Hank Rolike Movies
- 1986
This episode marks the first appearance of Calhoun Fletcher (Peter Bonerz), the troublesome--and trouble-prone--distant cousin of mystery writer Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). At the behest of her Aunt Mildred (played in a delightful cameo by filmdom's former "Blondie" Penny Singleton), Jessica agrees to look up Calhoun in New Orleans, where the Mardi Gras celebration is in full swing. It turns out that Jessica's sleuthing talents are desperately needed: Cal has been accused of murdering a famous--and famously crooked--professional poker player. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- PG13
With a cast starring such comic veterans as Harvey Korman, Anne Meara, Jack Weston and Tim Conway (who also wrote the script), and executive produced by Mike Nichols, it is normally a safe bet that hiliarity will ensue. Unfortunately, this sure thing does not pay off and is disappointingly dumb as it tells the tale of four luckless gamblers who in desperation borrow a large sum for a local loanshark so they can bet on a particular horse. Unfortunately, they bet on the wrong nag and suddenly the foursome must scramble around for quick cash before the loanshark's thugs show up for some bruising payback. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Conway, Jack Weston, (more)
- 1985
The "brass" hopes to keep Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) out of mischief by ordering the two detectives to investigate a series of muggings. Instead, Rick and Dee Dee characteristically go off on their own tangent as they try to establish the connection between two seemingly random murders. The catalyst for all the intrigue turns out to be a demented ex-convict who has sworn a terrible vengeance on the members of the jury which sent him up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Angels Jonathan (Michael Landon) and Mark (Victor French) are assigned to a seedy Hollywood neighborhood populated by former movie action stars that is being held in thrall by a vicious street gang. Taking jobs at a local boxing ring, our heroes befriend the owner's grandson Joey (Chip Allister), who has it in him to be a terrific boxer. With Jonathan's help, Joey joins forces with the elderly, hasbeen actors living in his neighborhood to rid the area of the gang members. The plot's resolution is built around a championship boxing match between Joey and Thumper (Darin Taylor), the leader of the gang--who has kidnapped Joey's granddad, Morton Clay (John Agar), to "fix" the fight's outcome. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1982
Mel (Vic Tayback) cannot help but notice that a competing diner has increased its business after the owner inaugurated a giveaway contest. Never one to let grass grow under his feet, Mel starts up a contest of his own, besting his rival by offering a prize of $3000. This would be hunky-dory except for the fact that Mel doesn't have $3000. Comic magician and former McHale's Navy regular Carl Ballantine appears as Freddy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
By concentrating on character development with this first of several sequels to his Oscar-winning smash Rocky (1976), writer/director Sylvester Stallone earned critical praise that would desert him with the boxing saga's shallower subsequent chapters. Stallone returns as Rocky Balboa, a Philadelphia prize fighter enjoying his brief fame after nearly defeating world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). When Rocky is offered lucrative product endorsement opportunities, his limited education and lack of sophistication quickly become an impediment to his future success, causing him embarrassment and his pregnant wife, Adrian (Talia Shire), a great deal of financial concern. Meanwhile, Creed is brooding over his near loss to a fighter he considers an amateur far beneath him and decides to goad a reluctant Rocky into a high-profile rematch. With the family resources dwindling and his pride wounded, Rocky decides that fighting is all he knows and makes the fateful decision to climb back into the ring once more with Creed to vie for the championship belt, despite assurances from all concerned that he will blind himself irreparably. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, (more)
- 1979
Peforming an autopsy at the request of a grieving family, Quincy concludes that a 17-year-old girl died in a botched abortion. Further evidence indicates that Ronald Shafer (John Dehner), the doctor who performed the surgery, was drunk at the time. But in his efforts to learn all the fact, Quincy is stymied by Shafer's colleagues and friends, who form a protective wall of silence around the veteran surgeon. The supporting cast includes two TV-series favorites from the 1960s, Anne Francis (Honey West) and June Lockhart (Lassie, Lost in Space). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Crisis in Mid-Air is essentially a "problem drama" concentrating on a single individual. George Peppard plays a veteran air traffic controller who holds himself responsible for a mid-air collision. With an FAA investigator breathing down his neck, Peppard gets a chance to prove his value when another flight, with 235 passengers on board, puts in a "Mayday" call. The TV Guide ads for this television movie were a little misleading, suggesting that Peppard was in the cockpit rather than the control tower. Crisis in Mid-Air debuted February 13, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Hoping to alleviate the monthly rent problem, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) opens the doors of the Evans apartment to a boarder. Little does J.J. realize that the new tenant is in protective police custody. But this state of affairs becomes painfully evident when the Evans family find themselves in the cross hairs of a likely syndicate hit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Jinaki and Hank Rolike guest star as Dora and Don Johnston, the parents of the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence (Marla Gibbs). George and Louise Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford) are nonplussed when Dora and Don show up unexpectedly as house guests. What follows is a crazy cacophony, wherein the entire household is deprived of sleep by the Johnstons' endless bickering. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1977
The formal title for this TV mini-series was Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue, just in case you might mistake it for William Makepeace Thackeray's 79 Park Avenue. Originally presented in three parts, this adaptation of the Robbins best-seller stars Lesley Ann Warren as Marja Fludjicki, a Depression-era tenement girl who is accused of murdering her drunken stepfather. Part One details how Marja's "crime" was justifiable; she'd been raped by the bounder. Parts Two and Three would trace Marja's progress from teenaged prostitute to elegant, high-priced Park Avenue Madam--and mob mistress. Forced by circumstance into a life of prostitution, Marja marries Las Vegas high-roller Ross Savitch (Marc Singer). Ross is bumped off by the Syndicate, leaving Marja in the lurch. Marja rebounds from tragedy to become a federal witness against the Mob. 79 Park Avenue was first telecast on October 16, 17, and 18, 1977. Though all the names are changed, it isn't hard to discern the Bugsy Siegel story in this video equivalent to eating a whole box of chocolates in one sitting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a Philadelphia boxer, is but one step removed from total bum-hood. A once-promising pugilist, Rocky is now taking nickel-and-dime bouts and running strongarm errands for local loan sharks to survive. Even his supportive trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), has given up on Rocky. All this changes thanks to Muhammad Ali-like super-boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With the Bicentennial celebration coming up, Creed must find a "Cinderella" opponent for the big July 4th bout -- some unknown whom Creed can "glorify" for a few minutes before knocking him cold. Rocky Balboa was not the only Cinderella involved here: writer/director Sylvester Stallone, himself a virtual unknown, managed to sell his Rocky script (one of 35 that he'd written over the years) on the proviso that he be given the starring role. Since the film was to be made on a shoestring and marketed on a low-level basis, the risk factor to United Artists was small. For Stallone, this was a make-or-break opportunity -- just like Rocky's million-to-one shot with Apollo Creed. Costing under a million dollars, Rocky managed to register with audiences everywhere, earning back 60 times its cost. The film won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, (more)
- 1976
This Kojak episode is the first of two pilots for a projected spinoff series starring Rosey Grier) as hard-nosed California bounty hunter Salathiel Harris. Arriving in New York, Harris begins his search for a bail-jumping racketeer, while home-grown police lieutenant Kojak (Telly Savalas) embarks upon the same quest. To flush out his quarry, Harris sets himself up as the target for a hired assassin--and goes to great lengths to prevent Kojak from "rescuing" him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- PG
W.C. Fields and Me is the film version of the Fields biography written by the comedian's former mistress Carlotta Monti. W. C. Fields was a great comedian in vaudeville and early talking films, who was noted for his ability to say the most hilariously cutting and mean things in a cheery, bright tone of voice. He had amazing skills in the manipulation of objects, from pieces of paper to crooked cue sticks. Rod Steiger plays Fields, while Valerie Perrine portrays Ms. Monti. Jack Cassidy is also on hand as Fields' close friend and drinking crony John Barrymore. The film is not above sacrificing facts for a good story, notably in its recreation of Fields' celebrated "dentist" routine which. W. C. Fields and Me depicts the great juggler/comedian as a straightforwardly mean-spirited man, whereas he is generally believed to have been more complex than that. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Steiger, Valerie Perrine, (more)
- 1976
- PG
This by-the-numbers action-revenge drama that plays like several other similarly-plotted, good ol' boy pulp flicks of its era, such as Billy Jack (1971) and Walking Tall (1973). Timothy Bottoms stars as Poke Jackson, a convict who's just been released from prison after a stint for drug trafficking. The catch is that Poke was innocent, having been framed for the crime by a corrupt lawman, Sheriff Duke (Bo Hopkins). Poke makes his way home to his beautiful girlfriend Mary Lee (Susan George) and their illegitimate son, only to find that Duke has moved into his place as Mary's lover. Incensed, Poke sets out on a course of vengeance that will pit him against the tough cop and culminate in a lethal car chase. With supporting characters named "Bull," "Cleotus," and "Buford," the redneck pedigree of A Small Town in Texas (1976) is distinct. The film was penned by screenwriter William W. Norton, who wrote several better examples of this high-octane, macho genre, including White Lightning (1973) and Gator (1976). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Bottoms, Susan George, (more)
- 1976
This TV movie delves into the unhappy later years of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald (here played by Jason Miller). Broke and virtually written-out by the late 1930s, Fitzgerald is compelled to accept screenwriting work in Tinseltown where he is frustrated that his work is extensively rewritten and revised -- if not rejected altogether. On a personal level, Fitzgerald must deal with his wife Zelda (Tuesday Weld), now sequestered in a North Carolina mental institution. Seeking some reason for living, Fitzgerald inaugurates an affair with Hollywood columnist Sheila Graham (Julia Foster). Not all that incisive, and saddled with an unsympathetic drunkard as a central character, F. Scott Fitzgerald is still superior to Hollywood's previous version of the Fitzgerald/Graham romance, Beloved Infidel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Fred (Redd Foxx) spends the 50 dollars his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) was saving for truck repairs to purchase a half-interest in boxer Junior Joe Louis (Barry Wright). Promised a return of 500,000 dollars on his investment, Fred takes over management of Junior Joe himself. Not surprisingly, Fred messes things up, culminating in a disastrous exhibition bout with poor Lamont. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
- 1974
The only witness to a terrorist bombing also happens to be a police informer. In his efforts to locate the witness, Kojak (Telly Savalas) is stymied by a rival police precinct which is keeping the man under wraps. Meanwhile, the witness escapes custody--just as the terrorist group El Compadre prepares to strike against. Appearing as an antagonistic police lieutenant is future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This effort from exploitation auteur Jack Hill was a profitable early entry in one of the most beloved subgenres of sexploitation cinema, the cheerleader movie. The soap opera-styled premise focuses on the lives of a squad of cheerleaders at Mesa University. Mary Ann (Colleen Camp) is worried with trying to get her roving football player boyfriend, Buck, to settle down and marry her; Lisa (Rosanne Katon) is caught up an in an affair with the married Professor Torpe (Jason Sommers); and Andrea (Rainbeaux Smith) frets over whether or not to give her virginity up. There is also a new cheerleader named Kate (Jo Johnston), who is actually a journalism student using the experience to write a feminist-slanted paper for her thesis. Kate soon learns that the cheerleaders and football players deserve more respect than she gives them and also uncovers a secret gambling ring involving the coach, Professor Torpe, and Mary Ann's father. The narrative that results from these surprisingly involved plot threads delivers all the raciness the title promises, and, thanks to the gambling subplot, even a bit of action. The Swinging Cheerleaders is less inspired and kinetic than Hill's other exploitation fare, but it delivers the sexploitation goods and manages to work in a little subversive social commentary to boot. As a result, it became a drive-in hit and earned a cult following amongst fans of drive-in movies. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jo Johnston, Cheryl Smith, (more)
- 1974
While searching for the missing husband of Janet Carr (Corinne Michaels), Jim (James Garner) finds the man's corpse in a motel room. Though the investigating police officers Furlong (Warren Kemmerling) and Larsen (Mills Watson) insist that all existing evidence points to suicide, Jim has very good reason to believe that the unfortunate Mr. Carr was murdered. As it turns out, both Janet and the police are hiding important information from Jim--and by the time he has figured this out, another murder has taken place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
