Howard Platt Movies

Overexposed starts out as a "heavy breather of the week" TV movie and develops into a truly involving suspense tale. Marcy Walker plays a wife and mother, stalked by wacko Terence Knox. This isn't just the usual hit-and-run harassment; Knox is a businessman who has an "X-rated" video of an adulterous affair, with Walker as "star." He had tricked her into sleeping with her years earlier; now he plans to destroy her marriage (her husband is his business associate) and then claim her for himself. Based on fact, Overexposed was filmed in Chicago by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A wartime fling between an American GI and a Korean woman has resulted in an abandoned infant. The gang at the 4077th realize that the baby will be shunned by the Koreans for being "mixed." Thus it is that the M*A*S*H gang dedicates itself to the difficult task of finding a good and loving home for the little castaway. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Having been rejected by his "dream girl" Debbie (Annrae Walterhouse), Tommy (Philip McKeon) tries to polish up his social graces. To this end, he submits to dancing lessons, with Vera (Beth Howland) as his teacher. A few lessons later, and Tommy has again fallen in love--with the nonplussed Vera, who is old enough to be his...uh...well, she's old enough! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) doesn't know it at first, but his new "lady love," Miss Wallace, is actually a male criminal in drag. Even worse, the cross-dressing crook is on the lam from the law, with the neighborhood cops hot on a trail that leads directly to Fred's doorstep. Upon learning the truth, Fred cooks up a scheme to claim the reward money for himself -- a scheme that requires him to "play along" with the phony female. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lamont (Demond Wilson) thinks Fred (Redd Foxx) is watching too much TV. Fred disagrees, sparking a violent quarrel. Hoping to end his dad's TV addiction once and for all, Lamont arranges for Fred to be hypnotized: From now on, whenever he has the urge to be a couch potato, Fred will imagine that his TV set is overheating. Originally scheduled to air on January 16, 1976, this episode was bumped forward to January 30. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This week, Bob is besieged from all sides. Not only is Carol threatening to give notice to two of her four bosses, but Howard has given Bob a bad-taste gift -- and he expects to be praised for his largesse. Completing the canvas is the unscheduled appearance of a human fly. Shirley O'Hara appears as Debbie Flett. Written by Gary David Goldberg of Family Ties fame, "Et Tu, Carol?" originally aired on October 30, 1976, as the final episode in The Bob Newhart Show's familiar 9:30 p.m. Saturday time slot; thereafter, the series would be shown one hour earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Beginning its fifth successful season on Friday, September 12, 1975, Sanford and Son was essentially the mixture as before with most of the familiar regulars firmly in place. His well-publicized contract disputes more or less receding into memory, Redd Foxx was back as cantankerous Watts junk dealer Fred Sanford, with Demond Wilson as his long-suffering son and reluctant business partner Lamont. Also returning were LaWanda Page as Fred's explosively prudish sister-in-law Aunt Esther, Lynn Hamilton as Fred's sometimes fiancée Donna Harris, Don Bexley and Nathaniel Taylor as family friends Bubba and Rollo, and Hal Williams and Howard Platt as police officers Smitty and Hoppy. Conspicuously absent from the fifth-season roster were three actors who had departed for other sitcoms: Gregory Sierra (Julio Fuentes), who had moved to Barney Miller; Pat Morita (Ah Chew), who had transferred to Happy Days; and, most notably, Whitman Mayo (Grady Wilson), now starring in his own spin-off series, Grady. However, despite his new leading-man workload, Mayo would continue to make token Sanford appearances as Grady, returning to the series on a more or less regular basis after Grady (the series) folded in the spring of 1976. Additions and emendations to the Sanford format included the arrival of Marlene Clark as Janet Lawson, a widowed mother with whom Lamont would fall in love, and Edward Crawford as Janet's young son Roger. Also, Fred and Lamont Sanford would try to amplify their income by managing a boarding house, the Sanford Arms, which introduced as steady stream of recurring characters -- and also set the stage for the ultimate conclusion of Sanford and Son at the end of 1977. That denouement was still part of the distant future by the conclusion of the series' sixth season, during which Sanford ranked as America's seventh most popular weekly series. Fans were particularly gratified that NBC chose to rerun selected episodes on Wednesday evenings from April to August 1976, under the title The Best of Sanford and Son. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ever in pursuit of extra money, Fred and Lamont Sanford (Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson) take over management of a rooming house, which they rename the Sanford Arms. At first, our heroes intend to be discriminating in their clientele; after all, they can't just let anybody rent a room. But when tenants fail to materialize and the debt begins mounting, the Sanfords are forced to rethink their screening process -- and as a result, they open their doors to a fugitive from justice. Nancy Kulp makes her first series appearance as May Hopkins, the mother of semi-regular Officer "Hoppy" Hopkins (Howard Platt). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Splitting up with her husband, Woodrow (Raymond Allen), after a row, Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) moves in with Fred and Lamont Sanford (Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson). Fred tolerates Esther's presence when he believes that she only intends to stay the night. But when it becomes clear that she plans to remain in the Sanford home for six months, the better to establish separate residency for a divorce, Fred schemes to bring Esther and Woodrow back together -- and out of his hair. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When the strapped-for-cash Lamont (Demond Wilson) takes an outside job at a haberdashery, Fred thinks that the saga of "Sanford and Son Salvage" is at an end. To prevent this, Fred poses as an eccentric millionaire and heads to Lamont's place of business, intending to buy all the clothes and put the haberdashery out of business. Is it really necessary to note that the scheme backfires spectacularly? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bob and his colleagues gear up for their annual doctor's tennis tournament. Naturally, Emily assumes that she will be teamed with Bob. What she hadn't counted on was Bob's overriding desire to win -- a desire that, so far as he is concerned, may be unfulfilled with Emily around. Others in the cast are Paula Shaw as Tammy Ziegler and Howard Platt as Dr. Newman. Written by Jerry Mayer, "Serve for Daylight" originally aired on December 14, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A woman named Rose (Talya Ferro) shows up at the Sanford home, claiming that Fred proposed to her years and years ago. Unfortunately, Fred is nowhere to be found; instead, his pal Grady (Whitman Mayo) is watching the house in his absence. Undaunted, Rose mistakes Grady for Fred, and announces that the wedding will proceed as scheduled. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Grady (Whitman Mayo) is nervous when Lamont's ex-convict friend Herman (Ron Glass) spends the night. This nervousness extends to Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page), who at the suggestion of Lamont (Demond Wilson) hires Herman to work for her -- then fires him when she learns of his criminal past. Redd Foxx (Fred Sanford) does not appear in this episode due to an ongoing contract dispute. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi