Dennis Franz Movies

Blake Edwards comes a cropper in this lunk-headed slapstick homage to Laurel and Hardy, Mack Sennett, and Jerry Lewis. Ted Danson and Howie Mandell play Spence Holden and Dennis Powell, a couple of idiots who find themselves involved with a pack of gangsters. Spence is a two-bit actor who is at a racetrack location with his pal Dennis, when he overhears two small-time thugs, Wayne "Turnip" Parragella (Richard Mulligan) and Maurice "Binky" Drundza (Stuart Margolin), talk about doping a horse set to run a race. It turns out that Turnip and Binky are under orders to carry out the dastardly scheme by their underworld boss Tony Pazzo (Paul Sorvino). When Spence and Dennis are found out, they find themselves pursued all over the Los Angeles area by an angry Tony Pazzo mob in an ever-escalating series of races and chases, crashes and smashes, and shouting and screaming. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Robert Altman's over-frenetic satire on American marriage rituals and hypocrisy concerns the upper-crust marriage between Dino Corelli (Desi Arnaz Jr.) and Muffin Brenner (Amy Stryker). As the film begins, a senile bishop forgets the lines to the wedding ceremony and Nettie Sloan (the groom's grandmother) drops dead in an upstairs bedroom. Nettie's death is not disclosed to the two families who converge at the wedding reception. As the two sets of in-laws slam into each other, the bride and groom disappear in the ensuing whirlwind of chaos as both extended families vie for sexual favors and try to keep hidden never-discussed family secrets. Regina Corelli (Nina Van Pallandt) is revealed to be a drug addict, while Luigi, is endeavoring unsuccessfully to keep his Mafia connections under wraps. Meanwhile, the bride's family, although more down to earth, are revealed to be no better. Tulip Brenner (Carol Burnett) begins to flirt with one of the wedding guests, Mackenzie Goddard (Pat McCormick), while Snooks Brenner (Paul Dooley) acts like a lout and drinks heavily. And flying around the edges of the action like Tinkerbell is Buffy Brenner, the Brenners' youngest daughter, who is pregnant by the groom. As other characters bang into each other -- sexual degenerates, hard-nosed radicals, raw-boned emotional wrecks -- the wedding reception heads for its inevitable nuclear explosion. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In Body Double, director Brian DePalma pays homage to the Alfred Hitchcock movies Vertigo and Rear Window, adding a few grotesque touches all his own. Craig Wasson plays Jake, a struggling actor who keeps losing jobs because of his claustrophobia. To make matters worse, his girlfriend has walked out on him, so he has no place to sleep. His pal offers him the use of his apartment for the evening. The apartment happens to be equipped with a huge picture window and telescope, enabling him to spy on his beautiful neighbor Gloria (Deborah Shelton) while she undresses. He also bears witness to her brutal murder. And then he meets a porn star (Melanie Griffith), who has just taken a job posing as the late Gloria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, legal eagle Cromwell must protect her client who has been wrongly accused of killing a grifter. She is up against a crafty, and earnest police officer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The messages referred to in the title are those conveyed on a Ouija board. The heroine (Kathleen Beller) conjures up these messages, which indicate that her future happiness is gravely in doubt. In point of fact, the words she spells out on the board are I-AM-GOING-TO-KILL-YOU. A mystery figure from the woman's past intends to fulfill this prophecy--with a dagger. Material like this only works if the producers have faith in it; Deadly Messages appears to have been made by people who found the premise amusing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of Brian De Palma's most divisive films, Dressed to Kill is a spine-chilling Alfred Hitchcock update for the late 1970s. Sexually frustrated wife and mother Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) visits her New York psychiatrist, Dr. Elliott (Michael Caine), to complain about her unfulfilling erotic life. When she then goes to meet her husband at a museum, she meets an anonymous man whom she follows out to a cab. After an afternoon of satisfying sex, Kate discovers that the man has a venereal disease, but that information becomes a moot point when a razor-wielding blonde woman slashes Kate to ribbons in the elevator of the man's building. Blonde prostitute Liz (Nancy Allen), who caught a glimpse of the murderer, becomes both the prime suspect and the killer's next target. With the police less than willing to believe her story, Liz joins forces with Kate's son Peter (Keith Gordon) to get the psychopath themselves. Steamy material cut to get an R-rating was restored on the unrated laser disc version. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hunter (Fred Dryer) steps up his search for escaped cocaine dealer Sally LaPone (Lydia Naff). This assignment morphs into a rescue mission when it becomes clear that Manhattan detective Jackie Molinas (Dennis Franz), Hunter's temporary partner, is a dirty cop, determined to snuff out LaPone before she can rat out her boss, Vic Terranova (Dennis Farina). Meanwhile, McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) continues working undercover as a singer at a Terronava-controlled nightclub--a job that may be fatally terminated when her cover is blown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Whoopi Goldberg stars in this TV movie as a single mother who begins paying the bills by hustling pool at a local billiards hall. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The New York Mounted Police division teams up a former rodeo cowboy and a veteran police officer. ~ All Movie Guide

The second season of NYPD Blue was transitional in every sense of the word, with a number of major cast changes and the deepening of characterizations within the people who remained. The big news during the 1994-1995 season was the defection of David Caruso as Detective John Kelly, the sensitive younger partner of the irascible Det. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). It was no secret that Caruso wanted more screen time and a lot more money to continue with the series, and when producer Steven Bochco said no, the actor departed -- four episodes into season two. His replacement proved to be just as popular with viewers as Caruso, if not more so: Jimmy Smits as the recently widowed, pigeon-fancying Detective Bobby Simone, whose single status not only opened the door for a whole new slew of romantic complications with various female cast members, but also set hearts aflutter amongst audience members. Also leaving the series after the first two second-season episodes was Amy Brenneman as Off. Janice Licalsi, who had been found guilty of the murder of mob functionary Angelo Marino -- an act that also precipitated the departure of John Kelly, who, for trying to suppress evidence on Janice's behalf, was given the choice of being demoted or leaving the 15th Precinct altogether (of course, he chose the latter).
Also added to the cast was Kim Delaney as Det. Diane Russell, who like most the series' characters arrived at the 15th carrying a lot of emotional baggage, in her case an extremely abusive husband and, like Andy Sipowicz, a drinking problem. Andy was, in fact, the first to glom onto Diane's closet boozing, and it was he who offered to become her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor -- though it would be the younger and svelter Bobby Simone who would win Russell's heart. During her freshman year on NYPD Blue, Diane Russell appeared only on a recurring basis, as did two other new characters: the precinct's temporary administrative assistant, John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup), the series' first (but hardly the last) openly gay character; and Det. Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli), who'd transferred to the 15th to escape a disastrous inter-departmental romance -- only to find herself the object of the affections of Precinct stalwart James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro). But while neither Delaney, Brochtrup, nor Miceli were as yet listed among the "stars" of the series, two recurring characters from season one, Gordon Clapp as Detective Greg Medavoy and Gail O'Grady as administrative assistant Donna Abandando, were bumped up to full "regular" status. Greg and Donna's very, very close friendship became very, very much closer as the year progressed, despite Medavoy's periodic returns to his estranged wife. This was the year in which the misogynistic Andy Sipowicz finally humanized to the point of proposing marriage to Assistant DA Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence), despite having characterized her as a "prissy bitch" during the previous season. This was also the year in which series regular Dennis Franz entered "pop culture Valhalla" by flashing his naked backside to the camera. And this was the year in which NYPD Blue added two more Emmys to its collection, for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Shirley Knight in the episode "Large Mouth Bass"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The fourth season of NYPD Blue saw the introduction of two important new cast members: Andrea Thompson as Detective Jill Kirkendall, fearless crime-fighter, single mother, and potential threat to the burgeoning romance between Det. Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) and Det. Diane Russell (Kim Delaney); and Lourdes Benedicto as Gina Colon, one of several novice 15th precinct administrative assistants, and the new love interest for Det. James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro). While Andrea Thompson would ultimately be promoted to series regular, Lourdes Benedicto remained among the recurring-character ranks, albeit a prominent one. In other developments, Det. Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) went on a crash diet and somewhat reluctantly volunteered to be the father of gay cop Abby Sullivan's (Paige Turco) baby; Bobby Simone inherited a shabby Brooklyn apartment building, involving him in a whole new crop of oddball characters, chief among them surly building super Henry Coffield (Willie Garson); combustible Det. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) continued to behave in an unpredictable fashion from one day to the next, though he was considerably humanized by his newborn son Theo (the mother, of course, was Assistant DA Sylvia Costas [Sharon Lawrence]); and recovering alcoholic Diane Russell, beset by professional and personal woes, suffered a nervous breakdown.

Of the major story arcs, two involved delicate and potentially deadly undercover operations. Diane Russell was assigned to get "close" to handsome, hair-triggered mob functionary Jimmy Liery (Christopher Meloni); it was the grim outcome of this case that nearly pushed Diane over the edge and back into a bottle. And, prodded by the Feds, who were anxious to build a case against hoodlum Joey Salvo (Peter Onorati), Bobby Simone infiltrated Salvo's circle of friends and performed a few conspicuous "favors" for Joey. The fact that Bobby's covert activities aroused the suspicions of Internal Affairs very nearly lost Simone his badge -- and also set the stage for season four's cliffhanger finale. As was the case in the three previous years, NYPD Blue collected quite a few statuettes at the annual Emmy awards presentation. Dennis Franz copped his third Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actor; Kim Delaney was honored as Outstanding Supporting Actress; and David Milch, Stephen Gaghan, and Michael R. Perry shared an award for their scripting of the episode "Where's 'Swaldo?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The big news attending NYPD Blue's sixth season was the imminent departure of series star Jimmy Smits, who played Det. Bobby Simone, the new husband of Det. Diane Russell (Kim Delaney). While the particulars of Simone's exit were kept secret from the public, it became obvious from the season opener onward that Bobby was not long for this world; having developed a serious illness, he needed an immediate heart transplant, and even then the doctors could guarantee nothing. It was in the season's fifth episode, "Hearts and Souls," that the saga of Bobby Simone was terminated fatally, much to the shock and dismay of millions of the series' fans. Bobby's replacement was Det. Danny Sorenson, played by former child star Rick Schroder. Although both the grieving Diane and Bobby's irascible partner, Det. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), initially resented Sorenson's presence, Danny quickly proved his mettle both on and off the job. But in time-honored NYPD Blue tradition, young Mr. Sorenson brought with him some heavy emotional baggage, which would be revealed bag by bag over the next three seasons, culminating in yet another "shocker" of a climactic episode. Elsewhere, the 15th precinct's gay Anti-Crime Unit assistant John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup, who was moved up from recurring-character to regular) developed a close friendship with the squad's new PAA, Dolores Mayo (Lola Glaudini), a troubled young woman who ultimately quit her job and turned to prostitution. It was Dolores' death during a weekend trip to Atlantic City with wealthy drug dealer Malcolm Cullinan (Todd Waring), coupled with the murder of Sipowicz' old nemesis, shady private eye Mike Roberts (Michael Harney), that led to the series' violent sixth-season finale, a courtroom shoot-out which claimed the life of Andy Sipowicz' wife, ADA Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence). Once again, NYPD Blue copped a handful of Emmy awards. This years' recipients included series star Dennis Franz, recurring guest actress Debra Monk (as Sipowicz' ex-wife, Katie), and director Paris Barclay, the latter two earning their statuettes for their work in the pivotal episode "Hearts and Souls." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide