Alex Karras

A parade of old sitcom stars appear in this made-for-television adaptation of the book by Judy Blume. Peter Hatcher has to suffer through a summer with his worst enemy, Sheila Tubman. Much to his chagrin, his brother Fudge (Luke Taristano) announces that he wants to marry her. The two-hour movie is part of the Fudge television series. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

This 1985 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Alex Karras and features musical guest Tina Turner. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide

A delightful episode from Shelley Duvall's popular family-oriented cable television series, this version of the classic children's yarn takes an unusual twist in that poor little Goldilocks is an ill-mannered, destructive brat who turns the lives and household of three kindly bears upside down. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A hark back to the screwball comedies of the 1930s, this made-for-TV movie stars real-life married couple Susan Clark and Alex Karras. When Catherine Abel (Clark), a divorced pro-feminist lawyer, advertises for a live-in maid to take care of her family mansion and look after her two children, who should arrive at her doorstep but unemployed laborer Cal Bullington (Karras). Noting that he has cared for his large family all his life, Cal insists that he would be a perfect maid. Catherine disagrees, insisting that she wanted a woman for the assignment. Using Catherine's own liberal-feminist agenda, Cal takes her to court -- and wins. As Cal begins his domestic duties for the simmeringly hostile Catherine, her sagacious old dad (Fritz Weaver) looks on with amusement, while her stuffy Ralph Bellamy-like fiancé (David Spielberg) suspects that all is not "strictly business" in the Abel household. Maid in America debuted September 22, 1982 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Love it or loathe it (and there are a goodly number of people on either side), Porky's was one of the most successful comedies of its day, spawning two direct sequels and inspiring an incalculable number of lowbrow teen comedies, most recently including American Pie (1999). Pee Wee (Dan Monahan), Billy (Mark Herrier), Tommy (Wyatt Knight), and Mickey (Roger Wilson) are four painfully horny high school kids growing up in South Florida in the 1950's. Desperate to rid themselves of their cumbersome virginity, they head out to a sleazy bar near the swamps called Porky's, where local legend has it that the owner will fix you up with a prostitute for a reasonable fee. After Porky takes their money and dumps them in the swamp, the guys vow to get revenge. Meanwhile, Pee Wee has to deal with his shrinking penis, someone drills a hole in the wall of the girl's shower, the guys encounter a prostitute named Cherry Forever, and anti-Semitism rears its ugly head. Cheerfully rude in a manner few mainstream films had achieved at that time, Porky's, for better or worse, changed the standard of what was acceptable in a screen comedy. Remarkably enough, two years later director Bob Clark made the holiday favorite A Christmas Story, which displayed his considerable range, if nothing else. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Detroit restauranteur Jimmy Butsicaris is probably best known to sports fans as the good buddy and severest critic of onetime Tigers manager Billy Martin. The made-for-TV Jimmy B. & Andre dramatizes an emotional chapter in the life and career of the big-hearted Butsicaris. Alex Karras plays Jimmy B., who tries to cut through State of Michigan red tape to adopt a streetwise African-American boy. Karras also coproduced this film with his wife Susan Clark, who shows up in a campy cameo as a hooker. Jimmy B. & Andre effectively captures the ethnic-mix ambiance of the Motor City; the sentiment weighs things down at times, but a story like this requires a few mushy moments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location at Alcatraz Island, this two-part "whole story" actually concentrates on a handful of the denizens behind the cold grey walls of "The Rock". Michael Beck plays the real-life Clarence Carnes, an Oklahoma Choctaw Indian said to be the youngest man ever incarcerated in the notorious maximum security prison. Serving a 99-year sentence for a gas station holdup and murder, Carnes makes periodic attempts to escape, the final attempt being the most violent. Many of the subordinate characters are fictional (as are most of the details concerning Carnes' escape efforts); the one exception is Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", here portrayed by Art Carney as a gentle, kindly philosopher. Telly Savalas, a costar of the Burt Lancaster vehicle Birdman of Alcatraz, also guest starred in the 1980 film. Originally titled Alcatraz and Clarence Carnes, this made-for-TV movie wavers between gritty realism and "I'm bustin' outta here!" artifice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a children's story by Mordecai Richler, Theodore J. Flicker's comic fantasy stars Stephen Rosenberg as Jacob Two-Two, so nicknamed because he must repeat everything he says in order to get adults to hear him. Escaping into a fantasy world, he dreams that he is the captive of the child-hating Hooded Fang (Alex Karras). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide