Martin Cohan Movies

The made-for-TV Fantastic World of D.C. Collins is curiously not a pilot film, despite the presence of the principal character's name in the title. D. C. Collins (played by Gary Coleman) is the son of a U.S. diplomat. His own life is deadly dull, so D.C. escapes into fantasy. At various junctures, he imagines himself to be space traveller Dwight Cloudclimber and archaeologist Alabama Smith (these character names are a tip-off to the film's level of wit). Collins gets a chance to act out his fantasies when he becomes embroiled in a real-life adventure involving stolen documents. The eclectic supporting cast includes Jason Bateman, Michael Ansara, and George Gobel! Fantastic World of D.C. Collins premiered February 10, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Raul Julia guest stars as orthodontist Jerry Robinson's younger brother, Greg. Fresh out of dental school, Greg accepts Jerry's invitation to move in with him. Before long, Greg has not only taken over Jerry's life, he has also stolen most of his older brother's patients. Rhoda Gemignani rounds out the guest cast as Miss Rossi. Written by Martin Cohan, "Oh, Brother" made its first network appearance on January 5, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Problems on the job manifest themselves in a huge backache for Archie Bunker. Landing in the hospital, he strikes up a warm friendship with his roommate, who is separated from Archie by a transom. Unbeknownst to him, Archie's unseen new friend is a black man. Roscoe Lee Browne guest stars as Mr. Duval. Scripted by Don Nicholl from a story by Stanley Ralph Ross and Martin Cohan, "Archie Goes to the Hospital" first aired on January 6, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Emily accepts a full-time job with the Board of Education. Not keen on the idea in the first place, Bob becomes even more disapproving when he is left at the mercy of temporary maids and is forced to cook his own dinners. But how can he tell Emily to quit her job when she clearly finds her new responsibilities so fulfilling? Edward Winter guest stars as Professor Trainer. Written by Martin Cohan, "Emily, I'm Home...Emily?" was first telecast on February 17, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mary (Mary Tyler Moore) invests her entire life savings -- all 1,295 dollars -- in Rhoda's new plant boutique. Before long, Rhoda (Valerie Harper) is expanding her business, even unto hiring Georgette (Georgia Ellis) as head clerk. The funny thing is, Rhoda hasn't said anything about paying back Mary's investment, nor does it look like she's ever going to. "Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady" originally aired on March 3, 1973, wrapping up season three of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mary (Mary Tyler Moore) is flattered but confused by the romantic approach taken by her latest suitor, handsome architect Matt Bryan (Bradford Dillman). At first, Mary attributes his curious technique to the fact that Matt is considerably older than she is. But this knowledge hardly prepares Mary for her introduction to Matt Bryan Jr. (John Rubinstein) -- who is only six years her junior and has an agenda of his own. "You Certainly Are a Big Boy" was first broadcast on February 19, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In his second Patridge Family guest-star stint, Bert Convy makes his first appearance in the role of congressional candidate Richard Lawrence. Impressed by Lawrence's public-service record, Keith (David Cassidy) campaigns tirelessly for the man--only to regret his zeal when it becomes apparent that Richard has fallen in love with Keith's mother Shirley (Shirley Jones)--and vice versa. Songs: "One Day at a Time" and "Ain't Love Easy". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Lou Grant (Edward Asner) is promoted to program director at WJM-TV, he must choose his successor as the station's newscast producer. While Lou mulls over prospects, writer Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod) is temporarily put in charge of the newsroom. As a result, chaos reigns supreme, and before long, the entire news staff is at each other's throats. "Who's In Charge Here?" was originally telecast on September 30, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Envious of his "independent" pal Archie (Leigh Webb), and over the objections of mom Shirley (Shirley Jones) Keith (David Cassidy) gets his own bachelor pad. Alas, he doesn't get much opportunity to enjoy his new digs: For one thing, it's right next door to his family's home; for another, he must work long hours as a gardener to pay the rent; and for still another, his money-crazy brother Danny (Danny Bonaduce) is bleeding him dry for "services rendered". Song: "Every Song Is You". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Upset over his inability to make a romantic commitment, Jerry asks Bob for advice. Against his better judgment, Bob agrees to take Jerry on as a patient. Can their friendship survive? And more to the point, can Bob charge Jerry his usual handsome fee? Written by Martin Cohan, "I Owe It All to You...but Not That" first aired on December 16, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director Mike Nichols and writer-actor Buck Henry followed their enormous hit The Graduate (1967) with this timely adaptation of Joseph Heller's satiric antiwar novel. Haunted by the death of a young gunner, all-too-sane Capt. Yossarian (Alan Arkin) wants out of the rest of his WW II bombing missions, but publicity-obsessed commander Colonel Cathcart (Martin Balsam) and his yes man, Colonel Korn (Henry), keep raising the number of missions that Yossarian and his comrades are required to fly. After Doc Daneeka (Jack Gilford) tells Yossarian that he cannot declare him insane if Yossarian knows that it's insane to keep flying, Yossarian tries to play crazy by, among other things, showing up nude in front of despotic General Dreedle (Orson Welles). As all of Yossarian's initially even-keeled friends, such as Nately (Art Garfunkel) and Dobbs (Martin Sheen), genuinely lose their heads, and the troop's supplies are bartered away for profit by the ultra-entrepreneurial Milo Minderbinder (Jon Voight), Yossarian realizes that the whole system has lost it, and he can either play along or jump ship. Though not about Vietnam, Catch-22's ludicrous military machinations directly evoked its contemporary context in the Vietnam era. Cathcart and Dreedle care more about the appearance of power than about victory, and Milo cares for money above all, as the complex narrative structure of Yossarian's flashbacks renders the escalating events appropriately surreal. Confident that the combination of a hot director and a popular, culturally relevant novel would spell blockbuster, Paramount spent a great deal of money on Catch-22, but it wound up getting trumped by another 1970 antiwar farce: Robert Altman's MASH. With audiences opting for Altman's casual Korean War iconoclasm over Nichols' more polished symbolism, the highly anticipated Catch-22 flopped, although the New York Film Critics Circle did acknowledge Arkin and Nichols. Despite this reception, Catch-22's ensemble cast and pungent sensibility effectively underline the insanity of war, Vietnam and otherwise. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi