Hope Lange Movies
The daughter of show folk, Hope Lange was 12 when she appeared in her first Broadway play, Sidney Kingsley's The Patriots. Fourteen years later, with dozens of plays and TV programs to her credit, Lange made her screen debut in Bus Stop (1956), managing to garner critical and audience attention despite her omnipresent co-star Marilyn Monroe (Lange's first husband was Bus Stop leading man Don Murray). Signed to a 20th Century Fox contract, Lange was Oscar nominated for her performance in Peyton Place (1957) and was equally impressive in such films as The Young Lions (1957) and The Best of Everything (1959).In the early 1960s, Lange was briefly linked romantically with Glenn Ford, who insisted that she co-star with him in Pocketful of Miracles, a fact that inspired a stream of published invective from the film's director, Frank Capra, who'd wanted Shirley Jones for the part. Despite Capra's reservations in regards to her acting ability, Lange continued to prosper as a film actress until turning to TV in 1968 as star of the weekly The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, a project that would earn her two Emmys. She then spent three years in a thankless "supportive housewife" part in The New Dick Van Dyke Show. In 1974, Lange received some of her best reviews in years for her work in Death Wish -- in which she spent most of her time in a coma before expiring in Reel Two! Subsequent projects in which Lange was involved included the 1977 play Same Time Next Year and the first of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. Hope Lange was first married to Don Murray, then producer/director Alan J. Pakula. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
The made-for-TV Before He Wakes is based on the novel by Jerry Bledsoe),which in turn was inspired by the true story of convicted murderer Barbara Stager (who at the time of the film was slated for her first parole hearing in 2006). A small North Carolina town is shocked when popular high school baseball coach Ron Michaels (Timothy Carhart) is killed in his sleep. The killer turns out to be his wife Bridget (Jaclyn Smith), a successful career woman who is widely loved and respected in the community. Bridget insists that she shot her husband by accident, and the police are willing to believe her story--until members of Ron's family, joined with the relatives of Bridget's first husband, raise a number of disturbing questions. Ultimately it is revealed that Bridget has been leading a double life, posing as a pillar of the community while mounting huge debts to maintain her sumptuous lifestyle--and it is determined that Bridget killed her first husband, who died under similar circumstances as the hapless Ron Michaels. All of the character names are changed for various reasons, and a great deal of dramatic license is taken with the sequence of events (in real life, the cops weren't quite as slow on the upstake as they're shown to be here!) Before He Wakes made its first CBS appearance on December 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the tradition of such woman-in-jeopardy nail-biters as Extremities and Sleeping With the Enemy comes the ABC made-for-television pic Dead Before Dawn, starring small-screen vets Cheryl Ladd (Charlie's Angels) and Jameson Parker (Simon & Simon). Though to outsiders' eyes all is well in the life of suburban housewife Linda (Ladd), behind closed doors and shutters her socially impeccable husband, Jeff (Parker), turns into a satanic monster, beating the living hell out of his wife and children. In a desperate move, Linda files for divorce, but the vengeance-starved Jeff -- panic-stricken that Linda's in-court testimonies will decimate his career -- will stop at nothing to shut her up...even homicide. Kim Coates and Hope Lange (Death Wish) co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Another of several made-for-TV movies based on the best-selling novels of Danielle Steel, this one stars Jenny Robertson as Paxton Andrews, a sheltered Southern belle who falls for law student Peter Wilson (Steven Eckholdt) on the campus of Berkeley in the late '60s. After Peter is drafted and dies in Vietnam, the grief-stricken Paxton becomes the Saigon-based correspondent for a San Francisco newspaper, determined to use her column "Message from 'Nam" to bring comfort and solace to others whose loved ones are mired in the Southeast Asian quagmire. Before the inevitable slam-bang climax during the fall of Saigon, Paxton has not only grown emotionally and spiritually, but she has also enjoyed tender romantic interludes with a hard-bitten Army captain (Nick Mancuso) and a likeable sergeant (Ted Marcoux). Also featuring such formidable personalities as Rue McClanahan, Billy Dee Williams, and Esther Rolle, Danielle Steel's 'Message From Nam' originally aired October 17, 1993, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Two men, a fisherman and banker, have both died of carbon monoxide poisoning while sailing in the waters around Cabot Cove. At first this seems to be merely a coincidence--but then the fisherman's daughter gains access to her father's logbooks and charts. Suddenly, a link develops between the two men, forged by an illegal sale of surplus defense-corporation components--and Jessica (Angela Lansbury) begins to take interest in the situation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
This gentle baseball fantasy centers on a former ball player who has spent thirty years bitterly brooding over the fact that he has been overlooked by the Baseball Hall of Fame. He finally decides to take action when his long-lost best friend returns from the dead to talk to him. Just before he died, the friend was inducted into the famous museum. The rest of the story is comprised of touching and sometimes funny vignettes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Cliff Robertson stars as automobile mogul Henry Ford in this 2-part TV biopic. Ford's single-minded determination to put every driver in America into a Model T exacts a tragic price in his personal life. The one who suffers most is Ford's son Edsel (R. H. Thompson), who though the figurehead president of the Ford Motor Company is little more than a hired hand, asking "How high?" when his father tells him to jump. Ford's archaic attitudes towards his fellow man-manifested in his rabid anti-semitism-are not glossed over in this presentation. Hope Lange costars as Ford's wife, while Elizabeth Thompson plays his inconvenient mistress. Originally aired as part of the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series, Henry Ford: The Man and the Machine debuted in May of 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adapted from a book by Robert Lacey, this biographical film chronicles both the private and public life of automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (Cliff Robertson). ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cliff Robertson, Hope Lange, (more)
- 1987
Dorian Beecher (Thom Bray), the new poetry instructor at Cabot Cove's most exclusive prep school, tries to impress the girl of his dreams, Sarah Dupont (Karlene Crockett), by telling her that Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is his mother. Meanwhile, Nate Findley (Barry Williams), the school's riding instructor and Dorian's rival for Sarah's affections, plots to scare off Dorian by taking a page from Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Unfortunately, Nate's impersonation of the fabled Headless Horseman becomes a bit too realistic when his head is lopped off by an antique sword--owned by poor Dorian! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this drama, the failed pilot for a TV series, a psychologist endeavors to balance his turbulent personal life, with those of his troubled patients. Unfortunately, he tends to get equally personally involved in both and trouble ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 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
Jim Bishop's minute-by-minute account of the events leading up to the Crucifixion was the basis for the three-hour TV movie The Day Christ Died. Chris Sarandon plays the Hebrew "blasphemer" known as Jesus, who is brought before the beleaguered governor Pontius Pilate (Keith Mitchell). To avoid an insurrection, Pilate washes his hands of the matter by offering the Hebrews a pardon either to Jesus or the thief Barabbas during Passover. "Give us Barabbas!" is the answer, sealing Jesus' fate. The screenplay by James Lee Barrett and Edward Anhalt is for the most part objective and dispassionate, though there are some unsubtle parallels between Pilate and such future political "heavies" as Nixon. Also appearing in the cast are Colin Blakely as Caiaphas, Barrie Houghton as Judas, Jonathan Pryce as Herod, Eleanor Bron as Mary, and Hope Lange as Claudia. The Day Christ Died premiered -- not without protest from certain circles -- on March 26, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Sarandon
Beulah Land is an edited, movie-length version of the three-part TV miniseries adaptation of Lonnie Coleman's multi-part novels. The film is set in the Old South, with a time span ranging from 1827 to the postwar Reconstruction Era. Lesley Ann Warren stars as Sarah Kendrick, young belle of the Beulah Land plantation, who finds herself in love with a "damn Yankee." Sarah must also contend with a weakling brother (Paul Rudd) and a former slave (Dorian Harewood) who demands freedom as a right rather than a privilege. Beulah Land took forever to get before the cameras due to protests from black historical organizations; when it was finally telecast on October 7-9, 1980, NBC conducted a low-pressure ad campaign, as though the network was still fearful of stepping on toes despite the testimonial of a black Yale history professor, who commended the production for its "special sensitivity." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Ann Warren, Michael Sarrazin, (more)
- 1979
Based on a true story, the made-for-TV Like Normal People IS the story of a romance between two mentally challenged adults. In his first dramatic acting appearance, Shaun Cassidy plays Roger Meyers, a mildly retarded man who, while living in a home for the handicapped, falls in love with another resident, Virginia Rae Hensler (Linda Purl). Despite the fierce opposition of their parents--not to mention one of the administrators, who regards such a union as "a social obscenity"--Roger and Virginia are determined not only to marry, but to raise a family. Virtually their only ally is teacher Bill Stein (Zalman King), who formulates a stringent training program to show the couple the obstacles that they will face, and must overcome, in their future lives. Like Normal People made its ABC debut on April 13, 1979, a scant three weeks after the broadcast of the similarly themed No Other Love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shaun Cassidy, Linda Purl, (more)
- 1977
This second of two pilot films for the Love Boat TV series was originally telecast on January 21, 1977. After the shakedown cruise, several of the actors playing the crew of the Pacific Princess were replaced. In Love Boat 2, Ted Lange, Bernie Kopell and Fred Grandy portray the roles they would be playing for several seasons thereafter, namely Isaac, Doc and Gopher, respectively. But instead of Gavin McLeod as the Captain and Lauren Tewes as the cruise director, Love Boat II offers us Quinn Redecker in the former part, and Diane Stilwell in the latter. {As with the first Love Boat, this second pilot fills its time with four separate sets of passengers, each in their own self-contained plotline. Hope Lange plays a wife who, fed up with philandering husband Robert Reed, takes up with tennis pro Lyle Waggoner. Divorcee Celeste Holm is reunited with old flame Craig Stevens. CPA Bert Convy (practically a "regular" of the subsequent series) pursues cruise director Diane Stillwell. And last but not least, shy psychiatrist Ken Berry falls for brash cruise entertainer Candice Azzara. The Love Boat series proper would commence in September of 1977, and sail on until late 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Quinn K. Redeker
- 1976
John Houseman, taking advantage of the career momentum sparked by his Oscar win for The Paper Chase, does his patented curmudgeon bit in Hazard's People. Housman plays a criminal lawyer described in the promotional ads as "unorthodox," which is TV-ese for "obnoxious." He oversees three good-looking younger attorneys: one genius (John Elerick), one jock (Roger Hill), one feminist (Jesse Welles). The first case on the docket is the defense of a doctor (Michael Tolan) accused of murdering his girl friend. Hazard's People was (as should be obvious by now) a pilot film for an unsold John Houseman series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Most TV movies about obscene phone callers concentrate on the reactions of the victims--and the subsequent dangers they're exposed to. The Secret Night Caller takes a different tack, telling its story from the point of view of the caller. What makes the film doubly disturbing is that the dirty-mouthed phoner is played by Brady Bunch star and TV icon Robert Reed. Reed portrays an IRS agent (and seemingly contented family man) who is overtaken by his compulsion to phone strangers and whisper profanities. Even worse, Reed's access to tax-office records enables him to ring up people all over the country. The drama concentrates on Reed's mounting realization that he has to stop himself before someone else does. Though seedy and manipulative at times, The Secret Night Caller is elevated by the multifaceted performance of Robert Reed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In this s-s-suspenseful drama, a submarine carrying a load of poisonous snakes accidentally wedges itself amidst the rocks near the bottom of the sea. Now the crew must somehow avoid the unwanted slitherers and manage to extricate themselves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Hope Lange plays Karen Chandler, a 36-year-old wife and mother. After living in quiet desperation for several years, she suddenly decides to leave her family to seek a new life in the cutthroat world of big business. Part of Karen's "liberation" involves (surprise!) a new romance. Earl Holliman plays Lange's husband, while Michael Murphy is her new heartthrob. One of the kindlier efforts in the "finding oneself" genre, the made-for-TV I Love You... Goodbye originally aired February 12, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hope Lange, Earl Holliman, (more)
- 1972
The Emmy-winning writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link was the creative forced behind the landmark TV movie That Certain Summer. Hal Holbrook stars as a middle-aged divorced man, whose son Scott Jacoby cannot fathom the reason for his parents' split. During a summer visit, Jacoby meets his father's much-younger "best friend," Martin Sheen. Holbrook hedges, but finds he can no longer hold back the truth from his son: Sheen is Holbrook's male lover. Hope Lange costars as Holbrook's ex-wife, who struggles to come to grips with her former husband's sexual preferences, and who encourages him to reveal all to his son. Originally telecast on November 1, 1972, That Certain Summer was the first TV film to take a mature and non-remonstrative approach to the subject of homosexuality--and like many "firsts," the film seems a bit timid when seen today. Levinson and Link were compelled by the network to include short self-deprecating speeches describing the gay life as something of a sickness, one that Holbrook would in his heart of hearts prefer not to pursue. Still, it was as adult as a TV movie could get in those more restrictive times, and doesn't date as badly as it might. In fact, the only truly dated element of That Certain Summer is the self-consciously arty direction of Lamont Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Alex Karras stars as a naive backwoods strong-man, whose acute ability to lift weights brings him to the attention of a slick sports promoter (James Franciscus). Karras is carefully groomed to compete in the 1972 Olympics; Franciscus gives him explicit instructions to flex his muscles, tote his weights, and to steer clear of trouble. But the bucolic muscle-man upsets the apple-cart by falling in love with a beautiful Russian gymnast (Claudia Butenuth). Karras innocently enmeshes the American team in a hot-potato International incident. Telecast some three months after the actual Olympics (allowing for plenty of stock footage of the real games), 500 Pound Jerk has become a perennial local-station entry, suitable for weekend showings whenever a sports event is suddenly cancelled. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Crowhaven Farm is a contrived creepy-crawly originally telecast on The ABC Movie of the Week. Hope Lange is probably the last person you'd expect to see in the middle of a witchcraft/reincarnation plot, but there she is, in the company of Paul Burke, Lloyd Bochner and (who else?) John Carradine. Lange and Bochner have the largest roles, playing a bickering couple who inherit a farm and adopt a child (Cindy Eilbacher). Maybe they should have checked the adoption papers a little more carefully; the thing of it is, their new kid seems to be possessed with the soul of a centuries-old witch. Some effective scary setpieces in John McGreevrey's script occasionally lift Crowhaven Farm out of the ordinary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Those who worried that the Disney studio would collapse without the presence of the late Uncle Walt were put at ease when the profits starting rolling in for The Love Bug. The "star" is Herbie, a lovable little Volkswagen with a personality all its own. Abused by a bad guy race-car driver (David Tomlinson), Herbie is rescued by a good guy racer (Dean Jones). Out of gratitude, Herbie enables the luckless good guy to win one race after another. The real fun begins when the ruthless hot-rodder connives to get Herbie back through fair means or foul. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, The Love Bug inspired two equally lucrative sequels, Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Michele Lee, (more)
- 1968
In this thriller, Jonathan Fields (Bradford Dillman) awakens in a strange apartment and finds a dead woman floating in the bathtub after he suffered an LSD-flashback the night before. Finding blood upon his hand, he can only wonder how he is involved in the woman's death. He hires private detective Arthur Belding (Harry Guardino) who has him take another dose of LSD in order to see if he can remember what had happened. They learn that Fields' co-worker Lew Haley (Pat Hingle) had slipped acid into his coffee as part of a blackmail conspiracy. Haley was after his girlfriend and after his job in a government think tank. They also learn that his supervisor Dr. Arkroyd (Victor Jory) had been in a relationship with the deceased woman. She too was being blackmailed by Haley, who killed her when she threatened to call the cops. Dr. Arkroyd knew about it all and did nothing. Eventually Fields and Haley fight it out. The blackmailer ends up crashing through a high-rise window and falling to the unforgiving pavement below. Hope Lang, Susan Saint James, James Doohan and Michael J. Pollard also star in this psychedelic murder mystery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Guardino, Bradford Dillman, (more)
- 1966
The fourth season of The Fugitive begins with the series' first color episode, as Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen), wrongfully accused of murder, continues his search for the One-Armed Man who killed his wife--even as the relentless Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) steps up his efforts to recapture Kimble. On this occasion, Kimble is using the alias "David Morrow" as he arrives in Arizona, where Sheriff Prycer (Arch Johnson) is waiting to arrest him. Though Kimble eludes the trap, Prycer's deputy Steel (Mark Richman) is certain that he has wounded the fugitive and disobeys the Sheriff's orders to give up the chase. Meanwhile, Kimble has taken refuge in an Indian school, where he finds a kindred spirit in lonely teacher Annie Johnson (Hope Lange). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
In this light romantic comedy Charles Boyer plays the enigmatic Mr. Pimm, a man with a Cupid complex who grooms men to be paired with the ideal wealthy heiress, and once heavenly matrimony is attained, Mr. Pimm gets his cut. He has his eyes set on Millie (Hope Lange) for the handsome but somewhat inept Gaspard (Ricardo Montalban) and knowing that love might need a nudge or two, he places Davis (Glenn Ford) in Millie's home as a chauffeur who will help Gaspard whenever he can. Millie has her own ideas about the most irresistible man around -- and he is not Gaspard. Meanwhile, Gaspard agrees with Millie because there is someone else on his horizon as well. Telly Savalas shines in an early role as Millie's gourmet uncle. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Hope Lange, (more)
