Peter Graves

Four of Tinseltown's greatest glamour queens came together for this tartly comic made-for-TV movie which pokes gentle (and not so gentle) fun at their histories and reputations. Kate Westburn (Shirley MacLaine), Addie Holden (Joan Collins), and Piper Grayson (Debbie Reynolds) are three legendary Hollywood stars who in their heyday were known to audiences for their beauty, charm, and musical talent -- and, within the movie industry, for their short tempers and industrial-strength egos. The three stars only worked together once, on a musical made in the early '60s called Boy Crazy, but when the film becomes a cult sensation in a late-'90s re-release, Gavin (Nestor Carbonell), a network television executive desperate for a hit, gets the idea of staging a reunion special starring the three divas. However, there's a hitch -- the three women can barely stand each other, and while they share the same agent, Beryl Mason (Elizabeth Taylor), Beryl and Piper haven't gotten along since Piper's husband left her to marry Beryl. But Gavin is determined to make the project work, and hires Kate's son Wesley (Jonathan Silverman) to work with Beryl to pull things together. Against all odds, the three stars agree to do the special, but while there's no small amount of cat-fighting behind the scenes, in front of the camera the ladies discover time has not been kind to all of them. These Old Broads was written and executive-produced by Carrie Fisher and Elaine Pope; Fisher, of course, is the daughter of Debbie Reynolds, whose husband Eddie Fisher had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor (Fisher later married Taylor after he divorced Reynolds), and Fisher wrote a character based on her mother for the novel (and subsequent movie) Postcards From the Edge, which was played onscreen by Shirley MacLaine. No word on where Joan Collins fit into this formula. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Doris Day: It's Magic employs film clips, newsreel footage, trailers, home movies, and interviews with a variety of people in order to tell the life story of Doris Day, an actress who symbolized the ideal American woman for much of the '50s. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

This video chronicles the history of the Soviet Union beginning with the reign of Czar Nicholas II through the fall of communism through the use of rare film footage. ~ All Movie Guide

Written by Jeffrey M. Hayes, "The Sands of Seth" guest stars Tim Elliot as Dr. Selim, the curator of a Cairo archeological museum -- and head of an ancient Egyptian cult. Determined to restore the glories of the Egyptian empires of old, Selim murders anyone who does not share his lofty vision. To get the goods on Selim, the IMF fabricates a series of amazing archaeological "discoveries." With the original telecast of "The Sands of Seth" on February 24, 1990, the Mission: Impossible series revival of 1988-1990 was officially put on hiatus, never to return. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having been soundly thrashed in the ratings wars by The Cosby Show, ABC wisely (if belatedly) moved the contemporary Mission: Impossible from Thursday to Saturday evenings on January 6, 1990. The first episode in the new time slot was "Deadly Harvest," written by Jan Sardi. In this episode, IMF agent Nicholas Black takes the place of Jared (Nick Carrafa), a research scientist who has been developing a dangerous virus on behalf of Orambaq, a terrorist nation. Unless the villains are stopped in their tracks, the entire wheat harvest in the United States will be permanently contaminated. Ritchie Singer appears as the head baddie, Jousseff K. (apparently Kafka-inspired). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The IMF pays a visit to a popular Old West theme park in Nevada, but it isn't for the purpose of rest and relaxation. The park is the headquarters of former congressman Ian McClintock (Michael Greene), the head of an organization specializing in arming terrorists. Well aware that McClintock was responsible for the brutal murder of an FBI investigator, Jim Phelps nonetheless engages the villain in a potentially deadly poker game (both literally and figuratively!). Written by Ted Roberts, "Gunslinger" was originally broadcast on February 10, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second half of the two-part Mission: Impossible adventure "The Golden Serpent," Prince Selimun (Patrick Bishop), one of the heads of an international drug-running operation, comes face to face with his long-dead twin brother. This "reunion" is actually the first stage of an IMF plan to destroy the drug ring by sowing the seeds of distrust between Selimun and his partner Jonathan Drago (Rod Mullinar). Greg Morris repeats his role from the original Mission: Impossible series as electronics wizard Barney Collier, the father of present IMF agent Grant Collier (played by Morris' real-life son Phil Morris). Scripted by Michael Seims, Ted Roberts, and Jeffrey M. Hayes from a story by Seims, Part Two of "The Golden Serpent" first aired on September 28, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alex Cord guest stars as master art thief Daniel Travers, whose latest heist has stirred up political unrest in a Far Eastern nation. The IMF learns that Travers is using his knowledge of his employers' motives to extort an enormous sum of money. As a means of crushing Travers and restoring peace in the aforementioned nation, the IMF creates a computer simulation of a rare "lost" Degas painting. Written by John Whelpley, "For Art's Sake" first aired on December 14, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide