Diana Lewis Movies

Brenda Vaccaro is featured as Sheila Kowalski Finley, a freewheeling society matron who has the cute habit of taking jewelry that doesn't belong to her. When her husband's chauffeur is murdered during a political fundraiser, Sheila is among the suspects, if for no other reason than she was carrying on an affair with the dead man. Inasmuch as she is an old friend of Sheila, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) sets herself to finding out who really "dun it"--and the suspects this time include the chaffeur's OTHER clandestine lover! (Be assured that Sheila's kleptomania will be deftly worked into the plotline). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A pile of human bones found at a construction site reopens one of Los Angeles' most notorious unsolved murders: the "Black Dahlia" case of 1947. Veteran movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney) is cast as Doyle, the original investigating detective on the case. Once Doyle has come out of retirement to help Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) piece the new clues together, it becomes apparent that the "Black Dahlia" killer is still alive and at large--and that he was also responsible for another unsolved murder on Doyle's watch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, artistic con man Harry (Michael Keaton) teams up with lady detective Rachel Dobs (Rae Dawn Chong) to trick a corrupt TV lottery-show host into revealing how he has been rigging the contest to benefit the Mob. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a Philadelphia boxer, is but one step removed from total bum-hood. A once-promising pugilist, Rocky is now taking nickel-and-dime bouts and running strongarm errands for local loan sharks to survive. Even his supportive trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), has given up on Rocky. All this changes thanks to Muhammad Ali-like super-boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With the Bicentennial celebration coming up, Creed must find a "Cinderella" opponent for the big July 4th bout -- some unknown whom Creed can "glorify" for a few minutes before knocking him cold. Rocky Balboa was not the only Cinderella involved here: writer/director Sylvester Stallone, himself a virtual unknown, managed to sell his Rocky script (one of 35 that he'd written over the years) on the proviso that he be given the starring role. Since the film was to be made on a shoestring and marketed on a low-level basis, the risk factor to United Artists was small. For Stallone, this was a make-or-break opportunity -- just like Rocky's million-to-one shot with Apollo Creed. Costing under a million dollars, Rocky managed to register with audiences everywhere, earning back 60 times its cost. The film won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi