Don Johnson Movies
Film and television actor Don Johnson first studied his trade at the University of Kansas and the American Conservatory Theatre. A professional actor by his late teens, Johnson's earliest stage and screen assignments frequently found him cast as a fallen innocent.
Johnson first gained national press coverage as the 20-year-old star of the counterculture comedy The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970). His next significant credit was the 1975 cult favorite A Boy and His Dog, based on a trenchant Harlan Ellison yarn. Personal and professional entanglements kept him alternately on and offscreen until 1984, when he staged a comeback as Sonny Crockett, a rough-shod yet impossibly hip, sailboat-dwelling Miami-area vice squad detective assigned to work opposite Detective Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), in Michael Mann's seminal small-screen cop drama Miami Vice (1984-89). To call the program (and Johnson's role in it) "trend-setting" would be a massive understatement; the character of Crockett, with his pastel sports jackets worn atop scoop-neck t-shirts, dark sunglasses, pants without socks, and a two or three-day growth of unshaven beard, rewrote the rules of men's haute-couture for almost a decade and posited Johnson as one of American culture's top male sex symbols for a lengthy duration as well (for a time, it became seemingly impossible to look at the cover of GQ or Esquire without spotting the actor). As the series rolled on, it witnessed Crockett's character undergoing many life changes, including the violent deaths of numerous colleagues on the force and a strange, strange plot point in which he accidentally began to confuse his own identity with that of his drug-pushing alter ego in the Miami crime world.
During this second flush of fame, Johnson also distinguished himself as a dependable TV-movie leading man (notably as Ben Quick in the 1985 remake of The Long Hot Summer) and a champion powerboat racer. He also played a series of interesting leading roles in films of extremely variable quality, including Dennis Hopper's post-noir thriller The Hot Spot (1990), Mary Agnes Donoghue's romantic drama Paradise (1991) (opposite longtime partner Melanie Griffith) and Kevin Costner's hard-living buddy in Ron Shelton's gentle sports-themed romantic comedy Tin Cup (1996). During the 1995-96 season, Johnson enjoyed another career renaissance that distinctly mirrored his Vice success, as star of the TV weekly Nash Bridges. On that program, Johnson played the title character, a tough-as-nails San Francisco cop working the beat as an inspector with the municipal police department's Special Investigators Unit. Episodes found him artnered up, from assignment to assignment, with the wiseacre Hispanic detective Joe Dominguez (Cheech Marin). With relentless devotion to the demands of the force and an ere-present jocularity, Bridges worked his way through a series of seemingly impossible criminal investigations over the course of five seasons. He also attempted to balance life on the squad with a difficult personal life that included a strained relationship with his ex (Annette O'Toole) and the provision of much-needed paternal guidance for his teenage daughter (Jodi O'Keefe).
No matter where he has stood careerwise, Johnson has always proven good copy for the gossip columns and tabloids thanks to his on-again off-again marriage to actress Melanie Griffith, whom he wed and divorced twice over the course of twenty years; the two ended their union for the second time in 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2008
The goofy Norwegian farce Long Flat Balls II concerns a group of ne'er-do-well Norwegian misfits - all employed by Ed's Garage - who submit themselves to a week of National Guard training. Unfortunately, this just happens to coincide with the arrival of NATO soldiers undergoing routine training exercises in the nearby fields, which leads to a series of outrageous gaffes and complications; in time, Ed's boys must put their heads together to save the world from a nuclear war. Don Johnson (Miami Vice) claims a small supporting role as a military officer, and George W. Bush impersonator Steve Bridges, from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, makes a brief cameo appearance as the American president. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Debuting September 19, 2005, the weekly, hour-long WB courtroom drama Just Legal starred Don Johnson as Grant Cooper, a once-prominent and well-connected attorney who, after bungling a high-profile case and losing his client to death row, quickly went on the skids, ending up in a seedy law office in Venice, CA. Only able to get work as a court-appointed attorney, Cooper had grown sour and dispirited about his life and work. Things brightened considerably when David "Skip" Ross (Jay Baruchel), a 19-year-old legal prodigy, became Cooper's junior partner. Brilliant and idealistic, Skip had been unable to secure a position with any of the top legal firms because of his age, so he came calling upon his idol, Grant Cooper. At first taking Skip on because the lad worked cheap and was willing to do all the "grunt" work, Cooper eventually found that himself revitalized by his partner's youthful enthusiasm and dedication. Together, our mismatched heroes dedicated themselves to taking on "hopeless" cases and defending the losers and outcasts of the world. The office's only other employee was secretary Dulcinea "Dee" Real (Jaime Lee Kirchner), a recent parolee (she still wore her electronic ankle bracelet!) who was working off her legal fees to Cooper. Taking no guff from anyone, Dee had a cute habit of terrifying her nominal bosses when she was feeling out of sorts, but she proved to be an invaluable member of the team. Just Legal was assembled by the same Jerry Bruckheimer team responsible for CSI, Cold Case, and Without a Trace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Jay Baruchel, (more)
A man is called by the military to defend himself against long-ago charges of criminal misconduct in this made-for-cable drama based on a novel by Nelson DeMille. Ben Tyson (Don Johnson) has done well for himself 30 years after his tour of duty in Vietnam -- he's a successful businessman and happily married to a beautiful woman, Marcy (Sharon Lawrence). But Tyson's contented life is shattered when a book is published accusing him of being responsible for a bloody ambush in a field hospital that took the lives of a number of Vietnamese civilians. Tyson is recalled to duty by the army to answer these charges in a court martial. As his professional and personal lives begin to buckle under the strain, Tyson must defend his actions, as well as his responsibilities to his comrades and himself, to prosecutor Major Karen Harper (Jeanne Tripplehorn). Don Johnson's son, Jesse Johnson, plays the young Ben Tyson in Vietnam flashback sequences. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, (more)
- 1998
This two-hour TV entertainment special takes a surface skim (95 minutes minus commercials and promos) over the history of CBS, quickly skipping past decades of CBS radio to concentrate on CBS television from the late '40s to the present. It features more than a dozen hosts (Adam Arkin, Ed Bradley, Carol Burnett, David Copperfield, Roma Downey, Fran Drescher, Don Johnson, Angela Lansbury, David Letterman, Cheech Marin, Mary Tyler Moore, Dan Rather, Della Reese, Ray Romano, Jane Seymour) introducing a parade of primetime clips covering a variety of shows, events, and people -- Ed Sullivan, The Carol Burnette Show, 60 Minutes (Mike Wallace interviewing Barbra Streisand), Gunsmoke, The Honeymooners, Edward R. Murrow (his oft-seen editorial on Joe McCarthy), I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone, The Waltons, Dan Rather reporting from Vietnam, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Green Acres, Dallas, Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, M*A*S*H, The Andy Griffith Show, Murphy Brown, the JFK assassination, and more -- with reminiscences from Tom and Dick Smothers, David Letterman (on Ed Sullivan), Larry Hagman (on "Who shot J.R.?"), Alan Alda, Ron Howard, Walter Cronkite, and others. At 95 minutes, these nostalgic nods, truncated tributes, and familiar faces might leave many viewers yearning for an archeological dig through the little-seen rarities and antiquities buried in the Museum of Television & Radio collection while waiting for the major networks to cover broadcasting history in depth. Premiered May 20, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Arkin, Ed Bradley, (more)
- 1991
This video is made up of four mini-thrillers from a popular television anthology series. The first is "People Don't Do Such Things," about a soured marriage; "Youth from Vienna," centering on a fountain of youth that gives unexpected results; "Skeleton in the Cupboard," about a man with a terrible secret; and "Bird of Prey," the mystery of a dead parrot's giant egg. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This medical instructional video is produced by the American Red Cross. Taking the viewer first through a twenty-question test on proper procedures for life-threatening medical emergencies, with an included test score card, the video then shows the recommended medical procedures for each depicted Emergency. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
The fifth and final season of the ultrahip crime series Miami Vice opens with a 2-parter resolving the incredible cliffhanger from Season Four. A blow on the head had caused Dade County vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) to assume the identity of his undercover alter ego Sonny Burnett, and while in this "role" he foments a deadly turf war between two crime families. Though Crockett's memory will return, his partner Det. Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) worries that Sonny has passed the point of no return--and may have to be destroyed! This of course doesn't happen, and a few episodes later it's business as usual for the two cops. However, there are more personal crises in the offing for both Sonny and Tubbs--especially the latter when, while undercover, he falls in love with the widow of a murdered drug lord. The series' trademarked utilization of offbeat guest stars has fallen off a bit this season, with the supporting players cast along more traditional lines. A noteworthy exception is the young John Leguizamo, who, after making an indelible impression during the first few seasons as the chief "wiseguy" in the vicious Calderone crime clan, re-emerges in an entirely different role in the fifth-season episode "Victim of Circumstance" Highlights this year include the two-part episode "Freefall", in which Crockett and Tubbs virtually sign their own death warrants when they agree to protect the brutal dictator of "Costa Morada" (played with a florid Latino accent by Ian McShane!). And in "World of Trouble" the detectives are confronted with a ghost from the past as mob boss Al Lombard (Dennis Farina), presumed killed in the series' first-season finale, suddenly pops up as if nothing had happened. The series officially ends it run with Episode #110, "Leap of Faith", featuring Laura San Giacomo. There was, however, still one episode in the hopper. "Too Much Too Late" was never seen during Miami Vice's NBC run, but instead made its debut over cable's USA network on January 25, 1990, six months after the series' over-the-air cancellation. This poignant episode reunites Tubbs with his former love Valerie Gordon (Pam Grier), who unfortunately must keep Tubbs at arm's length as she protects an old friend from a homicidal drug dealer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
Season Four of Miami Vice marks the first of several appearances by singer Sheena Easton in the role of recording star Caitlin Davies, with whom Dade County undercover vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) falls in love in the episode "Like a Hurricane"--and to whom he is abruptly wed in the very next episode "Rising Sun of Death." This star-crossed romance inaugurates a story thread that will eventually build to the 2-part season finale, in which an amnesiac Sonny part of an ongoing story thread that will build up to the 2-part season finale, in which an an amnesiac Sonny believes himself to be his undercover alter-ego, a drug kingpin named Sonny Burnett, and accordingly ties up with a Colombian crime boss! No, the scripters did not forget costar Philip Michael Thomas as Crockett's partner Ricardo Tubbs, even though it would be Don Johnson who commanded much of the audience's attention this season. As usual, one of the key selling points of Miami Vice (besides its hip dialogue, MTV-style editing and wall-to-wall background music) is the series' intelligent and offbeat utilization of guest stars. Examples include comedian Ben Stiller and character actor Brian Dennehy in "Amen. . .Send Money"; Miguel Ferrer, Penelope Ann Miller and a pre-CSI Paul Guilfoyle in "Death and the Lady"; the versatile Alfred Molina in "The Big Thaw"; up-and-coming Ving Rhames and soul-music icon Isaac Hayes in "Child's Play"; hard-working James Brown and brash youngster Chris Rock in "Missing Hours"; and the multitalented Harry Shearer in (and we're not making this up) "The Cows of October". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
In this animated children's film, G. I. Joe and his friends must defend the world when it is threatened by Golobulus and his evil COBRA team. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Season Three of the too-hip-for-the-room crime series Miami Vice opens with a bang as the beloved Ferrari of Dade County undercover vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) is accidentally blown up. This, however, proves easier to take than the jolt delivered to Crockett's partner Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) in a later episode, in which Tubb's mercurial ex-partner Izzy Moreno (Martin Ferrero) frames him on a kidnapping charge. Nor are the two cops' colleagues spared anxiety this season, as witness the shock and awe experience by Det. Gina Calabrese (Sandra Santiago) is handed evidence that her current lover is an IRA terrorist, in an episode featuring a young Liam Neeson. The worst is reserved for Det. Larry Zito (John Diehl), a regular since the series' inception, when Zito is abruptly killed in the line of duty in the two-part episode "Down for the Count". This installment also upholds the Miami Vice tradition of showcasing quirky guest stars, in this instance boxing promoter Don King. Other prominent players showing up this season include Laurence Fishburne as a corrupt prison guard in "Walk Alone", Willie Nelson as the bedraggled title character in "El Viejo", which also features Steve Buscemi; Stanley Tucci as an adoption racketeer in "Baby Blues"; Wesley Snipes as a smooth hoodlum named Silk in "Street Wise"; andHang S. Ngor, the former Cambodian doctor whose real-life persecution at the hands of the Pol Pot regime were re-enacted in the theatrical feature The Killing Fields, as a Vietnamese detective in "Duty and Honor". This last-named episode also introduces Helena Bonham-Carter as Theresa, a heroin-addicted doctor with whom Crockett briefly falls in love. Also: John Leguizamo returns as the slimy head of the Calderon crime family in "The Afternoon Plane"; onetime Star Trek-er George Takei is seen along with Miami Vice star Don Johnson's then-wife Melanie Griffith in "By Hooker By Crook"; future Oscar winner Benicio del Toro pays his acting dues as a minor heavy in "Everybody's in Showbiz"; and the great Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbe figures prominently in the Season Three finale, "Heroes of the Revolution." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
- 1985
The made-for-TV The Long Hot Summer was based on the 1958 theatrical film of the same name-which, in turn, was based on two William Faulkner short stories. Don Johnson plays Ben Quick, a Southern drifter who is under suspicion as a "barn burner." Ben secures a job at the Mississippi mansion of town-boss Will Varner (Jason Robards). Varner's daughter Noel (Judith Ivey) and daughter-in-law Eula (Cybill Shepherd) vie for the handsome Ben's attention, while the patriarch's weakling son Jody (William Russ) seethes. When a few local barns are burned, Ben is the primary suspect-and no one is more suspicious than Noel. A murder trial and lynch mob both figure into the second half of the two-part The Long Hot Summer; the film originally aired October 6 and 7, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Jason Robards, Jr., (more)
Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), Dade County's coolest undercover vice cops, are back for more MTV-influenced adventures as Miami Vice begins its second season. Though there'd been friction between the two main characters in season one, their teaming is a fait accompli by now, and they fit together like and hand in glove. Even glowering Lt. Castillo (Edward James Olmos) has become accustomed to, and more tolerant of, Crockett and Tubbs' highly unorthodox methods. The season's two-part opener finds the pair leaving Miami's sunny climes for the chilly streets of Manhattan, in search of Colombian drug dealers. Emphasis here as elsewhere is, of course, on Crockett and Tubbs, though the other cast members will be given their moments to shine. Detective Trudy Joplin (Olivia Brown) is the focal point in the episode "The Dutch Oven", in which she learns that her lover's best friend is tied in with a cocaine ring; Det. Gina Calabrese (Saundra Santiago) devotes most of the episode "Bought and Paid For" to go after a wealthy, well-connected rapist; and Det. Stan Switek (Michell Talbott) is for all intents and purposes the star of "Phil the Shill", even though the title character is played by guest star Phil Collins. Singer Collins is but one of many offbeat guest performers who, attracted to the popularity and hipness of Miami Vice, will pop up this season in variety of colorful characterizations. Former Nixon associate and federal prisoner G. Gordon Liddy is seen as the duplicitous Captain Real Estate in "Back in the World"; 1950s pop idol and future Broadway favorite Nathan Lane show up in "Buddies"; sultry songstress Eartha Kitt shares air time with the contemporary rock group Power Station in "Whatever Works"; musician and pro-gun advocate Ted Nugent is in "Definitely Miami"; The Fat Boys do their thing in "Florence Italy"; poet Leonard Cohen is featured in "Back in the World", Torch Song Trilogy playwright Harvey Fierstein guests in "The Fix"; jazz icon Miles Davis appears in "Junk Love"; rock legend Frank Zappa delivers lines in "Payback"; celebrity spouse Bianca Jagger emotes in "Free Verse"; and iconoclastic comic actors Tommy Chong and Richard Belzer are both in "Trust Fund Pirates." The season ends with "Sons and Lovers", bringing Crockett and Tubbs face to face once more with the vicious, self-destructive Calderone crime family, whose head man is played by a young John Leguizamo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
Season one of Miami Vice finds New York-bred vice cop Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) newly arrived at the Miami-Dade PD, in pursuit of the drug kingpin who murdered his brother. Reluctantly teamed with maverick undercover detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson), Tubbs is not a little surprised at how well and effectively they work together. In subsequent episodes, Crockett and Tubbs try to get to the bottom of an allegation that a rogue FBI agent has sold them out; Tubbs rescues Crockett's family from an Argentinean hit man; Lt. Martin Castillo (Edward James Olmos) joins the force as the boys' new, no-nonsense superior officer; a recreational speedboat racer is revealed to be a dangerous drug-runner; and the son of a wealthy industrialist is set up as a decoy to catch a few big-timers in the heroin trade. In addition, Sonny and "Rico" pose as corrupt hotel security guards to thwart a prostitution ring and end up halting a robbery; Castillo solicits the boys' help in freeing his kidnapped wife; Tubbs himself is abducted because of the gung-ho tactics of a revenge-seeking police officer; and Crockett comes face to face with a dark figure from his past during an ATM bust of an arms dealer. The season wraps up with a tense cat-and-mouse game between Crockett and Tubbs and the gunmen who intend to murder their prisoner, a mob witness. Though Miami Vice would not crack the Top 30 TV shows during its maiden season, word of mouth would elevate the show to ninth place in the overall ratings for season two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
- 1981
TV movies dealing with Elvis Presley are always good for a few vital extra rating points, and Elvis and the Beauty Queen was no exception to this rule. The King, here played by Don Johnson, is first seen here at the age of 37. Elvis falls in love with 21-year-old Miss Universe contestant Linda Thompson (Stephanie Zimbalist), and the two stay together for five years, remaining as close as it's possible to be a world populated of managers, gophers and sycophants. Linda tries to wean Presley off drugs, but you and I and everyone in the universe knows how that turned out. There's nothing here that hasn't already been trampled to death by the tabloids, but diehard Elvis fanatics will be satisfied. Three surprises: Elvis and the Beauty Queen was not telecast on Elvis' birthday; it wasn't telecast on the anniversary of his death; and it premiered in March of 1981, several weeks after the February "sweeps". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In this drama, an ex-hooker reluctantly accepts an undercover assignment for the cops and returns to her old stomping grounds. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1980
According to the NBC publicity packet, the made-for-TV Revenge of the Stepford Wives was "based on characters created by Ira Levin" -- specifically, those characters created by Levin for his fantasy-suspense novel The Stepford Wives, which was transformed into a theatrical film in 1975. On this occasion, plucky TV journalist Kay Foster (Sharon Gless) is stranded in the "idyllic" New England community of Stepford, populated exclusively by chauvinistic males and their eerily submissive and subservient wives. With the help of Megan Brady (Julie Kavner), a new arrival to the community who hasn't yet been "conditioned," Kay tries to learn the terrible secret behind the robotic Stepford wives -- and to foment a rebellion against the wicked menfolk. Revenge of the Stepford Wives first aired on October 12, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
When Sgt. Warden, on Honolulu, hears of high numbers of casualties he attempts to join his men. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
While Hawaii is under military alert due to the bombing of a ship, a man's mysterious death is investigated by his brother. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
Sgt. Warden, while having an affair with a major's wife, begins a personal vendetta against the major. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
When Sgt. Warden is transferred to a combat unit, he turns down his officer's commission, putting himself in danger. ~ All Movie Guide
Beulah Land is an edited, movie-length version of the three-part TV miniseries adaptation of Lonnie Coleman's multi-part novels. The film is set in the Old South, with a time span ranging from 1827 to the postwar Reconstruction Era. Lesley Ann Warren stars as Sarah Kendrick, young belle of the Beulah Land plantation, who finds herself in love with a "damn Yankee." Sarah must also contend with a weakling brother (Paul Rudd) and a former slave (Dorian Harewood) who demands freedom as a right rather than a privilege. Beulah Land took forever to get before the cameras due to protests from black historical organizations; when it was finally telecast on October 7-9, 1980, NBC conducted a low-pressure ad campaign, as though the network was still fearful of stepping on toes despite the testimonial of a black Yale history professor, who commended the production for its "special sensitivity." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Ann Warren, Michael Sarrazin, (more)
