Britt Leach Movies
Character actor, onscreen from the '70s. ~ All Movie Guide- 1991
The focus in this episode is on Mort Metzger (Ron Masak), sheriff of Cabot Cove, Maine, and a close personal friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). When Metzger jails a young man named Bradley (David Lansbury) on a drunk driving charge, he refuses to drop the matter despite the power and influence wielded by Bradley's ambassador father Chandler Hellman (Jack Colvin). Subsequently, Bradley turns up dead, whereupon the vengeful Hellman pulls just the right strings to bring Metzger up on a murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the John Hughes-scripted The Great Outdoors, John Candy stars as Chet Ripley, an oafish paterfamilias who takes his family on a vacation at a lakeside resort. Their enjoyment is seriously compromised when brother-in-law Roman Craig (Dan Aykroyd) shows up with his wife and kiddies. The rest of the film is an ongoing war between Ripley's carefree aggregation and Craig's obnoxiously prissy brood, and making things worse, a driving rainstorm forces both families to remain under one roof well-past their threshold of patience. Annette Bening makes her film debut as Aykroyd's ill-tempered wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, (more)
Management consultant Diane Keaton has no time in her life for anything except her high-profile job. All this changes when she inherits a 14-month-old infant from a pair of recently deceased-and very distant-relatives. Intending to put the child up for adoption, she discovers that she has grown fond of the kid and has begun to thrive on the responsibilities of motherhood. All of this, of course, jeopardizes Keaton's love life and professional standing, but all turns out well when the baby inadvertently leads to a whole new moneymaking agenda for our heroine. Capraesque in concept, Baby Boom avoids phony sentiment and obvious humor, emerging as one of the singular comic delights of the late 1980s. On great bit has Keaton "celebrating" a major business coup by surreptiously performing an under-the-table jig (a bit of business that dates back to the 1924 Reginald Denny comedy Skinner's Dress Suit). Baby Boom was spun off into a TV sitcom in 1989, with Kate Jackson filling Diane Keaton's designer shoes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Harold Ramis, (more)
- 1985
The Dukes don't believe in UFOs, but they change their minds in a hurry when they find what seems to be a space alien (played by dwarf actor Felix Silla, formerly The Addams Family's Cousin Itt) hiding in the General Lee. Though the Duke boys make a game effort to pass off the unearthly visitor as their "li'l cousin", Boss Hogg is bent upon capturing the alien and selling him to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, Sheriff Roscoe (James Best) and a pair of out-of-town crooks named Mickey (Dennis Burkley) and Buck (Britt Leach) hatch separate schemes to use "Li'l Cousin" as a cover for their latest scams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John Hughes's third directorial effort, Weird Science, follows in the tradition of his previous teen-centered films, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith play the wannabe hipster Gary and his nebbish weak-willed best friend, Wyatt, a pair of high-school geeks who are hapless with members of the opposite sex. Using Wyatt's computer, they create what they believe is the ideal woman. A lightning storm brings that woman to life, and she takes the form of Kelly Le Brock. Lisa sets about building their self-confidence, but trouble begins brewing when Wyatt's cruel, military-minded older brother, Chet (Bill Paxton), begins to realize that something is not as it should be. Hughes would finish his cycle of high-school themed films with his next movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, (more)
Trailer-park teenager Lance Guest regularly escapes from his humdrum existence by playing the video game Starfighter. His expertise at this recreational endeavor attracts the attention of affable stranger Robert Preston. Before he knows what's happening, Guest is whisked by Preston into the outer reaches of the galaxy! It turns out that the Starfighter game is being played in deadly earnest in outer space, and that Guest is expected to join Preston's Star League, then do battle with the wicked Kodan forces. Guest's principal ally is the lizardlike Grig (Dan O'Herlihy--and we didn't recognize him either). His great rival is the traitorous Xur (Norman Snow). The contrast between Guest's earthbound life as the son of single-mother Barbara Bosson and his new position as Starfighter is daunting at first, but soon the boy is manning a spacecraft and zapping the baddies as though he's been doing it all his life. The Last Starfighter was clearly designed with "sequel" in mind: giveaways include the resurrection of a "dead" character and the surprisingly casual escape of the villain. While the film didn't stir up enough business to warrant a sequel, the Starfighter video game remained a much-sought-after commodity by joystick-happy "warriors" all over the country. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lance Guest, Robert Preston, (more)
Offended parents and others protested this slasher film when it was released in 1984 because it portrays Billy (Robert Brian Wilson) as a toy-store Santa Claus who goes on a rampage and axes people to death while still in his Santa garb. Four sequels prove the adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity. When Billy was just a boy he saw someone dressed as Santa murder his parents at Christmastime. Billy's stint in an orphanage did nothing to unwarp his mind (he is tied to his bed for "misbehavior"), and when he starts playing Santa in the store -- much against his wishes since he is deathly afraid of both Christmas and Santa Claus, he first only frightens the children who come to see him. Then his mind snaps, and he repeats the scene he saw as a child, on one person after another, in full gory color. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, (more)
- 1982
The civilian and military press make a media circus out of the 4077th when famous prizefighter Gentleman Joe Cavanaugh (Pat McNamara) suffers a stroke while touring the camp. After saving Cavanaugh's life, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) is lauded as a hero--an appellation he quickly comes to resent. And speaking of heroes, the usually unflappable Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) is distraught over the plight of his longtime idol Gentleman Joe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
- R
Billy (Jimmy McNichol, Kristy's younger brother) knows something is wrong when he comes home and finds that his batty, sexually repressed Aunt Cheryl (Susan Tyrrell in a stellar performance), has ruthlessly murdered the TV repairman -- not because he was inept or overcharged, but because she was overcharged and he managed to resist her advances. A gay-bashing detective (Bo Svenson) ignores the bare facts and single-mindedly plans to pin the murder on Billy for hanging out with a sexually suspect basketball coach. Meanwhile, Aunt Cheryl is doing everything to keep her little Billy at home (she has raised him since his parents were killed in a blazing car accident when he was 14 and does not want him to leave for college), even going to the trouble of lacing his milk with sickening substances so he is not well enough to go out. She also undermines his big game when the basketball scouts will be recruiting for college teams and manages to cause the gory disappearance of most of the cast members before the final scene plays out and an interesting identity is revealed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell, (more)
- 1981
- PG
Jerry Lewis' first film in a decade stars the comedian as Bo Hooper, an unemployed circus clown who cannot hold down a job. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Susan Oliver, (more)
- 1980
Taking over for Gary Cooper, Lee Majors stars as Marshal Will Kane in this made-for-TV movie set a year after the original High Noon ends. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Already having great difficulty meeting his business deadlines, John Walton (Ralph Waite) is further stymied by a total breakdown of equipment at the lumberyard. Accordingly, John himself "breaks down"and announces his retirement, celebrating his new-found freedom in the company of his friend Ike (Joe Conley) at a local bar. When both men come staggering home three sheets to the wind, chaos ensues (as chaos often does). Elsewhere, cousin Jeffrey (Keith Mitchell) is a cinch to win an upcoming soapbox derby--mainly because he's the only contestant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sentenced to hang in a backwater western town, horse thief Henry Moon (Jack Nicholson) is saved when frontierswoman Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen) agrees to marry him. Taking advantage of the town law that prohibits the execution of married men, Moon follows Tate back to her ranch, planning all the while to escape at the first possible opportunity. But Tate insists that he honor his end of the bargain at work on the ranch. She has no intention of consummating the union, a fact that drives the hot-to-trot Moon up a wall. She puts him to work on the gold mine that she has on her property, while his old gang prepares to relieve the couple of their gold once it's on the surface. Jack Nicholson personally selected movie newcomer Mary Steenburgen for Goin' South. The film also features John Belushi in the role of a dyspeptic deputy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Mary Steenburgen, (more)
- 1978
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), John (Ralph Waite) reacts with anger when he discovers that Erin has taken a second job, caring for the children of a single man. Meanwhile, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) has returned home in hopes of reopening the Guthrie mine and revitalizing the local economy. But fate takes a hand in matters when John-Boy is trapped in a cave-in along with Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) and Ben (Eric Scott). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Richard Thomas briefly returns to the role of John-Boy Walton in this first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour installment). Upon hearing of the dire financial conditions in Jefferson County, John-Boy comes home with plans of reopening the old Guthrie coal mine. Elsewhere, John Walton (Ralph Waite) weighs the possibility of giving up the family business and going to work at a defense plant; and Erin ($Mary Elizabeth McDonough) hesitates to inform her family that she has taken a second job under "questionable" circumstances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Jason (Jon Walmsley) finds a kindred spirit in Fern Lockwood (Linda Marsh), a timid recluse who shares his love of music--and curiously knows a great deal about the Walton family. As he gradually coaxes Fern out of her shell, Jason discovers that he shares something else with the woman: both he and Fern have recently endured the sudden loss of someone near and dear. Meanwhile, Ben (Eric Scott) takes a "big city" job in Norfolk, leaving John (Ralph Waite) shorthanded when the lumber yard lands a hefty government contract. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In this aerial adventure, courageous charter pilots who specialize in dangerous tasks are assigned to perform daring stunts during an air show in Arizona. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Also known as Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free, this TV pilot film stars Don Meredith in the title role. Banjo Hackett is a western horsetrader, circa 1885, who travels in the company of his orphaned nephew (Ike Eisenmann). While searching for a rare Arabian mare stolen from the nephew's late mother, Hackett occasionally pays a visit to Mollie (Jennifer Warren), a ranch owner whom Banjo would marry if he'd only admit he loved the woman. Millionaire Dan O'Herlihy and untrustworthy bounty hunter Chuck Connors are also after the stolen horse. The film's storyline is as rambling as Banjo Hackett himself, which was both its charm and curse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Meredith, Ike Eisenmann, (more)
Yvette Mimieux delivers a sensitive, nuanced performance in a role that could have easily spread into a cheap exploitation turn in Jackson County Jail. Mimieux plays advertising executive Dinah Hunter, who leaves Los Angeles and a promising career after she discovers her lover has been cheating on her. Determined to start fresh in New York City, she gets into her car and heads east. Picking up some young hitchhikers along the way, she ends up stranded in an out-of-the-way western town after being beaten up and having her car stolen. Thrown into the local jailhouse on trumped up charges, she finds herself at the mercy of a psychopathic guard who further beats her and then rapes her. Dinah kills the jailkeeper and goes on the lam with fellow jailhouse inmate and down-home radical Coley Blake (Tommy Lee Jones). The sheriff's department engages the couple in a wild car chase through a parade commemorating the United States' Bicentennial, as Dinah and Coley try to break free to the open road. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvette Mimieux, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
- 1975
In this opening episode of Sanford and Son's fifth season, a team of Russian scientists announce that a seismic fault runs smack in the middle of the Sanfords' house. A series of small earthquakes subsequently sets Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) a-tremble in more ways than one. Certain he will meet his doom in the inevitable "Big One," Fred packs his bags and heads off to Las Vegas -- where, of course, he runs smack-dab into an aggregation of celebrities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1975
Hoping to woo and win a girl named Sally Ann Harper (played by Happy Days' Erin Moran), Ben (Eric Scott) recommends her to Jason (Jon Walmsley) as a band singer, and even suggests that she introduce Jason's latest song "Will You Be Mine" (actually written by Walmsley). The scheme backfires disastrously (and predictably!) when Sally falls in love with Jason instead. As the romantic rivalry between the two brothers intensifies, Grandpa (Will Geer) and John (Ralph Waite) likewise have trouble seeing eye-to-eye during a billiard competition. This episode was directed by series regular Richard Thomas (John-Boy). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Feeling unwanted by the rest of the family, Grandpa (Will Geer) and Grandma (Ellen Corby) move out of the Walton house and into the home of Grandpa's friend Henry Townsend (Dan Priest). When Henry is forced to take leave, the two elder Waltons are desperately lonely--but both are too stubborn and proud to admit the fact. Meanwhile, John (Ralph Waite) struggles to fill a huge lumber order with the dubious "help" of Grandpa's klutzy temporary replacement Easy Jackson (Britt Leach). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In her first non-Gunsmoke appearance in two decades, Amanda Blake plays Helen Mercer, a lonely, middle-aged widow. Helen hires the deceptively sweet Adele Murphy (Tisha Sterling) as her companion. What she doesn't know (but we do, thanks to a rather violent prologue) is that "Adele" is really an extortionist named Gretchen, in league with her homicidal con-artist boyfriend Jay (Sam Groom). Singing star Dick Haymes makes his TV movie debut in the third-billed role of Harold Porter. Based on a novel by suspense specialist Doris Miles Disney, the made-for-TV Betrayal premiered December 3, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Fuzz treads the line between raucous comedy and gut-churning melodrama. Based on an "87th Precinct" novel by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter), the film stars Burt Reynolds and Jack Weston as, respectively, detectives Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer. Their current assignment is to bring in Deaf Man (Yul Brynner), a mad bomber who has been targeting politicians. A subplot concerning a couple of punks who get their kicks by setting fire to sleeping winos is dramatically justified by the main storyline, but it was this element that caused a lot of trouble for the producers of Fuzz when a pair of real-life teenagers decided to imitate the film. On a lighter note, Raquel Welch co-stars as Detective Eileen McHenry, who is obliged to go undercover -- and under covers -- with fellow officer Bert Kling (Tom Skerritt). And as a bonus, viewers are treated to Burt Reynolds' first "drag" scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Jack Weston, (more)
