Helen Hayes Movies

This documentary is named for a play written by Maxwell Anderson, one of the giants of 20th century American theater. The film is an intimate portrait of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Anderson, who was born in 1888 and educated at Stanford University before turning to journalism and then to the theater, where he left a lasting legacy. He penned such classics as "Key Largo," "The Bad Seed," "What Price Glory," "Anne of a Thousand Days," and "Both Your Houses." His dream was to write in verse because he was "weary of plays in prose that never lifted from the ground." After some initial failures, he did compose two successful dramas in verse of Elizabeth the Queen and Mary of Scotland. His crowning achievement came with the composition in verse of Winterset, a poetic tragedy set in contemporary America. The play won him the first New York Drama Critics Circle award in 1935. A verse play of a revisionist view of Richard III was published posthumously. This documentary is narrated by Robert Lansing, and features interviews with Burgess Meredith and Helen Hayes. His friend Ms. Hayes says it best when she proclaims her friend "an American master, a national treasure". ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi

Originally broadcast as a two-hour TV movie, this opening episode of Highway to Heaven has since been divided into two one-hour installments for syndication. In part two, probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon), adopting the guise of an earthly handyman, continues in his efforts to bring some joy and sunshine into the lives of the unhappy residents of Havencrest, a retirement home slated for demolition. Although most of the elderly residents respond positively to Jonathan's efforts, a bitter, selfish old lady named Estelle (guest star Helen Hayes) refuses to have anything to do with either Jonathan or her contemporaries. Not only is Estelle's attitude hurting her, but it also might ruin Jonathan's chances of ever earning his wings. ~ Rovi

The 2-hour pilot for Michael Landon's celestial TV weekly Highway to Heaven was first shown on September 19, 1984. Landon stars as Jonathan Smith, a novice Guardian Angel sent to earth to do good deeds. Jonathan is far from perfect, as he proves on his first assignment, wherein he tries to save a retirement home from being sold out from under its elderly residents, including Special Guest Overactor Helen Hayes. Along the way, Jonathan renews the faith of ex-cop Mark Gordon, who as played by Victor French would remain a regular on the subsequent Highway to Heaven series. Though that series was always very careful in depicting its spirituality, the name of God was somewhat tastelessly invoked in the print ads for the initial Highway to Heaven pilot film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Murder Is Easy is one of a multitude of 1980s TV movies based on the novels of Agatha Christie. Bill Bixby stars as an American investor, vacationing in England. While on a train, Bixby strikes up a conversation with the seemingly dotty Helen Hayes, who insists she's en route to Scotland Yard with evidence pertaining to three murders. When Ms. Hayes is herself killed, Bixby finds himself heading to the village of Wychwood Under Ashe to investigate the killings on his own. In a twinkling, both Bixby and lovely villager Lesley-Ann Down find themselves the principal suspects. Olivia De Havilland is also among the highly suspicious guest stars in Murder is Easy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A Family Upside Down stars Fred Astaire and Helen Hayes as a retired married couple. Always proud of his independence and resilience, Astaire suffers a sudden heart attack. Though he recovers, Hayes is unable to care for Astaire herself, so she and her husband are compelled to move in with son Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and daughter-in-law Pat Crowley. Astaire's heart problems persist, and the family must face the unpleasant alternative of placing him in a nursing home. Though A Family Upside Down threatens to become an uninterrupted wallow in misery, the film takes several unexpected twists and arrives at a reasonably upbeat conclusion. Coproduced by Ross Hunter, A Family Upside Down co-stars Patty Duke Astin as Astaire and Hayes' emotionally overwrought daughter. The made-for-TV film, which won Fred Astaire the last of his many Emmy awards, originally aired April 9, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Within months after the spectacular July 4, 1976 rescue of hostages from Uganda's Entebbe airport, there were two competing TV movies on the subject. The longest (and least) of the two was Victory at Entebbe, hurriedly shot on videotape. The story begins when Arab terrorist capture a civilian airliner and force a landing at Entebbe. Ugandan president Idi Amin (Julius Harris, substituting for recently deceased Godfrey Cambridge), struts about at the airport, insisting that he can do nothing--but apparently siding with the terrorists, especially when the Arabs begin separating and mistreating the Jewish passengers. A surprise Israeli commando raid masterminded by defense minister Shimon Peres (Burt Lancaster, who more than compensates for his miscasting with an excellent performance) rescues most of the hostages, though at least one of the passengers (played by Helen Hayes with a Jewish accent that wouldn't convince a duck) is apparently killed out of retribution while en route to hospital. The teleplay's bad dialogue, and the producers' Airport-like decision to use only big stars in the major roles (Richard Dreyfuss, Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas et. al.) tends to trivialize one of the most auspicious acts of selfless heroism of the 1970s. A far better dramatization of the incident, Raid on Entebbe, was telecast a few months later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This biographical documentary portrays the life and career of Alice Awten, a photographer known for the thousands of photographs she produced at the turn of the century. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

A Black Day for Bluebeard is a typically lighthearted murder yarn from the Snoop Sisters TV series. Vincent Price guests as a washed-up horror movie star suspected of killing his wealthy wife (Tammy Grimes). The grey-haired Snoop sisters (Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick), mystery writers par excellence, try to crack the case. Among the many suspicious characters in this 90-minute whodunit are Roddy McDowell, Mort Sahl, William Devane and Katherine Helmond. A Black Day for Bluebeard premiered over the NBC network on March 19, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Corpse and Robbers was the first episode of the 90-minute TV detective series The Snoop Sisters. Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick play Ernesta and "G." Snoop, venerable sibling mystery writers. In the manner of Murder She Wrote's Jessica Fletcher (whose own show wouldn't premiere for another decade), the Snoop girls solve mysteries as well as write them. In this inaugural episode, the ladies are plagued by phone calls from an old friend--who died several years earlier. Sam Jaffe and Geraldine Page head the guest star cast of Corpse and Robbers, which was first seen December 19, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

First telecast December 16, 1972, The Snoop Sisters was the pilot for a Richard Levinson/William Link detective series. Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick play a couple of mystery writers who happen to be siblings. With the help of their pragmatic chauffeur (Art Carney), the Snoop Sisters take it upon themselves to solve real-life mysteries. In this instance, the ladies try to uncover the truth behind the murder of reclusive film star Paulette Goddard. The highlights of The Snoop Sisters include a slapstick car chase and an extended vignette from Ms. Goddard's 1940 feature film The Ghost Breakers. Also worth noting is the early supporting-cast appearance by Jill Clayburgh. When packaged for local syndication, The Snoop Sisters was retitled Female Instinct. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Airport had enough plot and enough star power in its cast for three feature films, and it only encompassed about half of the complexity or characters found in Arthur Hailey's best-selling potboiler. Essentially built around 12 harrowing hours at a major Midwestern airport, the film had everything an audience of the period could have wanted -- suspense, romance, drama, and comedy -- all spread across a vast canvas. Mel Bakersfeld (Burt Lancaster) is the manager of Lincoln Airport, facing a night beset by the worst blizzard in a decade, a wife (Dana Wynter) who announces she wants a divorce, a primary runway blocked by an airliner stuck in a snowdrift, and a governing board ready to fire him. Bakersfeld's cynical, smooth-talking brother-in-law, Vernon Demerest (Dean Martin), won't let up on his criticism of the management at Lincoln, but he has his own problems as well, mostly in the form of a young stewardess, Gwen Meighen (Jacqueline Bisset), who is pregnant by him and whom he finds he genuinely loves. Add to that the presence of an old lady stowaway (Helen Hayes) and a mentally disturbed passenger (Van Heflin) carrying a bomb, and there's more than enough plot to keep viewers engrossed for two hours plus. Airport became one of the top-grossing movies of its era, racking up seven-digit box-office numbers and spawning an entire film genre -- the disaster movie. With Jean Seberg, George Kennedy, Lloyd Nolan, Barry Nelson, and Maureen Stapleton filling out the rest of the leading roles, there was something for almost everyone in this film. The movie still has a lot to offer if only as a prime example of Hollywood at its most successfully glitzy, but, if possible, viewers should try and see the letterboxed version of Airport on DVD (released May 2001). ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

One of several filmed presentations seen on the otherwise "live" TV anthology Playhouse 90, "Four Women in Black" is a western story based on fact. Ralph Meeker plays outlaw Carbine Webb, who while fleeing a posse takes refuge in a covered wagon in the middle of the desert. But Carbine is not alone: The wagon also shelters four Roman Catholic nuns, who'd been heading to Tucson when they were besieged by horse thieves. Hoping that there is still some essential goodness in Webb, the nuns prevail upon him to guide them to safety. He does so, assuming that once he's played good samaritan, the sisters will leave him alone--but he's very, very wrong. Helen Hayes heads the cast as Sister Theresa, with Katy Jurado, Janice Rule and Narda Onyx as the other three nuns. Originally telecast in 1957, Four Women in Black was rebroadcast by Playhouse 90 on August 22, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi