Joan McMurtrey Movies

Debuting January 1, 2006 on ABC, the hour-long crime drama In Justice was clearly inspired by recent instances wherein a number of innocent people sentence to death or life imprisonment had been freed with the help of concerned legal advocacy groups and new DNA evidence. Starring in this series was Kyle MacLachlan as David Swayne, a $650-dollar-per-hour corporate attorney who turned his back on his lucrative practice to create the National Justice Project, funded with $5 million of his own money. Swayne's mission in life was to re-examine old jury verdicts and reopen closed cases in order to give those whom he felt to be wrongly imprisoned a chance for freedom. Swayne and his team of investigators uncovered fresh evidence, persuaded the authorities to re-examine their original conclusions, and in some case actually tracked down the actual perpetrators of the crime at hand. Heading Swayne's team was former cop Charles Conti (Jason O'Mara), who was willing to tolerate the lawyer's many idiosyncracies in the case of justice. Conti's associate investigators included Sonya Quintano (Marisol Nichols), whose own brother had been sprung from prison as a result of the National Justice Project; Jon Lemonick (Daniel Cosgrove, the firm's resident know-it-all; and Brianna (Constance Zimmer), the youngest member of the group. In Justice was created by Michelle King and Robert King. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Early evidence indicates that the man found killed at a pottery store died while attempting to rob the establishment. But Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) soon discovers a link between this death and an unsolved kidnapping 16 years before. And, in another development, Sara (Jorja Fox) is convinced that a woman has died of spontaneous combustion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Psi Cop Bester (Walter Koenig) again solicits the help of his erswhile foe Captain Sheridan. This time, Best wants to stop a transport ship which is smuggling Shadow weapons. While Bester faces possible censure from his own colleagues, G'Kar faces a different challenge when he asks to join the Conspiracy of Light. And the Interstellar Network News returns to the air despite opposition from President Clark. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Ship of Tears" first aired the week of April 29, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Julia (Neve Campbell) and Justin (Michael Goorjian) feel both sad and guilty when their classmate Libby commits suicide--and also begin to wonder what the future holds in store for them. For her part, Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) thinks she has the answer to that question, and finally breaks up with Bailey (Scott Wolf), who has failed her once too often. Meanwhile, Charlie (Matthew Fox) is forced to do some serious soul-searching when an unpleasant secret comes to light during a reunion with his high school buddies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Philip (James Avery) decides that it is time Hilary (Karyn Parsons) learn something about financial responsibility--and to force the issue, he cancels all her credit cards. Compelled to look for a job, Hilary is hired by a catering firm (with the help of a largely fabricated resume), then persuades Will (Will Smith), Tyriq (Perry Moore), Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) and even Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell) to help her cater a fancy Bar Mitzvah. During the festivities, Hilary meets two of her school friends, both of whom have landed far better jobs than she does! It is up to a surprisingly compassionate Geoffrey to console our mortified heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A pair of lawyers must balance their professional principles (such as they are) against family loyalties in this courtroom drama. Jedediah Ward (Gene Hackman) is a leftist lawyer who has based his career on helping people avoid being taken for a ride by the rich and powerful; he's pursued principle at the expense of profit, though he has a bad habit of not following up on his clients after their cases are settled. Jed's daughter, Maggie (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), has had a bad relationship with her father ever since she discovered that he was cheating on her mother, and while she also has made a career in law, she has taken a very different professional route by working for a high-powered corporate law firm and has adopted a conservative political agenda. Jed is hired to help field a lawsuit against a major auto manufacturer whose station wagons have a dangerous propensity to explode on impact, but while his research indicates he has an all but airtight case against them, the case becomes more complicated for him when he discovers that Maggie is representing the firm he's suing. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this film, the small town of Clyde, Ohio is buzzing with excitement when it is said that the famous Roxy Carmichael is leaving her luxurious Hollywood life to return to her old hometown. Her return causes upheaval in the lives of family-man Denton Webb (Jeff Daniels), her old boyfriend, and an angst-ridden teen, Dinky Bossetti (Winona Ryder), who is convinced that Roxy Carmichael is her natural mother. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama set in LA during the '40s, an infamous Hollywood madam is arrested and mayhem ensues as the names of her famous patrons, among them government officials and policemen, are revealed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Gena Rowlands won an Emmy for her towering portrayal of former first lady Betty Ford. After surviving breast cancer, the feisty Ford earns the love and admiration of the entire country. This makes it all the harder for her to keep private her biggest personal battle -- against alcohol and prescription-drug addiction. Josef Sommer and Nan Woods co-star respectively as Gerald and Susan Ford in this sensitive but candid adaptation of Betty Ford's autobiography The Times of My Life. Made for television, The Betty Ford Story was first telecast on March 3, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Frank Sinatra makes a rare TV dramatic performance in the role of retired NYPD detective sergeant Michael Doheny. Engaging the services of Magnum (Tom Selleck) to locate a missing person, Doheny neglects to tell the detective that he is seeking vengeance against the dirtbag who kidnapped and murdered his 7-year-old granddaughter during his retirement party. Once Magnum tumbles to what Doheny is up to, he races against time to prevent the embittered detective from becoming a murderer. The audience response to this episode was so overwhelmingly positive that a followup was planned for the following season: alas, this followup was never filmed due to scheduling conflicts, and thus "Laura" represents the very last acting assignment for Frank Sinatra in any medium. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Veteran television writer-director Jerry Belson concocted this sweet comedy that stars Michael Caine as Sean Stein, a best-selling mystery novelist who's been constantly hurt by women he's fallen for. Sally Field plays Daisy Morgan, an artist who has not yet hit it big. She and Stein are at a museum party when a band of thieves arrive, tie up the guests, and proceed to pull off a heist. They are tied up together, which thrusts them into an unlikely romantic pairing. Because Daisy does not know who Stein is, he pretends that he, too, is a struggling artist. He distrusts women, because in the past, his ex-wife and other women pursued him solely for his money and fame. Steve Guttenberg and Peter Boyle play attorneys vying for Stein's money. Julie Kavner and Louise Lasser are among the fine supporting cast. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Cheated out of her fortune by a crooked business manager, former fashion model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) has but one asset to her name: the Blue Moon Detective Agency, an incredible unprofitable concern run by cocky P.I. David Addison (Bruce Willis). Maddie is all for liquidating the agency as quickly as possible, but David manages to flummox her into keeping it up and running. Though it is hate at first sight for the mismatched couple, Maddie and David almost immediately begin collaborating on a crimesolving career, beginning with the case of a dying client and a broken watch. Originally telecast as a single 97-minute "TV movie", this pilot episode of Moonlighting has since been divided into two hour-long segments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide