Helen Martin Movies

The third entry in the popular Beverly Hills Cop series finds Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returning yet again to Southern California, this time on the trail of two car thieves turned murderers. As he teams up again with L.A. cop Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), Foley's investigation leads him to Wonder World, a theme park that is also the front for a major counterfeiting ring. More action and less wit are the trademarks of this film, which features Murphy dishing out his usual wisecracks, but with less flair and freshness than in the original film. Alan Young plays the old man who runs the amusement park, an interesting setting that still adds little to the tired premise. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Raisin in the Sun is a 1989 TV adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 Broadway play (previously filmed in 1962). An African-American family hopes to use a $10,000 legacy left them by the family's late father to move out of the Chicago projects and into a white neighborhood. Spearheading the move is matriarch Esther Rolle, who wants to open more opportunity doors for herself and her family. Rolle's son Danny Glover is bitter about the move; he'd hoped to use the inheritance to open his own business. Most of the play involves the heated battles between the idealistic Rolle and the hostile Glover, who feels that moving into an all-white suburb will hinder rather than help his future. For the purposes of this version, a scene from the play that was removed during its original Broadway run is reinstated. Originally broadcast February 1, 1989, Raisin in the Sun was the eighth-season opener for PBS' American Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) is offended when his wife, Louise (Isabel Sanford), turns down an opportunity for the Jeffersons to host a marriage-enrichment seminar for newlyweds. He is also upset that the hosting chores have gone to his friendly rival, Tom Willis (Franklin Cover), and Tom's wife, Helen (Roxie Roker). But when Tom falls ill, George is given the opportunity to take his place -- whereupon he offers a stream of marital "advice" that nearly knocks Louise for a loop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Florida (Esther Rolle) is naturally nervous on the night before her bus-company physical. Unfortunately, this is one of those "typical" evenings in the Evans household when everything goes wrong -- culminating in Florida's son Michael (Ralph Carter) being tossed into jail. Originally slated to air on June 27, 1979, this episode was bumped up two weeks to July 11. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of Good Times' three-part sixth season opener, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) borrows heavily from neighborhood loan shark Sweet Daddy (Teddy Wilson) to finance the wedding between J.J.'s sister, Thelma (BernNadette Stanis), and football star Keith Anderson (Ben Powers). As the ceremony proceeds, it looks as if the Evans family will have ample reason to celebrate -- especially since Keith is on the verge of signing a lucrative contract with the Chicago Bears. But as the newlyweds race down the aisle after exchanging vows, disaster strikes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As a result of "waxy buildup," Fred (Redd Foxx) temporarily loses his hearing. After visiting the doctor, a cured Fred suddenly realizes that his ailment had earned him the undivided attention of his girlfriend Donna (Lynn Hamilton). Thus, Fred plays up his "deafness" to the hilt -- at least until his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) turns the tables on him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a plot line straight out of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, neighborhood wino Fishbone (Robert Guillaume), convinced that he hasn't got a friend in the world, staggers out of the local bar and into the night. The next thing he knows, Fishbone has been relieved of his wallet by another bum -- who is promptly killed in a traffic accident. The discovery of the wallet leads the Evans family to conclude that Fishbone himself is dead, leading to an eye-opening conclusion wherein the bilious boozer attends his own wake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Michael (Ralph Carter) begins doing research for a school term paper about the Communist party. But instead of heading to the public library, Michael writes a few letters of inquiry to the Cuban government. The results are both swift and terrible: Michael and the rest of the Evans family are targeted as a likely "security risk" by the FBI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eric Laneuville makes his first appearance as Daniel, newly adopted son of Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page). Upon learning that Daniel is an atheist, the pious Esther throws him out of the house. It is up to Fred (Redd Foxx) and Lamont (Demond Wilson) to convince Esther that Daniel's lack of faith is due to a lifetime of hard knocks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of Good Times' two-part fourth season opener, the Evans children try to come to grips with the fact that their father, James, has been killed in a traffic accident. At James' funeral, his widow, Florida (Esther Rolle), surprises one and all with her upbeat, almost festive behavior. Growing bitter over their mother's seeming callousness, the kids confront Florida and demand an explanation for her "inappropriate" laughing and joking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on actual events, The Phenix City Story tells the tale of a wide-open "Sin City" in Alabama (across a bridge from Columbus, GA, and just a stone's throw from the Ft. Benning Army base) where gambling, prostitution, and any number of other vices were tolerated openly by the law, most of it centered on the main downtown drag, 14th Street, thanks to the 50-year influence of organized crime on the local government. Reform groups, mostly in the form of vigilantes, had tried to clean up "the wickedest city in the United States" before, even taking the law into their own hands and wrecking some of the establishments, only to be stymied by the courts (which were otherwise indifferent to activities on 14th Street). At the outset of the movie, set in 1954 -- when the actual events took place -- a new reform group is trying to organize and attempting to get the city's most prominent attorney, Albert Patterson (John McIntire) on their side; so are the club owners on 14th Street, led by Rhett Tanner (Edward Andrews), a cheerful, affable sort with a mean streak not far from the surface. But Patterson wants no part of either side's activities -- he's been a reformer, even a successful candidate, only to see his efforts come to little, and has also successfully defended Tanner and the others on 14th Street in an investigation of a murder of which they weren't guilty. Now he's old, and he wants to sit back with his wife and enjoy the return of his army office/lawyer son, John (Richard Kiley), and his family from Germany. But when the 14th Street boys, led by Clem Wilson (John Larch), go too far beating up Patterson's friends, and involve his son John, and then turn to murder and intimidation, it forces the elder Patterson and his son to join the reformers.

The Phenix City Story runs 87 minutes, but most prints also include a 13-minute preface, compiled from newsreel footage and interviews with the original participants, that provides background on the events that inspired the film (and also spoils a few plot points). Ironically, given the negative image that it portrays of Alabama, the movie was surprisingly well-received in the state at the time; residents were simply fascinated by and taken with the notion of a feature film set in their home state and even including a couple of actual local residents in its cast. Director Phil Karlson was to enjoy even greater success 18 years later with a similar story about one man fighting a city turned bad, Walking Tall, which included many similarly staged action scenes amid its somewhat wider plot-canvas. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Recording star and rapper Master P is the executive producer, screenwriter, and co-star (with A.J. Johnson of The Players Club) of this comedy about two South Central Los Angeles scam artists operating a business in a vacant lot. Working out of their van, Black (Master P) and Blue (Johnson) deal in TV sets and boomboxes, but when a driver mistakenly drops off a cell phone shipment, Black and Blue are ready to dial "C" for cash, bringing in both a local hacker (Anthony Boswell) and sexy Sweet Lorraine (Gretchen Palmer). Business is on the upswing, but then a hood (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.) has a deal go sour and blames Black and Blue. A phone security man (Frantz Turner) and the FBI are also closing in. Rapper Ice Cube does a cameo. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Bill Duke directs this quirky film adaptation of Chester Himes' crime novel -- a heavily plotted gangster tale with a sweet love story hidden underneath. The film begins in Natchez, Mississippi in 1956. During a police shoot-out with the mob leader Slim's (Badja Djola) gang, Slim's moll Imabelle (Robin Givens) takes off with a cadre of stolen gold. As a result, Imabelle is chased by Slim's mob from Mississippi to New York. By the time she reaches Harlem, she is broke and has to figure out a way to ditch the trunk full of gold. She finds herself at the annual Undertaker's Ball, where she sees the big and dumb Jackson (Forest Whitaker), a bumbling undertaker's assistant. She spots Jackson as a mark that she can use as a cover and latches onto him immediately. She moves in with him to hide out, but Imabelle becomes taken with his innocence. For his part, Jackson falls head over heels in love with her. But the Mississippi mob catches up with her and takes her away. Jackson calls in his street-wise brother Goldy (Gregory Hines) to help him rescue Imabelle. Jackson fears that Imabelle has been kidnapped. But Goldy knows better -- he still agrees to help him but Goldy wants the gold for himself. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide