Ken Kercheval Movies
Ken Kercheval couldn't always count on his acting income to keep groceries in his icebox during his early years in show business. During slack times, Kercheval took a wide variety of part-time jobs: encyclopedia salesman, airline reservation clerk, sewer-line dynamiter, even cemetery plot peddler. When times were good, Kercheval appeared on stage by night, and in such New York-based soap operas as Search for Tomorrow, The Secret Storm and How to Survive a Marriage. He was also a journeyman film actor, essaying supporting roles in such productions as Pretty Poison (1968), The Seven Ups (1971) and Network (1976). Beginning in 1978, Kercheval played lawyer Cliff Barnes, the long-suffering brother-in-law of Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) on TV's Dallas. Evidently Barnes' retainer was generous enough for him to ignore the endless humiliations doled out by the shifty J. R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), inasmuch as Kercheval and Hagman were the only Dallas regulars to appear continuously until the series' cancellation. During Dallas' run, Ken Kercheval occasionally moonlighted in made-for-TV films, notably in the role of Buffalo Bill in 1984's Calamity Jane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2001
During a gun battle with a pair of criminal brothers, police officer Jack Fletcher (Brad Johnson) incurs a wound that leaves him temporarily sightless. During his recovery, Jack is helped by Rebecca (Megan Gallagher), who works as a "trainer" for the newly blind. Gradually, Jack and Rebecca fall in love, much to the dismay of Rebecca's overprotective sister, Bedelia (Roxana Zal), who as a childhood incest victim has developed a pathological hatred for all men. Thus, once his sight is restored, Jack finds himself in the crosshairs of two potential assassins -- the demented Bedelia, and the brother of the crook he killed. Several daunting surprises and unexpected plot twists await the protagonist of Blind Obsession, which was released to home video as Blindside before it was picked up for cable-TV play by the Lifetime channel in 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Johnson, Megan Gallagher, (more)
- 1998
First-year med student Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) stumbles and bumbles her way through her first emergency-room rotation at Chicago's County General as ER launches it fifth season. Getting off to a bad start by clumsily trying to help a bleeding man on the street before her shift even begins, Lucy can't seem to do anything right at all. She manages to alienate her supervisor, the newly bearded Carter (Noah Wyle), stumbles into a clandestine romantic rendezvous, blurts out the fact that a patient is terminal to the patient's nonplussed wife, and is equally undiplomatic with a woman who may have suffered her third miscarriage. And there's still several hours of her shift to go. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Beretta (Franco Columbu) is an ex-Interpol agent. Imagining himself retired, Beretta returns to active duty when his friend is killed. His quest for justice takes him all the way to Sardinia. Going undercover, Beretta gets enmeshed in a vicious drug-smuggling operation. Watch for Arnold Schwarzenegger in a cameo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Columbu
- 1992
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) heads to Carmel, California, to console her old friend, playwright Martin Tremaine (Darren McGavin), whose wife has recentlhy committed suicide. Before long, an attempt is made on Tremaine's life--but another member of his family ends up as the victim. Can it be that the late Mrs. Tremayne has arisen from her grave to exact revenge against her husband? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In this drama, a woman teeters on the brink of deliberately falling to her death. Flashbacks provide insight as to why and who she is. Somehow it all has to do with the mid-life crises of three old friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In a 1991 episode of Jake and the Fatman, Dick Van Dyke guest-starred as Dr. Mark Sloan, who couldn't seem to keep his nose out of a murder investigation. Diagnosis of Murder is the two-hour TV-movie spin-off of that episode. This time, Dr. Sloan tags along with his police-sergeant son (Barry Van Dyke, the real life son of you-know-who) on another homicide case. The victim is a powerful business magnate whose questionable ethics have given plenty of people plenty of motive for the killing. Somehow or other, Dick Van Dyke finds time between his hospital rounds and his clue-hunting to perform a brief soft shoe. Diagnosis of Murder was the pilot for a potential series, which was sold under the slightly truncated title Diagnosis Murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Mariette Hartley, (more)
- 1991
Jeannie is still Barbara Eden, just as she'd been in the 1965-70 TV sitcom of blessed memory. Despite the passing years, Jeannie still looks great in those harem duds (and behold, she does have a navel). The plot of this TV reunion film has Jeannie searching for her astronaut husband Tony Nelson, who's been lost in space for twenty years. According to Genie Rules and Regulations, she must find a new master soon, or it's back to the bottle. Helping Jeannie in her quest is old buddy Roger Healey (welcome back, Bill Daily). Also on hand is Jeannie's mischievous twin Jeannie II (Ms. Eden again), her invisible dog Jin-Jin, and Chris Bolton as her son Tony Nelson Jr. (who does resemble Larry Hagman, if you squint). I Still of Jeannie was NBC's competition for Game Two of the 1991 World Series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
A gentle remonstration to those who avoid any TV movie with the name Suzanne Somers attached to it: Do not pass up Ms. Somers' Keeping Secrets. The actress plays herself in this painful retelling of her formative years as a member of a dysfunctional family. Ms. Somers' father, played by Ken Kercheval, is a chronic alcoholic, but it is expected--no, demanded--of the other children that this family problem be kept secret from the world. The long-ranging ramifications of her bitter childhood include the failure of Somers's first marriage, one arrest, inclinations towards suicide, and a crippling inability to control any aspect of her own life or career. Even the foreknowledge of Suzanne Somers' eventual recovery and success does not dull the edge of this compelling (albeit uneven) film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two business rivals, a domineering careerwoman (Mary Crosby) and her rival (Peter Scolari), make life hard for each other while scratching their way to the top. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Scolari, Mary Crosby, (more)
- 1990
The 14th and final season of Dallas finds ruthless oil executive J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) escaping from a mental institution, then resuming his Herculean efforts to wrest control of Ewing Oil from his brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy). It turns out that poor Bobby may well be vulnerable to J.R.'s conniving: his new wife, April (Sheree J. Wilson), has just been kidnapped and killed during their Parisian honeymoon by the insane Sheila Foley, alias Hillary Taylor (played by daytime-drama diva Susan Lucci). Even so, Bobby is determined to keep Ewing Oil out of J.R.'s hands, and to that end his sells his interests to billionairess LeeAnn De La Vega (played by Larry Hagman's onetime I Dream of Jeannie co-star Barbara Eden!), who is determined to get even with J.R. for seducing and abandoning her back in college. LeeAnn in turn sells the business to April Stevens' sister Michelle (Kimberly Foster), now the wife of J.R.'s illegitimate son, James Beaumont (Sasha Mitchell). After murdering Sheila Foley to avenge her sister's death, Michelle breaks up with James, but not before selling half-interest in Ewing Oil to J.R.'s lifelong enemy, Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval). With startling rapidity, J.R.'s world falls apart. First, Cliff gains full control of Ewing Oil; next, J.R. fails in his efforts to regain his fortune by purchasing Ewing Oil; then, his beloved son, John Ross (Omri Katz), abandons him to live in Europe with J.R.'s ex-wife, Sue Ellen; and James Beaumont likewise relocates abroad with his new bride, Debra Lynn (Deborah Tucker). J.R. doesn't even own the Southfork estate any more -- it's in the hands of Bobby, who generously but contemptuously doles out an allowance to his once-swaggering brother. Besotted with alcohol, J.R. contemplates ending it all -- -whereupon a rather odd-looking "angel" (Joel Grey) appears to show J.R. what life in Dallas would have been like if he'd never been born. And it is with this perverse spin on It's a Wonderful Life, capped by another "cliffhanger," that the 14-year saga of Dallas comes to an end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
- 1990
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason listens to the pleas of a 13-year-old girl and helps her father who was falsely accused of murdering a gambler. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
As Dallas enters its 13th season on the air, only actors Larry Hagman and Ken Kercheval, cast respectively as ruthless oil tycoon J.R. Ewing and his lifelong enemy, attorney-executive Cliff Barnes, have been seen in every season. Though rumors occasionally spread that Hagman was poised to leave the show, the fact that he had been appointed one of the executive producers pretty much put the kibosh on such talk. The season opens as a Ewing Oil tanker collides with a tanker from rival Westar Oil, thereby laying the groundwork for a full-scale government investigation of the Ewing empire, spearheaded by the vengeful Cliff Barnes. With the assistance of high-pressure PR agent Stephanie Rogers (Lesley-Anne Down), Barnes is elected United States energy czar -- all the more reason for J.R. to spite Cliff and step up his efforts to bring about his enemy's downfall. Meanwhile, J.R.'s brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy), reconciled to the fact that his wife Pamela is dead (Victoria Principal had long since exited the series), proposes to April Stevens (Sheree J. Wilson). This turn of events permits the writers to introduce a new character, April's younger sister Michelle, played by Kimberly Foster. Also making their first appearances this season are Gayle Hunnicutt as J.R.'s former lover Vanessa Beaumont, and Sasha Mitchell as James Richard Beaumont, J.R. and Vanessa's illegitimate son. A true chip off the old block, 20-year-old James bids fair to be even more conniving, underhanded and untrustworthy than his father. But even as "new blood" is pumped into Dallas, we lose an old favorite: namely, J.R.'s mom, Miss Ellie, played by Barbara Bel Geddes. As the season rushes to a close, James conspires with J.R.'s new wife, Cally (Cathy Podewell), to gain full control of Ewing oil -- while J.R., having fraudulently committed himself to a mental institution in order to get a controlling interest in Westar Oil from Jessica Montford (Alexis Smith), the insane sister of J.R.'s stepfather, Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), finds that he is unable to leave the institution, and may spend the rest of his life in a padded cell! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
- 1989
- R
A nerdly stagehand at a nightclub falls for a performer/waitress who is forced to endure harassment from her gangster boss. After taking lessons on suavity from a gigolo "count," the young man finally wins her affections. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Having avoided getting shot by his frustrated wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), at the end of Dallas' 11th season, ruthless oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) decides to relax a bit as season 12 gets under way. Embarking on a hunting trip to Arkansas, serial philanderer J.R. has brief tryst with hillbilly gal Cally Harper (Cathy Podewell) -- which turns out to be a major mistake when Cally's brothers, in cahoots with a crooked sheriff, contrive to have J.R. arrested and sentenced to a work farm! In order to save himself, J.R. agrees to divorce Sue Ellen and marry Cally -- who isn't quite as vacuous and guileless as she looks. Once J.R. and Cally are hitched, the vengeful Sue Ellen purchases a movie studio for the express purpose of collaborating with screenwriter Don Lockwood (Ian McShane) on a shocking filmed exposé of J.R. and his highly questionable business practices. (This collaboration reaps unexpected benefits when Sue Ellen and Lockwood are married!) Season twelve marks the exit of two longtime Dallas regulars: Steve Kanaly and his character, J.R.'s half brother, Ray Krebbs, bid farewell early in the season; and by mid-year, Linda Gray (aka Sue Ellen) is also gone. Conversely, Audrey Landers as Afton Cooper, former sister-in-law of J.R.'s niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton), returns after an absence of several seasons. Newcomers to the cast include George Kennedy as rival oil man Carter McKay, who after purchasing Ray Krebbs' ranch takes over Westar Oil and mounts a range war (both literal and figurative) against the Ewing family, hoping not only to destroy J.R. but also to remove Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) as head man of Ewing Oil. The McKay-Ewing conflict would spread far beyond the boundaries of Texas and extend into the wilds of Washington, D.C., Austria, and Russia! Along with Carter McKay, Carter's unhappy wife, Rose (Jeri Gaile), and his profoundly troubled children, Tommy (J. Eddie Peck) and Tracy (Beth Toussaint), make their first appearances this season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
Although Victoria Principal had left Dallas at the end of season ten, by the time the series' 11th season rolled around, Principal's character, Pamela Ewing, was still lingering about, swathed in bandages after being seriously injured in a car accident. As if to lead viewers to the conclusion that Pamela would suddenly make a complete recovery in the tradition of her husband Bobby Ewing's (Patrick Duffy) "return from the dead" at the outset of season ten, the ultimate fate of Pamela was left unresolved for several weeks -- and further complicated when the poor girl suddenly vanished from her hospital bed. Elsewhere, it appears as though ruthless oil tycoon J.R. Ewing will finally get his comeuppance when he loses control of Ewing Oil to his brother Bobby after proof of J.R.'s illegal maneuverings are made public. Setting up another oil firm, J.R. works hand and glove with Casey Denault (Andrew Stevens) to undercut Bobby and regain his power, which also involves our "hero" secretly buying up the stock of a rival firm, Westar Oil. At the same time, Casey has a brief fling with J.R.'s niece Lucy (welcome back, Charlene Tilton). In other developments, Bobby is tormented by Lisa Alden (Amy Stock), who claims to be the mother of his adopted son, Christopher. Meanwhile, Bobby's old flame Jenna Wade (Priscilla Presley) marries his half brother, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly) -- a union that seems doomed from the start when Ray has a fling with a certain Connie Hall (Michelle Scarabelli). Newcomers to the cast include the aforementioned Andrew Stevens and Amy Stock, as well as Jack Scalia as banker Nicholas Pearce, who has an affair with J.R.'s estranged wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), after helping her get her lingerie business off the ground -- and who turns out to have a hidden agenda that only April Stevens (Sheree J. Wilson) is fully aware of. Finally, this season marks the first appearances of recurring characters Harrison "Dandy" Dandridge (Bert Remsen) and Kay Lloyd (Karen Kopkins). In an echo of the celebrated "Who shot J.R.?" season finale of 1980, the 11th season of Dallas ends with another burst of gunfire -- and this time, it is Sue Ellen who is taking aim at J.R. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
At the tail end of Dallas' ninth season, Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal) was awakened from her troubled slumbers by the sound of a familiar voice in her bathroom. Investigating, she peeked past the shower curtains -- and was astonished to find her ex-husband, Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), who had presumably been killed at the end of the series' eighth season, alive and well! How could this be? Well, the opening scene of season ten explains all. Bobby was never killed -- and the entire ninth season was all a nightmare, dreamed up by poor Pamela! Thus, the writers have blithely negated everything that has happened during the previous season, and from this point forward, not even the most loyal of the series' fans will ever be able to take Dallas entirely seriously again. Be that as it may, season ten does offer a few interesting plot developments, as well as a handful of new characters. Having been humiliated time and again by her ruthless oil-tycoon husband, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) gets even by setting up her own lingerie business, using J.R.'s erstwhile mistress Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton) as his star model.
Meanwhile, Southfork is invaded by April Stevens (Sheree J. Wilson), former wife of J.R.'s cousin Jack Ewing, who like everyone else in the family is determined to carve out her own piece of the Ewing millions, by hook or by crook. (April will eventually marry J.R.'s brother Bobby, though he is blissfully unaware of this now.) Also making his first appearance is Ben Stivers (aka Wes Parmalee, played by Steve Forrest), who throws a monkey wrench into the connubial bliss of Miss Ellie Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes) and her second husband, Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), by posing as Miss Ellie's presumed-dead first husband, Jock. And in another development, the marriage between J.R.'s half-brother, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), and his ambitious wife, Donna (Susan Howard), totally collapses when Donna attaches herself to the influential Senator Dowling (Jim McMullan). Getting back to Pamela and Bobby, the couple decides to celebrate his "return from the grave" by getting married all over again. Alas, a happy ending is not in the cards: at the end of season ten, Pamela is seriously injured in an auto accident. Since Victoria Principal had announced her intention to leave the series, viewers braced themselves for the likelihood that Pamela has been killed -- and at the same time, they cynically awaited another likelihood, that the whole thing was yet another "Bobby in the shower" hoax! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Meanwhile, Southfork is invaded by April Stevens (Sheree J. Wilson), former wife of J.R.'s cousin Jack Ewing, who like everyone else in the family is determined to carve out her own piece of the Ewing millions, by hook or by crook. (April will eventually marry J.R.'s brother Bobby, though he is blissfully unaware of this now.) Also making his first appearance is Ben Stivers (aka Wes Parmalee, played by Steve Forrest), who throws a monkey wrench into the connubial bliss of Miss Ellie Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes) and her second husband, Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), by posing as Miss Ellie's presumed-dead first husband, Jock. And in another development, the marriage between J.R.'s half-brother, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), and his ambitious wife, Donna (Susan Howard), totally collapses when Donna attaches herself to the influential Senator Dowling (Jim McMullan). Getting back to Pamela and Bobby, the couple decides to celebrate his "return from the grave" by getting married all over again. Alas, a happy ending is not in the cards: at the end of season ten, Pamela is seriously injured in an auto accident. Since Victoria Principal had announced her intention to leave the series, viewers braced themselves for the likelihood that Pamela has been killed -- and at the same time, they cynically awaited another likelihood, that the whole thing was yet another "Bobby in the shower" hoax! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
The infamous ninth season of Dallas begins with Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal) grieving over the death of her ex-husband Bobby, who was killed saving Pamela from her vengeful half-sister, Katherine Wentworth. To Pamela, the whole situation seems like one horrible nightmare -- and as it turns out, she may be right! In other developments, Barbara Bel Geddes returns to the role of Miss Ellie, mother of the redoubtable J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) -- a bit of retrospective casting that prompted Donna Reed, who'd taken over as Miss Ellie during Bel Geddes' absence in season eight, to sue the series' producers. Also back is Dusty Barlow (Jared Martin), whose millionaire father, Clayton (Howard Keel), has become Miss Ellie's husband. Now an embittered paraplegic, Dusty becomes deeply involved in a custody battle between his former lover Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray) and her husband, J.R., over their son, John Ross. In the midst of this courtroom intrigue, J.R. pulls strings to have the alcoholic Sue Ellen committed to a sanitarium, but her mom, Patricia (Martha Scott), bails her out. Another returnee to the series is Mark Graison (John Beck), who hopes to offer love and comfort to his disconsolate ex-sweetheart Pamela. Newcomers to Dallas include Dack Rambo as cousin Jack Ewing, to whom Bobby's onetime inamorata Jenna (Priscilla Presley) turns after Bobby's death; Barbara Carrera as ruthless shipping magnate Angelica Nero, who aligns herself with J.R.'s sworn enemy Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) -- who in turn is romancing Jack's sister Jamie (Jenilee Harrison); and Marc Singer as Matt Cattrell, a childhood friend of Pamela who talks her into financing a dangerous mining venture in South America. That the viewers sorely missed Patrick Duffy was painfully evidently in the fact that Dallas ratings were rapidly plummeting. Both the series' producers and star Larry Hagman approached Duffy, offering him all sorts of attractive incentives to get him to return to the show. The results of their entreaties are revealed in the season finale, when, after a horrific explosion that apparently kills half the cast, the action suddenly shifts to Pamela, who is aroused from her slumbers by a familiar voice emanating from her bathroom.... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, (more)
As season eight of Dallas gets under way, Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) painfully convalesces from the gunshot wound that felled him at the end of season seven. The most likely suspect would seem to be Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), the brother of Bobby's ex-wife, Pam (Victoria Principal), but in fact the would-be killer is Cliff and Pam's obsessive half-sister, Katherine (Morgan Brittany), who was incensed that Bobby had spurned her in favor of his fiancée, Jenna (Priscilla Presley). Had Katherine but waited a while, she could have saved a bullet; Bobby breaks up with Jenna, who ends up wedding a former lover, Renaldo Marchetta (Daniel Pilon) -- and is then accused of Marchetta's murder! In other romantic developments, despite all of the evil J.R. Ewing's (Larry Hagman) efforts, his mother, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), has tied the matrimonial knot with Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), millionaire father of Dusty Barlow, the former lover of J.R.'s wife, Sue Ellen (Victoria Principal). But is it really Miss Ellie who walks down the aisle? Well, technically, it is -- but it isn't the same actress who has been playing the character since Dallas began. Citing illness and exhaustion, Barbara Bel Geddes had left Dallas at the end of its seventh season. Her replacement is Donna Reed, light years removed from the innocuous 1950s sitcom that bore her name in the title. Getting back to the Miss Ellie-Barlow nuptials, all is not peach blossoms and roses. It turns out that Clayton has a demented sister named Jessica (Alexis Smith) -- who very nearly commits wholesale murder before she's caught and institutionalized.
Newcomers to the cast this season include Joshua Harris as Christopher Ewing, Bobby and Pamela's adopted son; Jenilee Harrison as cousin Jamie Ewing, who is destined to wed Cliff Barnes after aligning with him to wrest a piece of Ewing Oil from J.R.; and Deborah Shelton as Mandy Winger, who arouses the libido of both J.R. and Cliff, but who definitely prefers one over the other. Conversely, two of Dallas' stalwart leading players make their exits this season: Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing (though she'd eventually return), and more spectacularly, Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing. Honoring Duffy's insistence that he wanted to leave the series to pursue different roles, the writers contrived to have Bobby get killed while trying to save Pamela from a deranged hit-and-run driver (Katherine Wentworth again!). Thus, the season ends with the hospitalized Bobby "flatlining" -- thereby setting the stage for the series' notorious "dream" season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Newcomers to the cast this season include Joshua Harris as Christopher Ewing, Bobby and Pamela's adopted son; Jenilee Harrison as cousin Jamie Ewing, who is destined to wed Cliff Barnes after aligning with him to wrest a piece of Ewing Oil from J.R.; and Deborah Shelton as Mandy Winger, who arouses the libido of both J.R. and Cliff, but who definitely prefers one over the other. Conversely, two of Dallas' stalwart leading players make their exits this season: Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing (though she'd eventually return), and more spectacularly, Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing. Honoring Duffy's insistence that he wanted to leave the series to pursue different roles, the writers contrived to have Bobby get killed while trying to save Pamela from a deranged hit-and-run driver (Katherine Wentworth again!). Thus, the season ends with the hospitalized Bobby "flatlining" -- thereby setting the stage for the series' notorious "dream" season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
- 1984
19th century frontierwoman Martha Jane Canary (1852-1903)--better known as Calamity Jane--has been portrayed by actresses as diverse as Doris Day, Jean Arthur and Louise Dresser. Jane Alexander isn't exactly the living image of the legendary Jane, but at least she plays down the Hollywood glamour that afflicted Arthur's and Day's interpretations. This made-for-TV film details the private Jane rather than the public image. It was based on letters sent by Jane to her daughter back east; Suzanne Clauser's teleplay opines that the daughter was the illegitimate offspring of Calamity and her paramour Wild Bill Hickok (Frederic Forrest). Calamity Jane originally aired March 6, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The fire that trapped J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), his wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), their son, John Ross (now played by Omri Katz), and J.R.'s half-brother, Ray (Steve Kanaly), in the Southfork mansion at the end of Dallas' sixth season is still raging as season seven begins. Fortunately, J.R. et al. are rescued at the last minute by his younger brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy). And speaking of Bobby, he has been divorced by his wife, Pam (Victoria Principal), who then takes up with Mark Graison (John Beck). Meanwhile, Pam's half-sister, Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany), has set her sights on Bobby, making it clear that if she can't have him, no one will. But Bobby prefers the company of his old flame Jenna Wade, played by Priscilla Presley (in previous episodes, Jenna was portrayed by Morgan Fairchild and Francine Tacker). J.R. encourages Bobby to pursue a relationship with Jenna, if only to strike out at J.R.'s hated rival Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) -- who of course is Pamela's brother. J.R.'s own marriage is on the rocks again, thanks to the arrival of his son John Ross' camp counselor Peter Richards (Christopher Atkins), whose schoolboy crush on Sue Ellen rapidly develops into something far more serious. As J.R. deals with this, he must also reconcile himself to the fact that his mother, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), is dead set on marrying millionaire Clayton Barlow (Howard Keel), the father of Sue Ellen's former (and now missing) lover Dusty Farlow. And in another branch of the Ewing family, J.R.'s half-brother, Ray (Steve Kanaly), disposes of his troublesome cousin Mickey (Timothy Patrick Murphy) -- who the previous season had been canoodling with J.R.'s niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) -- in a dramatically direct fashion. As the season comes to an end, a double wedding is planned involved Ellie and Clayton and Bobby and Jenna -- but events conspire to keep the couples apart. And in the cliffhanger finale, yet another stalker fires another shot in the office of J.R. Ewing -- but this time it is Bobby who falls wounded to the ground! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
- 1983
The made-for-TV Demon Murder Case has received an inordinate amount of airplay since its initial telecast on March 6, 1983. We suspect that this has something to do with its star, a young and callow fellow name of Kevin Bacon. Though he receives top billing, Bacon is hardly the hero of the piece; in fact, he's a murderer. Demonologist Andy Griffith (you read that right), priest Eddie Albert and clairvoyant Cloris Leachman deduce that Bacon was acting under the influence of Satan. Once this has been established, the threesome work overtime to exorcise Bacon's friend Charlie Fields. If you listen closely, you'll recognize Harvey (Torch Song Trilogy) Fierstein as the voice of the eponymous demon. Also starring Ken Kercheval, Richard Masur and Joyce Van Patten, Demon Murder Case was filmed on location in Newport, Rhode Island. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Season six of Dallas opens with the resolution of the cliffhanger that ended season five, as Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), hated rival of conniving oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), recovers from his suicide attempt. Though ostensibly ruined and disgraced through J.R.'s machinations, Cliff rises from the ashes to become president of Barnes/Wentworth, the oil company owned by his mother. Rebecca Barnes Wentworth (Priscilla Pointer) -- who, incidentally, will not survive the season. More so than ever before, Cliff is determined to beat J.R. at his own game in the open marketplace. Meanwhile, back at Southfork, J.R. has reconciled with his wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), and despite the impassioned intervention of Sue Ellen's lover, Dusty Farlow (Jared Martin), she remarries J.R. in early December. At this point, Dusty disappears from view, not to be seen again for several more seasons. At the same time, J.R. again tangles with younger brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy), the bone of contention being their late father's will. Also, Donna Krebbs (Susan Howard), wife of J.R.'s half brother, Ray (Steve Kanaly), tries to expose J.R.'s questionable business practices with the help of the Texas Energy Commission. In retaliation, J.R.'s deft manipulates the media, stirring up public sympathy for himself -- even as he secretly embarks upon an illegal financial deal in Cuba! Throughout all this intrigue, J.R. finds time to attempt to "conquer" attractive rival oil executive Holly Harwood (Lois Chiles). And there's more!
As the marriage between Bobby and Cliff Barnes' sister, Pam (Victoria Principal), slowly unravels, wealthy Mark Graison (John Beck) tries his best to win Pam's love. Later on, Pam divorces Bobby and has a nervous breakdown, much to the delight of the manipulative J.R. -- yet she still manages to gain custody of her adopted son, Christopher. Plus, the romance between J.R.'s widowed mother, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) and Dusty Farlow's millionaire father, Clayton (Howard Keel), heats up. And in another development, J.R.'s divorced niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) takes up with Ray Krebbs' ne'er-do-well cousin Mickey Trotter (Timothy Patrick Murphy), a fling that ends violently when Mickey is paralyzed in a car accident that may or may not have been caused by an inebriated Sue Ellen. Season six ends with the traditional Dallas cliffhanger, as a fistfight between J.R. and Ray Krebbs results in a fire that threatens to consume all of the Southfork mansion, with J.R., Sue Ellen, and their son, John Ross, trapped inside! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As the marriage between Bobby and Cliff Barnes' sister, Pam (Victoria Principal), slowly unravels, wealthy Mark Graison (John Beck) tries his best to win Pam's love. Later on, Pam divorces Bobby and has a nervous breakdown, much to the delight of the manipulative J.R. -- yet she still manages to gain custody of her adopted son, Christopher. Plus, the romance between J.R.'s widowed mother, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) and Dusty Farlow's millionaire father, Clayton (Howard Keel), heats up. And in another development, J.R.'s divorced niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) takes up with Ray Krebbs' ne'er-do-well cousin Mickey Trotter (Timothy Patrick Murphy), a fling that ends violently when Mickey is paralyzed in a car accident that may or may not have been caused by an inebriated Sue Ellen. Season six ends with the traditional Dallas cliffhanger, as a fistfight between J.R. and Ray Krebbs results in a fire that threatens to consume all of the Southfork mansion, with J.R., Sue Ellen, and their son, John Ross, trapped inside! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
Having closed its fourth season with the unidentified body of a young woman floating in the Ewing family swimming pool, Dallas launches its fifth season by casting suspicion of murder on both of the series' chief antagonists: the cunning, consciousless Texas oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) and J.R.'s lifelong enemy, attorney Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval). For a while, it appears as though J.R. is the guilty party, since he had the most motive. The dead girl turns out to be Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby), the same person who had shot J.R. full of holes at the end of season three. Once this matter is settled, there are plenty of other crises to dwell upon. On the verge of breaking up her marriage with J.R., Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) sues for custody of her son, John Ross, at the behest of her current lover, Dusty Farlow (Jared Martin). This results in a confrontation between J.R.'s mother, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), and Dusty's millionaire dad, Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel) -- though this adversarial relationship will eventually dissolve in a surprising matter. Meanwhile, J.R. schemes to get even with Sue Ellen by temporarily shacking up with Serena Wald (Stephanie Blackmore)and scheming to financially ruin the Farlows; but at the end of the day, he relents and embarks upon a campaign to win Sue Ellen back (not for her sake, but so that he can wrest away custody of his son).
Elsewhere, the marriage between J.R.'s niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) and medical student Mitch (Leigh McCloskey) comes to an end. Unable to have children of their own, J.R.'s brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and his wife, Pam (Victoria Principal), adopt a child named Christopher -- without revealing the fact that the child's biological parents are the late Kristin Shepard and her blackmailing paramour Jeff Farraday (Art Hindle). Cliff Barnes goes to work for his entrepreneur mother, Rebecca Barnes Wentworth (Priscilla Pointer), hoping to beat J.R. at his own game in the marketplace -- and in the process becoming almost as greedy and duplicitous as his rival! Conspicuous by his absence this season is Miss Ellie's husband, Jock Ewing. Although actor Jim Davis had died the previous season, the producers decided not to completely write out Davis' character of Jock Ewing, instead contriving a scenario whereby Jock is in South America on a mission for the government. Ultimately, Jock perishes in a helicopter crash, whereupon a grieving Miss Ellie finds solace in the arms of her former enemy, Clayton Farlow. In the series' traditional cliffhanger ending, Cliff Barnes, financially ruined and in disgrace thanks to the machinations of J.R., tries to commit suicide -- and if he dies, it will mean disaster for several of the main Dallas characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Elsewhere, the marriage between J.R.'s niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) and medical student Mitch (Leigh McCloskey) comes to an end. Unable to have children of their own, J.R.'s brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and his wife, Pam (Victoria Principal), adopt a child named Christopher -- without revealing the fact that the child's biological parents are the late Kristin Shepard and her blackmailing paramour Jeff Farraday (Art Hindle). Cliff Barnes goes to work for his entrepreneur mother, Rebecca Barnes Wentworth (Priscilla Pointer), hoping to beat J.R. at his own game in the marketplace -- and in the process becoming almost as greedy and duplicitous as his rival! Conspicuous by his absence this season is Miss Ellie's husband, Jock Ewing. Although actor Jim Davis had died the previous season, the producers decided not to completely write out Davis' character of Jock Ewing, instead contriving a scenario whereby Jock is in South America on a mission for the government. Ultimately, Jock perishes in a helicopter crash, whereupon a grieving Miss Ellie finds solace in the arms of her former enemy, Clayton Farlow. In the series' traditional cliffhanger ending, Cliff Barnes, financially ruined and in disgrace thanks to the machinations of J.R., tries to commit suicide -- and if he dies, it will mean disaster for several of the main Dallas characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
- 1981
This true-life TV movie stars Glenda Jackson as Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal and Anthony Page as her author husband Roald Dahl. In 1964, Neal is felled by a stroke, which endangers not only her life but the life of her unborn child. Both survive, but it looks as though Neal will never be able to speak coherently again. Dahl bullies, cajoles and caresses his wife into recovery; she rallies under this treatment and is finally able to resume her career and lead a normal life. The film does not touch upon the serious domestic problems which would lead to Neal and Dahl's later divorce, nor does it dwell on the "dark side" of the notoriously mercurial Mr. Dahl. Nonetheless, both Neal and Dahl felt that the book upon which Patricia Neal Story was based, (Barry Farrell's Pat and Ronald) was far too revelatory for their tastes. They severed their longtime friendship with author Farrell and never spoke to him again; nor did they have anything to say publicly about The Patricia Neal Story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
