Nancy Morgan
- 2007
- R
When a lonely young girl named Anna walks into her local independent video store in search of an erotic film, the clerk behind the counter vows to transcend her emotional barriers and win her heart in this quirky relationship comedy written, directed by, and starring Marianna Palka. Though the lovelorn clerk in question (Jason Ritter) is a bit of a creep and perhaps even a potential stalker, the contentious relationship forged between the pair as he repeatedly seeks Anna's affections (and is continually shot down) eventually leads to an unusual, yet wholly unavoidable, confrontation that offers offbeat insight into the state of modern romance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marianna Palka, Jason Ritter, (more)
- 1995
This episode of Lucky Luke, the comedy-western television series, follows Luke (Terrence Hill) as he escorts a group of brides to their new miner husbands. Unbeknownst to him, one of the brides is Jenny, his old outlaw rival who may not be the blushing bride her husband expects. Luke suspects she's plotting a way back into a life of crime, and it's up to him and his talking horse, Jolly Jumper, to save the day. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
As indicated by its title, this made-for-TV weeper was inspired by one of author Danielle Steel's innumerable best-sellers. The beautiful and talented Adrian (Polly Draper) is a writer for one of America's most popular TV soap operas. She is also pregnant, and when she refuses to abort her baby, Adrian's selfish husband (Kevin Kilner) deserts her. It falls to one of the soap opera's producers, the recently divorced Bill (John Ritter), to convince Adrian to give romance a second chance -- and, incidentally, to give her baby a new last name. Described at the time of its release as "a yuppie love story," Danielle Steel's 'Heartbeat' was originally telecast by NBC on February 3, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
A man violates his premarital agreement when he leaves his newly pregnant TV-news producer wife. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Polly Draper, (more)
- 1991
- PG
In this farcical Western, a gunslinger riding a loquacious talking horse work together to bring law and order to a rough and tumble town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terence Hill, Nancy Morgan, (more)
- 1990
This sentimentalized biography of Oz creator L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) stars John Ritter in the title role. Richard Matheson's teleplay accurately depicts Baum as a business failure with the singular gift of being able to communicate with children. In keeping with Matheson's grounding in fantasy and the supernatural, Baum's characters occasionally come to life to palaver with the author and bring him inspiration. Annette O'Toole co-stars as Mrs. Baum, while Charles Haid is seen in the dual role of "Badham" and the Cowardly Lion. Also on hand as a Munchkin is Jerry Maren, who played one of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 Hollywood adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Made for television, Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story debuted December 10, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A prim and proper housewife from Beverly Hills sets off with a Hollywood prostitute to nab the party responsible for murdering her husband in the hooker's apartment. Cindy Williams and Markie Post star in this light comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
A science project goes awry and the world is threatened by giant cockroaches in this horror outing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lansing, Lisa Langlois, (more)
- 1985
In this romantic drama, a brainy receptionist falls in love with the head of the company without realizing that he is already spoken for. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG
It is doubtful that while acting in D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation back in 1914, Lillian Gish ever dreamed that seven decades later she'd be co-starring with a cute dog in something called Hambone and Hillie. It all begins at a busy airport, where octogenarian Hillie (Gish) is accidentally separated from her beloved bow-wow Hambone. In a twinkling, Hambone and Hillie find themselves on opposite coasts of the USA. The rest of the film charts the efforts of both mistress and mutt to find each other again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lillian Gish, Timothy Bottoms, (more)
After making a name for himself with such underground gross-out epics as Pink Flamingos and Desperate Living, director John Waters made a bid for somewhat wider acceptance with this black comedy, which is sedate only by the standards of his previous work. Francine Fishpaw (Divine) is a housewife whose life has become a living hell. Her husband Elmer (David Samson) runs a porno theater (currently showing the classic My Burning Bush) and is having an affair with secretary Sandra (Mink Stole), a vision of sleaze in Bo Derek-style cornrow braids who informs Elmer, "Children would only get in the way of our erotic lifestyle!" Francine has two teenage children, Dexter (Ken King), who likes to sniff glue and stomp on women's feet, and Lulu (Mary Garlington), a brazen slut who hangs out with overage juvenile delinquent Bobo (Stiv Bators) and gleefully anticipates her next abortion. Francine's best friend, Cuddles (Edith Massey), is a slightly insane heiress who is somehow convinced she's a debutante. Francine's life has become so miserable that her dog commits suicide rather than witness it, but a light appears on the horizon -- Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter), the handsome and dashing owner of a local drive-in specializing in art films (their current bill is a Margurerite Duras triple feature), with whom Dawn enters into a torrid affair. Subversive on all fronts, Polyester was originally shown in "Odorama" (patrons were given a card with ten scratch-and-sniff patches, to be smelled at key points in the action) and featured a romantic theme song sung by that new hitmaking duo, Deborah Harry and Bill Murray. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Divine, Tab Hunter, (more)
In this socially conscious, satirical made-for-television drama, a con-artist becomes one of the nation's top televangelists. The film is also known as K-GOD. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour Backstairs at the White House was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Uggams, Olivia Cole, (more)
- 1979
In the future (the distant year of 1997), the United States of America is in crisis. The oil shortage has grown to epic proportions, leading to people living in their cars and bicycling to work. Cigarettes and meat have been outlawed, gold coins are needed to operate common household appliances, and the Western White House (located in a luxury apartment in California) has been forced by economic necessity to operate round-the-clock tours for vacationing Chinese citizens. The economy is deep trouble; President Chet Roosevelt (John Ritter) has borrowed four billion dollars from Native American tennis shoe manufacturer Sam Birdwater (Chief Dan George), and he's foreclosing on the loan. When a media expert, Eric McMerkhin (Peter Riegert), is summoned for advice (since despite all hardships, Americans refuse to give up their televisions), he suggests a telethon. It's a great idea, except the President's assistant Vincent Vanderhoff (Fred Willard) is in cahoots with the United Heb-Rab Republic, a sinister coalition of Israeli and Arab nationals who want to snap up America if the debt can't be paid. He ensures that the show is stocked with endless ventriloquists and insists on Monty Rushmore (Harvey Korman), a washed-up, drug-addicted television personality as host. The star of the popular sitcom "Both Mother and Father," he is sure to self-destruct over the grueling 30-day-and-night telethon schedule. Despite terrorist attacks and the kidnapping of President Roosevelt, the patriotic spirit prevails and American citizens dig deep and pledge their gold to the cause. This outrageous farce (based on a play by Firesign Theatre alumni Philip Proctor and Peter Bergman) features cameos from Elvis Costello, Jay Leno, Meat Loaf and the Del Rubio Triplets, and is narrated by George Carlin. The Beach Boys, Eddie Money, and Nick Lowe contribute to the musical soundtrack. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, (more)
- 1978
Good Times briefly moved from its Saturday-night slot to Wednesday for this sixth season episode. Michael Evans (Ralph Carter) shocks his family, in general, and his mom Florida (Esther Rolle), in particular, when he announces that he wants to move into his own apartment "for more space." What really has Florida up in arms is Michael's new roommate -- an attractive young white girl. Janet Jackson (Penny Woods) does not appear in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In exchange for being allowed to make his directorial debut in Grand Theft Auto, Ron Howard agreed to take no salary as a director, merely as star and co-screenwriter (with his dad Rance). The plot finds Sam Freeman (Howard) eloping with his heiress girlfriend Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan). Her mob-connected dad Bigby Powers (Barry Cahill) vehemently opposes the marriage, and isn't about to change his mind now that Sam has stolen his Rolls-Royce and sped off to Las Vegas with his daughter in tow. Marion Ross, Howard's Happy Days mom, turns in an offbeat supporting characterization. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Howard, Nancy Morgan, (more)
- 1977
- PG
This alternately hard-edged and bittersweet drama looks at life on a college campus in the early '50s. Zac Sterling (Gregory Harrison) is a student eager to be accepted at one of the school's fraternities, where the pledges are put through the ritual of "hazing" by sensible Rodger Carter (Peter Fox) and loutish Chuck Cherry (Scott Newman). While Zac's intellectual girlfriend Jennifer Harris (Nancy Morgan) regards the Greek system as discriminatory and elitist, he's eager to belong; but he decides, along with several other pledges, to rebel against the tortures inflicted by the upperclassmen upon the new members of the frat. However, the more the pledges rebel against hazing, the more punishment Chuck inflicts upon them, until finally a prank goes too far and one of the new fraternity brothers winds up dead. Director Thomas J. Tobin was able to bring this polished-looking film in on a remarkably low budget by employing a cast and crew recruited from the graduate film program at the University of Southern California. Scott Newman, who played Chuck, was the son of actor Paul Newman; sadly, he died of a drug overdose within a year of this film's release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Fox, Gregory Harrison, (more)
