George Gaynes Movies
Finnish-born actor George Gaynes was a United States citizen for most of his life. Blessed with a superb singing voice and an amiable stage presence, Gaynes rapidly built a reputation as a Broadway musical comedy performer in the '40s and '50s (his best-known appearance was in Wonderful Town, the musical version of My Sister Eileen). Entering films and television in the early 1960s, Gaynes was a regular on the TV daytime dramas Search for Tomorrow and General Hospital, and showed up in such movies as The Group (1968), Marooned (1969) and Doctor's Wives (1971). He was terrific in Dustin Hoffman's Tootsie (1981) as the aging, libidinous soap opera actor who tries to put the make on his co-star "Dorothy Michaels," little suspecting that Dorothy is really the certifiably male Michael Dorsey (Hoffman). In 1984, Gaynes was showcased on two different series, one on TV, the other on the big screen. The TV series was Punky Brewster, wherein Gaynes played photographer Henry Warnimont, the adult guardian of the title character (a little lost girl, played by Soleil Moon Frye); when Punky Brewster was spun off into a cartoon series, Gaynes came along as one of the voice talents. The aforementioned big-screen series was launched with Police Academy (1984), a juvenile comedy that somehow spawned five sequels, all of them featuring Gaynes as long-suffering police chief Lassard. None of his subsequent appearances drew as many laughs as did George Gaynes' setpiece in the first film, in which, while trying to deliver a public speech, he was the unwitting (but increasingly ecstatic) recipient of a prostitute's services. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1999
Though their latest slide has thrust Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) and Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) headlong into a raging battle, Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) and Colin (Charlie O'Connell) apparently emerge from the experience with no difficulty whatsoever. Once the four travelers are reunited, Quinn and Maggie suddenly begin to grow older and sicker, ending up on the verge of death. While the two afflicted Sliders are quarantined in the Chandler Hotel, Remmy and Colin are confronted on the street by a spectral figure (David Dukes) who claims to be Thomas Mallory, Quinn and Maggie's son from a parallel universe. These curious events lead to an extremely grim prognosis for all four of the principal characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Unreleased to the general public and infamous for its poor quality within geek circles, this Roger Corman adaptation of the Marvel Comics supergroup is an interesting cult item that ranks up there with the dismal Captain America feature and the cheap Hulk TV movies. The story of the film goes back to the late '80s when Marvel Comics were licensing out their characters for mild profit in a time when the comic industry was failing. Enter a German company called Neue Constantin and producer Bernd Eichinger, who held the rights for almost four years before their contract was about to run out. In order to retain the rights to future remake/options and get out of paying a five-million-dollar fee, Neue were forced to put something to film, so they made a deal with Roger Corman's New Horizons studio to make the film quick and on the cheap for $1.5 million. Once the film was finished, Eichinger bought out Corman's interest, then turned around and sold it to 20th Century Fox, who were then prepping a 50-million-dollar adaptation with director Chris Columbus. The film then dove into virtual obscurity, save for the comic convention bootlegs and later through the internet. The storyline follows the basic framework of the comic, with the exception of a few minor details, including the introduction of a new villain, The Jeweler, who directly becomes responsible for the team's mishap in space and takes liberally from another one of the comic's famous villains, The Mole Man. In reference to its underground popularity, Corman now regards it as his most profitable film that never saw release, while Marvel president Avi Arad reportedly burned Fox's only print. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, (more)
Season one of Hearts Afire takes place in Washington D.C., where transplanted Southerner John Hartman (John Ritter) has relocated as chief of staff to ultra-conservative Senator Strobe Smithers. Recently divorced and the father of two sons, Ben (Justin Burnette) and Elliott (Clark Duke), Hartman has developed a mile-long misogynistic streak, fueled by the calculated bitchery of Mavis Davis (Wendie Jo Sperber), the politically ambitious wife of his best friend and fellow senatorial aide Billy Bob Davis (Billy Bob Thornton), and by the vapidity of Senator Smithers' -- ahem -- secretary, the voluptuous Dee Dee Starr (Beth Broderick). But what has really turned John against the opposite sex is the fact that his wife has left him not for another man, but for another woman! Thus, when liberal journalist Georgie Anne Lahti (Markie Post), broke and jobless after years of circling the globe and filing left-of-center news reports, comes to Smithers' office hoping to sign on as his press secretary, John's first instinct is to boot her out. But despite this, and the vituperative political arguments between the two of them, John agrees to let Georgie Anne have the job, and Georgie Anne, against her better judgment accepts. The reason? John has the hots for Georgie Anne -- and the feeling is mutual! Circumstance dictates that Georgie Anne move into the house occupied by John and his sons, which only intensifies the torrid feelings between the two protagonists. Even the put-down pragmatism of Georgie Anne's childhood nanny Miss Lula (Beah Richards) does little to extinguish the flames, as does John's dismay over the fact that Georgie Anne's dad George (Ed Asner) is an ex-convict who shows no signs of wanting to mend his ways.
As originally conceived, John and Georgie Anne were to remain single, in hopes of stirring up the same "will they or won't they" intrigue that had added spice to such mismatched-couple series as Cheers and Moonlighting. But the executives at CBS were antsy over the unhitched status of the Hearts Afire protagonists, especially since the series was being seen in a relatively early Wednesday-night time slot. Under protest, producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason agreed to make things more "family friendly" by having John and Georgie Anne get married before the first season was over -- and that was only the first of several radical changes in the series' concept. Surprisingly, despite Thomasons' well-known Washington connections, only one political figure appeared during the series' first season -- if "political figure" is the correct phrase to describe "Presidential brother" Roger Clinton! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As originally conceived, John and Georgie Anne were to remain single, in hopes of stirring up the same "will they or won't they" intrigue that had added spice to such mismatched-couple series as Cheers and Moonlighting. But the executives at CBS were antsy over the unhitched status of the Hearts Afire protagonists, especially since the series was being seen in a relatively early Wednesday-night time slot. Under protest, producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason agreed to make things more "family friendly" by having John and Georgie Anne get married before the first season was over -- and that was only the first of several radical changes in the series' concept. Surprisingly, despite Thomasons' well-known Washington connections, only one political figure appeared during the series' first season -- if "political figure" is the correct phrase to describe "Presidential brother" Roger Clinton! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Markie Post, (more)
- 1987
In this comedy/thriller, starring writer/director Alberto Sordi, Pietro (Sordi) and his wife (Anna Longhi) are Romans through-and-through. In their whole lives, they have never traveled far from their beloved city, though once they traveled to Bologna. Somehow, their son, the apple of their eye, has enrolled in New York University, in Manhattan. In this film, they decide to visit him there, and when Pietro witnesses a mafia killing, the police set him up in his own taxi and give him a phony identity. Since he doesn't know the city at all and doesn't speak English, this probably puts him an equal footing with a lot of other taxi drivers, so he fits right in. Eventually, in order to flush out the killers, the police use him as bait in a sting operation set in Miami. Meanwhile, the hapless fellow must cope with the peculiar culture he finds in America, (a country where everyone evidently speaks fluent Italian, as that is the language the film is shot in). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Anna Longhi, (more)
Canceled by NBC at the end of its second season in 1986, the family sitcom Punky Brewster was revived in off-network syndication one year later -- partly due to public demand, and partly to add more episodes to the series' surprisingly successful network-rerun package. Back on duty are Soleil Moon Frye as feisty 11-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster and George Gaynes as her irascible-but-lovable foster father, Henry Warnimont. Also on hand are Punky's loyal school chums Cheri (Cherie Johnson), Margaux (Ami Foster), and Allen (Casey Ellison), as well as Cherie's legal guardian, registered nurse Mrs. Betty Johnson (Susie Garrett). The first of the syndicated episodes is "Reading, Writing, and Rock & Roll," featuring the then-hot singing group DeBarge. In a later two-part installment, Punky's beloved dog, Brandon, runs away from home, only to end up being "adopted" by a boy who is exactly Punky's age -- and who is about to leave for California. Also worth noting is "It's a Dog Life," in which series regular George Gaynes plays the dual role of Henry Warnimont and his man-about-town brother Lars. And of course, season three has its share of "very special episodes," notably "The Anniversary," in which Punky's friend Cherie is overcome with grief on the anniversary of her parents' deaths. In the season finale, Henry abandons his career as a photographer to open up his own restaurant -- and since it was Punky's idea to make this career move, the new establishment is christened "Punky's Place." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Soleil Moon Frye, George Gaynes, (more)
After two years on NBC and an additional two in off-network syndication, the warmhearted family sitcom Punky Brewster closes shop at the end of its fourth season. Still starring on the series are several of the actors who had been around since season one: Soleil Moon Frye as spunky 12-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster; George Gaynes as her lovably grumpy foster father, Henry Warnimont, who has abandoned his career as a photographer to set up his own restaurant; Cherie Johnson as Punky's best friend, Cherie; Susie Garrett as Nurse Betty Johnson, Cherie's legal guardian; and Ami Foster and Casey Ellison as Punky's classmates Margaux (the snooty one) and Allen (the funny one). Highlights during the series' valedictory season include "Crushed," in which Punky carries a torch for an older man (four whole years older!); "Going to Camp," which is just what Punky and her pals do; "Brandon's Commercial," wherein Punky's pet dog is given a shot at TV stardom; "Passed Away at Punky's Place," in which Punky and Cherie mistake a narcoleptic man for a corpse; and "See You in Court," focusing on Betty Johnson's legal misadventures before a judge played by former Jeffersons regular Roxie Roker. In addition, there were a handful of obligatory "very special episodes," in which Punky helps a youngster who is being battered by her mother, Cheri provides emergency assistance to a woman going into labor in a stalled elevator, and a deaf girl resents Punky's efforts to make friends. Like many another sitcom, Punky Brewster winds up its four-year run with a wedding episode. Unlike many another sitcom, the "groom" in this instance turns out to be Brandon the Dog! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Soleil Moon Frye, George Gaynes, (more)
Spunky nine-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) and her foster father, middle-aged bachelor photographer Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes), continue to adjust themselves to one another's presence (sometimes successfully) as the heartwarming sitcom Punky Brewster begins its second season on NBC. Likewise coming back for more is Susie Garrett as nurse Betty Johnson, Henry's upstairs neighbor. New to the series this year is T.K. Carter as schoolteacher Mike Fulton, who is extremely simpatico with Punky and her classmates Cherie (Cherie Johnson), Margaux (Ami Foster), and Allen (Casey Ellison). The season opens with an episode featuring a guest-star turn by boxer Marvelous Marvin Hagler. In subsequent stories, former Happy Days regular Cathy Silvers appears as a confused "client" when Punky and Cherie establish their own baby-sitting service; teacher Mike Fulton helps Punky through a difficult emotional crisis by revealing that he, like she, was adopted; Allen learns a vital lesson when he foolishly pokes fun at a mentally challenged classmate; and Peter Billingsley, star of the classic theatrical feature A Christmas Story, is seen, appropriately enough, in the series' Yuletide episode (but he doesn't shoot his eye out!). Perhaps the most memorable of the second-season Punky Brewsters is the two-part "The Perils of Punky," in which Soleil Moon Frye plays a dual role. With the season's final episode, "Accidents Happen," featuring Buzz Aldrin in a cameo role, Punky Brewster's NBC run came to an end. However, the series proved so successful in rerun syndication that it was revived as a syndicated series in 1987 -- nearly two years after its initial cancellation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Soleil Moon Frye, George Gaynes, (more)
Abandoned by her parents, eight-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster and her little dog, Brandon, set up a home of their own in an abandoned Chicago apartment, where they are discovered by the building's manager, Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes). A bachelor with no great love for either kids or dogs, Henry nonetheless takes a liking to Punky and Brandon, and arranges with the authorities to have the two castaways live with him -- temporarily of course. Thus begins season one of the NBC sitcom Punky Brewster, in which the wide-eyed, spunky heroine brings happiness and purpose to the life of grumpy old Mr. Warnimont -- and several others along the way. During the series' initial season, Eddie Deezen appears as eccentric apartment-building maintenance man Eddie Malvin, while Dody Goodman is seen as Punky's schoolteacher, Mrs. Morton. Both Deezen and Goodman would be gone from the series before long, but three other characters introduced this year, Punky's classmates Cherie Johnson (played by Cherie Johnson!), Margaux Kramer (Ami Foster), and Allen Anderson (Casey Ellison), would "go the distance" right to the end of the run. Likewise seen throughout the series' four seasons, both on and off the network, is Henry's upstairs neighbor Betty Johnson (Susie Garrett), a registered nurse who has been legal guardian to Cheri ever since the deaths of the girl's parents. Once past its three-part opener, "Punky Finds a Home," the series settles into a unique pattern. While most of the subsequent episodes run a full half-hour, others ("Punky Gets Her Own Room," "Gone Fishin," "Go to Sleep") run a scant 15 minutes each. This is because Punky Brewster was originally telecast on Sunday evenings, just after NBC's weekly football telecasts; whenever a game ran overtime, Punky lost half of its 30-minute time slot, necessitating a stockpile of shorter episodes. Conversely, Punky Brewster's season-one finale, "Fenster Hall," ran a full hour -- that is, it was seen in two half-hour segments over a period of two weeks. In addition to bringing the season to a lively close, this elongated episode was also intended as the pilot for a series starring Billy Lombardo as a resourceful orphan named T.C. Fenestra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Soleil Moon Frye, George Gaynes, (more)
- 1984
Mary Kay Place stars in this Emmy-winning ABC Afterschool Special, which was based on a true story. Fed up with her lazy husband and her ungrateful children, housewife Ellie Skinner (Mary Kay Place) plants a sign on her front lawn declaring herself to be "on strike." Pitching a tent on the lawn and walking a daily picket line, Ellie becomes a local celebrity and a heroine to beleaguered mothers everywhere -- while her hubby and kids must fend for themselves for the first time in their lives. Ellie's daughter, Jenny, who also serves as narrator, is played by Yeardley Smith, soon to game fame as the voice of Lisa Simpson; also in the cast is future Oscar winner Mercedes Ruehl. Mom's on Strike was remade (more or less) as a full-length TV movie in 2002. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Kay Place, Stephen Keep, (more)
- 1984
Child actress Soleil Moon Frye played the title role in the lightweight half-hour sitcom Punky Brewster. After being abandoned by her parents, resourceful eight-year-old Penelope "Punky" Brewster moved into an an empty Chicago apartment with her little dog, Brandon. They were discovered and subsequently adopted by the building's owner, middle-aged photographer Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes), the archetypal "old grouch with the heart of gold." Punky quickly became friends with Cherie Johnson (played, amazingly enough, by Cherie Johnson), who lived in the apartment upstairs with her legal guardian, registered nurse Betty Johnson (Susie Garrett). The two youngsters attended school with their other friends, stuck-up Margaux Kramer (Ami Foster) and mischievous Allen Anderson (Casey Ellison). Their teacher during season one was Mrs. Morton (Dody Goodman), succeeded in season two by Mike Fulton (T.K. Carter). Also on hand during the series' inaugural season was Eddie Deezen as the apartment's goofy maintenance man, Eddie Malvin. The series debuted September 18, 1984, on the NBC network, whose programming head, Brandon Tartikoff, had actually had a childhood friend named Punky Brewster (still alive at the time the series was produced -- and, incidentally, generously compensated for the use of her name). Though the series lasted only two seasons on NBC, it proved to be a huge hit in rerun syndication after its cancellation on September 7, 1986. Thus, beginning in the fall of 1987, new episodes of Punky Brewster were seen in first-run syndication with virtually the entire cast (except for T.K. Carter) intact. The property remained in production for an additional two years, during which time the character of Henry Warnimont forsook his photography career to open up a restaurant, appropriately christened "Punky's Place." And from 1985 to 1989, an animated cartoon spin-off featuring the same cast in voice-over roles, It's Punky Brewster, was seen on NBC's Saturday-morning manifest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Soleil Moon Frye, George Gaynes, (more)
- 1984
Mickey Rooney stars in this made-for-TV holiday effort as an angel who refuses to renege on his promise to spend one final Christmas with his grandson (Scott Grimes). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Upon learning that likeable neighborhood eccentric Malcolm Kramer (George Gaynes) is terminally ill, Sam (Ted Danson) compassionately allows him to tend bar for a few hours. The old man is so grateful that he leaves behind a paper-napkin will, bequeathing 100,000 dollars to the Cheers gang. You guessed it: Friendship flies out the door when money flies into the bar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
With great reluctance, Quincy (Jack Klugman) sets out to prove that wealthy Powell Dixon (George Gaynes) was murdered by his wife Jeannina (Ina Balin), who has a history of mental problems. What makes this particular case so difficult is that Jeannina and Quincy had been lovers back in their medical-school days. Things takes a wild and unexpected turn when Jeannina herself is apparently murdered--the first of several baffling events which culminate in a startling climactic twist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Faye Dunaway portrays the Argentinian title character in this four-hour TV biopic. The story traces Evita's rise to power from humble origins; she establishes herself as a radio and film actress, then meets and marries powerful politico Juan Peron (played by James Farentino, a last minute replacement for Robert Mitchum). Peron's iron-fisted rule of Argentina allows Evita to become a political power in her own right. At first she is widely beloved as a "woman of the people", but gradually many of her followers are disillusioned by her use -- and misuse -- of her authority and her influence over Peron. After Evita dies, she is all but canonized by the Faithful, and it becomes more difficult than ever to separate fact from legend. Evita Peron was clearly produced to capitalize on the Broadway musical hit Evita, though the script takes great pains not to copy its theatrical inspiration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Adapted from the Judith Krantz novel of the same name, the CBS miniseries Scruples zeroes in on a trendy, upscale Beverly Hills boutique. The guiding force behind the Scruples shop is beautiful Billy Ikelhorn (Lindsay Wagner), who, though born into grinding poverty, had risen to the uppermost rungs of L.A. society by virtue of her marriage to millionaire Ellis Ikelhorn (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). When her husband dies after a long illness, Billy compensates for her grief by becoming a Boadicea of the fashion industry. Her personal and professional life is entangled with those of her closest associates, fashion photographer Spider Elliott (Barry Bostwick) and designer Valentine O'Neill (Marie-France Pisier). Originally telecast in six two-hour episodes on February 25, 26, and 28, 1980, Scruples proved popular enough to warrant a 1981 TV-movie sequel, starring Shelley Smith as Billy, Dirk Benedict as Spider and Olga Karlatos as Valentine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Wagner, Barry Bostwick, (more)
- 1979
Quincy (Jack Klugman) is a member of the medical/legal team investigating the crash of an airliner which occurred some 40 miles away from LAX. All 121 passengers and crew members were killed, and Quincy and his staff must perform autopsies on all of them. During this grim assignment, Quincy discovers that one of the victims was travelling under an assumed name--and that this may somehow be linked to the doctor's discovery that the plane was carrying a highly combustible freight. The challenge now is to find out why the dead man was posing as someone else, while simultaneously convincing the airline to cease transporting dangerous fuels. George Gaynes, onetime Broadway musical headliner and future stalwart of the popular Police Academy films, appears as a chemical-company executive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Girl in the Empty Grave was the third of four TV pilot films for a proposed Andy Griffith detective series. Griffith stars as Abel Marsh, a small-town police chief whose casual demeanors hides a sharp analytical mind and gift for deduction. The plot gets under way when a young girl shows up in town. It happens that the girl is supposed to be dead: in fact, virtually everyone in the community attended her funeral. Who is the girl in the grave--and, more importantly, who was responsible for the murder of the "dead" girl's parents? First telecast September 20, 1977, Girl in the Empty Grave was followed two months later by The Deadly Game; neither film would yield a weekly series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Griffith
- 1977
This 12-hour TV miniseries (expanded from a 2-hour concept) was based on the political "roman a clef" The Company, by Watergate coconspirator John Erlichman. It was originally titled simply Washington; the Behind Closed Doors part was added to avoid a potential lawsuit from Gore Vidal, author of Washington DC. This thinly disguised recap of the Watergate affair stars Jason Robards as paranoid president Richard M. Monckton, who "buys" his election by making a covert deal with the FBI. Once he's sold his soul, Monckton leaves his administration wide open for corruption. Also appearing in this ham-handed affair are Cliff Robertson as the CIA director, Robert Vaughn as the Machiavellian chief of staff, Andy Griffith as the Southern-born former president, Lois Nettelton as Monckton's mistress, and Stefanie Powers as a domestic spy. With a Southeast Asian war, questionable campaign contributions and a hotel break-in in the manifest, only the most obtuse viewer of Washington: Behind Closed Doors will wonder who's supposedly who in the cast list. The miniseries originally ran from September 6 through 12, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
One of four dramatic miniseries carried by NBC under the blanket title Best Sellers, Captains and the Kings was adapted from a novel by Taylor Caldwell. Covering a time span from 1857 to 1912, this was the saga of the Irish-immigrant Armagh clan, with emphasis on the rags-to-riches career of Joseph Armagh (Richard Jordan). Achieving fame and prominence (if not full-fledged social acceptance) through a Byzantine series of investments in the oil industry, the elder Armagh was obsessed with the notion of having one of his sons become the first Irish-Catholic President of the United States (does this story sound vaguely familiar?). Along the way, Joseph and his offspring indulged in innumerable romantic liaisons, extramarital and otherwise. Featured in the all-star cast is Patty Duke Astin, who won an Emmy award for her portrayal of Bernadette Hennessey Armagh. Captains and the Kings was broadcast from September 30 to November 18, 1976 in seven installments, two of which ran 120 minutes, and the other six lasting 60 minutes -- a total of nine hours' air time in all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna cowrote as well as starred in this 1976 TV remake of the 1941 Tracy-Hepburn vehicle Woman of the Year. Except for a handful of updated details, the storyline is substantially the same in both versions: A down-to-earth male sportswriter (Bologna, in the Spencer Tracy part) marries a high-profile female international news commentator (Taylor, in the Katharine Hepburn part). In fine "golden age" tradition, the stars are complemented with an excellent supporting cast, including Richard Bakalyan as a punch-drunk bartender, Leon Belasco as a refugee Russian musician and John Fiedler as a justice of the peace. Only Anthony Holland's swishy male secretary strikes a discordant note. The remake's "reconciliation" finale wisely avoids the ponderous, sexist slapstick setpiece at the end of the original film, wherein Katharine Hepburn nearly destroys her kitchen by cooking her first breakfast. A surefire audience pleaser, Woman of the Year was curiously premiered in July of 1976, a time when most potential viewers were out of the house. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this made-for-TV horror showcase, Karen Black plays four separate roles in three successive tales written or based on the works of venerable genre writer Richard Matheson. In "Julie," Black portrays a prim college literature instructor who engages in a debauched affair with one of her students after he drugs, date-rapes, and blackmails her into submission; here and in the other stories, however, things aren't what they seem. "Millicent and Therese" features the actress in two roles as good sister/bad sister twins who use witchcraft to settle their sexual and moral differences. In the final and most famous segment, "Amelia," Black plays a spinster with an insufferable mother who sublets a high-rise apartment in the city in order to find romantic freedom. When she purchases a Zuni fetish warrior doll as a present for her anthropology-professor beau, it comes to life and chases her around the flat with considerable tenacity. A failed pilot for a horror anthology series, Trilogy of Terror first appeared on ABC in 1975 and subsequently gained a devoted cult following. Black originally didn't want to participate, but agreed after her husband, Robert Burton, was cast in the role of the date-raping blackmailer. Although the actress has appeared in numerous subsequent horror films, it was her indelible quadruple roles here that inspired cult New York rockers the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. The film also allegedly inspired the 1984 horror-blaxploitation flick Black Devil Doll From Hell. A belated sequel, Trilogy of Terror 2, also from former Dark Shadows director Dan Curtis, followed in 1996. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Can it be that Hogan has gone to the other side? It sure seems that way when he agrees to accompany Klink on an underground mission to England to steal a revolutionary new American plane. In truth, however, Hogan merely pretends to go along with the scheme, the better to expose a Nazi spy ring operating in London. Cynthia Lynn, who played Klink's secretary Hilda in several first-season episodes, is here cast as Eva; also in the cast is a pre-Police Academy George Gaynes as the General. Written by Laurence Marks, "Easy Come, Easy Go" originally aired on January 10, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1968
Ruth Roman guest-stars as Riva Sentel, the Evita-like widow of a popular Latin American leader. Santel plans to make a television broadcast that will enable her to abolish democracy in her nations and set herself up as dictator. Banking on Sentel's notorious vanity, the IMF hopes to ruin her scheme by means of a "miraculous" eternal-youth formula. Written by Robert E. Thompson, "The Elixir" first aired on November 24, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1968
Ben Cartwright is determined to block the gubernatorial bid of John Faraday (Simon Scott), the corrupt stooge of crooked tycoon Sam Endicott (Sidney Blackmer). When Ben is shot by one of Endicott's henchmen, he decides to "play dead" until the convention, then expose both Endicott and Faraday as murderous scoundrels. But a monkey wrench is thrown into the works when an innocent man is arrested for Ben's "murder." Portions of David Rose's background music were later incorporated into the themes of the subsequent Michael Landon series Little House on the Prairie). Among the supporting players is George Gaynes, best known to latter-day viewers for his hilarious performances in the theatrical features Tootsie and Police Academy. First shown on March 3, 1968, "The Late Ben Cartwright" was written by Walter Black. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1966
Based on the novel by Mary McCarthy, The Group was one of the slickest, and most highly publicized, cinematic soap operas of the 1960s. Filmed largely in New York, the story charts the exploits of eight young women, all of whom graduate from an exclusive Vassar-ish college in the middle of the Depression. Among the talented young actresses making their screen debuts herein are Candice Bergen as Lakey, the group's resident Lesbian; Joan Hackett as Dottie, a repressed socialite who takes up with bohemian artist Dick Brown (Richard Mulligan); Joanna Pettet as Kay, who marries philandering playwright Harald Peterson (Larry Hagman); and Kathleen Widdoes as Helena, the wealthiest of the girls who insists upon proving her value in the workplace. The other girls are Pokey (Marin-Robin Redd), who seems happiest when pregnant; Jessica Walter as Libby, the group's viper-tongued gossip and the darling of the Manhattan literary set (some have suggested that McCarthy based this character on herself); Elizabeth Hartman as Priss, the requisite heart-on-sleeve liberal; and Shirley Knight as Polly, whose bumpy love life culminates in a very colorful engagement party. Hal Holbrook, likewise making his first screen appearance, plays Gus LeRoy. Sumptuously produced, The Group is a bit empty dramatically, though the sheer volume of continuing characters manages to sustain audience interest. (Incidentally, here's a note for "blooper" spotters: wasn't the Pan Am building constructed in the 1950s? ) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett, (more)
