Gwen Bagni Movies
- 1983
Thursday's Child is full of woe in this made-for-TV drama. Rob Lowe was given "and introducing" billing in the role of a teenaged athlete in dire need of a heart transplant. As Rob's parents Gene Rowlands and Don Murray prepare to face the possibility that they may lose their son, his aunt Jessica Walter remains relentlessly optimistic and cheerful. For various reasons, the debut of Thursday's Child was twice postponed. The film finally aired February 1, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour Backstairs at the White House was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Uggams, Olivia Cole, (more)
A young widow with three children and a sheepdog marries a widowed man with a young daughter and a French poodle in this amusing comedy. Abby (Doris Day) is the owner of a lumberyard who falls for Jake (Brian Keith) when her sister Maxine (Pat Carroll) introduce the two at a party. The couple is initially reluctant and somewhat embarrassed over the blatant matchmaking attempt but meet later at an all-night store. The two marry and deal with constant canine and sassy sibling rivalries. Jake falls out of the family trailer on vacation, leading Abby to recruit a group of hippies to find her lost husband. Jamie Farr is the far out hippie, Barbara Hershey is Jake's daughter Stacey, comedian George Carlin plays Herbie Fleck, owner of a local hamburger stand, and Alice Ghostley is the harried housekeeper in this engaging romp. The Grass Roots provide some of the music in this feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Day, Brian Keith, (more)
- 1956
Awakening in a strange bed and suffering from a terrible headache -- not to mention the mysterious bruises all over her body -- alcoholic Karen Stewart (Phyllis Thaxter) tries to piece together the events leading up to her present condition. All she can recall at first is her most recent promise to her boyfriend Jeff (Warren Stevens) that she will stop drinking, and stop drinking for good. But Jeff had heard that song many times before, and he was in no mood to put up with her subsequent drunken binge. From this point forward, Karen's mind is a blank...but the blank will soon be filled in a horrific fashion. In light of the serious nature of the story, host Alfred Hitchcock foregoes his usual humorous epilogue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Richard Widmark once again essays a character who could be either hero or heel in the rugged western The Last Wagon. After cold-bloodedly shooting down the three men responsible for the death of his wife, Widmark is captured, chained up, and thrown into a wagon heading eastward. Soon afterward, the wagon train is attacked by Indians; the only survivors are Widmark and a group of orphaned children. Freed from his shackles, Widmark proves he's made of the right stuff by shepherding the children to safety. Marred only by a too-pat ending, The Last Wagon is one of the best of the Delmer Daves-directed westerns, as well as an excellent showcase for such "new talent" as Felicia Farr, Susan Kohner, Tommy Rettig, Nick Adams and James Drury. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Widmark, Felicia Farr, (more)
- 1956
Paula Hudson (Ruth Hussey) has always wanted a mink coat, but she doesn't have the necessary money. Helpfully, Paula's hairdresser Lucille (Veda Ann Borg) tips her off as to where she can purchase a mink at a rock-bottom price. Purchasing the coat from a professional model (Eugenia Paul), Paula is in seventh heaven -- until she discovers that the coat was stolen, and that both her hairdresser and the model are insisting that they know absolutely nothing about either the mink or Paula. (Ironically, guest star Ruth Hussey had previous appeared in the 1953 theatrical feature he Lady Wants Mink!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Paramount's Pine-Thomas production unit was afforded a larger budget than usual for Captain China. The title character, played by John Payne, is a ship's captain whose embittered behavior after losing his lady love seemingly leads to tragedy. Accused of deliberately scuttling his ship during a typhoon, Captain China hopes to clear himself by signing on as a common seaman on a vessel captain by his former first mate Brendensen (Jeffrey Lynn). There's no love lost between the two men, and their mutual animosity is intensified when both fall in love with beautiful passenger Kim Mitchell (Gail Russell). During a second storm, the strengths and weaknesses of both men are brought to the forefront, leading to a satisfactory conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Gail Russell, (more)
