Isabel Sanford Movies

Old-line liberals Matt and Christina Drayton (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn) have raised their daughter Joey (Katharine Houghton) to think for herself and not blindly conform to the conventional. Still, they aren't prepared for the shock when she returns home from a vacation with a new fiancé: African-American doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier). While they come to grips with whatever prejudices they might still harbor, the younger folks must also contend with John's parents (Roy Glenn Sr. and Beah Richards), who are dead-set against the union. To complicate matters, the older couple's disapproving maid (Isabel Sanford) and Christina's bigoted business associate (Virginia Christine) put in their two cents' worth. While Joey is determined to go ahead with the wedding no matter what people think, John refuses to consider marriage until he receives the unqualified approval of all concerned. The closing monologue delivered by Spencer Tracy turned out to be the last scene ever played by the veteran film luminary, who died not long after the production. The film was a success in the racially volatile year of 1967 and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won for Hepburn and screenwriter William Rose. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Three teenage runaways leave home for life in the big city. Shelly (Brooke Bundy) runs away from her father (Lloyd Bochner), when communication breaks down between the success-minded dad and his daughter. Dewey (Kevin Coughlin) leaves behind life on the farm when his girlfriend suggests she may be pregnant. Deanie (Patty McCormick) is the sex-starved teen who runs away from her promiscuous mother (Lynn Bari) and her father who doesn't have a clue (Norman Fell). Dick Sargent plays the kind soul who offers the teens temporary refuge in his home. Richard Dreyfuss makes an early film appearance as a lazy, draft-dodging car thief in this youthful exploitation feature. The Gordian Knot delivers two songs as the runaways fall victim to drugs, prostitution and other urban nightmares. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In The Comic, Dick Van Dyke plays Billy Bright, silent-era film comedian. The opening scene is at his funeral in which his sidekick Cockeye (Mickey Rooney) honors his partner's last request by hitting the preacher in the face with a pie. Van Dyke's voice then narrates the life story of the comic in flashbacks. Steve Allen plays himself and is the man who revives Billy's career towards the end of his life. Bright's life deteriorates as the bitter man becomes a drunk and abusive, alienating his wife Mary (Michele Lee). Van Dyke combines the characters of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel for his interpretation of the fictional character Billy Bright. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this comedy-drama, President Lincoln temporarily abandons his inaugural tour to visit a little girl who wrote him a letter asking him to grow a beard. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Archie learns to his horror that a black family is moving across the street. As Edith, Gloria, and Mike listen with varying reactions, Archie spouts out all manner of racist venom and ethnic misapprehensions -- only to be caught short when Lionel (Mike Evans) arrives with an added tidbit of information. Vincent Gardenia, who later joined the cast as Frank Lorenzo, here portrays the extremely nervous Bowman (Best line: "Uh-uh, they're Baptists!"). Written by Don Nicholl and Bryan Joseph, "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood" originally aired on March 2, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Christmas is anything but merry in the Bunker household this year. Anticipating his usual Christmas bonus, Archie makes like a modern-day Scrooge when the bonus doesn't come through. Meanwhile, Edith, Gloria, and Mike try to make the best of things for themselves and their erstwhile dinner guests, the Jeffersons. Written by Don Nicholl, "Christmas Day at the Bunkers" was appropriately telecast on December 18, 1971 -- then inappropriately rerun in July 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Bunker household is turned on its ear when Edith announces that she holds a winning lottery ticket. An exultant Archie wants to go on an immediate spending spree, but Edith puts a damper on the celebration by revealing that the ticket actually belongs to Louise Jefferson. Only briefly daunted, Archie begins drawing up schemes to bilk the Jeffersons of the winnings. Written by Don Nicholl, "Edith's Winning Ticket" made its first network appearance on December 9, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Naïve Edith answers a classified advertisement requesting a pair of "fun pen pals." Before long, the Bunkers are visited by Mr. and Mrs. Rempley, a couple of middle-aged "swingers" who invite Archie and Edith to participate in a wife-swapping party. Curtis Rempley is played by Vincent Gardenia, who would soon join the All in the Family cast as Frank Lorenzo; Ruth Rempley is enacted by Rue McClanahan, on the eve of her six-year hitch as Vivian Harmon on the All in the Family spin-off Maude. Written by Lee Kalcheim, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "The Bunkers and the Swingers" originally aired on October 28, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Joseph Wambaugh's best-seller about patrol-car cops in urban Los Angeles is given a competent yet antiseptic treatment by director Richard Fleischer. The film has a bad-tasting us-versus-them mentality in its depiction of patrolmen-civilian interaction, and its hopeless atmosphere carries over into the bleak suicide of one of the principle characters. But behind its rancid veneer, the story is the old "B"-movie police story concerning a rookie cop being shown the ropes by a kindly and wizened old veteran. Roy (Stacy Keach) is the young patrolman introduced into the ways of Los Angeles street life by Kilvinsky (George C. Scott), the philosophical old pro. Kilvinsky is just short of retirement and wants to educate Roy to succeed him when he leaves. Roy, however, is on the edge because of a recent divorce, and it takes many speeches by Kilvinsky and the love and affection from his new black girlfriend Lorrie (Rosalind Cash) to keep from going over the deep end. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Problems on the job manifest themselves in a huge backache for Archie Bunker. Landing in the hospital, he strikes up a warm friendship with his roommate, who is separated from Archie by a transom. Unbeknownst to him, Archie's unseen new friend is a black man. Roscoe Lee Browne guest stars as Mr. Duval. Scripted by Don Nicholl from a story by Stanley Ralph Ross and Martin Cohan, "Archie Goes to the Hospital" first aired on January 6, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A particularly vicious gang is using heroin to lure young women into prostitution. Investigating this sordid business, a prominent TV reporter is murdered by the criminals. The only hope Kojak (Telly Savalas) to smash the ring and avenge the unfortunate reporter is in the hands of Audrey Norris (Tina Louise), a strung-out hooker whose roommate has also been bumped off. This episode was directed by Leo Penn, the father of actors Sean Penn and Christopher Penn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of a four-part story arc, Archie is still out of work as union negotiations continue to go round and round in circles. Despite the Bunkers' nearly empty bank account, Archie is dead set against Edith going to work. When he finally relents, Edith lands a job with dry-cleaning king George Jefferson -- who by no stretch of the imagination could be regarded as Archie's favorite person. Written by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West, "Edith the Job Hunter" first aired on September 28, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dennis Patrick guest stars as Scanlon, a slick-talking bunco artist who cons Archie into buying $2000 worth of aluminum siding. By the time Archie realizes he's been hoodwinked -- or at least, by the time he finally listens to reason -- the siding is already being hammered onto the outer walls of his brick house. Will Archie be able to wrest himself free of Scanlon's "iron-clad" contract? The answer comes from an unexpected source. Written by Ron Friedman, "Archie's Contract" first aired on December 7, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide