David Sheiner Movies

While researching her latest novel, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) almost becomes a casualty in the bombing of a jewelry store. It later turns out that the store's owner has been murdered and the priceless Queen of Tara tiara has been stolen. Forming an uneasy alliance with a pair of wisecracking "Cagney and Lacey"-style female cops (played by Lucie Arnaz and Patty McCormack), Jessica follows the trail of clues to the home of a famously reclusive actress named Siobhan O'Dea (played with Garboesque hauteur by Jean Peters). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

News at Eleven is a stacked-card study of journalistic ethics -- or rather, the lack of same. Martin Sheen stars as the well-respected senior anchorperson at a fictional San Diego TV station. Honcho news-director Peter Riegert insists that the news is becoming a tune-out, and demands more sensationalism in the coverage. When a junior high school teacher is accused of statutory rape, Riegert orders Sheen to exploit the story to the hilt. This results in a near-tragedy involving the high school girl who's accused the teacher. The conscience-stricken Sheen exacts a clever "hoist on his own petard" revenge for the unrepentant Riegert. Made for television, News at Eleven was actually telecast at 9 PM (EST) on April 2, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ex-Vietnam chopper pilot Roy Scheider is now in charge of Blue Thunder, a high-tech copter designed to quell possible terrorism during the 1984 LA Olympics. His onetime comrade-in-arms Malcolm McDowell, now his bitter enemy, will stop at nothing to neutralize Blue Thunder and expedite an armed takeover of the United States. Well, there's the plot: now sit back and enjoy those eye-popping aerial scenes. Blue Thunder was later adapted into a weekly TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a baby suffering from multiple disabilities is electrocuted, the child's father Gerald Preston (Jim Antonio) is suspected of murder. Quincy (Jack Klugman) cannot believe that his old friend Gerald is capable of so monstrous a crime, and says so publicly. But a new, politically ambitious pathologist named Walter Ross (John Rubinstein) is determined to prove Gerald's guilt--no matter what steps he must take. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

During the 1970s, the Gong Show was a game/talent show phenomenon. With equal measures of parody, camp and pure lowest-common denominator exploitation, it presented a bizarre assortment of talented and untalented contestants (for example, the musician who played his trumpet with his bellybutton) making their bid for stardom, and a ridiculous prize of $516.32 while three rambunctious minor celebrity judges looked on offering scores for acts they liked, or instantly stopping showing disapproval by pounding furiously on a large Chinese gong. The co-creator, producer and acid-witted but smarmy daytime host of this tawdry kitsch pastiche was Chuck Barris (AKA "Chuckie Baby"). This attempt at a serious drama chronicles a day in his hectic life as he tries to prepare a new episode of his crazy show. As he deals with a seemingly unending string of increasingly freaky acts, the pressure begins to get to the sensitive, caring (as portrayed in the film) Barris and by the day's end he becomes a true lunatic. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

An autopsy X-ray reveals that the corpse of a murdered courier contained a sack of diamonds worth $2,000,000, hidden within a pacemaker. Under pressure from a team of U.S. Customs officials, Quincy (Jack Klugman) agrees to go undercove in hopes of flushing out a dangerous gang of international jewel smugglers. This explains why Quincy shows up at a Las Vegas beauty contest ("Miss Coroner", no less), offering to sell the diamonds to a notorious gangster...and acting very, very nervous about the whole thing. The climax of this episode bears a striking resemblance to the film noir classic D.O.A. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The 8-hour TV miniseries Blind Ambition was originally telecast May 20 through 23, 1979. This 105-minute feature-film version, prepared in 1982, seems a bit rushed at times, but overall does a credible and coherent job of storytelling. Based on John Dean's book Blind Ambition, with elements of Maureen Dean's Mo woven in by screenwriter Stanley R. Greenberg, this is the saga of the Watergate affair, as experienced by Dean (Martin Sheen) and hia wife Maureen (Theresa Russell). As the Nixon administration goes down in flames, the Deans' marriage is sorely tested-as is Dean's success-at-any-price credo. Rip Torn plays Nixon like something out of a Greek Tragedy; some viewers accepted his interpretation, others found it jarringly inaccurate. Others in the cast of "usual suspects" include Michael Callan as Charles Colson, Lonny Chapman as L. Patrick Gray, William Daniels as G. Gordon Liddy, Fred Grandy as Donald Segretti, Christopher Guest as Jeb Magruder, Lawrence Pressman as H. R. Haldeman, William Windom as Richard Kleindienst, James Greene as E. Howard Hunt, Logan Ramsey as J. Edgar Hoover, and Al Checco as judge John Sirica. Also known as The John Dean Story, Blind Ambition earned two Emmy nominations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The police are baffled by an ongoing homicide case involving attractive model Janet Warren (Ronne Troup), who, during the past year, has lost three boyfriends to a mysterious sniper. In order to flush out the killer, SWAT leader Hondo (Steve Forrest) poses as Janet's newest beau. The plan succeeds too well, placing both Hondo and Janet in deadly jeopardy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Skyway to Death is still another TV-guest-stars-in-jeopardy opus. This time, everyone is packed into an aerial tramway. As the assorted characters hang some 8500 feet in the air, their car breaks down and threatens to plummet earthward. The special guest victims include Ross Martin (sometimes erroniously listed as the film's director), Stefanie Powers, Bobby Sherman, Tige Andrews, Nancy Malone, John Astin and Joseph Campanella. Skyway to Death first dropped onto American's TV screens on January 19, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Neville Brand makes another Bonanza appearance in the December 5, 1971 episode "The Rattlesnake Brigade." This time, Brand is cast as the vicious head of the Doyle Gang, who hold Jamie and three other teenagers hostage while making their escape. Jamie's adoptive father Ben Cartwright agonizes along with parents of the other hostages as the wagon bearing the Doyles and their youthful prisoners gets farther and farther away. The topnotch supporting cast includes such familiar character actors as David Sheiner, Severn Darden, Don Keefer, and Richard Yniquez. The 400th episode of Bonanza, "The Rattlesnake Brigade" was written by Gordon T. Dawson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sidney Poitier reprises his role as Virgil Tibbs in this crime drama, a story unrelated to that of the earlier film In the Heat of the Night. Once again, he is a veteran homicide detective and is currently investigating the murder of a prostitute. The primary suspect is San Francisco political activist Reverend Logan Sharpe (Martin Landau), the last person seen with the victim. Tibbs and Sharpe are friends, and Tibbs would like to believe the priest is not guilty. Sharpe admits to Tibbs he has slept with the late hooker, and the detective intensifies his focus on his friend, and in one climactic scene, Virgil interrupts a city-council meeting where the priest is campaigning for political reform. On the home front, after dealing with dope peddlers, pimps, murderers and other crooks all day, Virgil returns home to his wife Valeri (Barbara McNair) and his two children, only to be firmly chided for being late for dinner and spending too much time on the job. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The first multipart Mission: Impossible adventure of the 1969-70 season, "The Controllers" was written by Laurence Hearth. A mind-controlling drug known as B-230 has been developed by enemy scientist Dr. Karl Turek (David Sheiner). To prevent Turek from turning the populaiton of the Free World into mindless zombies, IMF agents Phelps and Meredyth (Dina Merrill) impersonate two disloyal American scientists who had been scheduled to work on perfecting the drug. Part One of "The Controllers" first aired October 12, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Made for television, Trial Run is a slick, cynical tale of blind ambition. James Franciscus plays a young attorney who'll do anything to reach the top. To this end, Franciscus uses not only his employer Leslie Nielsen, but his faithful secretary Diane Baker, who has long sacrificed her own happiness for Franciscus advancement. Our "hero" finally comes acropper as a result of his torrid affair with Nielsen's wife Janice Rule. The ending of this one is a beaut, which is why we're not divulging any more details. Trial Run first aired January 18, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi