Bruno Kirby Movies
Character and supporting actor Bruno Kirby (he also billed himself as B. Kirby or Bruce Kirby) made his film debut in Young Graduates (1971). Kirby was born Bruno Quidaciolu Jr. and is the son of actor Bruce Kirby. For a while he appeared regularly on the television education drama Room 222 (1969-1974) and launched into steady carefree appearances in made-for-TV movies such as The Summer Without Boys (1973) and features such as The Harrad Experiment (1973). He first gained notice for a small role he played as Clemenza in The Godfather, Pt. II (1974). It was not until the late '80s that he began getting much larger roles and greater respect. The turn-around came when Kirby was cast as Lieutenant Hauk, the hilariously untalented wanna-be comedian, in charge of zany Robin Williams' morning radio show in Good Morning Vietnam (1987). One of his most memorable roles of the '80s was that of Billy Crystal's best buddy, a man who finds romantic bliss with Carrie Fisher, in When Harry Met Sally (1989). In 1991, he again turned in another charming performance as Ed Furillo in City Slickers (1991). In 1997, he played a supporting role in Donnie Brasco. In addition to feature-film work, he also continued to appear frequently on television series as a guest star and in movies-of-the-week. He died suddenly of leukemia, at age 57, on August 14, 2006. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1975
Bruno Kirby, here billed as Bruce Kirby Jr., essays one of his first important roles as Keith Wicks, a deranged ex-soldier turned serial sniper. As Wicks embarks upon a citywide killing spree, he finds an unexpected co-conspirator in the form of Seymour Hayward (Eugene Roche), a bored accountant who hopes to add some excitement to his life. Needless to say, Kojak (Telly Savalas) works overtime to stop the carnage. (Trivia note: Bruno Kirby's father Bruce Kirby Sr. shows up in several other Kojak episodes in the recurring role of police sergeant Al Vine). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Francis Ford Coppola's legendary continuation and sequel to his landmark 1972 film, The Godfather, parallels the young Vito Corleone's rise with his son Michael's spiritual fall, deepening The Godfather's depiction of the dark side of the American dream. In the early 1900s, the child Vito flees his Sicilian village for America after the local Mafia kills his family. Vito (Robert De Niro) struggles to make a living, legally or illegally, for his wife and growing brood in Little Italy, killing the local Black Hand Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) after he demands his customary cut of the tyro's business. With Fanucci gone, Vito's communal stature grows, but it is his family (past and present) who matters most to him -- a familial legacy then upended by Michael's (Al Pacino) business expansion in the 1950s. Now based in Lake Tahoe, Michael conspires to make inroads in Las Vegas and Havana pleasure industries by any means necessary. As he realizes that allies like Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) are trying to kill him, the increasingly paranoid Michael also discovers that his ambition has crippled his marriage to Kay (Diane Keaton) and turned his brother, Fredo (John Cazale), against him. Barely escaping a federal indictment, Michael turns his attention to dealing with his enemies, completing his own corruption. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, (more)
- 1973
- G
A concerned father decides to become closer to his daughter the hard way in this live-action comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. Charlie McCready (Bob Crane) is the father of Wendy (Kathleen Cody), a pretty teenager soon to enter college. Like most parents, Charlie only wants the best for his daughter, but he has little use for her circle of friends, most of whom he regards as half-witted and lazy. Determined to set a better example for his daughter (especially since most of her friends will be joining her at college), Charlie decides to become Wendy's new best friend, imposing himself upon her as often as possible and shoe-horning his way into her social circle, even if it means taking up surfing and water skiing to do it. Charlie's not-always-welcome presence doesn't change Wendy's feelings about her boyfriend Bart (Kurt Russell), but when Charlie decides to break up their romance, he gets even more trouble than he anticipated. Superdad also stars Barbara Rush as Charlie's wife Sue, and Joe Flynn as the memorably named Cyrus Hershberger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Kurt Russell, (more)
A "Cinderella Liberty" is Navy jargon for a pass that runs out at midnight. Sailor John Baggs, Jr. (James Caan) has such a pass, and intends to make the most of it while his ship is docked in Seattle. He "wins" prostitute Maggie (Marsha Mason) in a pool game, but backs off at a "wham-bam-thank you ma'am" when he finds out that Maggie has a son, an 11-year-old mulatto (Kirk Calloway) -- and that there's another baby on the way. John has so much empathy for Maggie's travails that he marries her. When she loses her baby, however, Maggie feels unable to resign herself to living with John, plagued by both guilt and an unwillingness to be tied down -- thus forcing John to fight for her. Darryl Ponicsan adapted his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In The Harrad Experiment, young men and women attend Harrad College for what is essentially a one-year "control group" trial in pre-marital sex, to be overseen by Prof. Philip Tenhausen (James Whitmore) and his wife, Margaret (Tippi Hedren). Although initially paired off for the first month, they will be free to change partners once a month if they so desire. The film focuses on two couples, the somewhat shy Sheila (Laurie Walters), who is paired with the rich and swaggering Stanley (Don Johnson), and alluring Beth (Victoria Thompson), whose roomie is the awkward Harry (Bruno Kirby). The two couples don't get off to a good start, as Stanley is disappointed in his partner and Harry intimidated by his. There's a great deal of tension as the partners consider whether they have been paired off appropriately, and the jealousy and discomfort they feel comes to the surface in an improvisational exercise overseen by Philip. Whether this is all a result of mismatched pairs or more a result of Stanley's inability to "feel" is the subject of some debate, and leads to a number of confrontations and scenes (not to mention nude yoga classes and discussions of group marriage). Stanley also attempts to interest Margaret in having sex with him, but when she suggests that they do so freely and openly on the lawn, he can't go through with it. Stanley decides he wants to leave Harrad, but at the last minute changes his mind and joins Sheila, Beth and Harry for a group hug. Based upon Robert Rimmer's best-seller, Harrad was followed by a sequel, The Harrad Summer. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- 1972
M*A*S*H began its 11-year tour of duty on September 17, 1972, with its pilot episode, clevely titled "The Pilot," in which the staff of the 4077th tries to raise 1000 dollars tuition to send Hawkeye's (Alan Alda) Korean houseboy Ho-Jon (Patrick Adiarte) to medical college in America. One of the fundraising schemes is a raffle; the grand prize is a weekend in Tokyo with the delectable Nurse Dish (Karen Philipp). The winner of the raffle comes as a shock to everyone -- no more so than the viewer, who may be surprised to see an unfamiliar actor playing this soon-to-be very familiar M*A*S*H character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this comedy, a bungling bookkeeper's assistant works in the Dalton city hall and finds himself framed for embezzling by his corrupt superiors. A sweet young woman helps him clear his name. He is also assisted by Leo the computer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
In this youthful drama, teenagers grow into young adults. The story centers on a young woman who falls in love with one of her teachers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
