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Linda Lavin
- 2004
(Linda Lavin) guest stars as Sophie Cohen, mother of Newport lawyer Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) and grandmother -- or "nana" -- of Seth Cohen (Adam Brody). Arriving at her son's house with some sad news for Passover, Mrs. Cohen has a galvanizing effect on Seth's girlfriend, Summer (Rachel Bilson), who is worried that "Nana" will hate her on sight. Elsewhere, Jimmy (Tate Donovan) draws closer to Hailey (Amanda Righetti), and Marissa (Mischa Barton) goes into hiding after finding out the truth about Julie (Melinda Clarke) and Luke (Chris Carmack). ~ All Movie Guide
- 2002
Six years in the lives of two intensely creative people are chronicled in this TV-movie adaptation of Donald Margulies' award-winning play Collected Stories. Repeating their roles from the original 1999 theatrical production, Linda Lavin and Samantha Mathis are cast respectively as esteemed author Prof. Ruth Steiner and Ruth's most devoted disciple Lisa Morrison. Hoping to become a writer herself, Lisa latches on to Ruth for consul, advice, and moral support. The trouble begins when Lisa actually gets into print -- and her reputation begins to surpass that of her mentor Ruth. The TV version of Collected Stories first aired January 16, 2002, as part of the PBS Hollywood Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
After the death of her father Doug (Drew Snyder), standup comedienne Natalie (Arabella Field) is obliged to clean up the mess left behind in Doug's cluttered garage. Under the watchful eye of angel Andrew (John Dye), Natalie unearths a long-suppressed secret: Her mother Amanda (Linda Lavin), whom she presumed to be dead, is actually living in a mental institution. Reluctant to make an emotional commitment to a woman who is a total stranger to her, Natalie is galvanized by a horrifying--and ultimately "cleansing"--childhood memory. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This TV sitcom probes the personal problems of New York City ad copywriter Conrad Bloom (Mark Feuerstein), a single guy surrounded by women, including his ex-girlfriend Molly (Lauren Graham), sister Nina (Ever Carradine), co-worker Shelley (Jessica Stone), demanding boss Faye (Paula Newsome), and Conrad's irritating widowed mother Florie (Linda Lavin). In the pilot episode, Conrad struggled to get attractive Allison (Christina Moore) into bed. Premiered September 21, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Feuerstein, Lauren Graham, (more)
- 1998
Carolinian Sarah Cooper (Linda Lavin) and Texan Harriet Cahill (Gena Rowlands) are lifelong friends who are both widowed at virtually the same time. Although Sarah is financially well off, Harriet is struggling to make ends meet. In her efforts to help Harriet, Sarah is shocked to find out that her old friend has always been jealous and resentful of Sarah's comparative success in life--and that is not the only startling occurrence in the challenge- and crisis-ridden months that follow. Deflty managing to including such TV-movie standbys as adultery, old-age romance and terminal illness, Best Friends for Life made its CBS network bow on January 18, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This made for cable movie premiered over the Lifetime network on August 21, 1996, barely one year after the court case which inspired it. Though they have adopted a son, infertile couple John and Debbie Challender (Randle Mell, Marilu Henner) still feel unfulfilled. Desperate to have a child of her own, Debbie submits to experimental fertility treatments conducted by the brilliant and arrogant Dr. Ash (Castullo Guerra), the self-proclaimed miracle man of Irving University. The treatment, involving "hyperstimulated" ovaries, nearly kills Debbie, but it all seems worth it when she gives birth to a healthy son. But this is not the end of the story by a long shot: As Debbie discovers to her outrage that her own eggs have been implanted in other women without her permission, Marilyn Killane (Linda Lavin), office manager for Dr. Ash, unearths evidence that the doctor's staff has been regularly mishandling embryos--and that several of his nurses aren't even certified. Ultimately, Dr. Ash ends up in court, facing charges that, in so many words, he has been illegally "Playing God" with unwary women for the sole purpose of elevating his own reputation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this drama, a German woman treasures a ring, the one tie she has left to her life before WWII. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nastassja Kinski, Linda Lavin, (more)
- 1995
This made-for-television biography paints a moving portrait of the extraordinary life of Annette Funicello, a former Mouseketeer who grew up to be America's sweetheart and Queen of the Beach Blanket movies of the 1960s. The story not only covers her professional rise to stardom both as an actress and a recording star, but also provides a look into her private life, notably her romance with Paul Anka, her two marriages, and her life after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1980s. Eva LaRue Callahan plays Funnicello. The subject herself also makes a cameo appearance along with former co-star Frankie Avalon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eva La Rue, Annette Funicello, (more)
- 1995
When her little nephew visits her and her overbearing sisters, a rather naïve, simple-minded young woman finds herself inundated with terrifying memories of a childhood trauma. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
When Ruth Law is unable to find anyone in America to teach her how to fly, she goes to France for training in Ruth Law Thrills a Nation, written and illustrated by Don Brown and read by Linda Lavin. She becomes the first African-American woman to be licensed for flight, and learns stunt flying as well. In Reading Rainbow: Ruth Law Thrills a Nation, social issues are sensitively introduced to young children and the importance of reading continues to be promoted. In the kid-reviewed book segment, Amelia's Fantastic Flight and Plane Song are featured. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- LeVar Burton
American humorist Jules Feiffer and French director Alain Resnais are oddly paired for this satirical comedy about an American cartoonist in Paris. Adolph Green is a stunner as Joey Wellman, a cantankerous American cartoonist traveling abroad for the first time. In tow is Lena Apthrop (Linda Lavin), and the two are ostensibly journeying to Paris to attend a comic-strip exhibition in which Wellman's work is included. But it turns out the exhibition is just an excuse for Wellman to track down his errant daughter Elsie (Laura Benson), who has left Cleveland to take up literature at the Sorbonne. Her professor, Christian Gauthier (Gerard Depardieu) happens to be a big fan of Wellman, and he corrals the cartoonist and Lena to go to the fashionable country estate of his mother Isabelle (Micheline Presle), who tries to put up with her son's American friends. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adolph Green, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
This film is a somewhat contrived pairing of two divorcees who are giving it a second go. They're up against considerable odds, however, because the children of each are not too pleased with their new "parent." Jeff Bridges stars as the husband and Alice Krige plays his second wife. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Alice Krige, (more)
Carlina Cruz stars as Maricela in this 60-minute TV drama. A 13-year-old illegal Salvadorian immigrant, Maricela moves in with her mother, a live-in maid. While avoiding the authorities, Maricela takes time to ponder the extreme cultural differences between her family and the middle-class brood for whom her mother works. Irene De Bari costars as Maricela's mom, while Linda Lavin plays Irene's social-climbing employer. Maricela was first shown as part of PBS' Wonderworks series on January 13, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Made for television, A Place to Call Home is based on fact, incredible as it seems from first scene to last. Linda Lavin stars as a Houston mother of eleven children, whose husband decides to move one and all to an Australian sheep ranch in 1970. Lavin drags her kids the requisite 17,000 miles to the Aussie outback--but when she arrives, her husband is nowhere to be found. In fact, except for a couple of fleeting appearances, we never see Lavin's spouse again; she is obliged to forge a life for herself and her huge brood in this forbidding new environment. The woman upon whose life A Place to Call Home is based eventually had herself ensconced in a cloistered convent--and we're hard pressed to blame her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Lane Smith, (more)
- 1987
Christmas Visitor is an American/Australian coproduction geared for exposure on the Disney Channel pay-cable service. The scene is the Australian outback in the 1890s, where a drought threatens to wipe out a farming community. Holding out for a miracle, the farmers face a bleak Yuletide, until an ethereal stranger pays a visit. Christmas Visitor was directed by the "other" George Miller -- that is, the George Miller responsible for Man From Snowy River rather than Mad Max. In Australia, the film was telecast under the title Bushfire Moon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dee Wallace, John Waters, (more)
- 1987
The made-for-TV Lena: My 100 Children was based on the life of Lena Kuchler-Silberman, here portrayed by Linda Lavin. During World War II, Lena, a Polish Jew, posed as a Catholic to escape the Nazi death camp. At war's end, the guilt-ridden Lena vows to atone for the millions who were exterminated in the "Final Solution." She dedicates herself to the physical and emotional healing of 100 Jewish refugee children, fighting communist red tape to feed and clothe her charges, and then leading them all into a brighter future in Palestine. Written for television by Yabo Yablonsky and location-filmed in Hungary, Lena: My 100 Children premiered on November 23, 1987, not long after the death of the real Lena Kuchler-Silberman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Linda Lavin once again pulls double duty in the dual role of waitress Alice Hyatt and contentious oldster Debbie Walden, the former landlady of Vera and Elliot Novak (Beth Howland, Charles Levin. Now residing in a home of their own, the Novaks hope to raise a bit of extra money by renting out a room. You guessed it: the couple's new tenant is none other than their old nemesis Debbie, who if anything is even more obnoxious than ever. Featured in the cast is future Head of the Class regular Dan Frischman ("Arvid Engen") and former Green Acres recurring player Mary Grace Canfield ("Ralph Monroe"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
It has taken nine seasons, but waitress Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin, widowed protagonist of the popular sitcom Alice, has finally landed a permanent boyfriend, one Nicholas Stone (Michael Durrell). And just in cast Alice had any doubts about her newest beau, Nicholas proves his mettle when he helps her cope with her 20-year-old son Tommy's (Philip McKeon) drinking problem. Meanwhile, fellow waitress Vera (Beth Howland) adjusts to her new life as the spouse of policeman Eliot Novak (Charles Levin). Among those making guest appearances in the series' ninth and final season are Golden Girls' Rue McClanahan, cast against type as syrupy day-school owner Mother Goose; Gregory Walcott, B-picture perennial and survivor of the infamous Plan 9 From Outer Space as Big Jake Hunnicutt, father of Alice's waitress pal Jolene; Fred Berry the former "Rerun" of What's Happening, as a chubby break-dancer named Bobo; and future political satirist Bill Maher as a cop. Plus, Mel's Diner continues to attract new regular customers, adding Danny (Jonathan Price) and Doug (Doug Robinson to this season's roster. In the final episode, Mel sells the diner, Alice is on the verge of becoming a fulltime professional singer in the entourage of country star Travis Marsh (Kip Niven), Jolene sets up her own beauty salon, and Vera is about to become a mother. What is there left for the cast to do but reminisce about the past nine years, with the help of an abundance of choice clips from past episodes? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback, (more)
- 1984
Jolene (Celia Weston) is thrilled when TV game show host Harry Parker (John McCook) proposes marriage. But she begins to wonder if such a union is possible after she manages to super-glue herself to boss Mel (Vic Tayback). Jean Smart of Designing Women and 24 fame makes an early TV appearance in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Linda Lavin once again essays the dual role of waitress Alice Hyatt and vituperative middle-ager Debbie Walden, owner of the apartment house where dwells Vera (Beth Howland) and her husband Elliot. Though she'll never win a "Miss Nice" award, Debbie does have her good points: for one thing, she's an excellent cook. In fact, she's more talented in the kitchen than Alice's boss Mel (Vic Tayback)--and because of this, she may be the one who'll win the heart of the curmudgeonly restauranteur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Vera (Beth Howland) has taken up playing the cello, even though her talent somewhat exceeds her enthusiasm. That said, the gang at Mel's diner (except for Alice [Linda Lavin], who barely appears in this episode) is in for a surprise when Vera is invited to join a local string quartet. The music heard during the closing credits was reportedly played by series regular Beth Howland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Vera (Beth Howland) must relinquish her new policeman husband Elliot (Charles Levin) for a few hours during the Holidays when he goes undercover as a department store Santa. Unfortunately, the disguised Elliot spots Vera locking lips with her ex-fiance Steve (Kip Niven), and it looks like it'll be a Blue Christmas. Featured among the many child actors in this episode is future Full House costar Candace Cameron and soon-to-be Hogan Family regular Danny Ponce. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
The cat burglar prowling her neighborhood has Jolene (Vera Howland) on edge. Her nervousness is amplified when Jolene stumbles onto a secret held by her affable new neighbor Roger (Doug Sheehan). Although this episode was first telecast on September 18, 1983, just before the inauguration of the 1983-1984 TV season, it is technically the final episode of Alice's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Initially titled The Far Shore, the made-for-TV Another Woman's Child was co-produced by Linda Lavin, who also starred. Lavin and Tony LoBianco play a long-married couple who are confronted with a flash from the past. Young Jenny O'Hara shows up at the couple's doorstep, announcing that she is LoBianco's illegitimate daughter. Once over the initial shock, the couple makes arrangements to adopt O'Hara, but complications ensue when the girl's natural mother takes a hand in things. Another Woman's Child was first telecast January 19, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
