John Stamos Movies

This 1982 made-for-TV version of the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland features an all-star cast. Such celebrities as Donald O'Connor, Maureen Stapleton and Eve Arden struggle to perform while buried under mounds of makeup and tons of eccentric costuming as Carroll's alternate-world loonies. Alice in Wonderland was first telecast Oct 3, 1983, on PBS' Great Performances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season one of Full House swiftly sets up both its premise and characters, as recently widowed San Francisco TV sportscaster Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) struggles to raise his three little daughters on his own. Helping out, sort of, are Danny's new roommates: his swinging, rock-star-wannabe brother-in-law Jesse Cochran (John Stamos) and his aspiring-comedian best friend, Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). During this inaugural season, Danny's oldest daughter, Donna Jo (aka D.J., played by Candace Cameron) is ten years old, ready for the fifth grade; middle daughter Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) is five years old and just entering kindergarten; and baby daughter Michelle (played by twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) is just two. Highlights of season one include the episodes in which Grandma Claire (Alice Hirson) wonders if Danny can juggle single parenthood and his burgeoning career; Baby Michelle makes Danny feel guilty by calling Uncle Jesse "Da da"; the family celebrates their first Thanksgiving without Danny's late wife; Jesse accidentally "drowns" Danny's beloved convertible; the whole family comes down with chicken pox; D.J. skips school to see her favorite singer, Stacy Q. (playing herself); Joey's big break is "jinxed" by Phyllis Diller (also herself); and in the two-part season finale, Jesse petulantly moves out because he needs his "space." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of Full House finds Lori Loughlin matriculating from "recurring" to "regular" status in the role of Becky Donaldson, co-host of Danny Tanner's (Bob Saget) San Francisco TV show and sweetheart of Danny's brother-in-law, Jesse Cochran (John Stamos). No, Becky and Jesse did not get married at the end of season two, but that doesn't mean they aren't still considering it. Elsewhere, the widowed Danny continues functioning as both father and mother to his three growing daughters -- 12 year old D.J. (Candace Cameron), seven-year-old Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and three-year-old Michelle (played by twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) -- with the assistance of both Jesse and Danny's aspiring-comedian buddy Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). Also, future Everybody Loves Raymond star Doris Roberts takes over from season one's Alice Hirson in the role of Danny's mother, Claire. Kicking off with a riotous Hawaiian vacation, the series' third season includes such highlights as D.J.'s first kiss (at her 13th birthday party); Joey's "big break" on Star Search, hosted by Ed McMahon (playing -- who else? -- Ed McMahon); the girls getting a new puppy named Comet; Jesse's foolhardy acceptance of a life-risking dare from his old buddy Pete (Scott Baio); Stephanie's traumatic reaction to a typical Frisco earthquake; Stephanie and D.J. suffering the consequences when they teach little Michelle how to throw insults; a visit from Becky's former professor (and boyfriend), played by Barry Van Dyke of Diagnosis Murder fame; Stephanie's "wild ride" as she accidentally backs her dad's car into the family kitchen; Joey and Danny's female disguise during their tenth college-frat reunion; and in the final episode of the season, a gala TV telethon in which everyone in the cast shows off his or her hitherto untapped talents. After three years on the air, Full House finally broke through the Top 30 highest-rated programs, coming in at number 22 for the 1989-1990 season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A mother is determined to keep her daughter from the seedy world of prostitution in this made-for-television movie. Jane Alexander stars as Peggy Ryan, a busy single mom who doesn't have much time for her daughter Charly (Roxanna Zal). Lacking guidance, Charly drifts from the wrong crowd into prostitution. Realizing what Charly has gotten herself into, Peggy refuses to accept this as her daughter's fate and sets out to get her back home. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

The recurring role of 14-year-old Kimmy Gibbler graduates to co-star status as actress Andrea Barber is finally billed among the regulars at the beginning of each episode as Full House enters its fifth season. In other major developments, widowed dad Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) falls in love with Vicky Larson (Gail Edwards), who is filling in as substitute host on Danny's TV show "Wake Up San Francisco" while Becky Donaldson (Lori Loughlin), the wife of Danny's brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), is on maternity leave. As for Becky, she gives birth to twins during a two-part episode, going into labor during the birthday party of Danny's youngest daughter, Michelle (played by twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). The babies are named Alex and Nicky, but the infants playing the roles are not yet afforded screen credit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season six of Full House is jam-packed with incident for the Tanner household: widowed San Francisco TV host Danny Tanner (Bob Saget); his three daughters Stephanie (Candace Cameron), D.J. (Lori Loughlin), and Michelle (played by twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen); his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), Jesse's wife, Becky (Lori Loughlin) and their twin babies, Alex and Nicky (now played by real-life twins Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit); and Danny's comedian pal Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). The season opens as D.J. returns from a summer study program in Barcelona -- with a new boyfriend, the slightly older Steve Hale (Scott Weinger), in tow. Meanwhile, Jesse continues touring America and the world with his singing group "The Rippers," capitalizing on his surprise song hit, "Forever." And Danny and his girlfriend Vicky Larson (Gail Edwards) are still weighing the option of making their relationship permanent. In other sixth-season highlights, Mark Linn Baker guest stars as Becky's snooty millionaire cousin Dick Donaldson; little Michelle goes to great lengths to prevent her best friend, Teddy (Tahj Mowry), from moving to Amarillo; Stephanie's homemade ear-piercing job ends in disaster; Jesse graduates from night school, but a comedy of errors results in a sparse turnout for the ceremony; and Danny's daughters inadvertently wreck an expensive museum exhibit. The season ends with its traditional two-part finale, set in Disney World -- where Michelle wanders off and gets lost, and where Danny finally pops the question to Vicky. Though Full House lost a bit of its audience during the 1992-1993 season, the series remained comfortably in tenth place in the overall ratings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Christina (Claire Yarlett) disappears while taking a little excursion on a friend's yacht. It looks like an accident to some, like suicide to others. There are also those who believe that Christina was killed by her businessman husband (John Stamos). He is convinced that she's still alive -- but the police think otherwise and charge him with murder. A USA Cable Network suspense thriller, The Disappearance of Christina debuted on November 9, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alexandra's life becomes a living hell when she discovers the undercover policeman she loves is actually a dangerous serial killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Season eight of Full House was supposed to have been the occasion that one of the two Olsen twins (Ashley and Mary-Kate) was to take over the role of Michelle Tanner, youngest daughter of San Francisco TV host Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), on a full-time basis. Previously, both girls had shared the role, but now the time had come for one girl to remain and another to leave the series. But thanks to the intervention of co-star John Stamos (who played Danny's brother-in-law, Jesse Katsopolis), both Olsen girls continued alternating in the role of Michelle -- and both were given special billing at the beginning of each episode. This was the major event of Full House's eighth and final network season, though there were plenty of other highlights. In the season opener, rock-star wannabe Jesse is unceremoniously fired by his own back-up band -- and later replaced by Brady Bunch regular Barry Williams. Also, Jesse's twin children, Nicky and Alex (Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit), are poised to begin pre-school, provided their over protective parents allowed this rite of passage. Danny continues fretting over his oldest daughter D.J. (Candace Cameron) and her choice of dates, notably the well-named Viper (David Lipper); meanwhile, middle daughter Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) is just as boy-crazy, at one point auditioning for the lead role in a school play in hopes of getting her handsome co-star to kiss her on-stage. On a more serious note, D.J. and her friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) are crestfallen when they aren't accepted by the college of their choice; the audience learns for the first time what caused the death of Danny's wife, Pam; and in the two-episode series finale, Michelle suffers a serious injury which causes her to lose her memory. This final predicament, is, however, resolved long before the episode's warmhearted and sentimental fadeout, in which the cast bids an affectionate goodbye to Full House's legions of fans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Between Larry's (Garry Shandling) wining and dining of paramour Lori Loughlin, Hank's attempt to romance paralegal Michelle (Cecil Hoffman), and Phil's scheme to hold fake auditions in hopes of meeting an actress, it seems that nearly everyone involved with the show is feeling a bit lonely. Despite each desperate attempt at a little romance, however, strike one occurs when money turns up missing from Larry's wallet and the host hastily accuses Loughlin of theft. When Hank books Michelle's precocious son, Roger (Christopher Riccio), on the show in a desperate bid to impress, it's strike two when the plan backfires as the camera-shy boy freezes up on the air. When Phil is caught faking auditions by victim Jenette Robbins' manager, the jig is up, the inning is over, and any chance for romance is quickly dashed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Mark Osborne directs this dark Hollywood satire about TV, suicide, and good lighting. L.A. couch potato Emile (Kent Osborne) gets so much satisfaction from television -- particularly sitcoms and nature documentaries -- that it borders on the indecent. While not watching the telly, he plots his own demise. One day, in the throes of a messy suicide attempt, he gets a call informing him that he landed a job at a nearby motel. Emile is soon assigned the nightshift with dour, officious Henry (David Koechner). While on break, he ventures into a massive, fluorescent supermarket where he slips into a bizarre state of consumeristic bliss, drifting among the aisles. But like his TV binges, this trip soon devolves into thoughts of offing himself. He resolves videotape the deed and send the tape to the girl who jilted him. Unfortunately, such a task cannot be done alone, so Emile soon enlists the help of Henry, who in turn brings in self-proclaimed movie expert Andrew (Vince Vieluf). Before long, Emile's simple desire to record his final act has turned into a full-scale production, complete with gaffers, make-up artists and Hollywood types traipsing about with their cell phones. In the midst of all this, Emile is rethinking the whole deal, especially the part about him committing suicide. His handlers, however, are less than eager for him to stray from the script. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Though not the first TV dramatization of the lives and careers of the popular 1960s singing group the Beach Boys, this two-part miniseries was the first that did not concentrate exclusively on Brian Wilson, arguably the most brilliant and troubled member of the quintet. Instead, the production details the triumph and heartbreaks of all five Beach Boys: Brian (here played by Frederick Weller), his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, and non-related members Mike Love and Al Jardine. Played by Kevin Dunn, the Wilson brothers' father Murray Wilson is cast as a complete monster, shown to be both verbally and physically abusive to his grown sons, as well as a money-grubbing dictator while managing The Beach Boys during their most prolific period. The miniseries also delves into the darker side of the singers themselves, especially when Dennis Wilson (played by Nick Stabile) begins carousing with a would-be tunesmith named Charles Manson (Erik Passoja). Producer John Stamos had originally wanted to appear in the production as Dennis (who died in a surfing mishap in 1983), but the ABC network decided that Stamos was too old for the part. Many (including, reportedly, Brian Wilson himself) complained loudly about the gross liberties taken with actual events in this picture. The Beach Boys: An American Family was originally telecast on February 27 and 28, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide