Anna Maria Horsford Movies
Black supporting actress, onscreen from the late '70s. ~ All Movie Guide
With a plot that is a cross between a teen, low-brow farce and a coming-of-age story, Class opens with scenes of two best friends -- nerdy whiz Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy) and carefree jock Skip (Rob Lowe) -- going around in lingerie; they also barf on a double date, break into a quiet meeting at a girls' school, and generally behave as emotional throwbacks. But when the nerd Jonathan is picked up in a Chicago bar by Skip's mother Ellen (Jacqueline Bisset), the tone changes completely. The affair between the student and the older woman is torrid until they rendezvous in New York and Ellen dumps Jonathan because she finds out he is not a Ph.D. candidate from Northwestern University. Meanwhile, Jonathan does not know who Ellen is until Skip brings him home for the Christmas holidays and the two clandestine, September-May ex-lovers come face to face with the truth. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 1982
- R
Based upon the true story of a woman's battle to raise her baby in prison after having become pregnant by a prison guard while serving a twenty-year stretch for robbery, Amy Madigan, in her debut film, delivers an impressive intensity and range as Terry Jean Moore, a wild young woman with a chip on her shoulder. The story begins as Terry is hitchhiking with her equally wild cousin Jesse (Lewis Smith). They are picked up by a passing motorist and Jesse tries to rob the motorist of five dollars. When they are caught, Jesse takes the rap for her cousin and winds up in jail. Her temperament does not endear her to the prison authorities, although she is befriended by a young lesbian, J.J. (Mackenzie Phillips), and a sympathetic guard, Jack Hensen (Beau Bridges). Jack and Terry fall in love and have an affair in prison. Terry becomes pregnant and fights to raise her child in prison. At the same time, being pregnant forces Terry to reconsider her life and adopt a more responsible attitude. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Madigan, Beau Bridges, (more)
- 1982
Made for television, this film chronicles the life and work of real-life New York City undercover policewoman Mary Glatzle, here played by Karen Valentine). A single mom, Ms. Glatzle is in dire need of money to pay for her son's mounting medical expenses. Thus we she joins the NYC police force, Mary makes it known that she will take on any dangerous assignment so long as it fattens her bank account. Providing to be adept at disguises, Mary acts as a decoy for muggers and rapists, posing as everything from a hooker to a little old lady--and in the process, she becomes famous as "Muggable Mary". Though Karen Valentine did most of her own stunts, in certain hazardous sequences she was doubled by Tanya Russell. Muggable Mary: Street Cop made its first CBS network appearance on February 25, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Relying more on acting and attitude than makeup, Louis Gossett Jr. plays a cantankerous, fiercely independent old man in Benny's Place. A longtime employee of a steel mill, Gossett has set up his own tool repair operation within the mill, running things nicely, thank you, without the interference of his employers. He has rejected one white apprentice after another, but now is forced by affirmative action to accept an African-American assistant (David Harris)--whom Gossett suspects is being groomed to replace him. In his off-hours, Gossett juggles the affections of the two women in his life: a much-younger lady played by Anna Maria Horsford, and a mature lover closer to his own age, played by Cicely Tyson. Benny's Place was written by J. Rufus Caleb. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Lauren Bacall more or less plays herself in The Fan. Cast as famous Broadway musical comedy star Sally Ross (with an astonishing lack of temperament!), Bacall finds herself the unwilling love object of psychotic fan Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn). As security around Ross tightens, Breen vows that if he can't have Ross, no one else can. James Garner and Maureen Stapleton are underused as, respectively, Bacall's ex-husband and mother-hen secretary. Based on a good novel by Bob Randall, The Fan comes off as a slightly more expensive "stalker of the week" TV movie. Still, the film proved grimly prescient in the light of John Lennon's assassination (which occurred after the film was completed, but before its release) and the ongoing dilemma of current Broadway stars (even the lesser lights) who are forced to hire bodyguards to protect them from worshipful wackos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lauren Bacall, James Garner, (more)
- 1981
This Emmy-winning made-for-TV movie, based on a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter Barry Morrow (from his true story), stars Mickey Rooney in the title role of a mentally-challenged adult who has spent his life holed up in a bleak institution. When documentary filmmaker Morrow (Dennis Quaid) and his family invite him into their home to stay with them, Bill is given his first taste of independence in the real world. Together, Bill and the Morrows unexpectedly teach each other valuable lessons about life and themselves. The film was so popular that it spawned a sequel two years later called Bill: On His Own. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- NR
A young Trini Alvarado stars in this Emmy-winning ABC Afterschool Special as Alicia Mann, an aspiring folksinger. To realize her dream, teenaged Alicia takes a summer job at a coffee shop where she is allowed to perform without pay. Alicia's mother, Inez (Joanna Merlin), is appalled by this, insisting that Alice accept a "safe" job at the factory where Inez works. A crisis develops when Alicia is forced to choose between a singing career and a generous scholarship offered her by Inez' boss. Lynn Ahrens of Schoolhouse Rock fame wrote the original songs for this film, including "Great American Hit," "My City Song," and "Gonna Make My Dreams Come True." ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Trini Alvarado, Lee Curreri, (more)
Two runaway teens face life on the streets in New York City with a devil-may-care attitude and a punk-rock image. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Curry, Trini Alvarado, (more)
- 1979
Hollow Image is an occasionally overwritten but generally impressive screenwriting debut for Lee Hunkins. Saundra Sharp plays an African-American career woman who has become a success in Manhattan's high-fashion world. She has risen from the grinding poverty of Harlem, but her roots are deeper than she's willing to admit. Dick Anthony Williams plays the new man in Ms. Sharp's new world. His friend (Morgan Freeman) is not supportive concerning the new relationship. Hollow Image was originally telecast as an ABC Theatre special on June 24, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Inside jokes about the film industry dominate this slight tale of ambition and romance at the Cannes Film Festival. Keith Carradine plays a first-time director who has sunk two years and all his money into a movie about the execution of murderer Gary Gilmore. With his last bit of cash, he flies himself and his picture to Cannes, but the film is seized by French customs. The wife of an Italian producer (Monica Vitti) helps him retrieve his work, and the two become embroiled in a passionate, yet ultimately ill-fated, affair. Carradine gets the first-time, self-important director mostly right, but the movie is so specific to the film industry that viewers may lose interest. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Carradine, Monica Vitti, (more)
