Frances Sternhagen Movies

Expanded from a two-character play by Murray Schisgal, this comedy stars Eli Wallach as Ben Harris, a disgruntled New York City mail carrier. Harris is fed up with being cheated by his landlords, the Kellys (Roland Wood and Ruth White), so he terrorizes them and the city's housing authority until they agree to give him a new apartment. Not satisfied, Harris "goes postal" by kidnapping a bored suburban housewife, Gloria Fiske (Anne Jackson) and taking her back to his apartment. To his surprise, he finds that Gloria also hates the world, and they become fast friends. He eventually lets her go but follows her home. When he tries to climb into her window, her husband Jerry (Bob Dishe) chases him away. Harris returns to his apartment building, where the Kellys invite him in to watch TV, and somehow this soothes his wrath. Dustin Hoffman has a small role as a hippie named Hap. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Evan Bonner (Peter Fonda) is a former solider who deserted the Army due to his growing opposition to the U.S. role in Vietnam. Having spent the intervening years drifting aimlessly, he has ended up in Marrakesh – where he has made the decision to return to the U.S. and turn himself in. Also in Marrakesh are a famous fashion model, Deirdre McCluskey (Lindsay Wagner), her live-in lover (and photographer) Ron, and her editor Barbara. This trip is experiencing considerable tension at the moment. They have finished their photo shoot and are ready to return to New York, but Ron has decided he wants to stay on in Marrakesh for the time being. Deirdre and Barbara board a train to Casablanca the next day, and Deirdre soon finds herself admitting that her relationship with Ron has petered out. She also admits that she would really like a few puffs of the local strain of marijuana; spotting Evan and recognizing him from the café, she decides to see if he has any but changes her mind when she sees that he is emotionally overwrought. Eventually, however, Evan strikes up a conversation with Deirdre, and they begin a halting relationship that grows in intimacy as they journey back to the United States. Deirdre tries to persuade Evan to give up his plans, and even says she will move her young son to Europe so that the three of them can live together. Evan and Deirdre’s son hit it off when they meet in New York, but even that is not enough to dissuade Evan from his plans. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Davey Marlin-Jones directed this 1972 made-for-television performance of Lanford Wilson's small-town drama The Rimers of Eldritch. Starring Rue McClanahan, the play is a character study that focuses on the residents of Eldritch amid a sexual assault and a murder trial, two unrelated events that both breed tension and lies in the tiny hamlet. Also starring Susan Sarandon and Frances Sternhagen, the program was released as part of Kultur's Broadway Theatre Archive series. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Based on Rachel Maddux' book The Orchard Children, this still-timely 1978 TV movie stars Shirley Jones and Len Cariou as the foster parents of two "cast-off" children. After several years, Shirley and Len press to legally adopt the kids. But the natural parents (Cassie Yates and David Hayward) materialize virtually out of nowhere, demanding that their children be returned. The script is careful not to take sides, but audiences generally tend to favor the foster couple. Set in rural Tennessee, Who'll Save Our Children was actually filmed in British Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young mother looks to her own mother for help when her child begins rebelling, similar to the way she did in the past. Harry Chapin makes a special appearance. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

For Marshal O'Neil (Sean Connery), the Jupiter moon Io is just another dingy mining town on the final frontier. When his wife leaves him and takes their son with them, it merely confirms that though he's traveled millions of miles, his life is going nowhere. Then he notices that miners are dying in strangely psychotic ways -- walking in space without spacesuits, carving up prostitutes. With the help of Dr. Lazarus (Frances Sternhagen), his investigation reveals that the miners are ingesting a lethal drug that speeds their work efforts. He learns that the company that runs the town is behind the drug. He confronts the town boss Sheppard Peter Boyle and soon has two hit men heading toward Io with a plan to kill him. As the seconds tick down to the next space shuttle's arrival, O'Neil plots to meet them and faces the biggest challenge of his life. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide

In this run-of-the-mill romantic drama, the title Independence Day refers to the usual Fourth of July fireworks festival in the U.S. but also to the dilemma of Mary Ann Taylor (Kathleen Quinlan) who lives in a small town but has a big ambition to go to the city and study photography for a profession -- should she go, or should she stay in her hometown with the man she loves? Focus on Mary Ann's dilemma slips to other characters -- her boyfriend's suicidal sister (Dianne Wiest) who is abused by her husband, the abusive husband's equally nasty father, and Mary Ann's boyfriend himself who is preparing his Camaro for the annual Fourth of July race. With the story moving from here to there, hampered by some extraordinary leaps of imagination, the narrative is thinned considerably by the time the Fourth is at hand. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Hoping to enrich himself in the process, Cliff (John Ratzenberger) sets up a date between his mother Esther (Frances Sternhagen) and wealthy Duncan Fitzgerald (Richard Erdman). It looks as though Cliff's machinations are going to pay off when Fitzgerald proposes. Alas, the old fellow puts a crimp in Cliff's plans by bequeathing his millions to charity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in 1972, The Resting Place stars John Lithgow as an Army major who accompanies the body of a young black lieutenant killed in action to the dead man's Georgia home town. Though the local cemetery is for whites only, the town's resident liberal has paid for a plot for the deceased lieutenant. Lithgow attempts to convince the racially divided community that the boy deserves to be buried in the segregated cemetery because he died a hero--but in so doing, the major unearths evidence that the lieutenant may have been "fragged" by his own troops. While it might seem that far too many issues are being raised for a mere two hours' screen time, Walter Halsey Davis' script successfully balances all the elements, and the results are both provocative and moving. The Resting Place was originally presented as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special on April 27, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There were two rival TV dramatizations of the sensational murder case involving "monster Mom" Frances Schreuder. Stephanie Powers was the star of the two-part 1987 TV movie At Mother's Request. Part One details the events leading to the murder of Frances' multimillionaire father Franklin Bradshaw (E.G. Marshall). Though Frances' complicity was well known at the time of Part One's first telecast on January 4, 1987 (in fact, she was already serving a life sentence in the Utah State Prison), the case is treated like a whodunit.

Part Two demonstrates how Frances' teen-age son Marc (Doug McKeon) was coerced into committing the deed by his manipulative Mom. Though lacking depth, At Mother's Request is still a powerful re-enactment of what was once considered "The Crime of the Century" (O.J. hadn't happened yet). The second half of this two-part TV-movie debuted on January 6, 1987. For the record, Lee Remick starred in a like-vintage TV adaptation of the same story, Nutcracker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Michael J. Fox once more makes a courageous effort to shed his nice-guy image in Bright Lights, Big City. Fox plays an impressionable Kansan who comes to the Big Apple to take a job at a major magazine. It isn't long before he falls into the twin traps of drug and alcohol abuse. His only hope for redemption is in the hands of Vicky (Tracy Pollan), the cousin of his scuzzy drinking buddy Tad (Kiefer Sutherland). Jay McInerney's bestselling novel does not translate easily to the big screen, but Fox strives hard to please, as do all of his costars. The white stuff snorted by Fox wasn't really cocaine, but powdered milk. Watch for Frasier's David Hyde Pierce in a small role and Jason Robards in a significant unbilled cameo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted by Whitley Strieber from his book about his alleged contacts with aliens, Communion dramatizes a story all the more compelling for the author's insistence that it is true, complemented by Christopher Walken's enigmatic performance as Strieber. The film begins in October 1985, as Strieber is living in New York City with his wife Anne (Lindsay Crouse) and son Andrew (Joel Carlson). He is hunting for new book ideas without making much headway. He spends his days pacing around his apartment, thinking out loud or videotaping himself as he improvises bits of dialogue. It is soon decided that a vacation is in order, so, with their friends Alex (Andreas Katsulas) and Sara (Terri Hanauer), the Striebers head for their cabin in Upstate New York. In the middle of the night, an illumination descends on the cabin and surrounding forest, causing Strieber to wake up abruptly. In the semi-darkness of the cabin, he is able to make out a long face with narrow, tear-shaped eyes quietly observing him from a corner of the room. The next morning, he has forgotten -- or been made to forget -- the whole experience. He even shrugs off Alex's and Sarah's concern about "seeing lights" outside their bedroom window, claiming to have slept through the event. Back in New York, it becomes evident to Strieber and his family that something unusual did happen. He begins to have powerful hallucinations, and, after an inconclusive medical examination, he is encouraged by his wife to seek professional help from psychiatrist Janet Duffy (Frances Sternhagen). During hypnotic regression therapy, Strieber's lifelong contact with the "visitors" is brought to light, as well as the details of his more recent encounters. Still unable to accept these revelations, he returns to the cabin alone and finally communicates with the visitors, discovering that, although they are unable to reveal their true identity, their purpose may be to act as agents of personal transformation for himself and for others. An interesting and uneven film, Communion is bolstered considerably by Christopher Walken, whose role in the film, though appropriate for the subject matter, quickly transforms into a thesis on his own eccentricities as an actor. ~ Anthony Reed, All Movie Guide