Christine Belford Movies
Most 1970s-era couch potatoes first saw lissome leading lady Christine Belford when she portrayed insurance investigator Carlie Kirkland during the second season (1973-74) of the George Peppard TV series Banacek. It would not be the last time that Christine would appear as a series regular: In chronological order, she played Aunt Emily in Married: The First Year (1979); Jackie Willow, wife of Richard Masur in Empire (1984); and sheriff Maggie Randall on Outlaws (1987). She also co-hosted (with Steve Edwards) the 1983 daytime-magazine series Personal & Confidential. Christine Belford's feature-length films include Pocket Money (1972), The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972), and the made-for-TV Kenny Rogers as the Gambler (1980). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Prolific French filmmaker Yves Simoneau directs Sam Shepard and Frank Whaley in a sports drama detailing the remarkable racing career of the horse many believe to be the finest thoroughbred filly ever to run the tracks. In her first ten runs Ruffian was unbeaten, and continued to break longstanding records with every stride. But some careers are like shooting stars, and in just her second season racing Ruffian suffered a career-ending injury. On July 6, 1975, race fans gathered at the Belmont and in front of their televisions eager to witness the prized racehorse's eleventh official race. Billed as the "Battle of the Sexes," this landmark run pitted Ruffian against Kentucky Derby top colt Foolish Paradise. As the race got underway Ruffian was running at her best, but disaster would strike just short of the one-mile marker. It was there that Ruffian would take a brutal tumble that would effectively end both her racing career, and her life. Yet despite her tragic end, Ruffian's inspirational story lives on in this drama that shows why she was the only horse ever to be buried at the Belmont. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Frank Whaley, (more)
- 1993
Molly Hagan is cast as Dana Ballard, a former research assistant of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury)--and a pathological liar. When Dana's current employer is killed and she is accused of the crime, she begs Jessica to clear her name. But Jessica can't help wondering if Dana is merely weaving another web of lies...and that, in direct opposition to the standard Murder, She Wrote formula, she is guilty after all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In the first episode of the two-part Night Court series finale (originally networkcast as a single one-hour special), Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson) considers stepping down from the bench when he receives a number of lucrative (and rather offbeat) job offers. Meanwhile, Christine (Markie Post) seems resigned to losing the congressional election--but she may be in for a surprise. Also, Dan (John Larroquette) prepares to marry into money, while Bull (Richard Bull) makes the acquaintance of several "little people" who are truly out of this world! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
She sure did. Susan Lucci brings her daytime-drama flailing gestures to the prime time TV-movie scene in this melodramatic farrago. She plays a married woman who for the first and only time in her life succumbs to the charms of another man. Accused of murder, Lucci's only alibi is her adulterous liaison. Trouble is, she can provide no proof that the affair--or her lover--ever existed. The publicity people did their best to suggest that The Woman Who Sinned was reminiscent of Fatal Attraction, simply because both films involved a clandestine love affair and a psycho killer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Lucci, Tim Matheson, (more)
- 1989
While visiting Boston, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) runs into her former neighbor John Winslow (John Furlong)--who brusquely insists that he's never seen her before in her life. Quickly dialing up Winslow's wife Maude (Christine Belford), Jessica is informed that John died two weeks before! To solve this mystery, Jessica capitalizes upon her friendship with gruff-but-lovable Boston P.I. Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) attends a cosmetics convention, where her nephew Grady (Michael Horton) has landed a job with supremely bitchy perfume manufacturer Lila Lee Amberson (Jayne Meadows). Also present is Liz Gordon (Ann Dusenberry), who had been one of Jessica's most promising writing students before she abruptly dropped from sight. When Liz turns up murdered, Jessica takes a personal interest in tracking down the culprit--and also learning the terrible secret that Liz was so obviously covering up at the time of her death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
A rare attempt by a female director to attack the issue of rape from a woman's perspective, this drama is sure to cause varied reactions. A sense of the film's perspective can be garnered from paraphrasing its publicity: "Rapists have two problems and the 'Ladies Club' is about to remove them both." Statistics of the time note that a woman was raped every seven minutes while the conviction rate was an incredibly low 2%. A policewoman who was brutally raped and the sister of a rape victim who was incurably traumatized band together for a surgical attack on the offenders, aided by a physician whose own tragedy inspires her to lend her skill with a scalpel to the cause. The encounters with rapists, court hearings, and sneaking through police files to identify the men who got away bring suspense to this crusade for justice. Comic relief crops up now and again to leaven the seriousness of the topic. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Austin, Diana Scarwid, (more)
- 1986
Rose's daughter Kirsten (Christine Belford) and granddaughter Charley (Bridgette Andersen) arrive in Miami to settle the estate of Rose's late husband. Their visit causes great consternation for Rose (Betty White), who has filled her daughter with all sorts of white lies about her hubby's "vast wealth." And while we're on the subject of money, it should be noted that a subplot concerning Blanche (Rue McClanahan) revolves around a murder in high places. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
The duplicitous owner (James Coco) of a popular theme park engages Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to design a "house of horror". Shortly, thereafter, the owner is murdered in his underground office--an "impossible" crime, inasmuch as the office was securely locked from the inside. Inasmuch as the wife of investigating detective Lt. Donovan (James Stephens) is Jessica's niece Carol , it is perhaps a "given" that our heroine will take a hand in solving the murder. Incidentally, the two Donovan children are played by a very young Joaquin Phoenix (here billed as "Leaf") and his sister Summer Phoenix. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Scriptwriters Robert Malcolm Young, Sue Grafton and Stephen Humphrey transposed the Agatha Christie story Sparkling Cyanide from its veddy British locale to the plush environs of Pasadena for this 1983 TV-movie adaptation. Leading character Anthony Andrews is still a Briton, mingling with the rich and famous. Seeking glamour, Andrews finds only depravity and death as several of the glitterati drop dead due to poisoned champagne. The motives are the oldest and most reliable: avarice and jealousy. Sparkling Cyanide was filmed at the same time as Caribbean Mystery, another Christie adaptation utilizing the same producer, director and scenarists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director John Carpenter returns to the suburban landscape he explored so chillingly in Halloween (1978) with this lean, stripped-down adaptation of the Stephen King best-seller about a haunted car with a devilishly bad attitude and the teen underdog who falls head-over-heels for her chrome-accented charms. Shortly after geeky, horn-rim-sporting Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) narrowly escapes a beating at the hands of shop-class bully Buddy Repperton (William Ostrander) on the first day of his senior year, he soon falls prey to a far more duplicitous villain in the form of a rusted-out 1958 Plymouth Fury nicknamed "Christine" by its crusty owner George LeBay (Roberts Blossom) -- who sells wide-eyed Arnie the old hulk despite the protests of best friend Dennis (John Stockwell) and the admonition of his domineering parents. As Arnie sets to the task of restoring Christine, his hobby grows into an obsession -- and the real power that hums beneath her hood begins to emerge, seemingly granting newfound coolness and sex appeal to the once-nerdy outcast, while simultaneously drawing away his very soul. A vengeful spirit, Christine lashes out violently at those who dare to stand between her and Arnie -- starting with Repperton and his gang, who completely trash the car, but are soon hunted down one by one and pulverized beneath the whitewalls of the miraculously-restored Fury. When Arnie's pretty, popular girlfriend Leigh (Alexandra Paul) begins to suspect she may soon be on the receiving end of automotive vengeance, she calls on Dennis for help... but a frightening midnight ride in Christine convinces Dennis that Arnie's only hope lies in destroying the demonic vehicle. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, (more)
- 1982
Based on a story by Jimmy Breslin, The Neighborhood takes place in an all-white, blue collar neighborhood in an unspecified big city. A "blockbuster" real estate agent begins selling houses to black families (among the new neighbors is recent Oscar nominee Howard Rollins Jr.), resulting in mixed emotions (most of them leaning towards hostility) from the white residents. There are isolated incidents of terrorism, including a burning cross, before wiser heads prevail and the neighbors learn to live together in harmony. The nicer white residents include Christine Belford and Ron Masak, playing the sort of altruistic types that seem to exist exclusively in TV movies. The contrived upbeat ending of The Neighborhood is a sure giveaway that the film was intended as the pilot for a weekly series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Masak, Christine Belford, (more)
- 1981
Magnum is hired to protect a prize racehorse named Norman, who has been receiving kidnapping threats.. It so happens that the horse's owner, Adelaide Malone (Christine Belford), is the niece of Charles Cathcart (Cameron Mitchell), a former military officer who saved Magnum's life in Vietnam, at great personal cost to himself. Not only is Cathcart deeply disappointed that Magnum chose to leave the Navy, but he is also dead set against the detective carrying out his assignment with Norman. As it turns out, Adelaide is a more likely abduction candidate than her horse--and what's the deal with those two lawyers with the same name? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Christopher Plummer has all the best dialogue in the hokey made-for-TVer Desperate Voyage. Plummer plays a modern-day pirate who hijacks private yachts, steals the valuables on board, and, weeping crocodile tears, sends the passengers to Davy Jones' Locker. His captives on this voyage are Cliff Potts, Christine Belford, Lara Parker and Nicholas Pryor, none of whom have any intention of being tossed into the briny. Much was made of the fact that Desperate Voyage was filmed entirely at sea, with no studio work. Those who didn't suffer from "mal de mer" were able to watch this film from start to finish when it debuted November 29, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When first telecast on April 8, 1980, this made-for-TV movie was titled Kenny Rogers as The Gambler. Jim Byrnes' teleplay is loosely inspired by Rogers' Grammy award-winning song. Rogers plays high-rolling gambler Brady Hawkes, who is en route from El Paso to Yuma to see the son he never knew. Along the way, Hawkes befriends Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner), feckless Eastern tinhorn. The twosome comes to the aid of reformed "lady of the evening" Jennie Reed (Lee Purcell), who is pursued by an unprincipled train baron. At the end, Brynes must stand up to his son's cruel stepfather (Clu Gulager). A huge ratings success, The Gambler inspired four sequels over the next two decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Rogers, Bruce Boxleitner, (more)
- 1979
Racism is explored in this drama that chronicles the attempts of an African-American family to buy a home in a white suburb. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Though tenuously based on fact, High Midnight is the sort of TV movie that could only have been made in the fuzzy-headed 70s. David Birney is a blue-collar type whose wife and daughter are killed in a no-knock drug bust. Nasty narcotics officer Michael Connors refuses to admit that he's made a mistake. Connors tries to cover up his own ineptitude, and eventually targets Birney for elimination. With the help of sympathetic cop Christine Belford, Birney avenges his family's murder. It's not likely that a TV movie in which a narcotics cop is the villain will get much play in the 1990s, but High Midnight is a nonetheless fascinating time capsule. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In the first episode of a two-part story, the Galactica is again attacked by a fleet of Cylon fighters. The crew's only hope of escape is through a space corridor past the ice planet Arcta--which is guarded by a Cylon pulsar cannon. Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) is ultimately forced to place the future of his space vessel in the hards of an army of criminals, led by Adama's son Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Apollo's best friend Starbuck (Richard Hatch). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
In the conclusion of a two-part story, the fate of the Galactica rests in the hands of an army of criminals and misfits, under the command of Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Starbuck (Dirk Benedict). This ragtag band must destroy the Cylon pulsar cannon mounted on the ice planet Arcta. Can they depend upon the help of a race of clone miners, who have as much reason to hate the Cylons as anyone in the universe -- but who may not be willing or able to fight? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1978
Joe Don Baker stars as chief of detectives, Eischeid, in the 4-hour, 2-part TV film To Kill A Cop. Eischeid must contend with a series of seemingly unrelated bank robberies and the vicious murders of two police officers. Eischeid deduces that the culprits are members of a violent African-American revolutionary movement, but he is blocked in his investigation by the politically ambitious chief of police. As time runs out, Eischeid must prevent the planned wholesale slaughter of civilians at the hands of the revolutionaries. Scripted by Ernest Tidyman (The French Connection), To Kill a Cop served as the pilot for the TV series Eischeid, which ran from September 1979 to January 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Five terrorists hijack a plane with eighteen passengers, forcing the vessel to land on an LAX runway. During the negotiations between the police and the terrorists, medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman) is summoned onto the plane to pick up the body of a passenger who died during the flight. Quincy quickly determines that the man succumbed to a contagious disease--and now he must convince the hijackers to cooperate in his efforts to prevent a medical disaster of doomsday dimensions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Us Against the World stars Christine Belford, Meredith Baxter-Birney and Donna Mills as three interns in a busy metropolitan hospital. Chief among their many problems is dealing with the chauvinistic comments of a brilliant surgeon (Theodore Bikel). The interns also contend with the drawn-out death of a young leukemia patient, and with an emotionally disturbed, increasingly violent child. Us Against the World originated as a two-part episode of the 1975 TV anthology series Medical Story; curiously, only Part One was ever telecast on the series itself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Comedian Freddie Prinze appeared in his only TV movie (in fact, his only movie of any kind) when he starred in The Million Dollar Rip-Off. Prinze plays an ex-convict who happens to be an electronics genius. He woos four toothsome young ladies and convinces them to participate in robbing the payroll of the Chicago Transit Authority. The girls have a little conference among themselves, decide they're all being taken by Freddie, and vow to bollix up the job. Million Dollar Rip-Off was written by character actors William Devane and John Pleshette, both of whom may have harbored hopes of starring in the project themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
