Joel Lawrence Movies

Apparently weary of playing victim-of-the-week, Elizabeth Montgomery goes the Joan Crawford route playing a fabulously wealthy and stupendously bored matron who is about to be divorced by her wealthy husband. Hubby conveniently expires while dallying with his mistress. The upshot is that Ms. Montgomery is made executive vice president of the boat-building business that she'd helped her husband establish. Moral: Marry well, ladies, and you too can become a CEO. Basically a very slight TV movie, Jennifer: A Woman's Story is bloated way beyond its worth into a Ross Hunter-type sudser; the British TV series upon which it was based, The Foundation, was more austere, and frankly more enjoyable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fast Friends is a lumpy satire set "backstage" at a talk show (imagine what the film would have been like had it been made in 1989 rather than '79). Most of the action centers around egotistical, near-lunatic talk host Dick Shawn. His frantic antics are counterpointed with the story of career woman Susan Heldfond, a divorcee who re-enters the workplace for the sake of her child. This made-for-TV film costars former critic's darling Carrie Snodgress and then-hot actress MacKenzie Phillips. But the real attraction in Fast Friends is the prescient appearance of tenth-billed David Letterman as "Matt Morgan", a brash comedian who has the temerity to upstage the preening Dick Shawn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This anti-war drama centers on four Vietnam veterans who are driving cross country to California. By the time they hit New Mexico, they are down to $69. They started out with over $9,000 between them. To get some quick cash, they rob a gas station. The irate owner begins shooting at them and they in turn show him that they are carrying a veritable ammunitions dump in their trunk. Donning their Green Beret uniforms, they get revenge upon the town and then begin waiting for the authorities to show up so they can have a showdown with them too. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In a plot reminiscent of such "perfect crime" films as The Asphalt Jungle and The Killing, three strangers are brought together to commit a $900,000 bank robbery. Much of the preliminary footage is devoted to establishing the personalities and motives of the three crooks. Playboy Eliot Fielding (Peter Haskell) has turned criminal in hopes of wooing and winning his wealthy girlfriend; George Whelan (Richard O'Brien wants to use his cut to open a hardware store; and lifelong loser Roy Mills (Albert Salmi) desires to fulfill his pathetically childish dreams of luxury. As expected, the best-laid plans go horribly awry when the three thieves end up as reluctant kidnappers (appearing as the father of the kidnap victim is former movie Tarzan Lex Barker). This is the final episode of The F.B.I.'s sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Season Six opener of The F.B.I finds federal agents Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Colby (William Reynolds) canvassing an era ranging from Pennsylvania to Oregon in search of two elusive bank robbers. Perry Victor (Martin Sheen) is the suave schemer of the pair, while Shep Buford (Tim McIntire) is the bucolic triggerman. Their ultimate goal is to steal the payroll for an Oregon tunnel project--but neither man had figured on the duplicity of Shep's girlfriend Cindy (Joan Van Ark). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To get the evidence necessary to destroy mob kingpin Constantine Victor (Val Avery), the IMF preys upon Johnny Costa (James Patterson), Victor's most trusted henchmen. Knowing that Costa would never rat out his boss under normal circumstances, the IMF agents stage a complex scam to convince Costa that he is being framed for Victor's own financial double-dipping. Highlighting this episode is the use of a newly developed miniature "Snorkel" TV camera, long before this equipment became commonplace. First seen on January 26, 1969, "The System" was written by Robert Hamner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To test the honesty of his two nephews, old Adam Thompson (William H. Wright) tells them about a secret map leading to a valuable piece of land, then lets them know that the map is locked in his safe. He then sets up an infrared camera in front of the safe to find out if either nephew is capable of robbery. Unfortunately, the map vanishes even though the safe is never opened--and when Adam's foreman Frank Jarrett (Crahan Denton), who ends up in possession of the map, is murdered, Adam's nephew Harry (a young Bert Convy) is arrested for the crime. It looks like Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is up against a good old-fashioned "locked room" mystery this time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide