Erin Moran

Retired police lieutenant Barney Kale (Pat Hingle) insists upon reopening a 10-year-old murder case which he had never been able to solve. Heading to the murder scene, a lakeside mountain resort, Kale gathers together all of the likely suspects--including Dr. Seth Hazlitt (William Windom), an old friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). When a new murder occurs, it appears obvious that there is an hidden agenda related to the revived investigation--but whose agenda, and why? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arthur Hailey's novel Hotel had already served as the inspiration for a 1967 theatrical film when this TV pilot came along on September 21, 1983. Bette Davis stars as Laura Trent, the entrenched owner of the Hotel St. Gregory (moved from the novel's New Orleans to San Francisco, to allow for location filming at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel). In true Love Boat fashion, Ms. Trent and hotel manager Peter McDermott (James Brolin) oversee four separate plot strands. A hooker (Morgan Fairchild) is raped in the hotel by a bunch of preppies who'd hired her for "just talk". A neurotic aspiring singer (Erin Moran) tries to interrupt the act of the hotel's lounge entertainer Mel Torme (himself). A very-married lady (Shirley Jones) checks in to conduct an illicit affair. And a feisty young woman (Connie Sellecca, a regular on the subsequent series) shows up unhired as McDermott's assistant manager. The Hotel series ran from 1983 to 1988, during which time an ailing Bette Davis was replaced by Anne Baxter; in the early 1990s, reruns of the series popped up rather incongruously on cable's E! Entertainment Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the national finals approach, a couple baton twirlers feel intense parental pressure to win the competition in this satirical made-for-television movie. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Based on a folk tale from Russia, Magic Pony features several familiar faces. It centers around a youth (Johnny Whitaker, the perennial Disney favorite) who must save a magical kingdom from its evil overlord (Jim Backus, Mr. Howell from Gilligan's Island) and rescue the princess (Erin Moran, Joanie from Happy Days). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Garry Marshall's Happy Days was a series that helped redefine the television map -- it heralded the unprecedented period of ABC's dominance of the television landscape after decades in the shadow of CBS and NBC. It also represented the beginning of a distinctly new generation of sitcoms to come (indirectly) out of the orbit of producer Sheldon Leonard. Creator Garry Marshall had cut his teeth as a television writer on The Dick Van Dyke Show, made by Leonard's production company, and the latter was a series whose setting and atmosphere was descended from the '50s television that Happy Days sought to emulate. The difference was that Marshall had the advantage of two decades' perspective from the 1950s in recreating an idealized version of the society that spawned that entertainment. Happy Days lost focus after the first four seasons and ran out of ideas before the '70s were done, and then spent years coasting on the personalities of its stars, but the early seasons had a refreshing charm, especially when the producers were still trying to figure out who and what each character would be. The first season represented on this three-disc set consisted of 16 episodes, the series having debuted in January of 1974 as a mid-season replacement. They're fascinating to watch, not only because this is the first uncut airing of those shows since they left the network, but also because the players, especially Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, are so fresh in their roles and the 1950s setting is put together very smoothly. What makes Happy Days different from the sitcoms from the period it represents, apart from a sense of irony, are the nuances: the presence of Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" (replacing the intended "Happy Day" theme song by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox during the first two seasons), in lieu of a pop instrumental by some composer of the period; the presence of Henry Winkler's Arthur Fonzarelli (aka Fonzie), even in the early episodes when he was a supporting character; and the references to period politics.

It's eerie looking at the first episode, to see how impressive Henry Winkler is; sans leather jacket (the network insisted he wear a windbreaker), and with no dialogue until the last of four scenes in which he appears, he still dominates those scenes with his presence -- and already, there's a hint of the preternatural powers that he would later manifest with girls, in a scene where he unhooks a handy brassier with one finger. Anson Williams also is interesting to watch as a somewhat different Potsie Webber -- less a comic nerd than a rather overeager Lothario, he's a much more interesting character, if not as likable, a kind of slightly gawky Eddie Haskell to Howard's Wally Cleaver. The plots themselves draw from lines similar to those in very late-era Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best episodes, with the obvious influence of the Dick Van Dyke Show: Richie and Potsie buy a car together; their friend Ralph Malph (Donny Most, not yet an equal co-star) gets his car into a drag-race; Richie finds himself committed to a date with a girl (Diana Canova) half-a-head taller than he is; Richie and Potsie sneak into a strip-joint, where Richie spots his own father (Tom Bosley) in the audience.... By episode seven, "Fonzie Drops In," they're working Winkler and Howard for their talent and doing well with it, and by the next episode, Winkler is providing the punch line to the show. Finally, in "Give the Band a Hand," Winkler is wearing his leather jacket (and Williams, Howard, and Most are singing as members of a band). And in "Knock Around the Block" you actually see the Fonzie character's darker, more threatening side for the first time. By end of the first season, the producers even had the courage to do a show about civil rights,"The Best Man" (and this was in 1974, when integration was still a hot-button issue in a lot of white neighborhoods, and a lot of elections).

The full-screen (1.33:1) film-to-video transfers are generally excellent, in terms of both color and detail; one or two shots might be a little soft in certain close-ups, but generally this is a better presentation than the uncut episodes have ever received, especially as the episodes, each running slightly over 25 minutes, were all cut (sometimes very obviously and awkwardly) by as much as two minutes as soon as they went into syndication. The audio is mastered at a decent volume level, and one can easily hear the details in a lot of the pop and rock songs (especially the Les Paul and Mary Ford material) that wasn't evident on the original telecasts. The three single-sided discs each contain five or six episodes, accessible individually in a simple menu or with a "play all" command. Each episode is broken into five chapters, covering the "Rock Around the Clock" opening credits (making it easy to skip), the opening of the show, the start of the second half, the coda at the end, and the end credits. There are no extra features of any kind, which is sort of a pity, because the series had a pretty complicated pre-history. The pilot, starring Howard, Williams, and Marion Ross, with Harold Gould in the role of the father, and set in an urban area (as opposed to suburban) had actually been shot in 1971. At the time, Howard was hoping to avoid the military draft and was advised that one way to do this would be to star in a TV series (the law provided an exemption for anyone whose being drafted would lead to the unemployment of 35 or more workers), but it didn't sell and was folded into Love, American Style as "Love and the Happy Days," broadcast in February of 1972. In the meantime, the nostalgia boom took hold on television, and Howard starred in George Lucas' American Graffiti (1973), a film set at the end of the 1950s, which was a hit, so much so that it got ABC newly interested in the series. The makers of the disc could at least have thrown in "Love and the Happy Days" (which is owned by Paramount) as a very obvious bonus. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Having portrayed a career criminal who embarked upon a robbery spree for the sake of her young son in an earlier FBI episode, Penny Fuller essays a similar role herein as female crime boss Della Marot. In an abrupt about-face, Della informs her fiancee that she's going to quit the rackets in order to be a "real mom" to her young daughter. But she may not get the chance: Not only is the FBI breathing down Della's neck, but she also faces the wrath of her former Mob associates. Featured as Della's preteen daughter Cindy is Erin Moran of Happy Days fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

African-American activist and actor Melvin Van Peebles directed this comedy-drama starring Godfrey Cambridge as Jeff Gerber, a white, middle class husband to Althea (Estelle Parson) and father of two who is also a mild bigot. One morning, Jeff wakes up to discover that he has become a black man overnight. After trying in vain to remove his new pigment, Jeff ventures out into the world, only to discover the hostility he once engendered himself. After his neighbors petition to get him out of the neighborhood, his boss (Howard Caine) tries to use his new identity to the company's advantage and his doctor suggests he seek medical care elsewhere, Jeff comes to see the many sides of racism. The only rays of hope in his situation are the friendship of several fellow black people, including a bus driver (D'Urville Martin) and a restaurant counter man (Mantan Moreland). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is puzzled when Mary Cochella (Zohra Lampert), a woman of very modest means, is kidnapped. It turns out that Mary's abductors are using their victim to secure the cooperation of her husband Fred (Paul Picerni), a cashier at a big sports arena which has been targetted for robbery. Anne Francis appears as one of the kidnapper's wives, who suffers a sudden--and potentially fatal--attack of conscience. Also, watch for future Happy Days costar Erin Moran as the little girl who witnesses the kidnapping. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two parents worry about the feelings of their love-struck teenage son in this engaging romantic comedy. Grif (James Garner) and wife Jenny (Debbie Reynolds) are concerned about their son Davey (Donald Losby). When his girlfriend is slated for a tour of Europe, the teenage boy is heartbroken. Grif, a photographer by trade, draws the assignment as a photo journalist to cover the girl's tour. Jenny is swindled by Mr. Tilly (Terry-Thomas) who takes her money as rent payment on a Riviera villa. The house is owned by a French playboy who allows the pretty mom to stay. Comedy ensues when a jealous Grif discovers wife Jenny in a bikini given to her by the amorous Frenchman. Prolific songwriter Jimmy Webb provides the music for this feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide