John Ritter Movies
Best known as the loose-limbed klutz Jack Tripper from the hit ABC sitcom Three's Company, John Ritter also had a long (if undistinguished) film career, dating back to the early '70s. Perhaps taking a cue from Robin Williams, Ritter fashioned a full beard when he put his slapstick days behind him, remaking himself as a serious dramatic actor both on television and in the movies in the 1990s. Ritter was born in Burbank, CA, on September 17, 1948, the second son of Western singing stars Tex Ritter and Dorothy Fay, whose talent for song he once admitted he did not inherit. Ritter was class body president at Hollywood High School before enrolling at the University of Southern California, where he majored in psychology and minored in architecture. In his third year, he decided to take a drama class taught by Nina Foch, and quickly changed his major, graduating in 1971. (He later studied with Stella Adler and the Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop.) His first film role was in the 1971 film The Barefoot Executive.Minor roles during the 1970s finally gave way to major success in 1977, when Ritter was cast as the pratfalling roommate of two beautiful Southern Californian women on Three's Company. The program became one of the most popular on the air, known for its farcical scenarios based on wild misunderstandings, some of which were fueled by Ritter's Jack Tripper pretending to be gay to throw off the landlord. Ritter was praised for his sharp timing and rubbery ability to bounce around the set through all variety of physical comedy. His work earned him an Emmy. Having become a major television star, Ritter enjoyed the program's success through 1985, when its spin-off (Three's a Crowd) went off the air. He worked on TV movies during the show's run, and found more TV work awaiting him upon its conclusion (the dramedy Hooperman in 1988, the comedy Hearts Afire in 1992). His familiar mug and goofball shtick earned him leads in a handful of lesser film comedies in the late '80s and early '90s, including Real Men (1987), Skin Deep (1988), Stay Tuned (1992), and two Problem Child films (1990 and 1991), on the set of which he met future wife Amy Yasbeck.
Not satisfied with his comic pigeonholing, Ritter took well-received strides toward drama in the 1990s. He made a lasting impression on critics as a gay dollar-store owner in Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade (1996), as well as a psychiatrist treating a hitman in Henry Bromell's Panic (2000). Ritter has also made recurring guest appearances on the hit television programs Ally McBeal and Felicity, the latter of which cast him in the agonizing role of a frequently relapsing alcoholic father. In 2002 Ritter returned to television in his own new comedy series, 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter. Though the show proved a modest success, Ritter's sudden death due to aortic dissection in early September of 2003 left castmates and fans alike shocked and deeply saddened. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- 1992
How does a pine tree manage to stay green all year and who thought up the idea of using a tree to celebrate Christmas? The answers to these questions are explored in Real Story of the Christmas Tree. ~ All Movie Guide
Michael Frayn's frantic West End and Broadway farce makes a literal transformation to the screen in Peter Bogdanoch's faithful adaptation, which is transplanted from the London suburbs to Des Moines, Iowa to accommodate the (mostly) American cast. Michael Caine stars as director Lloyd Fellowes, assigned to bring the successful British sex farce "Nothing On" to the boards in America. In an intricate technical rehearsal, Lloyd puts his cast through their paces -- Garry Lejuene (John Ritter), an obliging feature actor; Dotty Otley (Carol Burnett), a fading theatrical star; Frederick Dallas (Christopher Reeve), a handsome leading man who demands to know the motivation behind every scene; Brooke Ashton (Nicollette Sheridan), the sexy leading lady; Belinda Blair (Marilu Henner), the seen-it-all second female lead; and Seldson Mawbray (Denholm Elliot), the inebriated character actor. The technical rehearsal goes off without a hitch, but as the play travels the country in pre-Broadway performances, the eccentricities of the cast come to the fore and the performances in Des Moines and Cleveland are complete disasters. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, (more)
John Ritter and Pam Dawber star as Roy and Helen Knable, a suburban American couple having marital problems. Roy has become a couch potato, and a resentful Helen wants him to ditch the remote. When the demonic Spike (Jeffrey Jones) offers Roy a deal on the ultimate satellite TV system, Roy doesn't realize that he's just signed away his soul. Roy and Helen are sucked into their own television, where they endure a gauntlet of Hellish television shows such as "Northern Overexposure" and "I Love Lucifer." When their kids Darryl (David Tom) and Diane (Heather McComb) realize that their parents are on the twisted television, they set out to rescue them. Stay Tuned contains several inspired delights, in particular an original cartoon short by Looney Tunes legend Chuck Jones. The film was the debut of writing team Tom S. Parker and Jim Jennewein, who would stay in the wacky comedy genre with a whopping four major releases in 1994. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Pam Dawber, (more)
Season one of Hearts Afire takes place in Washington D.C., where transplanted Southerner John Hartman (John Ritter) has relocated as chief of staff to ultra-conservative Senator Strobe Smithers. Recently divorced and the father of two sons, Ben (Justin Burnette) and Elliott (Clark Duke), Hartman has developed a mile-long misogynistic streak, fueled by the calculated bitchery of Mavis Davis (Wendie Jo Sperber), the politically ambitious wife of his best friend and fellow senatorial aide Billy Bob Davis (Billy Bob Thornton), and by the vapidity of Senator Smithers' -- ahem -- secretary, the voluptuous Dee Dee Starr (Beth Broderick). But what has really turned John against the opposite sex is the fact that his wife has left him not for another man, but for another woman! Thus, when liberal journalist Georgie Anne Lahti (Markie Post), broke and jobless after years of circling the globe and filing left-of-center news reports, comes to Smithers' office hoping to sign on as his press secretary, John's first instinct is to boot her out. But despite this, and the vituperative political arguments between the two of them, John agrees to let Georgie Anne have the job, and Georgie Anne, against her better judgment accepts. The reason? John has the hots for Georgie Anne -- and the feeling is mutual! Circumstance dictates that Georgie Anne move into the house occupied by John and his sons, which only intensifies the torrid feelings between the two protagonists. Even the put-down pragmatism of Georgie Anne's childhood nanny Miss Lula (Beah Richards) does little to extinguish the flames, as does John's dismay over the fact that Georgie Anne's dad George (Ed Asner) is an ex-convict who shows no signs of wanting to mend his ways.
As originally conceived, John and Georgie Anne were to remain single, in hopes of stirring up the same "will they or won't they" intrigue that had added spice to such mismatched-couple series as Cheers and Moonlighting. But the executives at CBS were antsy over the unhitched status of the Hearts Afire protagonists, especially since the series was being seen in a relatively early Wednesday-night time slot. Under protest, producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason agreed to make things more "family friendly" by having John and Georgie Anne get married before the first season was over -- and that was only the first of several radical changes in the series' concept. Surprisingly, despite Thomasons' well-known Washington connections, only one political figure appeared during the series' first season -- if "political figure" is the correct phrase to describe "Presidential brother" Roger Clinton! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As originally conceived, John and Georgie Anne were to remain single, in hopes of stirring up the same "will they or won't they" intrigue that had added spice to such mismatched-couple series as Cheers and Moonlighting. But the executives at CBS were antsy over the unhitched status of the Hearts Afire protagonists, especially since the series was being seen in a relatively early Wednesday-night time slot. Under protest, producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason agreed to make things more "family friendly" by having John and Georgie Anne get married before the first season was over -- and that was only the first of several radical changes in the series' concept. Surprisingly, despite Thomasons' well-known Washington connections, only one political figure appeared during the series' first season -- if "political figure" is the correct phrase to describe "Presidential brother" Roger Clinton! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Markie Post, (more)
- 1992
A man violates his premarital agreement when he leaves his newly pregnant TV-news producer wife. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Polly Draper, (more)
- 1991
Matthew Lawrence plays an 11-year-old boy whose life is torn asunder by the divorce of his parents. John Ritter plays Lawrence's doctor father, who finds himself with only one day to make amends to his estranged son. Complicating matters are the divergent emotions of Lawrence's mother's new husband, and his father's new wife. Though the title would suggest that Ritter is forced to mature, it is in fact Lawrence who comes of age before the final fadeout. The Summer My Father Grew Up was first telecast March 3, 1991, where it lost the ratings war hands-down to a rerun of RoboCop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Margaret Whitton, (more)
- 1991
- PG13
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the adoption agency, along comes this sequel to the 1990 comedy hit Problem Child. Ben Healy (John Ritter) and his sociopathically unruly son Junior (Michael Oliver) move out of town after Ben and his wife split up. Ben discovers that his new city is overrun with divorced women looking for husbands, and Lawanda Dumore (Laraine Newman) soon sets her predatory sights on Ben. However, Lawanda doesn't care for Junior (not difficult to understand) and intends to ship him off to boarding school as soon as she and Ben tie the knot. Junior gets wind of her plans and does all in his power to scuttle them. Meanwhile, Junior finds a new playmate -- Trixie (Ivyann Schwan), a girl even more obnoxious than himself, who is the daughter of Annie (Amy Yasbeck), the school's nurse, who also has her eye on Ben. Oddly enough, Amy Yasbeck also appeared in the original Problem Child as Flo, the wife that Ben divorced in this picture. Yasbeck and Ritter married in real life in 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Michael Oliver, (more)
- 1991
John Ritter and his future wife Amy Yasbeck show up in this episode as high school coach Ray Evans and his pregnant spouse Alicia. A lifelong control freak on the job and at home, Ray has prepared meticulously for the moment that Alicia gives birth, carefully rehearsing every possible scenario. But when Alicia actually goes into labor, Ray forgets his "winning strategy" and panics--leaving it up to Cliff (Bill Cosby) to salvage the situation with a bit of astute psychology. This episode is unusual in that none of the Huxtable children makes an appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This sentimentalized biography of Oz creator L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) stars John Ritter in the title role. Richard Matheson's teleplay accurately depicts Baum as a business failure with the singular gift of being able to communicate with children. In keeping with Matheson's grounding in fantasy and the supernatural, Baum's characters occasionally come to life to palaver with the author and bring him inspiration. Annette O'Toole co-stars as Mrs. Baum, while Charles Haid is seen in the dual role of "Badham" and the Cowardly Lion. Also on hand as a Munchkin is Jerry Maren, who played one of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 Hollywood adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Made for television, Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story debuted December 10, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Originally titled Stephen King's It, this two-part TV movie first aired on November 18 and 20, 1990. The story starts in Maine, where a small child is lured into the hands of what audiences everywhere can be assured is one mean clown. The 30-year struggle against an evil supernatural force that masquerades as a circus clown named Pennywise (Tim Curry) begins in 1960 and spans until 1990. Featured are a group of six young men and one young woman who call themselves "the lucky seven" and are the unfortunate targets of Pennywise from pre-adolescence into their mid-forties. The lucky seven emerge physically intact but emotionally scathed after their first battle with Pennywise -- who is a self-labeled "eater of worlds...and children." When Pennywise returns 30 years later, the seven are forced to remember their terrifying past and faced with the prospect of destroying him once and for all. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Richard Thomas, (more)
- 1990
This medical instructional video is produced by the American Red Cross. Taking the viewer first through a twenty-question test on proper procedures for life-threatening medical emergencies, with an included test score card, the video then shows the recommended medical procedures for each depicted Emergency. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG
An adoptive parent discovers that some children are given up by their biological parents for very good reasons in this dark comedy. Ben Healy (John Ritter) is a pleasant but brow-beaten yuppie working for his father Big Ben (Jack Warden), a tyrannical sporting goods dealer. Ben would love to have a son, but his wife Flo (Amy Yasbeck) has been unable to conceive. Ben approaches less-than-scrupulous adoption agent Igor Peabody (Gilbert Gottfried) with his dilemma, and Igor presents Ben and Flo with a cute seven-year-old boy, Junior (Michael Oliver). However, Junior is hardly a model child; mean-spirited and incorrigible, the child leaves a path of serious destruction in his wake, and is even pen pals with Martin Beck (Michael Richards), a notorious serial killer. After the cat ends up in the hospital, the house catches on fire, and Junior displays his effective but unethical method for winning in Little League, Ben is having serious doubts about Junior when Beck escapes from jail and decides to kidnap his faithful correspondent, along with Junior's new mom. Problem Child proved to be a major box office success, spawning two sequels and a TV series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Michael Oliver, (more)
- 1989
My Brother's Wife was adapted from A. R. Gurney's off-Broadway play The Middle Ages, but if you dig back a little you'll find a kernel of the plotline in Phillip Barry's 1928 play Holiday. John Ritter plays the flamboyantly nonconformist member of a staid Boston family. When he sees his future sister-in-law (Mel Harris), it's love at first sight. But neither act upon their impulses--not throughout the 1960s, the 1970s or the 1980s. The film finally catches up with Ritter and Harris at a family funeral, 27 years after their first meeting. Made for television, My Brother's Wife betrays its theatrical roots by confining most of its action to a single sitting room. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Blake Edwards, mining the same territory as in his 10, Micki and Maude, The Man Who Loved Women, and That's Life, (not to mention Blind Date), once again deals with male mid-life menopausal angst. Zach (John Ritter) is a novelist suffering from writer's block, spiraling downward in a sea of women and booze. To illustrate the depths to which Zach's life has sunk, the film begins when his mistress catches him in bed with another woman. Then his wife walks in. As a result, his wife leaves him. Things keep getting worse --his agent is dying, his house burns down, and he gets picked up for drunk driving. But in spite of his despair, he can't help chasing women, engaging in a series of bedroom misadventures with a collection of women --including a female body builder; a woman who likes to set pianos on fire; and the girlfriend of a rock star who suggests that he wear one of her boyfriend's glow-in-the-dark condoms. Helping Zach regain control of his life is Barney the lawyer (Vincent Gardenia) and Dr. Westford (Michael Kidd), a helpful psychiatrist. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Vincent Gardenia, (more)
A prim and proper housewife from Beverly Hills sets off with a Hollywood prostitute to nab the party responsible for murdering her husband in the hooker's apartment. Cindy Williams and Markie Post star in this light comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
A CIA agent recruits a meek family man for a secret mission involving interstellar communication and copious violence in this tongue-in-cheek buddy flick from the writer/producer of The Golden Child. Insurance salesman Bob Wilson (John Ritter) is the kind of guy who stands by while suburban punks steal his kid's bike. Nick Pirandello (James Belushi) is the exact opposite -- a brash, womanizing alpha male revered within the CIA for his many successful secret missions. When a fellow agent who looks exactly like Bob gets killed just days before he's due to head up a very delicate mission, Nick recruits the reluctant Bob to help out. As Bob gets drawn deeper into a world of Russian hit men, transsexual beauties, and secret-agent hijinks, he slowly gains the self-confidence that's always escaped him. Meanwhile, he's constantly at the mercy of Nick's tongue-in-cheek humor, so he's a little skeptical when Nick reveals that the big meeting is with a group of aliens who want to share their advanced technology with humans. As it turns out, there may be something to Nick's outrageous story -- if only Bob can survive long enough to find out. The lone directorial credit for screenwriter/producer Dennis Feldman, Real Men features Barney Miller vet Barbara Barrie in a supporting role as Nick's placid, accommodating mother. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, John Ritter, (more)
Based on several actual case histories, Unnatural Causes stars John Ritter as a Vietnam veteran dying of Agent Orange poisoning. Alfre Woodard co-stars as real-life V.A. administration benefits counselor Maude DeVictor. Battling against official denials and bureaucratic red tape, Ms. DeVictor is finally able to expose the dangers of Agent Orange, and to assure full compensation for victims like Ritter (whose character is a composite). Featured in the cast are singer Patti LaBelle and Richard Anthony Crenna, son of veteran character actor Richard Crenna. Written for television by John Sayles (Return of the Secaucus Seven), Unnatural Causes was first telecast November 10, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
John Ritter stars in this made-for-television comedy as a lonely philanderer who falls in love with a one-night-stand (Connie Sellecca) who is about to marry another man. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Letting Go stars John Ritter as a widower and Sharon Gless as a lonely unmarried woman. They meet during a group-therapy session. Romance is inevitable, but the road to true happiness is pockmarked by a series of comic complications. Advertised as a straight romantic drama, Letting Go is actually more akin to the screwball comedies of the 1930s, with a strong satirical bent regarding "behavior modification" theories. The made-for-TV film debuted May 11, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
See if you can predict the ending of this one. John Ritter and Cassie Yates are the next-door neighbors of Penny Marshall and Bert Convy. Ritter and Marshall can't stand each other. But presto! Ritters' wife Yates runs off with Marshall's husband Convy. The two spurned spouses meet to bemoan their individual fates. Love Thy Neighbor is a TV-movie comedy with a TV-movie cast and a TV-movie denouement. The only surprise is the absence of a laugh track. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Strong Kids, Safe Kids is an educational general interest video that teaches children and their parents important safety skills. In an attempt to make serious subject matter accessible, the program uses a friendly, open voice, and takes a somewhat light approach. Viewers learn key steps to take to prevent a number of dangerous situations, including sexual assault. Several popular cartoon characters make cameo appearances and help convey the program's message. Happy Days' The Fonz also stops by to teach cool safety tips. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
The eighth and final season of Three's Company finds most of the cast intact (though it's not entirely the original line-up): John Ritter as restauranteur Jack Tripper, Joyce DeWitt as Jack's florist roommate Janet Wood, and Priscilla Barnes as his other roommate, nurse Terri Alden. Also on hand is Don Knotts as the trio's landlord, Ralph Furley, who wrongly suspects that there's a ménage à trois going on under his roof, despite Jack's deceptive pose as a homosexual. Additionally, Richard Kline continues popping up in the role of Jack's libidinous photographer pal, Larry Dallas. In contrast, two recurring characters, Brad Blaisdell as Mike the bartender and Jordan Charney as Jack's former boss Frank Angelino, bid farewell to the series during season eight. Just as Three's Company's British-TV predecessor, Man About the House, was succeeded by the spin-off series Robin's Nest, so too were plans drawn up to end Three's Company at the close of its eighth season and replace it with a new show, Three's a Crowd. In preparation for this transition, Jack Tripper meets and falls in love with Vicki Bradford (Mary Cadorette), with whom he decides to move in. Once this decision has been made, Janet likewise leaves the old apartment, having married a guy named Philip (David Ruprecht), while Terri heads off to do charity work in Hawaii. And thus, after 172 episodes, the song called Three's Company is ended. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
In this made-for-TV comedy an unemployed stand-up comedian is tossed out by his girl friend and so gets a job driving a limo. He is still determined to win her back, and nothing, not even his inadvertent involvement with two hit men, will stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
After all the backstage intrigues and cast changes that had weighed down the previous two seasons of Three's Company, the series regained its former popularity (and comic momentum) during season seven. While no longer the second highest-rated series in America, the show managed to remain comfortably in sixth place. John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, and Priscilla Barnes are back as roommates Jack Tripper, Janet Wood, and Terri Alden, living chastely in the Santa Monica apartment building managed by neurotic Ralph Furley (Don Knotts). As before, the very macho Jack has gone to great pains to convince Furley that he is gay so that the landlord won't imagine that any sexual hanky-panky is occurring (not that any is occurring!). Richard Kline, in the supporting role of Jack's photographer pal Larry Dallas, has more to do this season than in previous years, though there is no doubt as to whom the series' real stars are. A few minor changes: Joyce DeWitt has yet another new hairdo, the apartment has been slightly redesigned (reflecting the production's move from Burbank Studios to CBS Television Center), and, after a brief period of work as chef for restauranteur Frank Angelino (Jordan Charney), Jack opens up his own place, Jack's Bistro. Season seven marks something of a milestone for Three's Company, as the series reaches its 150th episode, "Borrowing Trouble." ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
