Bronson Pinchot Movies

Martin Scorsese's After Hours is a dark, tragi-comic tale of a fish out of water, centering on an uptight, white-bread computer consultant from uptown Manhattan who finds himself in the nightmarish and incomprehensible (to him) world of Soho after dark. The ordeal begins when Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) gets lonely and decides to leave the posh East Side and search the Soho streets for some loving from Marcy (Rosanna Arquette), the pretty young woman he met in a downtown cafe. He has her phone number and works up the nerve to call. She wants to see him, and so Paul grabs $20, hails a taxi and sets out. The weirdness begins when he loses his money during the high-speed cab ride. His visit to Marcy's loft, where he meets her crazed artist roommate Kiki (Linda Fiorentino), is a disaster, as is his encounter with the beehive-wearing retro waitress Julie (Teri Garr). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The old reliable movie title Between Two Women was activated once more for this made-for-TV film. Farrah Fawcett and Colleen Dewhurst star as, respectively, a domineering ex-opera star and a shy schoolteacher. The ads for the film suggested that Michael Nouri played the apex of a romantic triangle between the older Dewhurst and the younger Fawcett. In truth, he plays Dewhurst's son, incurring his mother's wrath when he marries Fawcett. Dewhurst's unwarranted interference destroy her son's marriage--but it is Fawcett who compassionately rushes to her mother-in-law's bedside when the older woman suffers a debilitating stroke. First telecast March 10, 1986, Between Two Women was based on Gillian Martin's novel Living Arrows. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The third entry in the popular Beverly Hills Cop series finds Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returning yet again to Southern California, this time on the trail of two car thieves turned murderers. As he teams up again with L.A. cop Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), Foley's investigation leads him to Wonder World, a theme park that is also the front for a major counterfeiting ring. More action and less wit are the trademarks of this film, which features Murphy dishing out his usual wisecracks, but with less flair and freshness than in the original film. Alan Young plays the old man who runs the amusement park, an interesting setting that still adds little to the tired premise. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

A trio of wealthy but socially inept beachcombers enlist the help of two local surfers in hopes of learning the lingo and landing some ladies in this sex comedy that offers sun, sand, and just a little bit of naughty fun! When three friends purchase an oceanfront mansion on a hip Southern California beach, their party comes to a grinding halt when their overzealous pickup methods fall flat with the ladies. It's not long before the desperate wannabe beach studs meet a pair of bona fide surf hunks, and once they get the beach lingo down all bets are off! ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In a world driven by celebrity obsession, what better way to express your admiration of the Hollywood star of yesteryear than by having them glimmering from around your neck or shimmering on your finger wherever you go? At least that's the attitude taken by Dr. Lockbuster (Tim McNeil) as he enters into a lucrative partnership with notorious criminal Augustine Garza (Leo Rossi) and millionaire Quentin Leeds (Joseph Ruskin) to market "celebrity" diamonds made from the ashes of deceased Hollywood royalty. It seems that wealthy widows simply can't get enough of the glitz and glamour, especially diamond fanatic Mrs. Kelly (Tippi Hedren). But what happens when the men assigned the decidedly unglamorous task of acquiring the remains begin running out of "product"? With their decidedly finite supply of deceased Hollywood royalty rapidly declining, desperate grave robbers Bergerac de la Houssey (Bronson Pinchot) and Lulu (Darin Heames) soon begin shopping around for living candidates. When the murder of Quentin Leeds inspires investigators to pick up Bergerac for questioning, the nervous grave robber beats a hasty retreat while in possession of the famed Hemingway diamond that is said to have a hypnotic effect on anyone who comes in contact with it. With the police, Garza, and Mrs. Kelly hot on his trail, it seems that this quest for the ultimate gem can only end badly. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Good thing they told us this Jury Duty: The Comedy; we might have thought it was Jury Duty: The Term Paper. This comedy salad features a whole slew of TV luminaries--Alan Thicke, Bill Kirchenbauer, Lynn Redgrave, Heather Locklear, Tracy Scoggin, Reginald VelJohnson etc.--playing judge, jury, defenders and prosecutors in an embezzlement case. The clue as to the film's sobriety level is the fact that Bronson Pinchot plays four roles: Sanford, Arthur Lloyd, Jorge Jimenez, and Magda. Highlights include a mid-trial pizza delivery, a faulty oxygen tank, and a kid holding up a "Hi Mom" sign for the benefit of the courtroom cameras. This dumb-but-lovable TV movie first aired January 15, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Chicago art critic with a notorious nasty streak retreats to his Mackinac Island cottage for a brief getaway, only to get stuck in a wager with one of the artists he recently trashed in a particularly mean-spirited review. M.J. Clayton (Broson Pinchot) doesn't necessarily shrink from controversy; in fact, readers all across the country are familiar with this brutal form of journalistic sadism. Scolded by his publisher after a series of venomous reviews, Clayton retreats to his Mackinac Island cottage and wanders over to the bar for a few drinks. There, Clayton is confronted by Frank (John Lepard), a struggling artist whose latest show was prematurely pulled from a popular gallery as a direct result of the critic's unkind words. Emboldened by an intoxicating mix of beer and liquor, Clayton bets Frank that he can prove how easy it is to make great art; an impulsive challenge that he immediately regrets upon waking up with a bad hangover the following morning. Now, as Clayton attempts to make good on his wager by using some quality art supplies furnished by Frank, he discovers to his dismay that he has absolutely no artistic talent. At the opening of the annual art festival Clayton learns that he has become something of a local celebrity. But while the last thing he wants to do right now is deal with fans and detractors, the announcement that he has been fired from the newspaper leaves his desperate to make some quick cast. The top prize in the festival is $10,000, and though Frank doesn't possess the talent needed to win the jackpot there is a local artist (Toni Trucks) who does. After quietly purchasing the humble artist's best painting, Clayton slyly enters it into the competition as his own. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Created by Dale McRaven, the popular ABC slapstick sitcom Perfect Strangers proved beyond all doubt that Laurel & Hardy were alive and living in Chicago. Mark Linn-Baker starred as Larry Appleton, a would-be photographer living in his own Chicago apartment. Larry's calm, well-organized lifestyle was set on its ear with the unexpected arrival of his distant cousin Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot), a native of the mythical Mediterranean island of Mypos, where he'd been a professional sheepherder. The comedy arose from the relationship between the long-suffering, easily excitable Larry, and the wide-eyed Balki, who never quite got over his wonderment at living in "The Land of the Whopper," who spoke in a bizarre, near-incomprehensible foreign accent (his catchphrase: "Dun't be ridi-ka-louse"), who innocently took everything literally and everyone at face value, and who persisted in honoring the most bizarre of the "typical" Myposian customs. During the first two seasons, Larry and later Balki both worked at the Ritz Discount Shop, run by the misanthropic Donald "Twinkie" Twinkacetti (Ernie Sabella). Beginning with season three, the roommates were employed by "The Chicago Chronicle," Larry as a reporter and Balki as a mail clerk under the thumb of ill-tempered Sam Gorpley (Sam Anderson). Eventually, both Larry and Balki joined the editorial staff, and by the series' seventh season, they were collaborating on a comic strip about a talking sheep named Dmitri. Their superiors at the "Chronicle" included editor Harry Burns (Eugene Roche) and publisher R.T. Wainwright (F.J. O'Neil). Throughout the series' run, there were several women in Larry's and Balki's lives, beginning with Larry's upstairs neighbor, nurse Susan Campbell (Lise Cutter). Introduced in season two were the boys' toothsome new neighbors, stewardesses Jennifer (Melanie Wilson) and Mary Anne (Rebeca Arthur). Perhaps inevitably, romance bloomed between the boys and the girls, with Larry marrying Jennifer in season seven and Balki wedding Mary Anne in the final season (in which both ladies became mothers, just in time for the series finale). Belita Moreno was seen in the earliest episodes as the irascible "Twinkie"'s equally contentious wife, Edwina, and later resurfaced as the "Chicago Chronicle"'s uptight advice columnist, Lydia Markham. Also, Alisan Porter began making sporadic appearances during season six in the role of Larry and Balki's new neighbor Tess Holland. Last but far from least, Jo Marie Payton-France joined the cast in season three as Harriette Winslow, the sarcastic elevator operator at the "Chronicle." It was eventually established that Harriette was the wife of Chicago cop Carl Winslow, introduced as a one-shot character in 1989 in the person of actor Reginald VelJohnson. Before long, both Harriette and Carl were spun off into their own series, Family Matters. Reruns of Perfect Strangers were seen on ABC's daytime schedule from 1989 through 1990. The prime-time version of the show was abruptly canceled on April 18, 1992, but returned to tie up loose plot ends with five new episodes, which aired from July 9 through August 6, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Given a six-episode trial run in the spring of 1986, the slapstick sitcom Perfect Strangers) returned for its first full season in the fall of that same year. Also returning were Mark Linn-Baker as aspiring Chicago photographer Larry and Bronson Pinchot as his cousin and roommate Balki, a recent émigré from the faraway Mediterranean island of Mypos. Whereas in Season One only Larry was gainfully employed, in Season Two Balki has joined Larry in a menial job at the Ritz Discount Shop, run by the misanthropic "Twinkie" (Ernie Sabella) and his loudmouthed wife Edwina (Belita Moreno). In another new development, Larry's upstair neighbor (and occasional girlfriend) Susan has moved out, replaced by a pair of curvaceous stewardesses, Mary Anne (Rebecca Arthur) and Jennifer (Melanie Wilson). Now that a year has gone by, has the nervous Larry completely adjusted to the zany Balki, and has the innocent Balki gotten over his tendency to take everything literally and accept everyone he meets at face value? In the words of Balki himself, "Dun't be ridi-ku-louse!" Why, in the opening episode alone, Balki generously allows a pregnant foreigner whom he's met in his citizenship class to use Larry's room until the baby comes--without informing Larry. In subsequent episodes, Balki rigidly adheres to Myposian custom by becoming Larry's permanent manservant after Larry saves his life; the boys have a harrowing experience as babysitters, attempt to hide a dog from their landlady, and endeavor to patch up the marriage between Twinkie and Edwina (not so much out of the goodness of their hearts, but to get Twinkie out of their apartment). And in a two-part misadventure, Larry, Balki, Mary Anne and Jennifer embark upon a skiing trip, only to be trapped in an avalanche (evidentally they've traveled some distance from Chicago!) Near the end of the season, Larry and Balki both serve notice to Twinkie and try their hands at a variety of temporary jobs--with the expected disastrous results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The fourth season of Perfect Strangers finds aspiring photographer Larry (Mark-Linn Baker) and his Myposian-born cousin Balki (Bronson Pinchot) still working in entry-level jobs at the "Chicago Chronicle." Likewise carried over from the previous season is Larry and Balki's tendency to enmesh themselves in situations reminiscent of Laurel & Hardy, never more so than when the boys agree to move a piano up ten flights of stairs at the behest of the "Chronicle"'s neurotic advice columnist Lydia (Belita Moreno). More zany slapstick ensues in the two-part episode which finds Larry and Balki, their stewardess neighbors Mary Anne (Rebecca Arthur) and Jennifer (Melanie Wilson), and the "Chronicle"'s acid-tongue elevator operator Harriette (Jo Marie Payton-France) embark upon a disastrous camping trip. Later escapades include Balki's first airplane flight, and a hectic Q&A session when Larry and Balki compete on a TV game show. Plus, there's the obligatory Christmas episode, in which Balki generously arranges a party for his curmudgeonly mail-room supervisor Mr. Gorpley (Sam Anderson). And in a more original development, Balki is hypnotized into thinking that he's Elvis, thereby setting up a "tour de force" for series regular Bronson Pinchot. Also: Balki prepares for a college entrance exam with the aid of memories from past episodes (the standard Season Four "clip show"); Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond guests as a maid whose efficiency drives everyone crazier than usual; and John Matuszak shows up as the head of a motorcycle club for which Balki must undergo a riotous initiation ceremony. Perhaps the season's most significant episode is "Crimebusters", in which Larry and Balki go undercover to research a newspaper story and run afoul of gangsters--one of whom turns out to be an undercover cop named Carl (Reginald VelJohnson), who happens to be the husband of the boys' coworker Harriette. Within the next year, both Harriette and Carl would be spun off into their own long-running sitcom, Family Matters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Larry (Mark Linn-Baker and Balki (Bronson Pinchot) are still gainfully employed as reporters at the "Chicago Chronicle" at the outset of Perfect Strangers' sixth season, the boys are not above moonlighting to pick up some extra cash. Balki is particually enterprising, opening up a catering business specializing in exotic (and oftimes inedible) dishes from his native country of Mypos. Otherwise, our heroes get mixed up in their usual Laurel&Hardy-like misadventures, especially in a two-part episode wherein they are sent to cover a celebrity wedding, only to end up being pursued by mobsters. Another legendary comic duo is invoked in the episode "I Saw This On TV", featuring a fantasy sequence, shot in black and white, in which Larry and Balki and their sexy neighbors Jennifer (Melanie Wilson) and Mary Anne (Rebecca Arthur) morph into the characters of Ralph Kramden, Ed Norton, Alice and Trixie from The Honeymooners. As the season draws to a close, Larry has finally worked up the courage to propose to Jennifer--but the couple may not make it to the altar after agreeing to take Balki's highly bizarre Myposian compatability test! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Perfect Strangers abruptly left the air in April of 1992, Larry (Mark Linn-Baker) and Jennifer (Melanie Wilson) had become man and wife, but Larry's immigrant cousin Balki (Bronson Pinchot) had still not proposed to Jennifer's former roommate Mary Ann (Rebecca Arthur). And since the series did not return in the fall of 1992, viewers bemoaned the likelihood that the Balki-Mary Ann situation would never be resolved. Then, just as suddenly as it ended the previous April, Perfect Strangers returned in July of 1993 with five new episodes, which effectively tied up all loose plot strands. In this, the series' ninth and final season (or mini-season), we learn that not only has Balki popped the question, but he has gone so far as to wed his ever-loving Mary Anne. As a bonus, both Mary Anne and Jennifer are pregnant--and both go into labor in the same episode, Mary Anne giving birth in her driveway, and Jennifer achieving motherhood in the gondola of a runaway balloon! Happily, both babies are delivered successfully, and now Larry is the proud papa of son Tucker, while Balki dotes on his newborn boy Robespierre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide