Jerry Orbach Movies
Jerry Orbach often commented, without false modesty, that he was fortunate indeed to have been a steadily working actor since the age of 20. Such was an understatement: graced with not only formidable dramatic instinct but one of American theater's top singing voices, Orbach resisted others' attempts to peg him as a character actor time and again and established himself as one of the most unique talents in entertainment per se. Television producer Dick Wolf perhaps put it best when he described Orbach as "a legendary figure of 20th century show business" and "one of the most honored performers of his generation."
A native of the Bronx, Orbach was born to an ex-vaudevillian father who worked full time as a restaurant manager and a mother who sang professionally on the radio. The Orbachs moved around constantly during Jerry's youth, relocating from Gotham to Scranton to Wilkes-Barre to Springfield, Massachusetts and eventually settling in Chicago - a mobility that gave the young Orbach an unusual ability to adapt to any circumstance or situation, and thus presaged his involvement in drama. Orbach later attended Northwestern University, trained with Herbert Berghof and Lee Strasberg, and took his Gotham theatrical bow in 1955, as an understudy in the popular 1955 revival of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera, eventually playing the lead role of serial killer Macheath.
During the Threepenny run, Orbach made his first film appearance in the Manhattan-filmed low budgeter Cop Killer (1958). In 1960, Orbach created the role of flamboyant interlocutor El Gallo in the off-Broadway smash The Fantasticks, and later starred in such Broadway productions as Carnival (1961), Promises Promises (1966), Chicago (1975) and 42nd Street (1983). By day, Orbach made early-1960s appearances in several New York-based TV series, notably The Shari Lewis Show.
In the early years, Orbach's film assignments were infrequent, but starting around 1981, with his pivotal role as officer Gus Levy in Sidney Lumet's masterful urban epic Prince of the City, the actor generally turned up in around one movie per year. His more fondly remembered screen assignments include the part of Jennifer Grey's father in Dirty Dancing (1987), Martin Landau's shady underworld brother in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) the voice of the Chevalieresque candellabra in the Disney cartoon feature Beauty and the Beast (1990), and Billy Crystal's easily amused agent in Mr. Saturday Night (1992). Orbach perhaps made his most memorable contribution to television, however. After headlining a brief, short-lived detective series entitled The Law and Harry McGraw from September 1987 to February 1988 (a spinoff of Murder, She Wrote), Orbach landed a role that seemed to draw heavily from his Prince of the City portrayal: Detective Lennie Briscoe, a sardonic, mordant police investigator on Wolf's blockbuster cop drama Law & Order.Orbach carried the assignment for twelve seasons, and many attributed a large degree of the program's success to him.
Jerry Orbach died of prostate cancer at the age of 69 on December 28, 2004. Three years later, Orbach turned up, posthumously, on subway print advertisements for the New York Eye Bank. As a performer with nearly perfect vision, he had opted to donate his eyes to two women after his death - a reflection on the remarkable humanitarian ideals that characterized his off-camera self. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
On a boiling hot night in the middle of a steaming New York summer, Detective Mike Reardon is on his way to work when he is shot down execution style. His fellow officers at the 87th, led by detectives Steve Carelli (Robert Loggia) and Mike Maguire (Gerald S. O'Laughlin), can't come up with a motive. The investigation has barely started when Reardon's young partner Foster is ambushed and gunned down as well. Carelli and Maguire are the lead investigators on the double police homicide, tracing potential suspects and following up clues that all lead to blind alleys. Meanwhile, Miller, a reporter, does some investigating on his own and nearly gets a young detective killed by a street gang led by smart-mouthed punk Joe Sanchez (Jerry Orbach). Amid this chaos, Carelli tries to carry on a romance with a deaf-mute author named Teddy (Ellen Parker) and Maguire attempts not to neglect his wife too badly. Maguire is gunned down by the same shooter that killed the other two detectives, only he makes sure the killer leaves behind a few clues before he dies. Carelli can't make the pieces fit together -- the only thing that the three victims had in common was that they worked in the 87th Precinct and they were all cops. He begins wondering if the fact that they were all police officers was relevant to the killings, but not the motive. Looking for a story, Miller reports Carelli's private suppositions, suddenly putting Teddy in jeopardy. Not knowing that the shooter is a step ahead of him, the detective races to her home. Carelli breaks the case and discovers that only one of the murders had an actual motive, one much closer to home than anyone on the squad would ever have guessed. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Loggia, Gerald O'Loughlin, (more)
- 1961
Based on Stefan Zweig's novel, this made-for-TV movie was adapted by John Mortimer and directed by Silvio Narizzano. Told in flashback, a middle-aged woman (Ingrid Bergman) travels to Europe after the death of her husband of 17 years. In Monte Carlo, she goes to a casino with a friend (John Williams) and meets a gambler (Rip Torn). Thinking that she can reform him, she and the gambler become romantically involved; in the span of 24 hours, she saves him from a suicide attempt. Also starring Jerry Orbach and Lili Darvas, with original music by George Kleinsinger.This story has been remade several times, most notably by filmmaker Robert Land in 1931. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1961
This gangland crime story about the life and death of mobster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll (John Chandler) is most notable for the array of relatively unknown actors in bit parts who later became famous. Otherwise, there is a lot of bloodshed, surface characterization, and a great deal of fiction in the violent tale. Coll is first shown suffering extreme abuse from his father, and then he segues into the development of a neighborhood gang at the age of seventeen. From there, he gets on the wrong side of gangster Dutch Schultz which ultimately is a big mistake. Director Burt Balaban depicts Coll as increasingly insane, before his last killing leads to his violent death. Among those "new" faces are Telly Savalas as Lt. Dawson, Jerry Orbach as Joe, Coll's Judas, Gene Hackman in his first screen role as a cop, and Vincent Gardenia as Dutch Schultz. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Chandler, Neil Nephew, (more)
- 1964
Politics and sports clash in this occasionally funny spoof centered around a downed U2 pilot and an extravagant oil sheik. John Goldfarb (Richard Crenna), a former football player, now pilot, sent on a reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union, is lost and crash-lands in the Middle Eastern kingdom of Fawzia. King Fawz (Peter Ustinov) is constructing a football team to defeat Notre Dame and demands that Goldfarb coach his team or be handed over as a spy. In the interests of international relations, the U.S. State Department not only complies with King Fawz's request to bring the Notre Dame team to his country but in true diplomatic form insists that they throw the game. The romantic interest appears in the form of Jenny Ericson (Shirley MacLaine), an American reporter on an undercover assignment in the king's harem. A pleasant view in scanty harem garb, she lends mild amusement to the story with attempts to avoid the king's amourous advances. Although the humor falls short of its potential, the film was fortuitously saved from obscurity due to publicity generated by an unsuccessful lawsuit brought agianst the studio by the University of Notre Dame, which objected to a scene involving Notre Dame players fraternizing with harem girls. The screenplay for John Goldfarb, Please Come Home was written by William Peter Blatty who was later known for his award winning novel and screenplay The Exorcist. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Richard Crenna, (more)
- 1971
- PG
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In this comedy, based on Jimmy Breslin's novel, a bungling gang of hoods make increasingly ludicrous attempts on the life of a Mafia boss. Each attempt ends in failure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Football is the focus of this drama, adapted from Frederick Exley's famous novel. It tells the tale of an aspiring writer obsessed with football. His father was a football star, and the writer, wanting to follow in his dad's illustrious footsteps, constantly berates himself for not having any talent for the sport at all. The young man becomes so distraught, that he winds up in a mental hospital. In time, he comes to accept the fact that he is destined to be only a fan of the game. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This comedy film revolves around the unusual life of a fictional former American president (Zero Mostel) as he reveals the reasons behind his loss of power on a television program. Three short skits depict a randy and raucous life in the White House. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zero Mostel, Estelle Parsons, (more)
- 1975
Season Three of Kojak begins with the first episode of a two-part story (originally seen as a single two-hour offering), in which NYPD lieutenant Theo Kojak (Telly Savalas) is out to get the goods on a mob-controlled loan racket. The hoods specialize in killing those who can't pay up, meaning that the witness list is sparse indeed. Kojak's one hope in busting the racket lies with an imprisoned fence, who just may be angry enough to turn on the loan shark who framed him. By contemporary standards, this episode boasts an all-star guest cast: Eli Wallach, Jerry Orbach, F. Murray Abraham and Charles Kimbrough are among the New York-based actors appearing in key supporting roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In the conclusion of Kojak's two-part Season Three opener (originally seen as a single two-hour "special" episode), Kojak (Telly Savalas) continues putting pressure on an unjustly jailed man to turn state's evidence against the loan shark who framed him. This is the first step in an overall plan to break the back of a mob-controlled racket which specializes in knocking off people who can't pay their debts. Complicating matters is an ambitious Federal agent who wants to beat Kojak to the punch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the wake of such Satanic-themed thrillers as Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen comes The Sentinel. When New York fashion model (Cristina Raines) splits with her fiance (Chris Sarandon) and moves into an old brownstone, she soon discovers she has more than she bargained for in the lease. As luck would have it, a mysterious blind priest (John Carradine) who lives upstairs happens to be guarding the doorway to Hell, and she has been chosen as his replacement. Incidentally, when the door is finally opened, out spills an assortment of deformed humans whom director Michael Winner hand-picked from hospital wards and circus sideshows. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Sarandon, Cristina Raines, (more)
- 1980
An episode of the television series, where Buck must stop a criminal from using the galaxy's biggest rock band to create riots. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
- PG
Ever wonder what happens to your car when you give it to a parking lot attendant? Find out in this zany slapstick comedy set in an exclusive Beverly Hills Hotel. There the attendants gleefully smash and bash the expensive cars of patrons while trying to get them parked. The story really perks up when an enamored and fabulously wealthy sheik joins the attendants in hopes of attracting a certain beautiful woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Inspired by a true story, Prince of the City stars Treat Williams as a Manhattan detective who agrees to help the US Department of Justice weed out corruption in the NYPD. Williams agrees on the assurance that he'll never have to turn in a close friend. Wired for sound, Williams almost immediately stumbles upon a police conspiracy to smuggle narcotics to street informants in order to insure cooperation. While this might be condonable in a stretch, the fact is that the many cops are using the drugs on their own, and are also highly susceptible to bribes. Williams gets the goods on the miscreants, but in so doing he breaks the "code" and becomes a pariah to his fellow officers. As we learn in the unsettling final scene, Williams will always be considered a "fink," even by honest cops. Prince of the City is too long for its own good, but its opening expository sequences and its final twenty minutes more than compensate for the duller stretches. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, (more)
- 1983
Based on Joan Taylor's novel Asking for It, the made-for-TV An Invasion of Privacy stars Valerie Harper as recently divorced book illustrator Kate Bianchi. Moving into a remote, cloistered island community in Maine, Kate has barely arrived when she is raped by a local handyman. The hostile, inbred locals immediately turn against Kate when she presses charges, leaving only the town's college-educated police chief (Cliff De Young) to champion her cause. Jerry Orbach and Tammy Grimes took time off from their roles in the Broadway musical 42nd Street to show up in cameo roles. Filmed on Long Island Sound, An Invasion of Privacy first aired January 12, 1983, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
This performance video is a tribute to the American musical theatre. Includes a collection of memorable songs from various Broadway shows. ~ All Movie Guide
The seventh cinema adaptation of the venerable stage farce Brewster's Millions stars Richard Pryor as Montgomery Brewster, a third-rate baseball player. Much to his amazement, Brewster discovers that he is related to deceased millionaire Rupert Horn (Hume Cronyn, who appears only in a videotaped "living will"). Even more amazing is the fact that Horn has left Brewster his entire $300 million fortune. The catch? Brewster must spend $30 million within 30 days, or he'll be left with nothing (in the earlier incarnations of Brewster's Millions, the hero was required to spend only a million, but this was, after all, the inflationary '80s). Aiding and abetting Brewster in his efforts to divest himself of his money are his catcher pal (John Candy) and an erstwhile lady friend (Lonette McKee), while his principal antagonist is a snotty attorney (Stephen Collins). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, John Candy, (more)
- 1985
Jerry Orbach makes his first series appearance as gruff but golden-hearted Boston private detective Harry McGraw. While researching a 25-year-old murder for her latest book, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) engages the services of McGraw's partner Archie Miles (Maltese Falcon fans take note!) When Miles is murdered, McGraw joins forces with Jessica to find out if his partner's probe of the "old" case was the cause of his death--or could it have been one of the other two cases which Miles was also digging into? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Jerry Orbach returns as hard-boiled Boston private eye Harry McGraw, who once again teams up with Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) to solve a murder. This time the victim is a popular actor, who had agreed to serve as one of the auctioneers accepting bids for a torrid diary written by a onetime sex symbol. Not only is the author of the diary under suspicion, but so are several others who'd been a part of her tragic past, obliging Jessica to burrow through the sizeable suspect list so that Harry can make a pinch. Watch for Angela Lansbury's former Picture of Dorian Gray costar Hurd Hatfield--not to mention Jean VanderPyl, the longtime voice of cartoondom's Wilma Flintstone! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A sprawling adaptation of the same-named novel by David Nevin, the three-part CBS miniseries Dream West starred Richard Chamberlain as colorful, controversial American explorer John Charles Fremont (1813-1890). The story detailed the visionary (and occasionally mercenary) Fremont's lifelong war against shortsided authority figures, beginning with his early skirmishes with the "brass" as an Army officer. In 1842, Fremont embarked upon his greatest adventure, heading an expedition to map the Oregon Trail -- the first step towards opening the entire North American continent to free and unimpeded exploration. His mission pitted Fremont against hostile Indians, the Mexican army, and the U.S. government itself. Along the way, he crossed paths with scores of historical figures, including Kit Carson, Jim Bridge, John Sutter, and President Abraham Lincoln. Alice Krige, Richard Chamberlain's vis-à-vis in the earlier Wallenberg: A Heroes' Story, co-starred as Jessie Benton, the headstrong senator's daughter who became Fremont's wife. Running seven hours in all (plus commercials), Dream West was originally telecast from April 13 to 15, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In a convoluted story of one man's obsession, widower Roger Blackwell (Michael Nouri) has been a media advisor to countless politicians, probably one too many as it turns out. Blackwell is set on using his experience to make a film about the manipulation of the media by unscrupulous politicos. His video obsession is apparent when he has an actress dress up as his deceased wife (a suicide he could have prevented) and films her for playback on monitors around the house. Blackwell hypes an incriminating tape in his possession that implicates the President of the U.S. in some dirty (not sexual!) dealings. Then he cons an old enemy, Molly Grainger (Anne Twomey) into covering his public unveiling of the tape which he plans to do on a talk show. What happens next is a series of events that lead to a surprise ending -- and more questions about whether or not the media is shafting the politicians as well. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Nouri, Anne Twomey, (more)
A man who simulates death for a living finds himself unwittingly tied into the real thing in this New York-based suspense drama. Special effects man Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) makes his living simulating gory mayhem and photogenic violence for movies such as "I Dismember Mama." Tyler is given a chance to expand his professional horizons when he's approached by Lipton (Cliff DeYoung), who introduces himself as an FBI agent and makes an unusual proposal. Mob kingpin Nicholas DeFranco (Jerry Orbach) is willing to testify against his fellow gangsters, but the investigators are worried about his safety. Lipton wants Tyler to help him and his staff fake DeFranco's assassination; if everyone is convinced DeFranco is dead, people will be a lot less likely to look for him. Tyler grudgingly takes the assignment, and while he's able to realistically simulate DeFranco being shot in a crowded restaurant, after the "gag," he discovers that he's been double crossed, and he's wanted for the murder of the man he just "shot." Tyler hides out with his girlfriend Ellen (Diane Venora), but he realizes that whoever set him up wants him dead after she's killed by a bullet meant for him. With the help of fellow effects artist Andy (Martha Gehman), Tyler goes underground and tries to unravel the truth behind the Lipton murder. Meanwhile, police detective Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) is convinced that something is not right when he's called to the scene of DeFranco's murder and is certain that the dead body is not the gangster. F/X was followed by a sequel, and later a short-lived TV series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, (more)
- 1987
Made for TV on a feature-film budget, Love Among Thieves stars Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wagner--but fails to be worthy of the talents of either star. Ms. Hepburn plays a widowed baroness and classical pianist, who steals three Faberge eggs from a museum in order to ransom her kidnapped fiance. En route to the "drop", Audrey is rescued from a mysterious assailant (Jerry Orbach) by suave stranger Robert Wagner. Wagner proceeds to demonstrate that he's not all he seems by swiping the valuable jeweled eggs. The rest of the film is a maelstrom of double-crosses, clinches and hairbreadth escapes, all evidently intended to emulate Hepburn's 1963 theatrical feature Charade and Wagner's popular 1960s TV series It Takes a Thief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Celebrity photographer Gianni Bozzacchi supposedly wrote and directed this uneven romantic drama based on his own personal experience. Struggling photographer Mario Cortone (Scott Baio) falls in love with the pretty debutante Nicole (Kelly Van Der Velden), daughter of the popular but moody stage star John R. Yeates (Christopher Plummer). The young lovers try to sustain a relationship in spite of their cultural and economic differences in this routine teen romance. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Baio, Christopher Plummer, (more)
