Paul Gleason Movies
Wiry character actor Paul Gleason attended Florida State University before making his first off-Broadway appearance in a 1973 revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Gleason's inaugural movie role was Long Tom in Doc Savage (1975), after which he worked extensively in Roger Corman productions. He is best known for his scowling, obstreperous portrayals of minor authority figures: the principal in The Breakfast Club (1985), the police chief in Die Hard (1988), and so on. He was at his most abrasive--and his funniest--as FBI agent Clarence Beeks in Trading Places (1982). A familiar TV presence since his days as David Thornton on the ABC serial All My Children, Paul Gleason has had recurring roles on such nighttimers as Spooner, Supercarrier and One West Waikiki. Throughout the '90s Gleason continued to work steadily as a character actor appearing in films as diverse as National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Running Cool, Maniac Cop 3, and Nothing to Lose. Like his Breakfast Club co-star Molly Ringwald, Gleason willingly spoofed his most iconic performance in the 2001 comedy Not Another Teen Movie. In May of 2006, at the age of 67, Gleason perished from mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer often suffered by people exposed to asbestos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When the father of an honest young rancher is mercilessly gunned down, the grieving son sets out to settle the score in this contemporary western that pits the power of greed against the passion of vigilante justice. Ken Olandt, Elizabeth Berkley, and Paul Gleason star in a western written and produced by Dale Gibson, and directed by John Harwood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
With 42,000 sightings in 68 countries, the elusive woodland creature known as Sasquatch, Yeti, and Bigfoot is one of the most enduring natural mysteries ever known to man. Hunted by humans for hundreds of years, the formerly reclusive man-like beast strikes out against his would-be captors in a mountain-based tale of survival and horror starring Jeffrey Combs, Lance Henriksen, and Dee Wallace-Stone. Years ago, mountain climber Preston Rogers (Matt McCoy) suffered a terrible injury that left him wheelchair-bound in his remote cabin. Something strange is happening in the woods these days, though, and if Rogers holds out any hope of saving the lives of either his neighbors or the young college girls on a weekend retreat to the California mountains, he's going to have to convince the skeptical Sheriff Halderman (Paul Gleason) that something sinister is happening amidst the thick foliage of the forest and that numerous lives will be lost if they don't act fast. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt McCoy, Hayley Joel, (more)
- 1972
This episode focuses on one of Adam-12's most stalwart supporting players, William Boyett as Sergeant "Mac" MacDonald. While on assignment, Mac knocks down a pedestrian in his squad car. Although Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) testifies that it was an unavoidable accident, Mac is accused of reckless driving by four different eyewitnesses. "Back-Up One L-20" was written by a young Stephen J. Cannell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
One of the title characters in this episode is played by veteran comic actress Florence Lake, best remembered for her appearances as Mrs. Edgar Kennedy in a series of popular two-reelers of the 1930s and 1940s. This "grandmother" is but one of several civilians encountered by Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) as they conduct a search for a drug dealer. A priest proves to be of great help to the two officers in their mission. A high-speed car chase caps this installment, which features a rare dramatic appearance by Ozzie Nelson--who also served as the episode's director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) cover familiar ground when they climb into the front seat of Adam-12 to chase down a car thief. But they're in far less familiar surroundings when they are assigned to an experimental LAPD bicycle patrol. Doing their best to hide their discomfort, our heroes mount a pair of two-wheelers in order to round up a gang of auto-accessory thieves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Flying in the face of his police training, Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) takes an intensely personal interest in the search for a missing six-year-old girl. Catching up with a suspected child molester, Pete reacts violently when the prisoner makes a snide remark. Now Malloy is facing charges of using excessive force--and a depraved criminal may go free as a result. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The ads for Arthur suggested that this was an obnoxious film about an obnoxious man, an eternally drunken millionaire indulging his every whim. Instead, Arthur (Dudley Moore) is a sweet, somewhat pathetic character whose millions have left him lonely and with no motivation in life. When the film opens, Arthur is on the threshold of an arranged marriage with simpering socialite Susan (Jill Eikenberry), whom he does not love. Everyone expects Arthur to behave himself, but nobody truly cares for his well-being, with the exception of father-figure butler Mr. Hobson (John Gielgud, who won an Oscar for his performance) and blue-collar shoplifter Linda (Liza Minnelli). Arthur would prefer to marry the lowly Linda, but his iron-willed grandmother (Geraldine Fitzgerald) threatens to pull the plug on his huge inheritance if he doesn't honor his position in life and go through with his marriage to Susan. A sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks, followed in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, (more)
The boiling point is mighty low in this tepid action programmer. Wesley Snipes plays Jimmy Mercer, a Treasury agent whose sting operation goes bad. Engineered by Ronnie (Viggo Mortensen), a dull-witted but sadistic ex-con, the operation not only fails, but one of Jimmy's colleagues is killed by Ronnie in the process. As punishment, Jimmy is exiled to Newark, where he is given seven days to find the man responsible for the death of the officer. Meanwhile, slimy con-man Red (Dennis Hopper) has Ronnie deceived into thinking that Mercer is a big-time crook with influential connections. Red does this to enlist Ronnie's aid to participate in a third-rate crime spree. When Ronnie and Red begin their two-man crime wave, Jimmy is in relentless pursuit behind them. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, (more)
- 1997
High schooler Shawn (Rider Strong) drops in on a college philosophy class and wins a debate with Professor Michaels (Julius Carry). His ego in high gear, Shawn begins thinking of himself as a college student--and in so doing neglects his high school duties to the point that he ends up suspended. And Dean Borak (Paul Gleason) wonders what Eric (Will Friedle) is up to when he creates his own fraternity, "Magnum Pi." Former Love Boat regulars Bernie Kopell and Ted Lange) appear as themselves in a surrealistic frat-party sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The decade-long friendship between Cory (Ben Savage) and Shawn (Rider Strong) may be at an end when Cory thinks about attending a different college than Shawn. This leads to an extended flashback to the boys' childhood--which is somehow invaded by a young Topanga (played by Danielle Fishel lookalike Rosario Gru). Meanwhile, Eric (Will Friedle) and Jack (Matthew Lawrence) are convinced that college life will be a breeze if only they can become close friends with Dean Borak (Paul Gleason). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The Challenge of a Lifetime is Hawaii's Ironman Triathalon. Unless you're an ironman, the outcome of this competition may not be of paramount importance to you. But it is crucial to Penny Marshall, a divorced mother seeking to prove that she's more than just an adjunct to her family. Marshall enters the 140-mile triathalon, which requires her to run, swim, and navigate a bicycle. Most of those who caught this TV movie's premiere on February 14, 1985, had tumbled to its outcome before the second commercial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penny Marshall
It's Christmas time in L.A., and there's an employee party in progress on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Corporation building. The revelry comes to a violent end when the partygoers are taken hostage by a group of terrorists headed by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who plan to steal the 600 million dollars locked in Nakatomi's high-tech safe. In truth, Gruber and his henchmen are only pretending to be politically motivated to throw the authorities off track; also in truth, Gruber has no intention of allowing anyone to get out of the building alive. Meanwhile, New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) has come to L.A. to visit his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), who happens to be one of the hostages. Disregarding the orders of the authorities surrounding the building, McClane, who fears nothing (except heights), takes on the villains, armed with one handgun and plenty of chutzpah. Until Die Hard came along, Bruce Willis was merely that wisecracking guy on Moonlighting. After the film's profits started rolling in, Willis found himself one of the highest-paid and most sought-after leading men in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, (more)
- 1995
- R
Cyberpunk schlockmeister Phillip Roth directs this sci-fi action flick about cool explosions and bad cyborgs. When the army's latest brand of killer robots start killing the wrong people, a band of nubile coed soldiers get sent in to kick a little android keister. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1975
George Pal's final film is a kiddie action saga based on the popular comic strip and action book series by Kenneth Robeson. Ron Ely is all flash and charmless brawn as the blonde-haired superhero Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze. When his father is mysteriously murdered, Savage gathers together five of his cronies -- The Amazing Five -- to head off on an expedition to South America to find some answers. There he battles Captain Seas (Paul Wexler) and "the green death." Along the way, he charms native girl Mona (Pamela Hensley), who immediately falls for the blonde chiselhead. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Ely, Paul Gleason, (more)
- 1985
Based on William Bayer's novel Switch, the made-for-TV Doubletake introduced Richard Crenna to his oft-played role of detective Frank Janek. As always, Janek is assigned to a particularly gruesome and profoundly puzzling murder case. A prim lady schoolteacher and a hooker are both killed on the same evening; their bodies are decapitated, and their heads are switched! The first installment of this two-part movie details the early stages of the investigation, as well as the growing relationship between Janek and photographer Caroline Wallace (Beverly D'Angelo), the daughter of a cop who'd died in a mob hit. Part two reveals the "dark side" of the case, exposing corruption in the highest police circles and implicating someone very close to Janek in the double murder. Doubletake was originally telecast on November 24 and 26, 1985, and has since been reissued as a single three-hour film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This expensively wrought TV movie was the sequel to the 1984 offering Ewok Adventure, which in turn was inspired by those furry little extraterrestrials introduced in the 1983 theatrical feature Return of the Jedi. On the forest moon of Endor, a little girl (Aubree Miller) is protected by the Ewoks -- and by human hermit Noa (Wilfred Brimley) -- against such enemies as space-witch Charal (Sian Phillips). Like all previous chapters in the "Ewok" saga, The Battle for Endor was executive-produced by George Lucas. And, like Ewok Adventure, the film copped an Emmy nomination. First telecast November 24, 1985, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor was preceded two months earlier by the animated Saturday-morning series The Ewoks, which later evolved into The Ewoks and Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Though based on fact, the two-part TV movie False Arrest plays more like one of those Linda Blair "babes in prison" flicks. Donna Mills plays Joyce Lukezic, a well-off Phoenix businesswoman/homemaker accused of murder. She knows, and we know, that she didn't do it. The double homicide was the handiwork of her sleazy husband Robert Wagner, who works diligently behind the scenes to make certain his wife is convicted. And with the "guilty as charged" verdict, he leaves Joyce high and dry at the end of part one. Part two of False Arrest was telecast three days later, with Joyce fending off hostile and sexually abusive inmates, courting a nervous breakdown, and battling to have her conviction overturned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this comedy, a young German woman named Elaine Hines (Hanna Schygulla) moves to New York City with dreams of becoming a writer. Elaine becomes entangled in a mystery and falls in with a group of gangsters who lead her through a series of crazy adventures. Released on video under the title Crazy Streets, this movie featured an appearance by Deborah Harry and was Alec Baldwin's first screen appearance. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hanna Schygulla, Deborah Harry, (more)
Paul Newman stars as an essentially decent cop patrolling that decimated, drug-and-gang-ridden borough known on the city maps as the Bronx, but known to its denizens as "Fort Apache". While Newman tries to hold on to his basic humanity and to treat even the sorriest of the people on his beat with dignity, he can't do much to convince his superiors that blind brutality is not the answer to social blight. When he witnesses fellow-cop Danny Aiello cold-bloodedly murdering a crime suspect, Newman is advised to sweep the whole incident under the rug. He refuses to do so, and as a result becomes "persona non grata" to his former friends on the force. Ed Asner co-stars as the beleaguered captain who has given up trying to treat his job as anything but a necessary evil, while Rachel Ticotin is Newman's love interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Ed Asner, (more)
- 1990
In this complicated and exciting above-average made-for-cable suspense thriller, a woman searches for her missing husband with surprising results. When Valerie's (Mimi Rogers) husband Darryl (Cliff De Young) leaves for work one morning and never returns, she hires private-eye Shepard (Mark Harmon) to find him. Valerie learns that David has a second identity and might be hiding out. As the investigation continues, Shepard and Valerie become increasingly attracted to each other and begin an affair. Director Ivan Passer gets an excellent performance from Mimi Rogers who makes the most of her enigmatic character. This thriller delivers when it needs to and builds a great deal of suspense with some surprising plot twists. Fourth Story was also released as Basic Deception. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- 2000
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single hour-long episode), the gang continues to imagine what their lives would have been like had they made different choices. In this "alternate reality," Ross (David Schwimmer), still married to Carol (Jane Sibbett), enters into a ménage à trois with a very familiar third party. Also, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) hit it off despite the fact that Monica is overweight and still a virgin. And Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) carries out her fantasies with famous soap opera star Joey (Matt LeBlanc). ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Sibbert, Jessica Hecht, (more)
- 1987
- PG
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A seldom-seen freshman effort from Roland Emmerich, co-writer and director of mega-budget '90s blockbusters Stargate, Independence Day and Godzilla, this lightweight comedy reveals a vague glimmer of the director's flair for fantasy filmmaking. The story involves a group of young would-be filmmakers in Los Angeles, one of whom inherits an antique clock possessed of the benevolent spirit of his late grandfather's butler. The ghost eventually takes the form of a cute alien creature from the set of a future film project who helps the kids solve a mystery involving their grandfather's hidden fortune -- which sparks the attention of a greedy film producer. Reasonably entertaining for young audiences, this project is something of a follow-up to the director's earlier Poltergeist-inspired film Making Contact. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Lively, Tim McDaniel, (more)
In this fairly frightening slasher-horror film, sweet young Amy Jensen (Caitlin O'Heaney) and her friends decide to all get married together. Unfortunately, all the guys go on vacation, leaving the women at the mercy of a psychotic killer (Tom Rolfing) who goes after brides with a big knife. Amy must seek help from an obsessed cop (Lewis Arlt) and her nerdy friend (Don Scardino) who works at a morgue. The familiar supporting cast includes Tom Hanks in his big-screen debut, and '80s standbys Russell Todd, Paul Gleason, and Dana Barron. This one has some scary moments despite the clichéd plot and the obligatory severed head in a fishbowl, especially a stalking scene in a tailor's shop and the tense morgue chase at the end. The most memorable sequence, involving a murder at a movie theater, was later restaged almost shot-by-shot in Scream 2 (1997). ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Scardino, Caitlin O'Heaney, (more)
