Michael Le Clair Movies

The deaths of two teenagers alert Quincy (Jack Klugman) to the perils of deceptively harmless "lookalike drugs", which can be legally sold over any pharmacy counter. The crusading coroner is determined to ban these drugs and to punish those merchants who sell them to underaged customers. Unfortunately, neither the law nor human nature can be changed so easily--and it looks as though future tragedies are a foregone conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tommy Lee Jones won an Emmy for his searing performance as wanton killer Gary Gilmore in The Executioner's Song. The film covers the last nine months of Gilmore's life, beginning with his release from prison in 1976. Linking up with teen-age divorcee Nicole Baker (Rosanna Arquette), Gilmore makes a half-hearted effort to go straight, but ends up embarking on a robbery spree that culminates in two cold-blooded murders. Arrested and sentenced to be executed, Gilmore insists upon being put to death (Utah law required a firing squad for this); he spends his final days as a poster boy for anti-death penalty activists and as a "client" for an entrepreneur (Steven Keats) who wants to make a film of Gilmore's life. Adapted by Norman Mailer from his own book, The Executioner's Song originally aired in two parts on November 28 and 29, 1982. It has since been boiled down to a 97-minute theatrical film for European consumption, with additional scenes of violence and nudity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mickey Rooney stars in this made-for-TV docudrama as circus clown Jack Thum, who aids his wife (Anne Jackson) in raising dozens of orphans; despite learning he is dying, Jack still struggles to earn money to support his growing brood. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Anatomy of a Seduction was originally telecast May 8, 1979. Susan Flannery plays a divorcee who assuages her loneliness by starting an affair with 20-year-old Jameson Parker. It so happens that Parker is the son of Flannery's best friend Rita Moreno, who doesn't take it well when she finds out what's going on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by Frank D. Gilroy, this Western casts Charles Bronson as Graham Dorsey, a two-bit Western outlaw who has a three-hour affair with lonely Amanda Starbuck (Jill Ireland). When Dorsey is reported killed, Starbuck capitalizes on her liaison by building up the "legend" of the supposed deceased outlaw. Soon Dorsey has become an icon, glorified in song, fable, and dime novels. Imagine Starbuck's discomfort when he turns up very much alive, and extremely upset at being turned into Amanda's own private cottage industry. At the end, Dorsey isn't even left with his own identity. This picture is somewhat unconventional for a Western, downplaying violence in favor of characterization and dark humor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by David Lloyd, this episode finds Bob, Jerry, and Howard volunteering to lead a brace of orphans on a rugged camping trip. Their long journey ends with but a single step, as the heroes set up camp in a Chicago parking lot. Also appearing are Sorrell Booke as Perlmutter, Michael Le Clair as Phil Dorigo, Tierre Turner as Wally Carson, and Fil Formicola as the Man at the Elevator. The first Bob Newhart Show to air in the series' earlier 8:30 p.m. Saturday time slot, "Send This Boy to Camp" was originally broadcast on November 6, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When it seems as if nobody understands his grief over the death of the schoolroom guinea pig that had been left in his care, Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) runs away from home. Although he may be forced to miss a long-awaited public appearance by a prominent author, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) agrees to conduct a search for his missing brother. Ultimately, John-Boy catches up with Jim-Bob--and, much to his surprise, with the author! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide