John Davey Movies

Blake Edwards comes a cropper in this lunk-headed slapstick homage to Laurel and Hardy, Mack Sennett, and Jerry Lewis. Ted Danson and Howie Mandell play Spence Holden and Dennis Powell, a couple of idiots who find themselves involved with a pack of gangsters. Spence is a two-bit actor who is at a racetrack location with his pal Dennis, when he overhears two small-time thugs, Wayne "Turnip" Parragella (Richard Mulligan) and Maurice "Binky" Drundza (Stuart Margolin), talk about doping a horse set to run a race. It turns out that Turnip and Binky are under orders to carry out the dastardly scheme by their underworld boss Tony Pazzo (Paul Sorvino). When Spence and Dennis are found out, they find themselves pursued all over the Los Angeles area by an angry Tony Pazzo mob in an ever-escalating series of races and chases, crashes and smashes, and shouting and screaming. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The humor in this Chevy Chase comedy lies solely in the eyes of the beholder. The comic plays Eddie Muntz, an arms dealer looking to make a big sale of war planes to a South American dictator. In order to do so, his girlfriend (Sigourney Weaver) has to sleep with the dictator and his friend (Gregory Hines) has to be convinced to do one more killing. Eddie's archenemy is Stryker (Vince Edwards) who wants to make that deal himself and will stop at nothing to obtain his ends. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In the 122nd and final episode of The Rockford Files, Jim Rockford (James Garner) heads to the small community of Parama for a peaceful fishing trip; instead, he ends up in the middle of a violent Mob power struggle Last episode. If only Jim hadn't agreed to cast a proxy vote for "Propostiion 46D", which will determined whether or not gambling will be legalized in Parama. Also enmshed in the intrigue is snoopy journalist Carrie Osgood (Sandra Kerns) and a shady Las Vegas entrepreneur named Belding (Joseph Sirola). And though Jim has come up against corrupt political officials in the past, those guys were saints compared to the villains in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the latest in a long line of outlandish get-rich-quick schemes, Angel (Stuart Margolin) poses as a hit man named "Mr. Jones" and accepts a $10,000 contract. Of course, Angel has no intention of killing anyone, and every intention of absconding with the money. But things quickly go sour when Angel's would-be victim is apparently murdered by someone else. Once again forced to extricate Angel from the mess he's gotten himself into, Jim (James Garner) discovers that both the US Navy and the Russian KGB have taken a special interest in the murder--and while he's trying to figure out why, Jim must also solve the mystery of his dad's stolen blue jeans. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Even though he barely makes enough money to cover his expenses and finds divorce cases (his bread and butter) unsavory, aging detective Ira Wells (Art Carney) is determined to stay active and to retain some amount of self-respect. When his partner Harry Regan (Howard Duff) is killed while on assignment, Ira agrees to take on his current case, although he can't see how it has anything to do with his friend's murder, which he is anxious to solve. In order to survive, by solving the case of his client's missing cat, and solving the murder of his friend, Ira winds up accepting a lot of help from his client Margo (Lily Tomlin). By the end of the film, it looks like an offbeat romance, or perhaps a new business partnership, is blooming. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Robert Altman's Three Women takes a surreal, improvisational and rather eerie look at the lives of three women in a western desert town. The plot centers around the youngest of the women, Pinky (Sissy Spacek), an eccentric, withdrawn woman trying to begin a new life. She finds work as an attendant at a hot springs spa catering to the elderly and infirm. There she befriends her co-worker Millie (Shelley Duvall), an equally strange but more outgoing woman; the two bond, and are soon sharing an apartment. Pinky becomes increasingly dependent on Millie, eventually adopting aspects of her personality and appearance. This obsessive attachment is threatened when Pinky discovers Millie with a man -- Edgar (Robert Fortier), the macho, faux-cowboy husband of local artist Willie (Janice Rule), the last of the title's three women. Pinky's subsequent, desperate actions precipitate the film's enigmatic conclusion, involving an unexpected series of confrontations and role reversals amongst the three women. This story tends to take a backseat to the elliptical, spooky imagery, particularly the desert landscapes, and the quirky performances -- not surprising, given that the film was reportedly shot without a full screenplay and inspired by Altman's own dreams. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

A group of radical student protestors intend to stage a spectacular demonstration against the use of bacteriological weapons. In preparation, they steal a cache of high-powered weapons. The next step: taking over a nuclear reactor and grabbing several hostages. The SWAT team must defuse the situation without triggering a nuclear holocaust. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ironside (Raymond Burr) searches for a resourceful burglar who has figured out a method of "taming" vicious guard dogs so that he can rob stores without interference. In order to flush out the villain, Ironside adopts his own dog and sets both himself and the pooch up as bait. With the preponderance of fierce-looking German shepherds and Doberman pinschers in this episode, one wonders how the actors got through their scenes without being ripped asunder after each take! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Colby (William Reynolds) go undercover as dockworkers during a bitter fisherman's strike. It is obvious that the Mob is stirring up all the trouble, the better to take over the fisherman's union. A key player in the intrigue is ruthless labor leader Big Julio, played by veteran movie heavy Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No). Much of this episode was filmed on location at Inyo Habor near Fort Bragg, California. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi