Chris Abbott Movies

This two-hour TV-movie spinoff of the long-running mystery series Diagnosis Murder is reminiscent of the classic "Dr. Christian" B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s. Dick Van Dyke is back as Dr. Mark Sloan, still combining his regular medical duties with sleuthing, this time for humanitarian purposes. Sloan and his colleagues are determined to stem a deadly epidemic that started in a migrant worker's camp and threatens to spread throughout Los Angeles. This requires the good doctor to journey all the way to Mexico to determine the source of the disease--and hopefully, to find an antidote. In the course of his investigation, Sloan comes to the horrifying conclusion that the epidemic is the result of a bioterrorist plot. . .and, of course, there is a murder involved. Diagnosis Murder: Without Warning made its CBS debut on April 26, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Enjoying astonishing (and well-deserved) popularity at a time in TV history when dramatic programs trafficking in "family values" were few and far between, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was also one of the last of that hardy breed known as the "TV Western." Set in Colorado Springs, CO, in the years just following the Civil War, the weekly, 60-minute series starred Jane Seymour as Michaela "Mike" Quinn, one of a handful of women doctors west of the Mississippi (or anywhere else!) during the second half of the 19th century. After the death of her father and medical partner, Dr. Mike left her hometown of Boston to set up practice in the hardscrabble village of Colorado Springs. Not surprisingly, she encountered much hostility and mistrust from the townsfolk, but gradually won them over not only because of her medical brilliance, but because she was almost unerringly "in the right" at all times. When one of her first patients, Charlotte Cooper (Diane Ladd), died of a snakebite, Dr. Mike inherited the woman's three children, who at the outset of the series ranged in age from 10 to 17. Oldest son Matthew Cooper (Chad Allen) grew up to become the town's sheriff, and later went off to study law; daughter Colleen (played by Erika Flores from 1993 to 1995, thereafter by Jessica Bowman) eventually followed Dr. Mike's footsteps by pursuing a medical career, and ultimately married her foster mother's young assistant, Dr. Andrew Cook (Brandon Douglas); and youngest Chandler boy, Brian (Shawn Toovey), got into many a scrape -- some of them near-fatal -- in the course of the series.

Also in the cast was Joe Lando as taciturn mountain man Byron Sully, who spent most of his time communing with nature (including his pet wolf) and commiserating with the local Cheyenne Indian tribe. In the early episodes, Sully was merely the man who owned the house rented by Dr. Mike and her "instant" family; later on, he and Mike fell in love, got married, and had a daughter named Katie. The huge, rotating cast of recurring characters included curmudgeonly (and, initially, downright nasty) storekeeper Loren Bray (Guy Boyd in the pilot episode, Orson Bean thereafter); Bray's sister-in-law, Dorothy Jennings (Barbara Babcock), editor of the town newspaper; Grace (Jonelle Allen), a black woman who owned the town diner; telegraph operator Horace Bing (Frank Collison) and his bride, Myra (Helene Udy), a former saloon girl; Myra's ex-boss Hank (William Shockley), owner of the local "sporting house"; Rev. Timothy Johnson (Geoffrey Lower), who functioned as the town schoolteacher until Teresa Morales (played first by Michelle Bonilla, then by Alex Meneses) took over; Loren Bray's conniving buddy, barber Jake Slicker (Jim Knobeloch); Sully's old pal, wealthy ex-prospector Daniel Simon (John Schneider); and the much-maligned Cheyenne medicine man Cloud Dancing (Larry Sellers), whose persecution at the hands of the U.S. military aroused the fire-breathing activism of pioneering feminist and humanitarian Dr. Mike.

Our heroine also fought tirelessly for the rights of blacks, Hispanics, battered wives and practically everyone else who suffered under the weight of bigotry and misunderstanding in the Old West. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was far and away CBS' most successful and beloved Saturday-night series throughout its five seasons on the air, and has remained an audience favorite on cable and in syndication. ~ All Movie Guide

When Robin Masters' latest manuscript is stolen, Magnum teams with "old school" private eye Luther Gillis (Eugene Roche) to retrieve the document. The two detectives also try to find out who has attempted to murder Higgins (John Hillerman)--and worse, has done harm to Higgins' beloved Dobermans Zeus and Apollo. Curiously, the case's progression of events closely adheres to the plotline of Robin's unpublished novel, suggesting that someone has a very compelling reason to prevent the book from hitting the shelves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Magnum, P.I. wraps up its eight-year run with a two-part final episode (originally telecast in a single two-hour timeslot). In Part One, Magnum returns to his home town for a family reunion, where his paternal grandfather (Howard Duff) offers to reinstate him as a Naval officer. But before Magnum can say "yes" or "no", he is summoned back to Hawaii by former girlfriend Linda Lee Ellison (Patrice Martinez), who insists that someone is stalking her. Upon his return, Magnum receives some startling information about his daughter Lily, whom he had presumed to be dead. Meanwhile, Rick (Larry Manetti) nervously prepares to marry the estimable Cleo Mitchell (Phyllis Davis). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though a murdered Magnum (Tom Selleck) was seen wandering off to Heaven in the final episode of Magnum, P.I.'s seventh season, the public demanded the return of both the character and the series. Thus, Season Eight begins with Magnum still in a coma, the result of a violent shootout. In this state, the detective has an out-of-body experience, in which he is guided Heavenward by his old friend "Mac" MacReynolds (Jeff MacKay, who plays a dual role in this episode). Fortunately, he awakens to find himself back in the "real" world--whereupon he grimly sets out to find the surviving member of the criminal trio who nearly caused him to cash in his chips. Featured in small but significant roles are series star Tom Selleck's mother Martha Selleck and son Kevin Selleck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Barbara Rush guest stars as Magnum's beloved Aunt Phoebe, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright known for her extremely vivid imagination. When Phoebe insists that she is being stalked by a murderer, Magnum (Tom Selleck) wonders if the old dear is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers'. As it turns out, she is--but that doesn't necessarily mean that her life isn't in danger. As an added complication, Magnum must do all of his investigating on the sly: thanks to a bureaucratic oversight, his detective's license has expired. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season Seven of Magnum, P.I. begins with a two-part episode (originally telecast in a single two-hour timeslot) largely set in Los Angeles. Magnum (Tom Selleck) arrives in La-La-Land to deliver some legal papers on behalf of Robin Masters. Befriending a comedienne named Marti Jensen (Mona Miller), Magnum ends up a prime suspect when the woman is found murdered in his hotel room. In his subsequent efforts to clear himself and find the real killer, Magnum works side by side (and sometimes closer than that!) with attractive entertainment lawyer Cynthia Farrell (Dena Delany). Meawnhile, back in Hawaii, Rick (Larry Manetti), T.C. (Roger Mosley) and Higgins conduct an intensive search for teenager Kenny (Alfonso Ribeiro), who has witnessed two murders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Deputy DA Carol Baldwin (Kathleen Lloyd) thinks that she has envisioned sinister omens, indicating that her next case will be her last. Though at first Magnum (Tom Selleck) is certain Carol is imagining things, he soon finds himself the only line of defense between Carol and a demented stalker who bears a long-standing grudge against her family. Elsewhere, T.C.(Roger E. Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti) come to the rescue of Higgins, who is forced to pose as the owner of Robin's Nest when several of his old school chums come calling. This episode was directed by actor David Hemmings (Blow-Up), who also appears in the role of Lord Binkie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of Magnum, P.I.'s two-part Season Six opener (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Magnum (Tom Selleck) and Higgins (John Hillerman) are still in London, still battling their inner demons. Having had premonitions of the death of his friend Geoffrey St. Clair, Magnum finds himself drawing ever closer to Geoffrey's widow Penelope--which opens the floodgates for even more disturbing visions of the past and the future when the detective discovers that his late friend had been a member of a gang specializing in political assassinations. Meanwhile, Higgins comes face to face with his stern, unforgiving father Albert (also played by John Hillerman), with whom he hasn't spoken since being expelled from Sandhurst in 1934. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After thirteen years away from home, Magnum (Tom Selleck) returns to Tidewater, Virginia, to attend the funeral of his beloved grandfather. The occasion serves to reopen several old wounds, culminating with Magnum angrily accusing his stepfather Frank (David Huddleston), whom he has always resented, of stealing a precious family heirloom--namely, a letter from Abraham Lincoln. Musical comedy star Gwen Verdon makes her first series appearance as Magnum's mother Katherine; and watch for Tom Selleck's real father Robert Selleck Sr. as "Grandpa Everett" in a brief home-movie sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Carol Burnett guest stars as bank teller Susan Johnson, who hires Magnum (Tom Selleck) to track down her recently paroled father Herbie Norton. Herbie is better known as "Rembrandt" because of his skills as a forger, and Susan is worried that her dad is back in the counterfeit-money business. While searching for clues, Magnum and Susan manage to get locked in a bank vault--which is rapidly filling with water. Meanwhile, Higgins (John Hillerman) looks askance at a wild party held by Rick (Larry Manetti) and T.C. (Roger E. Mosley), who of course are oblivious to Magnum's plight. This episode marks the first appearance of T.C.'s girlfriend Gloria, played by Deborah Platt, the then wife of Magnum, P.I executive producer Donald P. Bellisario. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Magnum's latest client is a little Vietnamese street kid named Tran Quoc Jones (Ronald Harrah III). An illegal alien, the boy has come to Hawaii in search of his missing dad, an American G.I. Can it be that Magnum's friend T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) is the man Tran Quoc seeks? And why has pompous politician Dick Hasley (Rick Lenz) chosen to exploit the child's plight as a means of publicizing his campaign? The answers, of course, are not immediately forthcoming--in fact, it will require a murder for the truth to be revealed! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The King Kamehameha Club is robbed by a trio of thieves wearing animal masks: a "pig", a "gorilla", and a "rabbit." The three eyewitnesses to this crime are Higgins (John Hillerman), T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti), who in true "Rashomon" fashion provide contradictory stories of the incident in which each witness claims to have been the "hero" of the hour (their respective flashbacks are elaborately staged in various pop-culture formats) Magnum must separate fact from fancy in order to determine who was responsible for setting up the robbery. Real-life Hawaiian TV personality Emme Tomimbang) appears as herself in this final episode of Magnum, P.I.'s fourth season, which also marks the rather spectacular exit of series semi-regular Patrick Bishop (Keoke the bartender). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide