Richard Kline Movies
- 2004
Just before Christmas, idealistic greeting-card writer Allen Karroll (Tom Everett Scott) cooks up a "special moment" wherein he will propose to his sweetheart Carrie (Deanna Milligan) in a public place before thousands of oohing and aahing spectators. Alas, Carrie turns him down flat, so thoroughly humiliating Allen that he ends up hating the Yuletide season. Not long afterward, Allen is visited by four disreputable-looking ghosts, including a very hip Jacob Marley (or is it Bob Marley?) Can it be that our hero has morphed into a latter-day incarnation of Ebenezer Scrooge? Not quite: All of the ghosts have come to the wrong address. Turns out that the real Scrooge of the piece is Alex's nasty next-door neighbor Zeb Rosecog (Wallace Shawn), who'd once been CEO for the company which employs Alex. His curiosity aroused, Allen overcomes his intense dislike for Zeb to investigate the source of the man's misanthropy--and in so doing learns a lot about himself. A clever spin on an all-too-familiar fable, Karroll's Christmas was produced for cable, and was originally telecast December 14, 2004 by the A&E network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Sort of a jock's version of the popular cable sitcom Dream On, Inside Schwartz stars Breckin Meyer as the title character, aspiring sportscaster Adam Schwartz. Obliged to work in his family's bar, Adam dreams of a big-time career on ESPN or some other sports outlet. On each half-hour episode, Adam's imagination spills over into reality, with real-life sports announcers Van Earl Wright and Kevin Frasier providing running commentary of our hero's triumphs and tribulations, and with a whole slew of guest stars (Mills Lane, Dick Butkus, etc.) parading through Adam's subconscious. The denizens of Adam's "real" world include his father Gene (Richard Kline), his best friend David (Bryan Callen), and his erstwhile girlfriend Julie (Miriam Shor). Created by Stephen Engel) of Just Shoot Me fame, Inside Schwartz was supposed to have made its NBC debut on September 20, 2001, but the network's ongoing coverage of the World Trade Center attack moved the series' premiere date up to September 27. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Miriam Shor, (more)
Writer/director Barry Levinson returns to his home town of Baltimore, where he previously set three nostalgic features (Diner, Tin Men, and Avalon) for this story of two brothers growing up in the tumultuous days of 1954, as rock 'n' roll, the atom bomb, and the civil rights movement changed the way teenagers looked at the world. One of the brothers has fallen in love with a beautiful girl who, to the chagrin of his family, is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Protestant, while the other has an even bigger shock for his folks: his new girlfriend is black. Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth play the parents, with Adrien Brody, Vincent Guastaferro, Orlando Jones, David Krumholz, and Kiersten Warren also topping the cast. Tom Waits wrote several original songs for the film, while Andrea Morricone (daughter of Ennio Morricone) wrote the score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Ben Foster, (more)
Jim Varney stars in this comedy as Carl Banks, a famous counterfeiter who has escaped from prison. However, while he eludes the Police, the FBI and the Mafia, he manages to get caught in a trap 10-year-old Timmy Taylor has set in back yard. Figuring it would be a lot more exciting than summer school, Timmy keeps Carl captive in his tree house, hoping to at least hold him in stir over the weekend so he can bring him to school for show and tell on Monday. But hiding an escaped fugitive turn out to be more work than he expected. Also stars Tom Bosley and Debby Boone. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Zimmerman, Todd Bosley, (more)
- 1996
Several people offer advice when it looks as though Adrianne (Justine Miceli) is ready for a night of passion with Martinez (Nicholas Turturro). Tracking a suspected serial killer to Atlantic City, Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) goes ballistic when he hears the possible perp's zany "alibi." And when an arrogant surgeon (Richard Kline) is shot, his wife (Karen Austin) does everything she can to implicate the doctor's mistress. Future Dharma & Greg star Jenna Elfman makes an impressive guest appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Banned from participating in a radio sports quiz, Al (Ed O'Neill) feeds his answers to his coworker Griff (Harold Sylvester). As a result, Griff wins a trip to the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well as the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch from Chicago to Altanta. This sparks a huge fight between Al and Griff, which reaches its climax when the media shows up at the shoe store--and culminates in a spectacular "dousing." Several professional athletes make guest appearances as themselves, as do former Playboy centerfolds (Renee Tenison, Petra Verkiak and Victoria Fuller. Katey Sagal (Peggy) does not appear in this episode, which originally aired in tandem with the Season Ten finale "The Joke's On Al". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In this actioner a beautiful designer journalist uses her black-belt in karate to stop an assassin from continuing to kill presidential candidates. Journalist Jennifer Barron begins her fight while doing a story about the optimistic Senator Ashton and his running mate Kahn. They are both victims of the killer. When Barron's lover John gets killed in an amusement park, and someone begins stalking her in hopes of taking a computer disk that she may or may not possess, the chop-socky writer has no choice but to defend herself and bring them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paige Turco
- 1994
Peter Falk returns as America's favorite rumpled detective. In this episode, the cigar-toting Lt. Columbo investigates a radio-talk-show host suspected of killing a member of his own staff in order to prevent his daughter, who also works at the station, from moving to New York to become a writer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Falk, William Shatner, (more)
- 1991
Suburban housewife Barbara Eden is the prime suspect when her husband is murdered. Shortly afterward, Eden's best friend turns up dead-and this time she's arrested. Now someone is trying to bump off Eden's daughter. It's all the handiwork of an old college rival, who believes that Eden stole her boyfriend. The homicidally inclined woman scorned is played by none other than Loretta Swit, cast spectacularly against type. The made-for-TV Hell Hath No Fury was first telecast March 4, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Three giants of early television--Milton Berle, Sid Caesar and Danny Thomas--combine their talents in the made-for-TV Side by Side. Berle and Caesar play a couple of 65-year-olds who've just been forcibly retired; Thomas portrays a widower, who's been aimless and lethargic since the death of his wife. The trio gains a new lease on life when they team up to manufacture a line of clothing exclusively designed for senior citizens. Their zeal intensifies when Berle's old boss Richard Klein spitefully develops a rival wardrobe line. Marjorie Lord, who'd played Danny Thomas' wife on TV in the late 1950s and early 1960s, is here cast as Sid Caesar's spouse. Side By Side first aired on March 6, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
In a modern twist on the classic "old-dark house" genre, Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) are trapped by a raging storm in the mountain home of a murdered financier. Every member of the dead man's family had good reason to see him dead--and accordingly, every member is under suspicion. As the victim's relatives are systematically bumped off throughout the night, Hunter arrives at the conclusion that he'd better solve the mystery in a hurry lest he be the next to die! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Jessica's niece Victoria (Genie Francis) and the girl's husband Howard (Jeff Conaway), previously introduced in the first-season episode "Birds of a Feather", make return appearances here--and, as before, the couple promptly embroils Jessica (Angela Lansbury) in a murder case. This time, the victim was Victoria's advertising-executive boss, a notorious womanizer. Victoria falls under suspicion when it turns out that her late boss had intended to "lend" her to his newest client, the hedonistic owner of a questionable fast-food chain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The eighth and final season of Three's Company finds most of the cast intact (though it's not entirely the original line-up): John Ritter as restauranteur Jack Tripper, Joyce DeWitt as Jack's florist roommate Janet Wood, and Priscilla Barnes as his other roommate, nurse Terri Alden. Also on hand is Don Knotts as the trio's landlord, Ralph Furley, who wrongly suspects that there's a ménage à trois going on under his roof, despite Jack's deceptive pose as a homosexual. Additionally, Richard Kline continues popping up in the role of Jack's libidinous photographer pal, Larry Dallas. In contrast, two recurring characters, Brad Blaisdell as Mike the bartender and Jordan Charney as Jack's former boss Frank Angelino, bid farewell to the series during season eight. Just as Three's Company's British-TV predecessor, Man About the House, was succeeded by the spin-off series Robin's Nest, so too were plans drawn up to end Three's Company at the close of its eighth season and replace it with a new show, Three's a Crowd. In preparation for this transition, Jack Tripper meets and falls in love with Vicki Bradford (Mary Cadorette), with whom he decides to move in. Once this decision has been made, Janet likewise leaves the old apartment, having married a guy named Philip (David Ruprecht), while Terri heads off to do charity work in Hawaii. And thus, after 172 episodes, the song called Three's Company is ended. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
- 1982
In this romantic comedy, an attorney finds himself frustrated when his lovely fiance, a marine biologist insists on remaining celibate until her wedding night. The film is also known as Perfect Affair. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
After all the backstage intrigues and cast changes that had weighed down the previous two seasons of Three's Company, the series regained its former popularity (and comic momentum) during season seven. While no longer the second highest-rated series in America, the show managed to remain comfortably in sixth place. John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, and Priscilla Barnes are back as roommates Jack Tripper, Janet Wood, and Terri Alden, living chastely in the Santa Monica apartment building managed by neurotic Ralph Furley (Don Knotts). As before, the very macho Jack has gone to great pains to convince Furley that he is gay so that the landlord won't imagine that any sexual hanky-panky is occurring (not that any is occurring!). Richard Kline, in the supporting role of Jack's photographer pal Larry Dallas, has more to do this season than in previous years, though there is no doubt as to whom the series' real stars are. A few minor changes: Joyce DeWitt has yet another new hairdo, the apartment has been slightly redesigned (reflecting the production's move from Burbank Studios to CBS Television Center), and, after a brief period of work as chef for restauranteur Frank Angelino (Jordan Charney), Jack opens up his own place, Jack's Bistro. Season seven marks something of a milestone for Three's Company, as the series reaches its 150th episode, "Borrowing Trouble." ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
Now that the problems with former series regular Suzanne Somers were behind them, the producers and stars of Three's Company moved into the series' sixth season with renewed confidence and a sense of relaxation. Back on the job were John Ritter as aspiring chef Jack Tripper, Joyce DeWitt as his (platonic) florist roommate Janet Wood, and Don Knotts as their neurotic landlord, Ralph Furley. The position of third roommate, formerly the province of Suzanne Somers as Chrissy Snow, had been effectively filled throughout season five by Jenilee Harrison as Chrissy's klutzy cousin Cindy Snow. But because Cindy hadn't completely clicked with viewers, the producers opted to develop a new character as her replacement: Priscilla Barnes as Terri Alden, a vivacious, level-headed nurse who was completely unlike the ditzy Chrissy or her airheaded cousin. While Cindy moved out of the apartment, she had not totally left the series; it was explained that she was attending UCLA, the better to allow her a few occasional drop-ins as a guest star. In the middle of the season, there was concerted effort to retain both Priscilla Barnes and Jenilee Harrison on a full-time basis, by contriving to have Jack and Janet hire Cindy as their maid. But when this didn't work out story-wise, the decision was made to write Cindy out entirely, with an episode depicting to a bitter argument between herself and Janet (thereby sorely annoying Joyce DeWitt, who liked Harrison and felt that argument was completely out of character for both actresses). Season six of Three's Company concluded with a one-hour best-of clip special, hosted by Lucille Ball. The series itself regained much of the ratings ground it had lost during the previous season, moving up from eighth to fourth place. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
Although Three's Company was still one of America's most popular sitcoms during its fifth season, there was little reason to celebrate on the set of the program. Having incurred a lot of negative publicity because of her salary hassles with the series' producers, Suzanne Somers (Chrissy Snow) found herself persona non grata with her co-stars, John Ritter (Jack Tripper) and Joyce DeWitt (Janet Wood). This feeling carried over to the production staff, who saw to it that the appearances of Somers' character, Chrissy, would progressively diminish throughout the first half of the season. In one episode, all of Chrissy's dialogue was rewritten and given to Don Knotts, in the role of landlord Ralph Furley. And in other instances, Chrissy was shown communicating with roommates Jack and Janet via telephone so that the three stars would not have to appear together in the same scene. After a mere nine appearances, Suzanne Somers was gone for good, and it was "explained" that Chrissy had decided to move "out of town." Ironically, the last episode in which Somers appeared, "And Baby Makes Four," also represents a one-shot return of former series regulars Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as Stanley and Helen Roper. Still, the title of the show remained Three's Company, necessitating a third character as Chrissy's replacement. The first candidate for this position was Jenilee Harrison as Chrissy's klutzy cousin Cindy Snow. Cindy remained on the series throughout all of season five and part of season six, when she herself was succeeded by a new roommate, Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes). Another defecting character this season was Dean Travers (William Pearson), head of the cooking school where Jack Tripper was studying to be a master chef. Travers' exit was borne not of backstage resentment but of necessity; having graduated, Jack was now ready to take his place in the professional culinary world, and would within the next two seasons open up his own restaurant. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
TV's second most popular series, and its single most popular sitcom, Three's Company returned in 1979 for its fourth successful season. As before, the titular trio consists of aspiring chef Jack Tripper (John Ritter), florist Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt), and receptionist Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers), who for economic, rather than carnal, reasons all share the same Santa Monica apartment. In past seasons, the very heterosexual Jack had to convince his landlord, Mr. Roper (Norman Fell), that he was gay so that Roper would not break his lease. In season four, Jack pulls the same snow job on new landlord Ralph Furley, played by Don Knotts. Also joining the regulars is Ann Wedgeworth in the hitherto recurring role of Jack's girlfriend Lana Shields -- though Wedgeworth would exit the series after ten episodes, allegedly because of friction on the set. As for another of the series' regulars, Richard Kline as photographer Larry Dallas, he is off the show more than on during season four, due to other professional commitments. The season's biggest news might have been Joyce DeWitt's new hairstyle had it not been for the well-publicized salary haggles between Suzanne Somers and the series' producers. The air became so thick by the end of the season that neither of Somers' co-stars were speaking to her, and the hostilities were reflected by the actress' diminishing appearances during season five. Ignoring these backstage intrigues, it can be said that the best of Three's Company's fourth-season episodes were well up to the series' standards. Highlight include, "Lee Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," in which John Getz appears for the first and only time as Jack Tripper's brother Lee; and the season finale, "Jack's Graduation" -- said graduation (from cooking school) almost not coming off due to the usual hilarious complications. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
As the third most popular program on network television, Three's Company entered its third season on ABC with the greatest of ease in the fall of 1978. No major changes had been made in the format or premise: Jack (John Ritter) still shared a Santa Monica apartment with Janet (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), the relationship was still strictly platonic, and the trio's landlord, Mr. Roper (Norman Fell), remained convinced that Jack was gay (this was the story given him by the girls, who didn't want to be kicked out), though both Jack and the audience knew that this was far from the truth. As the season progressed, Jack graduated from cooking school and began work as a caterer, Chrissy landed a new secretarial job in the firm run by female executive J.C. Braddock (Emmaline Henry), and Janet, the "calm, reliable" roommate, occasionally kicked over the traces and acted silly just for the heck of it. Towards the end of the season, Mr. Roper and his wife, Helen (Audra Lindley), sold their apartment building and moved into a ritzy Cheviot Hills townhouse, thereby seguing into their own spin-off series, The Ropers, which premiered on March 13, 1979. (A precedent for this move had been established on Man About the House, the British sitcom upon which Three's Company was based, which had likewise spawned a spin-off called George and Mildred.) At the same time, recurring actor Richard Kline was elevated to regular status in the role of glib car salesman Larry Dallas. Not only did Three's Company retain its popularity, but it actually increased its viewership, moving from the number three to the number two ratings slot by the end of its third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
Having quickly climbed to 11th place during its six-week tryout in the spring of 1977, Three's Company was assured a full-season run by ABC beginning in the fall of that same year. Sensing the series' excellent potential, network boss Fred Silverman moved Three's Company to ABC's powerhouse Tuesday-night lineup, right after the league-leading sitcoms Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. Since audiences had proven their devotion to the new series, there was no need to tinker with its format. The action still took place in the Santa Monica apartment building owned by Stanley and Helen Roper (Norman Fell, Audra Lindley). The Ropers' prize tenants were three roommates, two female, one male: florist-shop clerk Janet (Joyce DeWitt), sexy typist Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), and chef-in-training Jack (John Ritter). The girls were still passing Jack off as gay so that the prudish Mr. Roper would not break their lease, while the aggressively non-gay Jack continued dating hot chicks and trying to make the moves on the curvaceous Chrissy -- who, of course, was too pure-hearted to succumb to Jack's charms. Continuing to make sporadic appearances was Jack's friend, slick-talking car salesman Larry Dallas (Richard Kline), who would not be elevated to full regular status until the following season. New developments during season two included Janet's promotion to manager of the flower shop (with J.J. Barry making his first series appearances as Janet's boss, Mr. Compton), Chrissy's problems with her straight-laced clergyman father (Peter Mark Richman), and Jack's continued education in the culinary arts under the tutelage of cooking-school headmaster Dean Travers (William Pierson). Three's Company ended its second season as the third highest-rated program in America, beaten out only by its Tuesday-night neighbors Happy Days (number one) and Laverne & Shirley (number two). No wonder they called Fred Silverman "The Man With the Golden Gut." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
Based on the British sitcom Man About the House, Three's Company was given a six-week trial run on ABC's Thursday-night schedule in the spring of 1977. In the first episode, aspiring chef Jack Tripper (John Ritter) was found sleeping in the bathtub of the Santa Monica apartment shared by floral-shop employee Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and typist Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers) the morning after the girls' going-away party for their former roommate. Hoping to quickly snatch up a new roomie to share expenses -- and gratified that at last they had found someone who could actually cook -- Jane and Chrissy invited Jack to move in with them -- on a strictly platonic basis, of course. In order to persuade their landlord, Stanley Roper (Norman Fell), that no hanky-panky was going on, the girls convinced Mr. Roper that Jack was gay. This, of course, was the subterfuge to end all subterfuges: not only was Jack aggressively heterosexual, but he never let an opportunity pass to be alone with the voluptuous but innocent Chrissy (though he never succeeded in making her one of his conquests). Roper's wife, Helen (Audra Lindley), discovered early on that Jack was not gay, but she agreed to keep his secret because she liked the girls -- and she liked to one-up her bombastic, overbearing husband. A handful of recurring characters were introduced in season one, notably slick-talking car salesman Larry Dallas (Richard Kline), who would become a regular by the end of season three. Most of the episodes during the series' six-week tryout were adapted from scripts originally written for Man About the House, a derivative practice that would slowly die out over the next several years. After its requisite six showings, Three's Company was replaced, as intended, by ABC's The Tony Randall Show. But during its brief tryout, Three's Company managed to soar to 11th place in the ratings, making its return for a full season in the fall of 1977 a fait accompli. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
