Alan Fudge Movies

While teaching a college investigation class, Magnum (Tom Selleck) tries to stem the alarming dropout rate by agreeing to take a case from one of his students on a pro-bono basis. At first, it appears that all Magnum has to do is locate the student's missing fiancee--but as the plot thickens, our hero becomes enmeshed in an entirely different mystery(or is it?) Guest star Tom Shadyac is better known for his latter-day accomplishments as a writer, director and producer on such Jim Carrey projects as Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This short-lived TV series was based on the 1982 television movie of the same name and focused on two young women and their mothers negotiating the New York modeling scene with the rich, the fashionable, and the powerful. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Hannibal's perennial nemesis Colonel Lynch (William Lucking) is in a festive mood when he finally succeeds in capturing the A-Team. But Lynch's exultation is short-lived: He is ordered to release the team by his superiors, who want Hannibal (George Peppard) and company to head to Borneo, there to rescue kidnapped army general Ludlam (Warren Kemmerling) and his daughter Kathy (Amy Steel). The assignment proves most difficult for B.A. (Mr. T) who once cold-cocked the General back in Vietnam. Future 24 and The Unit star Dennis Haysbert appears in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Whenever one of their fellow Vietnam veterans is in trouble, you can count on the A-Team to come to the rescue. On this occasion, there are three disabled Vietnam vets, who in partnership with heroine-of-the-week Amanda (Robin Riker) have opened a desert resort called the Stagecoach Hotel. In his efforts to drive the vets off their property, evil land developer Frank Gaines (Alan Fudge) shuts down the water supply of both the hotel and a neighboring village. In order to foil the villain, the Team sets about to dig their own water well--and, as is customary, chaos ensues! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While Shirley Jones is given top billing in the made-for-TV The Children of An Lac, the film's true star is the late actress Ina Balin--who plays herself in this re-enactment of an episode of conspicuous courage during the Vietnam war. On the eve of the fall of Saigon in 1975, an effort is made to rescue 400 children from the An Lac orphanage. Participating in this near-impossible undertaking are Georgia housewife Betty Tisdale (Shirley Jones), orphanage head Madama Ngai (Beulah Quo), and Balin. Alas, this very worthwhile and uplifting production ran a distant second in the ratings when first telecast October 19, 1980. Its competition: The Castaways of Gilligan's Island. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Because the producers couldn't get clearance to film on the real Golden Gate bridge, The Golden Gate Murders is enacted upon a distressingly unconvincing studio mock-up. The film itself is far better than its backdrop: David Janssen stars as a detective investigating the supposed suicide of a priest. Susannah York portrays a nun who is anxious to save the priest's immortal soul by proving that his fatal plunge into San Francisco Bay was murder, not suicide. A curious, chaste romance develops between cop and nun, which turns out to be more interesting at times than the case at hand. Golden Gate Murders was released theatrically as Specter on the Bridge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After being briefly pre-empted by the debut telecast of Roots, Streets of San Francisco returned to the ABC prime time fold with this tense psychological drama focusing on Douglas French (Alan Fudge), a chronic alcoholic and wife-beater. Awakening from a hangover, French discovers that his wife Helen (Marlyn Mason) has disappeared. Unable to remember what happened, French is convinced along with the authorities that he has killed his wife--but the plot thickens when Stone and Robbins discover that the still-missing Helen has been carrying on a double life! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this fourth TV movie in The Man from Atlantis series, a mad scientist abducts researchers and and takes them to a South American island. ~ Rovi

Sheriff Ep Bridges (John Crawford) is challenged in the upcoming election by Glen Oldfield (John Fink), a flashy, flamboyant candidate who has a way with the ladies. Oldfield also knows how to manipulate the media, and pretty soon he is granting "special favors" to the Waltons in hopes of getting an endorsement from John-Boy's newspaper. And in a separate (but ultimately related) development, Grandpa Walton (Will Geer) protests the capture of a wild mustang for advertising purposes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The farmers of Walnut Grove place their faith -- and their future -- in the hands of Joseph Coulter (Alan Fudge), a college-educated agronomist. Coulter has told the farmers of a new hybrid that would yield rich crops, and he has been sent to Minneapolis, with a large sum of cash, to purchase enough of the hybrid seed to benefit everyone in the community. But several days have passed, and Joseph has not yet returned. Charles (Michael Landon) takes up the challenge of searching for Joe, whom the farmers suspect of having taken off with their money. Meanwhile, Coulter's pregnant wife (Julie Cobb) must bear the brunt of the community's outrage. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The fourth season of Streets of San Francisco finds veteran police detective Mike Stone (Karl Malden) and his youthful (but increasingly experienced) partner Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) still operating out of the SFPD's homicide squad. The focus in this episode, however, is on a pair of romantically involved narcotics agents, George (Clu Gulager and Amy Ninette Bravo). When she is killed by an addict, he goes on a bitter rampage, determined to avenge her death--and seriously hampering Stone and Keller's investigation of the murder in the process. This episode is highligted by a wild car-chase finale, as well as a significant pre-Star Wars appearance by Mark Hamill. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Joseph Wambaugh, the ex-cop turned novelist whose Police Story began its TV run in 1973, was responsible for the like-vintage TV miniseries The Blue Knight. William Holden stars as Bumper Morgan, a 50 year old cop on the verge of mandatory retirement. Morgan's last four days with the LAPD are packed with incident, notably the trackdown of the brutal murderer of a prostitute. Lee Remick plays Morgan's faithful lady friend, who is anxious for her man to retire but who will tolerate no criticism from anyone of the job the police are doing. Emmies went to William Holden, director Robert Butler and editors Marjorie and Gene Fowler Jr., while Lee Remick received an Emmy nomination. The film itself is derivative at times (one chunk of dialogue is lifted bodily from the Jane Fonda vehicle Klute), but otherwise is as realistic a portrayal of police work as TV censors would allow in 1973. Originally telecast in four one-hour installments, Blue Knight was cut to 103 minutes for syndication; a second Blue Knight TV movie, filmed in 1975 and starring George Kennedy as Bumper Morgan, served as the pilot for a short-lived TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Liars Club is a group of football buddies, so named because of their tendency to exaggerate their accomplishments. This sort of harmless fun comes to an end when one of the "club" members brutally assaults a young girl. Now the friends close ranks and become liars for real. The outlook continues to darken when the boys become involved in murder. The cast of the R-rated Liar's Club includes Soleil Moon Frye, once the adolescent star of TV's Punky Brewster, and Wil Wheaton, of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi