Gary Frank Movies

Having been burned by a traumatic childhood experience, greedy toy tycoon Tyler Madison (Harry Hamlin) is contemptuous of his fellow man, ruthlessly nasty in his business dealings, and callously neglectful of his wife Elyse (Megan Gallegher) and son Danny (Curtis Blanck). Just before Christmas, Madison piles into his private plane and heads for the North Pole, determined to put his chief competitor, Santa Claus (William Hookins), out of business. But upon his arrival, he realizes that he and S.C. have a lot in common--and thus the inevitable epiphany occurs, culminating in the settling of an "Elf strike" and a closer bond between Tyler and his loved ones. Like Father, Like Santa was telecast by cable's Fox Family Channel on December 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This made-for-television drama is based on the true story of a female prison inmate who fought for women's rights while still behind bars. Stephanie Zimbalist stars as Lynn Shaffer, a wife and mother who gets convicted of white-collar crime and is sentenced to ten years in prison. While behind bars she witnesses prison guards assaulting female inmates and carting them off to hotels as part of a prostitution ring. Her initial attempts to speak out are squelched by a crooked guard (Dan Luria). Determined to expose the crime, she enlists the help of her husband (Gary Frank) and her attorney, and fights to get the information into the hands of the proper authorities. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

Based on a well-publicized 1991 Dallas murder case, the made-for-TV Death in Small Doses begins with the death of architect Nancy Lyon (Glynnis O'Connor), who has succumbed to arsenic poisoning. The prime suspect is Nancy's frequently estranged husband Richard (Richard Lyon), who stands to collect an enormous insurance policy. Nancy's family pressures the local authorities to prosecute Richard--and never mind that virtually every person in that family also seems to have had substantial reason to wish Nancy dead. But Richard plays a trump card when he supplies evidence indicating that his wife actually committed suicide--a move that proves to be a thrown gauntlet to relentless Assistant DA Jerri Sims (Tess Harper). Filmed in 1993, Death in Small Doses did not air on ABC until January 16, 1995. The film was directed by actress Sondra Locke, best known at the time for her long association with Clint Eastwood. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on Robert Anderson's novel, the made-for-television Getting Up and Going Home is a drama about a divorced attorney (Tom Skerritt) who copes with a mid-life crisis by having affairs with no less than three women: his ex-wife, a single mother, and a married suburbanite. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

A smooth-talking confidence trickster makes his way into congress (where the cynical would suggest he'd have plenty of company) in this comedy. Thomas Jefferson Johnson (Eddie Murphy) is a con man from Florida who gets the bright idea that a scam artist could make a tidy sum if he was able to get inside the political arena. When a Florida congressman named Jeff Johnson dies and a special election is held to replace him, Thomas puts his name on the ballot as "Jeff Johnson," and enough confused voters check the ballot for him that he wins the race and is on his way to Washington D.C. Johnson soon finds a mentor in Dick Dodge (Lane Smith), chairman of the Power and Industry Committee, who shows Johnson the ropes on raking in PAC money while the late Mr. Johnson's aide, Reinhardt (Grant Shaud), gives him the inside scoop on how things work in Washington. Johnson's plans are going just as he hoped until he meets Celia Kirby (Victoria Rowell), a volunteer lobbyist and political activist whose uncle is a noted religious leader, The Rev. Elijah Hawkins (Charles S. Dutton). Johnson quickly becomes smitten with Celia, but it's obvious that she's not buying his act, and if he wants to win her heart, he'll have to stop fooling people into thinking he's honest and actually be honest. Joe Don Baker and Sheryl Lee Ralph also co-star. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Unspeakable Acts is the all-too-true story of a 1984 Dade County (Florida) sexual abuse case. Frank and Ilana Fuster (Gregory Sierra and Bess Meyer), who operate an upper-class day care center in a Florida suburb, are accused of committing appalling acts upon their young charges. The prosecution's case hinges on the testimony of one emotionally scarred child. Jill Clayburgh and Brad Davis play Lauri and Joseph Braga, the husband-and-wife child development specialists who must convince the abused youngster to testify without causing additional damage. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hunter (Fred Dryer) has finally caught up with Rose Fain (Claire Nono), the widow of his wartime buddy Randall Fain. Though Fain has reportedly committed suicide, Hunter is convinced that he was murdered by another member of their top-secret Vietnam marine unit--and the reason for the killing has something to do with a fortune in emeralds which Fain was supposed to have stolen. Hunter hopes that Rose will turn over the necessary information to catch the killer and clear Fain's name...provided she lives long enough to do so. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this violent crime drama, the residents of a New York City housing project live in fear of The Vampires, the brutal gang that continually terrorizes them. Things change after an insurance agent and a telephone repairman end up trapped there. Perhaps things would not be so desperate had the fellow not accidentally offended one of the gang members. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Lensed on videotape, Emergency Room was the first presentation of the syndicated Commworld Prime Time Showcase. Sarah Purcell and LeVar Burton star in this hospital melodrama. Purcell plays the doctor in charge of the E.R., dealing not only with an onrush of patients but also with hospital red tape and an on-again, off-again romance with a fellow physician (Gary Frank). The guest cast includes Penny Peyser, Paul Stewart, Julie Sommars, Gary Lockwood and Conchata Ferrell. Most markets first saw Emergency Room in mid-July 1983. The film was barter-sponsored to local stations by Procter and Gamble, as was the second and last Commworld Prime Time Showcase effort, Desperate Intruder (see separate entry). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This made-for-TV historical drama chronicles the personal and professional lives of Colonel Tibbets and the airmen who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The story is based on a book by Gordon Thomas and Max Gordon Witts and also looks at the ways in which the aftermath of the bombing affected their lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Gift was a Christmas 1979 TV-movie offering based on the semi-autobiographical book written in 1973 by Pete Hammill. Gary Frank plays the Hammill counterpart, a Brooklyn-born sailor about to be shipped off to the Korean War. Frank decides to use his 3-day pass to discover if his girl friend really loves him, if he can communicate at last with his troublesome parents, and if he can get his own life together before being sent into battle.
Julie Harris plays Frank's mother, while Glenn Ford portrays Frank's pugnacious, one-legged Irish dad. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of Streets of San Francisco's two-part Season Five opener, a band of urban revolutionaries continue to hold an entire jury hostage on a ship, threatening to kill them one by one unless the group's leaders are released from prison. The tension mounts as the first hostage is murdered and homicide inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas, in his final series appearance) is gunned down on the eve of his retirement from the force. Keller's partner Mike Stone (Karl Malden) must rely upon the daring and resourcefulness of SFPD newcomer Dan Robbins (Richard Hatch) to rescue the terrified prisoners. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After two young women are killed on a University campus, Fran (Elizabeth Baur) has a suspicious accident near the murder scene. Investigating, Ironside (Raymond Burr) finds out that both victims had one thing in common: they had been the mistresses of the college's married dean (Richard Anderson), a man with a spotless reputation--up until now, that is. Although three more episodes remained in Ironside's eighth season, "The Faded Image" ended up as the series' network finale when the show was abruptly cancelled on January 16, 1975. The three leftover installments would not be seen until they were syndicated in the fall of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi