Amanda Bearse Movies
Best known for her portrayal of Marcy Rhoades D'arcy, the manic, feminist/careerist neighbor on the long-running series Married...With Children, Amanda Bearse is also a prominent spokesperson for lesbian and gay rights in the entertainment industry and a very busy director on television. Born in Winter Park, FL, Bearse came to acting through high school and community theater and later moved to New York, where she studied acting with Sanford Meisner. Her first major acting role was as Amanda Cousins on the daytime drama All My Children from 1982 to 1984. Her early film appearances consisted of small roles in features such as First Affair (made for television), Protocol, Fright Night, and Fraternity Vacation, before Married...With Children came along in 1987. Originally, her portrayal and image were that of a perky supporting player but as the series evolved, the writing for her character did as well and her portrayal became harder, much funnier, and much edgier. Bearse also studied directing at the American Film Institute and U.S.C., and most viewers were less aware of the fact that from the middle of the series' run, she became one of the program's regular directors and also wrote several scripts. During this period she emerged as a spokesperson for gay and lesbian rights, declaring her sexuality openly in October 1993, as part of National Coming Out Day. After the end of the series' run of ten seasons, Bearse concentrated largely on directing, on sitcoms such as Ladies Man, Dharma and Greg, and Two Guys and a Girl, among other programs. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Telecast seven years after the final first-run episode of Married. . .With Children, this 42-minute reunion special originally aired with a minimum of commercial interruptions. Christina Applegate (Kelly Bundy) gets things going with a brief rundown of the series' formative years. This is followed by individual interviews with the seven principal cast members: Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy), Katey Sagal (Peg Bundy) David Faustino (Bud Bundy), Amanda Bearse (Marcy Rhodes D'Arcy), David Garrison (Steve Rhodes) and Ted McGinley (Jefferson D'Arcy). Six of these seven actors are seen lounging around a replica of the "Bundy Living Room" set, much of which had to be reconstructed based on those actors' memories; Katey Sagal is filmed separately on the set of her then-current sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter. Amidst scores of classic clips from the original series, the actors dispense fascinating info-bites: For example, Ed O'Neill reveals that he based Al Bundy on his own uncle, while Katey Sagal describes the evolution of Peg's distinctive stiletto-heels walk. Also seen are a number of choice outtakes and deleted scenes. The coda is provided by David Faustino, bringing this entertainment retrospective to a conclusion that, like Married. . .With Children itself, manages to be both hilarious and iconoclastic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, (more)
- 1997
Series star David Faustino (Bud Bundy) cowrote this episode, originally titled "An Officer and a Garbage Man". Still unemployed, Al (Ed O'Neill) and Griff (Harold Sylvester) endeavor to pick up steady money by joining the military reserves. Their first assignment is to uphold the peace at a bitter garbage-workers' strike--and if that doesn't stink enough, the boys' commanding officer is Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Amanda Bearse plays a dual role in this episode as Marcy D'Arcy and her (almost) lookalike cousin Mandy. Much to Marcy's dismay, Mandy proves to be a kindred spirit to Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill); both are crazy about beer and professional sports. And much to Al's surprise, he and Mandy share something else: a fondness for beautiful young girls. The entertainment value of this episode was enhanced back in 1997 by the viewer's knowledge that actress Amanda Bearse had publicly "outed" herself several years earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Banished from the Jiggly Room, Al (Ed O'Neill) and his fellow NO MA'AM members establish their own nudie bar in the Bundy garage. Seeking out dancers at the lowest possible cost, the guys announce an "amateur night." The winning constent is a real hot number wearing little more than a veil, whom Al immediately falls for--never dreaming that the "mystery woman" is his own wife Peg (Katey Sagal) in disguise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Married. . .With Children moved from Sunday to Monday evening for this episode, which though taped as the 11th season opener was not seen until halfway through the year. When Peg (Katey Sagal) develops amnesia, Al (Ed O'Neill) capitalizes on the situation by reprogramming her as the perfect, obedient housewife--much to the chagrin of next-door neighbor Marcy (Amanda Bearse. Ron-Ann Frey guest stars as the professional-wrestling "ring girl" hired by Peg during her alternate existence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having made plans to spend his birthday ogling the nude dancers at "The Jiggle Room", Al (Ed O'Neill) is instead hauled into court by an overweight female customer whom he has repeatedly insulted in the past. Even worse, Al is besieged (and almost smothered!) by the outraged members of "Female Large American Beauties" (catch the initials). Elsewhere, the Bundy kids plan to surprise Al by tinting the windows of the Dodge, but the project get a bit out of hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Nancy Linari guest stars as Sister Benedicta, a no-nonsense nun whose mission in life is to make certain that Kelly (Christina Applegate) is living up to the morals clause in her new TV-commercial contract. Meanwhile,the crew of the longrunning (or should we say "never-ending"?) Fox series Cops follows Officer Dan (Dan Tullis Jr.) on his appointed rounds--with Al going along for the ride. This episode was originally shown in tandem with an actual installment of Cops--"Bad Boys" theme music and all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
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Having clocked in eleven seasons, Married...With Children was Fox's longest-lasting series of the 1996-1997 TV season. Unfortunately, the 11th season was the last, due in part to the network's decision to change the series' timeslot three times within a single year. Al Bundy Ed O'Neill is still Chicago's most frustrated shoe clerk, all the more so because his boss, "Gary" -- actually a woman, and a none-too-pleasant one -- is seen for the first time in several episodes. Al's wife, Peg (Katey Sagal), is still lazy as a sloth and still dresses like a Rush Street "working girl." Daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate) is still pursuing a show-business career, and son Bud (David Faustino) is still drawing a paycheck from the motor vehicle bureau. If anything, the individual episodes are more outrageously "out there" than ever before. Highlights include Al making a deal with the Devil (played by Nightmare on Elm Street's Robert Englund) so the Chicago Bears can win a crucial game, a crossover episode with the Fox reality series Cops (one wonders how the Bundys have avoided being on Cops in past seasons!), and series regular Amanda Bearse showing up in the dual role of the Bundys' neighbor Marcy and her lesbian cousin (this, reportedly, was done so that actress Bearse could "out" herself on the series Ellen DeGeneres-style without compromising Marcy's heterosexuality). The saga of Married...With Children comes to an end as Al stops the wedding of his daughter, Kelly, who has become engaged to a guy who tried to rob the Bundy house. (This series finale was supposed to have been the pilot episode for a sitcom starring Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy, but the actress decided to bypass the opportunity). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, (more)
- 1996
Al (Ed O'Neill) is desperate for a slice of Aunt Maddie's Thanksgiving pie; problem is, Aunt Maddie has died. There is no other recourse for Al than to crash the old lady's funeral, where he makes a rather startling discovery. Meanwhile, Bud (David Faustino) and the D'Arcys (Ted McGinley, Amanda Bearse) would like to get their hands on Kelly's (Christina Applegate) pet turkey--who ultimate meets a fate which will be "old stuff" for fans of the vintage sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Fox sportscasters James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Ronnie Lott appear in the episode's surrealistic coda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
The temporary holiday helpers at the shoe store do such good jobs that Al (Ed O'Neill) and Griff (Harold Sylvester) are fired, forcing them seek other employment while wandering around the mall (at one point, they sit on a bench with a sign reading "Will Stop Singing for 25 Cents)". Back at home, Peg (Katey Sagal) hopes to win a neighborhood Christmas-decoration contest with some "gingerbread art", while Bud (David Faustino) and Kelly (Christina Applegate) celebrate Yuletide by stealing Mary and Joseph from the D'Arcy's elaborate Nativity display. Series story editor Christian McLaughlin is seen as a "reindeer dancer" (huh?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Al (Ed O'Neill) tries to adjust to the fact that the family Dodge has bitten the dust. Leasing a brand new car, Al finds out that he's stuck with. . .well, it's a small yellow fruit with a very sour taste. Meanwhile, Peg (Katey Sagal) digs up the Dodge's corpse in order to sell the engire to a mysterious overseas buyer. This episode marks one of the rare American TV appearances by Fidel Castro (or a reasonable facsimile). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Al (Ed O'Neill) and rival shoestore owner Floyd Babcock (Victor Raider-Wexler) battle each other to help their respective sons Bud (David Faustino) and Little Floyd (John Patrick White) complete a business-class project. But when Bud hires his girlfiend Crystal (Krista Allen of "Emmanuelle" fame) as the bikini-clad cover girl for his "Women of Trumaine College" calendar, Al and Floyd join forces to distribute the calendar on a national basis--whereupon Crystal suddenly develops cold...er...feet. With this episode, Katey Sagal begins curtailing her tenth-season Married. . .With Children) appearances in order to take maternity leave. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This episode is a spoof of a famous "sweatshop" scandal involving the franchised consumer products of a certain popular female TV talkshow host (are we being obscure enough here?) In their efforts to win a huge raise, Al (Ed O'Neill) and Griff (Harold Sylvester) resort to blackmail when they discover that their boss Gary is using illegal aliens to manufacture her shoes. Unfortunately, the plan fizzles (despite an extended takeoff of the Mission: Impossible films), and Al's son Bud (David Faustino) ends up atoning for his dad's sins. Meanwhile, Peggy (Katey Sagal) goes to elaborate lengths to hide the fact that she's bought a microwave. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
It's Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) vs, Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley) in a no-holds-barred practical joke contest. With this in mind, Al thinks that Jefferson is merely pulling his leg when a woman (Deborah Harmon) claiming to be an old friend of his wife Peg (Katey Sagal) suddenly begins "coming on" to him. As it turns out, however, the "friend" is actually an old enemy who intends to get even with Peg by stealing Al--even if she has to marry him! And can it be that Al's coworker Griff (Harold Sylvester) is doomed to roast in the electric chair? This final episode of Married. . .With Children's tenth season was originally shown in tandem with the previous nstallment, "Torch Song Duet". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
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With the launching of the 1995-1996 TV season, Married...With Children became the first Fox network show to remain on the air for ten years. It is clear, however, that age has not withered the ability of the boorish Bundy family to make fools of themselves in a variety of situations, many of them sexual. The cast remains as ever: Ed O'Neill as oafish shoe clerk Al Bundy; Katey Sagal as Al's lazy, self-indulgent wife, Peg; Christina Applegate as hot-to-trot daughter Kelly, now a TV commercial spokeswoman; David Faustino as scheming son Bud, who this season defies all logic by graduating from Trumaine University; and next-door neighbors Marcy and Jefferson D'Arcy (Amanda Bearse, Ted McGinley). New developments this season include the demise of the Bundy family's dog, Buck, though the opportunity for a saccharine "very special moment" is deftly avoided when Buck is immediately (and reluctantly) reincarnated in the form of a cute little puppy named Lucky. Also, legendary character actress Kathleen Freeman -- or her voice, at any rate -- is added to the cast as Peg's obese, never-seen mother, Mrs. Wanker, who moves into Bud's old room after walking out on her husband (and, no, Bud has not left the nest -- he had merely relocated to the Bundy family basement). If Peg Bundy seems conspicuous by her absence towards the end of season ten, it is because actress Katey Sagal was on brief pregnancy leave. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, (more)
- 1995
Hoping to scare off the noisy bird that has kept him awake for several nights, Al (Ed O'Neill) disguises himself as a gigantic owl. At the same time, Bud (David Faustino) helps Kelly (Christina Applegate) audition for a commercial in which she must use a bow and arrow. Just guess how these two separate plotlines converge! And also listen for the Abbott-and-Costello exchange ("Not huh, who!") between Al and Marcy (Amanda Bearse). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Billed as "a heterosexual movie by Gregg Araki," The Doom Generation is the director's self-styled bad-taste teen film. Amy Blue (Rose McGowan) is an obnoxious teenage speed freak and her boyfriend Jordan White (James Duval) is a passive, slow-witted poseur who won't have sex with her because he's terrified of AIDS (even though they both claim to be virgins). One day, they run across Xavier Red (Johnathon Schaech), a charming but enigmatic drifter who has a bad habit of killing people. Joining the young couple on a seemingly endless road trip, Xavier (or "X,"as the verbally challenged Jordan insists on calling him), proves a threatening and repulsive yet strangely alluring companion whose very presence raises issues of loyalty and sexual identity. The Doom Generation is dotted with a variety of eccentric cameo appearances, including comic Margaret Cho, actress Parker Posey, musician Perry Farrell, "Hollywood Madame" Heidi Fleiss, and onetime Brady Bunch star Christopher Knight. This is the middle installment in Araki's "teen apocalypse trilogy," which also includes 1993's Totally F***ed Up and 1997's Nowhere. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Duval, Rose McGowan, (more)
- 1995
After discovering that their fishing-lodge reservation has been claimed by voluptuous film star Shannon Tweed, Al (Ed O'Neill) and Jefferson (Ted McGinley) are unexpectedly handed an opportunity to capitalize on the situation when Jefferson takes a picture of a nude Sharon in a compromising hot-tub situation--which the boys then proceed to auction off to the tabloids. Elsewhere, Bud (David Faustino) and Kelly (Christina Applegate) help their dog Lucky prepare for a dog-food commercial, but it is Kelly who ends up doing "stupid human tricks". Featured in the cast are Joe Sagal, the brother of series star Katey Sagal (Peg), and former Playboy centerfolds Shae Marks and Donna D'Errico. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In a last-ditch effort to bring Peg's parents back together, Al (Ed O'Neill) and Peg (Katey Sagal) join Mr. and Mrs. Wanker for a therapeutic weekend at Dr. Richelieu's Love Compound and Water Park (future Frasier regular Edward Hibbert plays the Doc). Back at home, wealthy Carlos (Mark Espinoza) agrees to date Kelly (Christina Applegate) only if Bud (David Faustino) will keep Carlo's virginal sister Esmerelda (Christina Solis) company. Suffice to say that Esmerelda's--er--status changes dramatically by episode's end. (Trivia note: in the original TV Guide ads, Esmerelda was identified as Carlos' cousin). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
After being tied up by a burglar at the shoe store, Al (Ed O'Neill) claims to be so traumatized by the experience that he is afraid to wear shoes. Actually, this is a clever ploy to bilk an insurance company out of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately for Al, a relentless insurance agent dogs his trail to make certain that he is truly incapable of donning shoes--and even more unfortunately, Al is slated to bowl in a tournament where the judges frown upon barefoot contests. The two traditional Queen sports-event songs (YOU know the titles), heard in the network version of this episode, were replaced by stock music in the syndicated version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Kelly (Christina Applegate) is stalked by a fervent admirer named Robbie (Noah Segan), who is wealthy enough to threaten the destruction of her acting career unless she does his bidding. Turns out that Robbie is all of 12 years old--and he wants Kelly to escort him to his junior prom (or failing that, to take him to a performance of that classic opera "La Boheme", or "L.A. Boom", or whatever). This is the final episode of Married. . .With Children's ninth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Kelly (Christina Applegate) makes cosmetic history when, while researching her acting role as a scientist, she combines blood and spleen--and invents the color Bleen. Subsequently, Al (Ed O'Neill) discovers that Bleen has capacity to grow hair on the baldest of bald men...but not without devastating consequences. Watch for the extended parody of Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
