Julie Kavner Movies
When the decision was made in 1974 to transform Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) from frumpy kvetcher to desirable bachelorette on the TV series Rhoda, somebody had to inherit all those self-deprecating jokes told by Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The decision was made to create a new character: Rhoda's pudgy, insecure younger sister, Brenda. The actress chosen for the role sounded as though she'd been a New Yorker since the womb, but in fact Julie Kavner was born and raised in California. A theatre student at USC-San Francisco, Kavner came to Rhoda with no professional experience, but before the series ran its course, she had won an Emmy for her portrayal. With her performance in the 1986 film Hannah and Her Sisters, Kavner became one of the most prominent members of director Woody Allen's stock company, essaying very un-Brendalike roles in Radio Days (1987), the "Oedipus Wrecks" segment of New York Stories (1989), Alice (1990) and Shadows and Fog (1992). Kavner's regular stint as an ensemble player on the Fox TV network's Tracy Ullman Show led to her long-running assignment as the gravelly voice of Marge Simpson on the weekly animated series The Simpsons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
A plain, prudish librarian goes on a TV game show and finds romance. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Brilliantly constructed in semi-documentary fashion, Katherine is the story of how a young upper-middle-class girl gradually radicalizes into a violence-prone revolutionary. The story is related in flashbacks sparked by "interviews" with Katherine (Sissy Spacek), her troubled parents (Art Carney, Jane Wyatt) and her radical mentor (Henry Winkler). After the idealism is knocked out of her by her horrendous experiences in the American South and in South America, Katherine matriculates into one of the most militant members of a Weatherman-like student organization. The film's tragic ending is both startling and inevitable. Originally telecast in a two-hour slot on October 5, 1975, Katherine was later syndicated in a 78-minute version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sissy Spacek, Art Carney, (more)
- 1979
The made-for-TV No Other Love stars Julie Kavner as a marginally retarded young adult. Sent to live in a hostel for the mentally challenged, Julie falls in love with similarly afflicted Richard Thomas Jr. Despite the misgivings of their families and the prejudices of outside world, Kavner and Thomas vow to marry. Cast as one of the hostel's directors is Norman Alden, who'd played a retarded man himself in the 1965 theatrical feature Andy. No Other Love was originally telecast March 24, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, 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
Former Rhoda co-star (and future voice of Marge Simpson) Julie Kavner guest stars as Monica, the nutty, recently divorced sister of cab driver Tony Banta (Tony Danza). Hoping to create the proverbial Match Made in Heaven, Tony tries to play cupid between Monica and his fellow cabbie Alex (Judd Hirsch). Unfortunately, the ditsy girl is only interested in burned-out hippie "Reverend" Jim (Christopher Lloyd). This episode earned an Emmy Award for writer Michael Leeson. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
- Add National Lampoon's Movie Madness to QueueAdd National Lampoon's Movie Madness to top of Queue
Originally divided into four segments and now cut to three, National Lampoon Goes to the Movies is a story about a man who is determined to get in touch with himself and sends his wife away so she can do the same thing. The next tale features a female business magnate who wreaks appropriate revenge on her arrogant male colleagues, and the last vignette has a virtuously pure policeman (Robby Benson) becoming as cynical as his partner (Richard Widmark). Each skit makes internal references to other movies, movie directors, or classic movie characters, which may enhance the viewing for movie buffs but does not change the generally dull and unfunny material. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Riegert, Diane Lane, (more)
- 1985
- PG13
A couple of med-school wannabes (Steve Guttenburg and Julie Hagerty) can't get admitted to any U.S. medical schools so they end up in a small Central American school run by a dictator director (Alan Arkin). When the students become aware of the medical needs of the local peasants, they swipe drugs and pills from their college lab and set up an underground clinic to serve the needy. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Guttenberg, Alan Arkin, (more)
A Woody Allen Manhattan mosaic, Hannah and Her Sisters concerns the lives, loves, and infidelities among a tightly-knit artistic clan. Hannah (Mia Farrow) regularly meets with her sisters Holly (Dianne Wiest) and Lee (Barbara Hershey) to discuss the week's events. It's what they don't always tell each other that forms the film's various subplots. Hannah is married to accountant and financial planner Elliot (Michael Caine), who carries a torch for Lee, who in turn lives with pompous Soho artist Frederick (Max Von Sydow). Meanwhile, Holly, a neurotic actress and eternal loser in love, dates TV producer Mickey (Allen), who used to be married to Hannah and spends most of the film convinced that he's about to die. Appearing in supporting parts are Lloyd Nolan and Maureen O'Sullivan (Farrow's real mom), as the eternally bickering husband-and-wife acting team who are the parents of Hannah and her sisters. The film begins and ends during the family's traditional Thanksgiving dinner, filmed in Farrow's actual New York apartment. Unbilled cameos are contributed by Sam Waterston as one of Wiest's brief amours and Tony Roberts as one of Allen's friends. Hannah and Her Sisters collected Oscars for Michael Caine, Dianne Wiest, and Woody Allen's screenplay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, (more)
Woody Allen's gentle and nostalgic tribute to the glory days of radio and coming-of-age during World War II plays like Fellini's Amarcord filtered through Neil Simon. The nominal star is Seth Green as Joe, a teenage Jewish boy, growing up with a house full of relatives in Brooklyn. Allen cuts between Joe's working class neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, Queens, and the glittery and glamorous world of radio in Manhattan. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Seth Green, (more)
- 1987
- PG
Veteran television writer-director Jerry Belson concocted this sweet comedy that stars Michael Caine as Sean Stein, a best-selling mystery novelist who's been constantly hurt by women he's fallen for. Sally Field plays Daisy Morgan, an artist who has not yet hit it big. She and Stein are at a museum party when a band of thieves arrive, tie up the guests, and proceed to pull off a heist. They are tied up together, which thrusts them into an unlikely romantic pairing. Because Daisy does not know who Stein is, he pretends that he, too, is a struggling artist. He distrusts women, because in the past, his ex-wife and other women pursued him solely for his money and fame. Steve Guttenberg and Peter Boyle play attorneys vying for Stein's money. Julie Kavner and Louise Lasser are among the fine supporting cast. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Field, Michael Caine, (more)
- 1989
The Simpsons Christmas Special is actually the first full-length episode of the popular animated television sitcom. In this episode, Bart gets a tattoo, and all of the family's Christmas money has to be used to surgically remove the tattoo from his arm. Not only was the family's savings drained, but Homer's Christmas bonus never materialized, so he's forced to take a job as a mall Santa to earn money for the holiday season. But Homer decides to spend the money at the racetrack, where he bets all of his salary on a greyhound called "Santa's Little Helper". ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
The omnibus film New York Stories is the product of three powerhouse filmmakers. The film is divided into three stories, each exploring a different aspect of life in the Big Apple. Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorcese, is a Dostoevsky-like tale of the rarefied Art World, with Nick Nolte as a self-indulgent abstractionist who loves Rosanna Arquette, but can't bring himself to lie to her about her negligible artistic talents. Life Without Zoe, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is more than a little reminiscent of Kay Thompson's Eloise stories, with 12-year-old Zoe (Heather McComb) running amok at the Sherry-Netherland hotel while her parents are embarked upon a world-girdling vacation. The last and is Woody Allen's Oedipus Wrecks, wherein a schnooky lawyer (guess who?) inadvertently "creates" the Jewish Mother From Hell: thanks to a misguided magic trick, Allen's mama (the incomparable Mae Questel) becomes a huge spectral vision on the New York skyline, telling everyone within earshot about her son's inadequacies. The cinematographer lineup on New York Stories includes Nestor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro and Sven Nykvist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette, (more)
Woody Allen's character study of a well-kept, upscale Manhattan woman (Mia Farrow) takes the title character on a journey through a Wonderland of her own making, in which she learns some truths about herself, her relationships, and the universe in general. Alice leads a comfortable life, except for some nagging aches and pains, but when she visits the mysterious Dr. Yang (Keye Luke), he discovers that what really ails Alice is her own lack of true human experience. Alice has been married for sixteen years to Doug (William Hurt), an emotionally detached stockbroker, and she lives a perfectly maintained life in a perfectly maintained apartment, with a pair of children and the requisite support staff. All that changes when a chance meeting with a neighbor (Joe Mantegna) leads Alice to consider an affair. Dr. Yang, seizing the opportunity, gives Alice herbal potions that make her both invisible and seductive, allowing her to free herself from her inhibitions. Plunging into her new fantasy world, Alice ultimately comes to terms with her family, her husband, and her life. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Joe Mantegna, (more)
Based on a true story as related by neurologist Oliver Sacks, Awakenings stars Robin Williams as the Sacks counterpart, here named Dr. Malcolm Sayer. Something of a klutz and naif, Dr. Sayer takes a job at a Bronx psychiatric hospital in 1969. Here he's put in charge of several seemingly catatonic patients who, under Sayer's painstaking guidance, begin responding to certain stimulati. Apprised of the efficacy of a new drug called L-DOPA in treating degenerative-disease victims, Sayer is given permission to test the drug on one of his patients: Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro), who has not communicated with anyone since lapsing into catatonia as a child. Gradually, Lowe comes out of his shell, encouraging Sayers to administer L-DOPA to the other patients under his care. Julie Kavner and John Heard also star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, (more)
- 1990
Homer Simpson (voice of Dan Castellaneta) has a reputation for not being very good at picking out gifts for his wife Marge (voice of Julie Kavner), as evidenced by such past birthday presents as a tackle box and a Connie Chung calendar, but he hits a new low when Marge finds she's the recipient of a new bowling ball -- which has been drilled to fit Homer's hand and even has his name engraved on it. Marge is furious that Homer used her birthday as an excuse to get himself a gift, and while she doesn't bowl, she decides to learn just out of spite. Marge's early attempts to teach herself the game are disastrous, but she soon attracts the attention of Jacques (voice of Albert Brooks), a local professional bowler who has a French accent and a way with the ladies. Marge is more than flattered by the attention she's receiving from Jacques (who, just because he likes her, cuts his lesson fee from $50 to $25), and she begins spending more and more time with him. But when Jacques asks her to spend the afternoon at his apartment, she wonders if she ought to leave her marriage behind. Homer, Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith), and Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright) all suspect that something more than a friendly game of ten pins is going on between Marge and Jacques, and all react with different degrees of dread. "Life on the Fast Lane" first aired on March 18, 1990. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Lisa Simpson (voice of Yeardley Smith) is used to being a misfit, but one day she finds herself overcome by feelings of depression, and nothing she does seems to make her feel better. Marge (voice of Julie Kavner) is concerned, but can't seem to figure out what the matter is, and urges her daughter to ignore her feelings and put on a happy face. Lisa, however, makes friends with local jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy (voice of Ron Taylor), who shows her how to work out her bad feelings by playing the blues. Marge, however, isn't so sure that playing blues riffs will really help Lisa in the long run. Meanwhile, Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta) has problems with Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright), who has been subjecting Homer to a series of "defeats -- correction, humiliating defeats" on their video boxing game; Homer is convinced he has to start winning if he wants to regain the respect of his son. "Moaning Lisa" first aired on February 11, 1990. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Bart Simpson (voice of Nancy Cartwright) is a loyal fan of children's television star Krusty the Clown (voice of Dan Castellaneta) -- "He's my idol! I've based my whole life on his teachings!" -- so he's understandably upset when Homer (also voiced by Castellaneta), while stopping at the Kwik-E-Mart on the way home, witnesses Krusty committing armed robbery. While Homer is certain of what he saw, Bart just can't bring himself to believe that the beloved entertainer is guilty. As Krusty awaits trial, his sidekick Sideshow Bob (voice of Kelsey Grammer) takes over the show, and turns the formerly lowbrow program into "The Sideshow Bob Cavalcade of Whimsy," complete with readings from The Man in the Iron Mask and music from Cole Porter. But Bart senses that some of the evidence presented against Krusty just doesn't add up, and with some help from Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith), they find a way to clear Krusty's name and finger the real criminal. Krusty Gets Busted, the first of several Simpsons episodes featuring Kelsey Grammer as the devious Sideshow Bob, first aired on April 29, 1990. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
After an incident with a cherry bomb sends Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright) to the office of Principal Skinner (voice of Harry Shearer) one time too many, Skinner suggests the answer to Bart's discipline problems might be not to kick him out of school, but to ship him out of the country. Bart is sent to France as an exchange student, while Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta) and Marge (voice of Julie Kavner) are entrusted with the care of Adil (voice of Tress MacNeille), a well-mannered student from Albania. However, everyone involved is in for a few surprises; Bart discovers that his French sponsors are actually the mean-spirited proprietors of a winery who use him for slave labor when not fortifying their product with anti-freeze, while Adil is actually a spy who uses Homer's naïveté to obtain classified information about American nuclear power plants. "The Crepes of Wrath" was first aired on April 15, 1990. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright) makes the mistake of trying to protect a batch of cupcakes Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith) made for her teacher from schoolyard bully and thug in training Nelson (voice of Cartwright). Nelson gives Bart a beating, and promises more of the same; Marge (voice of Julie Kavner) suggests that Bart try to reason with the bully, while Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta) tells his son that fighting dirty is the only answer. Neither strategy seems to work, so Bart turns to Grampa Simpson (voice of Castellaneta) for advice. With the help of Herman (voice of Harry Shearer), the mildly insane owner of a store specializing in military relics, Bart and Grampa organize his fellow fourth graders into an army and orchestrate an all-out water-balloon war against Nelson and his fellow bullies. "Bart the General" was first aired on February 4, 1990. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
C. Montgomery Burns (voice of Harry Shearer), owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant -- and boss to Homer Simpson (voice of Dan Castellaneta) -- throws his annual employee picnic, which is hardly a relaxing experience for his workers, since he insists on winning all the games and tends to fire people who don't enjoy themselves. After observing the more highly functional families of his co-workers, Homer becomes depressed, convinced that the Simpsons are the worst family in Springfield. Determined to get his relationship with his wife and children back on track, Homer pawns the family's television and enrolls them all in group therapy with nationally advertised psychotherapist Dr. Marvin Monroe (voice of Shearer), who offers to give his patients double their money back if he can't resolve their issues. But Monroe soon realizes he's never been up against a challenge like treating the Simpsons. "There's No Disgrace Like Home" was first aired on January 28, 1990. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
