Christopher Shea Movies

One family's dysfunctional nature begins to rise to the surface in this independent drama. The Sabistan family would appear to have it made; Earl (Robert Pine) and Jane (Janet Carroll) have had a long and seemingly happy marriage, and their three grown daughters -- Beth (Kellie Martin), Missy (Amy Raymond), and Faran (Kayren Ann Butler) -- have found success in their respective careers. But when they all gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving, Earl drops a bombshell on his family; he announces he's no longer happy with Jane and has decided to file for divorce. The surprise announcement forces Jane to reveal a secret of her own -- that she's developed a serious drinking problem. As Beth tries to make sense of all this, she discovers that her sisters have been keeping quiet about problems of their own; Missy's marriage to Todd (Jeff Robert Werner) is falling apart now that he's no longer attracted to her, and Faran has reason to believe that her spouse Roger (Chris Shea) is having an affair. All You Need was the first feature for director Randy Ser. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Seventeen years away from the nearest Federation Starbase, the crippled Jem'Hadar warship carrying Sisko and his crew crashes on an uncharted planet. Searching for food and water, Garak and Nog are captured by Jem'Hadar soldiers, who are likewise marooned. The two crewmembers are taken to the Jem'Hadar's leader, a seriously wounded Vorta named Keevan (Christohper Shea), whose efforts to save himself may end up killing everyone concerned. Written by Ronald D. Moore, "Rocks and Shoals" first aired October 6, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of the better Disney features of the late 1960s, Smith relies not upon humanized Volkswagens or singing bears but on the considerable talents of its cast. Glenn Ford stars as Smith, a tenacious modern-day rancher who comes to the aid of a fugitive Native American boy (Frank Ramirez). When a sadistic sheriff (Keenan Wynn), anxious to railroad the boy into jail on a trumped-up murder charge, begins stomping upon the basic civil rights of everyone within his reach, Smith vows to see that justice is done. Acting as the boy's defense counsel, Smith profoundly moves the jury with an impassioned speech about the wrongs done the American Indian in the name of "The Law." As good as Glenn Ford is (and this is one of his finest and subtlest performances), Smith is stolen by its hand-picked supporting cast, including Warren Oates as an Indian turncoat and Jay "Tonto" Silverheels in a minor role. Many of the bit parts are expertly filled by members of the Indian Actors Workshop of Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ben and Hoss Cartwright, together with ranchhand Candy, join a posse to capture Cully Maco (Bruce Dern), an ex-convict wanted for robbery and murder. Trouble is, the other members of the posse are determined to kill their prisoner without a trial. And as if that wasn't enough intrigue, Cully is innocent-the real culprit is posse member Sam Bragan (Warren Stevens. Also in the cast are Christopher Shea, the original voice of Charlie Brown in the "Peanuts" cartoon specials, and future father of Doogie Howser, Hill St. Blues regular James B. Sikking. Written by Louis Bercovitch and Frederick Louis Fox, "The Trackers" was first broadcast on January 7, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As incredible as it seems, CBS head man James Aubrey originally vetoed his network's presentation of the animated A Charlie Brown Christmas on the grounds that Charles M. Schultz's round-headed protagonist was a "loser" who wouldn't attract an audience! The story proposes that Charlie Brown is convinced that the true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten by his Peanuts friends, not to mention the rest of the world. "Psychiatrist" Lucy advises Charlie Brown to get into the holiday spirit by directing the kids' upcoming Christmas play. Despite his utter lack of control over his cast, Charlie Brown takes his job seriously, even setting out to find a genuine Christmas tree to decorate the set instead of the usual aluminum job. But Charlie Brown's tree is a scrawny, pathetic thing, and all seems lost. That is, until the rest of the Peanuts gang decide to pitch in and decorate the woebegone tree. An instant hit when first telecast December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been rebroadcast virtually every year since. It was produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez, the latter providing the squeals and growls of Charlie Brown's hyper-intelligent dog, Snoopy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi