Mary McDonough Movies

The ER staff is galvanized by the brutal beating of Greene (Anthony Edwards) in the men's room. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is forced to make several difficult decisions involving the three men in her life. Carol (Julianna Margulies) accuses Ross (George Clooney) of giving preferential treatment to the child of a wealthy and influential family. Carter (Noah Wyle) and Benton (Eriq La Salle) forget their differences long enough to work together during a kidney transplant. And everyone is entranced by a sexy novel that has popped up mysteriously at the admittance desk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After Hunter (Fred Dryer) delivers the baby of runaway teenager Cheryl Donovan (Allison Smith), the grateful girl names her infant daughter after the detective. Shortly afterward, Cheryl turns up murdered--and of course Hunter feels honor-bound to investigate personally. It turns out that the dead girl had reneged on her deal with a crooked baby-breeding ring which sells off newborn infants for illegal adoptions...and that "Baby Hunter" is now an extremely high-priced and much sought-after commodity! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this black comedy, the mysterious death of the owner of an amusement park prompts his widow to sell the property to a group of mobsters, the DiMaurios. When the DiMaurios take over, they lower everyone's salary and fire the park's clown mascot, Bruce Burger (David Lander). With his job taken away, the clown loses it and begins to stage his revenge. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Teenagers enter a downhill skiing contest and end up stopping an avaricious, crooked resort owner from cheating their school in this adolescent adventure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A Wedding on Walton's Mountain has no John-Boy (Richard Thomas) or Olivia (Michael Learned),but does feature five regulars from the long-running TV series: Ralph Waite as John Walton, Ellen Corby as Grandma, Mary Elizabeth McDonough as Erin, Jon Walmsley as Jason and Judy Norton-Taylor as Mary Ellen. The year is 1947, and the wedding is Erin's, about to tie the knot with lumberman Paul Northridge (Morgan Stevens). Erin's ex-boyfriend (Louis Welch) threatens to gum up the works, but with the help and support of her family the girl is successfully wed. The first of several Waltons TV movies following the demise of the series in 1981, The Wedding on Walton's Mountain turned out to be an unexpected ratings magnet. It assured the Faithful that there would be many minings of the Waltons vaults for future made-for-TV specials--the most recent of these appearing in early 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this low-budget but inventive teen kung-fu melodrama, the diminutive, karate-chopping Lovely (Lucinda Dooling) is out to wreak vengeance on the drug thugs who killed her younger brother, and fortunately she is not alone. Her female karate class and the instructor (Susan Mechsner) are behind her all the way, most notably in the final scenes when a showdown between the kicking teen women and the heavy-duty gangsters almost brings down the docks. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In a shocking bit of counter-casting, Melissa Sue Anderson stars in this TV-movie shocker as Vivian Sotherland, a beautiful -- and wholly evil -- teenaged witch. Accustomed to eliminating anyone who gets in her way, Vivian has lovingly made certain that her sweetheart David Sterling (Patrick Cassidy) will not flunk out of high school through the simple expedient of killing all his teachers. Alas, the clueless David throws Vivian over in favor of a new girl in school, Robin Prentiss (Mary Beth McDonough). Fully prepared to add Robin to her ever-growing list of victims, Vivian is rather put out to discover that her romantic rival possesses a few supernatural powers of her own. Midnight Offerings was first broadcast February 27, 1981, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a couple tries to cope with the devastating aftermath of the wife's rape. The wife is terribly traumatized. The husband is unable to deal with it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Despite rumors that The Waltons would be canceled at the end of its seventh season, the series was back on the CBS docket for season eight in the fall of 1979. Although Richard Thomas had long since exited the role of John-Boy Walton, the character was revived during this season ever so gradually and carefully (reported missing in action in WW2, John-Boy is rescued in a comatose state, remaining largely incommunicado throughout most of the year), the better to unveil a new actor, Robert Wightman, in the role. Also returning after declaring her independence from the series is Michael Learned as John-Boy's mother Olivia, though only as a recurring rather than a regular character. Having contacted TB at the end of season seven, Olivia recovers sufficiently to return home, but only long enough to take a job as an army nurse, leaving her household responsibilities in the hands of her cousin Rose Burton (Peggy Rea), who arrives at Walton Mountain with grandchildren Serena (Martha Nix) and Jeffrey (Keith Mitchell) in tow. Another cast addition takes place when Walton son Ben (Eric Scott) and his wife Cindy (Leslie Winston) have a baby daughter named Virginia. By season's end, the population in the Walton home continues to fluctuate, with all four of the Walton sons in one branch or other of the military. But with things moving so rapidly, the war should be over any minute now! ~ All Movie Guide

John Boy, Ben, and the rest of the rosy-cheeked Walton clan are back for this Christmas-oriented heartwarmer, which involves the family's efforts to help two WWII refugees from England contact their mother. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Season five of The Waltons finds the people of Jefferson County, VA, seguing from 1936 to 1937, the latter year pinpointed when aspiring journalist John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas) covers the arrival -- and explosion -- of the dirigible Hindenburg in Lakehurst, NJ. No, John-Boy has not landed a job at one of the big-city rags; frustrated with being a mere employee, he has launched his own local newspaper, the "Blue Ridge Chronicle." No sooner has the first issue gone to press than John-Boy finds himself up to his neck in controversy, thanks to his decision to warn the locals of the ever-growing Nazi threat in Germany by publishing excerpts of Hitler's Mein Kampf. Meanwhile, John-Boy's sister Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) is now a student nurse, nearly ending her medical career before it begins by making a potentially fatal prescription error. On a somewhat happier note, Mary Ellen is being squired by several handsome young doctors, one of whom, David Spencer, asks her to become his bride. But just before the wedding ceremony, Mary Ellen realizes her heart belongs to Dr. Curt Willard (Tom Bower), and it is he to whom she ultimately says "I do." Elsewhere on the romantic scene, Mary Ellen's younger sister Erin (Mary Beth McDonough) impulsively elopes with a former boyfriend; eventually she comes to her senses and returns home, just in time to graduate from high school. As for the other Walton men, dad John (Ralph Waite) has a falling out with wife Olivia (Michael Learned) -- and everyone else in the family, for that matter -- when he refuses to be baptized; rebellious son Ben (Eric Scott) once again looks for work outside the family's lumber mill; and idealistic son Jason (Jon Walmsley), sensing that the war clouds are gathering in Europe, joins the National Guard. In the last episode of the season, John-Boy leaves Virginia and heads to New York in hopes of getting his novel published -- and thus does series regular Richard Thomas leave The Waltons as a regular, though he will return for a trio of guest appearances in season six. ~ All Movie Guide