Ned Beatty Movies
Portly American character actor Ned Beatty originally planned to enter the clergy, but after appearing in a single high-school play, he changed his mind and decided to become a thespian instead. By his early twenties, Beatty was playing Broadway and it was his work in the play The Great White Hope that attracted the interest of film director John Boorman, who cast him as one of the four main stars in his gripping backwoods thriller Deliverance (1972). Forever immortalized in the notorious "squeal like a pig" rape scene, Beatty subsequently went on to become one of the screen's more prolific supporting actors, frequently appearing in up to four films per year. His more notable film work includes Nashville (1975), All the President's Men (1976), Network (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), The Big Easy (1987), Hear My Song (1991), A Prelude to a Kiss (1992), Radioland Murders (1994), and He Got Game (1998). In 1999, he could be seen as a small-town sheriff in the Robert Altman ensemble film Cookie's Fortune. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1991
- R
In this convoluted melodrama, a young wife has a mental breakdown and spends time in a hospital. Eventually, she wants to go home, but her doctor is hesitant to release her. Still the woman, wanting to save her disintegrating marriage, insists. Upon her return, she and her hubby are visited by his seductive "sister." The poor wife is appalled by the chemistry between the two and shares her discomfort with her landlord and he has a peculiar reaction. Meanwhile, the hapless wife seems to becoming increasingly paranoid and strange. She has no idea that drugs are behind her odd behavior. Eventually, she goes over the edge and shoots her sister-in-law, and still the madness continues until the story's violent climax. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Locklear, Robert Carradine, (more)
- 1991
- R
The owner of a British nightclub attempts to do the impossible by coaxing a legendary Irish tenor out of retirement for a once-in-a-lifetime show in this engagingly quirky comedy. The owner, Mickey O'Neill, is particularly desperate to land a performance by the great Josef Locke, as his already questionable reputation was ruined when he booked an impostor claiming to be Locke. Now only providing a show by the real thing can make up for it. Trouble is, Locke fled England several decades before to avoid charges of tax evasion, and would face immediate arrest upon his return. Naturally, the comedy emerges from O'Neill's desperate attempts to convince Locke to participate in the scheme. Much of the film's charm comes from the presentation of eccentric but believable characters, particularly Locke himself -- a real historical figure given warm life by Ned Beatty, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his performance. The film as a whole manages a similar balancing act between realism and comic fantasy, grounding even the less believable aspect of the narrative in strongly observed local color. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ned Beatty, Adrian Dunbar, (more)
- 1991
- PG
Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story is a made-for-cable dramatization of the tale of Pan Am flight 103, a plane that crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December of 1988. The film recounts the events leading up to the terrorist bombing of the plane in gripping detail, including the methods of the terrorists, as well as the miscommunication between the airports and intelligence agencies. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Gardenia, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1991
- R
Hosted by Ned Beatty, this documentary chronicles the history of sexploitation films through the 1950s, including footage, interviews, and a look at the messages these films deliver. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Roseanne tries to set up a customer (Stephen Wesley Bridgewater) with Crystal (Natalie West). Her efforts are all for naught when Dan's father, Ed (Ned Beatty), visits and announces that he is going to ask Crystal to marry him. Part one of a two-part episode. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Dan disapproves of Roseanne's plans to help with the wedding between Crystal (Natalie West) and Dan's father, Ed (Ned Beatty). Crystal reveals that she is pregnant. First appearance of Lonnie (Kristopher Kent Hill). Part two of a two-part episode. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In this made-for-cable family drama set in the 1880s, a teen and his dog set out on a cross-country journey to find the boy's father, who escaped police custody after being falsely accused of murder. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG
A teenage boy takes major steps toward manhood after he is stranded in a dense wilderness forest following a plane crash and is forced to use his wits to survive and make it safely back to civilization. He eventually finds some company in a pair of orphaned grizzly bear cubs. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jared Rushton, Pamela Sue Martin, (more)
- 1990
First telecast October 21, 1990 on the Disney Channel cable service, Back to Hannibal: The Return of Huckleberry Finn is set 20 years after the Mark Twain novel. Tom Sawyer (Mitchell Anderson) is now a budding lawyer, while Huck Finn (Raphael Sbarge) is a reporter. They descend upon their old home town of Hannibal when their friend, ex-slave Jim Watson (Paul Winfield), is accused of murdering the husband of Tom's childhood sweetheart Becky Thatcher (Megan Follows). Roy Johansen's script even manages to haul in the King and the Duke (Joe Bova, Ned Beatty) from Huckleberry Finn. It's rather pointless, but it goes down easily enough. But, say: doesn't Back to Hannibal smell like a TV series pilot to you? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Nearly three decades after climbing the top-ten charts with his ballad "Big Bad John", Jimmy Dean stars in a film version of the song. Dean doesn't play the title character, though; that honor goes to ex-footballer Doug English. After killing a man who needed killing, Big Bad John loses himself by going to work in a treacherous Colorado coal mine. A whole slew of plot complications later, the film finally gets around to the gist of the song, with Big Bad John saving the lives of his fellow miners at the price of his own. For the record, Dean plays a sheriff who reluctantly pursues the fugitive John all over the country. Also in the cast is Ned Beatty, playing an abusive father to end all abusive fathers, and Jack Elam and Bob Hopkins, doing their usual. Big Bad John was directed by Burt Kennedy, an old hand at backwoods melodramas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This is almost a follow-up to its relative The Exorcist, since it stars Linda Blair, also the leading lady in the '70s head-spinner tale. In Repossessed, a grown-up Blair plays a housewife who becomes possessed by the Devil while watching TV. Leslie Nielsen plays Father Mayii, who gets called to exorcise the intrusive being. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Leslie Nielsen, (more)
- 1990
Frederic Remington: The Truth of Other Days presents the artwork of Frederic Remington (1861-1909). Remington, an avid horseman, born in Canton, NY, near the Canadian border, was committed to preserving the look of the heroic Old West in his artwork. He drew detailed illustrations for his own essays and for stories based on his own cross-country travels. Later he moved into watercolor composition. This program features archival film clips, interviews, and Western landscape footage. Hundreds of original pieces are showcased. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
A Vietnam War veteran (John Schneider) renounces the military for a priest's habit, but after his wife and daughter are killed by terrorists in Rome (and the government does nothing), the hero returns to violent means. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Schneider, Ned Beatty, (more)
Since Chattahoochee is a story based on true events, it may seem absurd to suggest that the actual events of Chattahoochee are pirated from other true-life tales like Gideon's Trumpet. But it certainly seems as if true stories are just as derivative as any fictional narrative coming out of Hollywood. The Chattahoochee saga details the Emmett Foley (Gary Oldman) story. The film takes place in 1955, when Foley, a Korean war veteran depressed and shattered by continual unemployment, snaps and shoots up his neighborhood, hoping that the police will come and shoot him down like a crazed dog so that his wife Mae (Frances McDormand) can collect on the insurance money. Instead of being gunned down by the law enforcement officers, he is sent to Chattahoochee, a notorious prison for the mentally ill which makes The Snake Pit look like a vacation in Bermuda. The gruesome conditions in the jail send Foley into listlessness. But then his anger gets the better of him and, encouraged by a friend, Walker Benson (Dennis Hopper), he begins sending letters to the authorities protesting the sub-human conditions in the mental facility. Due to his efforts, a state commission is formed to investigate conditions in Chattahoochee, and Foley has a chance to tell the world of the horrible conditions. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, (more)
Though this police and courtroom drama did not do well at the box-office, some reviewers thought that the lead performances by Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell were first-rate. Joe Paris (Reynolds) is a policeman suspended from active duty. He awakens from an alcoholic binge to discover that he is being charged for a murder he has no memory of. Jenny Hudson (Russell) is his court-appointed defense lawyer, a young feminist eager to prove herself in the courtroom. After some initial difficulties, the two cooperate to unravel the tangled circumstances behind the murder. Michael Crichton directed but did not collaborate on the story or screenplay. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Theresa Russell, (more)
- 1989
Ned Beatty guest stars as Dan's salesman father, Ed Conner. Becky, Darlene, and D.J. are thrilled with his visit, but Dan is less than pleased to see him. Roseanne can't stand by silently while Ed chastises Dan for wasting his time as a contractor. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The ideas that non-Southerners have about the American south don't bear thinking about for too long. It seems that just about everyone in the world has seen Deliverance or one of the Smokey and the Bandit films one time too often. In this film by a Swiss director, all the fears generated by these films become realities for Leighton (Julian Sands), a paranoid English lawyer who has come to the U.S. to do a simple job in Nashville. In only one weekend he experiences a mysterious car chase by people who try to chase him off the road, is jailed briefly, and must appear before a frighteningly peculiar Southern judge (Rod Steiger). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julian Sands, Stacey Dash, (more)
- 1989
In this Thanksgiving episode, Jackie comes back from the police academy to have dinner with the Conners. Roseanne's mother, Bev (Estelle Parsons), is less than thrilled to hear that her daughter is going to be a cop. Dan's dad, Ed (Ned Beatty) tries to sweet-talk Crystal (Natalie West). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Spy stars Bruce Greenwood as a defecting CIA agent. Trouble is, Greenwood is privy to classified knowledge about recent atrocities in Central America, masterminded by rogue agents. Knowing that he's a dead man walking the moment he leaves headquarters, Greenwood assumes a new identity and heads for parts unknown. One year after forsaking the espionage business, Greenwood finds himself being stalked...but by whom? An above-average "Who Can You Trust" meller, Spy premiered over the USA cable network on December 27, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
When she becomes pregnant, Annie May Bonner (Alexandra Paul) is kicked out of the house by her wealthy, intolerant father Matthew (Ned Beatty) in this Depression-era melodrama. Annie May marries Jesse (Dee Law), the father of her baby and the son of Matthew's lumber foreman Byron Monroe (Brian Keith), but Annie May's father considers Jesse an undesirable. Even when Matthew's wife Rachel (Barbara Barrie) dies of heartbreak, the stubborn father refuses to allow Annie May and Jesse into the family. The happy couple soon produce four children who may never know their grandfather. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexandra Paul, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1988
- R
Thelo (Ned Beatty) is a middle-aged librarian who is fired from his job for drinking too much. He sets out for the woods in hopes that getting back to nature will inspire him to write poetry. There he meets Melanie (Mira Sara), who is the embodiment of everything he finds beautiful in women, and he watches as she is mistreated in the next cabin. Melanie and Thelo meet by the river and make love, but their splendor is interrupted by Melanie's abusive mate. After the thug is shot and falls into the river, the two begin to receive blackmail threats from someone who supposedly witnessed a murder. A routine, unimaginative, and predictable so-called thriller. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ned Beatty, Mia Sara, (more)
- 1988
- PG
In this time bending sci-fi film, three scientists living in the year 2033 must find the evil doctor who has purloined a time machine and is using it to go back in time to insure that his rivals are never born. During their travels the scientists make stops in 1990s New York and merry old medieval England. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ned Beatty, Wil Shriner, (more)
Based on the autobiographical book by Chris Oyler, the made-for-TV Go Toward the Light is a sometimes wrenching, ofttimes inspirational AIDS drama. Claire and Greg Madison (Linda Hamilton and Richard Thomas) discover to their horror that their hemophiliac son Ben (Joshua Harris) has contracted the deadly virus through a tainted transfusion. Faced with the likelihood that Ben will not live out the year, the grief-stricken Madisons vow to make every day of that year count and to see to it that their son will not have to endure his agony alone. The excellence of the performances are matched by the script (by Susan Nanus and Beth Polson) and direction (Mike Robe). Go Toward the Light debuted November 1, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Hamilton, Richard Thomas, (more)
