Connie Sawyer Movies

Critically acclaimed director David Gordon Green takes a break from the brooding drama that defined such early efforts as George Washington and Undertow for this action-flavored buddy comedy concerning two pot-smoking friends (Seth Rogen and James Franco) who unwittingly become involved with a vicious gang of drug dealers. Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson produce a script co-penned by star Rogen and Evan Goldberg. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The four Sliders materialize on a topsy-turvy parallel Earth, where it is mandatory to take hallucinogenic drugs. This is the method by which the Government keeps everyone under control--and also saps all vestiges of individuality from such people as the short-tempered Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) and the eccentric Colin (Charlie O'Connell), who, under the influence of controlled substances, begin living a life of bland, white-bread marital bliss. Meanwhile, the Drug Empowerment Administration puts out an A.P.B. for the fugitive Quinn (Jerry O'Connell), who is a dead ringer for a notorious anti-drug revolutionary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As Season Six of Boy Meets World gets under way with the first episode of a two-part story, Cory still does not know how to respond to Topanga's sudden marriage proposal. The rest of Cory's friends and family members offer varying degrees of advice and comfort: Shawn's girlfriend Angela (Trina McGee-Davis) , for example, thinks that Cory and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) are too young to marry, while Cory's parents Alan (William Russ) and Amy (Betsy Randle) are in no position to say anything since they themselves had eloped. Our hero's indecision extends all the way to the wedding ceremony--at which point, guess who announces that it isn't the right time yet? Maitland Ward joins the regular cast in the role of Rachel McGuire, the new and very attractive roommate of college boys Eric (Will Friedle) and Jack (Matthew Lawrence). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Peter Hunt (Scott Bakula) is back, and Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) has got him--for a date. Naturally, Peter anticipates a revival of his torrid romance with Murphy. And naturally, Murphy anticipates Peter's anticipation--but for some reason, she insists upon delaying the Big Moment. This episode earned yet another Emmy award for series star Candice Bergen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A U.S. general confronts the struggle of her lifetime when she decides to run for president in this drama. ~ All Movie Guide

While attending a convention in Las Vegas, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) links up with Susan Hartley (Amy O'Neill), the daughter of her editor Ted Hartley (Bruce Gray). When Susan's boyfriend is accused of murdering a nasty casino manager, Jessica steps in to prove the poor fellow's innocence. In so doing, our heroine places her own life in dire jeopardy. Andrew Brye makes his second appearance in the semi-regular role of Ahmed Shanker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Retired police lieutenant Barney Kale (Pat Hingle) insists upon reopening a 10-year-old murder case which he had never been able to solve. Heading to the murder scene, a lakeside mountain resort, Kale gathers together all of the likely suspects--including Dr. Seth Hazlitt (William Windom), an old friend of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). When a new murder occurs, it appears obvious that there is an hidden agenda related to the revived investigation--but whose agenda, and why? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On a bitterly cold January day in 1982, Air Florida flight #90 crashed into the Potomac River while approaching Washington DC. Though many passengers were killed, many more were rescued. Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac is the story of the survivors, the rescuers, and the anxious friends and relatives of both the living and the dead. The crash itself is never shown, while the icy Potomac is represented by a heated Hollywood pool and chunks of Styrofoam (the actors do their best, however, to appear to be chilled to the bone). Thankfully, the cast is comprised of character actors rather than stars or "celebrities," adding an air of authenticity to the proceedings. Made for TV, Flight No. 90: Disaster on the Potomac was first telecast April 1, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made for television, this little gem was based on a novel by Patrick Anderson. The title character, the sister of a government courier, barely has time to acquaint herself with the audience before she is murdered - leading us to wonder who did it, and if it is, in fact, true that the dead woman was a Soviet spy. Beau Bridges, Karen Grassle, Susan Blanchard, Larry Hagman, Don Porter and Gail Strickland are among those present. The President's Mistress was "World Premiered" on February 10, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Richard Basehart heads an impressive guest cast as Bishop Tim Farrow, who has fallen victim to a would-be murderer. When Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) question the Bishop, he steadfastly refuses to identify his assailant. Is the guilty party a fanatical atheist who has threatened Bishop Farrow in the past--or is the victim protecting someone close to him? Much of this episode was filmed on location at Mission Dolores, previously seen in the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kojak (Telly Savalas) and his colleagues are perplexed by a mad bomber who has been striking various targets on Manhattan island. Not only are clues virtually nonexistent, but the bomber doesn't seem to be following any sort of pattern. However, the audience knows something Kojak doesn't: the perpetrator is targeting people whom he regards as personal enemies because they have done harm to his friends. A pre-stardom Dabney Coleman appears in a significant supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Donna Mills was still in her "imperiled heroine" career stage when she starred in the made-for-TV The Bait. Mills is a policewoman who goes incognito to solves a baffling series of rape-murders. Almost as deadly as the rapist is the sexism Mills must suffer from her superior officer (Michael Constantine)--which at times is played for laughs. Based on a novel by former policewoman Dorothy Uhnak, who must have been appalled at the liberties taken with her work by this film, The Bait was the pilot for an unlaunched weekly TV series. Sidenote (courtesy of TV-movie historian Lee Goldberg): Noam Pitlik, a guest star in The Bait, would later direct several episodes of the police sitcom Barney Miller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Overlooked when it first aired February 18, 1972, the made-for-TV Evil Roy Slade has gained a loyal and protective cult following in the past 20 years. The film was the second pilot for a never-sold TV western spoof created by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, Sheriff Who?. Actually, it was the second and third pilot, since Evil Roy Slade has been cobbled together from two hour-long films. John Astin is terrific in the title role, playing an outlaw so repulsive that, when he was orphaned and left stranded in the desert as a baby, even the wolves didn't want him! As an adult, Evil Roy Slade can't resist "going the extra mile" in his nastiness: while robbing a bank, he stops to pilfer a fountain pen chained to one of the desks, and the next shot shows Slade riding off into the sunset, dragging the desk behind him. Attempting to reform for the sake of pretty schoolmarm Betsy Potter (Pamela Austin), Slade simply cannot curb his crooked tendencies, so it's up to Dick Shawn as singing Sheriff Bing Bell ("Will somebody please answer that door?") to bring the criminal to justice. Shawn previously appeared in the original 1967 Sheriff Who? pilot as the "fastest interior decorator in the West"; in both films, he's almost unbearably funny. The Marshall/Belson script is full of hilarious running gags and throwaway jokes. Our favorite bit concerns railroad magnate Mickey Rooney's legendary stubby index finger: "They still sing about it around campfires at night," claims Rooney--and indeed, they do. The supporting cast includes such never-fail laughgetters as Milton Berle, Henry Gibson, Dom DeLuise and Edie Adams; also, keep a lookout for John Ritter and Penny Marshall in unbilled bits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide