George Petrie Movies

It was bad enough when Drew (Drew Carey) impulsively promised to give the "head personal shopper" job at Winfred-Louder to both Lisa (Katy Selverstone) and Kate (Christa Miller). It gets worse when Mr. Bell forces Drew to consider Mimi (Kathy Kinney) for the job as well. In order to be fair, Drew tries all three applicants out with the store's most difficult customers, a test that Lisa and Kate pass with ease but which Mimi flunks with a vengeance. Now it's time for the final test--wherein Lisa and Kate must both wait on a contentious Mimi. This is the episode in which Drew's pal Oswald (Diedrich Bader) lands a job with Global Parcel Delivery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Determined to have a baby, Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) carefully arrange a romantic afternoon at precisely the right day of the month. Alas, the couple's best-laid plans repeatedly go awry thanks to the interruptions of Paul's family. On top of that, Paul's sister Debbie (Robin Bartlett) has chosen this day for her own "coming out party" -- out of the closet, that is. ~ All Movie Guide

Celebrating his new job with the Explorer Channel, Paul (Paul Reiser) talks wife Jamie (Helen Hunt) into joining him in an exotic wild-game feast. As a consequence, both Paul and Jamie experience bizarre and colorful dreams, causing them both to re-assess their relationship. Highlights include a number of imaginary interpolations courtesy of the cast of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, capped by Henry Gibson's stirring poem-and-a-half "Ostriches Are Not Clumsy." ~ All Movie Guide

Jamie (Helen Hunt) lands a City Hall job thanks to a gentlemen with whom her husband, Paul (Paul Reiser), attended high school. Paul is none too happy, since Jamie's new boss is the same person with whom he constantly competed -- and against whom he constantly ran a distant second -- during his teen years. As a result, Paul wreaks havoc on the financial aspirations of Jamie and her friend Fran (Anne Ramsay). Alan Ruck makes his first series appearance as Lance Brockwell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cyndi Lauper won an Emmy award for her performance as Marianne Lugasso, the redoubtable ex-wife of Ira Buchman (John Pankow). Ira doesn't quite know how to react when Marianne returns from Luxembourg, single again and now filthy rich. But Ira's cousin Paul (Paul Reiser) makes no secret of his discomfort, especially when Marianne decides she wants a piece of Paul and Ira's catalog business. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Buchmans (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) haven't been getting much boudoir action of late ("Arouse me!"), and a silly misunderstanding doesn't help matters. Elsewhere, Jamie Buchman's sister Lisa (Helen Hunt) wins a couple of free dinners, Paul Buchman's cousin Ira (John Pankow) takes on a new business partner, and Fran Devanow's (Leila Kenzle) new office isn't new, or an office. George O. Petrie makes his first appearance as Paul's editor, Sid Novak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Harry (Harry Anderson) smells a rat when Mac (Charlie Robinson) is hired by Supreme Court judge Welch (Lawrence Dobkin), a man normally disclined to the notion of racial equality. It soon develops that Harry's instincts were right on target: Mac has been engaged as a mere "token", to win Welch a few minority votes. Elsewhere, Dan (John Larroquette) tries to fill the void left by the departure of supplicative courtroom derelict Phil by engaging the services of a British valet named Jerome (Nick Ullett). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Were it not for its profanity-laden opening scenes, John Hughes' Planes, Trains and Automobiles might have been suitable family entertainment: certainly it's heaps less violent and mean-spirited than Hughes' Home Alone. En route to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his family, easily annoyed businessman Neal Page (Steve Martin) finds his first-class plane ticket has been demoted to coach, and he must share his flight with obnoxious salesman Del Griffith (John Candy). A sudden snowstorm in Chicago forces the plane to land in Wichita. Unable to find a room in any of the four-star hotels, Neal is compelled to accept Del's invitation to share his accommodations in a cheapo-sleazo motel. Driven to distraction by Del's annoying personal habits, the ungrateful Neal lets forth with a stream of verbal abuse. That's when Del delivers the anticipated (but always welcome) "I don't judge, why should you?"-type speech so common to John Hughes flicks. The shamefaced Neal tries to make up to Del, but there's a bumpy time ahead as the mismatched pair make their way back to Chicago, first in a balky train, then by way of a refrigerator truck. We know from the outset that the oil-and-water Neal and Del will be bosom companions by the end of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but it's still a fun ride. The best bit: a half-asleep Del thinking that he's got his hand tucked between two pillows -- until his bedmate, Neal, bellows "Those aren't pillows!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Something in Common is a made-for-television comedy about a middle-aged, widowed career woman (Ellen Burstyn) who discovers that her grown son is having a love affair with a woman (Tuesday Weld) her own age. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In this sci-fi film, rock musician Bobby Sinclaire (Robert Carradine) and his girlfriend, Iris Longacre (Cherie Currie), discover that the U. S. government is holding a group of benign aliens prisoner. When the government threatens to experiment on these unfortunate extraterrestrials, it is up to Bobby and friends to help them escape. The musical group Tangerine Dream provided the music for this film. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Quincy (Jack Klugman) is invited to appear on the talk show emceed by Dick Wilcox (Ron Masak). Also appearing on the same show is Corinne O'Connor, the author of a best-selling diet book. Almost immediately, Quincy goes on the offensive against Corinne, claiming that her controversial diet was a contibuting factor in the death of young model Gretchen Stone (Lori Street). Although no real crime is committed on this episode, there is plenty of punishment to go around--especially when Corinne slaps Quincy with a multimillion-dollar libel suit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Old-time Hollywood director Vincent Sherman brings a glossy studio-bound look to The Dream Merchants, a two-part, four-hour adaptation of Harold Robbins' novel. The story follows the career of a pioneer filmmaker (Mark Harmon), who comes to Hollywood in the early 20th century with a pocketful of dreams and helps build the sleepy California orange-grove community into the world's entertainment capital. Typical of the Harold Robbins ouevre, most of the characters are based on real-life movie personalities: Robert Goulet's vainglorious matinee idol is a combination of John Barrymore and Douglas Fairbanks, while Vincent Gardenia's vitriolic mogul can be taken as a low-budget Louis B. Mayer. The film is rife with historical inaccuracies (Goulet is informed that the closeup has "just been invented by D. W. Griffith" as a means to convince him to sign a long-term contract assuring him plenty of closeups!), while the haircuts and speech patterns are firmly locked into the 1980s. All the same, The Dream Merchants was a profitable entry in the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series of TV specials. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This tear-jerking sequel chronicles the further struggles and triumphs of former Olympic-hopeful downhill skier Jill Kinmont who was paralyzed in 1956 after a mishap during a race. This story picks up after she recovers from the death of the daredevil pilot who helped her come to grips with her quadriplegia. Though it has been difficult, Kinmont works hard to live a productive life. Things get even better when she begins a gentle romance with a loving truck driver. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide