John Friedrich Movies

James Woods plays "Fast-Walking" Miniver, a strikingly amoral prison guard, in this dark, hard-hitting comedy/drama. When not smoking dope or scaring up customers for Evie (Susan Tyrrell), the proprietor of the local house of prostitution, Fast-Walking tries to keep order in an Oregon prison. Fast-Walking is looking for a big payday so he can quit his job and get into something less stressful, and he thinks he may have found it when William Galliot (Robert Hooks), a black political activist who has just landed behind bars, offers him $50,000 to help him escape. Fast-Walking thinks this sounds fine with him, until he finds out that his cousin Wasco (Tim McIntire) is part of a plot to kill Galliot and wants his help. Fast-Walking's dilemma is intensified by his affair with Wasco's girlfriend, Moke (Kay Lenz). Fast-Walking was written, produced, and directed by James B. Harris, who as a producer helped bring several early Stanley Kubrick films to the screen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The 2-part TV movie Rumor of War was based on the 1977 memoirs of Vietnam veteran Philip Caputo. Brad Davis stars as Caputo, who during the mid-1960s was a Marine lieutenant. In battle after battle, Caputo performs his duties admirably, even when questioning the wisdom of America's Vietnam involvement. As both the war and the body count escalate, Caputo suffers a nervous breakdown. A Rumor of War bears an inevitable resemblance to the much-earlier antiwar epic All Quiet on the Western Front, right down to the presence of a father-figure combat sergeant (Brian Dennehy). Its few cliches aside, the film is a powerful indictment of the brutalization and depersonalization of America's Vietnam forces. A Rumor of War premiered on September 24 and 25, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adapted from the once-notorious trilogy of novels by James T. Farrell, the three-part miniseres Studs Lonigan isn't quite as earthy and explicit as its source, but is lot more faithful to the original than the 1960 film version. Set in Chicago and covering the years from 1916 to 1931, this is the story of a brawling, braggadocio young Irish-American lad named Studs Lonigan (played as a child by Dan Shor, and as an adult by Harry Hamlin in his first major TV role). Despite his rough veneer, Studs is sensitive and concerned about his future, though he doesn't want to follow the values set forth by his tradition-bound parents (Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst). Hanging around with his childhood buddies, Studs gets into all sorts of scrapes and becomes involved with a number of women, notably the decent, demure Catherine (Diana Scarwid) and the lusty, libidinous Lucy (Lisa Pelikan). Though he grows in age and size, Studs has trouble maturing emotionally, surrounded by the pressures of a rough, prejudice-ridden neighborhood and the increasing hooliganism of his cronies. As the Depression crashes heavily upon the scene, Studs finds himself "trapped" in the very sort of middle-class quagmire that he'd always hoped to avoid. Earning an Emmy Award for art/set direction, the 6-hour Studs Lonigan originally aired March 7, 14 and 21, 1979, as part of NBC's Novels for Television anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

According to the network press release, the made-for-TV Forever was concerned with the "joys and anguish" of teenage romance. The teenage romancers herein are played by Stephanie Zimbalist and Dean Butler. It is the first serious relationship for both, and so far as they are concerned, it will be the only such entanglement in their lives. The script, based on Judy Blume's novel, details in bittersweet fashion how "forever" is a relative term when one is very young and impressionable. The film was originally telecast January 6, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bruno Kirby was labelled an "overnight" star of the early 1990s thanks to such films as The Freshman (90) and City Slickers (91), but he'd been working since the late 1970s in both films and TV. The 1978 low budgeter Almost Summer top-bills Kirby as a "mover and shaker" high schooler who helps a nice-guy student, Darryl (John Friedrich), run against his former girlfriend. Darryl resigns from the class presidency when he learns the election was fixed. But Kirby is popular enough to win the re-election, without the crooked political machinations of certain school administrators. Featured in the cast were several members of Hollywood's 1970s equivalent to the 1980s "brat pack", including Didi Conn, Lee Purcell and Tim Matheson. The subtlety and perceptiveness of Almost Summer would be buried within a year by the onslaught of Animal House and its many clones. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Several teenage lawbreakers from a so-called honor farm escape their captors while appearing in court. The kids hijack a bus and take two police officers as hostage. As the escapees demand a plane to Cuba, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) tries to straighten out the tense situation with a minimum of violence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Michael and Patricia meet in an unusual way – while he is on a date and is trying to retrieve his date's car keys from a fountain. When Michael's date abandons him, he hangs out with Patricia and these two nice young people soon find themselves falling in love. They decide to wed and hold the ceremony in Canada, where Michael's family lives. Patricia's parents, who have been on a lengthy cruise and have never met Michael, cannot attend, but they meet their new daughter-in-law soon afterward. While reviewing pictures from the wedding, Michael's mother is shocked to discover that she knows Patricia's father. Even more shocking is the revelation that Patricia's father is also Michael's father, the result of a one-night stand many years before, and that the happily married couple are therefore half-siblings. To make matters worse, it turns out that Patricia is pregnant. The rest of Bittersweet Love is taken up with Michael and Patricia deciding what they should do about this situation, as well as with reactions and advice from their family members. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi