Robert Foxworth Movies

Deep Space Nine's first offering for the calendar year 1996 was this episode, which originally aired January 1. A crucial Federation/Romulan peace conference is interrupted by a deadly explosion, apparently the handiwork of a Dominion-aligned Changeling. Further evidence indicates that a hostile Changeling faction intends to invade Earth. As a result, Earthling Sisko and Changeling Odo are sent to San Francisco, either to prevent an all-out war, or to prepare for a wholesale Dominion attack. Ending in a cliffhanger, the plot of "Homefront" would not be resolved until the following week's episode, "Paradise Lost." Both installments were written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Travelling to the Czech Republic, the Quest team endeavors to make heads or tails of an ancient artifact. It turns out that the device activates the gargantuan Golem from the old Prague ghetto -- a monstrous statue that is dearly coveted by a power-hungry former KGB agent who hopes to assassinate the Czech president. Listed by some cartoon historians as having first aired on Septmeber 27, 1996, "Rock of Rages" bears a debut date of December 12, 1996 in other sources. Don Messick, the original voice of Dr. Quest, re-creates his role in one or two brief scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Race Bannon is forced to negotiate the same obstacle course where he once set a record for Special Force Recruits, this time in the company of Jonny. The race has been set up by an old enemy of Race's, who doesn't intend to let the contestants survive to the finish line. Dr. Zin, a holdover from the original Jonny Quest series, makes his first Real Adventures of Jonny Quest appearance in this episode, which originally aired on December 16, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Borrowing" the technology of Questworld, paraplegic master criminal Jeremiah Surd switches bodies with his mortal enemy Race Bannon. The only person who can reverse the process is Dr. Benton Quest -- and the "renewed" Surd is prepared to put the good doctor out of the way permanently. Bearing traces of the "classic" Jonny Quest episode "Double Danger," "Cyberswitch" was originally broadcast in the U.S. on December 18, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character in this episode is our old "friend" Dr. Zin, who this time around takes over a Malaysian satellite designed by Benton Quest. Rewiring the device, Zin threatens to blow up the world unless he is given a substantial amount of money. Voice actor Clyde Kusatsu makes his first "appearance" as the redoubtable Zin. "Nemesis" first aired on December 20, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The academic world proves as lethal as the "real" world during a controversy over naming the next headmaster at Cabot Cove's prep school. Throughout the process, the school and its principal rival play a number of traditional pranks on one another, presumably in the spirit of good sportsmanship. But when a professor is murdered, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) takes time off of her lecture duties at the school to put and end to the so-called "fun and games." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this fact-based drama, a real estate agent is horrified to learn that a home buyer is the one who killed her policeman husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In Beyond the Stars Martin Sheen plays a former astronaut who befriends misunderstood teenager Christian Slater. Gradually warming up to the boy, the previously taciturn Sheen alludes to an incident in his past that he was ordered to keep secret. This disturbs Slater's dad Robert Foxworth-a former NASA functionary. The film was scripted by Tom Benedek of Cocoon fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert Foxworth is special guest murderer in the two-hour Columbo drama Grand Deceptions. Foxworth plays a retired Army colonel, currently fronting a paramilitary organization. He preaches duty, honor and country, all the while dipping into the organization's funds. When a colleague threatens to blow the whistle, Foxworth murders the man, making the killing look like an accident. Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) suspects that the colonel is guilty, but finds it difficult penetrating his phalanx of followers. Viewers were first treated to Columbo's customary diligence in Grand Deceptions on May 1, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As a result of the surprise ratings success of the first Desperado TV movie in April of 1987, plans were hastily drawn up to release additional Desperado adventures over the next three years. Return of Desperado was the first such follow-up to be telecast, though in fact it was filmed after the official sequel, Desperado: Avalanche of Devil's Ridge. Alex McArthur is back as Duel McCall, a frontiersman on the lam from a trumped-up murder rap. Now he's in New Mexico (where Return of Desperado was lensed), running afoul of local land baron Robert Foxworth. In the tradition of David Janssen's The Fugitive, McCall pauses long enough in his escape flight to come to the aid of black homesteader Billy Dee Williams, who is being victimized by the diabolical Foxworth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season Five of Falcon Crest finds ruthless winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) once again under siege, this time from Cassandra Wilder (Anne Archer), who intends to destroy Angela and her business to avenge past wrongs committed by Angela against the Wilder family. Facing financial ruin, Angela summons her old flame Peter Stavros (Cesar Romero) to help her get back on her feet. Peter has no sooner gotten to work than he is abducted by his own daughter Sofia (Julie Carmen), who wants to get her hands on the Channing fortue herself. Eventually, Angela marries Peter--but only to prevent him from assuming full control of her beloved Falcon Crest (and to keep an eye on Peter's son Eric [John Callahan], who may have his own avaricious agenda). Meanwhile, newspaper owner Richard Channing (Doug Selby), the illegitimate son of Angela's late husband Douglas, continues to build up his financial nest eggs by skimming profits from the Tuscany Downs Racetrack that he'd constructed a few seasons earlier in order to spite Angela (and which involved him up to his neck with the sinister "Cartel"). Figuring out what Richard is up to, Terry Hartford (Laura Johnson), the ex-prostitute sister-in-law of Richard's longtime nemesis (and half-brother) Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), blackmails Channing into marriage. And speaking of prostitutes, Season Five brings forth a fascinating new recurring character: Richard's female attorney Jordan Roberts (Morgan Fairchild, a schizophrenic who transforms into a hooker named "Monica" on a nightly basis! Elsewhere, Chase's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan), exercising the prerogative of many a previous soap-opera heroine, suddenly develops amnesia, and while in this state pens a "roman a clef" about the people she knows. When the book is accepted for publication, Maggie is introduced to literary publicist Jeff Wainwright (Edward Albert)--who spends the rest of the season obsessively stalking her. Also, in their efforts to have another baby, Chase and Maggie's son Cole (William R. Moses) and his wife Melissa (Ana Alicia) engage the services of Melissa's sister Robin (Barbara Howard) as surrogate mother; going far beyond the requirements of her job, Robin sleeps with Cole, then insists upon keeping the baby. And in other developments, Melissa's ex-husband Lance (Lorenzo Lamas) falls for pop singer Apollonia (played by Patricia Kotero, who actually adopted "Apollonia" as a stage name), a fact that disgusts his grandmother Angela only slightly less than the romance between Angela's daughter Emma (Margaret Ladd) and ambitious truck driver Dwayne Cooley (Daniel Greene). In the season's traditional cliffhanger finale, all of the Tuscany Valley and the people therein--including the entire Knots Landing cast--is imperiled by a devastating earthquake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season Two of Falcon Crest ended as Julia Cumson (Abby Dalton), the demented sister of ruthless Tuscany Valley winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) and the mother of Angela's playboy grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), revealed herself to be the murderer of Lance's father-in-law Carlo Agretti--and in the process, gunned down Angela's nephew and chief nemesis Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), as well as Chase's mother Jacqueline. Though Chase recovers from his wounds, Jacqueline dies and Julia is carted off first to prison and then a mental insistution--but not before Carlo's daughter Melissa (Ana Alicia) and Chase's half-brother Richard (David Selby) try to manipulate poor Julia into destroying Angela's reputation in the courtroom. As Chase is nursed back to health by Jacqueline's nephew Dr. Michael Ransom (Cliff Robertson), Angela tries to take advantage of the situation by having Chase declared mentally incompetent so she can gain full control of the Falcon Crest winery. To this end, she enlist the aid of an unscrupulous physician named Dr. Lantry (Ron Rifkin)--who, own his own, schemes to kill Chase so that he can blackmail Angela. Once Lantry commits suicide, Angela is off the hook, while Dr. Ransom, exercising his power as executor of Jacqueline's will, keeps the ruthless Richard in line by stipulating that Chase will give Richard half of Jacqueline's fortune only if Chase regards his half-brother as being totally trustworthy! Elsewhere, Lance tries to return to his wife Melissa, who refuses to have anything to do with him, holding him responsible for her father's death and their son Joseph's fragile medical condition. Actually, Joseph is not Lance's son, but instead the offspring of Chase Roberti's son Cole (William R. Moses), who after his affair with Melissa entered into marriage with Linda Caproni (Mary Kate McGheehan), the daughter of an immigrant's-rights activist who has long despised Angela and her family. Meanwhile, Chase's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) has an awkward reunion with her sister Terry Hartford (Laura Johnson), an unregenerate prostitute who hopes to claim her share of Maggie's newfound wealth; before long, Terry has not only wormed her way into the Gioberti household, but she is also making the moves on the virtuous Dr. Ransom. Angela decides to use Terry's sordid history as leverage against Cole when the latter tries to gain custody of baby Joseph. As it turns out, Melissa is more than willing to relinquish Joseph to Angela's custody in exchange for a piece of Falcon Crest--a bit of chicanery that drives Lance to near-madness! Near the end of the season, the "Cartel" story arc that will dominate Season Four is introduced, as Richard enters into an extremely shady series of business transactions in order to build a racetrack on Angela's land. Also, Chase enters into a battle with Richard to save the local wineries; articles published in Richard's newspaper expose the connection between the dreaded Cartel and the late Jacqueline; Maggie develops a brain tumor; and a scheme is hatched to assassinate Richard at the opening of his racetrack. In the cliffhanger finale, Julia escapes from the institution, taking baby Joseph hostage; Angela is poised to enter into a marriage of convenience with her unscrupulous lawyer Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer); and several of the principal characters face extermination in an "accidental" plane crash. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide