Marvin Kaplan Movies
Owl-eyed, adenoidal character actor Marvin Kaplan became an English teacher after studying at New York University and Brooklyn College. Following World War II service, Kaplan attended playwrighting classes at USC, which led to his participation in community theatre. It was Katharine Hepburn who selected Kaplan for the small but telling role of the hapless court stenographer in Adam's Rib (1949). He continued accepting movie and TV supporting parts in the 1950s, usually playing bookish, bespectacled milquetoasts. He is best known to TV sitcom fans as Henry Beesemeyer on the weekly yockfest Alice (1976-1985). Two generations of cartoon fans remember Marvin Kaplan as the voice of Choo Choo on the Hanna-Barbera series Top Cat, a role he has continued to reprise on such animated series as Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Wake, Rattle and Roll into the 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2005
This Hallmark Channel TV movie is one of a series starring John Larroquette as McBride (no first name), a hard-nosed cop turned compassionate defense lawyer, specializing in "lost causes." McBride's client this time is a hitchhiker named Dudley Banks (Devon Gummesall), who had the rotten luck to accept a ride from a beautiful, affluent-looking woman calling herself Whitney (Maeve Quinlan), just before she is found murdered. As he digs into Whitney's past, he finds that there are several men who had good reason to wish her dead--especially the several husbands she accumulated (and robbed blind) while adopting a plethora of false identities! McBride: The Chameleon Murder originally aired January 14, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Things get off to a deceptively light-hearted start as popular professional wrestler Kornberg (Nils Allen Stewart) is brought into the ER with a twisted knee. But the story quickly turns deadly serious when, stuck in the middle of a street riot, Carter (Noah Wyle) is forced to man the wheel of the paramedic ambulance -- and in so doing sparks an even worse situation when he accidentally runs over a youngster. Meanwhile, Carol (Julianna Margulies), still mooning over the departed Ross, receives confirmation of her pregnancy. And Lucy (Kellie Martin) comes face to face with an intransigent Asian family who refuse to let their mother know that she is in dangerously declining health. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
The silly spirit of Revenge of the Nerds lives on in this made-for-television sequel. Curtis Armstrong returns as Booger, and this time around the nerds are gathering for his wedding to a wealthy upper-class girl. As the nerds plan a wild bachelor party, the girl's father is busy hiring an investigator to look into Booger's past and hopefully stop the wedding. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
In Witchboard 2, naive Paige Benedict (Ami Dolenz) moves into an artist's studio loft, finding a Ouija board he left behind. A former tenant of the apartment, Susan, contacts Paige through the board, telling her that she was murdered. In no time, Paige's fellow tenants are being killed off, and she is haunted by vicious nightmares. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
John Candy plays Jack Gable, a soap-opera writer who finds himself trapped inside his own television program with a magic typewriter in this toothless comedy. Jack finds himself embroiled in protecting his beloved Laura (Emma Samms), an actress who plays Rachel Hedison in Jack's show -- "Beyond Our Dreams" -- from having her character being killed off by the program's producers, the Sherwoods (Jerry Orbach, Renee Taylor). Laura has recently broken off with her co-star and lover Dennis (David Rasche) and is heading off for a weekend with Jack. As Jack unloads Laura's luggage, he conks himself on the head and knocks himself out. He awakens in a town bearing a name similar to the town in his soap opera. Dennis is on hand, but as his character in the show -- Dr. Paul Kirkland. Jack realizes that he has found himself in an alternative world made up of his soap opera world -- particularly apparent when he is recognized as Jack Gates, "the Wolf of Wall Street." Jack then meets Laura, who, in this soap opera world, is actually Janet Dubois, the daughter of a late biochemist who invented a pill that allows anyone to eat whatever they want and not gain any weight. The unscrupulous Hedison family (Raymond Burr, Charles Rocket, Dylan Baker) want to steal the formula for the pill and make a fortune for their pharmaceutical company. Jack then discovers that he can exit and re-enter the show at will and can alter the narrative of the show however he wants by typing up new plot points on his typewriter. In order to save Laura's character from the Sherwoods, Jack re-writes the show to save Janet by having his own character come to her rescue at the last minute. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Mariel Hemingway, (more)
- 1991
Based on a popular brace of children's books, the 30-minute cartoon Bad Cat was originally telecast as an episode of the ABC Weekend Special anthology. Recognized as the "King of Fulton Street," Bad Cat is not really all that terrible, despite his name and reputation. In fact, when his human family, the Harrisons, move to another city, Bad Cat wants nothing more than to be accepted by the local feline populace. Alas, our hero runs afoul of a genuine "bad cat" named Riff, who challenges B.C. to a down 'n' dirty mouse-catching contest. Produced by Ruby-Spears, Bad Cat made its initial appearance on April 14, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bart Braverman, Hal Smith, (more)
Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern play a pair of lovers on the run in David Lynch's surrealist road movie Wild at Heart. Cage's Sailor Ripley is a violent ex-convict with an Elvis Presley fixation who falls in love with Dern's Lula Pace Fortune, the daughter of a rich, but mentally unstable, Southern belle named Marietta (Diane Ladd, Dern's real-life mother). Just after Sailor is released from prison, where he was jailed for brutally killing one of Marietta's thugs, he and Lula take off on a wild cross-country trip, pursued by his parole officer, her mother, criminals, bounty hunters, and detectives. Along the way, Sailor and Lula have a lot of sex, share their pasts, share their respective obsessions for Elvis and The Wizard of Oz, and meet a lot of bizarre characters, including a seedy ex-marine (Willem Dafoe) who persuades Sailor to participate in a bank robbery. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, (more)
This attempt at parodying a world of hookers, child pornographers, and drug cartels never quite gets off the ground. Though these topics are not inherently amusing, director Penelope Spheeris takes the plot of Hardcore as a springboard and develops a few parallel stories that are meant to be funny. Pauline Stanton (Trish Van DeVere) is desperately hoping to rescue her daughter Lori (Robin Wright) who is working for the evil Walsh (Frank Gorshin) as a call-girl. As some policemen work on trying to get the goods on Walsh and send him up for white slave trading, another policewoman is involved in trying to bring down a child pornographer in her neighborhood. Yet another cop, detective Romero (H.B. Haggerty) is after a New York mob boss. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronny Cox, Frank Gorshin, (more)
- 1985
Alice ends its nine-season run with the series' 202nd episode, in which Mel Sharples (Vic Tayback) finally sells the diner that bears his name--and surprise of surprises, he doles out huge bonuses to his staff. Mel's waitresses Alice (Linda Lavin), Vera (Beth Howland and Jolene (Celia Weston) proceed to reminiscence on the highlights of the past nine years, which of course are served up in the form of "flashbacks" from earlier episodes. In the course of events, Alice finally gets her chance at showbiz stardom, Jolene draws up plans to open her own beauty shop, and Vera announces her pregnancy. This episode was written by the series' executive producers Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr., whose previous collaborations included the classic 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
This episode makes it hard to believe that Tommy Hyatt (Philip McKeon) was only eleven years old when Alice began. Now, Tommy is nearly twenty, a college student--and on the verge of becoming a problem drinker! Mom Alice (Linda Lavin) frets over the possibility that Tommy's excessive partying will prove to be his undoing, and she has even more reason to agonize when her besotted son--who has been sporting a "Mister T" haircut of late--ends up "misplacing" the sports car owned by her current beau Nick (Michael Durrell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Accompanying Carrie (Martha Raye) to the racetrack, Tommy (Philip McKeon) surprises everyone--including himself--by winning big. Convinced that he has hit upon the perfect "system", Tommy continues placing bigger and bigger bets...and when things start turning sour, Alice (Linda Lavin) holds Carrie responsible. Vic Tayback (Mel) does not appear in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Both Alice (Valerie Harper) and Mel's mom Carrie (Martha Raye) audition for a singing job at a fancy supper club. And both ladies are flatly rejected--on the grounds that they're too old for the gig. Series regular Vic Tayback (Mel) does not appear in this episode, which is highlighted by a down-and-dirty rendition of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Accepting a dinner date with her former high-school heartthrob Rob (Dennis Holahan), Alice (Linda Lavin) is taken aback to discover that the man is now blind. This doesn't bother Rob, whose other senses (including the sense of touch!) are in excellent working order, but Alice turns into a textbook example of silly self-consciousness. Appearing as a waiter is standup comedian Joey D'Auria, soon to gain worldwide cable-TV fame as the titular star of "Superstation" WGN's daily kid's show Bozo's Circus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
College freshman Tommy (Philip McKeon) is now living away from home for the first time--and loving it. Alice (Linda Lavin) worries that Tommy is turning into a party animal, at the expense of his studies. Ultimately, Alice's fears are confirmed when Tommy lands in jail after a pizza-parlor food fight sparked by his new circle of chums. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
It's plate-carriers vs. plungers when Alice (Linda Lavin), Vera (Beth Howland) and Jolene (Celia Weston) participate in a TV quiz show. The category is "musical trivia", and the girls' competition consists of a trio of plumbers, led by peppery oldster Louie (Cliff Norton). For a while, it looks like the waitresses are going to win--but that's when the competition starts flushing up the dirty tricks. This episode was codirected by series regular Vic Tayback (Mel). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Vera (Beth Howland) has taken up playing the cello, even though her talent somewhat exceeds her enthusiasm. That said, the gang at Mel's diner (except for Alice [Linda Lavin], who barely appears in this episode) is in for a surprise when Vera is invited to join a local string quartet. The music heard during the closing credits was reportedly played by series regular Beth Howland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Phoenix may not be Roswell, but try telling that to Alice (Linda Lavin) when she sees a UFO. At first, the gang at the diner laughs at Alice's supposed sighting--but when "true believers" begin showing up at the diner, Mel figures out a way to profit from his top waitress' Close Encounter. With this episode, Alice moved to a Monday-night timeslot (it was originally seen just before the now famous M*A*S*H series finale). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Guich Koock appears as Jonas, the brother of trucker-turned-waitress Jolene Hunnicutt (Celia Weston). Making a surprise appearance at the diner, Jonas is somewhat taken aback when Jolene cuts him dead. She hasn't forgotten about his reputation as a con artist--and when Jonas sells a worm ranch to diner owner Mel (Vic Tayback), it looks like Jolene has good reason to give her brother the cold shoulder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Ready for a major role reversal? Well, that's just what happens when Mel (Vic Tayback) gives up his diner to become an executive employee for a major catering firm led by R.J. Meyerson (played by the great Richard Deacon). At the same time, the waitresses take over ownership of the diner, making them their own bosses for the first time. Needless to say, this situation results in major headaches for all concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Mel (Vic Tayback) has put up with a lot from his overbearing mother Carrie (Martha Raye). But when Carrie demands that Mel get married and give her grandchildren, she has pushed the envelope too far. Going ballistic, Mel squirrels himself away in his apartment and binges on beer and pizza--refusing ever to set foot in the diner again. With this episode, Alice returned to its familiar Sunday-night timeslot, after hopscotching all over the 1982-1983 primetime schedule. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Vera (Beth Howland) is overwhelmed with plaintive poems, pretty balloons and assorted expensive presents. The explanation: Vera has a secret lover. The question: Is it anyone she knows (or for that matter, anyone WE know)? Originally filmed for Alice's seventh season and slated to air on June 5, 1983, this episode was held back until Season Eight due to a Hollywood writer's strike. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
The cat burglar prowling her neighborhood has Jolene (Vera Howland) on edge. Her nervousness is amplified when Jolene stumbles onto a secret held by her affable new neighbor Roger (Doug Sheehan). Although this episode was first telecast on September 18, 1983, just before the inauguration of the 1983-1984 TV season, it is technically the final episode of Alice's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Mel's mom Carrie (Martha Raye) has had so much success with her special chicken pies that she plans to publish a cookbook. This would be okay with Mel (Vic Tayback) except for one detail: Carrie also plans to publish his secret chili recipe! Clearly, drastic legal measures are called for to keep Carrie from spilling the (chili) beans. This episode was directed by Linda Day, of Soap and Married. . .With Children fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Macho Mel (Vic Tayback) is eager and willing to dispense advice on how to handle women to anyone who will listen. Since Tommy (Philip McKeon) is receptive at the moment, Mel generously shares his "foolproof" methods, certain that the boy will chalk up success after success in the romance department. What Mel doesn't realize is that Tommy intends to use his newly learned tecniques on Mel's own niece Lisa (Kim Richards)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Never the most secure person on earth, Vera (Beth Howland) decides to change her ways after reading a book about self-confidence. The next time she reports for work at the diner, it is with the determination to be the "best little waitress in the world." Impressed, Mel (Vic Tayback) offers to place Vera in charge of the diner for one whole day... which may turn out to be the longest day in culinary history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
