Shelley Long Movies

One of several "Santa Goes to Jail" TV movies appearing during the Christmas season of 2002, The Santa Trap actually has roots going as far back as the 1909 D. W. Griffith one-reeler A Trap for Santa Claus. Transplanted from Connecticut to California, the Emerson family isn't too happy over the prospect of sweltering their way through the Yuletide season. In fact, Bill and Molly Emerson (Robert Hays, Shelley Long) are so displeased with their current plight that they tell their children that Santa Claus doesn't exist. Hoping to prove them wrong, the couple's precocious daughter Judy (Sierra Abel) sets up a Rube Goldberg-like trap in her living room--and sure enough, the little darling snares Santa himself (played by Dick Van Patten) a few hours into Christmas Eve. Naturally, Judy's parents assume that the jolly old elf is a burglar, and promptly have Santa arrested. Thus is set in motion a frantic comedy of errors involving the Emersons, the inept local constabulary, and a burned-out biker named Max (Stacy Keach) who hopes to break out of the slammer by impersonating St. Nick. The Santa Trap first aired December 13, 2002, over the PAX network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the concluding half of Frasier's ninth-season opener, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) continues mulling over the past loves of his life as he tries to choose between his current amours Claire (Patricia Clarkson) and Lana (Jean Smart). In a surrealistic climax, virtually all of Frasier's women from past episodes (most of them played by the actresses who originated the roles) converge upon him -- including his late mother. Originally telecast as a one hour-special (and moved from September 18, 2001, to September 25 due to network coverage of the 9/11 tragedy), this episode has since been reedited as two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shelly Long returns as the insufferably perky daytime talkshow host Dottie Wilcox. Though there's no love lost between Dottie and Murphy (Candice Bergen), that doesn't stop Dottie from inviting Murphy's son Avery (now played by Jackson Buckley, replacing Dyllan Christopher) to her own son's birthday party. The situation takes a bizarre twist when Murphy unearths some unsavory facts about Dottie's "outside" business ventures (This episode was clearly inspired by a then-current contretemps involving Dottie Wilcox's real-life counterpart, a woman with three names who used to do a TV show with a guy named Regis). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A fairly faithful remake of Disney's earlier feature of the same name, this version first aired on television. Gaby Hoffman stars as Annabelle, a girl who thinks her mother has an easy life. Her mother Ellen (Shelley Long) thinks Annabelle's life is the better of the two, and after an argument one Friday morning, the two magically switch personalities. After much mayhem and confusion, the two learn that the grass is not really greener on the other side of the fence. Actress-turned-director Melanie Mayron directed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast as a two-hour special (including a 25-minute retrospective of series highlights), the famous final episode of Cheers has since been re-edited as three separate half-hour installments for syndication. In the concluding 30 minutes of this fourth-highest-rated series finale in TV history, Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) have rekindled their romance and are on the verge of getting married. But this would require Sam to relocate to California -- and to close up Cheers. And what will become of the rest of the gang? Well, at least we know what happened to Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast as a two-hour special (including a 25-minute retrospective of series highlights), the famous final episode of Cheers has since been re-edited as three separate half-hour installments for syndication. In part two, Sam (Ted Danson) persuades Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) to pose as his wife during an evening out with his old heartthrob Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), who brings along a "husband" who is about as authentic as Sam's spouse. Although the evening is a disaster, it serves to rekindle the fires of passion between Sam and Diane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Fatal Memories is based on a true story. Shelley Long stars as a California woman whose repressed memories suddenly burst forth. She promptly accuses her father of murder that occurred 20 years earlier. Then she experiences flashes of recollection suggesting that her father was also a party to her preteen rape. Many questions are raised but few are resolved during the climactic courtroom sequence. The theory of Repressed Memory Syndrome is in such disrepute nowadays that it's likely a rebroadcast of Fatal Memories will be even more controversial than its original telecast on November 9, 1992. The film has been syndicated as The Eileen Franklin Story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The animated Christmas story Jingle Bells concerns a poor family headed by a father who sacrifices something the rest of the family wanted to keep in order to buy everyone a present. Luckily, Santa saves the day. This film features the voices of Don Knotts, Shelley Long, and Jason Alexander. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide