Renee Lippin Movies

Evidently having seen Misery once too often, Frasier is convinced that his "number one fan," Kari (Renee Lippin), has begun stalking him. As a result, he fears for his life, especially during the upcoming SeaBee award ceremony. At wit's end, Frasier hires a bodyguard -- who turns out to be a gorgeous woman. As any dyed-in-the-wool Frasier fan will tell you, the identity of the "guest voice" in this week's episode has special significance: This particular actor had been the first choice for the role of Frasier Crane back in the old Cheers days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the book by Meg Wolitzer, This Is My Life is the directorial debut for Nora Ephron, who adapted the script with sister, Delia Ephron. Dottie Engels (Julie Kavner) is a single mother with aspirations of becoming a standup comedian. When her Aunt Harriet dies, Dottie gets an apartment in Manhattan with her daughters, teenaged Erica (Samantha Mathis) and ten-year-old Opal (Gaby Hoffmann). Soon, Dottie's career is taking off and her agent, Claudia Curtis (Carrie Fisher), gets her on a comedy tour. Everything seems to work out well for Dottie, except that her daughters are left without a mother. Erica, who has just started dating Jordan (Danny Zorn) gets especially mad when she hears Dottie talking about her personal information on a talk show. The two girls are further upset with their mother's choice for a boyfriend, Arnold Moss (Dan Aykroyd). Eventually, Erica and Opal try to track down their real father, Norm (Louis di Banco), in upstate New York. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Woody Allen's gentle and nostalgic tribute to the glory days of radio and coming-of-age during World War II plays like Fellini's Amarcord filtered through Neil Simon. The nominal star is Seth Green as Joe, a teenage Jewish boy, growing up with a house full of relatives in Brooklyn. Allen cuts between Joe's working class neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, Queens, and the glittery and glamorous world of radio in Manhattan. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Woody Allen's tenth film as writer/director, Stardust Memories opens with a scene reminiscent of the opening of 8 1/2 and continues to use that film for inspiration. Sandy Bates (Allen) sits in a train at a train station, the car filled with very unhappy looking people. In a train on another set of tracks, Bates sees a wonderful party going on. A beautiful woman blows him a kiss as the happy train pulls out of the station. Bates is a famous film director who has been invited to attend a festival of his work being held at the Stardust hotel. He attends the event, but is ceaselessly harassed by fans who accost him and repel him in equal measure. While consistently hearing the complaints from fans, critics, and even space aliens that his earlier comedies are superior to his dramatic work, Bates juggles a trio of women in his private life. His encounters during the course of the retrospective force Bates to take a long look at himself. Sharon Stone makes one of her first film appearances as the woman who blows Sandy a kiss. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Emily feels that Bob's weight workshop could use a motivational speaker. Pressed into service is Bob's secretary, Carol, who tells her story of how she lost one hundred pounds after graduating "magna cum lard" from high school. Unfortunately, Carol's words result more in perspiration than inspiration. Also appearing are Cliff Osmondas Leonard de Paolo and Marcia Lewis as Louise Gross. First telecast on October 11, 1975, "The Heavyweights" was written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Howard is worried that his son, Howie, will not accept Ellen as his new mother. In his usual bumbling fashion, Howard does a "Vertigo," attempting to mold Ellen into a perfect parent. Despite Howard's concerted efforts, Howie seems to take an automatic dislike to Ellen. Bob, as usual, is stuck in the middle of the fray. Future Three's Company star John Ritter appears as Dave. Written by Charlotte Brown, "Sorry, Wrong Mother" initially aired on October 12, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the occasion of her 29th birthday, Carol quits her job, feeling unfulfilled as a woman. Before long, Carol has joined Bob's group-therapy session, with results better seen than described. Though essentially a showcase for series regular Marcia Wallace, this episode benefits from the comic knowhow of supporting players Jill Jaress, Don Barrow, and Jack Bender. First telecast January 13, 1973, "The Crash of 29 Years Old" was written by Charlotte Brown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season two of The Bob Newhart Show got under way with an episode focusing on Dr. Hartley's therapy group. Determined to publicly air their neuroses, Bob's patients want to hold their next session on a TV discussion show. Only Bob is against the idea, and of course, his instincts are right on target. Jack Riley stands out in the huge supporting cast as Mr. Carlin. Written by Charlotte Brown, "The Last TV Show" first aired on September 15, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The ever-rising cost of living has forced Bob to increase his rates. Unfortunately, he chooses the worst possible time to inform his therapy group that he's raising their fees. The group rebels en masse -- and that's hardly the end of Bob's dilemma. In addition to the usual aggregation of "patients," Henry Corden appears as Mr. Nenn. Written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, "Mutiny on the Hartley" first aired on November 10, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Up The Sandbox is a complex and difficult film, and it is ambiguous on many points, particularly on whether the protagonist Margaret Reynolds (Barbara Streisand) is a women's liberationist, a closet lesbian, or a masochist. Based on the novel by Anne Richardson Rolphe, it follows Margaret's attempts to tell her husband that she is pregnant with yet another child. The everyday events of her life are punctuated by numerous and complex fantasy sequences which reveal her fears and her desires. It is clear that she is afraid that she and her husband Paul (David Selby) are growing apart -- and that he may be having an affair. Despite the increasingly elaborate and frantic nature of her fantasies, her disclosure, when she finally makes it, has happy results. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Screenwriter Ernest Lehman, whose credits include the screenplays for North by Northwest, Sabrina, West Side Story, and The Sweet Smell of Success, made a less than distinguished debut as a director with this adaptation of Philip Roth's controversial novel about Alexander Portnoy (Richard Benjamin), a Jewish man who, during a session with his analyst, goes on one long tirade after another about his family, his childhood, his sexual fantasies and desires, his problems with women, and his obsession with his own Judaism. If ever there was a novel that by its nature would defy accurate presentation onscreen, this was it; but for all its flaws, Portnoy's Complaint does feature a few good performances, most notably Karen Black as Portnoy's Gentile lust object, "The Monkey," Jeannie Berlin as the memorably named local slattern Bubbles Girardi, and Jill Clayburgh as Naomi, a woman Portnoy meets in Israel. Lehman never directed again. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide