Richard Moll Movies

Season three of Night Court finds at least four of the series' regulars still in residence: Harry Anderson as flippant night-court judge Harry T. Stone, Richard Moll as bald, saturnine bailiff Bull, Charles Robinson as super-efficient court clerk Mac Robinson, and John Larroquette as lecherous Assistant DA Dan Fielding. Conspicuous by her absence is Selma Diamond as court matron Selma Hacker; the actress had died during the summer of 1985, a tragedy that is deftly and tastefully written into the script of the season opener "Hello, Goodbye." Ironically, Selma Diamond's replacement, Florence Halop as Florence Kleiner, would herself pass away in July of 1986. Also gone from the series is Ellen Foley as public defender Billie Young. Lawyer Christine Sullivan (Markie Post), a character introduced during season two, succeeds Billie, and would remain with Night Court until its cancellation in 1992. The series' third season introduces two other recurring characters: Bumper Robinson as Leon, a runaway orphan who all but pitches camp in Judge Stone's court, and William Utay as Phil, an enigmatic derelict who later turns out to be a millionaire -- and who puts Dan in charge of a seemingly above-reproach charitable foundation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tune in and settle down for some hearty chuckles as baby-faced, delightfully irreverent Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson) lifts his gavel and raps for order as Night Court begins its first season. The opening episode finds Harry surviving his first evening on the bench, mediating between a man and his gun-wielding spouse. In attendance during this and subsequent season-one episodes are towering, bald-headed bailiff Bull Shannon (Richard Moll), abrasive, chain-smoking jail matron Selma Hacker (Selma Diamond), dewy-eyed court clerk Lana Wagner (Karen Austin), and lecherous Assistant DA Dan Fielding (John Larroquette). Appearing exclusively in the first season is sassy-legal aid attorney Liz Williams (Paula Kelly); also on hand for season one and season one alone is Terry Kiser as nosy reporter Al Craven. By season's end, supporting player Karen Austin had left Night Court, though she continued to receive billing at the beginning of each episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Introduced to NBC's Wednesday-night schedule as a mid-season replacement on January 4, 1984, the weekly 30-minute sitcom Night Court quickly built a large and appreciative audience, enabling the series to remain on the network for nine seasons. Harry Anderson, a comedian who had established his reputation as a smooth-talking, nimble-fingered street magician and self-styled con artist, was perfectly cast as affable, irreverent Manhattan night-court judge Harry T. Stone. Although he came across as an iconoclastic jokester who held standard legal procedure in contempt (in one episode, his verdict was based on the flip of a coin), Harry was a highly successful jurist with a well-honed sense of fair play, whose handling of the oddballs that paraded in and out of his court resulted in a gratifyingly low "return" rate and quite a few reformations. Even those who'd never stood before Judge Stone in court were familiar with his lovable eccentricities, including his fondness for faded blue jeans and his adoration of singer Mel Tormé. The supporting cast included John Larroquette as Assistant DA Dan Fielding, who spent as much time trying to score with the ladies in night court as he did trying to secure convictions, and Richard Moll as bald-headed bailiff "Bull" Shannon (Richard Moll), whose bark was worse than his bite, but not by much.

During the series' first season, Paula Kelly was seen as legal-aid defense lawyer Liz Williams, who was alternately appalled and fascinated by Harry's unorthodox tactics; Karen Austin also appeared as court clerk Lana Wagner, who harbored a not-so-secret crush on Harry. In subsequent seasons, Liz was replaced by Billie Young (Ellen Foley), who in turn was replaced by Christine Sullivan (Markie Post); as for Lana, her replacement was Mac Robinson (Charles Robinson). Both Christine and Mac remained for the rest of the series; not so with Selma Diamond as abrasive jail matron Selma Hacker, a character who lasted only until Diamond's death. The actress' replacement, Florence Halop as Florence Kleiner, likewise passed away after only a short time on the series; she in turn was replaced by Marsha Warfield as Roz Russell, a character who stayed in place until the series' own demise. The on-again, off-again romance between Harry Stone and Christine Sullivan was definitely "off" during seasons seven and eight, when Christine was wed to undercover cop Tony Guillano (Ray Abruzzo), a union which produced a baby. After Christine divorced Tony, her relationship with Harry heated up considerably, but before long the ardor had cooled. Eventually, Christine was elected to congress, whereupon she was pursued not by Harry but by the ever-libidinous Dan Fielding. The final episode of Night Court, which set something of a record for the number of bizarre, surrealistic incidents occurring within a single half-hour, was broadcast on July 1, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The moonshining Beaudry clan, who'd previously tried to force Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) into a shotgun wedding at the end of The Dukes of Hazzard's fifth season, return to Hazzard Country for more mischief. This time out, the Beaudrys intend to steal Boss Hogg's still--and to get Boss (Sorrell Booke) out of the way, they frame him for sabotaging the car owned by Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle) just before an important "old-timers" race. Featured as Milo Beaudry is Richard Moll, soon to be costarred as "Bull" on Night Court. (Note: some sources list the air date of this episode as November 4, 1983.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mel (Vic Tayback) makes the latest in a long line of efforts to improve efficiency at the diner by installing a computer. Alas, our hero has made a fatal error, as proven when clumsy Vera (Beth Howland) gets her hands on the computer and neatly erases all evidence of Mel's existence! This episode originally aired as a last-minute replacement for the long-delayed "Vera's Secret Lover." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Professional weirdo Clint Howard plays one of his more interesting oppressed-geek roles in this occult revenge thriller about a tormented military-school nerd (apparently in his mid-thirties!) whose personal computer provides the only solace from the endless taunts and pranks of his fellow cadets. He also has an intense fascination with the occult, leading him to investigate an arcane tome secreted within an ancient, crumbling chapel. In an attempt to decipher the text, he feeds it into the computer, which translates the writings into actual working spells. As Clint's mind reels with the possibilities of sweet revenge against his cruel classmates and teachers, the demonic forces once trapped within the book begin to exert control over his mind and body. Before long, he is able to summon an army of snarling devil-pigs (no, that's not a misprint) to do his evil bidding. Though this is essentially a gender-bent rip-off of Carrie, there is enough in the way of spooky atmosphere and well-staged shocks to keep less discriminating horror fans interested. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

The rise and growth of American popular music through the 20th century is reflected in the lives of four generations of one family in this animated drama directed by Ralph Bakshi. Zalmie (voice of Jeffrey Lippa), a Russian Jew, emigrates to America, and tries to struggle along as a comic and musician in vaudeville, until an injury suffered in World War I ends his singing career. Zalmie's son Benny (voice of Richard Singer) inherits his father's love for music, and when he grows to adulthood, he joins a jazz combo as a pianist; his career is cut short, however, when he's killed while fighting in World War II. Benny's son Tony (voice of Ron Thompson) is also bitten by the music bug and is determined to make his mark as a songwriter; he becomes involved in the Beat poetry and music community in San Francisco, and later falls in with a pioneering psychedelic band. Along the way, Tony fathers an illegitimate son named Pete (voice of Eric Taslitz), and ends up becoming Pete's guardian in New York City without realizing he's the boy's father. After Tony's death, Pete supports himself by dealing drugs, while struggling to make his dream of becoming a rock star a reality. Ralph Bakshi achieved American Pop's unique look through a process called "rotoscoping" -- shooting the scenes with live actors, and then tracing their movements onto animation cells.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

While at the bank to make a deposit, Laverne (Penny Marshall) finds herself in the middle of a robbery. In the course of events, she manages to get herself handcuffed to bank robber Louis Armstrong (played by Night Court's future "Bull", Richard Moll). As a result, she is forced to go on the lam with the fleeing bandit, and inevitably finds herself in the line of fire during the climactic showdown with the Law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jan-Michael Vincent stars as Kyle Richardson, who works at a dead-end job in a Texas chain-link fence factory. In the tradition of such earlier films as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Richardson enjoys himself only on weekends when he whoops it up with his buddies at the local saloon. His carousing exacts a toll on his relationship with Jodie Lynn Palmer (Kim Basinger, in her film debut). Finally, Jodie delivers an ultimatum: either settle down and get married, or she'll skeedaddle to California, there to try her luck as a country-western singer. Real-life C&W star Tanya Tucker co-stars as Jodie's best friend and role model. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Michael Mann co-wrote the teleplay for The Jericho Mile with Patrick J. Nolan. Peter Strauss stars as "Rain" Murphy, serving a life sentence in Folsom Prison for first-degree murder. To break up the boredom of prison life, Murphy begins running laps around the prison recreation track. Prison officials take notice when Murphy runs a mile in less than four minutes. They lobby to enter Murphy into the Olympics, an act of largesse that not only pulls Murphy out of his misanthropy but also helps to unify his racially divided fellow prisoners. Originally telecast March 18, 1979, The Jericho Mile was filmed on location at Folsom Prison, with several inmates playing small roles--and talking the talk of prisoners, never mind the TV censors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Incorporating themes from horror films of both the '50s and the '70s, this suspenseful TV movie stars Cornel Wilde and Jennifer Salt as an archaeologist and his daughter, who discover a strange skull on display at a roadside tourist trap. After the museum owner is killed during an attack from an unseen foe, the pair are subsequently pursued across the American Southwest by a tribe of humanoid creatures that bear a striking resemblance to the gargoyles of myth, leading to a manic game of cat-and-mouse across the desert. This enjoyably spooky film essentially riffs on this one-note premise for over 70 minutes -- sort of an inversion of Night of the Living Dead's claustrophobic scenario -- and fortunately comes off quite well thanks to superb use of the desert locations, an eerie score, uniformly good performances, and Emmy award-winning monster costumes from Stan Winston. A young Scott Glenn appears as a roguish biker who throws in with the good guys after taking a shine to the professor's daughter. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide