Harold Gould Movies

British filmmaker Shane Meadows looks back at his own youth in this semi-autobiographical comedy drama that examines skinhead culture in the U.K. It's the summer of 1983, and Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) is a 12-year-old boy edging into adolescence without a father, his dad having lost his life the year before in the Falkland Islands War. A gang of skinheads -- tough guys in their teens and early twenties who shave their heads, wear Ben Sherman polo shirts, and Dr. Martens boots, and listen to ska music -- walk the streets in Shaun's neighborhood, and one day they start picking on him. Shaun, however, shows he can give as good as he gets, and gang leader Woody (Joe Gilgun) takes a liking to the boy. Woody takes Shaun under his wing, and he starts hanging out with the skins, getting advice on dressing right from Woody's girlfriend, Lol (Vicky McClure), and learning about Jamaican music from West Indian skinhead Milky (Andrew Shim). However, the gang begins to change when Combo (Stephen Graham) is released from prison and returns to the neighborhood; like many skinheads, Combo has been recruited by the National Front, an openly racist right-wing political party, and soon the gang begins to fracture, with Combo taking one faction toward violence and petty crime against blacks, Indians, and Pakistanis, while Woody and his friends follow a more benign path. This Is England received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This 1997 remake of the '60s successful, sequel-spawning The Love Bug (the highest grossing film in the U.S. in 1969) includes a cameo by Dean Jones, star of the original Love Bug. Herbie, a 1963 VW Bug with personality, is saved from destruction by former race-car driver Hank Cooper (Bruce Campbell), who sees the car has special talents. Conceited Scotsman Simon Moore III (John Hannah) creates an evil vehicle named Horace the Hate Bug and sends it after Hank and his girlfriend, auto journalist Alex (Alexandra Wentworth). Clarence Williams III is seen as an eccentric garage owner, and Monkee Mickey Dolenz appears as a racing promoter. The remake first aired November 30, 1997 as part of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney series. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Comic actor Bob Saget served as producer and director of this made-for-TV film, inspired by the true story of Saget's sister Gay, who died in 1994 at the age of 47. Despite the pressures of single motherhood, schoolteacher Hope Altman (Dana Delany) seems to have her life in order until she is diagnosed with scleroderma, a disfiguring skin disease that causes her body's connective tissues to stiffen and atrophy, and will eventually paralyze her while eating away at her vital organs. There is no cure for scleroderma, and the survival rate is tragically low--and worse, neither the medical community nor the general public has a firm grasp on understanding the disease and its many victims (500,000, mostly female, in the United States alone). The film chronicles the manner in which Hope and her family handle the nightmarish situation, often with what Saget described as "irreverence and dark humor" (At one point, Hope's brother Alan--a comedy writer--quips that scleroderma sounds like "a deli entrée"). Sharon Monsky, who at the time ran one of the most prominent organizations for those suffering from scleroderma, appears briefly as herself. For Hope originally aired over the ABC network on November 17, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry was especially written by playwright James Prideaux for Katharine Hepburn. It would have been impractical to attempt a live staging, so the script was committed to a TV movie, under the direction of Hallmark Hall of Fame veteran George Schafer. Hepburn plays another variation on the indomitable elderly lady that has become her forte in the past decade. Here she is Margaret Delafield, a wealthy WASP widow who falls in love with the divorced Jewish doctor (Harold J. Stone) who has saved her life. The clucking tongues of both her family and the doctor's will not dissuade her: Mrs. Delafield stands her ground in a climactic scene reminiscent of the actress' earlier Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (67). Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry is formula all down the line, but every latter-day Katharine Hepburn performance deserves to be treasured (though the film itself hardly warranted the three-page TV Guide article written by Ms. Hepburn herself). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made for television, The Fourth Wise Man was syndicated to local TV stations during Easter week of 1985. Martin Sheen, a devout Catholic who is no stranger to religious television, heads the all-star cast. Sheen plays Artaban, a wealthy Persian doctor of Biblical times, who embarks upon a search for the newborn Messiah. Artaban intends to take his journey with the three more famous Wise Men, but somehow never manages to link up with them, and ends up spending 33 years on his quest. Of interest is the presence of two father-son acting combinations in the cast; Martin and Charlie Sheen, and Alan and Adam Arkin. Though never seen, Jesus Christ is heard, with James Farentino supplying His voice. The Fourth Wise Man is based on the 19th-century parable by Henry Van Dyke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The cast of the Old Globe Theater's acclaimed early-'80s revival of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic reunited to re-create their roles for this made-for-TV production, taped for PBS's anthology series American Playhouse. The Skin of Our Teeth follows the often funny and occasionally tragic circumstances of the Antrobus family, who have learned to persevere and even thrive through any number of natural and personal crises, including war, flood, disease, and even a plague of locusts. The distinguished cast of The Skin of Our Teeth includes Blair Brown, Rue McClanahan, Harold Gould, Sada Thompson, Larry Drake, and John Houseman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A career woman is so desperate to conceive a child that when her boyfriend the sportswriter comes up short, she goes looking for a fertile stranger in this made-for-TV comic outing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a chapter of Garson Kanin's Movieola, The Silent Lovers details the Hollywood romance of silent stars John Gilbert and Greta Garbo. Garbo (Kristina Wayborn) comes to America from her native Sweden as part of a "package deal" with famed director Mauritz Stiller (Brian Keith). As Stiller's celebrity wanes, Garbo's stardom ascends, especially after her screen teaming with heartthrob Gilbert (Barry Bostwick). Gilbert and Garbo plan to marry, but the elusive Garbo fails to show up at the wedding. A disconsolate Gilbert manages to offend MGM head Louis B. Mayer (Harold Gould), who retaliates by "doctoring" the sound track of Gilbert's first talkie, thereby ruining the actor's career. More speculation than fact, The Silent Lovers was one of three TV films taken from Moviola; the others were The Scarlet O'Hara War (about the casting of Gone with the Wind) and This Year's Blonde (the early years of Marilyn Monroe). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When first telecast on April 8, 1980, this made-for-TV movie was titled Kenny Rogers as The Gambler. Jim Byrnes' teleplay is loosely inspired by Rogers' Grammy award-winning song. Rogers plays high-rolling gambler Brady Hawkes, who is en route from El Paso to Yuma to see the son he never knew. Along the way, Hawkes befriends Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner), feckless Eastern tinhorn. The twosome comes to the aid of reformed "lady of the evening" Jennie Reed (Lee Purcell), who is pursued by an unprincipled train baron. At the end, Brynes must stand up to his son's cruel stepfather (Clu Gulager). A huge ratings success, The Gambler inspired four sequels over the next two decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a portion of Garson Kanin's book Moviola, The Scarlet O'Hara War mixes fact with fiction in recreating producer David O. Selznick's search for an actress to star in Gone With the Wind. Tony Curtis plays Selznick, who turns his search into a major publicity ploy to sustain interest in his upcoming film. Among the likely candidates for the role of Scarlett O'Hara are Carole Lombard (Sharon Gless), Joan Crawford (Barrie Youngfellow) and Tallulah Bankhead (Carrie Nye). A subplot concerns two bogus talent scouts who pretend to be working for Selznick in order to extract money and sexual favors from would-be Scarlets. As Selznick supervises the "Burning of Atlanta" sequence, he is approached by his brother Myron, who is in the company of the perfect Scarlett O'Hara--Vivien Leigh (Morgan Brittany). The Scarlet O'Hara War was one of three TV films based on Moviola; the other two were The Silent Lovers (all about John Gilbert and Greta Garbo) and This Year's Blonde (the early years of Marilyn Monroe). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The elderly residents of a nursing home tire of being oppressed and stage a revolution in this made-for-television comedy. Following the ensuing riot they rush out and commandeer a passing train to go out for a few final adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This TV movie stars Jean Stapleton as the real-life "Aunt" Mary Dobkin, a physically handicapped woman living in the Baltimore of the 1940s. Concerned that juvenile delinquency is destroying her neighborhood, Aunt Mary organizes the "Dobkin Dynamiters", a baseball team comprised of disadvantaged and minority children. As she fights to have her biracial team officially sanctioned by the highly segregated Baltimore power structure, Aunt Mary is further challenged by the amputation of her left leg and right foot. Nonetheless, she perseveres over the next two decades, providing nearly 35,000 disenfranchised boys the opportunity to escape the streets and play ball. Sportscaster Ernie Harwell, who'd once called the shots for the Baltimore Orioles, makes a cameo appearance in this 1979 Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first half of a two-part story, greenhorn detective Richie Brockelman (Dennis Dugan) asks Jim (James Garner) to help get back the printing plant that has been swindled from Richie's father (Harold Gould) by sleazy sports promoter Harold Jack Coombs (Robert Webber). This undertaking requires an elaborate "sting" operation--so elaborate that Jim must hold auditions to pick the right con artists for the right job. This episode is essentially a promo for guest star Dennis Dugan's own series, Richie Brockelman: Private Eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide