Peter Haskell Movies
Actor Peter Haskell has from time to time showed up in theatrical films (he was in two of the three Child's Play flicks), but the lion's share of his work has been on television. Haskell has starred or co-starred in such made-for-TV films as The Ballad of Andy Crocker (1969), The Eyes of Charles Sand (1970), The Phantom of Hollywood (1973), The Night They Took Miss Beautiful (1977) and The Cracker Factory (1979). His many regular weekly series assignments include Bracken's World (1969-71), as producer Kevin Grant, and The Law and Harry McGraw (1987), as assistant district attorney Tyler Chase; he was also seen on a daily basis in the soap operas Ryan's Hope and Rituals. In all of his appearances, Peter Haskell seems to have been born sitting behind an mahogany desk while wearing a three-piece suit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2000
Kim Coles returns as "Dr. Mary" Thomas, the sassy radio-advice-show rival of Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). When Mary and Frasier are assigned to co-host Seattle's Christmas Parade, Frasier is none too happy about it -- especially since Mary had started out as his temporary employee and ended up as his chief competition. Even worse, the public clearly "loves" Dr. Mary more than Dr. Crane, a fact that leads to an uncharacteristic stream of over-the-air venom from Frasier just at a time when his audience was primed for a bit of Yuletide warmth and cheer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Filmed for television, Once You Meet a Stranger is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, using the same Patricia Highsmith novel as its source but transforming the protagonists into females. A chance meeting brings together former child star Sheila Gaines (Jacqueline Bisset) and the deceptively charming social butterfly Margo Anthony (Theresa Russell). As the ladies converse, two major facts come to light: Sheila is saddled with an ex-husband who refuses to give him a divorce, while Margo despises her wealthy mother and wishes her dead. In what seems to be a playful hypothesis, Margo suggests that she and Sheila "trade murders"; she will kill Sheila's former husband, Sheila will do in Margo's mom, and the authorities won't be any the wiser. Figuring that Margo is a harmless eccentric at best and a nutcase at worse, Sheila laughs off the notion of such an "arrangement"--but she isn't laughing when her troublesome ex-hubby turns up dead! If you've seen Strangers on a Train, you know how this one turns out, so best to find another way to spend 95 minutes. Once You Meet a Stranger originally aired September 25, 1996 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- PG
In this follow-up to its predecessor Robot Jox, Robot Wars again involves a bleak post-Armageddon world where the survivors settle their differences in mammoth robot fights. Here a couple of desperates resurrect the world's last "good-guy" robot which they use to save all humanity. ~ All Movie Guide
Nell Carter stars a a popular singer and Dinah Manoff costars as her maid du jour in the made-for-TV Maid For Each Other. A spoiled-rotten widow whose wealthy husband left her penniless, Dinah hasn't quite latched onto the concept of being at someone else's beck and call. As for Nell, she doesn't suffers fools very easily. This situation is fitfully amusing in itself, but the fun really begins when Nell and Dinah uncover an insidious plot involving corporate espionage and murder. Maid for Each Other debuted January 13, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
- Add Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking to QueueAdd Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking to top of Queue
Several years have passed since the events of the previous film, and yet again the makers of Good Guys dolls -- a line which included the homicidal Chucky -- decide to reinstate their product line. Unfortunately, some of the materials used are still imbued with the evil spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray (voice of Brad Dourif), whose soul once inhabited the Chucky doll... and who returns to action in a spanking new Good Guy body. Determined at first to finish the job he started by swapping bodies with young Andy (Justin Whalin) -- who is now a teenager in military school -- Chucky decides to change tactics, setting his sights on a much younger boy. When Andy becomes aware of the situation, he is compelled to put a stop to Chucky's Satanic antics once and for all. The signs of a creatively-depleted horror franchise are evident (they had already shown themselves in the previous installment), but there is still enough juice left for the spooky climax, which borrows a riff from Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Whalin, Perrey Reeves, (more)
- 1991
Peter Falk is Lieutenant Columbo, and the murderer is known to the audience from the get-go. This much we know before ever tuning in to Columbo: Caution--Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health. The special guest killer this time is George Hamilton, host of an America's Most Wanted-style TV show. Threatened with public revelation that he once starred in a porno film, Hamilton rubs out the blackmailer and cleverly covers his tracks. It must needs be that Hamilton's little murder will be re-enacted on his own TV show, and that Lt. Columbo will show up, rumpled raincoat and all, to ask that "one last question" at every turn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Falk, George Hamilton, (more)
- 1990
- R
When his scientist father is kidnapped by Middle-Eastern terrorists, Matt Harman (Raphael Sbarge), a championship motocross contestant, is designated by his dad's captors as the ideal courier. Western governments agree that the boy can serve as a go-between, and he is all prepared to deliver a special computer chip to the terrorists. He is accompanied in his travels by a lovely female secret agent and a local Middle Eastern spy who has the rare distinction of also being royalty. Together, they work to save his father and disappoint the terrorists. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raphael Sbarge, Catherine Stewart, (more)
A derivative rehashing of its predecessor (which itself owes a heavy debt to Trilogy of Terror), this sequel details the plight of young Andy (Alex Vincent), who in the previous film narrowly escaped losing his soul to make room for devil-doll Chucky (voice of Brad Dourif). Possessed by the spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, Chucky had coveted Andy's body as a replacement for his own plastic shell... which ended up beaten and burned beyond recognition. At this film's outset, Andy's mom has suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of the prior human-vs.-doll battle, and Andy has been taken to a foster home. In the meantime, the makers of Good Guys dolls decide to reconstruct the scrappy little toy, hoping to prove the doll's harmlessness and sway public opinion. Alas, this is a major horror-movie no-no, and Chucky staggers obnoxiously back to life, with a renewed interest in body-swapping with Andy. Not awful as horror sequels go, this follows the standard horror-franchise formula (such as upping the gore quotient with each sequel) but manages to throw in a few appreciable scares, particularly at the climax (which echoes that of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining). ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Vincent, Jenny Agutter, (more)
- 1989
In this drama, legal eagle Cromwell must protect her client who has been wrongly accused of killing a grifter. She is up against a crafty, and earnest police officer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
This slick and stylish episode is something of a variation of the classic film noir DOA, with overtones of Raymond Chandler. Travelling to Hollywood in the company of elderly writer Walter Murray (Mike Connors), with whom she is slated to collaborate on a movie script, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) makes a brief stop at a seedy motel-diner. Later that evening, Walter is found dead in his motel room, leaving behind a tape recording detailing the events leading up to his demise. In a series of stunningly photographed black-and-white flashbacks, Jessica learns that on the previous evening, Walter had been reunited with a woman (Elizabeth Ashley) whom he hadn't seen in 19 years--not since he killed her abusive husband! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Wealthy and powerful Roger Hennessy (Peter Haskell) insists upon calling all the shots as Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) investigate the kidnapping of Hennessy's young wife Laura (Katherine Moffat). Though Laura is returned unharmed once the ransom is paid, the case is far from closed: a witness who demanded a chunk of the ransom has turned up murdered. Going after the killer, the two detectives find that the trail of clues leads right back to Mr. and (especially) Mrs. Hennessy. Watch for a supporting appearance by a pre-Star Trek: The Next Generation Brent Spiner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Jessica's niece Victoria (Genie Francis) and the girl's husband Howard (Jeff Conaway), previously introduced in the first-season episode "Birds of a Feather", make return appearances here--and, as before, the couple promptly embroils Jessica (Angela Lansbury) in a murder case. This time, the victim was Victoria's advertising-executive boss, a notorious womanizer. Victoria falls under suspicion when it turns out that her late boss had intended to "lend" her to his newest client, the hedonistic owner of a questionable fast-food chain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This is the first A-Team episode to feature a famous guest star as "himself," in this case singer Rick James. At James' request, the A-Team forms a protective circle around legendary musician CJ Mack (Isaac Hayes), recently released from prison after serving time from manslaughter. It seems that Mack has been targeted for extermination by the prison's corrupt warden (Peter Haskell) because he knows too much about a sophisticated crime operation headquartered behind bars. Keep an eye out for James Avery (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Filmed in California, copyrighted in Turkey and enacted in Armenian, Forty Days of Musa Dagh is set in the decades following the Russo-Turkish war of 1878. Persecuted by their conquerors, a group of Armenian nationals form a resistance movement. The conquering Ottomans retaliate by committing some of the most egregious forms of genocide ever perpetrated. The bulk of the storyline takes place in 1915, when Armenian Gabriel Bagradian (Kabir Bedi), an officer in the Turkish military, relinquishes his commission and joins the resistance. The film culminates in the courageous defense against the Turks at Fort Musa Dagh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kabir Bedi, Ronnie Carol, (more)
- 1982
When a Hollywood sex symbol is kidnapped for ransom, the daredevil team, The Fantastic Seven, head to Miami where the filming occurred. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1979
In this adventure, a mother ends up lost in a blizzard after she goes out in search of a Christmas tree. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Based on the best-selling novel by Joyce Rebeta-Burditt, the made-for-TV Cracker Factory originally aired on March 16, 1979. Natalie Wood stars as alcoholic Cleveland housewife Cassie Barrett, who after attempting suicide is shipped off by her family to a psychiatric ward. It's not the first time Cassie has been in "the cracker factory", but the doctors continue to hope that she'll eventually learn to grasp reality and stop hiding behind her boozing and blustering facade. As before Cassie resists the trappings of normality; this time, however, she may end up in the "factory" to stay if she doesn't at least try to help herself. Alternating sombre tragedy with moments of raucous comedy, Cracker Factory is an outstanding tour de force for Natalie Wood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
One of two 1979 TV pilot films concerning the exploits of crimefighting movie stuntmen (the other was Stunts Unlimited), Stunt Seven was telecast May 30, 1979. Christopher Connelly heads the cast as ace stunter Hill Singleton. His six-person "team" includes Skip (Christopher Lloyd), Elena (Morgan Brittany), Wally (Bob Seagren), Kenny (Soon Teck Oh), Horatio (Brian Brodsky) and Dinah (Juanin Clay). This time around, "Stunt Seven" must rescue sexy movie star Elke Sommer from the clutches of a well-guarded modern pirate. The fact that the villain is played by Patrick MacNee of Avengers fame should tip one off that Stunt Seven was conceived with tongue firmly in cheek. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This feature-length pilot for an unsold TV series was based on Mandrake the Magician, the long-running comic strip created by Lee Falk and Phil Davis in 1934. Raised in the Himalayas, the orphaned Mandrake (played as a child by David Hollander, and as an adult by Anthony Herrera) is taught the secrets of magic and mass hypnosis by the wizard Theron (James Hong), and is given an enchanted amulet that will protect him from harm. With the help of his loyal assistant Lother (Ji-Tu Cumbuka), the caped, top-hatted Mandrake attempts to thwart an insane extortionist who threatens to kill innocent amusement-park patrons unless he is given 10,000,000 dollars. Princess Narda, Mandrake's exotic vis-à-vis from the funny papers, is here replaced by a feisty female cohort named Stacy (Simone Griffeth). Earning no plaudits from devotees of the original comic strip, Mandrake was little heard from after its initial NBC telecast on January 24, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Herrera
- 1978
Raymond Burr attempted a return to weekly television in this feature-length pilot for the proposed series The Jordan Chance. Having spent seven years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, attorney Frank Jordan (Burr) dedicates his life to defending others who have been falsely accused. To this end, he sets up "The Jordan Chance," a foundation for those who have been victimized by the imperfections of the American legal system. His first client is Elena Delgado (Maria-Elena Cordero), a young Hispanic woman who has been tried and convicted in the "court of public opinion" for murdering her lover. The Jordan Chance made its CBS debut on December 12, 1978. Unfortunately for Burr, a subsequent series failed to materialize. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
In this drama, five beauty aspiring beauty queens are abducted in a hijacked airplane. Also upon the plane is a strain of deadly virus. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
The plot of this episode is feuled by a deadly battle of wits between a 12-year-old girl named Julie Todd (Kim Richards) and phony doctor William F. Dunson (Peter Haskell). Julie knows that Dunson, whose real name is James Cooper, has murdered her mother in order to gain access to a fortune hidden on the dead woman's property. In her relentless efforts to expose the killer, Julie may well be impeding the efforts of Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) to investigate the same murder--and in the process, may also be signing her own death warrant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In this thriller, an enigmatic phantom lives in the dank tunnels running beneath the ramshackle back lot of a former movie lot. When prospective buyers endeavor to purchase the property, the furious phantom goes on the rampage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
