James Karen Movies

Aesthetically and thematically, director Larry Blamire's outrageous camp-fest Trail of the Screaming Forehead resuscitates and satirizes bottom-of-the-barrel 1950s sci-fi movies such as X the Unknown and The Creeping Terror. Blamire's tale revolves around the scientific discovery that foreheads (and not brains) house human intelligence. In a misguided attempt to prove this axiom, scientist Dr. Sheila Bexter (Fay Masterson) injects a serum called "Foreheadazine" into the cranium of her colleague, Dr. Phillip Latham (Andrew Parks) -- whose head rapidly balloons to the size of a watermelon. Meanwhile, a spaceship packed with "furrowed brows" crash-lands on Earth, and the brows promptly attach themselves to every human in sight. To complicate matters, dozens of locals also get wind of the scientists' project and decide to investigate; before long, the entire seaside community is swarming with addicts of the Foreheadazine drug, a problem that doubles in size when two liquor-happy sailors arrive in town with a boatload of frozen human bodies. Blamire re-creates the visual look of '50s sci-fi films such as The Blob by shooting in shockingly bright rotogravure colors -- a photographic process he dubbed "Crainioscope." Stop-motion demigod Ray Harryhausen -- who reportedly inspired this work thanks to such classics as Jason and the Argonauts and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad -- is listed as "presenter," and his influence can be seen via the special effects of the ballooning heads. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Hoping to utilize the Supreme Court in the same dramatic manner that West Wing utilized the White House, the weekly, 60-minute CBS series First Monday focused on the nine Justices who laid down the law for the United States. Joe Mantegna headed the cast as Joseph Novelli, the newest member of the nine-person Supreme Court. Entering a political arena that was evenly divided between Conservative and Liberal, the "moderate" Justice Novelli generally acted as the tie-breaker in matters of national jurisprudence (though supposedly noncommittal politically, Novelli's beard and pugnacious personality indicated that he was the "champion of the underdog" type). James Garner co-starred as staunchly conservative Chief Justice Thomas Brankin, who displayed his contempt for contemporary political correctness by puffing away on a cigarette in his "officially" smoke-free private office. Brankin's chief ally was the whimsical, womanizing Justice Henry Hoskins (Charles Durning), while on varying extremes of the political spectrum were Jewish jurist Esther Weisenberg (Camille Saviola) and black Justice Jerome Morris (James McEachin). Created by Jag's Donald P. Bellisario, First Monday premiered on Tuesday, January 15, 2002, before settling into its standard Friday-night slot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Assembled by film historian Kevin Brownlow and narrated by actor Kenneth Branagh, this 90-minute special celebrates the classic horror films that emanated from Hollywood's Universal Studios. Beginning with such silent classics as The Phantom of the Opera and The Cat and the Canary, Universal went into full gear in the early '30s, launching such valuable properties as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, and (in the 1940s) The Wolf Man, and making stars of the "twin titans of terror," Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. The studio maintained its horror quota well into the 1950s with its Creature From the Black Lagoon series, but the emphasis in this special is on the pre-1948 scare fests. Highlights include interviews with surviving Universal actors and technicians (Gloria Stuart is particularly amusing), and rare clips from Dracula [Spanish-language version]. Universal Horror made its American TV debut on the Turner Classic Movies cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An mishap involving Kramer (Michael Richards) during the annual Puerto Rican Day parade is the reason that this particular Seinfeld episode was withdrawn from NBC's rerun package (it did, however, make a return appearance in syndication four years later). Elsewhere, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) worries about not getting home to see 60 Minutes, a vital part of her "weekend wind-down." George (Jason Alexander) is tormented by a laser pointer while trying to make a joke during the "Hindenburg" movie. And Kramer resorts to using a phony name during an urgent call of nature. But never mind all that: can the Mets pull out of an 8-0 downslide? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this actioner, a smart alecky bounty hunter teams up with a G-man to take on a drug-smuggling ring. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of Fatal Attraction, this thriller follows an obsessive man as he stalks a the woman with whom he had a brief, passionate affair. Matilda, a young advertising executive, had a lot of fun and hot sex with Kurt whom she met in a bar while her boyfriend, Michael, was away working as a medical resident. Kurt had so much fun that he has chosen Matilda as his one true love. Unfortunately Matilda rejects him and chooses to stay with Michael. The determined and psycho Kurt, begins to stalk and harass her. Matilda's secretary and her best friend become the film's real victims. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Unsatisfied with the negotiating tactics of his current, more laid-back agent, Larry (Garry Shandling) decides to go for the gusto in his upcoming contract negotiations by hiring a new, more aggressive agent who isn't afraid to deal with the network on his own terms. Guest stars include Barry Levinson, James Karen, John Pleshette, Tommy Newsom, Doc Severinsen, and Bob Odenkirk. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Television contract negotiations are the stuff of legends in the entertainment industry, and viewers get a healthy dose of the outlandish demands of television stars in this episode of The Larry Sanders Show. It's contract negotiation time for Larry's (Garry Shandling) sidekick, Hank (Jeffrey Tambor), and Hank has set his demands at an all-time high. In addition to demanding a raise, it seems that Hank could also use a new golf cart. Guest stars in this episode of The Larry Sanders Show include Robin Williams and George Foreman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In 1988, Nancy Klein, the pregnant wife of Long Island accountant Marty Klein, was involved in a car accident that left her comatose. Convinced that Nancy would never recover if she went to full term with the baby, Marty asked the doctors to perform an abortion. Almost immediately, Nancy Klein became a cause celebre for pro-life and pro-choice activists alike. Made for television, Absolute Strangers recreates this traumatic event and the drawn-out courtroom litigation that followed. Henry Winkler, who produced the film, returned to acting after a long absence to play Klein; others in the cast include Jennifer Hetrick as Nancy, Richard Kiley as Dr. R. J. Cannon, Karl Malden and Audra Lindley as Nancy's parents, and Patty Duke as a lower-court judge. Though it is clear that the filmmaker's sympathies are clearly on Marty Klein's side, the script remains even-handed throughout, observing that the pro-choicers can be just as narrow-minded and contentious as the "absolute strangers" who wish to usurp Marty Klein's rights concerning his wife's wellbeing. Written by playwright Robert Anderson (Tea and Sympathy, I Never Sang For My Father), Absolute Strangers premiered April 14, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shattered Dreams is a "based on a true story" TV movie starring Lindsay Wagner and Michael Nouri. Wagner is a Washington DC attorney; Nouri is her husband, also an attorney, but one with a profound violent streak. Suffering constant beatings, Wagner tries to keep up appearances, but after seventeen years of this treatment she can stand no more. Despite public opinion favoring her husband, now a powerful government official, Wagner successfully brings the facts of her miserable marriage out in the open, then sets about to reassemble her own fragmented life. Shattered Dreams is at its most convincing in detailing Ms. Wagner's life after the split; the domestic violence scenes are only adequately staged. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

During the 70th anniversary of Phil's bar, Murphy (Candice Bergen) flashes back to 1977, when she az first auditioned for a job with "FYI"--and her chief competition consisted of her current coworker Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto) and NBC commentator Linda Ellerbee (as herself in both the new scenes and in stock footage from 1977). As a bonus, we get a glimpse of Murphy's producer Miles (Grant Shaud) back when he was a precocious thirteen-year-old (played by Jason Marsden). Meanwhile, back in The Present, Eldin (Robert Pastorelli) develops a crush on Corky (Faith Ford). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide