Anne Meara Movies
Anne Meara started out and ended up a distinguished dramatic actress--and in between, scored high marks as a comedienne, playwright and screenwriter. Launching her career in summer stock in 1950, Meara won an Obie Award for her intensely dramatic performance in the 1955 off-Broadway production Maedchen in Uniform; during this period, she was also a semi-regular on the NBC TV daytime soaper The Greatest Gift. Auditioning for an opera in 1954, she met another struggling actor, Jerry Stiller; they were married the following year. Forming the comedy team of Stiller & Meara, The team skyrocketed to stardom via their many appearances on such 1960s variety series as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Steve Allen Show. One of their richest sources of material was the difference in their ethnic backgrounds, especially in their famous "Hershey Horowitz/Mary Elizabeth Doyle" routines (an Irish Catholic, Meara converted to Judaism upon her marriage to Stiller). They also appeared together on Broadway, in the supporting cast of the 1971 sitcom The Paul Lynde Show, and in an obscure 1975 syndicated TV comedy "filler" series Take Five With Stiller and Meara. On her own, Meara has provided comic and noncomic support to several films, including Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), The Out-of-Towners (1970) and Fame (1980). She starred in the 1975 TV lawyer series Kate McShane, and co-starred as tavern owner Mae on The Corner Bar (1973), divorced airline stewardess Sally Gallagher on the 1976-77 season of Rhoda, acid-tongued cook Veronica Rooney on Archie Bunker's Place (1979-83), and mother-in-law Dorothy Halligan on Alf (1987). In 1983, Meara won the Writers Guild "outstanding achievement" award for her script for the made-for-TV feature Another Woman, and ten years later was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Marthy in the Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie. Anne Meara is the mother of comic actor Ben Stiller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2009
Linny enlists Ming-Ming and Tuck to help rescue an Old White Mouse at her grandma's nursing home. ~ Sarah Block, All Movie Guide
Devastated after being fired by director Woody Allen, actress Annabelle Gurwitch sets out on a soul-searching journey to discover whether getting the axe was the best or worst thing ever to happen in her professional career. Anyone who has been in the workforce for an extended amount of time has likely been there -- one minute you've got a good-paying job that you love, and the next minute you're standing in the unemployment line. When Annabelle Gurwitch got fired by the legendary director of such classics as Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo, she thought her career was over. Upon turning to her many showbiz pals for advice, however, Gurwitch quickly discovered that she was not alone. In this documentary, Gurwitch enlists the aid of filmmakers Chris Bradley and Kyle La Brache in traveling the country to interview such celebrities as Tim Allen, David Cross, Sarah Silverman, and Jeff Garlin to find out exactly how they dealt with the heavy hand of rejection. Additional interviews with GM workers in Lansing, MI, who were handed their pink slips offer some tales that are tragically comedic and others that seems to reinforce the old adage about one door closing and another door opening, while a visit to job fairs and "outplacement services" show just what the jobless endure on a day-to-day basis. Conversations with the downsizers as well as the downsized offer viewers a chance to explore the topic from both sides as host Gurwitch reminds viewers that sometimes the greatest success stories are born of failure. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Allen, Andy Borowitz, (more)
- 2004
In an episode inspired by the capture of the notorious "BTK Killer", the police find a note duct-taped to an abandoned baby containing cryptic clues as to the mother's whereabouts. As SVU detectives Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Munch (Richard Belzer) and Tutuola (Ice-T) follow a trail of increasingly ominous (and often gruesome) clues, it is apparent that the mother has been kidnapped--and likely murdered--by a cunning serial killer known as RDK. But in assembling the pieces of this grim puzzle, the detectives arrive at another, even more frightening conclusion: They may be dealing with a copycat killer who intends to surpass RDK with his own murder spree. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Not many stand-up comedians are openly gay, and fewer still are handicapped, but comic Greg Walloch just so happens to be both, and he's developed a growing cult following for his act, in which he pokes politically incorrect fun at his sexual preferences, his physical condition, and how society and the world around him reacts to both. F**k The Disabled (which is meant not as an epithet, but a polite request) is a documentary about Greg Walloch, in which he discusses his life and career while also sharing highlights from his nightclub act. F**k The Disabled also includes interviews with a number of Greg's admirers, including Stephen Baldwin, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, and Michael Musto. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Actor and playwright Stephen Burrows makes his directorial debut with this independent comedy that takes a witty look at the downside of working in the movie business. Steve (Burrows) is a writer, actor, and comic who years ago left his hometown of Milwaukee, WI, for the bright lights of Hollywood and who, after years of struggling, has managed to get his foot in the door of show business thanks to his appearance in a widely seen commercial for a personal hygiene product called "Crotch Fresh." Steve decides to pay a visit to his friends in the Midwest, and while in Milwaukee he meets Sam (Traci Elizabeth Lords), an attractive woman interested in knowing more about his career in entertainment. As Steve and Sam get to know each other, he regales her with a number of remarkable stories about fascistic acting coaches, egocentric producers, and studio heads too young to hold a driver's license. Stephen Burrows was able to persuade a number of his well-known colleagues to appear in Chump Change, including Tim Matheson, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Fred Willard, and Abe Vigoda. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Matheson, Traci Lords, (more)
- 1999
After four decades in show business, the husband and wife comedy team of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara finally make their big-screen debut together in this story about a marriage on its last legs. Sam (Stiller) and Molly (Meara) have been married for over 40 years. Their children are grown and living on their own, and the romance has drifted out of their relationship; arguing has become their favored method of communication. But the bickering goes too far when Molly asks Sam to get rid of the carp he's keeping in the tub in their guest bathroom. Sam informs Molly that if she doesn't like the fish, she can leave -- and Molly takes him up on the offer, moving in with their son Joel (Mark Ruffalo). This is hardly good news for Joel, who is having problems with his wife and feeling tempted to stray by an attractive blonde at work. Meanwhile, Sam and Molly's daughter Ruth (Jane Adams) tries to convince her father to win back her mother, but Sam receives some surprising competition when Molly starts dating an old friend named Lou (Bob Dishy). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, (more)
Judy Berlin allows the audience to take a glimpse of a day at once strange and ordinary with the residents of Babylon, Long Island. Judy (Edie Falco) is an aspiring actress who is quitting her job as a "pilgrim" in a local historical museum's display to take her chances in Los Angeles. Her mother is a gifted but bitter schoolteacher (Barbara Barrie) who has long loved principal Arthur Gold (Bob Dishy) from afar. However, Arthur has a wife, Alice (Madeline Kahn), who's more than a bit eccentric and has driven him to distraction. Arthur and Alice have a son, David (Aaron Harnick), who like Judy has showbiz aspirations (he wants to be a filmmaker), though unlike Judy he has no idea of what to do about it; when Judy and David meet, could romance be lurking around the corner? First-time director Eric Mendelsohn has equipped this offbeat comic drama an outstanding cast, which also includes Julie Kavner, Anne Meara, and Novella Nelson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Barrie, Bob Dishy, (more)
- 1999
Several noted American actors dot this autobiographical feature from Hungarian filmmaker Gabe Von Dettre (also know as Gabor Dettre) about the difficulty of getting a break in the movie industry. Brad Dourif plays a filmmaker who often talks to the audience about the main question on his mind -- why can't he get a project financed when so many people with less talent and fewer credentials are working steadily? This film (which was many years in production, as evidenced by the presence of several actors who are no longer living) was shown as part of the 1999 Hungarian Film Week Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Dourif, Kathleen Gati, (more)
- 1997
The closer she gets to her wedding day, the more a bride-to-be suffers from the title afflictions. Though she has loved her future husband for years, she is afraid that becoming a wife will cause an identity crisis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joely Fisher, Brian Wimmer, (more)
- 1996
In the conclusion of Homicide: Life on the Street's two-part season five opener, a tense hostage crisis at a Baltimore middle school enters the second day. It soon develops that the deranged man who is holding several teachers and students at gunpoint is connected to an earlier murder in which a pet pig was the only witness. Meanwhile, Munch (Richard Belzer) refuses to make things easy for Pembleton (Andre Braugher), who continues having trouble recovering from his stroke, both at work and at home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1994
Robert Pastorelli makes his final regular appearance as Eldin Bernecky, eternal housepainter-nanny to his close friend Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen), in an episode that also introduces Anne Meara) as Eldin's immensely lovable mother Reena. "Ma" Bernecky has arrived in DC with a letter of invitation, offering Eldin the chance to study painting in Spain with a world-renowned muralist. But Eldin is reluctant to leave Murphy and her son Avery (Dyllan Christopher)--leading to a drastic decision on the part of the unsinkable Ms. Brown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Murphy (Candice Bergen) thinks she's found the perfect Christmas present for Avery (Dyllan Christopher) in the form of an overpriced mail-order item called "Der Wunder Blocken." But when Avery tells a department store Santa that he'd really like to receive the year's hottest and hardest-to-get toy, the "Power Ninja Demon", a frantic Murphy embarks upon a last-minute shopping frenzy. Meanwhile, Corky (Faith Ford) broods over the fact that circumstances have conspired against her planned visit to her Louisiana home town. Rescue comes for both Murphy and Corky from an unexpected--and very distant--source. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is back in London, there to attend the opening night of a play based on one of her novel's. The play's producer (Robin Sachs) has a reputation for ruthlessness and duplicity, so it really surprises no one when he is murdered. Nor can anyone be surprised when Jessica (Angela Lansbury) takes it upon herself to prove that the play's leading lady (Jean Marsh) is not the murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Shalom Sesame 10: Passover -- Jerusalem Jones and the Lost Afikoman is the tenth tape in the Muppets special edition series, Shalom Sesame, an educational journey through ancient and modern Israel. Kids meet old and new Muppet friends on Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli version of Sesame Street, including Grover, Cookie Monster, Moishe Oofnick the grouch, and Kippy ben Kipod, a large porcupine. In this episode, kids join Jerusalem Jones, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, and the Rechov Sumsum gang for a Passover adventure. There is a mystery to be solved, as the afikoman has disappeared. Without the afikoman, the seder cannot come to a conclusion. By jumping literally into the pages of the story of Passover, or the Haggadah, Jerusalem Jones and Kippi ben Kipod look for clues and learn something new. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Grandma Dorothy's new husband Whizzer (Paul Dooley) heads to the Tanner household looking for Dorothy (Anne Meara), who has stormed out after an argument. As it happens, the Tanners' are celebrating ALF's fourth anniversary as a member of the household--and as a result, Whizzer comes face to face with ALF for the first time. Once the initial shock has worn off, Whizzer is more than willing to listen to ALF's suggestions vis-à-vis winning back Dorothy's affections. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Cabot Cove's sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) certainly has his hands full when his sister Winnie (Anne Meara) shows up on his doorstep, announcing that she has walked out on her husband. Before long, Amos is besieged by Winnie's ill-tempered Kentucky in-laws, who don't cotton to such matters as divorce. Things get worse when a bowl of home-made chowder intended for Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is laced with poison--and Winnie's former husband dies as a result! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Fed up with having to stay in hiding, ALF fantasizes about revealing his presence to the world. In his dreams, ALF serves a guest host on David Letterman's late-night NBC talkfest (replete with typical "Dave-isms"), while the Tanners plan a party celebrating his "emergence." Featured as ALF's TV guests are several of the people to whom he's revealed himself in the past--as well as Sandy Duncan, playing herself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
ALF is barred from attending the wedding party of Grandma Dorothy (Anne Meara) and her new hubby Whizzer (Paul Dooley). As a result, he comes down with a bad case of the dreaded "Melmacian hiccups", for which there are only two cures: a healthy dose of cat-juice, and something so awful that ALF shudders at the thought of it. Reluctant to stuff their pet cat Lucky into the blender for the sake of ALF's health, Willie (Max Wright) and Kate (Anne Scheeden) resort to an adroit bit of trickery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This comedy drama examines a fading film star who divides her time between the couch in her psychiatrist's office and her memories of past glories. The latter are told in a series of episodes with cameo roles by well-known names: Kaye Ballard, Sammy Davis, Jr., Anne Meara, and many others. At one moment , the scenery shifts to Argentina and elsewhere for a few episodes based on her search for a leading man. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kaye Ballard, Sheila MacRae, (more)
- 1984
This compilation documentary covers the massive anti-nuclear peace march held in New York City on June 12, 1982, including the preparations that led up to the march and interviews with concerned and knowledgeable people on the issue of peace, as well as Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in World War II (see No More Hibakusha). The producers, Robert Richter and Stan Warnow have smoothly spliced-together views of the protest march, its speakers and musicians, filmed by more than 40 separate individuals. Among the noted artists who either were there to lend their presence or contributed their talents in one way or another to the success of the protest (estimated at 1,000,000 people) are Pete Seeger, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Roy Scheider, Orson Welles, Ellen Burstyn, Joan Baez, Judd Hirsch, Bianca Jagger, Susan Sarandon, Jill Clayburgh, and others. Meryl Streep and Anne Twomey did a moving voiceover of the testimony of the Japanese atomic bomb blast survivors. Among the non-artistic notables adding stature to the event were Dr. Benjamin Spock, and Helen Caldicott, representing Physicians for Social Responsibility. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dr. Helen Caldicott, Benjamin Spock, (more)
- 1983
Directed by seasoned comedy man Melville Shavelson, The Other Woman is a "menage a trois" TV movie with a twist. The stars are middle-aged Anne Meara and Hal Linden, and youngish Madolyn Smith. The twist? Linden, a book publisher, is married to half-his-age Smith, a fashion designer. It is Anne Meara, a fiftyish divorcee and aspiring romance novelist, who turns out to be the "other woman!" Ms. Meara cowrote the teleplay for this engaging contrivance, in which everyone is so essentially likeable that we genuinely care how things turn out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Linden, Anne Meara, (more)
- 1976
An all-star female cast (Glenda Jackson, Melina Mecouri, Geraldine Page, Sandy Dennis, Anne Jackson, Anne Meara, and Dame Edith Evans) enliven this satirical treatment of the Nixon Watergate scandal, Nasty Habits -- based on Muriel Sparks's novella The Abbess of Crewe. When a dying abbess (Dame Edith Evans) of a Pennsylvania convent is ready to name Sister Alexandra (Glenda Jackson) as her successor, Sister Alexandra and her two flunkies (Sandy Dennis and Anne Jackson) try to get the abbess to sign a document of intent. But their plans are dashed when liberal Sister Felicity (Susan Penhaligon) arrives and wants to change the institution. Her arrival delays the signing of the document of intent, and before the abbess can sign the paper she dies.Now the job of running the convent is up for grabs, with Sister Alexandra employing Nixon-like techniques of surveillance and dirty tricks to get the goods on Sister Felicity. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenda Jackson, Melina Mercouri, (more)
