Dick Patterson Movies

Shirley (Cindy Williams) writes a play called "Murder in Mother Goose Land", then arranges a special performance for a big-time Broadway producer named Merritt (Dick Patterson). Alas, thanks to a characteristic goof-up on the part of Squiggy (David L. Lander), none of the actors shows up on opening night. You guessed it: Shirley and Laverne (Penny Marshall) end up doing the "protean" bit, playing all the roles themselves! This is the final episode of Laverne & Shirley's sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Polly (Hayley Mills) is a shy young girl on a world tour with her impossible aunt (Brenda de Banzie). In Singapore, the ladies are entertained by their Eurasian guide (Shashi Kapoor). Polly begins an affair with the seductive guide, and upon the death of her aunt she finally comes out of her shell to blossom into full womanhood. Noel Coward had received some of the worst reviews in his life when he published the uncharacteristically bitter Pretty Polly and Other Stories; the film version of Pretty Polly substitutes sentiment for cynicism, but isn't much of an improvement over the Coward original. The film is better known under its American title A Matter of Innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lucy (Lucille Ball) wheedles some extra money out of Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) by claiming she needs some medical treatment. What Mooney doesn't know is that Lucy is using the cash for a extended trip to the beauty parlor. Alas, the crew from a "Candid Camera"-style television show (hosted by real-life LA radio personality Dick Patterson) catches Lucy on film at the parlor, forcing her to hatch a scheme to prevent Mooney from witnessing her embarrassing network TV debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, Sally (Rose Marie) is invited to appear on "The Stevie Parsons Show," a popular late-night chat-fest. She scores such a hit that Parsons (Dick Patterson) invites her back several times -- and before long, she is being courted as a regular guest. Only one problem: Sally's extracurricular activities are forcing Rob (Dick Van Dyke) and Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) to write "The Alan Brady Show" all by themselves -- and without Sally's input and influence, the two partners are at each other's throats in a matter of seconds! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tim (Bill Bixby) falls for pretty female reporter Cynthia Parker (Nancy Rennick), but has no idea what Cynthia likes in a man. Thus, Tim asks Martin (Ray Walston) to read the girl's mind--and as result, Martin finds out that in the long run, Tim and Cynthia would be poorly matched. Using every Martian power at his disposal, Martin endeavors to link Cynthia up with her "ideal" mate Bill (Robert Colbert), and to take care of Tim as well. This episode was originally slated to air on November 24, 1963, but was rescheduled because of the JFK assassination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Given the runaway success of Grease, which became the biggest-grossing movie musical of all time, it was all but inevitable that there would be a sequel, and four years later this follow-up brought a new group of kids back to Rydell High. It's 1961, and Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the tough leader of the Pink Ladies, while Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield) is a clean-cut British exchange student. Michael likes Stephanie, but the Pink Ladies' by-laws prevent her from dating guys who aren't members of the T-Birds, their affiliated male gang. However, when a Zorro-like masked avenger on a motorcycle rescues Stephanie from a gang of ill-mannered toughs, she's eager to get to know the hero with the cool wheels. Any guesses as to who he might be? Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, and Dody Goodman return from the first film as members of the Rydell High faculty, while actual '50s teen icons Tab Hunter and Connie Stevens are on board as new members of the staff; Didi Conn as Frenchy is the only one of the students to appear in both movies. Patricia Birch, who served as choreographer on Grease, made her debut as a director on Grease 2; while she's remained active as a choreographer, she hasn't directed again since. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

"Grease," said the poster and the Barry Gibb song, "is the word." Transferring its setting from Chicago to sunny California, and adding a dash of disco to the ersatz '50s score, producer Allan Carr and director Randal Kleiser turned this long-running Jim Jacobs - Warren Casey Broadway smash into the biggest blockbuster of 1978. 1950s teens Danny (John Travolta) and Australian transfer Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) spend their "Summer Nights" falling in love, but once fall comes, it's back to Rydell High and its cliques. As one of the bad boy T-Birds, Danny has to act cool for best pal Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) and their leather-clad mates Sonny (Michael Tucci) and Doody (Barry Pearl, in the role Travolta played on stage). Despite befriending Frenchy (Didi Conn), one of the rebel Pink Ladies, virginal Sandy is "too pure to be Pink," as the Ladies' leader Rizzo (Stockard Channing) acidly observes. Declaring their devotion in such ballads as "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Sandy," Sandy and Danny split, reconcile, and split again amidst a pep rally, dances, drive-ins, and a drag race, before deciding "You're the One That I Want" at the climactic carnival. With Travolta white-hot from Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease soundtrack singles climbed the charts and summer movie crowds poured in. With the presence of Joan Blondell, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes and Frankie Avalon appealing to grown-up memories, Grease became the highest grossing film of 1978, the highest grossing movie musical ever, and the third most popular film of the new blockbuster '70s after Star Wars (1977) and Jaws (1975). Its sequel, Grease 2, did not exactly set the world on fire in 1982. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide