Peter Lawford

Where Is Parsifal? -- he (Tony Curtis) is in a castle surrounded by nutcakes, himself a hypochondriac who has invented a laser skywriter and wants to sell the patent for his invention to millionaire Henry Board II (Erik Estrada) or to wealthy gypsy Klingsor (Orson Welles). The castle crew are in a frenzy because Mackintosh (Donald Pleasence) is trying to confiscate their belongings to get them out of debt, but Henry II is coming over for dinner, and they need their belongings to impress him, not to mention feed him. Frenetic as though running on amphetamines, this film has tried to replace funny with fast, but it just does not work. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Again hoping to leave a legacy so that he will be remembered after his death, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) hits upon the brilliant idea of writing his memoirs. He soon abandons this silly notion in favor of a sillier one -- the creation of the "George Jefferson Museum." Listen for the voice of Peter Lawford in this episode's uproarious conclusion (uproarious to everyone but George, that is). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV adventure, six men end up marooned on a remote South Sea island and find themselves having to deal with a tribe of murderously man-hating bikini-clad babes. The film is also titled Island-Sister Theresa. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The long-running Aaron Spelling TV series Fantasy Island was launched with a two-hour pilot film, which originally aired January 14, 1977. Ricardo Montalban stars as the enigmatic, sartorially splendiferous Mr. Roarke, who welcomes those willing to pony up the $50,000 to spend a weekend on "Fantasy Island." Roarke's assistant, the diminutive Tattoo ("De plane, boss! De plane!") is played by Herve Villechaize. The special guest stars indulging in their fantasies this time around include Bill Bixby, Sandra Dee, Carol Lynley, Peter Lawford, Hugh O'Brian, Eleanor Parker, Victoria Principal, Dick Sargent and Tina Sinatra. Parker plays a wealthy woman who wants to attend her own funeral, just to see what her relatives really think of her. Businessman Bixby is sent back in time to a bittersweet wartime romance. And bored hunter O'Brian wants to see what it's like to be "the hunted." Mr. Roarke indulges all these fantasies with his usual finesse, just as he would in the series proper, which ran from January 28, 1978 through August 18, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, an enigmatic phantom lives in the dank tunnels running beneath the ramshackle back lot of a former movie lot. When prospective buyers endeavor to purchase the property, the furious phantom goes on the rampage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A small-town California sheriff attempts to uncover facts behind the killing of a pregnant woman by her Doberman pinscher. James Garner stars in this mystery with performances by June Allyson and Ann Rutherford among others. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

The first of two efforts by Universal to launch an Ellery Queen TV series in the 1970s, Don't Look Behind You stars Peter Lawford as intellectual private eye Ellery Queen. Based on the novel Cat of Many Tales, the film finds Queen investigating a series of murders. The male victims were strangled with blue cords, the females with pink ones. In addition, the killer is working his (or her) way down the age scale, knocking off older people first. E.G. Marshall and Stefanie Powers are among the special guest suspects, while Harry Morgan is on hand as Ellery's police-inspector father. The best scene, involving a flooded apartment house, has very little to do with the mystery at hand. Originally telecast November 11, 1971 (after several months on the shelf), Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You failed to yield a weekly series; a 1975 "Ellery Queen" pilot film starring Jim Hutton was, however, more successful. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jim Hutton and Anjanette Comer have the misfortune to be honeymooning while a forest fire ranges all around them. But that's only the beginning, folks. The lovebirds are also being stalked by crazed hunters Tony Franciosa and Peter Lawford. Deadly Hunt is based on Autumn of a Hunter, a novel by Pat Stadley, but it also owes quite a lot to Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game. Made for television, the film debuted October 1, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rat-pack pals Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford reprise their roles of Charlie Salt and Chris Pepper, respectively, in this film that marks the directorial debut of comedian/writer Jerry Lewis. Lawford also plays Lord Sydney Pepper, the twin brother of Charlie who is a murder victim. Salt and Pepper investigate the crime in this uneven comedy feature. Pepper takes the place of his dead brother and winds up involved in a diamond-smuggling operation. The duo is chased through the bucolic English countryside by Interpol agents and crooks after the stolen gems. Like many sequels, it fails to be as amusing as the original, which wasn't that great in the first place. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This comedy begins when Peter Ingersoll (Jerry Lewis) hears from Dr. Carter (Peter Lawford) that he has only a few months to live. Peter's wife Nancy (Anne Francis) suggests her husband spend his remaining days fishing, so Peter embarks on a world-wide expedition, fishing in the most exotic locales at every corner of the globe. After running up over $100,000 on his credit card, Peter is surprised to see Dr. Carter, who has followed him to Lisbon. The good doctor informs Peter that a mistake has been made; he is not going to die. However, the shock of his credit card debt almost does kill him. He and the good doctor agree he should feign his demise in order to collect on the life insurance. Peter goes along with the plan until he discovers his wife and doctor are in cahoots and plan to use the money for themselves. Lewis provides his legendary physical comedy that has made him an international star, most notably in France. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Virtually the first third of The April Fools takes place at a trendy party held by sharkish executive Ted Gunther (Peter Lawford). It is here that Howard Brubaker (Jack Lemmon), one of Gunther's employees, makes the acquaintance of the boss' lovely young trophy wife Catherine (Catherine Deneuve). It happens that Brubaker is unhappily wed to Phyllis (Sally Kellerman, who gives an excellent performance in an essentially one-note role) and that Catherine is equally unhappy in her relationship with Gunther. The two lost souls run off together, planning to fly to Paris. There's approximately 25 minutes' worth of plot in The April Fools; much of the leftover time is eaten up by a protracted drunken-driving sequence involving suburban hubbies Lemmon, Jack Weston, Harvey Korman and Kenneth Mars, and by a lengthy episode featuring Charles Boyer and Myrna Loy as a robust, free-thinking elderly married couple. Some good dialogue, notably Lemmon's shaggy-dog story about goldfish and Chinese food, cannot hide the slightness of the piece. Still, a great many filmgoers were charmed by The April Fools. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Producer and director Otto Preminger reportedly experimented with LSD in the late 60's, which inspired him to make this notorious comedy in which Jackie Gleason plays Tony, a mid-level gangster and former hired killer not very happy with his life. He bickers a lot with his wife Flo (Carol Channing) and isn't sure what to make of his daughter Darlene (Alexandra Hay), especially since she started dating a hippie named Stash (John Phillip Law). Two of Tony's superiors, Angie (Frankie Avalon) and Hechy (Cesar Romero), order him to get arrested, go to prison and once behind bars whack "Blue Chips" Packard (Mickey Rooney). Though he's not pleased with the idea, Tony grudgingly goes along, but once inside, he's accidentally dosed with LSD by counterculture activist the Professor (Austin Pendleton). His consciousness expanded by his trip, Tony leaves his violent lifestyle behind him and with the Professor's help plans an escape after turning the entire prison population on to acid. Certainly your only opportunity to see Groucho Marx play a character named "God," not to mention a supporting cast that includes Slim Pickens, Peter Lawford, George Raft, Frank Gorshin and Arnold Stang, Skidoo is also remembered as the film in which Harry Nilsson sang all the credits. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide