Gift Subscriptions
Shelley Berman
- 1971
Comedian Shelley Berman) guest stars as a crooked Hollywood agent who is running a scam with a sexy starlet (Katie O'Price). There is also a third player in this intrigue, a tough customer named Jack Donahue (Leo Gordon). Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are disinheartened by the knowledge that Donahue is a former cop who has apparently gone astray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cashing in on director Larry Hagman's fame as star of Dallas, a canny distributor reissued Beware! the Blob (aka Son of Blob) with the come-on line "The Film That J.R. Shot!" Picking up where the original Blob (1958) left off, the film begins as the pudding-like goo thaws out and begins wreaking havoc on the civilized world. Steve McQueen, star of the first Blob, is understandably absent; this time the heroics are handled by Robert Walker Jr., who takes on the Blob himself when the local authorities fail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Stahl, Godfrey Cambridge, (more)
- 1964
Marion Lorne makes her first series appearance as Samantha's dotty Aunt Clara. On this occasion, Clara and Sam are offended by the picture of an ugly witch on the advertisements for the Halloween candy manufactured by Darrin's new client, Mr. Brinkman (Shelley Berman). Combining their powers, the two ladies endeavor to "persuade" Brinkman to adopt a more politically correct approach. Written by Bernard Slade, "The Witches Are Out" was originally telecast on October 29, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
- 2005
A sex offender moves into the neighborhood, and Larry (Larry David) notes that because the offender is bald, "It's very bad for the bald community." Later, he meets the aforementioned sex offender, Rick (Rob Corddry of The Daily Show), and he turns out to be a pretty good guy. He's a huge Seinfeld fan, he helps Larry with his groceries, and he gives him some valuable golf tips. So Larry hesitantly invites him to the Seder that Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) is preparing. When Cheryl predictably freaks out about the invite, Larry reassures her, "He's cool," and asks pointedly, "What would Jesus do?" Also at the event are Jeff (Jeff Garlin), Susie (Susie Essman), and Susie's brother-in-law, Len (Stephen Tobolowsky), a staunch Republican. Mark (Rob Huebel) and Marla (Lauren Katz) are also guests in the David household, and Larry invites the cranky couple from across the street, Mac (Pat Harrington Jr. and Ethel (Jennie Ventriss), because he suspects that Mark has been stealing his newspapers, and Larry wants Ethel to ID Mark. The event goes sour when there's a controversy involving the afikomen. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Larry (Larry David) visits his dentist, Len Funkhouser (Saul Rubinek), who insists on rolling up Larry's sleeve to inject a sedative, causing Larry's cuff to lose its elasticity. Larry plans to attend the reception for Len's uncle Leo (Lou Cutell), who is suffering from Hodgkin's disease. Len naturally objects when Larry refers to it as "the 'good' Hodgkins." Jeff (Jeff Garlin) and Susie (Susie Essman) invite everyone to dinner, where many things go wrong. Larry gets into a tiff with the Russian cousin of the Funkhousers (Boris Krutonog), who asks to try on his glasses. Susie sees him playing with Oscar, their German shepherd, and mistakes it for something more sinister. Larry is outraged when, at dinner, he learns that Len's hygienist (Maria Canals) has been circulating a rumor that he has a plaque problem, and then little Sammy (Ashly Holloway) is traumatized when she finds the dentist's photo of Larry's rotting tooth. Aside from revealing to many people that he pees sitting down, Larry also puts his foot in it when he accuses a local weatherman (Gary Kroeger), a friend of Marty Funkhouser's (Bob Einstein), of falsely forecasting rain in order to clear the golf course. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG13
In this comedy, uptight Professor Elliot Fauman (Randolph Dreyfuss) has to publish or he won't get tenure. He's decided to write a paper on the psychological complications of prostitution. Through his research, he comes across a woman with whom he becomes obsessed. He thinks she's a hooker; in fact, she's an actress researching a role. But since she has fallen for him, she continues her role-playing. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Dreyfuss, Jean Kasem, (more)
- 1974
In the opening episode of Emergency!'s fourth season, comedian Shelley Berman guest stars as obnoxious screenwriter Art Frommich, who insists upon seeking "inspiration" by accompanying paramedics Roy (Kevin Tighe) and John (Randolph Mantooth) on their daily rounds. The emergency load this week includes a fire at a toy factory, a motorcycle crash, and an emergency birth. NFL Hall of Famer (Larry Csonka) appears as a factory worker who goes violently berserk after being exposed to toxic chemicals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
While drunk, Chandler (Matthew Perry) has a fling with one of Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) sisters. Once his head clears up, he can't remember which sister was the lucky one (Gina or Dina?). On other fronts, Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) new date is both very charming and very loud. And Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) is offered a job at Bloomingdale's by a handsome stranger, arousing Ross' (David Schwimmer) suspicious nature. Steven Eckholdt makes his first series appearance as Mark. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Upset when her boss, Gunther (James Michael Tyler), suggests she needs more training, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) quits her job. Elsewhere on the employment front, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) lands a job selling Christmas trees, leading Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) to lend a hand despite a long-harbored hatred for those selfsame trees. And Ross (David Schwimmer) sells Brown Bird Cookies as penance for accidentally breaking a little girl's leg. Yes, that's comedian Shelley Berman, making his first series appearance as Mr. Kaplan Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 197z
Historical individuals are documented in this series as hosted by Arte Johnson and Jim Backus. ~ All Movie Guide
- 2005
Addison (Kate Walsh) is caught in the middle when her old friend Esme Sorrento (Janet Rotblatt) wants to have her uterus removed to prevent cancer, while Esme's husband Joe (Shelley Berman) is dead set against the operation. Elsewhere, George (T.R. Knight) is saddled with another eccentric patient, this one a suicidal window washer (Geoffrey Rivas); try though she might, Meredith can't avoid running into Derek (Patrick Dempsey); and Cristina (Sandra Oh) prepares for an important date with Burke (Isaiah Washington). The episode's pivotal moment occurs when Dr. Bailey discovers why she has been so unusually lethargic (a plot twist dictated by actual events in the life of actress Chandra Wilson, who plays Bailey). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After suffering the humiliation of being given the third degree by his girlfriend's father, one man now faces the even more embarrassing task of introducing his own mother and father in this star-studded sequel to the box-office smash Meet the Parents. After getting off on the wrong foot (to put it mildly) with his prospective in-laws, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has finally won the grudging approval of Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) to marry their daughter Pam (Teri Polo). But after clearing the first hurdle, now Greg has to face an even bigger challenge -- introducing the straight-laced Byrnes family to his folks, free-spirited sex therapist Roz (Barbra Streisand) and eccentrically open-minded Bernie, who blend with Pam's parents not quite as well as oil and water. Meet the Fockers was directed by Jay Roach, who handled the same chores for Meet the Parents. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, (more)
This black comedy offers a rather twisted version of the classic road movie, as it tells the story of a ten-year-old boy who is determined to win the "Motorama" road game, a promotional effort by a major gas station that promises winners 500 million dollars. In order to win, one simply has to collect enough game cards from Chimera gas stations all over the country to spell out the word "Motorama." Since his parents are not interested in the contest, the lad feels he has no other choice than to steal a bright red classic Mustang and set off across several fictional states to do it by himself. Along the way, he has assorted adventures, and many of them are not at all pleasant, but most of them are very strange. The film features cameos from several notable cult favorites, including Jack Nance, Drew Barrymore, Dick Miller, and even the pop singer Meat Loaf. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jordan Christopher Michael, John Diehl, (more)
- 1988
John Astin returns as Buddy, perennial mental-home habitue and self-proclaimed stepfather of Judge Harry T. Stone (Harry Anderson). Obliged to spend an inordinate amount of time keeping Buddy from being permanently committed by his condescending brother Phil (Alex Henteloff), Harry may well miss yet another opportunity to meet his idol Mel Torme, forcing an empathetic Dan (John Larroquette) to take drastic action. Also appearing is Shelley Berman as Al, a man suffering from self-imposed catatonia...not to mention a "noogie" fetish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In this volume of episodes from the stylish and exciting television detective series from the late '50s, the suave and sexy detective Gunn solves two puzzling cases: "The Comic" and "Streetcar Jones." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- R
A pair of naive documentarians find themselves in over their heads when they agree to finish an "art film" for the head of a local public television station in exchange for a chance to direct a documentary on Indian farming techniques. Comical situations ensue when they discover that "Halloween in the Bunker," is really a porno film detailing the sexual practices of the Nazis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Mull, Dick Shawn, (more)
An otherwise boring and unpopular Louise is enamored with Brad, the star of the high-school football team, but her feelings are not reciprocated. One week before her birthday, she visits a psychic and is told she has latent, genetically predisposed witch abilities that will blossom on her sixteenth birthday. Soon she finds the information to be true and uses her powers to gain the typical teen goals: popularity, revenge on cruel teachers and other meanies, and high-school football star Brad... ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier, (more)
"A family walks into a talent agent's office..." So begins "The Aristocrats," a joke kept mostly secret by stand-up comedians for decades. An intentionally "bad" joke, the laughs in The Aristocrats aren't in the punch-line (one of the only elements that's the same every time), but in the set-up, made unique by each comedian who tells it in an attempt to fashion the world's dirtiest joke. The cat was finally let out of the bag by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, the seasoned funnymen who gathered together a hundred people to tell a hundred different renditions of the bit. Among those presenting their personal take on The Aristocrats in this film of the same name are Jason Alexander, Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried, Jon Stewart, Emo Philips, and Chris Rock. The Aristocrats premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy Holiday stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two women who exchange houses in order to get a new lease on life. After each suffers her fair share of romantic disappointments, Englishwoman Iris (Winslet) and L.A. woman Amanda (Diaz) meet on-line at a website devoted to helping people exchange houses for vacations. Each agrees to spend the Christmas holiday at the other's home. While each suffers from a minor case of culture shock, both women also end up becoming involved with a man. Iris makes the acquaintance of an upbeat everyman played by Jack Black, while Amanda spends time with a handsome Brit played by Jude Law. Both women must decide what to do with these new relationships as their pre-arranged house switch is scheduled to last less than two weeks. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, (more)
- 1961
First telecast May 12, 1961, this amusing Twilight Zone entry was purely and simply a showcase for versatile comic actor Shelley Berman. The star is cast as Archibald Beechcroft, a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope who despises everyone around him. With the help of an unusual "will power" book given to him by office boy Henry (Jack Grinnage), Beechcroft is able to make everyone else in the world disappear. Before long, however, the silence drives Beechcroft crazy, so he decides to populate the world with millions of Archibald Beechcrofts -- with similarly irksome results. "The Mind and the Matter" was written by series creator Rod Serling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Berman, Jack Grinnage, (more)
- 1963
This comical farce is a lighthearted lampoon of Wall Street and the vibrant trading and selling on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Henry Tyroon (James Garner) is the chameleonic broker who changes his colors and ethical standards to fit every deal. Molly (Lee Remick) is the novice trader competing in a largely male profession who catches Henry's eye. Her boss is Bullard Bear (Jim Backus), the slick financial veteran Henry runs up against. Chill Wills, Phil Harris, and Charles Watts are the Texas triumvirate who play their parts of super rich good old boys to the pinnacle of stereotypical eccentricity. John Astin is the vigilant government agent just dying to uncover some dirt and blow the whistle at the slightest hint of impropriety. Louis Nye plays an abstract artist who wishes to expand his stock portfolio. Plenty of jabs are taken at Wall Street, Madison Avenue and idle rich blue bloods at the mercy of unscrupulous opportunists. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Lee Remick, (more)
- 1984
Comedian David Brenner hosts this appreciative look at some of America's funniest standup comics and how their careers unfolded. Several of the comedians share how they create their material and collaborate with others. All of the featured comedians perform in front of live audiences on this video. Brenner speaks with some of them off-stage to capture their personal reflections on their careers. The profiled comedians include Henny Youngman, known to many for his "take my wife" joke; Carl Ballantine; Jackie Gayle; George Gobel, who appeared "slow" but often displayed a sly, quick wit; and Jackie Vernon and Shelley Berman. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
