Marge Redmond Movies
Cloris Leachman and Martin Balsam star in this TV movie as an over-forty married couple, both of whom maintain busy outside careers. Content with their peaceful, childless existence, the couple is thrown for a loop when, after 18 years of marriage, Leachman becomes pregnant. Beyond the understandable concerns over the health of her baby, she is not keen on the prospect of giving up her job--nor is she particularly responsive to the misguided advice of her friends and family. A Brand New Life premiered on February 20, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Looking like a high-school junior, Michael Douglas plays a college professor in Adam at 6 AM. Tired of academia, Douglas opts for the supposed tranquility of rural Missouri. After working as farm hand for a few weeks, he realizes that his "normal" neighbors are as screwed up as any of his more sophisticated friends. To punch up the film's leisurely screenplay, a great deal of sex talk is injected, which may have sounded daring in 1970 but which plays like an episode of Married: With Children nowadays. Adam at 6 AM is blessed with a superb supporting cast: among the secondary actors is 1940s leading lady Anne Gwynne, making a one-time-only film comeback. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Lee Purcell, (more)
Alfred Hitchcock's final film was adapted from Victor Canning's novel The Rainbird Pattern by Ernest Lehman, who previously wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock's North by Northwest. Barbara Harris plays Blanche, a phony psychic, hired by wealthy Julia Rainbird (Cathleen Nesbitt) to trace the whereabouts of her nephew, who'd been given up for adoption years earlier and who is now heir to a fortune. Blanche's cohort is "investigator" Lumley (Bruce Dern), who is fully prepared to milk the last dollar out of Julia before locating the long-lost nephew. Meanwhile, we are introduced to elegant kidnappers Adamson and Fran (William Devane and Karen Black). The fates of the two couples are inextricably intertwined by the search for the missing heir. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Black, Bruce Dern, (more)
Hear No Evil, while based on the interesting premise of a deaf woman stalked by a relentless killer, is a well-crafted but predictable mystery thriller. Jillian (Marlee Matlin), a physical trainer is unknowingly given a valuable stolen coin. The theft of the coin was planned by a corrupt and sadistic police lieutenant (Martin Sheen) who needs the coin to fund his retirement, and he pursues Jillian in order to get it. Director Robert Greenwald, who also directed The Burning Bed, does a good job in showing the victim's courage and resourcefulness in her desperate situation. Matlin is good as Jillian, and does not use her deafness as a crutch to generate sympathy but portrays Jillian as an independent and strong woman. The plot gets bogged down with too many cliched twists and subplots, including a romance which slows the movie and adds nothing of interest in the development of the characters and their motivations. Hear No Evil, similar in theme to the excellent Wait Until Dark, lacks the focus and intensity necessary in a good thriller and wastes its excellent cast. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlee Matlin, D.B. Sweeney, (more)
- 1988
As suggested by its title, this episode is a not-so-goodnatured spoof of the popular "whoddunnit" series Murder She Wrote. Hunter (Fred Dryer) is summoned to the home of his millionaire friend Clarence Hyland (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), who has narrowly escaped an attempt on his life. Naturally, the house is filled to the brim with suspects, notably Hyland's covetous nieces and nephews. As Hunter tries to weed out the guilty party, he must also put up with the well-intentioned meddling of celebrated mystery writer--and self-styled sleuth--Jennifer Brasher (Marge Redmond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This riveting ABC Afterschool Special addresses the potent issue of children being kidnapped by non-custodial parents. Because of a nervous breakdown, divorcée Louise Sanders (Lindsay Crouse) has lost custody of her children, 13-year-old Mary Lou (Maddie Corman) and eight-year-old Tommy (yes, that's a young Seth Green). When her husband reluctantly lets Louise take care of the children on a two-week trial basis, the troubled woman skips town with the kids in tow. Thereafter, Louise and the children must remain on the run, forever telling lies, adopting new "identities," and covering their tracks -- an ordeal that has a particularly negative effect on little Tommy. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Crouse, John Getz, (more)
The author of the famous late 1930's antiwar book Johnny Got His Gun wrote and directed this film adaptation. It concerns a nameless young soldier (Timothy Bottoms) in a veteran's hospital in the World War I period. The young man has had his face blown off, he is without the use of any of his senses save touch, and also has no arms or legs. He is in a coma at the beginning of the film, and his doctors doubt that he will regain consciousness. This is also what they hope. A nurse, while changing his dressings, discovers that he is awake and responsive. The unrelieved awfulness of his situation is apparent to many. However, in order to keep the "good order" of the military, the regular Army general commanding the hospital will not allow the boy to be seen or his family notified, nor will he permit anyone to perform a mercy killing. Interspersed with this horror are flashbacks of the youth's life before the war. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The detectives and the lawyers again run up against the brick wall of military jurisprudence while investigating the death of a Navy pilot. McCoy finally narrows the suspects down to the dead man's lover, also a pilot. Unfortunately, the Navy and the Judge Advocate General form a united front to block further investigation -- and, perhaps, to prevent justice from prevailing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
There's a real murder and a real mystery in Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, but these plot pegs are used mainly to allow Allen to explore modern urban relationships. Allen plays a N.Y.C. book editor, Larry Lipton, married to Carol (Diane Keaton, who replaced Mia Farrow at the last minute, for reasons well publicized at the time). Carol is a free spirit, ever willing to try new experiences, but Larry is a wet blanket. When it begins to look like a neighbor has killed his wife, Carol is eager to investigate the mystery, but Larry thinks her suspicions are nonsensical and doesn't want to leave his apartment. Undaunted, Carol finds another "Nick Charles" in the form of family friend Ted (Alan Alda), who joins the investigation, and feels attracted to Carol and isn't afraid to let her know. Meanwhile, a writer under Larry's aegis (Anjelica Huston), who feels romantically drawn to him, also decides to join in the fun. Slightly jealous of Carol in the face of her budding relationship with Ted, Larry reluctantly agrees to go along on her clue-hunting expedition -- and it is he who discovers the corpse, who as it turns out was killed after Carol started poking around the apartment building. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, (more)
- 1990
Because she flunked home economics, Peg (Katey Sagal) never officially graduated from high school. Hoping to belatedly earn her diploma, Peg enrolls in the same home-ec class attended by her daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate), where the two Bundy ladies have a high old time preparing for their finals. And back at home, family dog Buck speaks out loud for the first time--and not surprisingly, it's a withering put-down of Al (Ed O'Neill) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
During an "FYI" hiatus, Murphy (Candice Bergen) and Corky (Faith Ford) agree to temporarily co-host the station's early-morning show. While Corky takes to the job like a fish to water, Murphy is driven crazy by the show's laid-back format and her co-host's nails-on-the-blackboard ebullience. Famed Elvis Presley impersonator Pete Willcox shows up as Murphy's "Secretary #20", who bears a startling resemblance to a certain Memphis singer who had Left the Building several years earlier. This is the final episode of Murphy Brown's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Martin (Ray Walston) needs to lose a just a little bit of weight to fit into his spacesuit. Unfortunately, Tim (Bill Bixby) flips the wrong switch on the weight-loss machine, which promptly shrinks Martin's spaceship to the size of a toy. Worse still, the teeny-tiny vessel is carried off by a dog and ulimately retrieved by a toy manufactuer, who plans to mass-produce the item and make a fortune. Martin and Tim conduct a desperate search for the spaceship--but how will they find the real one amidst all those duplicates? Featured in the cast are Leave It to Beaver's former "Miss Landers" Sue Randall) and The Flying Nun's future "Sister Jacqueline" Marge Redmond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
When an unmarried young woman discovers that she is pregnant, she begins a search for her birth mother. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1965
Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is taken by surprise when a young woman (Mary Mitchell) sweeps into his office, begging him to "identify" her. Claiming to be Dorrie Ambler, the girl explains that she has been hired by private eye Joe Billings (Paul Lambert) to pose as her lookalike, heiress Minerva Minden, allegedly to verify if Minerva was involved in a hit-and-run accident. It turns out, however, that Dorrie really is Minerva, and that Billings is blackmailing her. Before long, Perry is not only defending Minerva on a charge of murdering Billings, but also of bumping off the "real" Dorrie Ambler, who may or may not have perished in the accident. Wesley Lau makes his farewell appearance as Lt. Anderson in this final episode of Perry Mason's eighth season, which is based on a novel by series creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Frequent Quincy, M.E guest star Ina Balin makes a return appearance, this time in the role of Quincy's fellow medical examiner Dr. Lorraine Linderman. Afer several mistakes both minor and serious are made in Dr. Linderman's lab, Quincy (Jack Klugman) becomes convinced that Lorraine is an alcoholic. Despite a preponderance of symptoms, the woman remains in denial--and unless she faces up to her problem soon, the consequences may be fatal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Combining elements from William Faulkner's novel Sanctuary, its sequel Requiem for a Nun, and a stage adaptation of Requiem for a Nun by Ruth Ford, director Tony Richardson's film is set in 1920s Mississippi and recounts the story of Temple Drake (Lee Remick), a young, lustful white woman who falls for a man who rapes her, only to marry another when she is told that her lover has died. The story is told as a flashback in an attempt to explain what led to the film's present, in which a black maid is on trial for the murder of Temple's baby. This was Richardson's first film made for a studio; he agreed to make Sanctuary to fund his next film, A Taste of Honey. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Remick, Yves Montand, (more)
- 1990
Cliff (Bill Cosby) makes plans to attend an auction so he can be against his friendly rival Dr. Harmon (Sullivan Walker) for an original Charlie Parker recording. Unfortunately, Denise (Lisa Bonet) is unable to fulfill her obligation to supervise Olivia's preschool class, forcing Cliff to take over the assignment. Undaunted, Cliff continues the bidding over the phone--little realizing that the person who is most arduously bidding against him is NOT Dr. Harmon but instead his own wife Clair (Phylicia Rashad)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Implicated in a major bond scam, George Breen (James Olson), an accountant in the employ of the Cosa Nostra, jumps bail and runs off to Portland with his wife Peggy (Linda Marsh) in tow. Complicating Breen's escape efforts is the fact that Peggy is pregnant, and due any moment. Worse still, a mob-connected relative is dogging the couple's trail, determined to kill George before the FBI can catch up with him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
The bell of Convent San Tanco is broken, and the nuns are in desperate need of a quick substitute. The enterprising Sr. Bertrille tries to talk casino owner Carlos into helping her recover the convent's original, 200-year-old bell which currently rests on the ocean floor! Carlos' girlfriend du jour is played by future soap opera diva Louise Sorel. Written by Max Wylie and series producer Harry Ackerman, "A Bell for San Tanco" was originally telecast on September 28, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Sr. Bertrille's curiosity is piqued when the nuns of Convent San Tanco begins receiving huge donations and valuable gifts from a mysterious benefactor. The sisters don't know that the philanthropist is Alonzo Baldaran (Nehemiah Persoff). They'd be even more surprised if they knew that the convent's shabby little handyman is Baldaran himself. Written by Michael Morris, "A Convent Full of Miracles" first aired on November 5, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
David Hurst guest stars as the tenacious old uncle of Sr. Bertrille's English-fracturing colleague Sr. Sixto (Shelley Morrison). Despite his utter lack of talent and success as a fisherman, Uncle stubbornly insists upon heading out to sea for one last big haul. Sr. Bertrille tries to help the old man by becoming an airborne "fish spotter," high-powered telescope and all. Written by John McGreevey, "A Fish Story" originally aired on January 11, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Celebrated bullfighter El Charro (Ben Archibek) has entered convent San Tanco under an assumed name. His purpose: to learn to read and write English, without attracting the attention of his adoring fans. Sr. Bertrille enlists the aid of casino owner Carlos in helping the timid toreador keep his secret. First broadcast on March 13, 1970, "A Gift for El Charro" was written by actor Stanley Adams, in collaboration with George F. Slavin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Patricia Barry guest-stars as Sabrina, a self-centered movie star who arrives in San Juan to film her latest movie. Saved from drowning by Sr. Betrille, the impulsive Sabrina announces that she is giving up her career to become a nun. Now saddled with the contentious movie queen, Sr. Bertrille must figure a way out of this mess-one that will not only mollify Sabrina, but also her fiance Spencer (Anthony Eisley), her producer Harry Harmon (Gavin McLeod, and befuddled old Father Duffy (Alan Mowbray). Written by Ed Jurist, "A Star is Reborn" first aired on October 31, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
This time out, Sr. Bertrille is outraged over a parking ticket. No, she didn't technically receive the ticket, but her inbred sense of justice and equality dictates that nuns should not be granted special privileges. Insisting upon being arrested and locked up in jail, the militant nun causes a big-time political brouhaha involving the mayor, the judge, the arresting officer and an outraged mob. Written by Roy Kammerman, "A Ticket for Bertrille" first aired on December 10, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
After promising to keep her flying abilities under wraps, Sr. Bertrille is inadvertently whisked aloft by a sudden gust of wind. Her ascent is witnessed by Charlie Webster (Brian Nash), a little boy with a history of telling big lies. How can Sr. Bertrille keep Charlie from getting into trouble while staying out of trouble herself? Featured in the cast of this episode are Dick Wilson (aka Mr. Whipple of Charmin Bathroom Tissue fame) and "lovable lush" Foster Brooks. Originally telecast on November 23, 1967, "A Young Man With a Coronet" was written by Bernard Slade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
