Hal Holbrook Movies
American actor Hal Holbrook broke into performing as a monologist at various esoteric nightspots in San Francisco and Greenwich Village. Holbrook worked on stage in the early 1950s and appeared on the CBS TV soap opera The Brighter Day. He might have spent the rest of his career as a talented but unremarkable performer had Holbrook not decided to bank upon his lifelong fascination with humorist Mark Twain. Donning elaborate Twain makeup and costume and memorizing several hours' worth of the writer's material, Holbrook put together a one man show, Mark Twain Tonight. After touring in small towns, Holbrook brought Mark Twain to an off-Broadway theater, scoring an immediate hit which led to some 2000 subsequent appearances as Twain (one of these in a 1967 CBS one-hour special) and a top-selling record album. The fame attending Mark Twain Tonight enabled Holbrook to flourish as a starring actor in numerous non-Twain projects. Among Holbrook's films are The Group (1966), Wild in the Streets (1968), Magnum Force (1973), The Star Chamber (1987), Wall Street (1987) and The Firm (1993); in 1976 the actor portrayed the shadowy amalgam character "Deep Throat" in All the President's Men. Holbrook has also stayed busy in TV, starring on the weekly series The Senator (1970) and appearing several times as Abraham Lincoln in various network specials.A multi-Emmy winner, Hal Holbrook spent much of the late 1980s and early 1990s appearing as a regular cast member on the CBS sitcoms Designing Women (from 1986 to 1989, alongside real-life wife Dixie Carter) and Evening Shade (1990-94) in the role of Burt Reynolds' father, Evan Evans. Holbrook's big-screen activity also crescendoed during the 1990s and early 2000s; among many other assignments, he resumed his frequent typecast as a shady businessman with a deceptively paternal exterior in Sydney Pollack's blockbuster Grisham thriller The Firm (1993), provided an animated voice for the children's fantasy Cats Don't Dance (1997), and nastily evoked the prejudices of a bigoted commanding naval officer named Mr. Pappy in the military drama Men of Honor (2000). Holbrook also drew on his vast knowledge of Mark Twain as one of the participants in the epic-length documentary Ken Burns' Mark Twain (2001). The distinguished thespian received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work in Sean Penn's critically-acclaimed drama Into the Wild (2007). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
The Bold Ones was the umbrella title given a group of rotating hour-long TV series, which ran from 1969 to 1973. Joining established Bold Ones components The Doctors and The Lawyers in 1970 was The Senator, starring Hal Holbrook as RFK-like Senator Hays Stowe. The pilot for The Senator was A Clear and Present Danger, which first aired March 21, 1970. In this 2-hour "problem drama", Senator Stowe tackles the issue of air pollution after a close friend dies of emphysema. The Emmy-nominated Hal Holbrook, Sharon Acker (as Erin Stowe) and Cindy Eilbacher (as Norma Stowe) carried their roles over to the "Senator" series proper, while Michael Tolan was cast as Stowe's aide Jordan Boyle, the role played in A Clear and Present Danger by Joseph Campanella. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
To escape from the boredom of her small-town life, Sunday School teacher Candy Morrison (Barbara Hershey) engages in an affair with a fellow churchgoer. When his wife Peggy learns about the relationship, she attacks Candy with an axe; after a struggle, Candy kills Peggy, hitting her 41 times with the axe. In the resulting trial, her plea of self-defense is examined. This TV-movie is based on a true story. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Conspiracy film specialist Alan J. Pakula turned journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's best-selling account of their Watergate investigation into one of the hit films of Bicentennial year 1976. While researching a story about a botched 1972 burglary of Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex, green Washington Post reporters/rivals Woodward (Robert Redford, who also exec produced) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) stumble on a possible connection between the burglars and a White House staffer. With the circumspect approval of executive editor Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards), the pair digs deeper. Aided by a guilt-ridden turncoat bookkeeper (Jane Alexander) and the vital if cryptic guidance of Woodward's mystery source, Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), Woodward and Bernstein "follow the money" all the way to the top of the Nixon administration. Despite Deep Throat's warnings that their lives are in danger, and the reluctance of older Post editors, Woodward and Bernstein are determined to get out the story of the crime and its presidential cover-up. Once Bradlee is convinced, the final teletype impassively taps out the historically explosive results. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, (more)
It has been 20 years since Federal agent Dane Corvin (Richard Chamberlain) left his home town of Raven Island -- and also 20 years since Dane's fiancée Helen (Karen Allen), a talented sculptor, bitterly broke off their engagement when he was forced to arrest her brother for poaching. Now Corvin has returned, hoping to somehow, some way win back Helen's love. As it turns out, however, Helen herself is harboring a secret that Dane may not be able to forgive. Some lovely location footage of the Pacific Northwest makes this adaptation of Evan Maxwell's novel seem more compelling that it truly is. All the Winters That Have Been originally aired over CBS on September 21, 1997, posting the eighth highest rating of its broadcast week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Karen Allen, (more)
- 1995
This program offers an in-depth portrait of a controversial figure in American history, the former mayor of Chicago Richard Daley. The political machine built by Daley transformed the face of American politics, but his inability to deal equitably with racial and ethnic tension led to his undoing. From his alleged involvement in John Kennedy's presidential bid to his fateful decision to build the country's first urban housing projects, no major event in the life of this man is missed. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 1997
This video provides an extensive look at some of the greatest battleships in world history. These massive ships, which form the brute strength of the world's navies, have their own mystique and mythology. Included in the survey are the colorful stories of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse, which were the first battleships sunk by enemy aircraft, and the Missouri, which survived World War II to serve again in the Persian Gulf War. There is also a look at the sinking of the Bismark and the dramatic suicide mission of the Japanese battleship Yamato. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This made-for-television romantic fantasy is based on author Susan Wilson's novel-length, updated version of Beauty and the Beast. The beauty is talented painter Alix Miller. Her father Alexander was scheduled to paint a family portrait for the reclusive author Lee Crompton, but he fell ill and could not. Alix decides to take his place. Much to her shock, Lee is horribly disfigured. Still, she has an obligation and so continues with the painting. As time passes, she finds herself increasingly drawn to the enigmatic Lee, who in spite of his own fears, finds himself equally interested in her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janine Turner, Jamey Sheridan, (more)
- 1985
Hal Holbrook stars in this TV pilot film as Colonel Calvin Turner, a special operative for the OSS during World War II. Working in cooperation with British intelligence, Turner's mission is to uncover atomic weapon secrets at a Nazi plant in occupied Norway. The task permits him time for a bit of dalliance with the lovely Anne Twomey. David McCallum and Ray Sharkey costar in this uneven location-filmed adventure caper, first broadcast December 29, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Holbrook, Maryam D'Abo, (more)
The Bonds of Love in this made-for-TV drama are those forged between divorcee Kelly McGillis and mentally disabled Treat Williams. What begins as a friendship between two lost souls blossoms into a deep and genuine romance. Their wedding plans are challenged by his mother (Grace Zabriskie) and father (Hal Holbrook)-who are not depicted as villains but merely well-meaning and overprotective (only Williams' brother, played by Steve Railsback, comes off in negative terms). Based on a true story, Bonds of Love is set in Kansas (though it was lensed in Ontario). The film premiered January 24, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Astronauts Charles Brubaker, John Walker, and Peter Willis (James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, and Sam Waterston, respectively) are hailed as heroes when they become the first men to be rocketed to Mars. Actually the space travelers are as phony as their mission controller, Dr. James Kelloway (Hal Holbrook); to avert a failure that might cost the space program its funding, the Mars-bound vessel has been sent up without a crew, while the helmeted astronauts sit on a movie soundstage, pretending to be in outer space for the benefit of the TV cameras. Unfortunately the Mars ship crashes on arrival, making the astronaut trio thoroughly expendable. Investigative reporter Robert Caulfield (Elliott Gould), who's smelled a rat all along, races against time to prevent NASA from "terminating" the hapless astronauts in order to cover up the conspiracy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, James Brolin, (more)
Based on the novel Farmer by Jim Harrison, this drama concerns Joseph Svenden (Dennis Hopper), a one-time farmer in his late forties who took up teaching when he permanently injured his leg in an accident. Joseph's life is orderly, precise, and rather dull. He teaches with as much enthusiasm as he can muster, lives in the farmhouse where he grew up, and has been engaged for the last six years to Rosealee Henson (Amy Irving). Rosealee is the widow of his best friend, and, for a variety of reasons, both she and Joseph are reluctant to set a date (she devotes much of her time to caring for her ailing mother). One day Joseph is met in his barn by Catherine Wheeler (Amy Locane), a new student in his senior class. Catherine attempts to seduce Joseph, who dutifully refuses, only to request a second chance a few moments later, which Catherine eagerly grants him. This unexpected event brings out a newly adventurous side in Joseph, though he suddenly has a new set of complications to go along with it; he discovers that his school is closing, and Catherine's parents are predictably angry when they find out about their daughter's liaison. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Amy Irving, (more)
This animated comedy for the family, which gently parodies the movie musicals of the '30s and '40s, follows Danny (voice of Scott Bakula), a cat from Kokomo, Indiana, who loves to sing and dance and longs to be in show business. One day, Danny decides to do something about his ambitions instead of just wishing, so he heads for Hollywood, convinced that he can become a star in a week. However, Danny quickly becomes aware of the species barrier in Tinseltown; the studios don't much care for animals, even ones with star quality, and the best Danny's agent can get for him is a tiny role in a movie with adorable child star Darla Dimple (voice of Ashley Peldon), who turns out to be a mean-spirited brat who loathes animals as soon as the camera is turned off. Danny soon makes the acquaintance of several other animal performers stuck in the same bind as himself, including Sawyer (voice of Jasmine Guy), a pretty but cynical cat; Woolie (voice of John Rhys-Davies), a piano-playing elephant; Tillie (voice of Kathy Najimy), a singing hippo; and Pudge (voice of Mathew Herried), a performing penguin. Together, the critters struggle for acceptance and a chance to show the world what they can do. Sawyer's singing voice for the musical numbers was provided by Natalie Cole; Randy Newman wrote several original songs for the film, and Gene Kelly was a consultant for the character's choreography. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, (more)
Two of the most venerable names in the horror field, author Stephen King and director George A. Romero, present this anthology of original twisted tales inspired by the E.C. horror comics of the 50's and 60's (themselves a more direct basis for the popular Tales from the Crypt TV series). The five stories are framed within the pages of a comic book which a boy's insensitive father has thrown in the garbage. The first tale, "Father's Day," features a zombie patriarch returning to claim his Father's Day cake; "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" stars King himself as a slack-jawed yokel whose discovery of a radioactive meteorite turns him into a walking weed; "Something to Tide You Over" presents a deadly-serious Leslie Nielsen as a cuckolded husband who plans an elaborate seaside revenge; "The Crate" unleashes its ferocious man-eating contents on the enemies of a meek college professor; and "They're Creeping Up On You" pits obsessively-clean billionaire E.G. Marshall against a swarm of cockroaches in his sterile penthouse. The chapters are uniformly creative, filmed in garish comic-book colors, and Tom Savini's makeup effects are quite memorable (particularly the monster from "The Crate"), though the campy treatment does become exhausting after two hours' runtime. The final segment is the most impressive, thanks to Marshall's over-the-top performance, though the planned scope of the cockroach invasion was drastically reduced (no doubt due to budget constraints). ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, (more)
This WW II-set drama follows the creation of the first atomic bomb. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, David Strathairn, (more)
- 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
- 1988
The two-part TV movie Emma: Queen of the South Seas stars the incredibly lovely Barbara Carrera. The film is based on the true story of Samoan princess Emma Coe. Part One takes place in the 1860s, as teenaged Emma (Rebekah Elmaloglou) dreams of an exotic life beyond the confines of her hated convent school. In part two, the grown-up Emma (Carrera), now ensconced in Samoa, valiantly defends her country against British colonization. Hal Holbrook and Thaao Penghlis play the most significant men in Emma's life. Syndicated to independent TV outlets, Emma: Queen of the South Seas was first telecast the week of April 23-29, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ainsley Dupree (Martha Plimpton) is a short-order cook at a diner in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, a country town in the middle of nowhere. Lonely and bored, Ainsley becomes pen pals with Jack Stillings (Kevin Anderson), who is currently serving time in prison. When Jack is released, he immediately asks Ainsley to marry him, and she impulsively agrees. Jack embraced Christianity while behind bars, and he encourages his wife to attend church with him each Sunday. However, Jack's requests soon become demands, and before long, she's forbidden to leave the house while he's at work pumping gas. Ainsley quietly rebuffs Jack's demands, slipping into town to a convenience store while he's away, but she soon learns, after Jack's parole officer pays a visit to their home, that his crime was more serious than she imagined; he beat a woman so brutally that she nearly died. Meanwhile, Sheriff Sam Rogers (Hal Holbrook) finds a 14-year-old boy, Tom Spencer (Nick Stahl), wandering dazed in ragged and bloody clothes along a lonely road. Tom leads Sam to the scene of a violent crime he has just witnessed, while telling him of the traumatic events in his family that led to an act of shocking brutality. Writer and director Tim Blake Nelson adapted Eye of God from his own stage play. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martha Plimpton, Kevin Anderson, (more)
Though the original Fletch was drubbed by critics, it proved a major success for star Chevy Chase. It was inevitable, then, that a sequel would make an appearance. Surprisingly, Fletch Lives didn't come out until 1989--a full five years after the original. Once more, Chase stars as Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher, the gonzo investigative reporter created by novelist Gregory McDonald. Indulging his penchant for disguises and bizarre aliases, Fletch investigates a deep dark mystery at a crumbling Southern plantation. Various friends and enemies are portrayed con brio by Hal Holbrook, Cleavon Little, Juliane Phillips, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Richard Libertini and Richard Belzer (Chase's cohort from the old Groove Tube days). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Hal Holbrook, (more)
