William D'Angelo Movies
- 1986
A broad and brassy satire of hard-boiled detective shows, the weekly, half-hour ABC sitcom Sledge Hammer! first burst onto the scene September 23, 1986. Created by Alan Spencer, the series starred David Rasche as Detective Inspector Sledge Hammer, a tough, arrogant cop who played by his own rules and was nobody's patsy, no sir! Breaking 57 varieties of civil liberties every time he went out to collar a criminal, Hammer made no distinctions between the gravity of individual crimes, being just as tough and brutal on litterbugs as he was on bank robbers. You couldn't miss Hammer when he arrived on the scene, waving his beloved pearl-handed .44 Magnum and dressed in garish, mismatched clothes, with his ever-present sunglasses covering his beady little eyes. Although Hammer had an impressive resumé of big arrests, it was usually his smarter, quieter, and better-looking partner, Officer Dori Doreau (Anne-Marie Martin), who did most of the hard work. And in time-honored cop-cliché fashion, Hammer's volatile superior officer, Captain Trunk (Harrison Page), who never spoke when shouting would do, suspended our hero from the force each and every week, only to reinstate him for a job well done (by Dori Doreau, that is!). The series' first season contained perhaps the most bizarre cliffhanger ever conceived, with Hammer, muttering his trademarked "I know what I'm doing," accidentally detonating a nuclear device and destroying Los Angeles and everyone in it! This deliciously "noir" grace note was conceived by the producers when it seemed as if there was no way on earth that Sledge Hammer! would be renewed for a second season. When renewal did occur, the producers blithely explained that season two was a prequel to season one: Sledge Hammer: The Early Days. And in this same insouciant vein, the series went its merry way until it finally was canceled for keeps on June 30, 1988. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Rasche, Ann-Marie Martin, (more)
- 1984
It has taken nine seasons, but waitress Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin, widowed protagonist of the popular sitcom Alice, has finally landed a permanent boyfriend, one Nicholas Stone (Michael Durrell). And just in cast Alice had any doubts about her newest beau, Nicholas proves his mettle when he helps her cope with her 20-year-old son Tommy's (Philip McKeon) drinking problem. Meanwhile, fellow waitress Vera (Beth Howland) adjusts to her new life as the spouse of policeman Eliot Novak (Charles Levin). Among those making guest appearances in the series' ninth and final season are Golden Girls' Rue McClanahan, cast against type as syrupy day-school owner Mother Goose; Gregory Walcott, B-picture perennial and survivor of the infamous Plan 9 From Outer Space as Big Jake Hunnicutt, father of Alice's waitress pal Jolene; Fred Berry the former "Rerun" of What's Happening, as a chubby break-dancer named Bobo; and future political satirist Bill Maher as a cop. Plus, Mel's Diner continues to attract new regular customers, adding Danny (Jonathan Price) and Doug (Doug Robinson to this season's roster. In the final episode, Mel sells the diner, Alice is on the verge of becoming a fulltime professional singer in the entourage of country star Travis Marsh (Kip Niven), Jolene sets up her own beauty salon, and Vera is about to become a mother. What is there left for the cast to do but reminisce about the past nine years, with the help of an abundance of choice clips from past episodes? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1983
Season Eight of Alice offers the series' one-and-only crossover episode, "Mel is Hogg-Tied, in which Mel's Diner is visited by Sorrell Booke and Sonny Shrover in their familiar Dukes of Hazzard roles as Boss Hogg and Enos Strait. Also seen this season is former Brady Bunch matriarch Florence Henderson, playing a popular singer who inexplicably proposes to ill-tempered diner owner Mel (Vic Tayback). Otherwise, it is business as usual for waitresse Alice (Linda Lavin) and Jolene (Celia Weston), and for Alice's 19-year-old son Tommy (Philip McKeon). But it's a different story for Alice's ditzy waitress pal Vera (Beth Howland), who in the appropriately yclept episode "Vera Gets Engaged" meets the love of her life, policeman Eliot Novak (Charles Levin), when he gives her a ticket for jaywalking. One episode later, Vera and Eliot are married. Eleswhere, comedian Joey D'Auria, one year away from being hired as the star of the popular Chicago-based cable series Bozo's Circus, plays a cop in the episode "Lies My Mother Told Me". And the versatile stage and screen actor James Coco shows up in a subsequent episode as a dentist who falls in love with Alice--or, more specifically, with Alice's X-rays! One of the Season Eight episodes, "Vera's Secret Lover", was actually filmed for the seventh season, but held back in anticipation of a planned Hollywood writer's strike. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1982
Alice moved from its familiar Sunday night slot to a Wednesday night berth for its seventh season, then shifted to Mondays in February of 1983. Whatever the night, the series' fans faithfully flocked around the tube to watch the latest shenanigans at Mel's Diner, and the misadventures of waitresses Alice (Linda Lavin, Vera (Beth Howland) and Jolene (Celia Weston), short-fused proprietor Mel (Vic Tayback), and Alice's now 18-year-old son Tommy (Philip McKeon). Halfway through the season, Martha Raye, hitherto confined to sporadic appearances in the role of Mel's meddlesome mother Carrie Sharples, becomes a regular when Carrie moved in with Mel after divorcing her most recent husband. Not surprisingly, she is soon driving everyone at the diner crazy with her overbearing personality, but the regular patrons--including newcomer Artie (Tony Long)--simply love the old broad! The season opener features Debbie Reynolds as a famously promiscuous actress who includes Mel in her tell-all autobiography--or at least that's what Mel thinks. Later on, Jerry Stiller appears as Mel's longtime rival, who shows up at the diner with his young trophy bride. A two-part episode features Joel Grey as himself, headlining a musical revue featuring Alice and financed by Mel--whose ineptitude nearly sinks the project before it can even open. Doris Roberts makes a return appearance as Alice's insufferable mother Mona, this time wreaking havoc at Thanksgiving dinner. Prolific character actor Guich Koock drops in to play Jolene's black-sheep brother Jonas. Cassandra Peterson, better known as buxom horror-movie hostress Elvira, has a flashy role in the episode "Mel's Dream Car." Richard Deacon of Dick Van Dyke Show fame guests as the snobbish owner of a catering firm for whom Mel briefly goes to work; Harlem Globetrotters star Meadowlark Lemon) stops over to give Tommy a few basketball pointers; and series star Linda Lavin essays a dual role, as both Alice and Vera's elderly, obnoxious landlady Debbie Walden, in "Vera the Torch." One of the Season Seven episodes, "The Secret of Mel's Diner", was actually filmed for Season Six, but held back due to a writer's strike. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1981
Season Six of Alice finds most of the series' original cast still intact: Linda Lavin as waitress and wannabe singer Alice, Philip McKeon as her now 17-year-old son Tommy, Vic Tayback as her bombastic boss Mel, and Beth Howland as airheaded fellow waitress Vera. Missing from the scene is Diane Ladd as waitress Belle Dupree, who'd been brought in during season four to replace departing regular Polly Holliday. Filling the gap left by Ladd is Celia Weston as the newest waitress at Mel's Diner, brassy Jolene Hunnicutt. Additionally, Mel's celebrated chili has attracted several new regular customers, among them Jerry (Jerry Potter) and Mitch (Phillip R. Allen). Heading the guest-star manifest this season is Donald O'Connor, appearing as himself in an episode wherein Vera attempts to enter the Guinness Book of World Record's with history's longest sustained tap-dance. Later episodes feature Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Alice's meddling mom Mona Spivak, who shows up just in time to ruin her daughter's 40th birthday celebration; former Welcome Back Kotter regular Ron Pallilo) and future Tonight Show host Jay Leno as a brace of skuzzy bikers named Muther and Bones; George Wendt, still two years removed from Cheers, as Alice's would-be suitor, who threatens to commit suicide when she spurns him; and, for the fourth successive season, Martha Raye as Mel's mom Carrie Sharples, who once again succeed in making her son's life miserable by planning to publish his top-secret chili recipe in her new cookbook. Two of the episodes seen during Season Six, "Mel's Cousin" and "Vera's Bouncing Check", were actually filmed for the 4th season, but held back from view due to a Hollywood writer's strike. And finally, we have "Mel's Christmas Carol", which honors the unwritten law that every sitcom must offer at least one takeoff of the Dickens Yuletide classic (For the record, the "Marley" counterpart is herein played by Jack Gilford). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1980
Though fewer new episodes of Alice were telecast during its fifth season due to a Hollywood writer's strike, the series still remained one of CBS's most popular attractions, ranking seventh in the overall Nielsen ratings. Much of its ongoing success can be attributed to the seamless ensemble work of its cast: Linda Lavin as waitress and aspiring singer Alice, Vic Tayback as her irascible boss Mel, Beth Howland as ditsy waitress Vera, Philip McKeon as Alice's son Tommy, and relative newcomer Diane Ladd as the newest employee of Mel's Diner, Southern-fried Belle Dupree. Gracing Season Five with their presence are such guest stars as Robert Goulet, who shows up in a 2-part episode wherein Vera wins a free trip to Vegas; Mildred Natwick as Vera's Aunt Agatha, a geriatric "biker chick"; Ruth Buzzi as the dowdy wife of Mel's regular customer, Henry the postman (Marvin Kaplan); Jerry Reed as "himself", in an episode involving a huge fish and a huge-er blunder made by the waitresses; and, for the third year in a row, Martha Raye as Mel's mom Carrie Sharples, who is even more insufferable than usual after she is dumped by her current husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
Halfway through Season Four of Alice, series regular Polly Holliday, in the role of brassy waitress Flo "Kiss Mah Grits" Castleberry, accepts an offer she can't refuse from a Houston businessman and leaves Mel's Diner in Phoenix to open up her own restaurant--thereby neatly segueing into her own spinoff sitcom Flo, which made its CBS debut on March 24, 1980. Holliday's replacement on Alice is Mississippi native Belle Dupree, who makes her first appearance in the episode "For Whom the Belle Tolls", and who like series protagonist Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin) bides her time as a waitress at Mel's until she can pursue her dream of becoming a popular singer. Ironically, Belle is portrayed by Diane Ladd, who originated the role of Flo in the series' theatrical-movie prototype, Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More (1974). The rest of the regular cast--the aforementioned Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback as Mel, Beth Howland as Vera, Philip McKeon as Alice's son Tommy--remains intact. Also new to the show are several more steady customer at Mel's Diner: Ted Gehring as Charlie, Michael Alldredge as Ralph, and Raleigh Bond as Raleigh. The first of the season's many guest stars is Telly Savalas, who appears as "himself" in the opening episode, driving Vera (Beth Howland) crazy later on when she can't convince anyone that she has waited on "Kojak." Also appearing as themselves are Dinah Shore, who invites Mel to prepare his famous chili on her TV talk show, and Art Carney, who not only tries to market Mel's recipe as "Chili Con Carney", but also reveals himself to be Vera's sixth cousin on her father's side. And back for another visit is Martha Raye as Mel's domineering mother Carrie Sharples, who once again effectively punctures her son's ego when her cooking draws in more customers than his! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1978
Season Three of Alice introduces Victoria Carroll as Marie, the on-and-off girlfriend of Phoenix diner proprietor Mel Sharples (Vic Tayback). Also, Mel's Diner welcomes several new steady customers, among them Earl (Dave Madden), Chuck (Duane R. Campbell) and Brian (Alan Haufrect), who spend as much time cracking wise with waitresses Alice (Linda Lavin), Flo (Polly Holliday) and Vera (Beth Howland) as they do downing Mel's famous chili. Foremost among the season's guest stars is the inimitable Martha Raye, making her first appearance as Mel's overbearing mother Carrie Sharples, who bids fair to be even more contentious than her son (if such a thing is possible). Also seen during Season Three are Forrest Tucker as Flo's ne'er-do-well father Edsel Jarvis Cadbury; actor and future talkshow host Gary Collins as the principal of the school attended by Alice's son Tommy (Philip McKeon); and Steve Franken, best known as "Chatsworth Osborne Jr." on the classic sitcom Dobie Gillis, as a squirrelly holdup man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1978
The Nativity is just what it says it is. This low-key retelling of the Biblical story of the birth of Christ stars Madeline Stowe as Mary and John V. Shea as Joseph. The network publicists assured the viewers that there would be as much emphasis on the "human love story" as the Birth itself. Also in the cast are Leo McKern as Herod, Jane Wyatt as Anna, Paul Stewart as Zacharias, Audrey Totter as Elizabeth, George Voskovec as Joachim and Julie Garfield (daughter of John Garfield) as Zipporah. The made-for-TV The Nativity premiered on December 17, 1978; one day later, Madeline Stowe showed up in a small role in another TV movie, The Deerslayer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Henry Polic II appears as Walter, who is arguably the most incompetent robber in the his history of crime. Not only does he drop his holdup note on the floor of diner--Alice (Linda Lavin) helpfully retrieves it--but when time comes to claim the dough, the cash register gets jammed. Inevitably, the staff takes pity on the incompetent thief, who despairs that he'll never be able to do anything right...but fate intervenes in the form of an extremely pregnant woman (Lupe Ontiveros) who suddenly goes into labor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Although widow and single mom Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin) still hopes to one day pursue a singing career, financial realities force her to retain her job as waitress at Mel's Diner in Phoenix, Arizona in Season Two of Alice. Likewise still on the premises are Alice's explosive boss Mel (Vic Tayback), her fellow waitresses Flo (Polly Holliday) and Vera (Beth Howland), and her now 13-year-old son Tommy (Philip McKeon). This season, Mel's superb home-made chili draws even more steady customers to the diner, among them Henry (Marvin Kaplan), Jason (Patrick J. Cronin) and Cecil (Bob McClurg) Season Two guest stars include George Burns as "Himself", whom impressionable Vera mistakes for the Almighty after watching Burns in the movie Oh, God!; singer Jerry Reed, likewise playing himself, who may have to provide free concert tickets to his former babysitter Flo; Desi Arnaz and Janis Paige as an amorous photographer and his long-suffering spouse; Victor Jory as an ancient Indian who claims that Mel's Diner has been built on a sacred burial ground; Morey Amsterdam as a nightclub manager who hires Alice for a singing gig; versatile comic actor Bob Dishy as a food-additive protestor who vows to kill himself in the middle of Mel's dining room; character player Burton Gilliam (Blazing Saddles) as Flo's bronc-bustin' brother Jimmy Joe; and Richard Libertini (the "talk to the hand" dictator from the movie The In-Laws) as a wealthy Arab who wants to add Flo to his harem! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1977
The title of this episode should give us an idea of what we're in for when Flo's trailer is stolen, leaving her homeless. The soul of generosity and hospitality, Alice (Linda Lavin) invites Flo (Polly Holliday) to stay at her place for a while. Big mistake! Not only is Flo a female "Oscar Madison", but Alice must also deal with her house guest's boorish boyfriend (Kenneth Mars), who acts like he has also moved in! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Alice (Linda Lavin) despairs over the likelihood that her overbearing mother-in-law Rose (Eileen Heckart) will move to Phoenix permanently. The only way out of this devastating dilemma is to patch up the differences between Rose and her estranged husband Charlie (Murray Hamilton). Problem is, Charlie is apparently having a grand old time as an "instant" bachelor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In the first episode of a two-part story, Eileen Heckart guest stars as Rose, the opinionated, overbearing mother-in-law of widow Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin). Having always regarded Rose's visits as a cause for alarm, Alice is prepared to spend a miserable weekend with her contentious in-law. But she isn't prepared for Rose's announcement that she has left her husband Charlie and intends to move in with Alice permanently! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The long-running CBS sitcom Alice launches its first season with the pilot episode, in which Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin), recently widowed when her trucker husband was killed in an accident, packs herself and her son Tommy (Philip McKeon) and heads westward, hoping to find success as a professional singer in California. But when her car breaks down outside of Phoenix, Arizona, the stone-broke Alice takes a job as a waitress at the roadside diner run by the short-tempered but basically likable Mel Sharples (Vic Tayback). She also befriends her fellow waitress, the brassy, outspoken Flo (Polly Holliday) and the shy, scatterbrained Vera (Beth Howland). (Trivia note: In the pilot, Alice's place of business was called "Mel and Ruby's Diner", in honor of Mel's late wife. In later episodes it is simply "Mel's Diner", and the boss' previous marital status is seldom if ever mentioned again!) Among those regular customers who show up to savor Mel's delicious home-made chili and to trade quips with the help is Pat Cranshaw as Andy. This season's guest stars include Victor Buono as a celebrated food critic who has the bad taste to drop dead after eating at Mel's Diner; Eileen Heckart as Alice's insufferable mother-in-law Rose; Tom Poston as an amorous mortician who proposes to Vera, even though he's already married; Bernie Kopell as an inept holdup man; and Kay Ballard as a self-proclaimed gypsy who places a curse on the diner and its staff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
