Howard Mann Movies

Debra Messing stars in this primetime comedy/drama based on the Emmy award winning mini-series of the same name. It focuses on the frequently wild experiences of Molly Kagan, once the wife of Hollywood royalty and now, a frantic divorcee struggling to figure out life on her own terms. Molly is faced with nothing but firsts, from raising her seven year old daughter Jaden as a single mom, to starting up a career in her 40's. The waters usually seem rough, but she's determined to stay focused on her future - even when her past keeps landing her in court. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

It's all about automobiles on this week's Seinfeld. Puddy (Patrick Warburton) has been promoted to car salesman, and Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) plans to take advantage of this turn of events. Kramer (Michael Richards) subjects a used car to his tortuous "daily routine" during a test drive. George (Jason Alexander) goes ballistic when a Twix bar refuses to drop out of the vending machine in an auto-dealership garage. And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) breaks up with Puddy once again. (Well, maybe it's not all about automobiles this week.) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the concluding episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's two-part Season Four opener (originally seen as part of a single hour-long telecast), Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) discovers to his horror that his "dream girl" Jackie (Tyra Banks) is actually an old Philadelphia acquaintance of his cousin Will (Will Smith). This leads to a brawl between our two heroes, whereupon they are evicted from their tiny apartment and forced to move back into the Banks home, much to the dismay of Carlton's dad Philip (James Avery). Meanwhile, Hilary (Karyn Parsons) pressures Trevor (Brian Stokes Mitchell, in his final series appearance) into delivering a "very special" wedding proposal--which proves to be the last thing he will ever do! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

People magazine Jeff Jarvis appears at the outset of this second episode in a four-part story arc, bringing viewers up to date with the events of the previous week. Earlier, David (Bruce Willis) had been concerned that Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) was unusually depressed. Now, it turns out that Maddie has renewed her romance with her old friend Sam Crawford (Mark Harmon)--and it is David's turn to be down in the dumps. A subsequent detective assignment involving the equally downhearted Elaine Johnson (Caitlin Clarke) helps matters not at all. Reportedly, it was this episode that won series star Bruce Willis an Emmy award. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The two-hour debut episode of Murder, She Wrote finds former substitute teacher Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) reluctantly thrust into the limelight when her first mystery novel, "The Corpse Danced at Midnight," becomes a best-seller. Invited to a costume ball held by her publisher, Jessica comes face to face with a genuine murder when guest Dexter Baxendale (Dennis Patrick), wearing a Sherlock Holmes costume, turns up dead. Suspicion immediately falls upon Jessica's nephew Grady (Michael Horton), forcing our heroine to turn sleuth herself. Throughout the story, the widowed Jessica must also wrestle with her growing attraction to handsome Preston Giles (Arthur Hill). Watch for future Murder, She Wrote semi-regular Herb Edelman in a role other than Lt. Artie Gelber, and also for a young Andy Garcia in a bit part as a tough guy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Elliott Hong directs Johnny Yune in the martial arts comedy They Call Me Bruce? Yune plays an immigrant who everyone refers to as "Bruce," because he reminds everyone of Bruce Lee. Bruce unknowingly works for a gangster making cocaine drop-offs. The film shows Bruce interacting with a variety of American stereotypes, and then figuring out how his bosses are using him. ~ Perry Seibert, 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 a semi-remake of the third-season episode "Take Him, He's Yours"--which, appropriately, is referenced in this episode!--Tommy (Philip McKeon) again spends a few days in the home of Mel (Vic Tayback). Knowing her boss' low patience threshold, Tommy's mom Alice (Linda Lavin) places a bet that Mel will ultimately kick the boy out. In turn, Mel bets Alice that she won't be able to resist spying on her son--which she does, dressed in a rabbit costume!. This is the final episode of Alice's fourth season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Diane Ladd makes her Alice debut in this episode as Belle Dupree, the waitress hired by Mel to replace the departed Flo (ironically, Ms. Ladd had created the role of Flo in the series' feature-film prototype Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore). The Mississippi-born Belle had worked for Mel in the past, and he fondly recalls her as "one of the best waitresses I've ever had" (though he might have been swayed by her looks rather than her talent). Little does he know that Belle is merely biding her time until she can realize her dream of writing country-western songs. One of these, which is performed by Diane Ladd, is titled "Uncle Bud", and the actual composer is Preston P. Ladner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Well, folks, here's the moment you've all been waiting for: the obligatory Laverne and Shirley "amnesia" episode. Having lost her memory thanks to a bump on the noggin, Shirley (Cindy Williams) thinks that she is actually a famous stripper named Roxy. Taking advantage of the situation, Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David L. Lander) book "Roxy" to perform at a lodge smoker. Rushing to her roommate's rescue, Laverne (Penny Marshall) ends up "taking it off"--purely by accident! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi