Lester Rawlins Movies

Season Hubley is cast as Sister Maria, a young nun whose sister has been killed in a highly suspicious auto accident. Vowing vengeance against the airline executive whom she holds responsible for her sibling's death, Sister Maria formulates a plan to see that justice is serve--and ulitmately finds herself in the middle of a dangerous war of wills between Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) and the Mob. Among the supporting players is Holland Taylor, who later won an Emmy for her portrayal of oversexed judge Roberta Kittleson on TV's The Practice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released theatrically as God Told Me To, this inventive film from "B"-movie auteur Larry Cohen was later re-named Demon after television distributors refused to air it under the original title. The convoluted, tabloid-flavored storyline (predating the kind of stories frequently featured on The X-Files) involves a series of motiveless murders committed by various New York residents: a sniper picks off targets from a water tower; a mild-mannered father murders his entire family; and a cop (Andy Kaufman, of all people) opens fire during a St. Patrick's Day parade. The only consistent pattern to the crimes involves the perpetrators' calm admissions of guilt, explaining, "God told me to." While investigating the murders, devoutly-Catholic police detective Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) is increasingly troubled by evidence of a Christ-like figure named Bernard Phillips (Richard Lynch) who appeared to each of the killers and can't seem to shake the feeling that his own fate is inexplicably linked to this mysterious being. As he comes closer to the truth, his worst fears are confirmed -- particularly after a telling conversation with Bernard's tormented mother (Sylvia Sidney), who reveals the horrifying secret of her son's unnatural birth. Cohen has often used the "B"-movie format to address rather lofty concepts, and this is certainly no exception -- tackling no less than the existence of God and the nature of human beliefs -- but clumsy editing and an outrageous FX-heavy finale tend to obscure this film's unique vision. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour "special"), Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) tackles a case of matricide that has remained unsolved from two years. Unfortunately, he meets stiff opposition in the form of Edna Morrison (Geraldine Page), a powerful politician who is determined that the whole truth about the murder will never see the light of day. Featured in the supporting cast as a deputy district attorney is a pre-Murphy Brown Charles Kimbrough. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

George C. Scott stars as Justin Playfair, a retired, widowed judge who labors under the delusion that he's Sherlock Holmes. Feigning concern, Playfair's greedy brother Blevins (Lester Rawlins) hires psychologist Dr. Mildred Watson (Joanne Woodward) to certify that Justin is insane--and in so doing gain control of the judge's millions. Instead, Dr. Watson is drawn into Playfair's dream world, accompanying the judge on his quest to find the elusive (and imaginary) Professor Moriarty. Reality rears its head when a group of vicious blackmailers, to whom Blevins is deeply in debt, attempt to assassinate brother Justin. In a sequence originally cut from the release version but restored for television, Playfair and Watson are rescued by a group of middle-aged eccentrics, who like the judge would give anything to live the lives of their literary favorites (the most poignant of these is librarian Jack Gilford, who "wishes to God" that he were the Scarlet Pimpernel). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide