Phil Leeds Movies

Ubiquitous character actor Phil Leeds guests in this episode as Blackie Sorrell, the ne'er-do-well brother of Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam). Though Buddy has tried to keep it a secret, it seems that the black sheep of the Sorrell clan is a hustling pool shark. Unaware of Blackie's reputation, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) invites him to dinner -- and when he witnesses Blackie's seeming ineptitude at the pool table in the Petrie den, Rob foolishly tries to hustle a game himself. Naturally, he loses big-time -- in fact, his household account is depleted -- but it turns out that Blackie gulled Rob merely to teach Buddy a valuable lesson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In Roman Polanski's first American film, adapted from Ira Levin's horror bestseller, a young wife comes to believe that her offspring is not of this world. Waifish Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her struggling actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes), move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and only elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castevet (Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon) soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building; despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, Guy starts spending time with the Castevets. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Minnie starts showing up with homemade chocolate mousse for Rosemary. When Rosemary becomes pregnant after a mousse-provoked nightmare of being raped by a beast, the Castevets take a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castevets' circle is not what it seems. The diabolical truth is revealed only after Rosemary gives birth, and the baby is taken away from her. Polanski's camerawork and Richard Sylbert's production design transform the realistic setting (shot on-location in Manhattan's Dakota apartment building) into a sinister projection of Rosemary's fears, chillingly locating supernatural horror in the familiar by leaving the most grotesque frights to the viewer's imagination. This apocalyptic yet darkly comic paranoia about the hallowed institution of childbirth touched a nerve with late-'60s audiences feeling uneasy about traditional norms. Produced by B-horror maestro William Castle, Rosemary's Baby became a critically praised hit, winning Gordon an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Inspiring a wave of satanic horror from The Exorcist (1973) to The Omen (1976), Rosemary's Baby helped usher in the genre's modern era by combining a supernatural story with Alfred Hitchcock's propensity for finding normality horrific. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Crime doesn't take a holiday on Christmas Eve, and detectives Kojak (Telly Savalas) and Stavros (Demosthenes) have plenty to keep them busy. For starters, there's a gun-wielding man on the loose, determined to kill his cheating wife--and anyone else who gets in his way. At the same time, Stavros tries to help a young girl search for her boyfriend, who is likewise heavily armed and very dangerous. Keep an eye out for two future stars, John Larroquette and Edward James Olmos), in very minor roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Edith becomes a celebrity when she saves the life of old Mr. Kleever (Phil Leeds) at the Sunshine Rest Home. She is even lauded with a medal, which is presented in front of a vast TV audience. Should anyone be surprised that Archie feels overshadowed -- and has become intensely jealous? Written by Mel Tolkin and Larry Rhine, "Mr. Edith Bunker" made its first CBS network appearance on November 27, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Panic reigns in the Bunker household when an insurance-company physical reveals that Archie has a spot on his liver. Convinced that he is at death's door, Archie disconsolately retires to his bedroom to await the inevitable. The ubiquitous Phil Leeds appears as Mrs. Stanley. Written by Nate Monaster, "End in Sight" originally aired on October 1, 1978, holding its own in the ratings despite the formidable competition of the NBC miniseries Centennial. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mel Brooks produced, directed, wrote, and starred in this episodic comedy in the spirit of Monty Python and the 1957 studio travesty The Story of Mankind. The film is divided into five sequences that play like blue-toned Eddie Cantor vaudeville sketches -- "The Dawn of Man," "The Stone Age," The Spanish Inquisition," "The Bible," and "The Future." Also included is a Brooksian depiction of The Last Supper and a long-winded sequence about the French Revolution. The film starts with a 2001: A Space Odyssey parody, narrated by Orson Welles, in which a collection of ape-men learn to stand erect (in more ways than one). The Stone Age reveals the origins of both the first homo sapien and homosexual marriages. Brooks then appears in an Old Testament sequence as Moses, descending from Mount Sinai with three heavy stone tablets bearing the 15 Commandments; after he drops one of these tablets, the laws of God become 10 Commandments. The Roman period picks up with Brooks as Comicus, attempting to get a gig as a "stand-up philosopher" at Caesar's Palace. The Spanish Inquisition is a musical production number with monks torturing Jews to lively Broadway musical strains. The final French revolution section is a broad parody of The Man in the Iron Mask story. The film closes with coming attractions of "History of the World, Part II" that features a rousing Star Wars parody (anticipating Space Balls) called "Jews in Space" that includes a jaunty theme song. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In this horror spoof, after not paying his yearly taxes, Dr. Frankenstein is in danger of being kicked off of the family estate. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Jack Gilford) guest stars as Marty Ratner, an old flame of caustic, chain-smoking court matron Selma (Selma Diamond). Marty wants to make up for lost time and whisk Selma off to Florida, but she's heard that song before. Meanwhile, in Harry's absence, the courtroom is presided over by Judge Arnold Koppelson (Phil Leeds), who proves to be an excellent replacement in every respect save one: He's not really a judge! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The sequel to Saturday the 14th, this horror-comedy traces the adventures of nice-guy teen Eddie Baxter (Jason Presson) as he saves the world from the brink of supernatural destruction. After moving into a decrepit, inherited mansion with his family -- a collection of oddballs who eat nothing but junk food yet cling to a Leave It to Beaver sense of normalcy -- Eddie is the only one to notice the mysterious mists that spill up from the basement and engender odd behavior in everyone but himself and lovable old Gramps (Ray Walston). The entire family, from Eddie's dad (Avery Schreiber) to his freeloading Aunt Alice (Rhonda Aldrich), soon begins conducting late-night chocolate-fudge sculpture classes in the kitchen. Chairs begin eating people, Aunt Alice spouts werewolf-style facial hair, and monsters begin issuing forth from a crack in the basement floor. Soon, a leggy blond vampire named Charlene (Pamela Stonebrook) has taken up residence in the Eddie's room; she tells the boy he's set to inherit the mantle of darkness from a fiend known as The Evil One (Leo V. Gordon) at the stroke of midnight on Saturday the 14th. As signs and portents proliferate, Eddie must decide whether to reject temptation or bask in his newfound powers. Help arrives unexpectedly in the form of Leonard Cavendish (Phil Leeds), Gramps' deceased best friend. Saturday the 14th Strikes Back co-star Avery Schreiber spent much of the '80s being distracted by the hearty crunch of Doritos snack chips in a long-running series of TV commercials. Audiences will remember Ray Walston from his role as Uncle Martin in the '60s TV show My Favorite Martian, while veteran comedy player Phil Leeds would go on to play tooth-obsessed Judge Happy Boyle on the '90s Fox comedy Ally McBeal. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Ron Silver stars as Herman, a Holocaust survivor who believes that his wife Tamara (Anjelica Huston) perished in the concentration camps. He marries fellow immigrant Yadwiga (Margaret Sophie Stein), whose family sheltered him from the Nazis, and resettles in the Coney Island area of New York. Not all that devoted to Yadwiga, Herman begins an affair with Masha (Lena Olin), who becomes pregnant by him. Reasoning that, since Yadwiga is a gentile, his marriage is not legal in the eyes of his religion, Herman marries Masha as well. The triangle metamorphoses into a quadrangle when Tamara, who was not killed after all, reappears. Olin and Huston were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Elmore Leonard's brittle novel is brought to the screen in this adaptation by director Abel Ferrara and screenwriter James Borrelli. Peter Weller plays George Moran, a Miami hotel owner who in times past fought in Santo Domingo during the American intervention into that country. George finds himself drawn back to Santo Domingo to try to find a woman who had given him the moniker of Cat Chaser. Instead of the woman he is looking for, George finds Mary (Kelly McGillis), and as it comes to all men, George ends up having a passionate affair with Mary -- so passionate, in fact, that Mary announces to her husband Andres (Tomas Milian) that their marriage is over. Unfortunately for Mary and George, Andres, who at one point in the past was the head of the Santo Domingo secret police, has other ideas concerning the dissolution of their marriage. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

ALF sneaks into a retirement home on Valentine's Day, in hopes of meeting his favorite old-time movie star Virginia Russell (Frances Bay). As he mingles with the other senior citizens, ALF lifts their spirits and renews their energy--to the point that they're all behaving as if they were young again. Though not an official spoof of the movie Cocoon, this episode comes mighty close! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi