David Hartman Movies
American actor David Hartman was born into a family of German immigrants. Unable to provide for his family as a Methodist minister, Hartman's father became a salesman for the J. Walter Thompson ad agency. As the Hartman's lifestyle improved, the family unit disintegrated -- a fact not lost on young David, who swore to have a firmer control on his own life if he ever achieved success. With single-purposed determination, Hartman entered acting, toiling first in commercials and ultimately winning the pivotal role of singing waiter Rudolph in the original 1964 Broadway production of Hello Dolly. This assignment led to a contract with Universal, where after several desultory pilot films (including I Love a Mystery) Hartman was costarred in two series: The Virginian and The Bold Ones. David was given an opportunity to carry a weekly program by himself with 1974's Lucas Tanner, but its early cancellation led him to seek a more secure outlet for his talents. Thus he accepted the hosting chores for the ABC early-morning daily Good Morning America, a job he held from 1975 through 1987. Opinions vary as to Hartman's offscreen demeanor during this period: Some found him caring, concerned, well-prepared and knowledgable, while others (including professional journalists who were envious that a mere actor was anchoring an information program) insisted that Hartman was demanding, obstreperous and autocratic. After leaving Good Morning America, David Hartman more or less dropped out of the public view, though he has occasionally resurfaced as the emcee of late-night infomercials. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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For fans who want to enjoy the "Boys of Summer" in any season, this look at the major league baseball team founded in the 1880s and still going strong today is sure to satisfy that craving. Noted for their propensity for losing the pennant at the last possible moment, the Brooklyn Dodgers became one of the most beloved teams in Major League Baseball thanks to the prowess of such players as Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Don Newcomb, and Carl Furillo. Of course the team would make sports history when Branch Rickey broke the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson in 1947, and during their tenure in Brooklyn the team would appear in a staggering nine World Series matches - eventually beating their bitter rivals the New York Yankees in 1955. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hartman
- 1967
A baffling robbery at the Comus Towers art museum becomes a personal matter for Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) when his close friend, the museum owner, is murdered. Inasmuch as the crime took place in a high-rise building, it would seem that a "human fly" was the culprit. At least, that's what the police believe--but Ironside is becoming more and more certain that the robbery was an inside job, and that the criminal is still on the premises. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
This military comedy finds chief petty officer Doc Willoughby (Doug McClure) on board the submarine U.S.S. Bustard. He spends the majority of his off-duty time chasing women, getting in fights and trying to stay one step ahead of the irascible commanding officer. He scatters cockroaches in the captain's quarters in an attempt to gain shore leave to make time with a pretty female. Nancy Kwan is the Japanese nurse who is his love interest, and James Whitmore is the infuriated commander who suspects but is unable to pin anything on the resourceful CPO. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bea Bradley, Steve Carlson, (more)
- 1968
Doris Day peers through layers of camera gauze to star in The Ballad of Josie, a second-rate variation of Cat Ballou. For openers, Day is arrested for the billiard-cue bludgeoning of her late husband. Upon her acquittal, she takes up sheep ranching in Wyoming. To prove herself as good as any man, Day organizes the other frontier wives into a woman's suffrage movement. She succeeds in establishing her equality, winning good-guy Peter Graves in the process. Ballad of Josie was produced by Norman MacDonnell, who was on firmer Western ground when he was producer of the radio and TV series Gunsmoke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Day, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1968
After registering well in supporting roles in such Bob Hope farces as Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number and Eight on the Lam, raucous comedienne Phyllis Diller attempted to carry a picture all by herself. Alas, Did You Hear the One About the Travelling Saleslady? proved to be as bad as its title. Borrowing elements previously utilized in Joan Davis' Travelling Saleswoman (1950) and the Ginger Rogers-Carol Channing vehicle The First Travelling Saleslady (1956), the film casts Diller as a player-piano saleslady, dispatched to the Wild West. TV-sitcom perennials Bob Denver and Joe Flynn offer their usual overplayed support; at times they're funnier than Diller, though that's not saying much. The film's highlight is a cattle stampede, which should give you some idea. Did You Hear the One... was scripted by John Fenton Murray, soon to be a mainstay of such Sid & Marty Krofft kiddie fare as The Bugaloos and Lidsville; compared to the Diller film, the Krofft stuff was a step upward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Diller, Joe Flynn, (more)
- 1970
San Francisco International is a multiplotted drama set at the titular air transport center. Several storylines intersect at various junctures: A $3,000,000 cargo plane robbery, a teenaged boy commandeering an aircraft, and a violent confrontation between a nasty businessman and a an airheaded hippie. Presiding over these major and minor crises is airport manager Pernell Roberts. When San Francisco International became the TV series San Francisco International Airport, Lloyd Bridges stepped into the Van Johnson role. The series, which ran from 1970 to 1971, was part of NBC's Four in One umbrella weekly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
With a title like The Feminist and the Fuzz, the TV-movie comedy could only have been produced in the swinging' seventies. Barbara Eden forsakes her "I Dream of Jeannie" obsequiousness to play dedicated feminist Dr. Jane Bowers. While engaging in a protest rally, Jane comes in contact with chauvinistic cop Jerry Frazer (David Hartman). The plot then contrives to force these two opposites to become roommates. The Feminist and the Fuzz debuted in 1971--January 26, to be exact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Season Six of Ironside gets under way with the first episode of a two-part story. Wheelchair-bound detective Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr) travels from San Francisco to Los Angeles, where his assistant Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) lies seriously wounded in a hospital bed, the victim of an unidentified sniper. The situation becomes graver still when it develops that Ed may well be paralyzed for life, just like Chief Ironside. Ed's only hope for a completely recovery rests with an experimental procedure developed by a brilliant surgeon named Ritter (Vic Morrow)--whose daughter has been kidnapped to prevent him from performing the operation! The conclusion of this story was originally seen on September 19, 1972 as the fourth-season opener of the NBC series The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, with the latter show's stars E.G. Marshall (Dr. David Craig) and David Hartman (Dr. Paul Hunter) appearing in both Parts One and Two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
I Love a Mystery was a campy TV revival of Phillips Lord's old radio series. The three adventure-loving heroes are Jack, Doc and Reggie (Les Crane, David Hartman and Hagan Beggs), insurance investigators hired to tackle a mystery at a remote island mansion. Ida Lupino plays a domineering matriarch whose billionaire husband is missing, and who seems to know more than she's letting on. The mystery's ingredients include the eerie nocturnal sound of a crying baby and a series of related murders and kidnappings. The heroes are occasionally distracted from their work by Lupino's nubile daughters Faith, Hope and Charity (Karen Jensen, Deanna Lund and Melodie Johnson). The script for I Love a Mystery was based on Philips Lord's classic radio serial "The Thing That Cries in the Night," but there's nothing classic or even remotely entertaining about the derisive, patronizing treatment of the source material herein. This made-for-TV "busted pilot" gathered dust for seven years before its 1973 premiere, and not without just cause. A further note: Though Don Knotts is advertised as one of the "stars," he shows up to sputter one miserable line at the end of the film! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
A husband (David Hartman) and his wife (Jess Walton) have an argument, and the wife runs out of the house. After searching for quite some time, he cannot find her -- but what he does find is evidence that she has been murdered and more evidence that implicates him as the killer. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The 1947 film comedy Miracle on 34th Street starred Edmund Gwenn as a bearded gentleman named Kris Kringle, who was convinced that he was the genuine Santa Claus. The earlier Miracle was good enough as it stood, so why remake it? Still, the full-color 1973 Miracle on 34th Street has the considerable advantage of Sebastian Cabot, his trademarked beard dyed snowy white, as Kringle, so it isn't as bad as expected. The story, which involves the commercial and legal ramifications of the "real" Santa taking a job as a department store Santa at Macy's, was barely updated for the 1970s, meaning that several of the plot devices--including a nasty psychiatrist who has Kringle committed--were somewhat anachronistic. The uplifting final scene, wherein a cynical little girl becomes a true believer of Santa Claus (as do the adults in the story), still works well in the remake, even though Suzanne Davidson isn't in the same league as the original Miracle's Natalie Wood. The TV-movie version of Miracle on 34th Street wasn't too successful, but that didn't stop John Hughes from churning out a second remake in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- G
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This Disney family adventure, directed by Robert Stevenson in his Jules Verne mode, concern a group of explorers who travel to the Arctic Circle in 1908 to explore the uncharted wastes of the North Pole. Sir Anthony Ross (Donald Sinden), a rich Londoner, organizes an Arctic exploration team in hopes of locating his missing son. Providing expert advice is Prof. John Ivarson (David Hartman), a professor of Nordic history. As the group explores the frozen tundra, they come across an unknown valley, skirting the borders of a giant volcano, that turns out to be a lost Viking kingdom. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hartman, Donald Sinden, (more)
- 1974
David Hartman stars as Lucas Tanner in this made for TV film. A former athlete and sportswriter, Tanner decides to become a high school teacher after losing his wife and son in an auto accident. His new career is almost over before it begins when Tanner is held responsible for the death of a student. Rosemary Murphy co-stars as Tanner's rules-are-rules principal. First telecast May 8, 1974, Lucas Tanner served as the pilot for the subsequent series of the same name, which also starred Hartman and Murphy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
A female student, being tutored by a 13 year old genius, wants her tutor to help her cheat on an exam. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1979
This informative video is hosted by Dr. David Hartman and features a discussion on Jewish tradition. Topics include faith renewal, interdependence and religious law. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1999
Host David Hartman and historian Barry Lewis team up in this "video walking tour," and investigate Hartman's claim that the biggest stars of Broadway aren't necessarily in the theaters and under the lights. Viewers go along as they traverse Broadway from the bustle of the financial district to the hush of the Cloisters, which houses art and architecture from a less frantic time. They stop at various points on the way, and discuss major events from more than 400 years of New York City history. The drama of the street and its live characters rival any hit show that might appear on-stage. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The first of a popular PBS video "walking tour" series, Walk Down 42nd Street features David Hartman and historian Barry Lewis as hosts. They point out historic landmarks and tell stories that may come as a surprise to many who think they know the area well. There are secret gardens, a bathroom that commands the best view of the city, and a large blunder in the constellation painting at Grand Central Station. Former mayor Ed Koch and Broadway stars Chita Rivera and Audra McDonald are among the New Yorkers interviewed. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 2004
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Before breaking the hearts of Brooklynites by moving to the West Coast, the Dodgers called that borough of New York City home. Dem Bums: The Brooklyn Dodgers documents the years the franchise played there and includes footage of some of the most famous players in the team's history. Although the team usually failed to measure up to the rival Yankees, the Dodgers could claim such legendary players as Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Gil Hodges. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
A man haunted by the spirits of the vengeful dead searches frantically for the one girl who doesn't think he's completely psychotic in first-time feature filmmaker Adam Ahlbrandt's tense thriller. The one thing that Jeffrey fears most is being labeled a psychopath, and he's constructed an impenetrable wall of self-denial to prevent that from happening. When Jeffrey meets Dana, he is overjoyed. Like Jeffrey, Dana also possesses the gift of "sight." But just as Jeffrey prepares to prove his sanity once and for all, he is beaten into a coma and Dana goes missing. Upon awakening, Jeffrey sets out to save Dana and seek out the answers to his many troublesome questions. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
