Kim Lankford Movies
In this exciting actioner, maverick ex-Philadelphia cop Mike "Street" Justus lands in Southern California, rounds up a gang of ex-cons who owe him favors and violently purges a Los Angeles suburb of the hard-core crooks who plague it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc Singer, Steve Railsback, (more)
- 1994
- NR
In this taut thriller, a Las Vegas taxi driver must run for his life after stealing a cool million's worth of Mafia money. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Andrew McCarthy, (more)
- 1991
- PG
In this comedy thriller two dopey pals try to solve a puzzling riddle. If they succeed, one of them will inherit a valuable artifact, an object desired by a number of suspicious characters willing to do just about anything to obtain it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Idle, Robert Wuhl, (more)
Director Armand Mastroianni's last horror feature before building a more solid reputation as a director of TV movies and series, Cameron's Closet tells the tale of a bright young boy with innate telekinetic powers whose gifts were exploited by his father (Tab Hunter) in a series of controlled experiments. After his father's grisly death, Cameron's powers seem to have abated -- but as any horror aficionado can predict, they have increased exponentially, opening a gateway in the title walk-in for a powerful demon to emerge. The usual band of paranormal experts (including the oddly-cast Chuck McCann) arrive to do battle with the closeted beast and are dealt with in the usual gory ways, until it becomes apparent that only Cameron himself is psychically equipped to deal with the demon one-on-one. What might have been a taut supernatural thriller with good performances is undone by its crude treatment of Carlo Rambaldi's makeup-effects: the lurking demon -- which at one point is merely pulled along on a dolly -- ends up resembling a guy in a dime-store Batman costume. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cotter Smith, Mel Harris, (more)
- 1987
McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) receives a tip from an old friend that rock star Zack Sherman (Nick Sherman), the ex-husband of singer Miss Gina B (Chaka Khan), has disappeared. When her friend vanishes as well, McCall investigates by going undercover as (what else?) a singer at a rock cub called "The Cradle." As it turns out, McCall's friend had been keeping some bad company, the upshot of which is that Zack will never return--and it appears as though McCall is also destined to disappear without a trace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Sam (Ted Danson) breaks up with his new girl Maxine (Kim Lankford) when he finds out that she's married. Shortly afterward, Maxine's husband (Carmen Argenziano) storms into Cheers, gun in hand. In an attempt to disarm the outraged hubby, Sam shoots himself in an embarrassing location -- then spins an outrageously heroic tale of how he got his wound for the benefit of Diane (Shelley Long). In other news, Cliff (John Ratzenberger) considers buying a house from Norm (George Wendt). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Joining the cast of Knots Landing as the series begins its fourth season is Kevin Dobson as Federal prosecutor Marion Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie, who is brought into the storyline when Karen Fairgate (Michele Lee), widowed owner of Knots Landing Motors, decides to aggressively pursue the criminals responsible for the murder of her husband. Mack will soon establish himself as the series' all-purpose problem solver, though this will not spare him from plenty of his own problems--several of these stemming from his subsequent marriage to Karen. Among the other characters introduced in the course of Season Four is sinister literary agent Chip Roberts (Michael Sabatino), who agrees to represent Val Ewing (Joan Van Ark) when she pens the novel "Capricorn Crude", a thinly veiled account of the questionable machinations of her husband Gary's (Ted Shackelford) oil-rich family. Another significant addition is singer Ciji Dunne (Lisa Hartman), another of Gary's extramarital flings. When Ciji turns up murdered, both Gary and Val are suspected, but as it turns out the real culprit is. . .but why spoil things for Knots Landing novices? In contrast with the new cast members, Season Four marks the final appearances of longtime regulars John Pleshette as shady attorney Richard Avery--who is booted from his home by wife Laura (Constance McCashlin) after he becomes the latest in a long line of lovers for Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills)--and James Houghton and Kim Lankford as the volatile Kenny and Ginger Ward. Plus, this season marks the last of the Knots Landing-Dallas crossovers, with Gary's brother J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) showing up for a brace of appearances, and Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) appearing in the episode "New Beginnings", which represents the only time that Dallas and Knots Landing ever shared the same storyline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1981
Season Three of Knots Landing picks up where the previous season left off, as Sid Fairgate (Don Murray), owner of Knots Landing Motors and the boss of series protagonist Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford), hovers between life and death after his car "accidentally" plummets over a cliff, the end result of Sid's cooperation with the FBI in bringing the crooked owners of the Orchid Cab Company to justice. Ultimately Sid dies, leaving his wife Karen (Michelle Lee) in charge of the family business. Karen's partners in this endeavor are the aforementioned Gary Ewing, and Sid's conniving, predatory sister Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills). In other developments this season, Julie Harris joins the cast as Lilimae Clements, the mercurial, slightly larcenous mother of Gary's long-suffering spouse Val (Joan Van Ark); Val herself pens a "roman a clef" about the oil-rich Ewing family titled "Capricorn Crude"; and Karen Fairgate's brother Joe Cooper (Steven Macht) makes the first of several memorable appearances. The season ends as Abby finally succeeds in her strenuous efforts to get Gary into bed with her--and with Val walking out on Gary when she realizes anew that he can't be trusted as far as he can be thrown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1981
With Dandy Don Meredith in the cast, the made-for-TV movie Terror Among Us bears a resemblance to the 1970s series Police Story. Meredith plays a police sergeant who is desperately trying to track down serial rapist Ted Shackleford. Newly paroled, Shackleford may very well carry out the threats he's made on the five women who testified against him. Meredith enlists the aid of parole officer Jennifer Salt to stop the wave of terror before it begins. Terror Among Us first aired January 12, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Season One of the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing begins as Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford), ex-alcoholic "black sheep" of the oil-rich Ewing clan, moves from Texas to Southern California with his long-suffering wife Val (Joan Van Ark). The couple make their new home in the cul-de-sac community of Knots Landing, living in the house bought for Gary by his mother Miss Ellie. The Ewings' new neighbors include Sid Fairgate (Don Murray), Gary's boss at Knots Landing Motors,and Sid's wife Karen (Michele Lee) and children Diana (Claudia Lonow), Michael (Pat Petersen) and Eric (Steve Shaw); record executive Kenny Ward (James Houghton) and his wife Ginger (Kim Lankford); and attorney Richard Avery (John Pleshette) and his real-estate agent spouse Laura (Constance McCashlin). Justin Dana is seen in the first episode as the Averys' son Justin, but will be immediately replaced by Danny Gellis) In the course of events (and WHAT events!) during the first season, Karen will become pregnant and miscarry; Julie Harris will make her first appearance as Val's troublesome mother Lilimae Clements, though she won't become a regular until Season Three; Sid Fairgate will endure run-ins with his ex-wife and his daughter from the previous marriage; and in the two-part season finale, Gary overcelebrates upon being appointed VP of Knots Landings Motors, falls off the wagon, and ends up drunk as a skunk in a cheap flophouse before being rescued by the ever-faithful Val. This season also marks a handful of crossover appearances from the Dallas cast, notably Larry Hagman as Gary's conniving brother J.R. Ewing and Charlene Tilton as Gary's bed-hopping daughter Lucy (who, curiously, is seen but once on Knot's Landing). Despite the popularity of its parent series, Knots Landing languished in the ratings during its first season. Clearly, what was needed was a compelling reason for viewers to tune in week after week. What was needed was the sort of "villain you love to hate" personified by Dallas' J.R. What was needed was Donna Mills as Abby Cunningham. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
Playing to disappointing ratings during its first season on the air, the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing made a spectacular leap forward during Season Two with the introduction to the cast of Donna Mills as Abby Cunningham, the manipulative and predatory sister of Sid Fairgate (Don Murray), Gary Ewing's (Ted Shackelford) boss at Knots Landing Motors. Abby also brings along her children Olivia (Tonya Crowe) and Brian (Bobby Jacoby), who in their own way will be just as important to the overall scheme of things as their redoubtable mom. In addition to bringing Abby into the fold, Season Two wastes no time plunging the characters into a morass of intrigue as Sid Fairgate is accused of raping a nubile hitchhiker. Around the same time, several more recurring characters are introduced, among them Scooter Warren (Allan Miller), the new boss of real estate agent Laura Avery (Constance McCashlin); sexy female auto mechanic Linda Striker (Denise Galik); and Roy Lance (Steven Hirsch) the shady owner of the Orchid Cab company. Among the major plot developments this season: Abby has an affair with Laura's lawyer husband Richard (John Pleshette) the Wards break up when Ginger (Kim Lankford) finds out that her record-exec husband Kenny (James Houghton) has slept with Kristen Shepard (Mary Lee Crosby), aka "The Girl Who Shot J.R." on Knots Landing's parent series Dallas (and as for J.R. [Larry Hagman], himself he shows up long enough to have his own tryst with Abby); and weak-willed former alcoholic Gary Ewing once again betrays his long-suffering spouse Val (Joan Van Ark) by fooling around with Judy Trent (Jane Elliot), the wife of Earl Trent (Paul Rudd)--whom Gary has sponsored for membership in AA! The final two episodes of the season were originally telecast back to back on the same night: In "Designs", J.R. Ewing makes yet another appearance to bedevil brother Gary; and in the (literal) cliffhanger "Squeezeplay", Sid agrees to help the FBI in their sting operation against the crooked Orchid Cab Company--and as a consequence, he is involved in an "accident" as his car goes out of control and plummets over a cliff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
Karate champ Chuck Norris returns for another chop-socky vigilante flick in The Octagon, one of a handful of undistinguished Ninja pictures released during the early '80s. Norris appropriately plays a retired karate champ hired as a bodyguard for a wealthy woman (Karen Carlson) plagued by a gang of vicious ninjas. Reluctant at first to take the job, he reconsiders when he learns the gang is headed by his longtime arch rival Tadashi Yamashita (Lee Van Cleef). The script -- as is the case in nearly every Ninja film -- has holes bigger than Okinawa, and the acting is downright atrocious, particularly that of Norris, who, thankfully, improved with time. However, the production values are fair, as is the direction, and the action sequences are often exciting and comparatively realistic. Recommended for genre fans only. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, Karen Carlson, (more)
Day or night, it's a hot and wild summer at Malibu Beach. When the sun is high, it's Dina's (Kim Lankford) job to patrol the area. Being the hot new lifeguard on duty isn't as easy as you'd think -- there's the older, muscle-bound beach idiot Dugan (Steven J. Oliver) continually lusting after her, while jerk kids fake drowning just to get her to save them. And who can forget that pesky bikini-stealing dog?!? Thankfully, when the moon comes up, it's time to party 1978-style. With her best friend Margie (Sherry Marks) in tow, the girls prowl the local disco pub and then end up back at the beach for some booze and boys. Meanwhile, best buds Bobby (James Daughton) and Paul (Michael Luther) trace their every step, looking for the perfect make-out. Filled with amazing '70s hair, rockin' Jeeps, and a non-stop soundtrack, Malibu Beach is the vacation spot you wish you could still jump in your van and head out to. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Lankford, James Daughton, (more)
- 1976
- PG
- Add Harry and Walter Go to New York to QueueAdd Harry and Walter Go to New York to top of Queue
Harry and Walter Go to New York was born of the theory that, the more stars and money that you throw into a film, the better the film will be. The theory has seldom been proven true, and it certainly wasn't in this case. Harry (James Caan) and Walter (Elliot Gould) are a third-rate vaudeville team, playing tank towns in turn-of-the-century USA. Thrown into the hoosegow on a petty-theft charge, our heroes make the acquaintance of big-time crook Adam Worth (Michael Caine). Once they're sprung, Harry and Walter follow Worth to New York, with the intention of pulling off a huge bank robbery. Lissa Chestnut (Diane Keaton), a bird-brained suffragette, is also mixed up in the proceedings though she never seems certain of who or what her character is from one scene to the next. The film's one tangible asset is its meticulous re-creation of 1890s New York, courtesy of art director Harry Horner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Elliott Gould, (more)
