Michele Lee
Screenwriter John Hamburg directs his second film (since his 1998 debut Safe Men) with the romantic comedy Along Came Polly. Ben Stiller plays Reuben Feffer, a professional risk assessor who never takes chances in any aspect of his life. When his new bride Lisa (Debra Messing) leaves him for a European scuba instructor named Claude (Hank Azaria), he finally decides to a risk of his own. At a party, he meets free-spirited Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), whom he remembers from his seventh-grade Model U.N. Unlike the control-freak Reuben, she's spent her life living on the edge. They reluctantly begin a romance and Polly introduces him to a new world of spicy food and suggestive dances. Along Came Polly also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Reuben's washed-up best friend Sandy Lyle and Alec Baldwin as the obnoxious insurance company boss Stan Indursky. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, (more)
- 1999
Inspired by actual events, this made-for-television suspense story stars Michele Lee as Barbara Traynor, a wife and mother who has enjoyed a long and happy marriage to her husband Denny (Peter Coyote). However, the peace of her household is shattered when Denny is arrested for a murder that was committed 27 years ago in Oregon. Initially, Denny protests that he's never even visited Oregon, but evidence proves that Denny has been living a secret life hidden from Barbara and their children. However, despite the revelations about her husband and circumstantial evidence produced by the police, Barbara doesn't believe that Denny is a murderer, and she begins investigating the killing herself, trying to track down the only witness to the crime in an effort to clear Denny's name. A Murder on Shadow Mountain was based on the book Mountain Madness: A Deadly Night, A Bloody Secret by Jimmy Dale Taylor and Donald G. Bross. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, Peter Coyote, (more)
- 1998
The flamboyant novelist who brought the world such deathless literary masterpieces as Valley of the Dolls and Once is Not Enough is the subject of this made-for-cable biopic. Michele Lee stars as Jacqueline Susann, a second-string actress and well-known party girl who turned to journalism after her marriage to producer Irving Mansfield (Peter Reigert). Though constantly surrounded by Show Business Glitterati, Susann would not achieve celebrity status herself until age 47, when she published the lurid best-seller Valley of the Dolls. Though outwardly giving the impression that she was tough as nails and utterly invulnerable, Susann in truth had her share of anguish and tragedy, coping with the challenge of raising an autistic son, struggling against substance abuse, and ultimately waging a long, losing battle against breast cancer. According to studio publicity, star Michele Lee (who also served as executive producer) wore some of Susann's own jewelry and wardrobe in the course of making the film. Largely based on the biography by Barbara Seaman, Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story made its USA network debut on December 9, 1998, several months before Bette Midler's theatrically released spin on the Susann legend, Isn't She Great. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, Peter Riegert, (more)
- 1996
Michele Lee is star, director, producer and cowriter of this inspirational made-for-cable movie. Lee plays Dina Blake, a middle-aged mentally challenged woman living under the care of her nephew. In the tradition of Charly, Dina volunteers to test out an experimental drug designed to enhance intelligence--and within what seems like minutes, she accelerates to the level of genius. At the height of her euphoria, Dina falls in love with one of her doctors, Mitch Conlon (Robin Thomas)--who, alas, must bear the brunt of Dina's outrage when the experiment begins to fail and she painfully reverts to her former "retarded" self. Color Me Perfect made its Lifetime network debut on November 5, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This musical biography chronicles the life of influential country music superstar Dottie West. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, Kenny Rogers, (more)
- 1994
Michelle Lee stars in this critically panned action yarn that recalls the 1993 vehicle Black Morning Glory. Yip Man-sau is a beautiful Vietnamese illegal alien making ends meet as a hired gun. After a particularly grisly hit, she vows to get out of the business, retiring to the remote outlying island of Tai-O. There she falls in love with a handsome shop owner and all seems well until her former employers order her dead, fearing that she knows too much. In the ensuing gunfight -- against an old lover, no less -- she gets injured and winds up in hospital. When the thugs figure out where she is, they chase her back to Tai-O where she and her new beau are forced to fight for their lives. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee
Hong Kong filmmaker Lau Kar-leung followed up the outstanding Drunken Master II by directing this mostly unrelated martial arts comedy which still manages to garner a few laughs despite its dubious reputation and the absence of Jackie Chan. In Chan's place is comedian Willie Chi as Wong Fei-hong, who is assigned -- along with his partner, Wong Kei-ying (Adam Cheng) -- to protect a Manchu princess named Sum Yu (Michelle Lee). Princess Yu is being hunted both by the malefic White Lotus Cult (actually run by white people in this spoof) and by nationalists loyal to Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Fei-hong receives additional help from a wine merchant, Uncle Yan (played by the film's director), who instructs him in special martial arts techniques. Unfortunately, the Manchu leaders fall in with the White Lotus Cult and relinquish Princess Yu to them to be ritually sacrificed, causing Fei-hong to undertake a daring rescue mission. Simon Yam appears as a gay villain aboard a bus, and the supporting cast also includes such familiar genre veterans as Andy Lau, Gordon Lau, and William Ho. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1992
The 1986 stage hit Broadway Bound is the third entry in playwright Neil Simon's "autobiography trilogy". Unlike the cinemadaptations of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound was filmed for television, where it debuted March 23, 1992. Brighton Beach Memoirs star Jonathan Silverman returns as Neil Simon's alter ego Eugene Jerome, while Corey Parker plays Eugene's brother Stanley (based on Simon's brother and early writing partner Mel). The year is 1948: Eugene and Stanley have begun writing comedy sketches for the Catskills resorts, hoping that this activity will be the first step on the road to fame and fortune. As they seek out funny material, the boys' home life is rapidly disintegrating. The crises at hand include their parents' constant quarrelling (brought about by their father's philandering) and a seemingly insurmountable dilemma involving their aged uncle. Just as WASPish Blythe Danner scored as Eugene's Jewish mother in Brighton Beach Memoirs, so too do non-Jewish actor Anne Bancroft and Hume Cronyn effectively essay Hebraic characterizations in Broadway Bound. Following its American television premiere, the film was released theatrically in Europe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corey Parker, Jonathan Silverman, (more)
- 1992
The 14th and final season of Knots Landing is distinguished by the conspicuous absence of longtime regular Joan Van Ark, whose character, Val Ewing, mysteriously disappeared while researching a book on mob-connected politician and businessman Greg Sumner (William Devane). In his frantic efforts to find out if his wife is still alive, Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) somehow finds time for a brief fling with Kate Whittaker (Stacy Galina), Sumner's niece. Meanwhile, Greg, having astonished everyone by giving up his business interests in Knots Landing and retiring to a cabin in Montana, leaves his affairs in the hands of three people: His scheming sister Claudia (Kathleen Noone); Meg (Rhianna Janette), Greg's daughter, adopted by Sumner's longtime nemesis Mack (Kevin Dobson) and his wife Karen (Michele Lee); and Paige (Nicollette Sheridan), illegitimate daughter of Mack and Anne Matheson (Michelle Phillips). Eventually, Greg changes his mind about retiring and returns to regain control of the Sumner Group; at the same time, Mary Robeson (Maree Cheatham), self-proclaimed biological mother of Greg's late wife Laura ries to wrest Meg away from Karen and Mack, whereupon Mack goes temporarily insane--which leads to his being named primary suspect when Mary turns up dead (He is released shortly after the revelation that Mary was really Laura's aunt, not her mother). Just before the series finale, Gary discovers that Val is still alive, the prisoner of crooked businessman Nigel Treadwell, who hopes to get his mitts on the Sumner Group with the help of none other than Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills)--who has been absent from Knots Landing since the end of Season Eleven. Treadwell is foiled in this scheme, and in his subsequent effort to blow up Greg, by another of his hostages, Vanessa Hunt (Felicity Waterman). The upshot of all this activity is a classic moment in the series' second-to-last episode, in which the three principal Knots Landing villainesses--Claudia, Abby and Anne--show up on screen at the same time. And as the very last episode demonstrates, the residents of Knots Landing haven't seen the last of Abby Cunningham yet! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Michele Lee, (more)
- 1992
Based on a true story, once again we have a tale of a battered homemaker who seeks help from the deaf ear of bureaucracy when she feels that she must protect herself and her children from her abusive husband. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, James Farentino, (more)
- 1992
Based on a true story, this movie deals with a dysfunctional family which becomes increasingly more unstable as the patriarch runs rough-shod over them emotionally and physically. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Season Thirteen of Knots Landing gets under way with only one of the four original "couplings" of the series' first season intact: After many romantic side trips and emotional detours, Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) and his ex-wife Val (Joan Van Ark) have decided to let bygones be bygones and tie the matrimonial knot for the third (and last!) time. Once this matter is settled, Gary again demonstrates his basic lack of common sense by teaming with one Joseph Barringer (Mark Soper]) in a wild scheme to harness the power of ocean tides to provide low-cost energy for the citizens of California. Not surprisingly, Gary loses his shirt (and everything else) in this dead-on-arrival venture, and ends up working as a day laborer on his own ranch before returning to his old cul-de-sac neighborhood. Meanwhile, Val revitalizes her literary career by starting research on a novel intended to expose the crooked machinations of Greg Sumner (William Devane). In other developments, Linda Fairgate (Lar-Park Lincoln), ex-daughter in law of Gary's business partner Karen (Michele Lee), is murdered by Brian Johnston (Philip Brown), who holds several of the principal characters hostage before Karen is able to save the day--thereby confirming her "local heroine" status established at the end of the previous season, when she single-handedly took on the members of a street gang. Also, Greg Sumner's predatory sister Claudia (Kathleen Noone) meets her Waterloo in the form of Alex Barth (Boyd Kestner), who knows where all of her bodies are buried. As for Greg, he begins an affair with Anne Matheson (Michelle Phillips), former lover of Greg's longtime nemesis Mack (Kevin Dobson); reduced to penury after failing to cheat her daughter Paige (Nicollette Sheridan) out of an inheritance, Anne has staged a comeback as a nude model and radio star! Among the newcomers to the series are Bruce Greenwood as Paige's new boyfriend Pierce Lawton, who later tries to kill Paige and several others when he loses all his money in Gary's "Tidal Energy" scheme; Maree Cheatham as Mary Robeson, who claims to be the biological mother of Greg's late wife Laura (Constance McCashin), and who had been sent to prison on a trumped-up charge engineered by Greg; and Felicity Waterman as Vanessa Hunt, an old friend of Claudia Whittaker's daughter Kate (Stacy Galina). Making their final appearances in Season Twelves are Larry Riley and [$Kent Masters-King} as Frank and Julia Williams--and, surprisingly, Joan Van Ark as Val Ewing, who mysteriously vanishes in the midst of preparing her tell-all novel. With ratings steadily decreasing during its most recent seasons, Knots Landing wnet on a brief production hiatus in the middle of Season Thirteen so that the new writing team could get a grip on the concept and come up with more compelling storylines. Although things did improve a bit, the series was destined to survive for just one more year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1991
Michele Lee plays the outwardly cheerful mother of two very different young sons. Rick Schroder, the oldest, is mom's favorite; Corin Nemic, the youngest, is his brother's literal whipping boy. Despite the most damning evidence, Ms. Lee refuses to let herself believe that Schroder is a sadistic psychopath...until it's too late. This tragic state of affairs was, alas, based on fact. The painfully convincing performances of Michele Lee and Rick Schroder effectively lift My Son, Johnny out of the "dysfunctional family of the week" TV movie syndrome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, Corin Nemec, (more)
- 1990
Rendered mortally ill by anti-chemical activists during Season Eleven of Knot's Landing, scheming politician-businessman Greg Sumner (William Devane) is snatched from the jaws of death by a liver transplant--which, characteristically, he has secured by dishonest means. This leaves Sumner alive and well, and free to begin life anew with the new love of his life, the bed-hopping Paige Matheson (Nicollette Sheridan), who happens to be the illegitimate daughter of Sumner's perennial crimebusting nemesis, Mack MacKenzie (Kevin Dobson). At the same time, Paige's biological mother Anne (Michelle Phillips), still determined to get her mitts on her daughter's inheritance, dreams up a phony blackmail scheme which brings arouses the attention of her former lover Mario Conti, who dispatches his trusted hatchet man Nick Schillance (Lorenzo Caccialanza) to Knots Landing to help the "victimized" Anne. Ultimately, Anne and Nick will get married and team up to rob Paige of her rightful inheritance. Meanwhile, long-suffering Val (Joan Van Ark) tries to secure a divorce from her imprisoned serial-rapist husband Danny (Sam Behrens), who claims to have been "Born Again" behind bars and refuses to release her from her wedding vows. When Danny is ultimately found dead, Val's ex Gary (Ted Shackelford) is suspected of murder (for about the three-hundredth time!), but is exonerated by Danny's last intended victim, Julie Williams (Kent-Masters King). Elsewhere, novice TV personality Karen (Michele Lee) learns to her horror that her alleged stalker from the previous season, Jeff Cameron (Chris Lemmon), is still alive, still bent on "getting" her despite being exposed as part of a campaign of psychological terror concocted by Karen's conniving former producer Dianne Kirkwood. And in another development, Mack puts his life on the line when he assumes the responsibility of protecting young Jason Lochner (Thomas Wilson Brown) from an abusive parent. Perhaps sensing that the series needed a new "Abby Cunningham"-style villainess, the producer introduce the character of Greg Sumner's scheming sister Claudia Whittaker (Kathleen Noone), who at the outset of Season Eleven swoops into Knots Landing with her daughter Kate (Stacy Galina) and her ex-convict "son" Steve Brewer (Lance Guest) in tow. Steve will eventually be revealed to be the son of the late tycoon Paul Galveston--and thus the brother of Greg Sumner, rather than his nephew. By the time the season finale rolls around, Claudia's machinations have brought about the death of Steven; Karen faces a jail term after forcing a gang of street punks--including one of her own neighbors--to have a car accident; the troublesome Anne is at last kicked out of Knots Landing; and, evidently hastening the process before any more disasters can occur, Gary and Val decide to get married--for the third time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1990
In celebration of Peanuts' 40th anniversary, You Don't Look 40, Charlie Brown provides a history of the long-running comic strip, beginning with its birth in the 1960s. Among the footage includes clips from Broadway's highly successful production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, interviews with comic creator Charles Schulz, and some of the best scenes from Peanuts TV specials throughout the decades. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
Fatal Image stars Michele Lee as a recent divorcee and Justine Bateman as her daughter. Forgetting their domestic travails, mother and daughter take a trip to Paris. Here things get pretty tense when the two accidentally witness a murder. Worse still, the daughter took a video of the crime. Fatal Image originally aired December 2, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Although the scheming Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills) had departed Knots Landing at the end of its tenth season, the series still managed to serve up a full recipe of fascinating intrigues during its eleventh season on the air. Dominating much of the proceedings is a plotline sparked by a pension-fraud scheme involving Oakman Industries, one of several businesses controlled by duplicitous politico Greg Sumner (William Devane). An investigation headed by Sumner's longtime nemesis Mack (Kevin Dobson) is compromised by the actions of Tom Ryan (Joseph Gian), a crooked cop in Oakman's employ. The ramifications of the pension scandal results in the death of Greg's estranged daughter Mary Frances, who turns out to have been an operative for a anti-chemical subversive organization headed by her boyfriend--who in turn gets revenge on Greg by infecting him with a lethal poison. In other developments, Mack's former lover Anne (Michelle Phillips), the mother of his daughter Paige (Nicollette Sheridan), hatches an elaborate scheme to rob Paige of her inheritance. After a season's absence, Steve Shaw briefly returns to the role of Eric, the son of Knots Landing Motors head (and Mack's wife) Karen (Michele Lee)--though he is now divorced from wife Linda (Lar-Park Lincoln), who begins a relationship with Eric's brother Michael (Pat Petersen), sparking a great deal of sibling hostility. Karen herself lands a job hosting the popular local TV series "Open Mike", produced by Dianne Kirkwood (Robin Strasser) and Jeff Cameron (Chris Lemmon). However, it soon develops that Dianne covets Karen's job, and will stop at nothing to get it. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the "crazed fan" who stalks Karen through most of the season is actually Dianne's co-conspirator Jeff. Also: The eternally unlucky-in-love Val (Joan Van Ark) falls for an outwardly charming chap named Danny Waleska (Sam Behrens), whom Val's ex Gary (Ted Shackelford) has good reason to distrust. It soon develops that Danny is a serial rapist and all-around psycho, who not only terrorizes Val's twin daughters but also attempts to kill Gary and makes an effort to assault Julie Williams (Kent-Masters King). Though Danny fails in this attempt, he succeeds in fatally injuring Julie's mother Patricia (Lynne Moody)--while in another of the many developments comprising the season's cliffhanger finale, Paige is jilted at the altar by her newest beau, "dirty" cop Tom Ryan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1989
In this drama, a psychotherapist takes a long, hard look at her life when she joins a support group for women involved with married men. She does this after her husband leaves her for a younger woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Season Ten of Knots Landing begins with Val (Joan Van Ark) surviving the lethal drug overdose administered by Jill (Teri Austin). Worried that her current amour Gary (Ted Shackelford) was planning to re-wed his former wife Val, Jill had schemed to bump off her rival in a manner that would look like suicide--and in fact everyone believes that Val has tried to kill herself, leaving Jill temporarily in the clear. At the same time, the lives of business partners Gary, Abby (Donna Mills) and Karen (Joan Van Ark), imperiled by their dealings with master criminal Manny Vasquez (John Aprea), are saved when Manny is killed by his conscience-ridden nephew Harold (Paul Carafontes). Meanwhile, Karen's son Michael (Pat Petersen) and his current flame Paige (Nicollette Sheridan)--the illegitimate daughter of Karen's estranged husband Mack (Kevin Dobson)--are rescued from the clutches of Mexican drug dealers by the mysterious Johnny Rourke (Peter Reckell). In other developments, conniving Abby manages to swindle her partners out of the Lotus Point Resort via the dummy "Murakame" corporation, then begins drilling for oil on the property. Paige takes up with crooked politico Greg Sumner (William Devane), who later dumps her in order to propose to Abby, mainly to revive his political career; at this juncture, Robert Desiderio joins the cast as Greg's new PR manager Ted Melcher, who will be implicated in one of the several mysterious deaths occurring this season. Johnny and Michael are innocently swept up in a computer-theft scheme, a story arc that serves to introduce the character of Danny Waleska (Sam Behrens). Mack returns to Karen after a brief fling with female forest ranger Paula Vertosick (Melinda Culea). And Abby's daughter Olivia is married to her mom's cast-off sweetheart Harold. The series' tenth season is marked by two spectacular exits. Threatened with the exposure of her many sinister schemes, and facing the loss of Gary Ewing, Jill goes completely off the deep end and commits suicide--after first going through the effort of binding and gagging herself so that Gary will be accused of her murder. And when the authorities finally catch up with Abby's various and sundry underhanded business machinations, she manages to escape by the skin of her teeth by wangling an appointment with the US Trade Adminstration--which requires her to immediately relocate to Japan! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1987
The big news of Knots Landing's ninth season is the apparent murder of unsavory politician Peter Hollister, who in the course of the previous season had had affairs with both Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills) and Abby's daughter Olivia (Tonya Crowe)--leading Abby to believe that Olivia was the killer, and vice versa! As it turns out, only Paige Matheson (Nicollette Sheridan), illegitimate daughter of crime investigator Mack MacKenzie (Kevin Dobson), knows the whole story of Peter's untimely end. This season marks the departure of longtime regular Constance McCashin, who in the role of Laura Avery Sumner has weathered two tempestuous marriages, first to unscrupulous lawyer Richard Avery, and then to another "dirty" politician, Greg Sumner (William Devane). Before succumbing to a brain tumor, Laura asks Mack's former wife Karen (Michele Lee) to sell her house to a reliable tenant. This serves to introduce several new regulars, all members of the "jinxed" Williams family: husband Frank (Larry Riley), wife Patricia (Lynne Moody), daughter Julie (Kent Masters-King). It will soon be revealed that the Williamses are in the Federal Witness Protection Program! In other developments, Abby divorces Gary (Ted Shackleford), then renews her relationship with former beau Charles Scott (Michael York)--but only for the purpose of enlarging her power base in Knots Landing. Gary meanwhile continues his affair with the unhinged Jill Bennett, who makes it her mission in life to destroy Gary's former spouse Val, first by attempting to drive Val crazy (again), then more directly with an "accidental" drug overdose. Also, Val's mother Lilimae (Julie Harris) leaves the series when she impulsively runs off with an eccentric messenger-service employee named Al Baker (Red Buttons). And in their efforts to get the Lotus Point Resort up and running, Gary, Abby and Karen become involved with a shady character named Manny Vasquez (John Aprea), who at one point or another attempts to murder practically everyone in the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1986
Moving to its now-famous Thursday night timeslot on the occasion of its eighth season, Knots Landing quickly updates its fans on events left unresolved at the end of Season Seven, not least of which is the mysterious kidnapping of Karen MacKenzie (Michele Lee). It turns out that Karen's abductor is Phil Harbert (Louis Gimbalvo), who wants to get even with her crime commissioner ex-husband Mack (Kevin Dobson) for sending him to jail during his wife's terminal illness. Before Mack manages to rescue Karen, Phil has obsessively cut her hair, leaving her with the new shorter style that she will sport for the remainded of the season. In other Season Eight developments, Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) runs for the senate opposite the duplicitous Peter Hollister (Hunt Block), but ends up losing both the election and his wandering wife Abby (Donna Mills) to Peter. The past relationship between Mack and Anne Matheson (Michelle Phillips) is revealed in a series of flashbacks tied in with the appearance of the couple's illegitimate daughter Paige (Nicollette Sheridan), who is a curious character indeed: Benign to Abby's daughter Olivia (Tonya Crowe) as she helps the girl get over her drug dependency, but quite the predator when it comes to seducing every available male in Knot's Landing--including Michael (Pat Petersen), the son of her father Mack's ex-wife Karen. The seriously disturbed Jean Hackney (Wendy Fulton) comes back into the life of Ben Gibson (Michael Sheehan), estranged husband of Gary's ex Val (Joan Van Ark). Gary has his own problems with the conniving Jill Bennett (Teri Austin), who has maneuvered him into a marriage proposal. And Laura Sumner (Constance McCashlin), the wife of crooked politician Greg Sumner, gives birth to a daughter. As the season rushes to a close, Ben is driven mad by the obsessive Jean and completely drops out of view; and Olivia falls for her mom Abby's current amour, the unsavory Peter Hollister--a turn of events that prompts Abby to conclude that Olivia is responsible for Peter's sudden death ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1985
The "Black Market Baby" story arc which dominated most of Knots Landing's sixth season is resolved in the first few episodes of Season Seven, as Val Ewing (Joan Van Ark) is tearfully reunited with her twin babies, who had been stolen and auctioned off on the illegal-adoption circuit. This settled, the series can now devote itself to the intrigues involving the rest of its ever-growing cast of regulars. Newly divorced from Karen (Michele Lee), owner of Knots' Landing Motors, crime commissioner Mack MacKenzie (Kevin Dobson) begins an affair with Jill Bennett (Teri Austin), little suspecting that Jill is a few bricks shy of a full load. Val's half-brother Joshua (Alec Baldwin), a former preacher, scores a big hit as a TV personality, but develops a dangerous case of jealousy when his wife and co-star Cathy (Lisa Hartman) gets more fan mail than he does. Subsequently, Joshua dies, an apparent suicide--but when all the facts come out, thanks to an investigation inaugurated by undercover reporter Sonny Harkins. This season, Hunt Block joins the cast as ruthless politician Peter Hollister, the self-proclaimed brother of crooked politico Greg Sumner (William Devane) and potential rival (in more ways than one) of series protagonist Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford). Also, Ruth Roman is introduced in the role of Sylvia Lean, ex-mistress of Greg Sumner's dad and (supposedly) Peter Hollister's mother. Elsewhere, Gary accidentally causes an arsenic leak that will imperil his Empire Valley estate, not to mention the rest of Knot's Landing; Val enters into a marriage with reporter Ben (Michael Sheehan), which is shattered by Ben's affair with Cathy; after finding out that her mother Abby (Donna Mills) knew all along that Val's babies had been kidnapped, the disillusioned Olivia (Tonya Crowe) turns to drugs; and in the season's penultimate episode, Nicollette Sheridan makes her first appearances as Paige Matheson, illegitimate daughter of Mack MacKenzie and his former lover Anna Matheson (Michelle Phillips). The season's cliffhanger ending revolves around another kidnapping, this time with Karen as the victim and an as-yet-unidentified stranger as the predator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1985
Made for television, A Letter to Three Wives is a modernized version of the classic 1949 theatrical film of the same name. While on a charity picnic, the wives of three well-to-do men each receive a letter from a fourth woman, a flashy divorcée named Addie (who is never seen). With calculated sweetness and sympathy, Addie informs the ladies that she is about to run off with the husband of one of them. In flashback, each wife recalls her marriage, wondering if it is she who is about to be divested of her husband (and simultaneously asking herself why this might be happening). Loni Anderson, Michele Lee, and Stephanie Zimbalist star in the roles played by Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, and Jeanne Crain (respectively) in the 1949 film. Ann Sothern herself is seen as the mother of Anderson's character, a part originally essayed by Connie Gilchrist. Johnny Mandel earned an Emmy nomination for his musical score, which is virtually the only real improvement on the 1949 version. A Letter to Three Wives first aired December 16, 1985, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Season Six of Knots Landing begins with the conniving Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills) finding herself the victim rather than the predator for a change when she is kidnapped by the sinister Mark St. Claire (Joseph Chapman). Meanwhile, Karen Fairgate MacKenzie (Michele Lee), having been wounded by a gunshot meant for her business partner Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford), clings desperately to life. Ultimately, Abby is rescued by the timely intervention of Senator Greg Sumner (William Devane)--which does not in any way diminish the fact that Sumner is a crook, whose mob-connected machinations will have a negative impact on practically everyone else in the cast, including Greg's future bride Laura (Constance McCashlin), the former wife of attorney Richard Avery. And although it is nip and tuck for a while, Karen survives the shooting. Several new characters are introduced this season, not least of which is Greg Sumner's stepmother Ruth Sumner Galveston, played by Ava Gardner in her TV series debut. Howard Duff is seen as Greg's father Paul Galveston, an unscrupulous tycoon whom Karen's crime-commissioner husband Mack (Kevin Dobson) intends to bring to justice. Also, Alec Baldwin makes his first appearance as TV evangelist Joshua Rush, ostensibly the nephew of Lilimae Clement (Julie Harris) but actually her son, meaning he is also the half brother of the long-suffering Val Ewing (Joan Van Ark)--of whom, much more later! To her everlasting regret, local waitress Cathy Geary (Lisa Hartman) will become the wife of Joshua Rush before the season is over. Finally, Teri Austin is introduced as Jill Bennett, a woman who is destined to very nearly bring about the demise of both Val Ewing and her ex-husband Gary. Above all else, Season Five is the year of the "Black Market Babies", as Val gives birth to twins, only to have them stolen from her by an unscrupulous doctor and auctioned off on the illegal adoption market. Although everyone in Knots Landing has been convinced that Val's babies were stillborn--everyone, that is, but Abby, who gloms onto the truth but cruelly keeps her mouth shut--Val stubbornly refuses to accept this and leaves town, determined to prove that her children are still alive. In the process, she becomes unhinged and assumes a new identity, "Verna Ellers." Resurfacing in a small Tennessee community, "Verna"--completely unaware of her previous existence--falls in love with a local dry cleaner and accepts his marriage proposal! In the season's cliffhanger finale, Val is on the verge of reclaiming her babies from their adoptive parents, Harry and Sheila Fisher (Joe Regalbuto, Robin Ginsburg)...and then... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
