Alan King Movies
Bitten by the performing bug at an early age, youngster Alan King sang for nickels and dimes in the Brooklyn subways. Born Irwin Alan Kniberg, King's first stage name was Earl Knight, of the itinerant musical aggregation Earl Knight and His Musical Knights. Abandoning music for stand-up comedy, he worked his way up the Catskills circuit and the burlesque wheels. His first big break came in 1949, when he headlined at New York's Paramount Theatre. Seven years later he opened for Judy Garland at the Palace, and subsequently accompanied Garland when she performed in London. Making his first film appearance in 1955, King provided side-of-the-mouth comedy relief in such films as Miracle in the Rain (1956) and The Helen Morgan Story (1957). Introduced to TV audiences by Ed Sullivan, King made innumerable appearances on the variety weeklies hosted by Sullivan, Garry Moore and Perry Como. A 1961 stand at his own weekly sitcom proved futile, though it resulted in a very funny pilot episode.By the early 1960s, King's act was a well-oiled mechanism: he could always be counted on to expound hilariously upon his childhood, his show business experiences, his misadventures in suburbia, and especially the trials and tribulations of married life ("Last year I took my wife on a trip around the world. This year she says 'Let's go someplace else.' "). While much of his earlier material might not pass muster in these more politically correct times, it always brought down the house--even in houses dominated by female spectators. Much of his stand-up material was incorporated in a brace of best-selling books, Anyone Who Owns His Own Home Deserves It and Help! I'm a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery. Returning to films in the late 1960s, King was shown to particularly good advantage in three of director Sidney Lumet's projects: Bye Bye Braverman (1968) The Anderson Tapes (1971) and Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), in which he received top billing. He also shone in Memories of Me (1988) as "the king of the Hollywood extras," and Enemies: A Love Story (1989) as Rabbi Lembeck. In the mid-1960s, he launched another aspect of his career when he co-produced the hit Broadway comedy Impossible Years (1965). He has since served as executive or associate producer of such films as Lipstick (1976), Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981), Wolfen (1981) and Cat's Eye (1983). Alan King has also functioned in a production capacity on the TV series The Corner Bar (1972-73) and Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell (1975, as "executive in charge of comedy"), and was co-producer of the made-for-TV feature films Return to Earth (1974), How to Pick Up Girls (1978) and Reunion at Fairborough (1985). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Successful playwright Al Pacino can't get any work done as long as he is pestered by his wacko wife Tuesday Weld. Making things worse are the couple's obstreperous children, many of them products of her previous marriages. Just as Pacino is completing his latest work, his wife walks out on him. That's the good news: the bad news is that he's saddled with a bunch of snot-nosed kids. Still and all, Pacino finds time to inaugurate an affair with his play's leading lady, played by Dyan Cannon, while attempting to juggle the stresses of opening night with the needs of the demanding, often obnoxious children. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, (more)
- 1982
- R
Larry Cohen wrote the screenplay to this updating of Mickey Spillane's notorious 1947 novel. Cohen was originally engaged to direct the film as well but was pulled from the director's chair after a week's worth of shooting because he had already run up the budget by $100,000; he was replaced by television director Richard T. Heffron. In this 1982 I, the Jury, Mike Hammer (Armand Assante) is a Vietnam veteran who wears hip duds and drives around in a bronze Trans Am in much the same way as Robert Mitchum's Philip Marlowe was refurbished for Michael Winner's re-make of The Big Sleep. After a cheesy rip-off of a James Bond-style credit sequence, the story kicks in. One-armed detective Jack Williams (Frederick Downs) is murdered. Jack was Hammer's best friend, and Hammer decides that he will become a one-man vigilante squad and seek vengeance on the person responsible for his death. He enlists the aid of his vivacious secretary Velda (Laurene Landon) and is also helped and hindered by police-chief Pat Chambers (Paul Sorvino). Hammer latches on to the killer's trail, then the film veers in a radically different direction from the book, introducing government conspiracies and mind-control techniques by the CIA and the Mafia. Also introduced is Hammer's love interest Charlotte Bennett (Barbara Carrera), an administrator of a kinky sex clinic (depicted as a psychiatrist in the original novel). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Barbara Carrera, (more)
Wolfen, a frightening horror movie based upon a novel by Whitley Strieber, is an absorbing update on the werewolf legend. Detective Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) is assigned to investigate the strange murder of a millionaire and his wife in a downtown park. Wilson and his friend, city coroner Whittington (Gregory Hines), aided by criminal psychologist Rebecca Neff (Diane Venora) connect the killing to those of several others, primarily winos, drug addicts and derelicts, all of whom seem to have been mutilated by wild animals. Their search leads them to a group of Native Americans led by Edward James Olmos who tell them of a legend of a superior species that once roamed the area, but now are living and hunting in the slums of New York. The film is engrossing, frightening and intelligent, with sensational special effects. Director Michael Wadleigh uses these effects to great advantage, frequently showing the movements of the characters through the eyes of the "Wolfen." This film is also the screen debut of Gregory Hines. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Diane Venora, (more)
- 1980
- R
This routine drama-comedy about the trials of walking out of the closet has some notable performances such as that of Madeleine Kahn as a salty, warm-hearted, and terribly promiscuous neighbor, and Robert Viharo as an outgoing father. Francis Geminiani (Alan Rosenberg) has a romance going with Judith (Sarah Holcomb) until he drops her after a few nights of intimacy. Besieged by guilt and misgivings, Francis is eventually forced to admit that he is really in love with her brother Randy (David Marshall Grant), who does not really live up (or down) to his name. Randy is a wealthy, conservative Harvard student and Francis is a poor and liberal Harvard student. The story is based on the play Gemini by Albert Innaurato. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeline Kahn, Rita Moreno, (more)
- 1980
In this romantic made-for-television comedy, a womanizing, handsome gambler tangles with the feisty female owner of a large casino and ends up falling in love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Pinnochio struggles to earn enough money to buy his father Gepetto a Christmas present in this animated holiday puppet show. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Roadie is a showbiz saga about the working slobs who make live pop-music performances happen. Texas good ol' boy Travis W. Redfish (pop singer Meat Loaf) drives a Shiner beer truck on his appointed rounds, but he becomes smitten with rock groupie Lola Bouillabase (Kaki Hunter), a "roadie" whose sole ambition in life is to bed her idol, Alice Cooper (playing himself). Travis' grizzled pappy, Corpus C. Redfish (Art Carney), feels disgusted by his son's lifestyle. After hearing that Cooper and his band are on tour, Lola sets out to catch up to them and offer her services, with Travis in pursuit. Along the way, they meet a number of pop-music stars -- Blondie, Asleep at the Wheel, Hank Williams Jr., Roy Orbison, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott -- who are all working on their own tours. Travis signs on, himself, as a groupie for a rock band, and is quickly dubbed "greatest roadie of all time," but he soon realizes that he must return to Texas for the wedding of his sister and his best friend. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meat Loaf, Kaki Hunter, (more)
- 1980
- R
In this Sidney Lumet romantic comedy, Max Herschel (Alan King) is a powerful businessman who keeps a bevy of beauties for pleasure to escape his alcoholic wife, Connie (Dina Merrill). His main minx is Bones Burton (Ali MacGraw), a successful television producer who is tiring of Max's lack of commitment. When she takes up with Steven (Peter Weller), Max does everything in his power to win her back. Silent screen star Myrna Loy plays Max's faithful secretary, in her last big-screen role, and steals the show. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan King, Ali MacGraw, (more)
- 1979
Culled from a 1979 comedy concert, this sampling of the Wild and Crazy Guy at his wildest and craziest may be familiar to his older fans, but is well worth another go-round. "Happy Feet," "King Tut," the arrows and the bunny ears are all in attendance; by this time, Martin's catchphrase and stock routines were so familiar that audiences began laughing before they even occurred, sometimes shouting the lines in unison just as Martin opens his mouth. The video is rounded out with Martin's Oscar-nominated short subject, The Absent Minded Waiter. Steve Martin Live was directed by Carl Gottleib, an associate of Martin's since his days on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour writing staff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Though Desi Arnaz Jr. gets star billing in How to Pick Up Girls, the film's true leading man is third-billed Fred McCrarren. He plays a clueless Nebraska boy whose efforts to score with chicks in the Big City come to naught. Finally he stumbles upon the "secret" to successful dating with the help of his superstud roommate (Desi Arnaz Jr.) McCrarren is transformed into a makeout king--much to consternation of the nice girl (Bess Armstrong) who likes him for himself. Based on the book by Eric Weber (which one supposes was supposed to have been taken seriously), How to Pick up Girls is a made-for-TV smarmfest. At that, it is a few notches above the standard "horny teenager" flick which glutted the market in the early 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The readjustment of astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldren to life after triumphantly walking on the moon is chronicled in this drama based on a true story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In this grim Canadian drama a gentle farmer gets gruesome revenge against a group murderers by capturing and tormenting each of the culprits. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine, Michael J. Pollard, (more)
This breathlessly paced high-tech thriller stars Sean Connery as Anderson, a career criminal who's just been released from his latest prison term. Seeking a quick financial turnover, Anderson uses mob funding to finance an ambitious robbery. With a gang of expert thieves, Anderson sets about to rob every wealthy tenant of a fancy East Side apartment building. What he doesn't know is that every move he makes is being monitored and taped by several law-enforcement agencies, who hope that Anderson will lead them to the Mob kingpins. Though the film may look like a "comment" on the Watergate break-in, The Anderson Tapes actually preceded that third-rate burglary by nearly two years. The Anderson Tapes boasts an impressive supporting cast, many of whom play wildly against type, including Alan King as an aging and infirm Mafia don. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, (more)
- 1968
Bye Bye Braverman is a bittersweet adaptation of Wallace Markfield's coldly cynical novel To an Early Grave. Braverman, an idealistic minor author, dies; his four best friends, writers who in one way or another have all sold out, decide to attend his funeral. The foursome includes a disenchanted magazine writer (George Segal), a poet (Jack Warden), a book reviewer (Sorrell Booke), and an embittered bellyacher (Joseph Wiseman). Taking a picaresque journey from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn, the quartet never quite gets to the funeral, but their odyssey unearths many a self-revelation and previously unspoken truth. Like its four leading characters, Bye Bye Braverman loses its way towards the end, bringing this otherwise insightful comedy/drama to a muddied conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal, Jack Warden, (more)
- 1961
Alfred Lynch and Sean Connery star as a pair of klutzy RAF members, during World War II, who are more interested in running petty confidence scams that toting rifles. Though they doggedly avoid extra effort of any kind, Pope (Lynch) and Pascoe (Connery) are sent on a top-secret mission. The more the duo screws up, the more they succeed in pulling off their assignment, and through no real input of their own they become heroes. On the Fiddle more closely resembled an American service comedy than a British film, thus it was logical that its U.S. title was Operation SNAFU. During the James Bond craze, the film was retitled Operation Warhead and Sean Connery's participation was played up in the ads -- complete with the anachronistic inclusion of bikini-clad starlets! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfred Lynch, Sean Connery, (more)
Ann Blyth plays famed "torch singer" Helen Morgan, from her humble beginnings as a carnival dancer to the height of her nightclub fame in the 1920s. Helen spends most of her spare time anguishing over the on-and-off affections of her boorish boyfriend (Paul Newman), who had discovered Helen during her carnival days and promoted her to stardom. By 1927, Helen is headlining in her own nightclub, with further fame and fortune greeting her when she is cast as Julie in the blockbusting Broadway hit Show Boat. But when she realizes that her erstwhile boyfriend has been using her as a "meal ticket", Helen turns to drink. Losing her fortune to Revenue agents and the Stock Market crash of 1929, Helen hits rock bottom, ending up in the Bellevue alcoholic ward. Her boyfriend suddenly has a change of heart and declares his love for Helen, arranging for a lavish testimonial in her honor, hosted by Walter Winchell. The film ends at this point, suggesting that Helen Morgan is on the road to lasting success and happiness (tragically not the case in real life). For reasons unknown, Ann Blyth, an excellent singer in her own right, was dubbed in The Helen Morgan Story by songstress Gogi Grant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Blyth, Paul Newman, (more)
- 1956
The peacetime draft is given the teen-idol treatment in The Girl He Left Behind. Hollywood hunk Tab Hunter is starred as a spoiled young man who is whipped into shape--and humility--by his two years of compulsory military service. Natalie Wood plays the girl who...well, look at the title. Director David Butler would have preferred to cast a minor actor who was making his film debut in the leading role, but Butler was committed to Warners contractee Tab Hunter. Thus it was that young James Garner would have to wait his turn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tab Hunter, Natalie Wood, (more)
The fate that brings lovers together can easily tear them apart as can be seen in this sentimental tragedy that centers on an ordinary-looking secretary's (Jane Wyman) lonely life. Other than working and spending some free time with a spinster (Eileen Heckart), who is her best friend, the woman devotes most of her time attempting to cheer up her deeply depressed, eternally grieving mother, who has never recovered from her husband's leaving her. One day the secretary is in Central Park when a cloudburst occurs and she ends up meeting a handsome young soldier from Tennessee (Van Johnson). Although they couldn't be more different, they fall deeply in love. Unfortunately, he goes overseas and gets killed. The poor secretary nearly falls apart both mentally and physically. She seems near death when one day she is walking near St. Patrick's Cathedral when a second miracle occurs, giving her the will to live again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Van Johnson, (more)
Hit the Deck is the second film version of the same-named 1927 hit Broadway musical. Though updated for the 1950s, the basic plot remains the same. Sailors Tony Martin, Vic Damone and Russ Tamblyn spend their entire shore leave in pursuit of three beautiful gals. Martin is "that way" about Ann Miller, Damone is stuck on Jane Powell, and Russ Tamblyn only has eyes for Debbie Reynolds. Some fun is extracted from the fact that Tamblyn is the son of by-the-book admiral Walter Pidgeon. Additional comedy relief is provided by Alan King (the same!) and Henry Slate as a pair of dumb-dumb shore patrolmen. The Vincent Youmans-Leo Robin-Clifford Grey-Irving Caesar score includes such standards as "Sometimes I'm Happy", "I Know that You Know", and the showstopping "Hallelujah". The 1930 version of Hit the Deck, starring Jack Oakie, was filmed by RKO; that version was purchased by MGM and hasn't been seen publicly in nearly 70 years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Powell, Tony Martin, (more)
This edition of Biography, the long running documentary series from A&E, explores the life of Jerry Lewis. The video looks at the life of the film actor, director, producer; born Joseph Levitch in Newark, N.J. When only five years old Jerry made his debut at a hotel in New York's Borscht Circuit singing "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" He worked as a one-night-stand entertainer until he met singer Dean Martin in 1946. The team made their first screen appearance in My Friend Irma. After 16 more films, they split up. Lewis began producing and then directing his own movies, becoming a special favorite in France. Jerry has won the Best Director of the Year award eight times in Europe since 1960. He also recorded several records and albums; one of them "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby", released by Decca Records, has sold nearly four million copies.
The video tells the story of how he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. A dedicated campaigner for charitable causes, he became closely identified with the annual fundraising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 1991, Lewis was presented with the Comic Life Achievement Award and was inducted into the Broadcast Hall of Fame that same year.
~ John Patrick Sheehan, All Movie Guide
The video tells the story of how he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. A dedicated campaigner for charitable causes, he became closely identified with the annual fundraising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 1991, Lewis was presented with the Comic Life Achievement Award and was inducted into the Broadcast Hall of Fame that same year.
~ John Patrick Sheehan, All Movie Guide
