Gordon Jump Movies
An amiable American character actor with Midwest sensibilities, Gordon Jump spent most of his career appearing on television. A native of Centerville, OH, he got his start on the radio at station WIBW, Topeka following studies in broadcasting and communication at Kansas State University. While at the station, Jump wore many hats, including the hat of WIB the Clown, the host of a local children's show. He later worked on radio in Ohio until 1963 when he decided to move to Hollywood to launch an acting career. Through the '60s and '70s, he appeared on numerous series including Green Acres. In 1978, Gordon Jump was selected to play sweet-natured, slightly befuddled radio station manager Arthur Carlson on the classic sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. When the series ended in the early '80s, Jump returned to making guest appearances on other shows. Between 1991 and 1993, he reprised his role of Carlson on The New WKRP in Cincinnati. In 1997, Jump found steady work playing the "Lonely Repairman" in TV commercials for Maytag appliances. In addition to television, Jump also made occasional film appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A lonely young boy's wish for the perfect companion goes hilariously awry in this family-friendly tale that urges viewers not only to be careful what they wish for -- but also how they wish it! When a mysterious professor arrives in town and informs young Tim that a legendary supernova with the power to grant a single wish is set to appear in the night sky, the young boy is certain that he will finally be granted the canine companion that he has longed for. Unfortunately for Tim, his once-in-a-lifetime wish misfires -- transforming the young lad into a dog instead of granting him a companion pooch. Will Tim be able to reverse the effects of the wish-granting supernova in time to enjoy Christmas with the family, or will he end up spending the holidays in the doghouse? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Jump, David Bowe, (more)
- 1997
Although dimwitted Lonnie (Charles Esten) has only recently held the Bundy family hostage, Kelly Bundy (Christina Applegate) has fallen madly in love with him--and in fact wants to become his bride. Al (Ed O'Neill) is dead set against the union, rightly summing up Lonnie as a faithless fool, but he changes his mind when he discover that the boy's father (Gordon Jump) is a millionaire. Originally telecast back-to-back with the previous episode "The Desperate Half-Hour", this final-first run Married. . .With Children installment has all the earmarks of a pilot for a spinoff starring Christina Applegate and Charles Esten--until Al throws a monkey wrench in the works in the last few seconds! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The ninth and final season of Seinfeld begins with Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) enthusing over NBC's interest in his concept for a situation comedy "about nothing." However, he's less than enthusiastic over the omnipresence of his eternal nemesis, second-rate comedian Kenny Bania (Steve Hytner). Meanwhile, Kramer (Michael Richards) discovers that butter makes a great after shave lotion -- but Newman (Wayne Knight) is spooked by the smell. George (Jason Alexander) lands a new job only because he's still using a cane long after his hospital stay. And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) sets out on a month-long trip to Europe with the redoubtable Puddy (Patrick Warburton). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
"The voice" is actually "the stomach" in this episode -- that is, the weird nocturnal noises emanating from the stomach of Claire (Sara Rose Peterson), the latest girlfriend of Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld). Elsewhere, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) can't get Puddy (Patrick Warburton) off her mind, or out of her bed. George (Jason Alexander) parlays his phony handicap into a one-year contract with his new employer (Gordon Jump). And Kramer (Michael Richards) hires a college intern (Jarrad Paul) to help him organize "Kramerica Industries." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Maggie (Joanna Kerns) is a bit surprised when her dad Ed (Gordon Jump) shows up on the spur of the moment. Alas, the reason for Ed's visit is that he has some bad news for the family: the doctor has given him only a short time to live. Hoping to make the best of what time they have left, Ed and Maggie decide to go off together on a fishing trip--but tragically, things don't go according to schedule. This very special episode features a poignant flashback sequence, with Alexis Greig and Larry Marks respectively cast as the younger versions of Maggie and Ed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Gordon Jump makes a return appearance as Maggie Seavers' father Ed Malone--or rather, as the late Ed's ghost. This spectral visitation occurs when Maggie (Joanna Kerns) and the rest of the Seavers pay a visit to her childhood home, which her widowed mother Kate (Betty McGuire) plans to sell. Naturally, each bit of furniture and bric-a-brac arouses a memory for Maggie...and also makes her acutely aware that a benevolent spirit is watching over her every move. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Still broke and homeless in Manhattan, Mike (Kirk Cameron) decides to move in with his sister Carol (Tracey Gold), who is attending Columbia University. With this move, the two Cameron kids' personalities undergo a radical reversal, with Mike becoming more serious and level-headed, and Carol more frivolous and flighty. Meanwhile, mom Maggie (Joanna Kerns) argues with her dad Ed (Gordon Jump) over the best strategy to convince Mike and Carol to move back home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In the first episode of a three-part story, no sooner has Mike ( landed a job with a travel agency than he books an anniversary trip to Paris for his parents Jason (Alan Thicke) and Maggie (Joanna Kerns). In fact, so good is Mike's job performance that he is rewarded with his own Parisian vacation. Alas, he gets no further than Barcelona when he discovers that his bosses have gone bankrupt--and to top it off, he must deal with a disgruntled customer, an art student named Amy (played by Heather Langenkamp, one of the stars of the Growing Pains spinoff Just the Ten of Us). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Mike's future as a professional actor seems bleak, to say the least: His dad Jason (Alan Thicke) having cut off all financial support, Mike (Kirk Cameron) has absolutely no money--and now, no place to live. Sister Carol (Tracey Gold) is also on the "outs" with her parents, though in a somewhat more secure position than Mike as a student at Columbia University. Meanwhile, mom Maggie (Joanna Kerns), worried that she has lost Mike for good, is not above tightening the apron strings on Carol. Singer Jerry Vale appears as as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG13
In this spoof of spy films, a secret agent (Kim Cattrall) marries a civilian (Robert Hays) who is oblivious to his new wife's career, until the couple takes a honeymoon in Madrid, where danger and espionage await them at every turn. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hays, Kim Cattrall, (more)
- 1989
The kids' grandparents Ed (Gordon Jump) and Kate (Betty McGuire) decide to give Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol (Tracey Gold) and Ben (Jeremy Miller) $5000 each. The money was supposed to be part of the kids' inheritance, but Ed and Kate are anxious to find out how their grandchildren will handle so large a sum. Typically, Ben goes on a wild spending spree--but less typically, Mike and Carol display a hitherto unsuspected streak of generosity. This episode marks the second appearance of Mike's down-and-out friend Fred (Carmen Filpi). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Maggie's parents Ed (Gordon Jump) and Kate (Betty McGuire) conspire with the Seaver kids to arrange a surprise 20th anniversary part for Jason (Alan Thicke) and Maggie (Joanne Kerns). Alas, the festivities quickly degenerate into a shoutfest involving Maggie's mom and dad, Jason's mom Irma Jane Powell), and the rest of the guests--culminating in one of TV's sloppiest food fights. Even so, the party proves to be a boost for the blossoming relationship between Mike (Kirk Cameron) and Julie (Julie McCullough). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Season Five of Growing Pains begins as the Seaver family returns from the luxury cruise wherein the widowed mom of Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) married her middle-aged beau Wally. Perhaps inspired by this event, Jason's son Mike has proposed to Julie Costello (Julie McCullough), the 20-year-old nanny of Mike's infant sister Chrissy. Dead set against their engagement, Mike's mom, Maggie, fires Julie and arranges for her own parents Ed (Gordon Jump) and Kate (Betty McGuire) to look after Chrissy--only to find out that her mom and dad are totally on Mike and Julie's side! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- R
A transit engineer and his family must face the gargantuan task of moving from New Jersey to Boise, Idaho in this lively comedy starring Richard Pryor. It all begins after he gets a really great job out West. Unfortunately, his family is less than thrilled with the prospect. The furniture movers, who prove to be crooks, and their crazy neighbors conspire to make matters all the worse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Beverly Todd, (more)
- 1988
In this kooky, spooky comedy, a dead private detective comes back from the Great Beyond to investigate his own death. He enlists the aid of an unemployed actress. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Maggie's parents Ed and Kate Malone (Gordon Jump, Betty McGuire) show up at the Seaver house in a fighting mood. It seems that Ed has sold his house and bought a camper without consulting Kate. Outraged, Maggie (Joanna Kerns) tells Kate to stand up for her own rights--and proceeds to make a bad situation worse. Elsewhere, Mike (Kirk Cameron) and Ben (Jeremy Miller) wreak (mostly) unintentional havoc when Carol (Tracey Gold) holds a slumber party. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Mike (Kirk Cameron) has been lying again, so mom Maggie (Joanna Kerns) grounds him. Then Mike overhears Maggie lying to her boss so that she can attend a convention with Jason (Alan Thicke). Concluding that what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, Jason declares that Maggie herself is grounded--and brings in Maggie's parents Ed (Gordon Jump) and Kate (Betty McGuire) to make sure that his ruling is enforced! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
The Case of the Lost Love was the fourth of the Perry Mason TV movies of the 1980s. Raymond Burr plays Mason (you're surprised?), who while out of town at a lawyer's conference is reunited with Jean Simmons, his lady friend of 30 years past. Simmons has come up in the world, and is about to be nominated for the US senate. Unfortunately, her husband Gene Barry is accused of murdering a blackmailer. The lack of surprise in the denouement is compensated for by the pathos and emotionalism in the final scenes. Back from the previous Mason films is Barbara Hale as Della Street, and Hale's son William Katt as Paul Drake Jr. Despite stiff competition from the Audrey Hepburn-Robert Wagner TV movie Love Among Thieves, Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love swept the ratings when it premiered on February 23, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
On Fire stars John Forsythe as the chief arson inspector of a major metropolis. After 22 years' service as a firefighter, Forsythe is summarily ordered to retire. He tries to fight this in court, but learns that, although mandatory retirement is illegal on a federal basis, it can be enforced on a local level in cases of life-threatening jobs. While this TV movie starts well with Forsythe's anger and confusion over being cast adrift at age 60, the script descends into by-the-numbers melodrama after a harrowing experience leaves Forsythe more scared and distracted than ever. Carroll Baker, the "Baby Doll" of the 1950s, is cast against type in On Fire as John Forsythe's patient and supportive wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- Add Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales and Legends: Darlin' Clementine to QueueAdd Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales and Legends: Darlin' Clementine to top of Queue
No relation to the similarly titled John Ford film, My Darlin' Clementine originated as a 47-minute TV special. Shelley Duvall (who also produced) plays the title character, the daughter of a miner (forty-niner) whose shoes are number nine. Ed Asner costars as Clementine's dad, while David Dukes is the moonstruck young man who loses Clementine to the briny deep. The tragic elements of the ballad (which of course was meant to be a spoof even back in the 19th century) are tempered by in-the-know comedy vignettes. My Darlin' Clementine was first telecast on the Showtime Cable service as part of the American Tall Tales and Legends anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Duvall, David Dukes, (more)
- 1986
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) enters the rarefied world of art collecting when Julia Marcus Granger (Anne Scheeden), the heiress daughter of one of Jessica's oldest friends, is murdered. The most likely culprit turns out to be Julia's husband Donald (Christopher Allport), a known art thief. But Julia's sister Sabrina (Andra Millian) is convinced that Donald is innocent, and she prevails upon Jessica to prove it, leading our heroine down a twisted trail involving two entirely different sets of clues. This is the final episode of Murder She Wrote's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
While the rest of the Seavers are visiting Maggie's parents Ed and Kate Malone (Gordon Jump, Betty McGuire), Mike (Kirk Cameron) is allowed to hold a party at home. Unfortunately, things get out of control, and what started as a "mild" affair is quickly upgraded to "wild." Meanwhile, the family is shocked to discover that Ed and Kate are about to be turned out of their house...and when Jason (Alan Thicke) offers to lend the couple the money needed to pay the bills, he's in for yet another shock. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
When the names of the two leading characters are incorporated in the title of a made-for-TV movie, it's usually a dead giveaway that the film was designed as a series pilot. Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster was no exception to this rule. John Schneider plays Gus Brown, a naïve ex-GI from Oklahoma, while Ron Glass plays Midnight Brewster, another former GI, albeit a slickster from Detroit. The two buddies team up to conquer the world of dog racing, with the dubious assistance of Gus' dimwitted girlfriend Rayline (Teri Copley). This Runyonesque contrivance was produced and written by actor Scoey Mitchell. Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster premiered June 2, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Harry's courtroom becomes Ground Zero for several Cold War crises between the US and the former Soviet Union. It all begins when Harry (Harry Anderson) launches a search for the brother of Russian émigré Yakov (Yakov Smirnoff), a circus performer who has decided to defect. Before long, Night Court is swarming with clowns and jugglers, KGB and CIA agents, and even a pair of contentious arms negotiators! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
