Louis Guss Movies

A writer struggling with his muse finally creates a character so vivid she walks off the page and into the real world in this darkly comic fantasy. Marty (Jeffrey Stubblefield) is a struggling screenwriter living in Los Angeles, where he's gotten used to not having a car and is now having to adjust to not having a girlfriend after his significant other decided it was time to call it quits. Marty has been working on a script for sleazy producer/director Barry Barani (Krikor Satamian) called Hot Pants Returns, but he's suffering from a severe case of writer's block, much to the annoyance of Barry and his partner Andy (Jerry Corley). With the encouragement of his friend Joe (Joe Seely), Marty has been able to start work on a personal project, a screenplay about a poet working as a parking lot monitor who falls in love with a beautiful car thief named Lauren. Marty is a bit surprised when one day a flesh-and-blood Lauren (Melissa Marie Lewis) appears before him, and begins using her feminine wiles to lure Marty into a life of crime. Pedestrian was written and directed by Jason Kartalian; it was his first feature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A case of mistaken identity goes too far in this made-for-television romantic comedy. Tea Leoni stars as Gina Nardino, a young store clerk who pretends to be an Italian countess in order to impress a rich man of society. Her charade starts to fall apart though when his brother gets wise to her schemes. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

American Blue Note concentrates on a Manhattan jazz quintet. Peter MacNichol, Carl Capotorto, Tim Guinee, Bill Christopher-Myers and Jonathan Walker play the five musicians, each with individual crosses to bear. Allotting themselves one year to get booked into a major jazz club or else they'll split, the quintet performs a lot of nickel-and-dime gigs in the meantime. But only one of the five makes it to the band's "Valhalla." Louis Guss, Zohra Lampert and Trini Alvarado appear in peripheral roles. Filmed in 1989, the independently produced American Blue Note didn't get a distributor until 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Al Capone's imprisonment opened the way for mobster Frank Nitti to become the underworld king of Chicago as related in this true story. (AKA Nitti) ~ All Movie Guide

Carroll O'Connor stars as NYPD chief of detectives Frank Nolan in Brass. The script, pseudonymously cowritten by O'Connor and Alvin Boretz, dramatizes two real-life incidents: a sniper attack on Penn Station and a murder in the CBS network parking lot. Though consigned to a desk job, Nolan insists upon hitting the streets to solve the crimes at hand. Vincent Gardenia, who'd previously costarred with Carroll O'Connor on All in the Family as Archie Bunker's next-door neighbor, appears as Chief Mike Maldonato. The director was former actor Corey Allen, best remembered as James Dean's "chicken run" opponent in Rebel Without a Cause. Intended as the pilot for a weekly series, Brass debuted September 11, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Beggarman, Thief is the 4-hour sequel to the ratings-busting miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man; both productions were based on the works of novelist Irwin Shaw. For the purposes of the sequel, a new member of the Jordache clan is introduced: filmmaker Gretchen Jordache Burke, played by Jean Simmons. It is Gretchen's task to keep the family together after the murder of her brother Tom (played by Nick Nolte in Rich Man, Poor Man) and the recent disappearance of her other brother Rudy (Peter Strauss, re-creating his RMPM role). Originally presented in two parts, Beggarman, Thief was first telecast November 26 and 27, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Determined to avenge the death of his brother, racketeer Hackford (Jack L. Ging) recruits teenager Billy Sherbak Jr. (Barry Miller) to do his dirty work. Hackford knows that even if Billy is arrested, he will serve a light sentence because he's a minor. After two men are killed, Billy is charged with both deaths--but Kojak (Telly Savalas) is certain that at least one of the killings was committed by someone else. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ida Lupino guest stars as Gloria Gibson, a former movie queen who hopes to stage a spectacular comeback. Alas, someone seems determined to sabotage Gloria's return by systemically driving her mad -- and stealing all her valuable artwork in the process. Investigating, the Angels discover that there is much more to the case than first meets the eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It's On the Waterfront, Kojak-style, when sardonic Lt. Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas) investigates a murder on the docks. The victim was a longshoreman, and the killing was obviously linked to corruption within the local labor unions. Unfortunately, none of the other longshoremen are willing to talk to the detective, adhering to the old policy of "D-and-D" (deaf and dumb) when it comes to snitching on one of their own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lamont (Demond Wilson) and Julio (Gregory Sierra) try to make some extra money by going into the used auto parts business. Convinced he is being deserted, Lamont's dad Fred (Redd Foxx) runs away from home. But before he does, Fred leaves behind a cleverly conceived audio tape, suggesting that he has fled the junk business to become a skid row derelict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Edith is in a panic when she loses a valuable locket. Archie, however, is less concerned about the locket than in its long-range value. Hoping to purchase a new color TV set, Archie tries to persuade Edith to claim that the locket was stolen so he can collect a huge insurance settlement. Written by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx (son of Groucho Marx), "The Locket" was originally scheduled to air on December 23, 1972, but was instead moved up to November 25. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Taken for granted by her Italian family, New Yorker Natalie Wood seeks solace in the arms of irresponsible jazz musician Steve McQueen. She becomes pregnant, but doesn't expect McQueen to marry her; all she wants is enough money to pay for an illegal abortion (this is ten years before Roe v. Wade). Not surprisingly, McQueen is refused a loan by his girl friend Edie Adams; meanwhile, Wood is being pressured by her family to marry gormless Tom Bosley. As the abortion appointment approaches, McQueen begins to feel guilty, but still won't propose. Bosley finds out that Wood is pregnant, and is willing to make an honest woman of her. Wood finally makes up her mind what she's going to do and whom she's going to choose when she walks into the seedy abortion clinic. Though very dated, Love With the Proper Stranger is still dramatically viable, thanks to the on-screen rapport between Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen, and to the large and talented New York-based supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Raymond De Felitta directs this warm, colorful tale about a blue collar dreamer who gets more than he bargained for after buying a two-family house. Set during the 1950s in Staten Island, the film charts the financial failures of Buddy (Michael Rispoli), a nice-guy entrepreneur who has perpetual bad luck. While he was in the army, he sang songs on stage to bolster troop morale. During one performance, he received a warm reception from none other than Arthur Godfrey, who invited him to audition when he got back to the U.S. After the war, Buddy's crushingly pragmatic wife Estelle (Katherine Narducci,) along with her very traditional parents, dissuade him from a life in showbiz. After a decade of living with Estelle's parents and failing repeatedly at one get-rich-quick scheme after another, Buddy buys a rundown house with the idea of refurbishing the second floor for living quarters and the first for a pizzeria where he can sing. Estelle grudgingly goes along with it, secretly hoping that this plan will fail so disastrously that he will stop dreaming and lead a "normal" life. Not until he finalizes the purchase does Buddy realize that the house has a pair of squatters: Jim (Kevin Conway), a drunken Irish immigrant, and his much younger, very pregnant girlfriend Mary (Kelly Macdonald). Buddy tries to evict the recalcitrant drunkard, but he refuses to leave. Just as matters are about to come to fisticuffs, Mary goes into labor. To the surprise of everyone, the child is of mixed raced -- the product of a brief tryst that Mary had with an African-American man a while back. Disgusted and disappointed, Jim shuffles off never to be seen. Buddy hasn't quite the heart to evict a young single mother, nor the strength to resist his wife's perpetual nagging, so he quietly pays for a room in a neighborhood boarding house. Though Mary is initially very mistrustful of Buddy's intentions, the two slowly realize that they are in fact soul mates. This film was highly praised at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide