Judd Hirsch Movies

In this film, a young boy from the Appalachians realizes his dreams of a life of excitement and adventure when he becomes involved in the daredevil world of car racing. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Legend of Valentino is a TV-shorthand retelling of the life and loves of legendary silent screen star Rudolph Valentino, here portrayed by Franco Nero. This TV movie was advertised as "romantic fiction," which was just as well since its only nods to the truth are the basic facts of Valentino's enormous screen fame and the national hysteria attending his early death in 1926 of peritonitis. Typical of Legend of Valentino's fabrications is the depiction of Valentino's first meeting with his future mentor, screenwriter June Mathis (played by Suzanne Pleshette). In real life, Mathis discovered Valentino by watching him play a string of supporting roles; in Legend, she confronts him in her living room while he's burglarizing her house! Despite its historical shortcomings, Legend of Valentino is a lot better than the 1951 and 1977 biopics of the "Latin Lover." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

William Devane stars as John Henry Faulk, a popular radio and TV entertainer of the 1950s. In 1956, Faulk is blacklisted on the basis of an attack from the self-appointed anticommunist group AWARE. Fired by CBS, Faulk decides to sue AWARE for libel. His attorney Louis Nizer (George C. Scott) warns him that such a case will take several years to get to court, thus Faulk reluctantly takes a series of low-paying jobs to sustain himself during his "down period". In 1962, the case is finally brought before a judge, with several witnesses pointing out the idiotic iniquities of the Blacklist mentality (one child actor was prohibited from working because he had a name that sounded like that of an adult blacklistee). Appearing as themselves during the courtroom scenes are actress Kim Hunter, herself a blacklist victim, and producers David Susskind and Mark Goodson. Faulk wins his case, though his original award of $3.5 million in damages is later reduced to $550,000, and he is never able to completely return to his pre-blacklist prominence. Like several other filmic recreations of the "witch-hunt" era, Fear on Trial was first presented in the mid-1970s (October 2, 1975, to be exact), long after the most zealous of the 1950s anti-Red groups had fallen by the wayside. The film earned an Emmy award for screenwriter David Rintels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A true classic of the "ensemble sitcom" genre, Taxi ran for five years on two different networks, accumulating dozens of industry awards (including several Emmys) and a comparatively small but intensely vocal corps of loyal and loving viewers along the way. Most of the action took place in the garage of New York City's Sunshine Cab Company, a fiefdom ruled from his "cage" by tyrannical, short-tempered taxi dispatcher Louie DePalma (Danny DeVito, who also directed a handful of episodes). The unofficial spiritual leader and father confessors of the cabbies was Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch), the only Sunshine driver who worked full-time and was not pursuing an outside career. The others included Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner), whose great dream in life was to be a wealthy and influential patroness of the arts; Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway, who left the series after season three), an aspiring actor; Tony Banta (Tony Danza), a would-be boxing champ; Ageing hippie "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd, who joined the series during its Second Season), a burned-out relic of the activist 1960s who ultimately (and amazingly) became the garage's wealthiest employee after inheriting a fortune from his father; and, during Season One only, John Burns (Randall Carver), a feckless college student. Also on the Sunshine staff was Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), a sweet-tempered immigrant from an indeterminate European country with an indecipherable language. During the series' fourth season, Latka married his countrywoman and sweetheart Simka Dahblitz (Carol Kane), who, beginning in season five, was listed among the regulars. (Another recurring character, assistant dispatcher Jeff was played on a sporadic basis by J. Allen Thomas, aka Jeff Thomas).

Debuting September 12, 1978, on ABC, Taxi opened to solid if not spectacular ratings, but its viewership dwindled as the network arbitrarily shifted its time slot (from Tuesday, to Wednesday, to Thursday) over the next four years. Although ABC intended to pull the plug on the program at the end of season four, popular demand from viewers and the industry alike kept the property alive -- albeit on a different network, NBC. Unfortunately, this move did not significantly improve the overall ratings, and as a result, Taxi ended its 114-episode run on July 27, 1983. (There had been an eleventh-hour attempt to revive the series on the cable service HBO, but this came to naught.) Since that time, the series has enjoyed a successful and profitable afterlife in local syndication and on basic cable. ~ All Movie Guide

Securely imbedded as the ninth most popular program on American television, Taxi inaugurated its second season on the same network (ABC), but in a new timeslot (Wednesday rather than Thursday). A few changes had been made in the cast as well. Randall Carver, who spent all of season one playing cabdriving college student/newlywed John Burns, was suddenly written out of the series with no explanation as to where his character had gone. Filling the breach was Christopher Lloyd, repeating the role of burned-out hippie minister Reverend Jim Ignatowski that he'd originated in the first-season episode "Paper Marriage." Yanked off the streets by the compassionate cabbies of the Sunshine Cab Company, Reverend Jim himself became a driver -- and a permanent cast member -- in the third episode of season two. This was also the season that introduced a handful of semi-regulars. Rhea Perlman, longtime significant other (and later wife) of Taxi co-star Danny DeVito, made a brace of appearances as Zena Sherman, the deceptively sweet-natured girlfriend of the cab company's terrible-tempered dispatcher Louie DePalma (DeVito, of course). Also, Carol Kane was seen for the first time as Simka Dahblitz, countrywoman and sweetheart of Sunshine Cab's foreign-born mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), a relationship that would culminate in marriage at the end of season three.

In addition, Marc Anthony Danza, the son of Taxi regular Tony Danza, appeared twice as Brian Sims, a nine-year-old orphan who befriended kindhearted cabbie-cum-boxer Tony Banta (Danza). Basking in the success of the previous season's two-part episode "Memories of Cab 804," the producers of Taxi served up a couple of additional two-parters during the second season. The first, "Shut It Down," found the cabbies going on strike, a situation that could only be remedied if "shop steward" Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) made the supreme sacrifice and agree to date the despicable Louie (an earlier episode had intensified the relationship between Elaine and fellow cabbie Alex Rieger [Judd Hirsch], establishing a "will they or won't they?" situation that would permeate the remaining seasons). And in the season finale, "Fantasy Borough," the entire Taxi gang indulged in some elaborate wishful thinking prompted by a set of publicity photos left in one of the cabs by Fantasy Island star Herve Villechaize. Although Taxi would pick up two more Emmy Awards during the 1979-1980 season, the series' move to Wednesdays proved detrimental to the ratings -- which explains the shift to a new Thursday-night slot when the next season got under way. ~ All Movie Guide

Although Taxi had built up a loyal band of followers and accumulated several industry awards during its first two seasons on ABC, the ratings had steadily declined, prompting the network to mark the series' third season by moving the show from Tuesdays at 9:30 to Wednesdays at 9:00, opposite NBC's Diff'rent Strokes and a weekly CBS movie. Developments during season three included another rift in the rocky relationship between Louie DePalma (Danny DeVito), the obnoxiously dictatorial dispatcher of the Sunshine Cab Company, and his erstwhile girlfriend Zena Sherman (played by DeVito's real-life Significant Other Rhea Perlman); an uncomfortable reunion between cabbie Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch) and his oppressively neurotic ex-wife Phyllis (Louise Lasser); a hilarious romantic triangle involving cabbie Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner), her co-worker Tony Banta (Tony Danza) and her new boyfriend Kirk (John David Carson) (it so happened that Kirk would rather have linked up with macho Tony than with flustered Elaine!); Tony's decision to retire from the ring (at least temporarily) after enduing one too many KOs; and a few surprising glimpses into the past of zoned-out former hippie "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd). Undoubtedly the most memorable plot twist involved Sunshine Cab's sweet-natured immigrant mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), who after undergoing a spectacular personality change re-emerged as slimy swinging bachelor-about-town Vic Ferrari! In a related development, Carol Kane made her first appearance as Simka Dahblitz, Latka's countrywoman and eventual sweetheart. Season three's by-now obligatory two-part "retrospection" episode was "On the Job," in which the cab company briefly closed shop, forcing the cabbies to look for "civilian" work. The fact that Taxi's overall ratings continued to decline during its third season was mitigated somewhat when the series took home six Emmy Awards in the spring of 1981. ~ All Movie Guide

Taxi remained a succès d'estime for ABC as it entered its fourth season, gathering scores of industry awards and garnering the love of its most loyal fans and the respect of Hollywood insiders, while still continuing to post lukewarm ratings. The series hadn't cracked the "Top 25" shows throughout the 1980-1981 season and failed to do so during 1981-1982 as well. ABC had seriously considered dropping the program after its third season, but the uproar of protest from its devotees moved the network to give the property another chance -- albeit in a new time slot on Thursday evening opposite NBC's Gimme a Break and CBS' Knots Landing. Two major developments marked the progression of events on season four. The first was the defection of Jeff Conaway in the role of part-time cabbie and would-be actor Bobby Wheeler, though Conaway would return for a guest appearance in the episode "Bobby Doesn't Live Here Any More." The second was the marriage between mild-mannered immigrant taxi mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman) and his countrywoman Simka Dahblitz (Carol Kane in an Emmy-winning characterization) -- though the nuptials were postponed until Latka was able to divest himself of his slimy, womanizing "alter ego" Vic Ferrari (also played by Kaufman, who insisted that the series' producers sign "Vic Ferrari" to a separate contract!) As in previous seasons, Taxi offered a two-part episode in which the cabbies were forced to put their lives in perspective. On this occasion, the episode was the season finale "The Road Not Taken," wherein Elaine (Marilu Henner) mulled over the opportunity to leave New York for a new out-of-town job, prompting her fellow cabbies to reflect upon the various pivotal moments in their own lives. With the ratings continuing to sag, ABC reluctantly concluded that Taxi was expendable, and the series was canceled. For a while, it looked as if the property would be revived by the cable service HBO; but in the end, it was NBC that came to the rescue, picking up Taxi for its fifth (and as it turned out, its final) season. ~ All Movie Guide

Young divorced mother Kate Nelligan refuses to go into a panic when her six-year-old son disappears. She manages to maintain an even emotional keel even when detective Judd Hirsch unearths several clues which point to sexual molestation. After several false leads, the truth is revealed. We won't divulge the ending, but we will note that we found it pretty hard to swallow-especially when compared to the actual case upon which Beth Gutcheson's novel and screenplay were based. Despite its cop-out denouement, Without a Trace deserves to take its place among such superior missing-children dramas as the made-for-TV Adam and Just Another Missing Kid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arthur Hiller directed this satiric look at contemporary urban high schools, examining disillusioned teachers who try to regain their idealism. Nick Nolte stars as Alex, a teacher at John Fitzgerald Kennedy High School, who was once an idealistic teacher but whose main concern now is sobering up before the next class session. The high school is headed by ineffective principal Mr. Horn (William Schallert) and an imperious vice-principal named Roger (Judd Hirsch). When a recent graduate of the high school sues the school because it graduated him illiterate, Alex finds himself in conflict with the hard-nosed school superintendent Dr. Burke (Lee Grant). The high school heats up even more when Alex falls in love with Lisa (JoBeth Williams), the attractive lawyer who was once one of Alex's honor students. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

First Steps was inspired by a widely-seen, enthusiastically received 1982 piece on 60 Minutes. Amy Steel plays Nan Davis, a young woman totally paralyzed in an auto accident. Judd Hirsch costars as Dr. Jerold Petrovsky, a bioengineer who attaches computerized electrodes to Nan to enable her to reclaim her muscle power. After many torturous months, this state-of-art physical therapy works magnificently, and Nan is able to take ten steps on her own at her college graduation. While the technique was still rather controversial at the time First Steps was telecast, there was no denying that it had worked in the case of Nan Davis, who eventually became the subject of two 60 Minutes follow-ups and reams of upbeat magazine articles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "brothers" in Brotherly Love are twin siblings Ben and Harry Ryder. Both are played by Judd Hirsch, in a change of pace from his Taxi duties. One of the twins is a solid citizen and family man; the other is evil incarnate. The story was adapted from a William D. Blankenship novel by the later Ernest Tidyman, whose next-to-last project this was. Filmed in Canada, Brotherly Love first aired May 28, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This animated film introduces children to the story of Hanukkah and the many traditions surrounding this important holiday. In one way, this film is the story of a people struggling to preserve their identity in the face of a cruel world. In another, this film addresses the larger issue of the right to be different. Leonard Nimoy and Judd Hirsch are two of the voices children will hear. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

In this family drama from director Sidney Lumet, Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti play Arthur and Annie Pope, a pair of '60s radicals who have eluded the FBI for 16 years after bombing a napalm laboratory as a Vietnam War protest. This lifestyle involves continually moving their base of operations and establishing new identities, which is especially hard on their children, 18-year-old Danny (River Phoenix) and 10-year-old Harry (Jonas Abry), who can never amass a group of friends or an academic record. This last problem comes to the fore when they arrive in a New Jersey town where the high school music teacher (Ed Crowley) takes an interest in Danny's piano playing, encouraging him to apply early admission to Juilliard. Danny yearns to follow this dream, but knows that separating from his parents would be a permanent break -- the aging hippies rarely even see their own parents, and can never inform anyone where they've moved. Arthur can't stand the idea of breaking up the family unit, which has provided the support that's allowed him to tolerate life on the move, but Annie sees her own sacrificed dreams in her son's prodigious musical talents, and begins pressuring Arthur to grant the boy his independence. Complicating factors, Danny has fallen in love with the daughter of his music teacher (Martha Plimpton), but can't allow himself to get too close to her, because he may have to leave again at any moment. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide