Lisa Richards Movies

Former Bewitched TV-star Elizabeth Montgomery plays against type and stars as a murderess in this made-for-television movie. Based on the book Preacher's Girl by Jim Schutze, Montgomery stars as the real-life killer Blanche Taylor Moore who was caught by authorities in 1989. The movie chronicles her transformation from the innocent 1950s daughter of a preacher into the serial killer known for poisoning her husbands with arsenic. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

Julie Andrews and Ann-Margaret combine their not inconsiderable talents for Our Sons. In her TV-movie debut, Ms. Andrews plays a San Diego businesswoman and self-styled liberal whose open-mindedness is put to the test when she discovers that her son (Hugh Grant) is homosexual. This brings Andrews in reluctant contact with Ann-Margaret, a brash Arkansas cocktail waitress whose own son (Zeijko Ivanek) is Andrews' son's lover. The occasion for the meeting between the two mothers is the revelation that Ann-Margaret's son has AIDS. Andrews and Ann-Margaret go through a lengthy period of self-denial and self-blame before coming to grips with the tragedy now facing them. William Hanley's screenplay for Our Sons was supposed to spotlight the mothers, but the strong rapport between the sons throws the emphasis off at times. The director was John Erman, whose previous successful collaborations with Ann-Margaret included Who Will Love My Children and A Streetcar Named Desire. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this above-average made-for-television drama, Bernadette Peters stars as a mother facing the greatest challenge of her life. Based a true story, Matthew Lawrence stars as David Rothenberg, a six year-old who was viciously set on fire by his jealous father. Severely burned and disfigured, David courageously clung to life despite the odds against him. Determined to see her son through the ordeal, the film shows how his mother Marie (Peters) tirelessly worked to help nurse him back to life. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

This crime drama tells the story of the man behind the terrible Kansas City massacre, Verne Miller. Miller started out as a South Dakota sheriff and during the 1920s became a notorious gangster hit man. He started out doing jobs for Al Capone in Chicago and was so good at his job that Capone appointed him head of his Kansas City operation. The trouble begins when Miller thinks he has more power than he actually does and defies his boss to save two captured gangsters. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Jonathan Kellerman's Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning novel When the Bough Breaks was evocatively adapted for the TV screen in 1986. Ted Danson plays a clinical psychologist, brought in to tend to an emotionally withdrawn little girl (Rachel Ticotin). There's a possibility that the child may have witnessed an unsolved double murder. As Danson and the girl draw closer, he becomes enmeshed in a homicidal conspiracy sparked by a clique of wealthy, well-connected men. Ted Danson also coproduced When the Bough Breaks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Blue Moon's daffy secretary Agnes Dipesto (Allyce Beasley) has won a free trip on a "mystery" train, in which she and the other passengers participate in solving a mystery. While bidding Agnes goodbye, her bosses David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) end up trapped on the train themselves. As usual, wherever David and Maddie go, a genuine mystery is sure to follow--and before long, one of the passengers, famed mystery writer J.B. Hartland (Rick Jason) turns up murdered! Among the guest stars is the ubiquitous Vincent Schiavelli, who at the time this episode originally aired was the husband of series regular Allyce Beasley). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ann-Margret is beyond praise in her TV movie debut as the real-life Lucile Frey. A poor, minimally educated rural Iowa mother, Lucile learns on the occasion of the birth of her tenth child in 1952 that she is dying of cancer. Reasoning that her husband (Frederic Forest) is not responsible enough to take care of her children on his own, Lucile takes upon herself the task of finding suitable foster parents for her soon-to-be motherless brood. Not as depressing as it might have been, Who Will Love My Children? closes with the implication that Lucile's children were able to retain their family ties even after being separated for 29 years. The real-life Frey children were showcased the same evening that Who Will Love My Children premiered (February 15, 1983) on an installment of the ABC TV series That's Incredible. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In his first major TV project since Kojak, Telly Savalas stars as maverick Philadelphia criminal lawyer Nick Hellinger. He heads to Houston to defend a syndicate accountant accused of murder. The government seems inordinately interested in the case, as well it should be: The accountant is actually an undercover agent. Mob boss (Rod Taylor) also puts pressure on Hellinger in regards to the case. Hellinger's Law was the pilot for a series that looked as though it was an easy sell; but when it came down to the line, CBS, despite allegedly ordering several scripts to be written, decided not to go with the show. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Opting for light entertainment after the critical satire of Shampoo (1975), producer-director-writer-star Warren Beatty remade the 1941 comic fantasy Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Dimly amiable L.A. Rams quarterback Joe Pendleton (Beatty) is prematurely called to Heaven by an over-eager escort (Buck Henry, who co-directed) after a traffic accident. When archangel Mr. Jordan (James Mason) discovers the error, he offers to return Joe to his body, only to find that it has been cremated. On the verge of playing in the Super Bowl, Joe demands a fit body rather than the old about-to-be-murdered industrialist Farnsworth he has been offered, but he reconsiders when he sees environmentalist Betty Logan (Julie Christie) in Farnsworth's house. Assuming Farnsworth's body while keeping his sweet self, Joe hires his beloved coach Max Corkle (Jack Warden) to get him in shape (after convincing Max who he really is), sets Farnsworth's business on an eco-friendly path, and romances Betty. Farnsworth's homicidal wife (Dyan Cannon) and secretary (Charles Grodin), however, are still determined to succeed in their plan to kill him. When Mr. Jordan finally finds the Super Bowl body Joe wanted, Joe has to trade his old self for the new life -- but will he remember his love for Betty? Heaven Can Wait offered contemporary yet old-fashioned escapism and tapped into the late-1970s vogue for nostalgic fun, becoming one of 1978's most popular summer movies after Grease. Updating the original while following its blueprint, Beatty and co-writer Elaine May switched Joe's sport and turned Joe into a man of his '70s moment, adoring Betty for her convictions and favoring "green" policies over corporate greed. Gently breathing life into a classic form, Heaven Can Wait found romantic innocence in a jaded time, and it went on to receive nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

William Devane plays a rare sympathetic role in Rolling Thunder, though his behavior is just as cold-blooded and sharkish as in any of his villainous assignments. Devane is cast as Maj. Charles Rane, a recently released Vietnam POW who is given a hero's welcome in his Texas hometown. Things sour pretty quickly, however: Rane's wife has lost all love for him, his son doesn't recognize him, and there are those in town who consider him a "loser" or "baby-killer." All he really has to show for his ordeal in Nam is a cache of silver coins bestowed on him by the more sympathetic townsfolk. A scumbag gang of thieves decides to relieve Rane of his money; they kill his family, then torture and disfigure Rane to ascertain the whereabouts of the coins. Now living only for vengeance, the taciturn Rane heads to Mexico to exact his own brand of justice on the fleeing crooks. Tommy Lee Jones co-stars as Rane's best friend, Johnny Vohden, who unquestioningly agrees to help Rane in his mission of revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Persuading Jeb (Christopher Pennock) that she is under the power of the Leviathans, Maggie (Kathryn Leigh Scott) is released, whereupon she reports the latest events to Barnabas (Jonathan Frid). Sabrina (Lisa Richards) attempts to use a special flower to prevent Chris (Donald Briscoe) from turning into a werewolf; but upon the rising of the moon, Chris goes through his usual metamorphosis. This episode originally aired on February 4, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Aware that the evil John Yaeger (Christopher Pennock) is the "flip side" alter ego of the kindly Dr. Cyrus Longworth (also Christopher Pennock), barmaid Buffie (Elizabeth Eis) is terrified into silence by Yaeger, who warns her that she will never escape him. Meanwhile, Quentin (David Selby) begins to suspect that the "missing" Cyrus has met with foul play at the hands of Yaeger. This episode initially aired on April 21, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Escaping Quentin (David Selby), the evil John Yaeger manages to change back into the kindly Cyrus Longworth (both characters are played by Christopher Pennock). Still convinced that Alexis (Lara Parker) is really Angelique, Bruno (Michael Stroka) tries to kill her. This episode was originally telecast on April 22, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi