Bruce Harmon Movies
- 1997
One of the most controversial (and widely-reported) stories of the early 1990s is vividly dramatized in this made-for-cable movie. In 1992, Allen Schindler, a navy sailor serving on the USS Belleau Wood, is savagely beaten to death while on leave in Japan. Allen's grieving mother Dorothy Hajdys-Holman (Bonnie Bedelia) becomes even more distraught when the representatives of the United States Navy refuse to provide her with full details on her son's murder. Then comes the ultimate shock: A newspaper reporter informs Dorothy that her son was gay, and that this might have been the reason he was killed. But if the Navy has anything to say about it, the entire matter will be swept under the rug, with Dorothy remaining as much in the dark as the rest of the world: A deal has already been cut with one of Allen's killers, who after a secret court-martial is given what amounts to a legal slap on the wrist. Radicalized by the incident and its aftermath, Dorothy joins forces with a crusading journalist to force the Navy to reveal the whole truth--and she isn't about to let the court-martial of Allen's other assailant to be conducted behind closed doors! The upshot of this high-profile case was the creation of the Service Members' Legal Defense Network, assuring that no branch of the armed services would ever again be able to conspire to cover up a major crime. Its title selected by the real-life Dorothy Hajdys-Holman, who served as the film's technical advisor (not surprisingly, the Navy refused to cooperate at all), Any Mother's Son made its Lifetime cable network debut on August 11, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
A stellar cast distinguishes this chillingly cautionary ABC Afterschool Special about the perils of drunk driving. Told in flashback, this is the tale of two couples: sensible Beth (Mare Winningham) and Tim (Lance Guest), and footloose Annie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Eric (Val Kilmer). The latter duo drink champagne on their first date, and continue imbibing at a dangerous rate during their subsequent double dates with Beth and Tim. Finally, Beth confronts Eric about his liquor problem, but he angrily blows her off -- with tragic results. Filmed several years before its network-TV debut in 1985, One Too Many has since become a staple of driver's-education classes throughout America. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mare Winningham, Lance Guest, (more)
- 1984
Often cited as a rip-off of such "parent-kid personality switch" films of the 1980s as Like Father, Like Son and Vice Versa, this ABC Afterschool Special actually predates those projects by several years. Summer camper Ben Andrews (Scott Schwartz) would like to be a grown-up. Ben's father, Bill Andrews (Robert Klein), a harried movie executive, yearns for the carefree days of childhood. Inevitably, Ben and Bill switch personalities, with uproarious results. Amazingly, no one seems to notice the switch, not even when 12-year-old Ben puffs away on a pipe while heading a movie conference, and middle-aged Bill totes a teddy bear all around summer camp. (One would think that the overacting of both stars would rather give the game away, but we shouldn't be seeking logic here, should we?) Summer Switch is based on a novel by Bruce Rodgers. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Klein, Scott Schwartz, (more)
