Robert Lieb Movies

Lauren Holly plays the hasn't-got-a-clue heroine of the made-for-cable melodrama Dangerous Heart. When her policeman husband is killed, the grieving wife seeks comfort and companionship. She falls for the line dispensed by slick Timothy Daly, never dreaming that her new beau is the man responsible for her husband's death. Daly is only after the money stolen from him by Holly's late husband, and he isn't particular as to how to get it. The suspenseful denouement of Dangerous Heart helps one to forget the conspicuous lack of logic in the establishing scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, the Tanners spend Thanksgiving with the Ochmoneks, where they are forced to endure the--er--eccentricities of Trevor (John LaMotta) and Raquel's (Liz Sheridan bizarre relatives. Meanwhile, Flakey Pete (David Ogden Stiers), the tramp to whom ALF gave all of Willie's good clothes, repays the favor by ratting on ALF to the Alien Task Force. This episode was evidently intended to be shown in a single one-hour installment, but was instead telecast as a two-parter on two consecutive evenings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While the Watergate scandal filled the headlines, Alan J. Pakula's 1974 thriller took its inspiration from the conspiracy theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination. Journalist Joe Frady (Warren Beatty) misses witnessing the assassination of a senator at Seattle's Space Needle, but his newswoman former girlfriend Lee Carter (Paula Prentiss) was there. Even after a government commission concludes that it was a freak lone assassin, Lee tells Joe that she fears for her life since other witnesses keep dying. After she too turns up dead, Joe investigates, travelling to the small town where another witness has mysteriously expired. Stumbling on a corporate identity for the killers, Joe decides to dig deeper by infiltrating the Parallax Corporation as one of their hired assassins. As Joe becomes increasingly isolated in his assumed identity, he discovers what Parallax is all about -- but Parallax knows all about Joe too. Made between Klute (1971) and All the President's Men (1976), The Parallax View was the second film in Pakula's "paranoia" trilogy; it proved too dark even for a 1974 audience that embraced such other challenging films of that year as The Godfather, Part II and Chinatown, making The Parallax View the sole flop of Pakula's trilogy. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Warren Oates guest stars as Richie Billings, a professional thief who ends up the only survivor of a bloody armored car robbery. As he escapes to Canada with $50,000 in stolen money, Billings undergoes a radical personality change--and it may not be for the better. It is up to the FBI's Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist to prevent the "new" Billings from wreaking any more havoc. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gore Vidal's best-selling satiric novel gets an inarguably unique screen treatment in this off-center psycho-sexual farce. Fussy film buff Myron Breckinridge (Rex Reed) goes to Europe and gets a sex-change operation from a slovenly chain-smoking doctor (John Carradine) and returns to the United States as the glamorous and willful Myra Breckinridge (Raquel Welch). Myra appears at the door of former cowboy star-turned-acting school entrepreneur Buck Loner (John Huston), who also happened to be Myron's uncle; Myra insists she's Myron's widow and demands her fair share of Loner's inheritance to her late husband. Loner, suspicious of the appearance of Myron's bride, tries to find a way out of giving her any of his money, while giving Myra a job in his acting school to keep her busy. Myra's new career allows her to make the acquaintance of Leticia Van Allen (Mae West), an aging sexpot and talent agent who represents "leading men only." Through Leticia, Myra meets alpha-male aspiring star Rusty Godowsky (Roger Herren) and his naïve girlfriend Mary Ann Pringle (Farrah Fawcett); as part of her own bid to ferment sexual anarchy, Myra attempts to introduce Mary Ann to the pleasures of lesbianism, while forcibly expanding Rusty's sexual boundaries. In the midst of the action, director Michael Sarne uses clips from dozens of vintage Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s as a comic counterpoint to the story. Both Gore Vidal and Rex Reed expressed their dissatisfaction with Myra Breckinridge after the film hit theaters, though Vidal has also claimed not have seen the finished product; the film has gone on to develop a devoted cult following, despite the fact the film's only authorized video release has been out of print since the late '70s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this uneven comedy, Abner (Don Knotts) is the editor of a bird-watching magazine who is the victim of a hostile corporate takeover by Osborn Tremaine (Edmond O'Brien). When Abner returns from a bird-watching excursion to Brazil, he finds his publication has been purchased for the fourth-class mailing permit. Osborn turns the publication into a girlie magazine and puts his wife Elanor (Maureen Arthur) on the front cover. Still listed as an editor, Abner becomes The Love God as the public perceives him as a Hugh Hefner-like character, epitomizing the life of a swinging bachelor playboy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Minister Sam (Andy Griffith) and his wife Mary Elizabeth (Lee Meriweather) move to a Kansas town divided by political concerns that stall the town's progress. Will Sinclair (Henry Jones) and Alex Gresham (Edgar Buchanan) have allowed a long-standing family argument to impede the progress of the small rural community. Sam must contend with his mother-in-law (Kay Medford) and his wild brother-in-law Bubba (Jerry Van Dyke) when Bubba sets up a moonshine still in the church basement with the help of his friend Calvin (Parker Fennelly). Art Shields (Gary Collins) is the ambitious young country lawyer who runs for mayor in hopes of bringing peace to the families, and he works for the best interests of the divided community. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The "Prince of a Guy" in this episode is none other than Prince Charming (William Bassett), whom little Tabitha has brought to life from her storybook. Upon meeting the handsome prince, Larry immediately hires him as a male model, which results in a dilemma when it turns out that imaginary characters can't be photographed. As if that wasn't crisis enough, the prince has fallen in love with a "real" woman named Helen (Louise Glenn). Also known as "A Prince for a Day," this episode was written by Ed Jurist, and first aired on February 8, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Elvis Presley plays Scott Heyward, the son of a Texas oil millionaire in this thin storyline. Scott changes places with the poor but honest water-skiing instructor Tom Wilson (Will Hutchins) to find out if women love him for himself or his money. Tom goes to the posh penthouse previously occupied by Scott, and Scott takes over as the instructor. Scott's father Duster (James Gregory) blows a gasket when he finds out what his son is doing. Boat builder Sam Burton (Gary Merrill) talks Scott into driving his new boat in the big race. Elvis delivers 8 songs in one of the more lackluster vehicles of his 1960s film catalogue. A bevy of beauties, some exciting race scene, and glossy production all help this one across the finish line. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this spoof of the then-current "spy craze", Fort Courage becomes a hotbed of espionage intrigue when Agarn (Larry Storch) is chosen to test a new secret bulletproof vest. Before long, the vest is stolen, and the prime suspect is slinky female spy Lorelai Duval (Abbe Lane). Pat Harrington Jr. gives a standout performance as bumbling, gadget-laden superspy B. Wise, a dead-on takeoff of Get Smart star Don Adams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To prevent his sweetheart in Pasaic, New Jersey from marrying a horse-car conductor, Agarn (Larry Storch) sends the girl a letter claiming that he has killed the infamous Apache warrior Geronimo (Mike Mazurki). Alas, Agarn sets him self up for a scalping when Geronimo learns of the deception and goes on the warpath again. Jackie Joseph, then the wife of series regular Ken Berry, appears as Agarn's girlfriend Betty Lou MacDonald. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this goofy comedy, an architect discovers that a recently purchased antique bottle is the home of a jovial but vexing genie who is more than willing to destroy anyone who would oppose or annoy his new master. This creates problems for the architect as he is more interested in impressing his in-laws-to-be than having his wishes granted. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Ben Wister (Fess Parker), sheriff of the small town of Linvale, is besieged by phone calls from the widowed Mrs. Logan (Phyllis Thaxter), who insists that her next-door neighbor Harry Jarvis (Gary Merrill) has murdered his wife and buried her in his backyard. When Wister investigates, Jarvis tells him that his wife has walked out on him, and that he had dug a hole in his yard to bury his dead dog. Further investigation would seem to prove Jarvis' innocence -- a turn of events that has a mighty interesting effect on Mrs. Logan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide