J. Jay Saunders Movies

A burglar invades the neighborhood, and both the Bundys and the Rhodes rush out to purchase some protection. While Al (Ed O'Neill) and Peg (Katey Sagal) buy a gun, Steve (David Garrison) and Marcy (Amanda Bearse) acquire a dog named Bela (as in "Abzug," not "Lugosi"). A few evenings later, both couples are aroused by strange noises. Al fires his weapon -- and Bela bites the big one! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this feature-length TV series pilot, Andy Griffith stars as maverick junk dealer Harry Broderick (evidently a pun on Harry Brock, the junk-king villain of Garson Kanin's play Born Yesterday. Figuring that NASA has left millions of dollars' worth of discarded equipment on the moon, Harry hits upon a scheme to retrieve the paraphernalia and turn over a huge profit. Together with his youthful assistants Skip (Joel Higgins) and Melanie (Trish Stewart), Harry assembles his own ramshackle space ship and blasts off to the moon. Though the takeoff, landing, and Lunar scavenger hunt prove to be successful, getting back to Earth may not exactly be a bowl of cherries--or even scrap iron. Salvage made its ABC network bow on January 20, 1979, one week before the official premiere of the weekly series (renamed Salvage 1). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama three contemporary couples prepare for their upcoming nuptials. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Saddled with a close-mouthed patient named Twillmer (Richard Libertini), Bob encourages the man to open up and "let it all out." Unfortunately, Twillmer reveals that he has embezzled an enormous sum of money -- and Bob is bound by his doctor-patient confidentiality oath to keep mum about this little indiscretion. Others in the cast include Frank Maxwell as Sgt. O'Conner and J. Jay Saunders as Williams. Written by Earl Pomerantz, "Shallow Throat" first aired on November 26, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At the height of his fame as "The Meathead" on All in the Family, Rob Reiner accepted a guest-star assignment on this episode of The Rockford Files. Reiner is cast as Larry "King" Sturtevant, a second-string quarterback for the Southern Illinois Warriors football team. Jim Rockford (James Garner) is brought into the story when Sturtevant accuses the detective of blackmailing him with some compromising audio tapes, which are conveniently missing. In his efforts to clear himself, Jim essentially becomes his own client, and in so doing exposes himself to more physical abuse than usual. Former pro footballer Dick Butkus appears as himself in a party scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, Alec Morris (John Carter), a terrified computer programmer for Fiscal Dynamics Incorporated, comes to Jim Rockford (James Garner) for help, only to be promptly kindapped. Following up this puzzling incident on behalf of Morris' wife Helen (Priscilla Pointer), Jim finds out that there's a major coverup in the works--and that he is up against some very powerful people who will stop at nothing to prevent him from learning the whole truth. Al Stevenson makes his first series appearance in the recurring role of L.J., an old pal of Jim's dad Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

House Party is an infectious, engaging comedy starring the rap duo Kid 'N Play. Kid (Christopher Reid) decides to throw a party where he plans to blow the roof off the joint with his rhyming skills, so he and his friend Play (Christopher Martin) throw a huge party while Play's parents are away. The day of the party, Kid is grounded by his father (Robin Harris) and he has to sneak out of the house to get to the party, where he is confronted by several rival rappers, as well as a bevy of adoring girls. Though House Party follows a standard plot-line straight out of the '50s rock & roll films, the script is inventive, providing many different twists and turns, while Reginald Hudlin's direction is assured and very, very funny. Kid 'N Play are both terrific, but the true standout is legendary comedian Robin Harris in one of his few screen roles. House Party later spawned two sequels and an animated television series. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Gleaming the Cube does for skateboarding what Over the Top did for arm wrestling -- i.e. not a hell of a lot. Christian Slater is the skateboarding star, playing Brian Kelly, a sneering and laconic teen outcast. He feels left out and envious of his adopted Vietnamese brother Vinh's (Art Chudabala) success as an honor roll student and as the center of attention in his family. When Vinh commits suicide, Brian is suspicious and rolls away on his skateboard to find out what really happened -- and ultimately to avenge his murder. Brian's investigation is aided and abetted by a sardonic detective named Al Lucero (Steven Bauer), a collection of skateboard aficionados, and an incredibly attractive Vietnamese girl, Tina (Min Luong). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A live-action rendering of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, this time we follow the exploits of the two Cold War "no-goodniks", Boris and Natasha. Sent from their beloved Pottsylvania by their "Fearless Leader", their job is to try to capture a missing time-reversing microchip. Espionage films being what they are, however, "Fearless Leader" has something nasty up his sleeve. Big-name stars and guest appearances keep this one going. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

Thanks to the carelessness of a cute little dog, newlyweds Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are killed in a freak auto accident. Upon arriving in the outer offices of Heaven, the couple finds that, thanks to a century's worth of bureaucratic red tape, they're on a long celestial waiting list. Before they can earn their wings, Davis and Baldwin must occupy their old house as ghosts for the next fifty years. Alas, the house is now owned by insufferable yuppies Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones. Horrified at the prospect of sharing space with these obnoxious interlopers, Davis and Baldwin do their best to scare O'Hara and Jones away, but their house-haunting skills are pathetic at best. In desperation, the ghostly couple engage the services of a veteran scaremeister: a yellow-haired, snaggle-toothed, profane, flatulent "gonzo" spirit named Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). The problem: Beetlejuice cannot be trusted-especially when he falls in love with O'Hara and Jones' gloomy, black-clad teenaged daughter Winona Ryder. Beetlejuice producer David Geffen, director Tim Burton, and composer Danny Elfman were also involved in an animated TV-series spin-off. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide