Lynne Stewart Movies
It's the last night of summer 1962, and the teenagers of Modesto, California, want to have some fun before adult responsibilities close in. Among them are Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), college-bound with mixed feelings about leaving home; nerdy Terry "The Toad" (Charles Martin Smith), who scores a dream date with blonde Debbie (Candy Clark); and John (Paul Le Mat ), a 22-year-old drag racer who wonders how much longer he can stay champion and how he got stuck with 13-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips) in his deuce coupe. As D. J. Wolfman Jack spins 41 vintage tunes on the radio throughout the night, Steve ponders a future with girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), Curt chases a mystery blonde, Terry tries to act cool, and Paul prepares for a race against Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford), but nothing can stop the next day from coming, and with it the vastly different future ushered in by the 1960s. Fresh off The Godfather (1972), producer Francis Ford Coppola had the clout to get his friend George Lucas's project made, but only for $750,000 on a 28-day shooting schedule. Despite technical obstacles, and having to shoot at night, cinematographer Haskell Wexler gave the film the neon-lit aura that Lucas wanted, evoking the authentic look of a suburban strip to go with the authentic sound of rock-n-roll. Universal, which wanted to call the film Another Slow Night in Modesto, thought it was unreleasable. But Lucas' period detail, co-writers Willard Huyck's and Gloria Katz's realistic dialogue, and the film's nostalgia for the pre-Vietnam years apparently appealed to a 1973 audience embroiled in cultural chaos: American Graffiti became the third most popular movie of 1973 (after The Exorcist and The Sting), establishing the reputations of Lucas (whose next film would be Star Wars) and his young cast, and furthering the onset of soundtrack-driven, youth-oriented movies. Although the film helped spark 1970s nostalgia for the 1950s, nothing else would capture the flavor of the era with the same humorous candor and latent sense of foreboding. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, (more)
- 1973
- R
Beau Bridges plays an uptight insurance clerk. Ron Leibman plays Bridges' laid-back pal, who talks Beau into skipping work in order to drive Leibman to the airport. This little trip across town turns into an idyllic trek up the California coast. While Leibman wheels and deals in his efforts to con the Establishment, Bridges loosens up with several nubile females, totally forgetting his proper fiancee Janet Margolin. While it has all the earmarks of a typical "youth trip" film of the 1970s, Your Three Minutes Are Up scores with its believable characterizations and its perceptive view of California's mixed-up social values. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Future Newhart costar Mary Frann is cast as female FBI Agent Pat Driscoll. Inspector Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is on the trail of a serial killer whose victims have all been members of the same college sorority. Inasmuch as Pat Driscoll is a former member of the benighted sorority, she agrees to set herself up as bait to trap the elusive psycho. This episode was directed by series regular Phillip Abbott. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This time it is Radar's (Gary Burghoff) turn to recap the zany happenings at the 4077th in a letter home. Writing to his mother, Radar invokes such highlights as the camp's annual foot inspection, this year handled by a reluctant Hawkeye (Alan Alda). On a more delicate note, Radar recalls the shrapnel wound endured by Col. Potter (Harry Morgan)--an injury as embarrassing as it is painful. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The title of this episode is a gross understatement. Actually the 4077th is plagued with three deluges: rain, fire, and an overabundance of incoming wounded. An unexpected enemy offensive has exarcerbated the situation--and as the men and women of M*A*S*H go to work, it is with the realization that things could become far worse at any minute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
As the result of a bet made during a poker game, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and B.J. (Mike Farrell) are able to cut phony orders "promoting" Corporal Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff) to the rank of second lieutenant. Unaware that it's all a joke, Radar nervously does his best to take his new rank seriously. But if Radar proves to be uncomfortable as an officer, his discomfiture pales in comparison to the envy displayed by Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
When Margaret (Loretta Swit) disappears, rumors begin spreading that she's been abducted by the North Koreans. Truth to tell, Margaret has ventured into enemy territory, but on an entirely voluntary mission of mercy. But neurotic CIA operative Colonel Flagg (Edward Winter) doesn't know this, and his ensuing "investigation" turns the 4077th inside out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- R
This futuristic parody on television is made up of various sketches, and features some early performances of later well-known comics. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Proctor, Howard Hesseman, (more)
- 1977
The men and women of the 4077th finally get to meet Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan's fiancee, Col. Donald Penobscott (here played by Beeson Carroll). Despite the predictions of sullen Frank Burns (Larry Linville), who still carries a torch for Hot Lips (Loretta Swit) and is convinced that the belated wedding ceremony will never take place, Donald agrees to be married in camp immediately. What follows is a riotous bachelor party and an equally hilarious wedding, replete with hung-over commanding officers, unnecessary body casts, an off-key piano solo, and a gorgeous "ensemble" from fashionable cross-dresser Klinger (Jamie Farr). This was the final episode of M*A*S*H's fifth season--and the last series appearance of Larry Linville. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In addition to being the title of a classic cult film directed by David Lynch, "Eraserhead" also happens to be the nickname of the character played by Paul Willson in this episode of Laverne and Shirley. Hoping to get even with her faithless boyfriend Carmine (Eddie Mekka), Shirley (Cindy Williams) accepts a blind date with the creepy "Eraserhead"--with truly surprising results. Linda Gillen, cast in a previous episode of the mentally challenged daughter of Shirley's landlady, is here seen in a radically different role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Ed Begley Jr. returns in the role of Shirley's brother Bobby Feeney. Evidently Bobby's years in the Navy have not been altogether beneficial; during her sibling's shore leave, Shirley becomes painfully aware that Bobby has developed into a full-fledged alcoholic. Featured in the supporting cast of this surprisingly somber episode is future 24 and The Unit star Dennis Haysbert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- R
Natalie Wood and George Segal star in this labored and old-fashioned sex farce, directed by Gilbert Cates. Wood and Segal play Mari and Jeff Thompson, a happily married couple who are thunderstruck when they see all their friends and acquaintances are headed for divorce court. Eventually their own marriage is put in jeopardy by their obsession with staying together. Seeing all the marital discord around them, Mari and Jeff begin to question the stability of their own relationship. Furthering their uneasiness is the arrival of Barbara (Valerie Harper), to whom Jeff is attracted. Barbara and Jeff have an affair and Mari decides to go out and have an affair of her own. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal, Natalie Wood, (more)
In this comedy, a group of randy young interns turn City Hospital upside down with their romantic liaisons and their blunders. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael McKean, Sean Young, (more)
- 1982
The gang returns to Milwaukee for their 10th reunion at Fillmore High School. Upon their arrival, it turns out that Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David L. Lander) have been sending some rather misleading letters to the other Fillmore grads--who are now laboring under the misapprehension that Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) are movie stars, and that Carmine (Eddie Mekka) is now a famous Las Vegas lounge singer! Former series regular Carole Ita White returns in the role of the insufferable "Big Rosie" Greenbaum, while frequent Laverene & Shirley scriptwriter Judy Pioli reprises her characterization of Terry Buttafuco. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Once again, George (Sherman Hemsley) is locked in a tense promotional war with rival dry cleaner Cunningham. When Cunningham hires a soap opera star for a personal appearance, George does the same. Unfortunately, George can't get the genuine article and must rely upon celebrity lookalikes -- one of them the spitting image of the aforementioned soap queen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1983
Vicki Lawrence returns in the role of bombastic WAC sergeant Alvinia T. Plout. Now extremely pregnant, Sgt. Plout hopes to win a lucrative expectant-mothers contest, and strongarms her former "grunt" Laverne (Penny Marshall) into helping her. As often happens, one thing leads to another, culminating in a typically wacky finale wherein Sgt. Plout goes into labor during the funeral services for one of Frank's (Phil Foster) old pals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this light, standard comedy about four sailors (D.W. Brown, Peter Ellenstein, Patrick Houser and Chip McAllister) out for a fun weekend in Los Angeles, the men have several misadventures in Watts, at Venice Beach, and at a strip bar before they start to meet a few women who actually find them interesting. The former gang member (McAllister) meets an jazzercise instructor, the class clown (Brown) meets his distaff parallel, the nerd (Ellenstein) meets a thinking young woman, and the sports hero (Houser) meets his counterpart. The fun and interest lie in the telling, and so most of the time is spent on the way to the final pairing off. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- D.W. Brown, Peter Ellenstein, (more)
Co-written by Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman, Pee Wee's Big Adventure marks the debut of director Tim Burton, who stamps the entire film with his quirky trademark style. The premise: Pee Wee (Reubens), an overgrown pre-pubescent boy sporting a molded Princeton cut, blush, lipstick, and a shrunken gray flannel suit, lives an idyllic life in his bizarre home (some have compared the remarkable set design to the expressionistic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) until someone nabs his most prized possession: a fire engine-red customized bicycle. He then embarks on an epic cross-country search to find his lost love, not to mention more than a little adventure. Along the way, he makes friends with various oddball characters, visits the Alamo, endures various hallucinatory nightmares, and has a supernatural run-in with a spectral trucker. In this reprisal of his popular standup routine, Reubens is wonderful as the nerdy man child; he plays it silly, yet he manages to imbue the role with some sensitivity without ever seeming maudlin. The score by Danny Elfman is terrific -- as is the case in nearly every film Burton has directed -- and the script is fresh and inventive. Some of the most memorable moments: the opening sequence involving Pee Wee's morning activities is a stroke of genius (note the bunny slippers and talking breakfast), as are the scenes at the truck stop, and the "Hollywood" version of Pee Wee's story at the end (starring James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild in surprise cameos). In all, Pee Wee's Big Adventure is a delightful film, enjoyable for children as well as adults. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, (more)
- 1986
Pee-wee's magic show comes to an abrupt end when he disappears for real! He has some fun using his invisibility to play tricks on his friends --- but the fun is over when he's unable to rematerialize. Can Jambi come to the rescue? By the way, today's secret word is "Little", so you know what to do for the rest of the day. And as an extra added attraction, Pee-wee makes a salad! "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" was released on video in tandem with "Luau for Two" in Volume 6 of Pee-wee's Playhouse, and also on a triple bill with "Rainy Day" and "Cowboy Fun" in an earlier Pee-wee collection. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reubens
- 1986
The secret word is "This" on this (SCREAM REAL LOUD!) episode. Pee-wee throws a party and invites all the gang, including Cowboy Curtis, Captain Carl, Miss Yvonne and Reba the Mail Lady. They do the hokey-pokey (and turn it all around), then wrap things up with a quick game of "Pin the Tail on Globey." This (SCREAM REAL LOUD!) is loads of fun. "Party" was released on video in tandem with "The Gang's All Here" in Volume 5 of Pee-wee's Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reubens
- 1986
Today's secret word is "Okay" --- and as a bonus, everybody gets a secret name in this episode. Pee-wee coaxes his Playhouse pals to sketch his portrait in crayon. He then pays a visit to a mousehole, only to get stuck. Jambi saves the day by shrinking Pee-wee's head, but is it a permanent shrinkage? (After all, he only gets one wish.) Calvert DeForest, a.k.a. "Larry 'Bud' Melman' from Late Night with David Letterman, guest-stars as new gang member Rusty. "The Gang's All Here" was first released on video in tandem with "Party" in Volume 5 of Pee-wee's Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reubens
Penny Marshall in her feature film directing debut, four screenwriters, and a ebullient Whoopi Goldberg join forces to make Jumpin' Jack Flash, a modern espionage comedy. Goldberg plays Terry Doolittle, a computer operator in a large New York City bank who picks up a cry of help on her computer. The signal is from a man who signs off as Jumpin' Jack Flash. Based on the Rolling Stones tune of that name, she figures out his secret password and opens up a Pandora's box of international intrigue. It seems Jack Flash is a pseudonym for a British agent who is trapped in Russia and desperate for information from the British Embassy that will help him escape. When Terry agrees to help him, the CIA, the KGB, British intelligence, and sundry other law enforcement organizations are all hot on her tail as she tries to help the beleaguered British agent. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
Children of a Lesser God is a love story about a speech teacher who falls for a beautiful yet distant deaf girl in a small New England school for the deaf, and the obstacles that they face due to their differences. William Hurt plays James Leeds, a renegade teacher with an unconventional approach to education and a resume that includes stints as a bartender and a disk jockey. Upon his arrival, he is warned by school administrator Dr. Franklin (Philip Bosco) not to get creative with his instruction. Naturally, Leeds already has his mind set on his teaching plan and proceeds to play loud rock music in class in order to teach the students to feel the vibrations of the music and get them to try to speak phonetically. But a new element enters his life when he meets the attractive custodian, Sarah (Marlee Matlin). An exceptionally intelligent yet extremely bitter young woman, Sarah is a graduate of the school who has decided to remain there, in the confines of her world of silence; it's safer for her to be with her own "people" than to face what she perceives as a cruel and uncaring world. She hardly seems interested in James and will only communicate with him through signing, although she can read lips and even speak a little. James learns from Sarah's mother (Piper Laurie) that Sarah was sexually molested as a teenager; this explains why she is so wary of his attempts to form a relationship with her and why she is so full of fear. Eventually, James does get through to Sarah and the two fall in love, although both have to learn new ways to communicate their feelings. Though it seldom resembles the Mark Medoff play on which it was based, this directing debut from Randa Haines won an Best Actress Oscar for Matlin, for her first screen performance. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, (more)
- 1986
The 13 first-season episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse have become such beloved classics that it hardly seems necessary to offer an overview, but here goes anyway: In "Ice Cream Soup," the series opener, Pee-Wee (Paul Reubens) introduces us to his friends Miss Yvonne (Lynne Stewart), Cowboy Curtis (yes, that's Laurence Fishburne), Jambi the Genie (John Paragon), Captain Carl (Phil Hartman), and the King of Cartoons (Gilbert Lewis), among many others. He also treats us to the first Secret Word, "door" (and remember to SCREAM REAL LOUD!). "Luau for Two" finds Pee-Wee throwing a luau in the Playhouse, tiki torches and all. Our hero breaks out the paper airplanes and whipped cream when he is cooped up indoors on a "Rainy Day" -- and also makes a prank phone call, much to his everlasting regret. In "Just Another Day," Cowboy Curtis teaches Pee-Wee how to square-dance. "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" is highlighted by Pee-Wee's magic show, which ends up rendering him invisible. Miss Yvonne treats grouchy neighbor Mrs. Steve (Shirley Stoler) to a "Beauty Makeover" in the episode of the same name. "The Restaurant" is what Pee-Wee calls his own kitchen when Captain Carl shows up for a peanut-butter sandwich. Everyone has "Ants in Your Pants" when the denizens of Pee-Wee's animated ant farm make good their escape. A one-eyed "Monster in the Playhouse" soon finds Pee-Wee surrounded by a whole bunch of new friends. A nervous Cowboy Curtis stages a dress rehearsal of his date with Miss Yvonne in "Cowboy and the Countess." Rascally Randy suffers mightily when he consumes the "Stolen Apples" from Mrs. Steve's backyard. Pee-Wee is rescued from a mousehole by his kiddie pals (including at least one overgrown "ringer") in "The Gang's All Here." And it's nonstop fun for everyone, including the usually reserved Reba the Mail Lady (S. Epatha Merkerson) in the aptly titled "Party." It was during this maiden season of Pee-Wee's Playhouse that the series won the first of its many Emmy awards, one for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Outstanding Achievement in Videotape Editing. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reubens
- 1986
Today's secret word is "Remember." But Miss Yvonne is more interested in the future than in the past when she asks Cowboy Curtis on a date. The nervous Curtis practices his etiquette with Countess the Cow, then goes on a dress rehearsal for his big evening -- with Pee-wee impersonating Miss Yvonne! "Cowboy and the Countess" was released on video in tandem with "Reba Eats, Pteri Runs" in Volume 14 of Pee-wee's Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reubens
