Andy Romano Movies

This riveting, fact-based made-for-cable drama follows the fight of Air Force widow Janet Harduvel to clear the name of her late husband, a pilot who died when his F-16 crashed. The official cause of the mishap was listed as "pilot error," but Harduvel refuses to believe this and so launches her own investigation. She soon discovers that the problem was with the plane itself and that the Air Force is trying very hard to conceal crucial facts. Despite the bureaucracy and obstacles, the determined widow continues fighting until she finds herself facing down a major military contractor, General Dynamics, in court. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Boxing manager Arthur "The Professor" Duffy (Robert Keith) is saddled with a punch-drunk pug named Soldier Fresno (Karl Lukas). Hoping to transform Fresno into a winner, Duffy begins injecting the boxer with a special stimulant recommended by horseplayer Boots Murphy (Frankie Darro). Before long, the reinvigorated Fresno is headed from the championship -- but things take a disastrous turn when Duffy decides to improve his chances by giving Soldier an extra "jolt." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Suffering under the tyranny of his nasty boss, Sylvester Tupper (Wendell Holmes), investment broker Herbert J. Wiggam (Dick York) devises a scheme to get even -- and to make a profit in the bargain. Together with two other disgruntled employees, Wiggam steals a 565,000-dollar bond that has been delivered to the office. Alas, although the trio successfully pulls off the heist, the valuable bond is lost -- and for a while, it looks like only the office cleaning lady will profit from the amateur crooks' bumbling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It's an sorry state of affairs for Mel (Vic Tayback) when he is mugged in the alley outside the diner by a little old lady (played by future Night Court regular Florence Halop). To save face, Mel tells the girls at the diner--and anyone else who will listen--that he was jumped by four muscular men, whom he valiantly fought off as they stole his dough. Ultimately, the truth is revealed, and Mel must somehow regain his macho. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Part of American-International's "Beach Party" series, Beach Blanket Bingo was directed by William Asher. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) briefly deserts Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) in favor of pop star Sugar Kane (Linda Evans). Also around and about is a mermaid, appropriately named Lorelei (Marta Kristen). Scurrilous cycle gang leader Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) finds time to sing a tune, while Paul Lynde sneers a lot, Don Rickles insults a lot, Buster Keaton mimes a lot, and columnist Earl Wilson lets everybody know who he is by exclaiming "That's Earl, brother." The whole cast rushes to the rescue when South Dakota Slim (Timothy Carey) binds the lovely Sugar Kane to a buzzsaw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thanks to a loose address number, a layer of synthetic grass is accidentally installed on the Stephenses' front lawn. Upon arriving home, Darrin thinks that Sam created the grass via witchcraft, and a battle royal ensues. The couple's argument spreads like wildfire throughout the neighborhood, especially when Bill McLain (Richard X. Slattery) accuses Darrin of "stealing" the plastic grass meant for him. Written by Ed Jurist, "How Green Was My Grass" first aired on February 29, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert Foxworth is special guest murderer in the two-hour Columbo drama Grand Deceptions. Foxworth plays a retired Army colonel, currently fronting a paramilitary organization. He preaches duty, honor and country, all the while dipping into the organization's funds. When a colleague threatens to blow the whistle, Foxworth murders the man, making the killing look like an accident. Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) suspects that the colonel is guilty, but finds it difficult penetrating his phalanx of followers. Viewers were first treated to Columbo's customary diligence in Grand Deceptions on May 1, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wesley Snipes is battling bad guys in the air again, this time with parachutes, in this action-packed suspense thriller. Pete Nessip (Snipes) is a Federal Marshall who, teamed with his brother Terry (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), is escorting criminal computer genius Earl Leedy (Michael Jeter) to a new prison facility. Pete, Terry, and Earl are on a jet en route to Earl's new lockup when terrorists attempt a daring hijacking; Terry is killed in an explosion aboard the plane, and suddenly Earl is missing. Pete discovers that a team of sky-diving outlaws, led by former DEA agent gone bad Ty Moncrief (Gary Busey), have snatched Earl from his flight and spirited him away for a special raid on Washington D.C.; Ty and his men intend to take advantage of an obscure rule in which the normally restricted airspace in Washington D.C. is open to parachute enthusiasts on July 4. Eager to avenge his brother's death and put both Ty and Earl behind bars, Pete recruits sky-diving expert Jessie Crossman (Yancy Butler) to teach him how to infiltrate Ty's team of sky-bound criminals. Superb aerial stunt work highlights this film; please note that Pete's last name is an anagram for the leading man's last name. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this high-speed action drama, a mutual need for transportation forces a car thief and a newspaper journalist, hot on the trail of a corrupt senator, into a stolen car. What neither knows is that one of the briefcases stashed in the truck is filled with money and belongs to a gangster who will stop at nothing to have it. On the other hand, there are equally greedy cops who want the money too. Mere moments after they take the car, the others are in hot pursuit and a crash-laden, tire-screeching, engine-roaring pursuit begins. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A well-meaning man discovers the downside of taking the law into your own hands in this black comedy. Jack Lambert (Dan Aykroyd) is a college ethics professor who lives next door to a kindly old man of German descent named Max Mueller (Jack Lemmon); Jack is also in love with an attractive doctor named Gail (Bonnie Hunt), whom he plans to marry. One day, an FBI agent approaches Jack with some rather surprising news -- Max is actually Karl Luger, an escaped Nazi war criminal known as the Beast of Burkau and responsible for the deaths of thousands of people during World War II. However, Max has avoided prosecution on a legal technicality, which deeply offends Jack's sense of justice. Outraged, Jack poisons the apples on the tree in Max's yard, and before long Max has succumbed to the tainted fruit. However, Jack then learns that the FBI agents had the wrong man, and Max wasn't really the Beast of Burkau after all. Wracked with guilt, Jack wants to do something to make amends, so he calls off his engagement with Gail and instead begins to court Inga (Lily Tomlin), Max's frumpy and socially inept daughter. Getting Away with Murder was the final project for veteran writer and director Harvey Miller. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is considered to be the strangest of the "Beach Party" movies. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) is off in the navy, serving in the South Pacific, and nervous about all of the guys that will be hitting on Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) back at the beach. He makes a deal with an eccentric white witch doctor (Buster Keaton), who conjures up a woman named Cassandra (Beverly Adam) who is irresistible to all men, and she attracts all of the guys on the beach. But complications ensue when lunatic advertising man Mickey Rooney decides to try and make Cassandra a new national sex symbol, and she gets noticed by nutsy bike gang leader Erik Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), who vows to have her. With enough plot complications to rival A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wild Bikini is laced with satire and some surprisingly good music. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Shelley Winters) guest stars as Evelyn McNeil, widowed sister-in-law of Chief of Detectives Frank McNeil (Dan Frazer). An aficionado of the gambling houses, Evelyn finds herself in over her head with some particularly nasty mobsters. Banking on his lifelone friendship with Kojak (Telly Savalas), McNeil asks the detective to shield Evelyn from harm--but it may already be too late. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide