Shannon Presby
Abby (Lori Loughlin) and her brother, Loren (Shannon Presby), seem to have it all: good looks, lots of friends, and a great relationship with their loving mom and their heroic, discipline-minded military dad. When their folks are killed in a car crash, however, the siblings must move to small-town Florida to live with their sweet but cash-impaired Uncle Charlie (Ed Jones) and Aunt Fay (Lucy Martin), who own a gas station and a struggling, bargain-bin amusement park. For Abby and Loren, life in the Sunshine State proves to be a mixture of hard work, new faces, and harassment at the hands of drug-dealing, skirt-chasing local scion Dutra (James Spader) and his gang of trailer-park psychopaths. Dutra places a bet with the wiry, reptilian Gideon (John Philbin) about which of the young villains will be able to bed Abby first, leading to a series of increasingly vile sexual come-ons. Abby, however, has other romantic ideas involving a kindly boy named Mark (Eric Stoltz). Between bouts of defending his sister's honor, Loren finds a similarly wholesome romance with pretty, blond Karen (Paige Lyn Price). With the help of these new friends, Loren and Abby make some headway in the local social hierarchy, but their skirmishes with Dutra and his minions escalate, climaxing with attempted rape, kidnapping, and bumper-car violence on the night of a high-school dance. Director Sean S. Cunningham also directed the original Friday the 13th. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shannon Presby, Lori Loughlin, (more)
- 1985
It is perhaps a blessing that Hannah Scott, daughter of American-born Australian settler Maggie Scott (Louise Caire Clark), had been sent off to boarding school school before the third season of Five Mile Creek got under way (this move was motivated by the departure of series regular Priscilla Weems). Financial setbacks have forced everyone in the community of Five Mile Creek, including Hannah's mom Maggie, hotel owner Kate (Liz Burch), and stagecoach drivers Jack (Rod Mullinar) and Con (Jay Kerr), to pull up stakes a seek out a new home in the Australian outback of the 1860s. The journey across the Great Divide is fraught with danger, and the settlers receive a none-too-friendly reception upon arrival in the town of Emu Plains. Even so, Maggie and Kate are able to get back to business, and Jack and Con quickly reestablish their stagecoach line. New to the series this season is handsome, callow cowboy Matt Buckland, played by Shannon Presby), and feisty, tomboyish miner's daughter Annie, enacted by a talented redheaded teenager named Nicole Kidman. Also, the character of Five Mile Creek's "boss" Charles Withers (Peter Carroll), hitherto appearing only on a recurring basis,has been elevated to full regular. Among the season's story developments: Annie sets her cap for Jack, but she proves to be a bit rough-and-tumble even for his tastes; Jack must compete with a dashing Irish sea captain (Noel Trevarthen) for the attentions of Maggie; a hotly contested election is highlighted by the arrival of a balloon ascensionist; Con has a deadly showdown with a masked bandit; and, perhaps inevitably, the female leads are imperiled in another hostage crisis. In the series finale, Con is given the opportunity to start a new stagecoach service in faraway America. How will this development affect his partnership with Jack--not to mention his romance with Kate? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Caire Clark, Rod Mullinar, (more)
- 1983
Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer is a TV movie inspired by the same real-life 1982 murder that formed the basis of the Judith Rossner novel (and 1977 movie adaptation) Looking for Mr. Goodbar. George Segal plays the diligent detective who tries to rout out the murderer of a "swinging" schoolteacher, played by Diane Keaton in the 1977 film. The print ads for Trackdown imply that Segal's costar Shelley Hack takes over the Keaton role. In fact, Ms. Hack is merely around to portray Segal's totally extraneous love interest. George Segal's lukewarm performance is matched by the noncommittal direction of sitcom veteran Bill Persky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the first of the 13 episodes comprising Five Mile Creek's first season, San Francisco-bred Maggie Scott (Louise Caire Clark) and her daughter Hannah (Priscilla Weems) arrive in the Australia of the 1860s, in search of Maggie's husband Adam, a prospector who'd headed "Down Under" during the territory's celebrated Gold Rush. Maggie and Hannah settle in Five Mile Creek, a community set up as a stagecoach stop, and quickly befriend local hotel owner Kate (Liz Wallace). At the same time, the Australian Express stagecoach service makes its maiden run, with co-owners Con (Jay Kerr) and Jack (Rod Mullinar) at the reigns. Despite the stiff resistance of their competitors and a variety of scurrilous "bushrangers", Con and Jack complete their first run with the help and moral support of Maggie, Kate and Kate's enigmatic Irish handyman Paddy (Michael Caton). In due time, big-hearted Kate will also rescue orphaned youngster Sam (Martin Lewis) from a life as a bandit (she'll also advertise for a husband in order to legally adopt the boy). Although overt violence is avoid during the series' inaugural season, there is action and suspense aplenty thanks to a variety of outlaws, claim jumpers and mysterious strangers. Midway through the season, Maggie becomes a widow, thereby opening up the possibility of a romance between herself and the headstrong Jack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Caire Clark, Rod Mullinar, (more)
- 1981
In this socially conscious drama, set in 1955, three tough New York youths must learn to deal with a troubled world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
