Lorraine Gary Movies

It's December of 1941, and the people of California are in varying states of unease, ranging from a sincere desire to defend the country to virtual blind panic in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thus begin several story threads that comprise the "plot" of this strange period comedy, a sort of satirical disaster movie, from Steven Spielberg. The stories and story threads involve lusty young men, officers (Tim Matheson) and civilians (Bobby Di Cicco) alike, eager to bed the young ladies of their dreams; Wild Bill Kelso, a nutty fighter pilot (John Belushi) following what he thinks is a squadron of Japanese fighters along the California coast; a well-meaning but clumsy tank crew (including John Candy) led by straight-arrow, by-the-book Sgt. Tree (Dan Aykroyd), who doesn't recognize the thug (Treat Williams) in his command; and homeowner Ward Douglas (Ned Beatty), who is eager to do his part for the nation's defense and, despite the misgivings of his wife (Lorraine Gary), doesn't mind his front yard overlooking the ocean being chosen to house a 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. There is also a pair of grotesquely inept airplane spotters (Murray Hamilton, Eddie Deezen) who are doing their job from atop a ferris wheel at a beachfront amusement park; a paranoid army colonel (Warren Oates) positive that the Japanese are infiltrating from the hills; a big dance being held on behalf of servicemen, being attended by a lusty young woman of size (Wendie Jo Sperber) eager to land a man in uniform; and General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell (Robert Stack), in charge of the defense of the West Coast, who can't seem to get anyone to listen to him when he says to keep calm. And, oh yes, there's also a real Japanese submarine that has gotten all the way to the California coast under the command of its captain (Toshiro Mifune) and a German officer observer (Christopher Lee), only to find itself without a working compass or usable maps. Its captain won't leave until the sub has attacked a militarily significant, honorable target, and the only one that anyone aboard ship knows of in California is Hollywood. By New Year's Eve, all of these characters are going to cross paths, directly or once-removed, in a comedy of errors and destruction strongly reminiscent of the finale to National Lampoon's Animal House (as well as several disaster movies from the same studio), but on a much larger and more impressive scale. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Originally made for television and based on true events from 1972, the story concerns an airline crash in the Everglades and the courageous adventures of the 73 survivors. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Mike Nolan (Darren McGavin) is a Beverly Hills resident whose divorce case -- blown by a hopelessly inept, possibly larcenous attorney (Dick Martin) -- has left him with no home, no job, and no assets, except for his car. And when the car is driven off by 16-year-old repo agent "Larry" (Denise Nickerson), Mike gives chase and finds himself hired by the brassy owner (Sylvia Miles) of the auto repossession company the girl works for. He and Larry are teamed together to go after a car being driven by luscious deadbeat Gloria Martine (Joan Collins), but before long Mike is up to his neck in trouble, not only fending off unwanted advances from Larry but trying for some extracurricular activity with Gloria. And that's not even taking into account the hoods, motorcyclists, and other irate citizens that he runs afoul of in his new "career". ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Lanigan's Rabbi is the pilot for the subsequent TV series based on Harry Kemelman's novels about crimesolving Rabbi David Small. Stuart Margolin plays the Rabbi, while Art Carney is top-billed as the police detective who frequently relies on Small's intuition. This initial episode, adapted from Kemelman's Friday the Rabbi Slept Late concerns the murder of a woman whose body is discovered on the steps of the Rabbi's California synagogue. The mystery is given equal time with Small's concern over his pregnant wife, who is about to give birth at any minute. When Lanigan's Rabbi became as series, Stuart Margolin was committed to Rockford Files, so Bruce Solomon became the new Rabbi Small. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark saga set the standard for the New Hollywood popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out of the water. One early summer night on fictional Atlantic resort Amity Island, Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while her friends party on the beach. Yanked suddenly below the ocean surface, she never returns. When pieces of her wash ashore, Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) suspects the worst, but Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), mindful of the lucrative tourist trade and the approaching July 4th holiday, refuses to put the island on a business-killing shark alert. After the shark dines on a few more victims, the Mayor orders the local fishermen to catch the culprit. Satisfied with the shark they find, the greedy Mayor reopens the beaches, despite the warning from visiting ichthyologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) that the attacks were probably caused by a far more formidable Great White. One more fatality later, Brody and Hooper join forces with flinty old salt Quint (Robert Shaw), the only local fisherman willing to take on a Great White--especially since the price is right. The three ride off on Quint's boat "The Orca," soon coming face to teeth with the enemy. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

In this made-for-television drama, a trio of advertising executives take a motorcycle trip across the desert and end up in a life-threatening situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Partners in Crime was the second attempt by Richard Levinson and William Link to create a TV series featuring a female ex-judge and male ex-con: the first was 1971's The Judge and Jake Wyler. This time, Lee Grant is the former jurist turned sleuth, while Lou Antonio is the onetime prisoner turned legman. In this 90-minute pilot film, Judge Grant searches for a stolen $750,000. Partners in Crime was telecast on March 24, 1973, back-to-back with the pilot for the Jack Webb TV series Chase. Chase flew, while Partners never got off the ground. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A roman a clef depicting the Wylie-Hoffert murders, this is the first of the made for TV movies introducing the Kojak character and was essentially the pilot for the long-running crime series. When a black ghetto youth is accused of two bizarre murders, Kojak takes it upon himself to find the real murderer. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

The City was the pilot film for the brief Anthony Quinn TV series Man and the City. Quinn joined such movie luminaries as Jimmy Stewart and Shirley MacLaine in migrating to the small screen for the 1971-72 season--unsuccessfully, as it turned out. He portrays Thomas Jefferson Alcala, the progressive mayor of an unspecified Southwestern city (the film was shot in Albuquerque). Future MASH regular Mike Farrell is also on hand as Mayor Alcala's conservative aide. The City finds Hizzoner tackling urban problems, a theme carried over to the Man and the City series itself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ironside (Raymond Burr) tries to prevent Noel Seymour (Richard Basehart), a respectable middle-aged accountant who is undergoing a bad case of "male menopause", from ruining the rest of his life. The trouble begins when Seymour is arrested on a charge of public intoxication, then skips his arraignment. But things really get serious when the hapless accountant becomes entangled with 18-year-old Judy Blue (Jill Banner) and freewheeling rock musician Richy Tower (Tim Considine). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson) is faced with a profound personal crisis when she shoots and kills an armed robber in self-defense. It turns out that the victim was only 17 years old, regarded as a "model kid" by friends and loved ones alike. Tortured by guilt and self-doubt, Eve must rely upon Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) to determine if her instincts were correct when she pulled the trigger. This episode was cowritten by famed crime novelist Evan Hunter, whose screenwriting credits include the landmark "J.D." drama The Blackboard Jungle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ironside departs from its usual one-hour format with this extended episode, originally telecast in a two-hour slot and later syndicated as a two-parter. While witnessing a murder committed by a drug thief, Ironside (Raymond Burr) incurs a shock to his spinal chord which may enable doctors to operate and cure his paralysis. The bad news is that the operation might also kill the detective--if the homicidal thief doesn't knock him off first! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi