Lloyd Bridges Movies
Working from the ground up in stock companies, Lloyd Bridges was a member of the progressive Actors Lab company in the mid 1930s. He made his Broadway debut toward the end of that decade in a production of Othello. Signed by Columbia in 1941, Bridges appeared in everything the studio assigned him, from Three Stooges 2-reel comedies to such "A" pictures as Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), Talk of the Town (1942), and Sahara (1943). He began freelancing in 1945, accepting the prescient role of a deep-sea diver in 1948's 16 Fathoms Deep, among other films. The most memorable of his '50s assignments was the leading role in the cult science-fiction programmer Rocketship X-M (1950) and the part of the look-out-for-number-one deputy in High Noon (1952).Thanks to his earlier involvement in the Actors Lab and his admission at the HUAC hearings that he'd once flirted with communism, Bridges was "graylisted" during the mid-'50s, able to find work only in lesser pictures and TV shows. He was rescued by producer Ivan Tors, who cast Bridges as diver-for-hire Mike Nelson in the TV series Sea Hunt. Filmed between 1957 and 1961, Sea Hunt was the most popular syndicated program of the era, turning Bridges into a millionaire. Alas, neither of his subsequent series of the '60s, The Lloyd Bridges Show (1962) and The Loner (1965), survived their first seasons. Undaunted, Bridges continued working into the '90s, displaying a hitherto untapped flair for zany comedy in such films as Airplane! (1980), Joe vs. the Volcano (1990), and the two Hot Shots films. Bridges was the father of actors Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges. A committed environmentalist, he was involved in several organizations including the American Oceans Campaign and Heal the Bay, a Los Angeles-based group. Bridges died of natural causes on March 10, 1998. Shortly before his passing, he had completed work on two films, Jane Austen's Mafia and Meeting Daddy; in the latter film, Bridges co-starred with his eldest son Beau. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- Add From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff to QueueAdd From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff to top of Queue
Michael Chekhov and George Shdanoff were Russian expatriates who came to Hollywood and became two of the best known and most influential acting coaches in the film industry; Chekhov was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Spellbound, and as a teacher he and his associate Shdanoff helped guide the careers of Leslie Caron, Patricia Neal, Gregory Peck, Rex Harrison, Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood. From Russia to Hollywood provides a glimpse into their lives and careers as Chekhov flees Russia for Germany after the Communist government expresses its displeasure with his productions for the Moscow Art Theater (Stanislavsky considered Chekhov a genius, but the government considered him ideologically unsound). When the Nazis began to rise to power, Chekhov relocated to the United States, where he taught acting when not busy with his own career on the stage and screen. Here, several of Chekhov and Shdanoff's better known students discuss their work and how their teachings effected a generation of Hollywood actors. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Mala Powers, (more)
In this dark comedy, Peter (Josh Charles) is a well-educated Jewish writer from Los Angeles who has fallen in love with Melanie (Alexandra Wentworth), who was born and raised in the Deep South -- where much of her family still lives. Melanie travels to Georgia for a few days to visit her father, Col. Branson (Lloyd Bridges), but Peter soon gets a call from Melanie, begging him to come down and "rescue" her from her family. It isn't until Peter arrives that he fully understands what Melanie is talking about. Most of her relatives can be politely described as "eccentric," while the Colonel is only a few steps away from psychotic, so Josh busily brainstorms a way for he and Melanie to go back to L.A. sooner rather than later. Meeting Daddy also features Beau Bridges, son of star Lloyd Bridges; appropriately enough, Beau plays Lloyd's son. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Charles, Alexandra Wentworth, (more)
- 1997
After an unfortunate encounter with an Exacto knife, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) receives an infusion of Kramer's blood -- and he isn't keen on being regarded as a "blood brother." George (Jason Alexander) finds both his appetite and his libido increasing thanks to some vanilla-scented incense. Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) works overtime to prove she is responsible enough to watch her friend's child -- then wishes she hadn't. Phrases key to the action include "pinch weasel" and "free love buffet"; and as a bonus, Lloyd Bridges returns as octogenarian health freak Izzy Mandelbaum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Classic alert! When Kramer (Michael Richards) asks Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) to "pick up some Cubans" from his cigar salesman, he wasn't expecting real Cubans -- or even real Dominicans. Elsewhere, George (Jason Alexander) has his curiosity aroused when a woman mistakes him for a guy named Neil. Jerry enters into an athletic competition with an 80-year-old health freak named Izzy Mandelbaum (Lloyd Bridges). And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) loses more than a boyfriend when she declares her hatred for The English Patient. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Throughout her life, small-town schoolteacher Elaine Hodges (Mare Winningham) has been fiercely devoted to her infirm, alcoholic father Addison (Lloyd Bridges). Even her affection for a local cop (Ron Lea)--who happens to already have a wife--will not permit Elaine to even consider leaving her dad. But circumstances are altered in a radical and ultimately lethal fashion when an ex-convict named Charlie (Chris Cooper) arrives in town, carrying with him a dark and well-guarded secret concerning the past of the Hodges family. Made for the CBS TV network, The Deliverance of Elaine debuted April 10, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Jill Eikenberry stars in this made-for-television drama about a mother's strength. Eikenberry stars as divorcee Tessa Bryan, who is raising her two daughters alone while her ex-husband takes up with a young model named Carolyn (Laura Leighton). When Tessa learns that she has terminal cancer, she puts aside her own feelings about her husband's new wife and decides that it is in her children's best interest to teach Carolyn how to be the best mother she can be. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This drama examines the behavior of three female resident doctors working at a San Francisco hospital. It is based on a novel by Sidney Sheldon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa A. Williams, Brooke Shields, (more)
- 1994
Real-life father and son Lloyd and Beau Bridges star in the tense modern melodrama Secret Sins of the Father. Nebraska farmer Louis Thielman (Lloyd) is charged with murder of his wife. Making the charge is Louis's son Tom (Beau), the town sheriff. Though the evidence points to Louis, there are those who believe that Tom is pursuing a vendetta rather than justice. For starters, Louis has been carrying on an affair with Lisa Carson, Tom's ex-lover. Despite the film's docudrama approach, this one isn't based on a true story. Beau Bridges doubled as director for this made-for-TV drama, which debuted January 9, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, Beau Bridges, (more)
- 1993
See world and Olympic figure skating champion Dorothy Hamill perform the lead role in this Ice Capades production. With an original score by award-winning composer Michael Conway Baker, intricate choreography, beautiful costumes, and special effects, this performance will delight skating fans of all ages. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In this made-for-cable-TV crime drama, New York detective Devlin must prove that he is innocent of killing his brother-in-law, a mayoral candidate. It is not easy for the unhappily married, alcoholic gumshoe because he suspects that the man trying to frame him is his arch nemesis, his corrupt father-in-law, a powerful local politician. Now while trying to save his neck and solve the murder, Devlin finds himself pursued by both his fellow cops and the mob. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Taken from the television series "Shining Time Station," this holiday special tells the story of an unusual passenger, Mr. Nicholas, as he passes through the station shortly before Christmas. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, Ringo Starr, (more)
- 1992
When a North Pole bookkeeping boo-boo threatens to destroy the magic of Christmas, poor Santa is left with very little time in which to find a suitable replacement. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, Michael Tucker, (more)
- 1990
Lloyd Bridges stars as a newspaper chief in this made-for-television movie about life in big-city journalism. This fast-paced movie, which was the pilot for a short-lived series of the same name on ABC, follows various plotlines as the reporters' personal and professional lives become intertwined. Executive producer David Milch brings a jittery tension to the newsroom, similar to his later work on NYPD Blue. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Based on fact, this TV drama details the life of New York property magnate, Leona Helmsley, her personal ups and downs and her well publicised run in with the IRS. ~ Mark Hockley, All Movie Guide
The two-part TV movie Cross of Fire is set in the 1920s, when the Ku Klux Klan was at the height of its political power in Indiana. Part One, originally telecast November 5, 1989, details the resurgence of the Klan (which had been created during the Reconstruction era) under the leadership of David "Steve" Stephenson (John Heard). Cloaking himself in the twin veils of patriotism and morality, Stephenson rails against such "deviates" as blacks, Jews and Catholics, gaining political clout and financial kickbacks as his "invisible empire" grows. Part two of Cross of Fire, telecast November 6, traces the fall of Stephenson -- not because his followers have wised up, but because of a 1925 rape and murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In this suspenseful drama, a prominent publishing executive marries a younger man soon after the death of her husband. After the nuptials, the bride realizes she has made a terrible mistake as her charming groom seems to be planning to murder her. The film is also called Marked for Murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This six-part, 12-hour miniseries was a sequel to the 1985 "mini" North and South, and like its predecessor it was based on a novel by John Jakes (Love and War). In the tradition of The Birth of a Nation (but without the negative racist content), North and South, Book II followed the fortunes of two large families during the Civil War: the Hazards of Pennsylvania and the Mains of South Carolina. As former friends Orry Maine (Patrick Swayze) and George Hazard (James Read) find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict, Orry's sweetheart Madeline (Lesley-Anne Down) is left at the mercy of her sadistic husband Justin LaMotte (David Carradine) and Orry's vixenish sister Ashton (Terri Garber), while George's amour Constance (Wendy Kilbourne) was saddled with an equally disreputable family. Though the series was top-heavy with villains, there was enough time left over for the heroes of the war, notably Abraham Lincoln (Hal Holbrook) and Ulysses S. Grant (Anthony Zerbe). First telecast over the ABC network from May 4-8 and May 11, 1986, North and South, Book II was re-telecast in a six-week block from May 13 to June 17, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirstie Alley
- 1986
When it was first telecast on November 23, 1986, the made-for-TV Thanksgiving Promise (based on a novel by Blaine and Brenton Yorgason) was advertised as "A Thanksgiving Story as Only Disney Can Tell It." Actually, the film might not have come to fruition at all without the input of the Bridges family: Lloyd, Beau, Lloyd's wife Dorothy, Beau's son Jordan, and Jeff Bridges (uncredited). Jordan Bridges is the central character, a farm boy living in the shadow of his older brothers. Jordan's neighbor (Lloyd) entrusts the boy with a man-sized job: To care for a wounded gosling and fatten up the bird for Thanksgiving dinner. Inevitably, Jordan becomes attached to the bird, and as Thanksgiving approaches, he takes a series of odd jobs, hoping to buy the goose from his neighbor. But Jordan's father (Beau) insists that the boy keep his word and relinquish the goose. In addition to his costarring chores in Thanksgiving Promise, Beau Bridges coproduced and directed the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A made for TV movie which serves as much a condemnation of the military establishment as a murder mystery, this film revolves around an upper classman who is falsely accused of responsibility for the death of a student when he begins to investigate the mysterious demise of the young gay cadet. Part of a two-part series, the crux for the upper classman is whether he is willing to jeopardize the future of his own military career to investigate the death of the freshman cadet at this prestigious military academy. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This live action trip back to Wonderland finds Alice dodging the Jabberwocky and encountering a Wonderland crew including Humpty Dumpty, Tiger Lily, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The voice cast is staggering, including (to mention a few) father and son Lloyd Bridges and Beau Bridges, Phyllis Diller, and George Gobel, Ringo Starr, Jonathan Winters, Sally Struthers, Karl Malden, and many, many more. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
This short-lived TV series was based on the 1982 television movie of the same name and focused on two young women and their mothers negotiating the New York modeling scene with the rich, the fashionable, and the powerful. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicollette Sheridan, Terry Farrell, (more)
