Dennis Robertson Movies

Hoping to prove to Diane (Shelley Long) that he still has celebrity status in Boston, Sam (Ted Danson) books a reservation at the town's most exclusive restaurant. Diane is duly impressed -- and not a little astonished -- when Sam arranges to "accidentally" bump into Diane and her date at the swanky eatery. What Diane doesn't know is that Sam cut through the restaurant's three-month waiting list by impersonating a famous heart surgeon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV message drama presents the dangers of cocaine addiction as it follows one man's descent from successful real estate salesman and father, to red-eyed, runny nosed, coke head. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Misguided townsfolk, blinded by bias and fear, mistakenly kill a mentally retarded man after someone accuses him of raping the young girl he had befriended. Shortly thereafter the entire town is beset by a supernatural terror. The story originally aired on television. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The made-for-TV Valentine Magic on Love Island was accurately dismissed by one reviewer as a "bubble headed brew of I Dream of Jeannie and a Club Med Vacation." Janis Paige stars as Madge, a benign sorceress who runs a lavish tropical resort with the help of her nephew Jimmy (Christopher Knight) and niece Cheryl (Dominique Dunne). Through mystical, magical means of her own (manifested in a bouquet of enchanted roses), Madge sets about to transform eight of her unattached hotel guests into four loving couples. Naturally, the supporting cast is top-heavy with celebrity guest stars, among them Adrienne Barbeau, who was seen in one of the two Fantasy Island pre-series specials, and Bill Daily, an alumnus of the aforementioned I Dream of Jeannie. The pilot for an unsold weekly series, Valentine Magic on Love Island first aired February 15, 1980, on NBC; in syndication, it was retitled simply Magic on Love Island, apparently to avoid the "holiday special" onus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the bigger non-cartoon moneymakers for Disney in the 1970s, The North Avenue Irregulars is predicated on the premise of the "Neighborhood Watch" system. Priest Michael Hill (Edward Herrmann), newly arrived on North Avenue, decides to buck the patriarchal notions of his superiors by delegating church responsibilities to the neighborhood women. Since the ladies include Vickie, Jane, Anne, Claire and Rose (Barbara Harris, Karen Valentine, Susan Clark, Cloris Leachman and Patsy Kelly), we're well primed for a surfeit of feistiness. Father Michael entrusts the church funds to Rose, who loses it all at the race track. In trying to retrieve the cash, he comes up against an influential bookie ring, controlled by several of the above-suspicion town officials. The wily priest responds by organizing the ladies of his congregation into the North Avenue Irregulars, a two-fisted crimefighting unit. There's slapstick aplenty within the film's 99 minutes, including the expected comic car crash. North Avenue Irregulars is based on a (drawn-from-life?) novel by the Reverend Albert Fay Hill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When his clothing company is burglarized, former mobster Burt Dresslor (Charles Cioffi) balks at cooperating with the police. But after a night watchman is murdered, Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) take special interest in the situation whether Dresslor likes it or not. Complicating matters is the discovery that Dresslor's business has been electronically bugged--and the two detectives can't be certain if the Feds or Dresslor's ruthless chief competitor is responsible. This episode, which features a pre-stardom appearance by Tom Selleck, was directed by series costar Michael Douglas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Of the two rape-oriented TV movies of the 1973-74 season, A Case of Rape, first telecast February 20, 1974, is far and away the finer film (the other was the compelling but contrived Cry Rape). Elizabeth Montgomery stars as a housewife who is sexually assaulted not once but twice by a so-called family friend (Cliff Potts). The rape is only the beginning of a long cycle of humiliation and self-doubt: the investigating police are dismissive of Montgomery's charges, the female defense attorney (Rosemary Murphy) tries to put the victim on trial, and Montgomery's reputation and marriage (to Ronny Cox) are irrevocably damaged. Though things don't go well for her in the courtroom, Montgomery emerges from the experience a stronger and more self-reliant person, unwilling to allow herself to be destroyed by outside influences. Don't miss the final confrontation between raper and rapist after the trial--an underplayed but bone-chilling vignette. Had not Cicely Tyson sewn up the Emmy with The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Elizabeth Montgomery would certainly have copped the prize with A Case of Rape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) poses as a caterer for a Syndicate wedding. In this capacity, Erskine hopes to gather information about a bloody internal power play instigated by Mob functionary Ed Haynes (Alex Cord). But the wedding may never come off--certainly not if Haynes is able to pull off his plan to murder the father of the bride, Boss Faber (Frank DeKova), just before the exchange of vows! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Targetting a Chicago-based espionage ring, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) goes undercover, posing as an injured spy named Eric Cross. It is Erskine's goal to identity the ringleader of the spies, a person known only as "Constantine." In an ironic twist, the spy boss is revealed to be fatally ill and is written off as expendable--and as a result, Erskine must keep "Constantine" alive long enough to die in bed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a young girl is found hanging in the local church with fang marks in her neck, the townsfolk immediately suspect Dracula (Christopher Lee) is behind the evil deed. Although he has supposedly been dead for quite some time, the vile vampire is the prime suspect. The Monsignor (Rupert Davies) is called in to exorcise the local castle where Dracula once lived. The diabolical Dracula forces the holy man's assistant to help him in his thirst for blood. His next victim is the Monsignor's niece, who works at the local pub. The prince of darkness meets his demise when he is impaled on a crucifix -- at least until he can find another script that he and his agent can agree on. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this western, a cavalry unit rides into a Comanche trap. If the patrol leaders cannot find a way out, they will all surely perish. Fortunately, a sympathetic Comanche woman helps them locate a secret passage which allows them to escape and get help. Help arrives, but by the time the dust settles from the ensuing melee, only a pastor's daughter and one of the cavalry leaders survives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Mrs. Brown (Pamela Britton) becomes snoopier than usual after taking a mail-order detective course. To practice her sleuthing skills, Mrs. Brown immediately places Uncle Martin under secret surveillance. In so doing, the would-be gumshoe takes a picture of Martin's flight log, and mails it to her correspondence-school teacher J. Nathaniel Pierce (Cliff Norton)--and Martin must now retrieve the "evidence", lest he be revealed as a Martian (or at the very least, suspected of being a foreign spy!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide