Billie Hayes Movies
A domesticated Shrek hatches a plan to recapture his mojo and discovers what life in Far Far Away land would have been like had he never existed in this final chapter of the popular animated film series. There used to be a time when the villagers would run in terror at the mere mention of the name Shrek, but these days the big green ogre is married to Princess Fiona and raising triplets. Maintaining your fierce public persona is no simple task when you're juggling infants and changing diapers, so when Shrek realizes that nobody is afraid of him anymore he recruits mischief-maker Rumpelstiltskin to restore his once-mighty roar. Unfortunately for Shrek, that plan hits an unexpected hitch. As a result, the morose monster takes a trip into an alternate-universe Far Far Away land where there is no Shrek, and Rumpelstiltskin reigns. There, Donkey spends his days hauling carts, and a portly Puss in Boots prefers lounging to swashbuckling. Perhaps with a little extra effort, Shrek will be able to regain his status as top ogre in town and still have his happily ever after, too. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, (more)
Walt Disney Pictures produced this ambitious, animated tale of sorcery and swordfighting. Taran (voice of Grant Bardsley), is an assistant to Dallben (voice of Freddie Jones), a pigkeeper in the mythical land of Prydain. Taran longs to be a knight, and he's given his chance to live out his dream when he is sent out in search of a magical black cauldron which can either be a powerful instrument of good or a bottomless fount of evil, depending entirely upon who should find it. However, Taran is not the only one in search of this talisman -- the Horned King (voice of John Hurt) wants the cauldron to shore up his sinister powers and raise an army of the dead, and with the help of the all-seeing pig Hen-Wren, the wicked one may make his hideous plans a reality. The Black Cauldron had the distinction of being the first animated feature from Disney to receive a PG rating from the MPAA, due to some frightening scenes of black magic. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, (more)
- 1984
The two-hour debut episode of Murder, She Wrote finds former substitute teacher Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) reluctantly thrust into the limelight when her first mystery novel, "The Corpse Danced at Midnight," becomes a best-seller. Invited to a costume ball held by her publisher, Jessica comes face to face with a genuine murder when guest Dexter Baxendale (Dennis Patrick), wearing a Sherlock Holmes costume, turns up dead. Suspicion immediately falls upon Jessica's nephew Grady (Michael Horton), forcing our heroine to turn sleuth herself. Throughout the story, the widowed Jessica must also wrestle with her growing attraction to handsome Preston Giles (Arthur Hill). Watch for future Murder, She Wrote semi-regular Herb Edelman in a role other than Lt. Artie Gelber, and also for a young Andy Garcia in a bit part as a tough guy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
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Love him or hate him comedian Paul Lynde - the master of the slow burn, who presided over the "center square" on Hollywood Squares for years and made famous the character of Uncle Arthur on Bewitched - also mounted this all-star Halloween special in late October 1976. The story, adapted from A Christmas Carol, has the comedic actor cast as "Paul Lynde", a more severe and hateful variant of his typically snide and sarcastic on-camera persona, who detests all things associated with Halloween. Three witches then crop up and determine to change his mind, ala Scrooge. The plethora of guest stars includes Tim Conway, Florence Henderson, Donny and Marie Osmond, the glam rock band KISS, Betty White, Roz Kelly, Billy Barty and Margaret Hamilton, from The Wizard of Oz. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 1971
Lidsville, the third of Sid and Marty Krofft's Saturday-morning childrens' series, was arguably the wierdest and wildest, bursting to the seams with psychedelic zaniness -- and, it might be whispered, even more covert references to "controlled substances" than were found in the immortal H.R. Pufnstuf. Butch Patrick of "Eddie Munster" fame starred as the series' "human" hero Mark, who while attending a magic show at Six Flags Over Texas became consumed with curiosity over the conjuring act presented by Merlino the Magnificent. Sneaking backstage, Mark stared in amazement as Merlino's magic hat grew to a humongous size. Even more amazing was what happened after Mark fell into the hat, tumbling out of the "real" world and into the land of Lidsville, a garishly colored metropolis populated almost entirely by talking hats (played, of course, by small-sized actors wearing full-body Krofft costumes). Immediately befriending the "Good Hats" of Lidsville -- among them Colonel Poom, Admiral Scuttlebutt, Big Chief Sitting Duck, Rah-Rah the Football Helmet, Scorchy the Fireman's Hat, and Twirly the Beanie -- Mark vowed to protect them from the sinister machinations of green-skinned, red-goateed evil magician Horatio W. Hoo Doo (Charles Nelson Reilly) and his menagerie of "Bad Hats" and anthropomorphic magic props (among them the appropriately named Raunchy Rabbit). For his part, Hoo Doo devoted his every waking hour to capturing Mark so that he could retrieve his magic ring, and thus gain control of the marvelous Weenie the Genie (played in drag by Billie Hayes, the unforgettable "Witchiepoo" from H.R. Pufnstuf).
Throughout the series' 17 half-hour episodes, Mark enlisted the aid of his new hat friends in his efforts to escape Lidsville and return to his own world, forever keeping one step ahead of the indefatigable Hoo Doo, who could generally be found astride his flying "Hatamarand." Utilizing state-of-the-art special effects (for 1971 at least!) and boasting, broad, con brio performances from everyone in the cast, Lidsville was nothing if not exhilarating and eye-catching. The series originally aired on ABC from September 11, 1971, through September 1, 1973, then was rebroadcast by NBC from September 8, 1973 through August 31, 1974. ~ Rovi
Throughout the series' 17 half-hour episodes, Mark enlisted the aid of his new hat friends in his efforts to escape Lidsville and return to his own world, forever keeping one step ahead of the indefatigable Hoo Doo, who could generally be found astride his flying "Hatamarand." Utilizing state-of-the-art special effects (for 1971 at least!) and boasting, broad, con brio performances from everyone in the cast, Lidsville was nothing if not exhilarating and eye-catching. The series originally aired on ABC from September 11, 1971, through September 1, 1973, then was rebroadcast by NBC from September 8, 1973 through August 31, 1974. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Nelson Reilly, Butch Patrick, (more)
- 1971
Once again, Tabitha enters the magical world of her storybooks. This time, she takes the place of Hansel and Gretel (Eric Chase, Cindy Henderson), while they assume human form and pop up in the real world. Billie Hayes, the irrepressible Witchiepoo on H.R. Pufnstuf, essays a strikingly similar role in this episode. Written by Michael Morris, "Hansel and Gretel in Samanthaland" was originally slated for telecast during the holiday season, but aired instead on November 17, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick Sargent, (more)
This children's fantasy is based on Sid and Marty Krofft's popular 1960s kiddy show H.R. Pufnstuff, which combined giant puppets and live action players. In the story, a young lad with a magical flute travels to a magic island where inanimate objects and animals talk. There he encounters the amiable dragon Pufnstuf, the mayor of the island. When the wicked Witchiepoo steals the flute so she can be named "Witch of the Year" by her cronies, the boy, the dragon, and their pals must somehow get it back from her enchanted castle. Songs include "Pufnstuf", "Angel Raid", "Charge", "Fire in the Castle", "Happy Hour", "Leaving Living Island", "Rescue Racer to the Rescue", "Witchiepoo's Lament" and ""Different"". ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Wild, Billie Hayes, (more)
- 1969
In the second volume of a series culled from the early 1970s Sid and Marty Kroftt children's program, Pufnstuf and his human pal Jimmy (Jack Wild) take on the malevolent Witchie-Poo (Billie Hayes). ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1969
In the first volume of a series culled from the early 1970s Sid and Marty Kroftt children's program, Pufnstuf and his human pal Jimmy (Jack Wild) take on the malevolent Witchie-Poo (Billie Hayes). ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1967
Stranded in Swineville, U.S.A., the Monkees find themselves in the middle of the long-standing feud between the Weskitts and the Chubbers. Inevitably, Davy falls in love with Ella Mae Chubber (played by former F-Troop regular Melody Patterson), which gets him in trouble with Ella Mae's secret boyfriend Judd Weskitt (Lou Antonio). Also appearing are Dub Taylor as Paw and Billie Hayes (the immortal "Witchiepoo" on H.R. Pufnstuf) as Maw. Song: "Papa Gene's Blues. Written by Peter Meyerson, "Hillbilly Honeymoon" first aired on October 23, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Tom Tryon plays the title role in this Otto Preminger version of the Henry Morton Robinson novel. In his matriculation from Monsignor to the College of Cardinals, Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon) must undergo several grueling life experiences: standing up to bigots in Georgia, defying Nazis in Austria, and so on. The film boasts cameo appearances by Dorothy Gish, Cecil Kellaway, John Saxon, John Huston, Robert Morse, Burgess Meredith, Raf Vallone, Ossie Davis. Incidentally, Tryon eventually quit acting and became a popular novelist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Tryon, Carol Lynley, (more)
1959's Li'l Abner was adapted from the hit 1956 Broadway musical--which, in turn, was inspired by the satirical comic strip by Al Capp. Peter Palmer recreates his Broadway role as Li'l Abner Yokum, the handsome, muscle-bound, muscle-brained leading hillbilly of Dogpatch, USA. The citizens of Dogpatch are in an uproar because their ramshackle community has been designated the "most useless" town in America, and therefore a prime candidate for an atomic bomb testing site. At first, the Dogpatchers consider their least-desirable status a great honor, but then they despair upon realizing that they'll have to vacate the premise before the annual girl-chases-boy Sadie Hawkins Day race. Together with his Mammy (Billie Hayes) and Pappy (Joe E. Marks), Li'l Abner is dispatched to Washington DC, to argue that Dogpatch has some vital significance: after all, only in Dogpatch can one partake of the Yokumberry Tonic, the source of Abner's super strength. Shifty billionaire General Bullmoose (Howard St. John) wants that Yokumberry tonic for his own devices, and to that end dispatches his lady friend Appasionatta von Climax (Stella Stevens) to Dogpatch to catch Li'l Abner during the Sadie Hawkins race and thus secure the mountain boy's cooperation via marriage. Li'l Abner's erstwhile girl friend Daisy Mae Scragg (Leslie Parrish) would likewise like to snare Abner in the race, but Appasionata wins, thanks to the squirrelly Evil Eye Fleegle (Al Nesor), whose "triple whammy" paralyzes Abner just inches before the finish line. If you think all this is unbelievable, wait till you see how the story resolves itself. Featured in the cast is Stubby Kaye as Marryin' Sam, who leads the hillbilly chorus in the musical's best number, "Jubilation T. Corpone". Other Johnny Mercer-Gene de Paul tunes carried over from the Broadway version of Li'l Abner are "A Typical Day," "If I Had My Druthers," "Namely You," "The Country's in the Very Best of Hands," "Past My Prime," "Put 'Em Back (The Way They Wuz)" and "The Matrimonial Stomp."The film is staged in the same broad, caricatured manner as the play, which only adds to the fun. An earlier, unrelated movie adaptation of Li'l Abner, filmed in 1940, is best forgotten, as is a series of lukewarm Abner cartoons produced by Screen Gems in the late forties. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Palmer, Leslie Parrish, (more)
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