Lee Bergere Movies

The ninth and final season of Falcon Crest marks another hasty exit of a longtime series regular, as Maggie Channing (Susan Sullivan), widow of vintner Chase Gioberti and later the wife of ruthless newspaperman Richard Channing (David Selby), drowns in her family's swimming pool. If this wasn't bad enough news for Richard as he is released from prison, Richard must also contend with homicidal financier Michael Sharpe (Gregory Harrison), who has gained control of Falcon Crest and claimed Richard's two sons as his own. In league with his partner in crime Genele Ericson (Andrea Thompson), Michael also plays sinister minds games with his own sister Lauren (Wendy Phillips), and with his own son Danny (David Sheinkopf)--who, in time-honored Falcon Crest fashion, is revealed to actually be Richard's son! Meanwhile, Emma Channing (Margaret Ladd), daughter of Richard's longtime bete noire (and mother!) Angela Channing (Jane Wyman), becomes the wife of one Charley St. James (Mark Lindsay Chapman), a certifiable nutcase with an equally deranged brother named Ian. In concert, the St. James boys not only lay waste to Falcon Crest, but also assault Angela and send her into a coma, capping their deviltry by scheming to bump off their own wives. No sooner have Charley and Ian exited the scene than Angela awakens, picking up precisely where she left off. In the series' now-notorious finale, the entire cast is seized by a sudden epiphany, represented by a Light From Above, whereupon all the bad characters turn "good" literally overnight--and of course, everyone lives happily ever after! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first episode of Murder, She Wrote's fourth season is partially filmed on location in Paris. Mystery writer Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) has arrived in the City of Light to witness the first major presentation of an old friend, now a fashion designer. Our heroine's pleasure becomes business when a loan shark is murdered and Jessica's financially-strapped friend is accused of the crime. Despite all this intrigue, guest star Juliet Prowse finds time to sing a medley of such Gallic favorites as "La Vie en Rose." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ever climbing to the top of the ratings heap -- thanks largely to the introduction of the magnificently malevolent Alexis Carrington Colby (Joan Collins) in its second season -- Dynasty serves up even more soap opera skullduggery for its third year on the air. New to the proceedings is mysterious stranger Michael Torrance (Gordon Thomson), who by his own admission turns out to be Adam Carrington, long-lost son of Alexis and her former husband Blake Carrington (John Forsythe). Kidnapped in infancy, Adam has shown up at this critical moment to demand his rightful share of the Carrington millions, even as Alexis is scheming to financially ruin Blake and destroy the life of his current spouse, Krystle (Linda Evans). Also introduced during season three is Kirby Anders (Kathleen Beller), daughter of the Carringtons' butler, Joseph (Lee Bergere), who in effect becomes one of the family when she weds Alexis' stepson Jeff Colby (John James) -- who in turn has just divorced Blake's libidinous daughter, Fallon. Likewise appearing for the first time is Krystle Carrington's ex-husband, tennis pro Mark Jennings (Geoffrey Scott), who in future episodes would rescue mortal enemies Krystle and Alexis from a fiery demise -- then would himself be murdered mysteriously. Finally, season three marks the first appearance of Neil McVane (Paul Burke), an unscrupulous congressman who would ultimately emerge as a cross-dressing killer! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Things really begin to percolate in the second season of Dynasty with the introduction of the delightfully despicable Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins), the ever-scheming, ever-vengeful ex-wife of Denver oil millionaire Blake Carrington (John Forsythe). Showing up from gosh knows where as a witness for the prosecution during Blake's murder trial (he is of course cleared despite her), Alexis then sets about to get even with Blake for leaving her, and to undermine the influence of Blake's new spouse, Krystle (Linda Evans). Spitefully wedding Blake's business rival Cecil Colby (Lloyd Bochner), Alexis suddenly acquires the financial wherewithal to put her wicked schemes in motion when Cecil drops dead of a heart attack. Also introduced in season two is Dr. Nick Toscanni (James Farentino), the psychiatrist for Claudia Blaisdel (Pamela Bellwood), the mentally unbalanced mistress of Blake's bisexual son, Steven (Al Corley). No sooner has Dr. Toscanni joined the cast than he is seduced and bedded by Blake's predatory daughter, Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin), who is still the in-name-only wife of Cecil Colby's son Jeff (John James). Also making her first appearance this season is Krystle's avaricious niece Sammy Jo Dean (Heather Locklear), who goes on to marry Steven and bear him a child named Danny. When Alexis pays off Sammy to walk out on Steven, he weds the widowed Claudia on the rebound. By season's end, Steven had vanished into the wilds of Indonesia -- and soon word reaches the Carrington mansion that the family's "black sheep" has been killed in a horrible accident (wanna bet?). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A piece of made-for-television hack work that suddenly became sort of topical 23 years later, with the attacks on the New York World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Evening in Byzantium was a two-part made-for-TV feature based very loosely on Irwin Shaw's best-seller. The book involved intrigue and romance at the Cannes Film Festival, but the television producers evidently thought that this did not justify a two-night prime time movie event, so they added a story about Middle Eastern terrorists using the Cannes Film Festival as part of a larger plot to attack the West. Glenn Ford plays Jesse Craig, a down-on-his-luck producer with a film project in mind involving terrorists, who goes to Cannes to raise money and finds himself dealing with his ex-wife (Shirley Jones) and romancing Erin Gray. But before too long, he uncovers a plot by real terrorists to replace commercial airliners in flight (blowing them out of the sky and taking over their authorized flight paths) with specially converted airliners and bomb targets in the United States. Also on hand is Vince Edwards, playing an actor with a radical political agenda, who is alarmed that Ford's proposed film parallels his own terrorist plans; Michael Cole as Ford's associate; Eddie Albert and Gloria De Haven as a couple with ties to the movie business; Harry Guardino as a skeptical American security officer; and Marcel Hillaire as the French police inspector trying to unravel the terrorists plans. It's all very silly, though played very sincerely by most of the cast, and none of the plot described is less plausible than the notion that Glenn Ford and Erin Gray could ignore the 36-year difference in their ages. Evening in Byzantium was originally shown in August of 1978 as part of the syndicated Operation Prime Time programming series, intended to compete with the three networks. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

After a hard day in the field, John (Randolph Mantooth) returns to his bunk at the station, only to find that it has become the new home of a stray cat and her kittens. This week's emergency roster includes an old codger who is stuck in the bear trap he'd set to capture a thief; a burning airplane, with two passengers trapped inside; a gas leak at an elementary school; a near-fatal boating mishap; and a really bad case of stage fright. Virginia Gregg, a loyal member of producer Jack Webb's "stock company", appears as Zelda Zack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Desperate for money to keep their troubled marriage afloat, Frank and Elizabeth Colling (Larry Blyden, Lois Nettleton) kidnap 7-year-old Jimmy Bowden (Brian Dewey) and hold him for ransom. Ironically, while the kidnapping merely intensifies Elizabeth's neuroses and exacerbates Frank's drinking problem, the ordeal brings the victim's estranged parents Anne (Joan Hotchkiss) and James (Lee Bergere) closer together. This F.B.I. episode is unique in at least one respect: the truck seen in the opening sequence is a Dodge rather than a Ford! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode of the 1960s science fiction series begins with the Enterprise coming across one of the most unexpected space travelers they have encountered: President Abraham Lincoln. Finding the long-dead President alive and well in outer space, a stunned Captain Kirk beams him aboard. The man, who indeed seems to be Lincoln, convinces Kirk and Mr. Spock to accompany him to the surface of a nearby planet. They agree, and Spock is similarly shocked when the trio is joined by Surak, a legendary Vulcan historical figure. The meaning of these strange encounters becomes clearer when the foursome meets a powerful alien, who explains that he is conducting an experiment to test the worthiness of their species, using them as examples. This test takes the form of a battle to the death with Kirk, Spock, Surak, and Lincoln on the side of good, against four historical representatives of evil, including Genghis Khan and the ruthless Klingon warrior Kahless. Kirk and Spock must band together with their idols to defeat their villainous opponents, or else they, and the Enterprise, shall be destroyed. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Occasionally listed as In Enemy Hands (evidently a working title), In Enemy Country is a war film with "A" ambitions and a TV-movie budget. Wartime secret agents Col. Charles Waslow-Carton (Tony Franciosa) and Lt. Col. Philip Braden (Guy Stockwell) infiltrate enemy lines, posing as POWs. Their mission is to destroy a deadly new type of torpedo, hidden in a Nazi stronghold in France. Their contact is Denise Marchois (Anjanette Comer), whom Waslow-Carton had coerced into marrying a German baron (Paul Hubschmid) before the outbreak of war, thus allowing her to continue her spying activities unimpeded. Upon the completion of their mission, Marchois chooses to remain behind with her husband, whom she has grown to love. Too many peripheral characters, way too many plot twists, and a "French" village obviously constructed on the Universal back lot: for these and other reasons, In Enemy Country is a must to avoid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When wealthy landowner John Sullivan, Sr. Arch Johnson and his airplane pilot are reported missing in Brazil, Sullivan's three sons (Martin Milner, Linden Chiles, and Don Quine) begin to search for the missing men in the wilds of the Amazon jungle. They battle headhunters, jungle animals, and sinister revolutionary forces trying to topple the government. The film is a Universal pilot for a proposed television series that never materialized, and it is apparent why the series never took off after watching the forgettable feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Dumped by his girlfriend because she thinks he's a crashing bore, Walter Mills (Larry Blyden) decides to completely alter his looks and personality. Thus, he grows a beard and rechristens himself "Philip Marshall," and it is in this guise that he gets mixed up with the attractive Noreen Kimberly (Kathie Browne). Unfortunately, Noreen has a jealous boyfriend named Curly (Berkeley Harris), who threatens to tell Noreen that Walter is a phony -- unless our "hero" joins Curly in a plot to smuggle some stolen jewels out of the country. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starlet Reggie Lansfield (Jean Hale) is hired as a stand-in for Victoria Dawn (Patrice Wymore), a once-popular actress and swimming star who plans to revitalize her career by staging a spectacular publicity stunt. Posing as Victoria, Reggie is to swim the entire length of the Catalina Channel--but the stunt is spoiled when the girl is rescued by boat captain Charlie Shaw (played by Bill Williams, the husband of Perry Mason costar Barbara Hale. Nor is this the end of Reggie's troubles: Victoria turns up murdered, and the hapless "double" is charged with the crime. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) dives into the case to prevent Reggie from going belly-up at San Quentin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide