Peter Hansen Movies
A narcissistic psychopath and neglectful single mother concocts a deadly scheme to sell the family house, and the only thing standing in the way is her still-breathing father in a cynical and serious-minded suburban soap-opera from director Paul Goldman and first-time screenwriter Alice Bell. Kat (Emily Barclay) is a nineteen-year-old single mother whose life revolves around manicures, cell phone conversations, petty crime, and cheap sex. She lives in a typical suburban home in a typical small town, and she has long since grown bored with her vanilla-flavored surroundings. Kat's brother Danny (Laurence Breuls) is currently serving a life sentence for murder, and the dangerously unpredictable hellion is now forced to move in with her father John (Robert Morgan) or face a life of destitution. Despite the fact that she is utterly dependent on her dad, her hatred for him reaches a breaking point when he informs her that he will sever her financial support and turn her child over to social services unless she finds a job. Subsequently unloading her toddler on her latest boyfriend Rusty (Michael Dorman) before embarking on a sex-fueled bender with Danny's decidedly slow-witted friend Kenny (Anthony Hayes), the enraged Kat soon cooks up a scheme to manipulate one of the men in her life to murder her father so she can sell his home, collect the cash, and carry on in her wild ways. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Barclay, Steve Bastoni, (more)
- 1997
- Add Loretta LaRoche: The Joy of Stress to QueueAdd Loretta LaRoche: The Joy of Stress to top of Queue
Loretta LaRoche is an adjunct faculty member of the Behavior Institute of Medicine, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. As well as appearing on various television programs, she presents seminars and lectures to employee groups and others around the country on effective ways to handle stress. LaRoche is especially adept at helping audiences relax while learning more about how they've developed their poor stress management skills and methods for improving them. She encourages viewers to increase the laughter in their lives while learning to view their problems and challenges in a new light. LaRoche reminds everyone that since nearly 75 percent of daily conversation is negative, it's important for everyone to concentrate on the more positive aspects of life. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In the Best Interest of the Child was not based on a true story. That's the official line adopted by producer Robert A. Papazian, even though the plot of this made-for-TV movie would seem to be inspired by the exploits of the real-life Dr. Elizabeth Morgan. True or no, there's plenty of conviction in this story of a young woman (Meg Tilly) who risks imprisonment for the sake of her daughter. Having learned that her ex-husband is molesting the child, Ms. Tilly "kidnaps" the girl and heads off to parts unknown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meg Tilly, Ed Begley, Jr., (more)
- 1989
After working at the publishing house for only a few months, Carol (Tracey Gold) is rewarded with a major promotion to the Punctuation Department. Her head spinning, Carol decides to enter the job force immediately--and not attend college. But Jason (Alan Thicke) and Maggie (Joanna Kerns) have other ideas, and they aren't averse to expressing those ideas in the loudest and most emphatic words at their disposal! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Christine (Markie Post) becomes the object of ridicule for the Night Court staff when she begins dating a wealthy sexagenerian named Ted (played by soap-opera stalwart Peter Hansen). The staffers are convinced that Christine isn't really interested in the old man romantically, but instead regards him merely as a father figure. No one is more vocal on the subject that Harry (Harry Anderson)--who has a hard time hiding his jealousy for the fortunate Ted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Divorce lawyer Danny De Vito warns his prospective client that the story he's about to tell isn't a pretty one, but the client listens with eager intensity -- as do the folks out there in the movie in the audience. The War of the Roses can best be described as a slapstick tragedy concerning the decline and literal fall of a marriage. After 17 years, Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) Rose want a divorce. Not for this couple is there anything resembling a "civilized understanding": Barbara wants their opulent house, and Oliver isn't about to part with the domicile. Barbara nails the basement door shut while Oliver is downstairs, Oliver disrupts Barbara's fancy party by taking aim at the catered dinner, Barbara lays waste to Oliver's sports car....and so it goes, culminating in a disastrous showdown around, about and under the living room's fancy chandelier. DeVito and screenwriter Michael Leeson never let us forget that the couple's self-indulgent imbroglio exacts an awful price upon their children (Sean Astin and Heather Fairfield). The War of the Roses was adapted from the novel by Warren Adler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, (more)
This music documentary is produced and directed by the same filmmaker who brought Monterrey Pop to the screen. It features performances from a 1969 Toronto rock 'n roll festival. The film shows performers Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Alan White, Klaus Voorman and John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band. Although many other people appeared in the 12-hour-long festival, the filmmaker chose to record the whole performances of these few, rather than give highlights of the entire festival. Festival-goers booed and walked out on a performance by Yoko Ono and her brand new Plastic Ono Band. Film reviewers at the time were similarly affected. Latterly, though, both her performance and this film have grown in interest and watchability, particularly given the rarity of such thorough documentation of these key performers' work in concert. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Hoping to curry favor with Daniel Collier (Peter Hansen), chairman of the board of the corporation that owns Cheers, Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) and the staff cater a party for Collier. As humiliating as it is for Rebecca to play "serving wench," it is even more appalling when she accidentally breaks a valuable vase. Gallant Woody (Woody Harrelson) takes the blame for the damage -- with surprising results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
A key entry in the "renaissance" of the New Zealand film industry, Smash Palace stars Bruno Lawrence as an ex-racing champ. Returning home to take over his late father's business, Lawrence finds that his sophisticated European wife Anna Jemison is bored beyond measure at her new existence. She throws him over in favor of his best friend, policeman Keith Aberdein. Lawrence might have been able to weather his wife's leaving him, but it is too much to bear when she takes their daughter with her. Shoved over the edge, Lawrence kidnaps the child, precipitating a grueling cross-country chase. Co-written by star Bruno Lawrence, Smash Palace was garlanded with praise from some of the world's most influential film critics. It's not that good, but it certainly holds one's rapt attention from start to finish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruno Lawrence, Anna Jemison, (more)
- 1968
Going undercover, and armed with plenty of James Bond-like paraphernalia, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) investigates an illegal gambling operation on a Gulf Coast cruise ship. In the course of events, the Inspector unearths a Mafia plot to seize political control of a major American state. When it originally aired on April 7, 1968, this episode ended with star Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) issuing his monthly "Wanted By the FBI" bulletin: the fugitive spotlighted on this occasion was James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Author Norman Mailer's sporadic ventures into filmmaking are usually pretty bad, but never without interest. Beyond the Law co-stars Mailer and several of his cronies, including fellow-author George Plimpton and actor Rip Torn. Also in the cast is Beverly Bentley, the onetime Mrs. Mailer. Set in a New York police precinct house, the improvised plotline concerns illicit gambling, motorcycle bums and corrupt city officials. The stilted, self-conscious performances of the cast indicate that Mailer might have been better off with a real script. Only Rip Torn looks as though he's playing a character rather than playing an actor playing a character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rip Torn, George Plimpton, (more)
- 1967
During WW II, courageous Norwegian children defied the Nazi invaders and risked certain death to smuggle gold out of their country. This children's adventure tells their true story which centers on 12-year-old Anstad who sees his countrymen hiding gold in a cave shortly after the Nazi invasion. Anstad and his friends decide to take the gold in backpacks to Oyen, a member of the underground. At one point they are discovered by a German soldier (James Franciscus in an early role) who decides to help them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Franciscus, Ilona Rodgers, (more)
- 1965
The debut episode of The F.B.I. focuses on the Bureau's intensive search for Francis Jerome (Jeffrey Hunter), an extortionist who specializes in fleecing gullible women. When Jerome breaks out of prison, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) figures that the fugitive will head to his home town to reconnect with his last victim, Jean Davis (Dina Merrill). Given Jerome's pathological hatred for women, the Feds race against time to prevent him from murdering his "mark." Meanwhile, in keeping with the series' first-season efforts to "humanize" Erskine, the good inspector agonizes over the budding romance between his daughter Barbara (Lynn Loring) and FBI agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Of the two competing Jean Harlow biopics released in 1965, producer Joseph E. Levine's Harlow is the more slickly professional, though neither film is exactly a cinematic landmark. Carroll Baker plays 1930s "platinum blonde" Jean Harlow, who, in keeping with the portrait painted by biographer Irving Schulman and Arthur Landau (upon whose book this film is based) was a forlorn waif tossed around like a football by the predatory males of wicked old Hollywood. Prodded by a hellish stage mother (Angela Lansbury) and an implicitly incestuous stepfather (Raf Vallone), Harlow rises to the pinnacle of movie stardom but never finds true happiness. The wedding-night revelation that her new husband, producer Paul Bern (Peter Lawford), is impotent is just another devastating blow for the poor girl. After all she goes through in the film, Harlow's premature death at age 26 is almost a relief. The only person who truly, deeply, sincerely cares about her is her lovable agent Arthur Landau (played by lovable Red Buttons) who, it will be remembered, co-authored the original Harlow book. Movie buffs will derive some perverse pleasure by the script's many distortions of the facts. Whatever its shortcomings, Harlow posted a huge profit for Joe Levine and Paramount Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, Martin Balsam, (more)
- 1964
Several years removed from her most famous TV role as nurse Consuelo Lopez on Marcus Welby MD, Eleana Verdugo appears in this episode as former Hooterville resident Mary Jane Hastings. Now a prominent big-city executive, Mary Jane returns to her home town, impressing one and all with her sharp business acumen. She also proves to be quite adept at manipulating the local menfolk--which may or may not be beneficial to Kate (Bea Benadaret and her daughters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
No one could accuse this episode of The Untouchables of defaming the Italians--certainly not with the young, aggressively WASP-ish Robert Redford as the villain of the week. Redford is cast as Ivy League bootlegger Jack Parker, who who is deliberately distributing a dangerous form of methyl alcohol known as "Ginger Jake" to college campuses. Even mob boss Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) is queasy about selling a product that could permanently blind anyone who drinks it, but Parker wins Nitti over by explaining his reason for pushing the cheap hooch: it will whet the students' appetite for the "good stuff", for which Parker has formulated a diabolically brilliant distribution scheme. This episode boasts one of the most grimly powerful finales in all Untouchables history--and as a bonus, Star Trek fans are treated to a glimpse of an uncredited Walter Koenig as one of the students. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Bart (Jack Kelly) feels particularly euphoric after he wins an enormous amount of money in a poker game. Returning to his hotel room to celebrate his good fortune, Bart is sidetracked by the woman down the hallway, Lana Cane (Fay Spain)--who appears to be on the verge of committing suicide. Needless to say, our hero is in for quite a few surprises, most of them dispensed by double-dyed villain Red Daniels (Edgar Buchanan). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The conflict between duty and conscience is explored in the WWII drama The Deep Six. Alan Ladd stars as Naval gunnery officer Alec Austin, a Quaker whose sincere pacifist sentiments do not sit well with his crew members. When he refuses to fire upon an unidentified plane, the word spreads that Austin cannot be relied upon in battle (never mind that the plane turns out to be one of ours). To prove that he's worthy of command, Austin volunteers for a dangerous mission: the rescue of a group of US pilots on a Japanese-held island. The ubiquitous William Bendix costars as Frenchy Shapiro (!), Austin's Jewish petty officer and severest critic. If the film has a villain, it is Keenan Wynn as ambitious Lt. Commander Edge, who seems to despise anyone who isn't a mainline WASP.The Deep Six was based on a novel by Martin Dibner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, William Bendix, (more)
- 1958
Perry (Raymond Burr) receives an urgent telegram from Frank Lawton (Stewart Bradley), an old Army buddy who apparently is in trouble. Not long afterward, Frank is charged with the murder of his boss, Scott Shelby (Tom Shelby). Offering to defend Frank, Perry is shocked to learn that his friend never sent that telegram, and was never in trouble...until now. This episode is based on a 1945 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
The 60-minute Mr. Krane was originally telecast March 21, 1957 on the daily network anthology Matinee Theatre. The story is set in the future-that is, in 1962. A cabinet minister receives a phone call from the mysterious Mr. Krane. The caller claims to be a visitor from outer space....and he definitely has an agenda. Sir Cedric Hardwycke and John Hoyt costar in this dash of whimsy. Initially broadcast live, Mr. Krane later resurfaced in color kinescope form as part of the syndicated series Cameo Theatre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Five Steps to Danger was adapted from thenovel The Steel Mirror by Donald Hamilton. When her scientist brother is killed in East Berlin, Ruth Roman finds herself in possession of a secret code, engraved on the back of a mirror. To prevent Ruth from delivering the secret information to the authorities, double agent Werner Klemperer has her committed to a mental institution. She finds an unlikely savior in the form of misanthropic drifter Sterling Hayden. Producer-director Henry S. Kesler also penned the numbingly complicated screenplay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Roman, Sterling Hayden, (more)
Set in the American West after the Civil War, this drama is the pull-no-punches story of a lethal family feud. Colt Saunders (Charlton Heston) fought for the Confederacy in the war, and he returns to his family's Texas cattle ranch after impulsively marrying Lorna Hunter (Anne Baxter) following a very short courtship. During the war, Mexican foreman Innocencio (Gilbert Roland) and his sons have run the ranch. Colt's one-armed brother, Cinch (Tom Tryon), who hasn't been much of a help, wants Colt to give him money for his part of the land. When Colt refuses to give him gold in exchange for his share of the inheritance, Cinch launches a scheme to sell the place to a wealthy Northerner. Colt chafes at the notion of selling to a former enemy. Lorna gets pregnant with their first child, and Colt then discovers that she once worked as a prostitute. Soon after, a plot to kill Colt is unleashed. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter, (more)
- 1956
In this war romance, set during WW II, a widow falls for a Marine colonel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Deborah Kerr, (more)
- 1955
The title refers not to James Cagney's curtain line in White Heat but to Northern Alaska, where this film is set. Dale Robertson plays an Air Force jet pilot who resents the fact that he's been transferred from Hawaii to the frozen north. He changes his mind when he meets his ex-wife (Evelyn Keyes), now the proprietress of an Alaskan nightclub. Alas, Evelyn is planning to get married again -- and her intended is none other than her ex-husband's commanding officer (Frank Lovejoy)! Hostilities build to a fever pitch, but all petty differences are forgotten when the commander oversees a rescue mission to save the pilot and his crew from a floating glacier. The aerial photography is the most entertaining ingredient of Top of the World. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Robertson, Evelyn Keyes, (more)
- 1954
Though heavily advertised as Delmar Daves' Drum Beat, this film owed its existence to producer-star Alan Ladd. The star is cast as a veteran Indian fighter Johnny MacKay, who because of his close relationship with the Medoc tribe is sent out to negotiate a peace treaty. Once he has arrived in Medoc territory, Johnny (Ladd) must contend with the misspent emotions of his childhood sweetheart Toby (Marisa Pavan), the sister of Indian chief Manok (Anthony Caruso). Jealous over Johnny's relationship with pretty Nancy Meek (Audrey Dalton), Toby has cast her lot with renegade warrior Captain Jack (Charles Bronson), who honors no treaties. Though the film has a Native American villain, Drum Beat is largely sympathetic to the plight of the Indian. Based on a true story, the film is distinguished by J. Peverell Marley's breathtaking exterior photography, and by Victor Young's ballad-like musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, Audrey Dalton, (more)
