Gloria Manon Movies

We've been told that Poker Alice, a Boston-bred lady of means who managed a wild-west gambling hall and bordello in the 1870s, was based on a real person. She certainly seems real as portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in this made-for-TV film (Taylor's first). After winning her house of ill repute in a five-card stud game, Taylor finds true love in the form of bounty hunter Tom Skeritt. Also in hand is George Hamilton as Taylor's slick partner "Cousin John" (the original ads for this film billed Hamilton and Taylor as "The King and Queen of Hearts"). In addition, Susan Tyrrell shows up for a down-and-dirty cat fight with the feisty Taylor. Poker Alice rode into TV land on May 22, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Forced to take a brief leave of absence, Quincy (Jack Klugman) is none too pleased to find out that his temporary replacement, pathologist Gerry McCracken (Beverly Sassoon), performs a major autopsy on congressman Lawrence Bridges, who died in an apparent accident. When it appears that Dr. McCracken is rushing the procedure to satisfy the media's demand for a quick diagnosis, Quincy returns to LA to give the poor woman a hard time. Ultimately, however, Quincy and McCracken work in close harmony to prove that the volatile congressman was the victim of foul play. Watch for a young Dennis Haysbert in a small role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second of the feature-length Quincy, M.E. episodes produced for the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie anthology, medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman) performs an autopsy on Margo Bentley (Joanna Barnes), a novice writer who at the time of her death was working on a scandalous "roman a clef" about the Hollywood elite. Since the woman was suffering from cirrhosis, the police are quick to conclude that she died of alcoholism. But Quincy has a different diagnosis, one involving murder. While pursuing his own personal investigation, the feisty Quincy crosses the path of a fraudulent coroner--and ascertains a link between Margo's death and the murder of a New York literary agent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Assigned to the Southwest Division, Officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) nab a suspected peeping tom who turns out to be an innocent gas-meter reader. Elsewhere, the two cops extricate a furniture store owner who has become trapped in a doorway while repossessing a sofa, and try to mollify an extremely angry father. And there's a memorable incident involving a starving artist, an expired permit, and a questionable "masterpiece." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this horror tale, Ellen Hardy (Stella Stevens) shares a home with widow Gladys Armstrong (Shelley Winters). Ellen is engaged to marry Gladys' stepson, Sam Aller (Skip Ward). Ellen receives word that her brother and sister are soon to be released from a mental institution and need a place to stay; Ellen asks Gladys if they can live with them, and Gladys agrees. But Ellen hasn't told Gladys the whole truth. It seems that the siblings were institutionalized because their parents were murdered, and it was widely believed that they were responsible (though their guilt in the crime could not be proven). Not long after the now-teenage brother and sister move in with Ellen and Gladys, Gladys finds out about their secret -- and she is soon discovered brutally murdered. The kids, however, both claim that they had nothing to do with Gladys' death, and that the other must have done it. In the meantime, Ellen has to dispose of the body without raising suspicion, but after Ellen buries the corpse in the garden, the dog digs up a severed hand, and now Ellen must make sure the dog doesn't give away her family's ugly secret. The original version of The Mad Room included two songs by the pop group Nazz, which included songwriter, guitarist, and producer Todd Rundgren several years before he reached stardom as a solo artist; due to licensing restrictions, the songs do not appear on all video releases of the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide