Jack Bannon Movies
Best known for playing Donovan on the mid-'70s television series Lou Grant, supporting actor Jack Bannon has only occasionally ventured into feature films. The son of actor Jim Bannon and actress Bea Benaderet, he got his start in the '60s, guest starring on such television series as Rat Patrol. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this drama about intolerance and acceptance that takes place during World War I, a pair of German orphans, Helmut and Brigitta, are sent to a farming community in the Pacific Northwest after a stay in an internment camp. While they are welcomed by some in the town, many resent their presence, especially those who have lost family members in the war. However, a teacher at the school takes a liking to them, and Helmut discovers he has a talent for basketball. Eventually, Helmut gets a chance to prove his worth to the community by playing in a special basketball game; if the neighborhood team wins, it will mean a new harvesting machine for the local farmers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Coyote, Karen Allen, (more)
In this lurid direct-to-video crime thriller a Las Vegas policeman's superiors send him to hide out at a Navajo reservation after he states his determination to testify against the gangsters who killed his partner. There he gets involved with an Indian lady-police-officer and starts investigating a series of strange ritual murders. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Bauer, Irene Bedard, (more)
Someone is trying to get to West Coast gangster Frank DaVinci in this exploitational actioner. They are doing a good job too. So far, masked murderers have killed his bride and most of his henchmen. One of those gang members killed was the lover of the voluptuous Colette who decides to hide out until things settle down. Three months pass and finally Colette is able to get in touch with Frank in Las Vegas. She tells him that she is a CIA agent and that she and he are being stalked by a renegade agent, her former boss, Jameson. He wants her because he believes that she holds a CD-ROM that contains very incriminating information about his drug-smuggling activities in Vietnam. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Nicole Smith, Joey Travolta, (more)
- 1994
- R
Gritty male cop Sam Jones is teamed with drop-dead beautiful lady cop Shannon Tweed in Hard Vice. Jones and Tweed operate out of the vice squad in "sin city" Las Vegas. Right now, the dog-and-cat team is trying to solve a series of murders. The victims are all wealthy men who frequent the various houses of prostitution in the area. Suspicion falls upon a group of expensive call girls. Naturally, this requires the gorgeous Ms. Tweed to go under covers-er, undercover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shannon Tweed, Sam Jones, (more)
In this action drama, Frank DaVinci is out to avenge the murder of his sister. To follow through with his vendetta he enlists the aide of a hired killer and a group of Vietnam Vets. Violence and explosions ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- R
In this psycho thriller, Richard Sullivan is a mild-mannered, trusting ad-man who is tickled when his long lost cousin Harry suddenly shows up at his door. Harry is accompanied by Connie, his fiancee and the innocent Richard welcomes them into his happy home. Unfortunately, whereas Richard, his wife Kate and their son Alex live an idyllic existence, Harry and Connie's relationship is stormy and unstable. Connie constantly whines about wanting the perfect home, and both of them are intensely envious of the Sullivans. Their jealousy takes a darker turn when they try to become the Sullivans. First they begin undermining Richard and Kate's authority over Alex. Then Harry and Connie begin going through the couple's personal effects and files. Eventually, the spooky duo begins impersonating the Sullivans as much as they can. When Kate begins to get suspicious,the story takes a deadly turn for neither she nor Richard realize that they are dealing with cold-blooded, murderous psychopaths. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Harris, David Keith, (more)
Canadian Mountie Louis Burke (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is assigned to a bizarre case where prison inmates are being murdered. Sent to the jail to investigate while undercover as a prisoner, Burke is hot on the trail until one of his former busts, the Sandman (Patrick Kilpatrick), is transferred to the same prison. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Robert Guillaume, (more)
- 1990
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single hour-long "special"), the Night Court staffers are still quarantined in the courtroom as the result of an accidental toxic spill. They are also still reminiscing on the events in the past that changed their lives. For example, eternally horny prosecutor Dan (John Larroquette) recalls losing his virginity to the sexy young wife of a client, while court clerk Mac (Charlie Robinson) harks back to his Vietnam experiences. As for court bailiff Bull (Richard Moll), his recollections have a curiously familiar ring--mainly because they're all lifted from movies that he's seen! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In the first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single hour-long "special"), the Night Court staff is quarantined in the courtroom building when a toxic experimental virus is accidentally spilled. Forced to share close quarters, the staffers begin to recall the separate turning points in their lives. Flashbacks reveal Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson) pursuing an abortive career as a stage magician, acerbic court matron Roz (Marsha Warfield) working as a stewardess, public defender Christine (Markie Post) competing for the "Miss Buffalo" crown, and libidinous prosecutor Dan (John Larroquette) as a 25-year-old virgin! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) travels to Moscow to attend the International Artists and Writers Conference. No sooner has she arrived that someone steals her purse--and when the police catch up with the thief, they find a role of microfilm amongst Jessica's belongings. Immediately, the KGB accuses our heroine of being a spy--which doesn't anger her quite as much as the subsequent murder accusation leveled at an old friend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
It has been nearly a year since drug kingpin Bogota was killed in the episode "Love, Hate, and Sporty James", but the million dollars that Bogota had on him when he died is still missing. Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) suspect that the money was stolen by street hustler Sporty James (Garret Morris), the man who helped them mete out justice to the drug lord. Trouble is, a bunch of Colombian tough guys also think that Sporty has the dough, and they're willing to kill him to get it back. In an ironic turn of events, Sporty ends up being charged with the murder of one of the Colombians, prompting Hunter to call in a number of favors from the Underworld to find the real trigger man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Arrested on a robbery-murder charge, Wally Grimes (J.E. Freeman) beats the rap due to lack of evidence. In the midst of his efforts to nail Grimes and send him to death row, Hunter (Fred Dryer) finds time to rekindle his romance with former girlfriend Terri (Leigh Christian), who, unbeknownst to the detective, has been targetted for assassination by a Colombian drug dealer. Ultimately, Terri is gunned down--and the vengeful Hunter is convinced that Grimes is responsible! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason takes the case of a publisher implicated in the strange murder of a horror novelist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This made-for-TV movie was not, as has sometimes been reported, a remake of the 1938 Spencer Tracy film Boys Town. It was filmed on location at Father Flannagan's Nebraska-based home for troublesome and troubled youths, but the story is strictly contemporary. Art Carney stars as a crusty, outspoken priest on the verge of being forcibly retired. But before he is put out to pasture, Carney vows to provide comfort and guidance to a hostile new arrival at Boy's Town (Casey Siemaszko), who has been abandoned by his abusive, alcoholic mother. Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story was syndicated to local TV stations beginning on March 31, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Mildred Natwick plays wealthy widow Carrie McKittrick, who happens to have been the former English teacher of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). Much to the dismay of her family, Carrie has decided to bequeath her fortune to flamboyant evangelist Reverend Willie-John Fargo (Steve Forrest). Not long afterward, Carrie dies of cyanide poisoning, in a hospital owned by Reverend Fargo. It looks like murder, and it looks like Fargo is the guilty party--to everyone but Jessica, that is. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
The TV detective series Blacke's Magic starred Hal Linden as dapper professional magician Alexander Blacke, and Harry Morgan as Alexander's con-man father Leonard. Together, Blacke and Blacke solved mysteries with the help of Alexander's prestidigatory skills and Leonard's flim-flammery. In the series' two hour pilot, the Blackes attend a magician's convention, where an old friend of Alexander's is murdered. All the magic tricks performed on the episode were real, requiring Hal Linden to acquire a few conjuring skills post-haste. The Blacke's Magic pilot aired on Sunday, January 5, 1986; the series itself premiered the following Wednesday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
"Not since Columbo has catching a killer been this clever!" That was the ad come-on for Diary of a Perfect Murder, a 1986 TV movie starring Andy Griffith as a homespun Georgia defense attorney. Griffith takes the case of a TV reporter (Steve Inwood) who has been accused of the murder of his ex-wife. In the tradition of Perry Mason, Matlock plays his cards close to the vest, then reveals the identity of the true murderer right in the courtroom. Sound familiar? It should: Diary of a Perfect Murder was the pilot film for Andy Griffith's still-running Matlock series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
After witnessing a murder committed by a hireling of drug kingpin Bogota (Marco Rodriguez), mercenary street hustler Sporty James (Garret Morris) hopes to turn the situation to his advantage. Intending to blackmail Bogota and retire in luxury on his ill-gotten gains, Sporty sends his girlfriend Marguerite (Tyra Ferrell) to deliver the extortion note to the drug lord. When Marguerite turns up dead, a guilt-stricken Sporty teams with "friendly enemies" Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) to get the goods on Bogota. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Hunter (Fred Dryer) is a witness to murder when his former partner, DEA agent Neil Jordan (John Beck), is gunned down before his eyes. But after attempting to chase down the killer, Hunter returns to the crime scene find that Jordan's body has disappeared. At this point the detective is plunged into a maelstrom of intrigue and deception involving the Feds, the Mafia, and even Fidel Castro--and as the cream of the jest, it turns out that Jordan may not really be dead after all! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In his last acting assignment before his death, Orson Welles narrates this highly unusual episode of Moonlighting. While gathering evidence for their latest case, David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill learn of the famous Flamingo Cove Murder, a 1946 case that has never been solved. It doesn't take long for the two detectives to dream up their own separate solutions to the murder--dreams filmed in glorious black and white in the manner of a classic film noir (David's scenario looks like something out of the Rita Hayworth flick Gilda, while Maddie's resembles a Tennessee Williams-style romantic melodrama!) Cybill Shepherd sings "Blue Moon" and "I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Actor Robert Urich cannot find work in Hollywood and his marriage is falling apart in this fictitious comedy. Can he turn his life around? Richard Levinson and William Link teams up again for made-for-TV Take Your Best Shot. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
