John Mengatti
- 2002
Preoccupied by the upcoming wedding of his daughter -- and the fact that he has not been invited -- Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) may well be to blame when an unstable homicide suspect sneaks a weapon into the 15th and holds Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) hostage in the interview room. As Lt. Rodriguez (Esai Morales) tries to defuse the situation, a nervous Andy comes up with a fascinating psychological strategy of his own. And in the wake of the "grudge match" in her honor, Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) finds herself attracted to John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) -- so much so that they spend the night together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
- 2001
Nicholas Gilbert (Kevin Vincent O'Connor) the deranged homeless man who witnessed the murder of a man named Jefe in the previous episode (and who was, surprisingly, the scion of a wealthy family), turns up dead after being prematurely released from lockup. Outraged, Danny (Rick Schroder) reams out the desk sergeant who let Nicholas go -- thereby leading to another black mark on Danny's record. Realizing that his partner is rapidly becoming his own worst enemy, Andy (Dennis Franz) extends a helping hand to Danny. Elsewhere, Diane (Kim Delaney) investigates a murder-suicide which may be linked with her elusive enemy Denby (Andy Cohen), who, despite the fact that no one can find him, continues to wreak havoc in the 15th precinct. On another front, Baldwin (Henry Simmons) has an unpleasant run-in with the owner of a diner -- and also wrestles with the notion of asking Valerie (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) out on a date. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- PG13
Television anchor Barry Barron (Elliott Gould) is killed after he becomes involved with a breaking story, but is raised as a zombie by a voodoo spell. Not quite the stumbling idiot that most of the undead are known for, Barron has to solve his own murder and uncover the story. He is helped in his quest by a spiritualist (Mabel King). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, Mark Moses, (more)
- 1985
- R
In a weak mix of too many ingredients -- a dash of West Side Story, a pinch of Breakin', and sprinkles of references to other teen gang films -- this saga of one gang at odds with another is more like warmed-up leftovers than an original creation. Troy, Mookie, and Joey (Leon Isaac Kennedy, John Mengati, and Nicholas Campbell) belong to a gang at war with the nasty punks of the Mechanix. Troy and Mookie are into rapping and rock music and after some failed attempts to break into recording, they take dance lessons and win a coveted talent contest that puts them ahead for a change. Meanwhile, the Mechanix are not interested in what these guys won and are preparing for their long-awaited showdown with the would-be entertainers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Isaac Kennedy, John Mengatti, (more)
- 1984
- PG
There have been almost enough Meatballs to make a plate of spaghetti, but this entry about a decisive boxing match between two youth camps is basically inedible without Bill Murray to add the necessary zest, as he did in the original Meatballs. "The Flash" (John Mengatti) is out on probation but has to serve time at Camp Sasquatch as a counselor-in-training (!) as a part of the probation terms. There, he meets the super-innocent Cheryl (Kim Richards), adding interest to his job, but none of the characters in Camp Sasquatch or its rival Camp Patton add much interest to the film. Hershey (Hamilton Camp) is the one-dimensional fascist who runs the militaristic Camp Patton and sure enough, his aide-de-camp is a closet gay (John Larroquette). (Paul Reubens) of Pee Wee Herman fame is a minor player, Richard Mulligan is Giddy (an apt name for his character) and when these oddballs are combined with a strange- looking alien and the final boxing match that will save Camp Sasquatch if only The Flash can win, the pastiche is somewhat hard to digest. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Archie Hahn III, John Mengatti, (more)
- 1982
- PG
Students at a college with obviously low graduation requirements spend their time and energy playing a game that involves mock assassinations with rubber-tipped darts fired from plastic guns. If you are shot, you are assassinated and out of the game and whoever remains alone at the end wins. When Gersh (Bruce Abbott), the odds-on favorite is about to do one of his opponents in, the hapless victim drops his dart gun, it misfires, and bonks a dart at Gersh - who is pushed over the edge, pulls out a real gun and kills his unfortunate opponent. Gersh drags the body to his room and stuffs it in his closet. Having killed once, the blood-thirsty student goes on a rampage, killing as many of these players as he can and stuffing them all in his closet. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Carradine, Linda Hamilton, (more)
- 1982
Charlayne Woodard guest stars as Nina Chambers, the newest driver for the Sunshine Cab company. Instantly attracted to Alex (Judd Hirsch), Nina persuades herself that she is in love with him. There is only one thing preventing them from becoming a couple; Nina is an indefatigable optimist, while Alex is a dictionary illustration of the word "pessimist." Eventually, one of the two has a change of heart...and as usual, it's a few beats too late. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
Returning from a sentimental journey to his home town, basketball coach Ken Reeves (Ken Howard) arrives at his familiar stamping grounds at the inner-city LA Carver High School, whereupon he quickly learns that there's been some changes made. Season Three of The White Shadow begins with several of the familiar supporting players no longer part of the action. Gone are team members Carter (killed at the end of Season Two), Hayward, Reese, Goldstein and Gomez. New to the basketball squad are Wardell Stone (Larry Flash Jenkins), Jesse B. Mitchell (Stoney Jackson), Teddy Rutherford (Wolfe Perry), Eddie Franklin (Art Holliday), and Paddy Falahey (John Laughlin). Likewise, Reese's old friend Jim Willis has stepped down as principal, replaced by Ken's "friendly enemy" Sybil Buchanan (Joan Pringle)--and as for Ken's sister Kate and brother-in-law Bill, they're also gone, who knows where? Rounding out the newcomers is Carver's freshly hired wrestling coach, Ezra Davis (Rosey Grier). This final season of White Shadow contains a number of standout episodes. In a followup to a story in the previous season, Warren Coolidge (Byron Stewart) considers trying out with the Harlem Globetrotters. Several prominent sports and showbiz celebrities, including Jimmie Walker, Elgin Baylor, Sparky Anderson and Willie Tyler, show up in an episode wherein Reeves get unexpected assistance while captaining a fund drive. "Salami" Pettrino (Timothy Van Patten) ends up in the slammer after a violent confrontation with an opposing player. Stone gets a dose of celebrity after saving an old lady from a burning car. Basketball great Bill Russell guests in a story involving Coolidge's sudden self-consciousness over his height, which is fine for the basketball court but awkward everywhere else. Michael Winslow, who would later rise to fame as the "human sound effects machine" in the Police Academy films, delivers a searing dramatic portrayal as a delusional student who targets an emotionally fragile teacher for persecution. Coolidge and Franklin are subjected to inordinately rough treatment at the hands of the Law when they're suspected of mugging a senior citizen. And in the series finale "A Day In the Life", an alumni exhibition game finds graduates Goldstein (Ken Michelman), Gomez (Ira Angustain), Hayward (Thomas Carter) and Reese (Nathan Cook) returning to Carver with an arsenal of anecdotes--amusing and not-so-amusing--about what they've been doing with themselves since last we saw them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Howard, Roosevelt Grier, (more)
All of the regular cast members seen during Season One of The White Shadow are on deck for Season Two, with a pair of new additions. Joining the Carver High School basketball team under aegis of coach Ken Reeves (Ken Howard) (nicknamed "The White Shadow" by the largely black student body) are player Nick Vittaglia (John Mengatti) and team manager Phil Jefferson (Russell Phillip Robinson). No sooner has the season begun when one of Reeves' best players, Curtis Jackson (Milton Reese), unwittingly falls in with a gang of bookies who want him to shave a few points. Later, an embittered transfer student tries to turn the team against Reeves for making a joke that the student has misinterpreted as a racial slur; Reeves is racked with guilt when a rookie player dies of a hitherto undetected heart condition during practice; it's an inner-city "Odd Couple" when the temporarily homeless Warren Coolidge (Byron Stewart) is forced to share living quarters with the hapless coach; Coolidge and Morris Thorpe (Kevin Hooks) both get a sexually transmitted disease from the same girl; "Salami" Pettrino (Timothy Van Patten) runs afoul of the authorities when he innocently shares his prescription painkillers with his teammates, and later has a brief affair with an attractive young teacher; Reeves suspects that Ricky Gomez (Ira Angustain) is the victim of domestic violence; and the team challenges a group of volunteer workers to a pickup game, little imagining that their opponents are none other than the Harlem Globetrotters! The season ends on a truly shattering note: After helping his team win the LA City Basketball Championship, and on the brink of his graduation, Curtis Jackson is shot down and killed while witnessing a liquor store holdup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Howard
