Sandy Helberg Movies

In this "supernatural" comedy, a plain-jane spinster cares for her elderly grandmother, who happens to be a fanatic wrestling fan -- and also extremely rich. When her obnoxious relatives show up for Thanksgiving dinner, the grandmother, who has been given a magic potion by an exorcist, turns into a supernatural killer who takes on different shapes to perform her murders. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

As punishment for a prank, Kelly (Christina Applegate) is ordered by the school principal to join a tap-dancing club. Much as she loathes the prospect of being surrounded by "geeks and dweebs," Kelly rises to the occasion with an astonishingly uninhibited dance interpretation of the pop song "Fever." A young Jesse Borego (24) appears in this episode, wherein we are treated for the first time to the Bundy Family Credo: "When One Bundy Is Embarrassed, the Rest of Us Feel Better About Ourselves." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Christine (Markie Post) chokes on her lunch, Dan (John Larroquette) performs the Heimlich maneuver and saves her life. Much as Christine would like to repay Dan for his unaccustomed gallantry, the "price" he demands--namely, a night in bed--is a bit too high. Reluctantly, Christine says "Yes"...but Dan's hopes for an evening of purple passion are dashed by the unexpected appearance of a suicidal 38-year-old male virgin (Sandy Helberg)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Largely improvised by director Rob Reiner and his cast, This Is Spinal Tap looks and sounds like a "real" documentary, with Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest as David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls, and Nigel Tufnel, the key members of a going-nowhere British heavy metal band called Spinal Tap. The "group" started as an informal skiffle band, eventually maturing into an R&B act called the Thamesmen (their hit was "Gimme Some Money"). After going through a psychedelic period with "Listen to the Flower People," the band mutated into Spinal Tap, a hard rock outfit responsible for such albums as "Intravenous DeMilo," "The Sun Never Sweats," and "Bent for the Rent." This Is Spinal Tap finds them in the midst of their first American tour in years as they support their new LP Smell the Glove, with filmmaker Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner), who specializes in TV commercials, on hand to document the occasion. Just about anything that can go wrong does: shows get canceled, stage props go wrong, wireless guitar pickups start broadcasting air-traffic reports, no one shows up for in-store appearances, David's girlfriend tries to take over the band, they wind up billed second to a puppet show at an amusement park, and the group teeters on the verge of breakup. After the film's initial release, McKean, Guest, and Shearer did a short club tour as Spinal Tap; the "band" reunited in 1992 for a new album, Break Like the Wind, followed by a full-fledged tour and TV special, The Return of Spinal Tap. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

With temperatures rising and supply shortages abounding, the last thing the 4077th needs is an official prohibition on alcoholic beverages. As thirsty as the next man, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) are B.J. (Mike Farrell) nonetheless determined to keep up the camp's morale. This leads to their planning a special screening of Otto Preminger's once-notorious movie The Moon is Blue (Imagine somebody saying the word "virgin" on the big screen! Disgraceful!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An air-traffic controller (Chevy Chase) is having the worst luck: first his girlfriend leaves him, and then he experiences a nuclear disaster. His life begins to pick up after he realizes that the radiation fallout has given him magical telekinetic powers. He decides to settle a few scores with his new-found power. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

This is Mel Brooks' spoof of over ten Alfred Hitchcock classics, including Psycho, Vertigo, and The Birds (Brooks actually used the bird trainer from that classic suspense movie in making his film). Brooks plays Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke, a renowned Harvard psychiatrist with a concealed fear of heights, or High Anxiety. Thorndyke takes over as the newest director of the PsychoNeurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous after the last director dies under suspicious circumstances. He soon finds himself to be in the company of some very strange colleagues, including longtime Brooks collaborators Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman, with Madeline Kahn as Victoria Brisbane, the eccentric daughter of a patient at the institute and Thorndyke's love interest. Korman takes on the role of Dr. Charles Montague, a psychiatrist with a closeted habit of his own. Leachman plays Charlotte Diesel, a charge nurse with a dark sneer and tendency towards domination. As Thorndyke heads to a psychiatry conference, he is faced with saving the Institute, his reputation, and his own sanity. Although the film was not well-received by critics, it picked up a 1978 Golden Globe nomination for best picture (musical or comedy) and landed Brooks a nomination for best actor. The movie has a number of cameos, from a young Barry Levinson's spot as an unstable bellboy to a small part by Hitchcock's right-hand special effects man, Albert J. Whitlock, who plays Kahn's father. ~ Rachel Koetje, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast September 17, 1976, Love Boat was the first of two pilot films for the long-running TV series of the same name. On this maiden voyage of the Pacific Princess (from California to Mexico), we zero in on four separate sets of passengers. Gabe Kaplan plays a goofy salesman who falls for sexy model Jette Speer. Tom Bosley and Cloris Leachman are the haughtily rich folks who disapprove of their daughter's "common" boy friend. Suave businessman Hal Linden finds himself attracted by Karen Valentine. And Don Adams, about to undergo an expensive divorce, plots and plans to do away with wife Florence Henderson. The luxury-cruise setting and multistoried format of the subsequent Love Boat series are already in place, but the series' cast of regulars is not. In this first Love Boat film, Ted Hamilton is the Captain, Teri O'Mara is the cruise director, bartender Isaac is Theodore Wilson, the ship's doctor is Dick Van Patten, and Sandy Helberg is Gopher, the purser. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide