Lillian Adams Movies

TV talker "Dr. Phil" McGraw makes his acting debut in this episode. Though mad at Dr. Phil because of an outstanding poker debt, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) agrees to take Roz (Peri Gilpin) to the good doctor's lecture. Upon arrival, Frasier is shocked to discover that Dr. Phil's agent is the redoubtable Bebe Glazer (Harriet Sansom Harris). Frasier is also peeved that Bebe had never been able to make him a huge star in all the time she was representing him. So imagine his surprise when Bebe offers to do for Frasier what she's done for Dr. Phil -- in exchange for certain, er, favors. ~ All Movie Guide

Cory (Ben Savage) and Shawn (Rider Strong) revert to their old "bad boy" mode to help Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) woo and win Dean Bolander (Bonnie Bartlett) before she is reclaimed by her ex-husband Curtis (Francis X. McCarthy), an entymologist. As a result, Curtis' lab is trashed and a rare killer bee is released into the world--a potential tragedy that takes an entirely different turn when the insect makes a beeline (ouch!) for Ms. Bolander! Elsewhere, Rachel decides that it is high time she and Jack go on a real date, something Jack has been avoiding for a very surprising reason. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) discreetly advises the divorce-bound Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) to keep his romantic involvement with Donna (Gail O'Grady) under wraps -- at least in public. An abused woman whom Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) tried to help ends up dead. Kelly (David Caruso) and an Asian-American detective (Tzi Ma) investigate the murder of an off-duty cop in Chinatown. And Detective Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli, in her first series appearance), on the rebound from a sour relationship with another cop, is transferred to the 15th. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nobody takes Bud (David Faustino) seriously when he insists that his middle-aged teacher Miss McGowen (Linda Gibboney) has the hots for him, but no one is laughing when both Miss McGowen and a rapacious student named Darlene (Charlotte Ross) make their moves on the Bundy boy. Elsewhere, Al (Ed O'Neill) goes around crashing kiddie parties to get free pizza, Peggy (Katey Sagal) suffers from a bad cold, and both of them squabble over the respective merits of their favorite TV series "Psycho Dad" and "Psycho Mom." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) faces the possibility of permanent paralysis as she undergoes surgery to remove a bullet from her spine. Meanwhile, Hunter (Fred Dryer) heads to Mexico, there to settle accounts with notorious pimp Big Jack Hemmings (Robert Ridgely), whom he holds responsible for McCall's plight. When Big Jack turns up murdered, Hunter is arrested--and as the story winds down, the detective must place his life in the hands of his old enemy, gonzo defense attorney Mike Snow (Martin E. Brooks). This final episode of Hunter's third season was directed by series costar Stepfanie Kramer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Steve McQueen's last film concerns a modern day bounty hunter who searches for bail jumpers. Based on real life bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson, the film details his exciting life, traveling from one city to another, trying to track down fugitives and continually risking his life in the process. Buzz Kulik directed the confusing mish-mash that, nevertheless, features stunt work that anticipates the Lethal Weapon series. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Steve McQueen served as both star and executive producer for this film version of the drama by Henrik Ibsen, which was adapted by Arthur Miller. When Dr. Thomas Stockmann (McQueen) discovers that a tannery has dangerously polluted a hot spring in his community, he feels that it is his duty to share this information with the people. However, a number of prominent citizens (including Stockmann) intended to use the hot springs as the centerpiece of a health spa, and Tom's brother Peter (Charles Durning), the town's mayor, contends that a clean-up of the spring would be impractical, expensive, and would scare off potential customers. Stockmann is still eager to share his story with the community, but the town council is determined to silence him, and in time they turn public opinion against him. The outcry against Stockmann's activism eventually ruins his medical practice and drives a wedge between Stockmann and his wife Catherine (Bibi Andersson). While An Enemy of the People became a pet project for McQueen, it received indifferent reviews and poor distribution, opening in only a few scattered American cities several years after it was completed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Moving to a new Wednesday-night slot for its fourth season, Adam-12 wastes no time getting down to business. This time, Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are working the waterfront beat, where a nasty gang of extortionists specializes in targeting elderly Jewish businessmen. George O'Hanlon, better known to baby boomers as the voice of cartoon character George Jetson, appears as a vengeful drunk who makes some very bizarre threats against the two cops. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On behalf of an old rabbi friend, Ironside (Raymond Burr) investigates the theft of a priceless Torah from a San Francisco synagogue. Truth to tell, the ancient scroll is "priceless" only to the congregation, but the thieves--who've managed to cover their tracks and make the break-in look like an act of anti-Semitic vandalism--obviously didn't know that. Racing against time, Ironside must recover the Torah before the disgruntled criminals destroy the artifact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Carl Reiner's semi-autobiographical novel Enter Laughing makes a largely successful transition to the screen. Reni Santoni plays the Reiner character, here named David Kolowitz. A machinist's apprentice in Depression-era New York, David dreams of becoming the new Ronald Colman. Defying the wishes of his parents (Shelley Winters, David Opatoshu), David lands a nonpaying job in a seedy theatrical production directed by broken-down ham Marlowe (Jose Ferrer). That the young aspiring actor knows nothing about his "craft" is evident the moment he speaks his first stage direction--"Enter Laughing"--as if it were a line of dialogue. Helped along by Marlowe's sex-starved daughter Angela (Elaine May), David manages to survive the rehearsal period, but his first public performance threatens to become a disaster when he can't find the entrance to the set. Still and all, David makes it through the play, cheered along by his now-supportive parents. Blessed with a marvelous supporting cast--including Jack Gilford, Don Rickles, Janet Margolin and veteran black comedian Mantan Moreland--Enter Laughing is a riot, especially for those viewers who have ever participated in amateur theatricals themselves. Only Reni Santoni fails to ring true as David Kolowitz (a role played on stage by Alan Arkin), though he has a few choice scenes, especially his impromptu performance on a subway. Watch for Rob Reiner in his film debut as a clumsy, self-conscious actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kimble (David Janssen) covers several states using several aliases in this episode, barely escaping capture at every turn. The reason? Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) has opted to use technology in his efforts to trap Kimble, and to this end has teamed with electronics expert Dr. Mark Ryder. Utilizing Ryder's state-of-the-art computer "2130", Gerard is now able to anticipate Kimble's every move by evaluating the geographical pattern of the fugitive's travels. For once, it looks as if Kimble has met his match--but machines, like people, are capable of making mistakes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This standard love story adapted by Leonard Spigelgass from his stage play was acclaimed when it was released for probing into the nature of prejudice. Rosalind Russell plays Mrs. Jacoby, a Jewish widow living in Brooklyn whose daughter Alice (Madlyn Rhue) is married to Jerome (Ray Danton), a U.S. diplomat newly assigned to Japan. Because of Jerome's new post, Mrs. Jacoby decides to visit the land of the rising sun, and once there, she meets Koichi Asano (Alec Guinness). Asano is a suave, sophisticated, and wealthy man with an aesthetically impressive Tokyo home. After the two meet, love starts to blossom. This was one of the rare '60s films geared to the older set but it is significant that even during this period Hollywood still chose to cast a white actor (albeit Alec Guinness!) in the role of Asano. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Wealthy Mrs. Tamsen Sommers (Geraldine Brooks) puts an advertisement in the papers, claiming to be a widow in search of another husband. This proves to be a puzzlement for one man in particular: Mrs. Sommers' husband Haskel (Lawrence Dobkin), still very much alive. Mr. Sommers hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to help figure out his wife's behavior--and to protect him from Mrs. Sommers' homicidal would-be suitors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide