Frank Gorshin Movies

A well-known level-one angel looking to reunite with his level-six soulmate strikes a special bargain with God in this heavenly comedy featuring some of the best-loved stars of the golden-era of cinema. George Burns (Frank Gorshin) is miserable in heaven. In addition to not being able to smoke his trademark cigars, level-one angel George is also forbidden from cavorting with his level-six love Gracie Allen (Amy Wieczorek). Upon bearing witness to the misery of his forlorn heavenly guest, God makes a proposal to George; save failing musician Steven "Shoomie" Schoomer (Scott Edmund Lane) from completely destroying his life and earn the status that will let him spend eternity with his beloved Gracie. When George arrives back on Earth, he finds Schoomie a commitment-phobic wedding musician with few prospects and little hope for the future. After encouraging Schoomie to make amends with former best friend Howie Gold (David Proval) and embark on a madcap mission to sell a stash of smuggled Cuban cigars, George's plan goes awry as everyone from stealthy assassin Shelleen (Gorshin playing in a dual role) to Fidel Castro himself show a curious interest in the mysterious cigars. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Holy Thomas Wolfe! The same team responsible for the "retro" TV movie Surviving Gilligan's Island (including executive producer and former Gilligan co-star Dawn Wells) were responsible for this nostalgic hark back to the classic Batman TV series of the late '60s. In rehashing the creation and popularity of Batman, screenwriter Duane Poole draws heavily upon the autobiographies of stars Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin, the Boy Wonder) -- with special emphasis on Ward's recollections of the Dynamic Duo's alleged sexual escapades both on and off the set. To avoid a dry recitation of names, dates, and statistics, the producers contrive to "bookend" the flashback sequences with a campy present-day plot line, wherein the 74-year-old Adam West and 56-year-old Burt Ward (as themselves) team up to locate the original Batmobile, which has been stolen from under their very noses at a gala auto show. An unknown enemy of the two actors plants a series of cryptic clues, leading West and Ward on a picturesque journey back to Hollywood, with memorable stopovers at a roadside bar and a restored movie palace along the way.
Every so often, the veteran performers pause to remember significant events from their Bat-past (including the adulation of fans, battles with network censors, egotistical flare-ups on the set, and their own marital breakups), while in fine old Batman tradition an unseen narrator (whose identity is sublimely significant to the story line) delivers warnings of impending doom. Also keeping in the spirit of the original series are the bizarre, off-center camera angles, the onomatopoeic "Bam!," "Pow!," and "Zowie!" superimpositions during the fight sequences, the steady stream of inside jokes (including a running gag involving Adam West's notorious stinginess), and the amusing cameo appearances by former "special guest villains": Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether. A bit of Pirandello wafts into the proceedings as well, whenever either West or Ward cheerily comments on the fact that he realizes he's only acting in a TV movie, or that a commercial break is overdue. Though it strains much too hard for laughs at times, the film at least deserves credit for trying to be different from the usual run of TV biopics. Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt made its CBS Bat-bow on March 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Actor/filmmaker Robert Capelli Jr., responsible for the 1999 bikini-infested film The Rules (For Men), teams up with film editor Jeffery Wolf to direct the so-called comedy Mail Order Bride. Danny Aiello stars in this film which tries to find humor in a story about the Russian and Italian Mafia involved in the business of human smuggling. Also starring Frank Gorshin (from the original Batman) and Vincent Pastore (from The Sopranos). Mail Order Bride premiered at the 2003 American Film Market. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Alana Austin, Ernest Borgnine, and Frank Gorshin star in this action-packed adventure about a feisty teenage girl and a handsome young drifter on the run from the law in the Arizona desert. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this comedy, a coach turns a team of losers into winners...but can he do the same thing for himself? Steve Adler (Richard Lewis) was once the head coach of the basketball team for a prestigious Division One university, but after a long and disastrous losing streak, Adler was fired, and after bouncing from school to school, he wound up coaching at a second-rate college thought to have one of the worst sports programs in the country. Against all odds, Adler has found some talent in his rag-tag team, and for the first time ever, the team finds themselves in their division finals. But can Adler put his appetite for drugs and co-eds on hold long enough to make it to the game and lead his team to victory? Game Day also features Frank Gorshin, Sean Squire, and Gerry Becker. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Beethoven the Saint Bernard is back in this comedy for the whole family, in which the Newton Family (with their rather large pet in tow) hops into their camper for a cross-country vacation. Along the way, they encounter a gang of bad guys. Can Beethoven help bring them to justice? Beethoven's 3rd stars Judge Reinhold, Julia Sweeney, Jamie Marsh, and Michaela Gallo. Charles Grodin, star of the first two films, opted not to appear in this one. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Tom Waits narrates this documentary about Manitoba filmmaker Guy Maddin (Tales from the Gimli Hospital, Careful, Archangel), seen directing Twilight of the Ice Nymphs. Stills, clips, and home movies are combined with talking-head interviews with friends, actors, and co-workers, tracing the troubled life he led as a youth in Winnipeg. Shown in 1997 at the Vancouver and Toronto film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A blood-red moon is never a good sign, and when one pops up over New York City, one can be sure that the Big Apple is in for serious trouble. This time it heralds the arrival of a kung-fu serial killer (Darren Shahlavi). At night, he stalks the crimson bathed streets, killing off the world's best martial artists, one by one. At every resulting crime scene one of New York's finest detectives shows up and amuses the crowds of on-lookers and service personnel with dumb sleight-of-hand tricks. As the story progresses, the battles, featuring professional wrestlers and fighters sporting strange hair and peculiar makeup, become increasingly strange. The film's production values are unusually low, and keen-eyed viewers can readily spot an abundance of support cables showing up in key fight scenes. However, the fight scenes themselves are comparable to the spectacular sequences in this film's Hong Kong cousins and employ a smashing variety of martial arts techniques. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A young man (director Hall) narrates this story of how he tried to impress the spoiled, bratty daughter of the millionaire owner of an eraser factory. He manages to ingratiate his way into the family and becomes the manager of the eraser plant. He then discovers that her father is actually a secret international arms dealer. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi

Investment banker Jack Scalia would give anything to escape his wealthy but empty existence. He fantasizes about becoming an Italian movie star, like his idol George Hamilton. Shedding himself of his wife and job, Scalia heads to Tinseltown to realize his dream, changing his name and adopting a Mediterranean accent along the way. He manages to succeed within these terms-except in the field of romance. He may be a matinee idol to the world, but poor Scalia can't get to first base with the new love of his life, scriptwriter Kathy Ireland. Elliott Gould, Katherine Helmond, James Doohan, Norm Crosby and Frank Gorshin are among the familiar faces popping up in this surprisingly obscure romantic comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Suzanne is a crooked small-town mayor who pockets illegal money and looks the other way while a local manufacturer dumps industrial waste into an abandoned mine shaft. Unfortunately, she discovers that her partner has also been illegally dumping dangerous toxic substances and that they are poisoning the town water supply. Suzanne's attempts to stop him backfire and she is killed, but not before she tells her ex-husband the sheriff about the whole fiasco. When Suzanne's estranged sister Sunny learns of the murder, she rallies the former members of an all-female commando team to go to the town and get revenge. The film features plenty of kickboxing action. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi