Regis Philbin Movies
Though best known as the jovial but lovably sarcastic host of the American talk show sensation Live with Regis and Kelly (and its earlier incarnation, Live With Regis and Kathie Lee), television personality Regis Philbin has sustained an astonishingly varied career that bridges not only a myriad of broadcast formats -- from daytime and late-night talk to game shows to televised parades and news magazines -- but multiple mediums as well, including books, feature films, and even musical recordings that found Philbin crooning along to old standards.A native New Yorker, Philbin grew up in the South Bronx and later graduated from the University of Notre Dame. After a stint in the Navy and a series of entry-level jobs in Hollywood, he hosted the talk programs The Regis Philbin Show (on KGTV in San Diego) and Philbin's People in Los Angeles, and developed a revolutionary style of televised chat that involved peppering his commentary with witty asides and opinions, and involving the audience in the on-set conversation. In time, Philbin secured a spot as co-host on the late-night talk program The Joey Bishop Show from April 1967 to December 1969. During the 1970s, Philbin hosted the morning talk show Temp on Los Angeles's KHJ-TV, and emceed two game shows on ABC. In 1983, he launched The Morning Show, a local talk program in New York City; it eventually evolved into Live With Regis and Kathie Lee in 1985, after Kathie Lee Gifford signed on as co-host. That program, of course, became a national institution, and continued even after Gifford left, with Kelly Ripa replacing her as co-host. During the late '90s, Philbin also made television history by emceeing one of the most lucrative game shows in the history of the broadcast medium: the U.K. import Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, on ABC.
Cinematically, Philbin made a number of cameo film appearances in various Hollywood features over the years -- often, though not always, playing himself. These included the uproarious 1972 Woody Allen film-a-sketch Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask (as one of the panelists on a perverted game show), and the awful Mae West 1978 musical Sextette (as a reporter). Regis and second wife Joy Philbin lent darkly amusing cameos as themselves to the Irwin Winkler-directed psychological drama Night and the City (1992) -- in which they appear as restaurant patrons, hounded by obnoxious flim-flam man Harry Fabian (Robert De Niro). In the early 2000s, Philbin's film appearances included cameos in Little Nicky and Cheaper by the Dozen, and a small role in Shrek the Third, as the voice of Mabel, one of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- R
- Add Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask to QueueAdd Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask to top of Queue
Woody Allen's in-name-only adaptation of the once notorious sexual reference guide by Dr. David Reuben contains seven episodes based on "helpful" questions answered in the book. In "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?", Allen appears as a court jester who uses a love potion to spark the erotic interests of the Queen (Lynn Redgrave). "What Is Sodomy?" stars Gene Wilder as a doctor who throws away his marriage, career, and position in the community when he falls madly in love with an Armenian sheep named Daisy. "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" is a parody of stylish Italian films of the '60s in which a slick playboy (Woody Allen) discovers his wife (Louise Lasser) can climax only when they make love in public places. In "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?," Sam (Lou Jacobi) has his little secret revealed at a most inopportune moment. "What Are Sex Researchers Actually Accomplishing?" features John Carradine in a great parody of his mad-scientist roles as Dr. Bernardo, whose research into human sexuality has led to a fearsome mutation -- a 50-foot tall female breast! "What Are Sexual Perversions?" takes us to a broadcast of the popular game show What's My Perversion?, in which Jack Barry leads a panel of celebrities (including Regis Philbin and Robert Q. Lewis) in guessing the erotic obsessions of their guests. And "What Happens During Ejaculation?" takes the audience inside the body of a man in the throes of passion; The Brain (Tony Randall) guides the body's functions, with the help of his assistant (Burt Reynolds), while Allen plays a nervous sperm cell not sure if he can make the big jump. While the quality of the episodes is uneven, the best rank with the funniest moments of Allen's career, especially Gene Wilder's touching romance with the sheep ("I think we can make this work, Daisy") and the final sequence inside the male body ("What if he's only masturbating? I'll end up on the ceiling somewhere!"). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, John Carradine, (more)
- 1978
- PG
- Add The Bad News Bears Go to Japan to QueueAdd The Bad News Bears Go to Japan to top of Queue
Filling the shoes occupied by Walter Matthau in the Bad News Bears and William Devane in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, Tony Curtis takes on the role of the teams newest coach in this, the third installment in the series. Jackie Earle Haley returns as Kelly Leak, the Bears' star player, as the team ventures to the other side of the world to face off against the best little league team in Japan. While there, the Bears find their way into mischief and Kelly finds love with a local girl. Though this was the last entry in the film series a television series followed a year later. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Jackie Earle Haley, (more)
Mae West (1892-1980) was perhaps the original comic sex goddess of American cinema. Originally a vaudeville performer, she became a national sensation following her 1926 Broadway show Sex, which she wrote, produced, directed and starred in. She continued to outrage the sensibilities of her time on Broadway before coming to Hollywood and doing the same there throughout the 1930s. She perfected her double entendre humor onscreen and gradually fell out of favor with an increasingly prudish film-going public, though her career underwent several brief revivals. Even as an extremely old woman, she affected the manners and dress of a reigning sex queen. The 1978 release of Sextette, based on her own original scenario, marked her final screen appearance. It was not well received by critics nor the public, and was an undignified note on which to end her sensational career. In this farcical and star-studded film, West plays the fading movie star Marlo Manners, whose attempts to consummate her marriage to Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton), her sixth husband, are humorously interrupted by the preceding five. Marlo is also dictating the unexpurgated story of her life, and when one of the tapes goes missing, it threatens to cause an international incident, as well as ruining a number of reputations (including her own). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mae West, Timothy Dalton, (more)
- 1979
The miracle of plastic surgery is the unifying factor for this made-for-TV movie. Three women, all "of a certain age," are having problems with the men in their life. Rich widow Millie Gorman (Janet Leigh) is convinced that her sex appeal has waned along with her looks and youth; bored housewife Sandy McLaren (Loretta Swit) is none too pleased that her husband regards her more as a pal than a lover; and former model Vanessa Wagner (Lee Meriwether) fears that her much-younger sweetheart will begin seeking out a partner his own age. As the story progresses, Sandy gets a breast implant which has precisely the opposite of the desired effect on her husband; Vanessa gets an eye-lift, only to find out that her lover isn't worth the trouble; and Millie suffers the consequences of one too many face-lifts. Mirror, Mirror first aired October 10, 1979, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This remake of François Truffaut's 1977 comedy misses out on Truffaut's subtext that delves into the nature of love and instead simply recounts the sexual and romantic exploits of David, a sculptor who is an incurable womanizer (Burt Reynolds). In order to come to grips with his obsession for women, David goes to see a psychiatrist, Marianna (Julie Andrews), and sure enough, she later joins him on the couch. His tale is told by Marianna, as flashbacks reveal their relationship and other loves of David's life, most notably Louise (Kim Basinger), a married woman hooked on intimacy in odd, if not dangerous, places. In all these relationships, David is as much attracted to the women as they are to him. Unfortunately, with flat dialogue and uninspired comedy, David fares better than the film as a whole. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, (more)
- 1984
The thin storyline for this film is that three young women hope to gain a foothold in the acting profession, so they perform nude in front of the window of the disk jockey (Mad Man Jack played by Al Music) who is running a contest that would launch their careers. Along with many songs by a wide variety of groups -- from The Police to Blondie -- are crowds of young women cheerleading, doing aerobics, hang gliding, wind-surfing, and performing any number of physical feats. Other than music and nubile women in sporting events, the film has little to say and was never released theatrically. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Music, Lantz Douglas, (more)
The once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between star Gene Wilder and director Leonard Nimoy resulted in the charmingly haphazard and anachronistic Funny About Love. Wilder plays political cartoonist Duffy Bergman, who falls in love with much-younger Meg (Christine Lahti) during a book-signing session. Once married, the old "clash of careers" bugaboo arises: Meg wants to continue working as a chef in a fancy New York restaurant, while Duffy would prefer that she think about starting a family. When it seems as though Meg may be incapable of bearing children, the self-involved Duffy impregnates earthy college coed Daphne (Mary Stuart Masterson). How a happy ending can grow from this complication is a puzzlement. Funny About Love was based--extremely loosely--on a speech once delivered by Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene. The laughs tend to be sporadic, though Stephen Toblowsky scores high marks as a jocular fertility doctor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Wilder, Christine Lahti, (more)
- 1993
Louis Zorich makes his first appearance as Ben Buchman, father of Paul Buchman (Paul Reiser). A close encounter between Ben and the famous Regis Philbin (playing himself) results in embarrassment for Paul. Soon, however, all of New York -- including the telephone company -- has come to the conclusion that Paul is a bit...overreactive. This episode comes to a conclusion that would have done Woody Allen proud. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Despite his outrageously destructive appearances on The Tonight Show and Arsenio, Bobcat Goldthwait is booked on The Larry Sanders Show and warned by Larry (Garry Shandling), Artie (Rip Torn), and Paula (Janeane Garofalo) not to repeat his troublesome escapades. Meanwhile, Larry loses his sidekick when Hank (Jeffrey Tambor), fueled by Regis Philbin's offer to jump ship and join his new show, sets his site on not joining Philbin, but taking his job. Following Artie's accusation that Hank's wife is destroying his career, Hank hands in his resignation. Figuring that he can always join Philbin, he is shocked when told Philbin's new show is still three years from air. Oblivious to Hank's hasty departure, Larry happily accepts his sidekick's return to the show, and Goldthwait proves as predictable as ever. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This documentary, part of the Investigative Reports cable television series on the A&E network, examines the glitzy and often controversial world of beauty pageants. From small-themed contests, to city or state contests, to national and even international contests, this episode, narrated by Investigative Reports host and producer Bill Kurtis, goes behind-the-scenes at what really happens before, during, and after the pageants. It examines how intense the competition has become, for both adult pageants and children's contests, and also explores the history of pageants and how pageants have changed through the years to conform to social standards. There is footage from the first Miss America contest and interviews with pageant regulars Dick Clark, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Regis Philbin. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Glamorized by personalities such as Evel Knievel and the Great Wallenda, risky stunts have now become commonplace in the media. Daredevils! documents the early pioneers that heightened America's voyeuristic fascination with risk-takers. First produced for A&E, the program recalls dangerous stunts of the past. Motorcycle madman Knievel nearly died while jumping the fountains at Caesar's Palace. It didn't stop him from jumping the Snake River Canyon years later. Carl Wallenda now occupies a footnote in history for his 1970 tightrope walk across Tallulah Gorge. For viewers craving a piece of the action, four modern-day daredevils record their unbelievable acts on mini-cameras. The volunteers include Robbie Knievel, Lee Oman, Steve Trotter, and Enrico Wallenda. Adrenaline pumps as they navigate waterfalls and walk on air. Regis Philbin hosts this glimpse into the world of real action heroes. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1996
While subbing for Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) in a golf tournament, Will (Will Smith) becomes closer than ever to his Uncle Philip (James Avery). Not surprisingly, Carlton is jealous, and does everything he can to sabotage Will's performance on the links. In a similar development, Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) and Vivian (Daphne Maxwell Reid) find the competition tougher than expected during a tennis match. And in the episode's "money" scene, Hilary (Karyn Parsons) manages to get on the bad side of Regis Philbin when she sits in for Reege's TV cohost Kathie Lee Gifford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After giving George of the Jungle human form, Brendan Fraser returns to cartoon-land with another live-action update of an animated TV classic. Set in the peaceful village of Semi-Happy Valley high in the Canadian Rockies, our story focuses on Dudley Do-Right (Fraser), a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who never lets his lack of intelligence get in the way of his dedication and determination to get his man. Dudley's superior, Inspector Fenwick (Robert Prosky), displays a bemused tolerance towards Dudley's enthusiastic ineptitude, and Dudley is beguiled by the Inspector's daughter, Nell (Sarah Jessica Parker), who has made a home in Seattle after traveling the world, but is now paying her father an extended visit. Before Dudley can make much of a (positive) impression on Nell, the evil Snidely Whiplash (Alfred Molina) enters the picture. Determined to take Semi-Happy Valley for everything it's worth, Snidely sends Dudley in search of vampires hiding in the woods, and, while he's away, plants gold nuggets in a nearby stream. When a prospector (Eric Idle) happens upon them, word gets out that Semi-Happy Valley is gold country. Quickly opening a string of businesses to cater to the flood of would-be gold miners, Snidely becomes the town's richest citizen, and Semi-Happy Valley is even renamed Whiplash City. Snidely's fame and wealth gain Nell's attention, while Dudley's search for vampires causes the Inspector to fire him. However, in time, Dudley realizes that something is afoot, and he is determined to expose Snidely Whiplash and bring him to justice. Director Hugh Wilson wrote and directed the first film in the Police Academy series; Dudley Do-Right was his second directorial credit of 1999 with Brendan Fraser, after they worked together on Blast From the Past. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, (more)
The youngest child of the family often has the most problems -- so why should things be different for the Prince of Darkness and his offspring? Satan (Harvey Keitel) is considering retirement, and is pondering which of his sons should take over the family business -- ambitious Adrian (Rhys Ifans), strapping Cassius (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.), or Nicky (Adam Sandler), an accident-prone demon who prefers to stay in his room playing his favorite heavy metal tunes. When Satan decides to stay on for another 10,000 years, Adrian is outraged, and leaves Hell to go to New York, where he and Cassius attempt to round up enough souls to vote Satan out of power. Satan, understandably upset, sends Nicky to bring Adrian and Cassius back home, but Nicky finds life on Earth is more complicated than he expected. Things don't get any easier when he develops a crush on Valerie (Patricia Arquette), a good-hearted mortal woman. Little Nicky also features Michael McKean as a city official trying to put Nicky behind bars, Kevin Nealon as Hell's gatekeeper, Rodney Dangerfield as Satan's father, Robert Smigel as the voice of Beefy -- a talking dog who is Nicky's guide on earth, Allen Covert as Todd -- Nicky's new roommate, and Peter Dante and Jonathan Loughran as a pair of metalheads who dig Satan. Jon Lovitz and Reese Witherspoon play cameo roles, and Regis Philbin and Ozzy Osbourne appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Patricia Arquette, (more)
- 2000
This video features a workout designed especially for Regis Philbin, and suitable for anyone wanting to start a moderate exercise and weight loss program. In an appearance on the Regis show, exercise guru Stu Mittleman takes Regis and his guests, including Kathy Lee Gifford, through a set of aerobics for overall body strength, fitness, and toning. There are also exercises designed for common trouble spots, such as the buttocks and arms. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 2002
This episode features three short segments based on viewer suggestions. In "No Bones About It," a genie comes out of Peter's (voice of Seth MacFarlane) beer bottle and grants him three wishes. His first wish is to see what Kelly Ripa (who does her own voice) is like off the set. He wishes that he had his own theme music. This wish leads to trouble. While Peter enjoys the "traveling music" that plays as he rides the bus, another passenger takes offense, and threatens to "break every bone" in his body. So Peter makes his third wish -- "I wish I had no bones." The Griffin family is so unhappy with Peter's transformation into an amorphous blob that he tries to kill himself by letting himself down the drain. In "Super Griffins," the family is exposed to toxic waste and develops strange abilities. Stewie (MacFarlane) has telekinetic powers, Chris (voice of Seth Green) can conjure fire, Brian (MacFarlane) has super speed, Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) has super strength, Peter can shape shift, and hapless Meg (voice of Mila Kunis) can grow her fingernails really long in an instant. Despite Lois' call to use their powers responsibly, the Griffins soon run afoul of the authorities, and Mayor Adam West (voice of Adam West) exposes himself to toxic waste in order to do battle with them. In "Little Griffins," the characters are all bigheaded children, in some kind of godforsaken amalgam of Muppet Babies and The Little Rascals. Peter and Quagmire (MacFarlane) spend the night in a haunted house to prove to Lois that each is braver than the other. This episode features the voices of professional wrestler Goldberg, Adam Carolla, Michael Winslow, and Regis Philbin. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
A powerful behind-the-scenes man in politics and show business finds himself skidding into a very public scandal in this taut drama. Eli Wurman (Al Pacino) was raised in the deep South, attended Harvard Law School, and has devoted his spare time to progressive political causes since working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. However, Wurman now makes his living as a press agent and PR man, and while he's near the top of his profession, years of overwork, constant smoking and drinking, and ceaseless tension are taking their toll, leaving him on the verge of collapse, with only the prescriptions of his friend Dr. Napier (Robert Klein) keeping him on his feet. One of Wurman's biggest clients is Cary Launer (Ryan O'Neal), a fading film star with political aspirations who, after attending a disastrous Broadway opening, asks Wurman to do him a big favor -- bail Launer's girlfriend, Jilli (Téa Leoni), out of jail and keep an eye on her. Wurman manages to get Jilli out of the stir, but she insists upon being escorted to an exclusive sex and opium den for a night of heavy drinking and drugging, and then reveals to Wurman that she owns a device which she's used to record footage of the most public figures who attend the club, including Elliott Sharansky, a billionaire Jewish civic leader (Richard Schiff). That night, a half out-of-it Eli accompanies Jilli back to her hotel room when an intruder barges in and forces an overdose on her, killing her instantly. The next morning, Wurman has only fuzzy memories of what transpired. He decides to focus on his attempts to set up a political fundraiser, but has a hard time getting the right A-list celebs to appear, just as many of New York's power brokers aren't especially interesting in working with Wurman or Launer. In the midst of this chaos, Victoria (Kim Basinger), who was married to Wurman's late brother, arrives in New York and urges him to leave the city and his career behind while he still can. People I Know was screened in competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Kim Basinger, (more)
Shawn Levy directs the family-oriented comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, a loose remake of the 1950 film starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, which was itself based on a novel. Tom (Steve Martin) and Kate Baker (Bonnie Hunt) have made many sacrifices in their professional lives in order to raise their 12 children. When Tom is offered a job as a Division I college football coach, he moves the entire pack to a suburb of Chicago. This move shakes up the whole family, especially when Kate's memoirs get published and she takes off on a book tour. The lack of parental guidance creates problems for all the Baker kids, particularly handsome jock Charlie (Tom Welling), fashion plate Lorraine (Hilary Duff), and grown child Nora (Piper Perabo). Ashton Kucher stars in a cameo role as Nora's actor boyfriend, Hank. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, (more)
- 2005
- PG13
- Add Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous to QueueAdd Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous to top of Queue
FBI agent-turned-reluctant beauty queen Gracie Hart (played by Sandra Bullock) is taking on both bad guys and high glamour again in this sequel to the comedy smash Miss Congeniality. After her undercover mission at the Miss United States pageant becomes public knowledge, Gracie becomes something of a celebrity, and the FBI uses her notoriety to generate positive PR for the bureau; however, Gracie would like to get back to some solid police work, especially after scuffling with fellow female agent "Sam" Fuller (Regina King), who isn't impressed with Gracie. Despite their differences, the two find themselves working side by side when two of Gracie's pals from the pageant -- contest winner Cheryl Frasier (Heather Burns) and master of ceremonies Stan Fields (William Shatner) -- fall victim to kidnappers. As she did on the first film, Sandra Bullock served as both producer and star for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, while director John Pasquin's credits include several episodes of the situation comedy George Lopez, also produced by Bullock. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Regina King, (more)
Shrek and Fiona's (Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz, respectively) fairy-tale wedding has gone off without a hitch, yet just as the beaming newlyweds prepare to enjoy their blissful "happily ever after," the sudden death of King Harold (John Cleese) finds everyone's favorite ornery ogre being reluctantly fitted for the royal crown. Troubled to learn that not only will he be compelled to rule Far Far Away, but that he and Fiona are also expecting a little ogre, Shrek determines to track down his new bride's rebellious cousin, Artie (Justin Timberlake) -- the one true heir to the throne -- in order to focus on fatherhood without the added distraction of having to preside over the kingdom. As Shrek sets out with faithful companions Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to locate the medieval high-school slacker and bring him back to become the reigning sovereign of Far Far Away, handsome snake Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) slithers back to the castle in the company of the dreaded Captain Hook (Ian McShane) to stage a diabolically timed coup and assume control of the throne. Now, as Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots do their best to wrangle up the feisty Artie, Fiona must enlist the aid of fighting princesses Snow White (Amy Poehler), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri), Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph), and Cinderella (Amy Sedaris) to barricade the castle and fend off Prince Charming's invading army of fairy-tale villains until her beloved husband can return with the cavalry to save the day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, (more)
