Ed Begley, Jr. Movies
Tall and blond with a handsome craggy face, Ed Begley Jr. became a star for his convincing portrayal of the obsequious, socially awkward Dr. Erlich on the acclaimed television series St. Elsewhere (1982-1988). He is the son of distinguished radio, television, and screen actor Ed Begley and made his acting debut at age 17 in an episode of My Three Sons. Later, he worked on the college and nightclub circuit as a standup comedian and then was a TV cameraman for a short while. During the '70s, Begley returned to acting and guest starred on several series, including Happy Days and Starsky and Hutch. In film, he made his debut in the Disney comedy Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), and went on to play small roles in a couple more Walt Disney comedies, including Super Dad (1973). By the mid-'70s, Begley was getting larger supporting roles in such films as Stay Hungry (1976) and Blue Collar (1978). For his work as Dr. Erlich on St. Elsewhere, Begley was nominated for an Emmy. Though he is steadily employed in Hollywood as a supporting actor and an occasional lead (as in Roseanne's unjustly panned film debut She-Devil where he played a spineless cheat of a husband) in television and feature films, and has displayed a broad range of talent that has allowed him to play anything from hippies to deadly villains in a variety of genres, Begley is still only a mid-range star. In the fall of 1997, Begley was scheduled to return to series television in the CBS sitcom Meego. When not acting, Begley is a tireless promoter of environmental causes; he actively practices what he preaches in accordance with his belief that if individuals begin conserving and find their own alternatives to petroleum power sources, they can force governments to begin sanctioning cleaner energy alternatives. He lives in a modest, energy-efficient two-bedroom home in the San Fernando Valley that stands out only because it is entirely powered by solar energy. He drives a VW rabbit he converted to electric power (most of which comes from his home) and also bicycles and takes the bus when necessary. A vegetarian, he grows much of his food at home and only buys recycled products. Begley has also served as the Environmental Affairs Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles and on the boards of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Environmental Research Foundation, the Coalition for Clean Air, and the American Oceans Campaign. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this offbeat comedy, Jeff Bridges plays Craig Blake, a rich kid who works with a group of hard-living Southern real-estate men led by Jabo (Joe Spinell), who are buying up a business district in Birmingham, Alabama in order to clear the space and put in a new project. Craig is supposed to work out a deal to buy the Olympic Spa, a gym popular with local weight-lifters, but after spending some time at the club, Craig finds himself fascinated with the people there, especially Joe Santo (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a world-class body builder from Austria who sometimes works out in a superhero costume and likes to play bluegrass fiddle to relax. Craig also makes the acquaintance of Mary Tate Farnsworth (Sally Field), a feisty gal who hangs out with Joe. Mary Tate finds Craig attractive, but she isn't sure he's being all that sincere, and she wonders why a wealthy real estate man is hanging out with a bunch of low-rent gym rats. Stay Hungry was a critical comeback for director Bob Rafelson and kick-started the careers of both Sally Field and Arnold Schwarzenegger in their first major film roles (unless you count Arnold's misbegotten appearance as "Arnold Strong" in Hercules In New York). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Sally Field, (more)
- 1975
Karen Valentine guest stars as Holly Dean, the fiancée of a former mobster. When her boyfriend dies, he entrusts his "little black book" to Holly's care. Since the book contains the itemized accounts of several local mobsters, both the good guys and the bad guys would like to get their hands on the valuable legacy. But when Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) approaches Holly and asks for the book, she lies about having it -- a misguided act of loyalty to her late sweetheart that may cost the lives of both herself and Baretta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
Frank Mansfield (Warren Oates) is a game cock trainer who has taken a vow of silence; he once bragged too loudly about his cockfighting prowess and ended up losing his best fowl in a drunken, late-night match before an important tournament. To regain his pride after such hubris, Frank refuses to utter a word until he wins the coveted "Cockfighter of the Year" medal. Cockfighter follows his ups and downs as he attempts to succeed in the shadowy, barely legal sport. Frank loses his truck, trailer, and a girlfriend after trying to rig a match with fellow cocksman Jack Burke (Harry Dean Stanton), and has to sell his house to raise funds for stock. Later, Frank wins ten roosters in a private backwoods match and trains them heavily with his partner, Omar Baradinsky (Richard B. Shull), working his way back to the top of his chosen craft. He also attempts to reestablish his relationship with an old girlfriend (Patricia Pearcy) who doesn't know much about cockfighting and is repulsed when she actually witnesses one in the flesh. There is plenty of brutal footage included in Cockfighter that will dismay many animal lovers, so those with qualms about the sport should steer clear. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Oates, Richard B. Shull, (more)
- 1973
- G
A concerned father decides to become closer to his daughter the hard way in this live-action comedy from Walt Disney Pictures. Charlie McCready (Bob Crane) is the father of Wendy (Kathleen Cody), a pretty teenager soon to enter college. Like most parents, Charlie only wants the best for his daughter, but he has little use for her circle of friends, most of whom he regards as half-witted and lazy. Determined to set a better example for his daughter (especially since most of her friends will be joining her at college), Charlie decides to become Wendy's new best friend, imposing himself upon her as often as possible and shoe-horning his way into her social circle, even if it means taking up surfing and water skiing to do it. Charlie's not-always-welcome presence doesn't change Wendy's feelings about her boyfriend Bart (Kurt Russell), but when Charlie decides to break up their romance, he gets even more trouble than he anticipated. Superdad also stars Barbara Rush as Charlie's wife Sue, and Joe Flynn as the memorably named Cyrus Hershberger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Kurt Russell, (more)
- 1973
- PG
In this Western comedy, Billy (Dean Martin) and Chuck (Rock Hudson) were the best of friends until Chuck married the girl they were both courting. Now they have drifted apart. Chuck has since become a sheriff and must hunt down Billy, now a robber. As the chase proceeds, each of them reminisces about their past together. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Rock Hudson, (more)
- 1973
- G
Finding that he hasn't much time left to live, a man makes needed changes in his life with the help of an angel in this Disney feature. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1972
The police are stymied by a lack of witnesses and clues as they investigate the murder of a pretty coed in San Francisco park. Hoping to arouse the conscience of The Public, Ironside (Raymond Burr) appears on an all-night TV debate show, begging people to come forward with any information that might help collar the killer. The Chief hopes that he can either panic the perpetrator into tipping his hand, or play for time until his assistant Ed Brown (Don Galloway) can ferret out the one clue that will crack the case. Featured in the cast is a young Ed Begley Jr. (who undoubtedly was bicycling to the studio even back in those pre-Global Warming days). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- G
- Add Now You See Him, Now You Don't to QueueAdd Now You See Him, Now You Don't to top of Queue
If anyone is interested in seeing what Kurt Russell used to do before transforming into Snake Plissken in Escape From New York, they can look no further than this labored Disney slapstick marzipan sequel to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. Kurt Russell, once again, is Dexter Riley, a science major at Medfield College, who, along with fellow science majors Schuyler (Michael McGreevey) and Debbie (Joyce Menges), concocts an invisibility spray. A gang of thieves, headed by A.J. Arno (Cesar Romero), want to get a hold of the formula to use in a bank robbery. The kids find themselves the prey of the crooks, as the bad guys attempt to get the spray. Meanwhile, Dexter employs the spray at a golf tournament, much to the surprise of apoplectic college president Higgins (Joe Flynn). But before Higgins can spout out "Wha? Wha? Wha?,." Arno continues onward with the chase for Dexter and the invisibility spray. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Cesar Romero, (more)
- 1972
The family in "flight" is played by Rod Taylor, Dina Merrill and Kristoffer Tabori. While taking an airborne vacation to Mexico, the family crash-lands somewhere in the Baja peninsula. Having taken the vacation as a means to patch up a variety of differences, the family is forced to pull together to survive. At times, however, it looks like no one will return to tell the tale. Made for television, Family Flight debuted October 25, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Posing as a psychic, silver-tongued con artist Charles Ridgeway (Fritz Weaver) specializing in relieving his wealthy clients of their jewels and other valuables. Ridgeway's current pigeon is widow Carol Stanford (Dana Wynter), who is desperate to make contact with the spirit of her dead son. FBI Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) intends to stop Ridgeway before Mrs. Stanford loses her most cherished possessions--to say nothing of her life. This episode marks one of the earliest TV appearances of Ed Begley Jr.. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Overlooked when it first aired February 18, 1972, the made-for-TV Evil Roy Slade has gained a loyal and protective cult following in the past 20 years. The film was the second pilot for a never-sold TV western spoof created by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, Sheriff Who?. Actually, it was the second and third pilot, since Evil Roy Slade has been cobbled together from two hour-long films. John Astin is terrific in the title role, playing an outlaw so repulsive that, when he was orphaned and left stranded in the desert as a baby, even the wolves didn't want him! As an adult, Evil Roy Slade can't resist "going the extra mile" in his nastiness: while robbing a bank, he stops to pilfer a fountain pen chained to one of the desks, and the next shot shows Slade riding off into the sunset, dragging the desk behind him. Attempting to reform for the sake of pretty schoolmarm Betsy Potter (Pamela Austin), Slade simply cannot curb his crooked tendencies, so it's up to Dick Shawn as singing Sheriff Bing Bell ("Will somebody please answer that door?") to bring the criminal to justice. Shawn previously appeared in the original 1967 Sheriff Who? pilot as the "fastest interior decorator in the West"; in both films, he's almost unbearably funny. The Marshall/Belson script is full of hilarious running gags and throwaway jokes. Our favorite bit concerns railroad magnate Mickey Rooney's legendary stubby index finger: "They still sing about it around campfires at night," claims Rooney--and indeed, they do. The supporting cast includes such never-fail laughgetters as Milton Berle, Henry Gibson, Dom DeLuise and Edie Adams; also, keep a lookout for John Ritter and Penny Marshall in unbilled bits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
