to marry her current amour (and journalistic rival), Peter Hunt (Scott Bakula). Even so, wedding bells do ring at the outset for season eight -- but they're ringing for Murphy's fellow TV reporter Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford), who in a surprise move has wed Murph's producer, Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud), in an episode featuring John F. Kennedy Jr. as "himself." Meanwhile, Andrew Lansing (Paul Reubens), Murphy's obnoxious secretary and the nephew of network head Stan Lansing (Gary Marshall), wreaks havoc when he is promoted to an executive post -- and even more so when he decides that he's in love with Murphy. Elsewhere, anchorman Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) magnanimously grooms the vacuous Miller Redfield (Christopher Rich) as his potential replacement, then catches everyone unawares by accepting another job with rival network ICN. Also, former Cheers regular Shelley Long makes her first series appearance as Dottie Wilcox, a syrupy morning-TV host clearly patterned after Kathie Lee Gifford. Other guest stars this season include Dom DeLuise, Katie Couric, and Elizabeth Taylor. As in previous years, season eight of Murphy Brown ends on a cliffhanger, with the entire staff of Murphy's TV newsmagazine "FYI" facing unemployment -- and Miles Silverberg preparing to take a job in New York, forcing him to leave wife Corky behind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season six of Murphy Brown gets under way with the first appearance of Scott Bakula as Peter Hunt, a dashing and rather arrogant international reporter who is hired to pep up the ratings of the TV newsmagazine "FYI." Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen), heretofore the series' star reporter, resents Peter's presence, especially since she is forced to give up some of her own air time to accommodate his ego, but despite this rocky start the two rival reporters end up having an affair -- while the rest of the "FYI" staff begins placing bets as to how long it will be before the romance crashes and burns. In other episodes, future West Wing star Martin Sheen appears as a reclusive Salingeresque novelist whom Murphy is determined to nail for a TV interview; and real-life broadcast journalist Joan Lunden shows up in the episode wherein Murphy, long barred from covering the White House beat, does her darnedest to ingratiate herself with the new Clinton administration -- only to end up accidentally kidnapping Socks the cat! In other season highlights, Wallace Shawn makes the first of several appearances as "FYI"'s obnoxious and self-destructive former anchorman; and the number of secretaries hired and fired by Murphy reaches 66 when The Bob Newhart Show's Carol Kester Bondurant (played, as always, by Marcia Wallace), fails to make the final cut. Season six concludes with Murphy landing a role in a film directed by the great Louis Malle -- who happened to be the real-life husband of series star Candice Bergen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

What TV reporter Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) suspected at the end of season three of her eponymously titled sitcom has turned out to be true: Murphy is pregnant. Thus, season four of Murphy Brown begins with our heroine figuring out that her ex-husband, Jake (Robin Thomas), with whom she had a one-night "reunion," is the father, and also worrying if her condition will allow her to continue appearing on the Washington-based newsmagazine "FYI." As if this isn't enough to keep Murphy awake nights, she must also cope with the death of her mother (a plot twist necessitated when the actress who played Avery Brown, Colleen Dewhurst, herself passed away). In other episodes, future Frasier co-star Jane Leeves appears as Audrey Cohen, the first of Murphy's many secretaries who actually keeps her job for more than a single episode; an interview with Aretha Franklin may prove to be disastrous thanks to a confused limo driver; "FYI"'s investigative reporter Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto) finally wins a coveted local TV award, whereupon his head swells to ten times its normal size; Murphy's co-worker Corky (Faith Ford), realizing that her marriage is in tatters, drifts into a relationship with anchorman Miller Redfield (Christopher Rich), the only person in Washington more vacuous than she; Murphy tries to get around her lifetime ban from covering the White House; and Kate Mulgrew, still a few years away from Star Trek: Voyager, plays Murphy's temporary replacement, who like our heroine turns out to have a not-so-little problem with booze. The season concludes with the celebrated, Emmy-winning episode in which Murphy goes into labor -- a segment that would famously incur the outrage of a certain American vice president. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of Murphy Brown opens with star TV reporter Murphy (Candice Bergen) and her co-workers balking at the "improvements" that executive producer Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud) has made in the weekly newsmagazine "FYI." In subsequent episodes, a pre-Shield Michael Chiklis is cast as a controversial comic whom Murphy interviews on the air; fearless investigative reporter Frank (Joe Regalbuto) quivers and quakes at the notion of planning his parents' 50th anniversary, just as cool, calm, and collected "FYI" anchorman Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) goes into a mammoth panic attack after making his first and only on-air goof; Jim's sometimes replacement, birdbrained pretty boy Miller Redfield (Christopher Rich), once again demonstrates his journalistic ineptitude while covering a strike; and hotshot news personality Jerry Gold (Jay Thomas) briefly joins the "FYI" staff -- but does that mean that he and Murphy will re-stoke the flames of their brief affair? Also, Larry King shows up in the classic episode in which Murphy runs roughshod over the sweet-tempered "environmental terrorists" who have kidnapped her; Jim writes a roman à clef which intimates that he has a crush on Murphy; the marriage between "FYI"'s junior correspondent Corky Sherwood (Faith Ford) and writer Will Forest (Scott Bryce) is already showing signs of erosion; the network is sold to a conglomerate which puts an egotistical and supremely incompetent management consultant (Nancy Youngblut) in charge; Murphy's house painter, Eldin (Robert Pastorelli), has one of his works exhibited in an art gallery, but he's none too happy about the method of presentation; and after being reported killed in a plane crash, a very much alive Murphy and Jim attend their own wake. This is the season that ends with Murphy wondering if she is pregnant -- and if so, who's the father? (Calling Dan Quayle! Calling Dan Quayle!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Making its first appearance on November 14, 1988, the long-running, Emmy-winning CBS sitcom Murphy Brown starred Candice Bergen as the title character, the driving, driven, often overbearing but essentially likable star reporter of the Washington, D.C.-based TV magazine "FYI." A thorough professional, Murphy never gave less than her best before the cameras -- but behind the cameras, it was a different story. Constitutionally incapable of doing anything by halves, Murphy told her colleagues exactly what she thought of them at all times, seldom made a comment that wasn't laced with sarcasm, and was addicted to tobacco and, for a while, booze (this last shortcoming required her to do some time at the Betty Ford Clinic). Though the rest of the "FYI" staffers were accustomed to Murphy's mood swings and idiosyncrasies, outsiders tended to be scared off by our heroine: indeed, one of the series' most famous running gags was the fact that Murphy had a different secretary in practically every episode! Also in the cast were Charles Kimbrough as "FYI"'s uptight, humorless anchorman Jim Dial; Joe Regalbuto as the show's gonzo (and obviously toupeed) investigative reporter Frank Fontana, Faith Ford as "FYI"'s voluptuous, somewhat vacuous cub reporter and ex-Miss America Corky Sherwood, who considered Murphy to be her role model (often to Murphy's dismay) and who eventually married staff writer Will Forest (Scott Bryce), thereby becoming -- are you ready? -- Mrs. Corky Sherwood Forest; and Grant Shaud as "FYI"'s nebbishy executive producer Miles Silverberg, not exactly what one would call a born leader of men (or of Murphy!).

When not on the set of her show, Murphy could be found in her townhouse apartment, often conversing with quirky, philosophy-spouting house painter Eldin Bernecky (Robert Pastorelli), who spent day and night trying to finish redecorating Murphy's living room -- a job he still hadn't entirely completed when he left the series in season seven. Murphy also hung out with her co-workers at a neighborhood bar owned by another erstwhile philosopher named Phil (Pat Corley), at least until he reportedly died, whereupon Murphy and company purchased the bar themselves (as it turned out, reports of Phil's death were slightly exaggerated -- by Phil!). Additionally, Jay Thomas appeared intermittently as Geraldo-like journalist Jerry Gold, with whom Murphy frequently clashed -- when they weren't romancing one another, that is. As the series progressed, the basic throughline, and the characters, underwent a few changes. After her divorce from Will Forest, Corky eloped with Miles Silverberg, though she stayed in Washington when he left to run a CNN-style news service in New York. Murphy's brief fling with her ex-husband, Jake (Robin Thomas), produced a baby named Avery (who apparently grew up rather quickly, since he was played during the final season by Haley Joel Osment) -- and also stirred up a controversy when no less than Vice President Dan Quayle chastised Murphy Brown for eroding "family values" in America by bearing a child out of wedlock. Later on, dashing international reporter Peter Hunt (Scott Bakula) joined the "FYI" staff, sweeping Murphy off her feet and ultimately asking her to marry him (she didn't). Other additions to the cast included Garry Marshall as new network president Stan Lansing, who waged an ongoing war with Murphy over her non-PC attitude; Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) as Stan's whiny nephew Andrew, who was forced upon Murphy as her secretary -- and actually kept the job for more than a single episode; Christopher Rich as "FYI" co-anchor Miller Redfield, just the sort of gorgeous-looking, empty-headed TV personality whom Murphy despised with every fibre of her being; and Lily Tomlin as Kay Carter-Shepley, "FYI"'s imperious, and not altogether competent, new executive producer. In addition to the main and supporting cast, the series featured a number of real-life news personalities as "themselves," among them Walter Cronkite, Connie Chung, Larry King, Katie Couric, and Paula Zahn. The series' tenth and final season found Murphy undergoing treatment for breast cancer, an outwardly grim situation that, amazingly enough, never intruded upon the laughter. Murphy Brown ended its network run on August 10, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a tour bus driver plans to save his daughter from her captors, a Belgian circus performer, the Americans on his European bus tour lend a help hand. ~ All Movie Guide