Michele Lee Movies
Barely 20-years old, singer/actress Michele Lee first captivated Broadway in 1962 when she replaced Bonnie Scott as Rosemary Pilkington in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Michele remained with the show until 1964, then repeated her role in the 1967 film version. After playing innocuous leading ladies in Disney's The Love Bug (1968) and Carl Reiner's The Comic (1969), she returned to the stage, winning an Outer Circle Critics Award and a Tony nomination for her performance in the 1973 musical Seesaw. She went on to play Mrs. Lou Costello in the 1978 TV biopic Bud and Lou, then in 1979 landed her signature role: Karen Fairgate McKenzie on the nighttime soap opera Knot's Landing. During her 14-year run on this series, she was honored with dozens of industry and fan-magazine awards, including the coveted Emmy. In 1995, she scored a personal triumph (and revealed a whole new facet of her singing skills) in the title role of the made-for-TV biopic Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story (1995). From 1966 to 1983, Michele Lee was married to actor James Farentino. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1983
The fourth-season murder of singer Cijji Dunne still looms large over the main characters of Knots Landing as the series launches its fifth year on the air. After briefly suspecting Cijji's erstwhile lover Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) and Gary's wife Val (Joan Van Ark), Federal prosecutor Mack McKenzie (Kevin Dobson) concludes that the guilty party is Chip Robert (Michael Sabatino), the unscrupulous literary agent who'd been representing Val's efforts to promote her novel. Though Chip manages to skip town, he is brought to justice--temporarily, at least--when he is "accidentally" struck down by the car driven by Val's mercurial mother Lilimae (Julie Harris). In a plot development of more wide-ranging significance, Gary Ewing moves out of his cul-de-sac home in Knots Landing and into their new ranch, using money left to Gary by his late oil-magnate father Jock Ewing. Sharing the ranch is Gary's new wife, the conniving Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills), who hopes that by ensnaring Gary she can expand her own base of power. As for Gary's ex-spouse Val, she will inaugurate a brand new story arc near season's end by announcing that she is pregnant--without revealing the identity of the father. Elsewhere, Gary's business partner Karen (Joan Van Ark), still not completely recovered from such past traumas as the murder of her husband, begins to rely heavily upon drugs. New to the cast this season is William Devane as Mack's old friend, Senator Gregory Sumner, who has risen to the highest political circles via his close connections with the Mob. Believing that every man has his price, Sumner will be quite taken aback to discover that Mack is completely incorruptible--whereupon the "good senator" will do everything in his power to destroy Mack. Meanwhile, Greg's daughter Mary Frances (Danielle Brisbois) will enjoy a romance with Karen's son Eric (Steve Shaw). As for Eric's sister Diana (Claudia Lonow), she will befriend the redoubtable Abby and move in with her on the Ewing spread--a plot contrivance that will seal the doom of fugitive murderer Chip Roberts when Diana causes his accidental demise. Another cast addition is Lisa Hartman as waitress Cathy, whose first appearance proves quite a shock to the other regulars, inasmuch as she is a dead ringer for the murdered Cijji Dunne. Also making their first appearances are Douglas Sheehan as reporter Ben Gibson, who comes to Val's aid when she is briefly suspected of murder and falls for her in the process; and Danny Ponce, taking over from Matthew Newmark in the role of Jason Avery. The season's traditional "cliffhanger" finale--which, incidentally, also marks the 100th episode of Knots' Landing--finds Karen being felled by a gunshot meant for Gary, and Abby in the clutches of kidnapper Mark St. Claire (Joseph Chapman). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1982
Joining the cast of Knots Landing as the series begins its fourth season is Kevin Dobson as Federal prosecutor Marion Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie, who is brought into the storyline when Karen Fairgate (Michele Lee), widowed owner of Knots Landing Motors, decides to aggressively pursue the criminals responsible for the murder of her husband. Mack will soon establish himself as the series' all-purpose problem solver, though this will not spare him from plenty of his own problems--several of these stemming from his subsequent marriage to Karen. Among the other characters introduced in the course of Season Four is sinister literary agent Chip Roberts (Michael Sabatino), who agrees to represent Val Ewing (Joan Van Ark) when she pens the novel "Capricorn Crude", a thinly veiled account of the questionable machinations of her husband Gary's (Ted Shackelford) oil-rich family. Another significant addition is singer Ciji Dunne (Lisa Hartman), another of Gary's extramarital flings. When Ciji turns up murdered, both Gary and Val are suspected, but as it turns out the real culprit is. . .but why spoil things for Knots Landing novices? In contrast with the new cast members, Season Four marks the final appearances of longtime regulars John Pleshette as shady attorney Richard Avery--who is booted from his home by wife Laura (Constance McCashlin) after he becomes the latest in a long line of lovers for Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills)--and James Houghton and Kim Lankford as the volatile Kenny and Ginger Ward. Plus, this season marks the last of the Knots Landing-Dallas crossovers, with Gary's brother J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) showing up for a brace of appearances, and Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) appearing in the episode "New Beginnings", which represents the only time that Dallas and Knots Landing ever shared the same storyline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1981
Season Three of Knots Landing picks up where the previous season left off, as Sid Fairgate (Don Murray), owner of Knots Landing Motors and the boss of series protagonist Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford), hovers between life and death after his car "accidentally" plummets over a cliff, the end result of Sid's cooperation with the FBI in bringing the crooked owners of the Orchid Cab Company to justice. Ultimately Sid dies, leaving his wife Karen (Michelle Lee) in charge of the family business. Karen's partners in this endeavor are the aforementioned Gary Ewing, and Sid's conniving, predatory sister Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills). In other developments this season, Julie Harris joins the cast as Lilimae Clements, the mercurial, slightly larcenous mother of Gary's long-suffering spouse Val (Joan Van Ark); Val herself pens a "roman a clef" about the oil-rich Ewing family titled "Capricorn Crude"; and Karen Fairgate's brother Joe Cooper (Steven Macht) makes the first of several memorable appearances. The season ends as Abby finally succeeds in her strenuous efforts to get Gary into bed with her--and with Val walking out on Gary when she realizes anew that he can't be trusted as far as he can be thrown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
Season One of the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing begins as Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford), ex-alcoholic "black sheep" of the oil-rich Ewing clan, moves from Texas to Southern California with his long-suffering wife Val (Joan Van Ark). The couple make their new home in the cul-de-sac community of Knots Landing, living in the house bought for Gary by his mother Miss Ellie. The Ewings' new neighbors include Sid Fairgate (Don Murray), Gary's boss at Knots Landing Motors,and Sid's wife Karen (Michele Lee) and children Diana (Claudia Lonow), Michael (Pat Petersen) and Eric (Steve Shaw); record executive Kenny Ward (James Houghton) and his wife Ginger (Kim Lankford); and attorney Richard Avery (John Pleshette) and his real-estate agent spouse Laura (Constance McCashlin). Justin Dana is seen in the first episode as the Averys' son Justin, but will be immediately replaced by Danny Gellis) In the course of events (and WHAT events!) during the first season, Karen will become pregnant and miscarry; Julie Harris will make her first appearance as Val's troublesome mother Lilimae Clements, though she won't become a regular until Season Three; Sid Fairgate will endure run-ins with his ex-wife and his daughter from the previous marriage; and in the two-part season finale, Gary overcelebrates upon being appointed VP of Knots Landings Motors, falls off the wagon, and ends up drunk as a skunk in a cheap flophouse before being rescued by the ever-faithful Val. This season also marks a handful of crossover appearances from the Dallas cast, notably Larry Hagman as Gary's conniving brother J.R. Ewing and Charlene Tilton as Gary's bed-hopping daughter Lucy (who, curiously, is seen but once on Knot's Landing). Despite the popularity of its parent series, Knots Landing languished in the ratings during its first season. Clearly, what was needed was a compelling reason for viewers to tune in week after week. What was needed was the sort of "villain you love to hate" personified by Dallas' J.R. What was needed was Donna Mills as Abby Cunningham. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
Playing to disappointing ratings during its first season on the air, the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing made a spectacular leap forward during Season Two with the introduction to the cast of Donna Mills as Abby Cunningham, the manipulative and predatory sister of Sid Fairgate (Don Murray), Gary Ewing's (Ted Shackelford) boss at Knots Landing Motors. Abby also brings along her children Olivia (Tonya Crowe) and Brian (Bobby Jacoby), who in their own way will be just as important to the overall scheme of things as their redoubtable mom. In addition to bringing Abby into the fold, Season Two wastes no time plunging the characters into a morass of intrigue as Sid Fairgate is accused of raping a nubile hitchhiker. Around the same time, several more recurring characters are introduced, among them Scooter Warren (Allan Miller), the new boss of real estate agent Laura Avery (Constance McCashlin); sexy female auto mechanic Linda Striker (Denise Galik); and Roy Lance (Steven Hirsch) the shady owner of the Orchid Cab company. Among the major plot developments this season: Abby has an affair with Laura's lawyer husband Richard (John Pleshette) the Wards break up when Ginger (Kim Lankford) finds out that her record-exec husband Kenny (James Houghton) has slept with Kristen Shepard (Mary Lee Crosby), aka "The Girl Who Shot J.R." on Knots Landing's parent series Dallas (and as for J.R. [Larry Hagman], himself he shows up long enough to have his own tryst with Abby); and weak-willed former alcoholic Gary Ewing once again betrays his long-suffering spouse Val (Joan Van Ark) by fooling around with Judy Trent (Jane Elliot), the wife of Earl Trent (Paul Rudd)--whom Gary has sponsored for membership in AA! The final two episodes of the season were originally telecast back to back on the same night: In "Designs", J.R. Ewing makes yet another appearance to bedevil brother Gary; and in the (literal) cliffhanger "Squeezeplay", Sid agrees to help the FBI in their sting operation against the crooked Orchid Cab Company--and as a consequence, he is involved in an "accident" as his car goes out of control and plummets over a cliff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, (more)
- 1978
Based on the book by Bob Thomas, this made-for-television comedy/drama profiles the careers of the famous comic duo, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello starring Harvey Korman and Buddy Hackett. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1976
This TV movie was the longest--and dullest--of the three filmizations of George Brewer Jr. and Bertram Block's play Dark Victory. Elizabeth Montgomery stars as a successful TV producer (an heiress in the original play) who suffers from headaches. Her doctor (Anthony Hopkins) knows that the ailment is an incurable brain tumor, but at first he keeps this information a secret from the producer. When she learns the truth, she is bitter and resentful, but before walking gently into the Hereafter she falls in love with and marries the doctor. The 1939 Bette Davis Dark Victory wrapped this up in 106 minutes; the 1963 Susan Hayward remake, Stolen Hours, lasted only 100 minutes. Elizabeth Montgomery's Dark Victory is stretched out over two and one-half hours...and when it's all over, she's just as dead as Davis and Hayward (The Montgomery version was later pared down to 90 minutes, only a minor improvement). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Elizabeth Montgomery, (more)
- 1974
In this made-for-television comedy, a young woman gets herself into trouble when she begins fulfilling her man-craving with a string of married men. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- PG
In The Comic, Dick Van Dyke plays Billy Bright, silent-era film comedian. The opening scene is at his funeral in which his sidekick Cockeye (Mickey Rooney) honors his partner's last request by hitting the preacher in the face with a pie. Van Dyke's voice then narrates the life story of the comic in flashbacks. Steve Allen plays himself and is the man who revives Billy's career towards the end of his life. Bright's life deteriorates as the bitter man becomes a drunk and abusive, alienating his wife Mary (Michele Lee). Van Dyke combines the characters of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel for his interpretation of the fictional character Billy Bright. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Michele Lee, (more)
Those who worried that the Disney studio would collapse without the presence of the late Uncle Walt were put at ease when the profits starting rolling in for The Love Bug. The "star" is Herbie, a lovable little Volkswagen with a personality all its own. Abused by a bad guy race-car driver (David Tomlinson), Herbie is rescued by a good guy racer (Dean Jones). Out of gratitude, Herbie enables the luckless good guy to win one race after another. The real fun begins when the ruthless hot-rodder connives to get Herbie back through fair means or foul. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, The Love Bug inspired two equally lucrative sequels, Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Michele Lee, (more)
- 1967
- Add How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to QueueAdd How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to top of Queue
Robert Morse recreated his Tony-winning stage role in this 1967 film version of Frank Loesser's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical. A humble window washer at the New York offices of World Wide Wickets, J. Pierpont Finch applies the lessons he's learned from a book called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to wangle his way to the top of the executive heap. Though advised by the mailroom supervisor (Sammy Smith) to keep a low profile and play things "The Company Way," Finch follows his own skewed set of rules, endearing himself to bombastic company president J. B. Biggely (Rudy Vallee) by posing as a graduate of Grand Old Ivy, Biggely's alma mater. As he climbs to the top, Finch manages to dispose of an over-amorous rival by arranging a tryst between that rival and curvaceous secretary Hedy LaRue (Maureen Arthur)--who happens to be Biggely's live-in girlfriend. Finch also gets rid of the troublesome Mr. Ovington (Murray Matheson) by exposing the latter as an alumnus of Old Ivy's hated rival university. Graduating to vice-president, Finch feels secure enough to sing the show's one genuine love song "I Believe In You"--to himself! Actually, he's really in love with true-blue secretary Rosemary (Michele Lee), but won't admit to this until he suffers a career setback. Most of Loesser's songs survived the transition from stage to screen, with the exception of "Paris Original," which is heard merely as background music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morse, Michele Lee, (more)
