David Gardner Movies

Everyone who grew up watching the original Saturday Night Live remembers the fateful night in 1976 when Lorne Michaels, with mock gravity, announced that NBC would pay the munificent sum of 3,000 dollars if the Beatles would agree to come on the show and perform three Beatles songs. But everyone may not know that ex-Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney happened to be in New York, watching that particular episode of SNL -- and for a few moments, they were tempted to play along with the gag and accept the offer. How did this come about? Well, it seems that McCartney, riding high with his hit single "Silly Love Songs," was in Manhattan to promote an upcoming concert. For old time's sake, and (probably) to heal a few long-standing wounds, McCartney called upon Lennon at the latter's apartment in the Dakota. First telecast February 1, 2000, Two of Us dramatizes this bittersweet reunion, of which "L'Affair SNL" was but one of many extra added ingredients. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who'd also helmed the Beatles' swan song movie, Let It Be, Two of Us was seen over the VH1 cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Wayne Gacy was a respected member of his suburban Illinois community -- he was an active member of several service organizations, ran his own business, and entertained children as Pogo the Clown in his spare time. But Gacy had a terrible secret, and before he was finally brought in by the police, he had raped and killed over 30 young men and buried them beneath his house. To Catch a Killer is a made-for-TV movie that examines Gacy's life and crimes, and Joe Kozenczak (Michael Riley), the cop who finally brought John Wayne Gacy (Brian Dennehy) to justice. The supporting cast includes Margot Kidder and Meg Foster. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The made-for-television movie The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid is about a prosperous lawyer who can't find a husband. Eventually, she falls in love with her younger male secretary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Rip Torn does a magnificent job as American poet Walt Whitman in the fanciful period piece Beautiful Dreamers. The scene is a hellish 19th century Canadian institution for the mentally retarded. Compassionate doctor Maurice Bucke (Colm Feore) defies his superiors by treating his patients as human beings rather than animals. He even begins conducting classes for his charges, teaching them basic cognitive and manual dexterity skills. When Whitman champions Bucke's cause, the doctor is ostracized by those who fear the poet's reputation as a "wild-eyed" radicial. Based on a true story, Beautiful Dreamers is more interesting for its intentions than its execution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Successfully sustaining its dramatic intensity for 150 minutes, Heartsounds was adapted by Fay Kanin from the autobiographical best-seller by Martha Weiman Lear. James Garner stars as Mrs. Lear's husband, Manhattan urologist Harold Lear. At 53, Lear suffers a debilitating heart attack. His recovery is hampered by a second attack, which necessitates a double-bypass operation. Though the surgery is successful, its long-ranging effects leave Lear with brain damage and a scant few months to live. With the support of his wife Martha (Mary Tyler Moore), who battles tooth and nail with hospital staffers to make certain that her husband receives the best care possible, Lear endeavors to make every moment of his last days on earth count. Originally telecast September 30, 1984, Heartsounds was produced by Norman Lear, the real-life cousin of Dr. Harold Lear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A music teacher (Perry King) at a tough Los Angeles high school reaches out to his students with the gift of music -- only to find a gang of sadistic punk rockers is actively dissuading new members from joining the orchestra. Not only are the punkers sadistic; they are also led by the nefarious Timothy Van Patten (sporting Willie Aames-style blow-dried hair). The plot development: Van Patten is a musical prodigy, as he proves by banging out some angry classical tunes on the school Baldwin in front of the teacher's startled class. King tries to befriend the lad, but he rejects the offer with scorn. When King attempts to settle for a truce with the gang leader in order to end his students' harassment, he finds himself targeted for a slowly-escalating campaign of terror, culminating in a deadly game of hide-and-seek in the high school after hours. One by one, King faces the murderous gang; one by one, teenagers die in a succession of increasingly violent fashions as the already-exploitive film degenerates into a Death Wish clone. As a feature film, Class of 1984 seems more like it was made for television. The plot is completely contrived; the characters are unbelievable (especially the punks, who seem to be the sort of punks that exist only in the imaginations of "B"-grade Hollywood film directors), and the production values are poor. Yet Class of 1984 has a certain charm, a certain earnestness that makes it watchable, if unintentionally amusing. The film includes a soundtrack by Alice Cooper which includes the stirring anthem "I Am the Future." Another point of interest: this may be the only film including a scene in which Michael J. Fox is stabbed during a prison-style cafeteria riot. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Richard Burton plays a psychiatrist who attempts to discover why young Peter Firth has taken to mutilating live horses. In probing Firth's psyche, Burton discovers that the source of the boy's obsession is his mother, Joan Plowright, who has raised Firth with a convoluted set of values. Even as he gets closer to the reason behind Firth's horrendous acts, Burton discovers many previously locked-away secrets within himself. Equus was based on the play by Peter Schaffer who received an Academy Award Nomination for his adapted screenplay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This is the true story of Dr. Norman Bethune, the Canadian doctor who tended to the needs of Mao Tse Tung's army during the communist takeover of China. Bethune's motives, most of which he preferred to keep to himself, have intrigued many filmmakers of humanistic or liberal inclinations. This Canadian made-for-TV version, directed by Eric Hill, stars Donald Sutherland as Bethune and Kate Nelligan as his wife. The political and humanitarianism issues inherent in the saga are subtly woven into a thought-provoking screenplay. Sutherland later reprised his role in the 1990 film Bethune: The Making of A Hero. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide