David Ogden Stiers Movies
In contrast to the insufferably intellectual characters he has played so often and so well, David Ogden Stiers wasn't much of a student while growing up in Eugene, Oregon. Like many another "underachiever," Stiers excelled at the things he was truly interested in, such as music (he played piano and french horn) and acting. After flunking out of the University of Oregon, Stiers stepped up his amateur-theatrical activities, and at age 20 was hired by the California Shakespeare Festival at Santa Clara, where he spent the next seven years performing the Classics. After briefly working with the famous San Francisco improv group The Committee, Stiers attended Julliard, in hopes of improving his vocal delivery. Evidently his training paid off: in 1974, Stiers co-starred with Zero Mostel in the Broadway production Ulysses in Nighttown, then went on to appear opposite Doug Henning in the long-running musical The Magic Show. Despite his success, Stiers detested New York, and at the first opportunity he "ran screaming" back to the West Coast. He was cast in the short-lived sitcom Doc in 1975, and the following year played an important role in the 90-minute pilot for Charlie's Angels, though he passed when offered a regular assignment in the Angels series proper. Stiers' performance as a stuttering TV executive in a 1976 Mary Tyler Moore Show episode led to his being cast as the overbearing Major Charles Emerson Winchester on the ever-popular M*A*S*H; at first signed to a two-year contract, Stiers remained with the series until its final episode in February of 1983. Before, during and after his tenure on M*A*S*H, Stiers kept busy in made-for-TV films, lending his patented authoritativeness to such real-life characters as Dr. Charles Mayo (in 1977's A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story), critic and social arbiter Cleveland Amory (1984's Anatomy of an Illness) and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1987's J. Edgar Hoover). He was also seen as pontificating DA Michael Reston in several of the Perry Mason TV-movies of the late 1980s. Disney animation devotees will remember Stiers for his voiceover work as Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (1988) and Lord Ratcliffe in Pocahontas (1995). Parlaying his lifelong love of classical music into a second career, David Ogden Stiers has served as guest conductor for over 70 major U.S. symphony orchestras. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1977
A Circle of Children is an A-number-one TV adaptation of Mary MacCracken's autobiographical book. Recently separated from her husband, Mary (Jane Alexander) doesn't want to be just one more wealthy, useless divorcee. She plunges into volunteer work at a school for autistic children, where her presence is resented by brilliant but testy special-ed teacher Rachel Roberts, who considers MacCracken merely a dilettante. Ms. MacCracken proves her worth--to the teacher as well as herself--through her efforts to communicate with an 8-year-old victim of autism (Matthew Laborteaux). This Emmy-winning film was followed up by the equally superb Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part Two (1978). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Alexander
- 1977
Based on the 1976 autobiography My Luke and I by Eleanor Gehrig and Joseph Durso, Love Affair: The Eleanor & Lou Gehrig Story provides a slightly different slant on the events previously dramatized on film as Pride of the Yankees (1942). The story is told in flashback from the point of view of the wife of baseball's "Iron Man". Sitting in a deserted Yankee stadium, Eleanor (Blythe Danner) relates her tale to her biographer Joseph Durso (Robert Burr). She recalls how she met the painfully shy ballplayer Lou Gehrig (Edward Herrmann) on a blind date in 1933. She remembers her battle of wills with Lou's domineering and possessive mother (played with a nearly impenetrable foreign accent by Patricia Neal), and her 1934 elopement with her "Luke." Other memories include the New York Yankees' goodwill trip to Japan, where relationships became strained between teammates Gehrig and Babe Ruth (Ramon Bieri). Also recalled is the fact that Lou played 2130 consecutive games (a record was only recently broken by Cal Ripken Jr.). Eleanor's story ends inevitably with Lou's slow death from amyotropic lateral sclerosis. In summing up, Eleanor insists that despite the tragic final years, she wouldn't have traded her short time as Mrs. Lou Gehrig for anything. Edward Herrmann took pride in the fact that his portrayal of Lou Gehrig won the unqualified praise of the real Eleanor (though Herrmann learned to bat southpaw for the role, he is seen actually playing baseball only once) Originally scheduled for broadcast on October 9, 1977, the made-for-TV Love Affair was bumped by a World Series playoff game; it was rescheduled for January 15, 1978--smack dab opposite the Super Bowl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In the first episode of a two-part story, ALF shows his gratitude to the Tanners by devouring their entire Thanksgiving dinner--then giving Willie's best clothes away to a tramp named Flakey Pete (David Ogden Stiers). Fortunately, the Ochmoneks invite the Tanners to spend Thanksgiving with them. Unfortunately, Flakey Pete recognizes ALF as an alien--and he intends to cash in on this knowledge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In the conclusion of a two-part story, the Tanners spend Thanksgiving with the Ochmoneks, where they are forced to endure the--er--eccentricities of Trevor (John LaMotta) and Raquel's (Liz Sheridan bizarre relatives. Meanwhile, Flakey Pete (David Ogden Stiers), the tramp to whom ALF gave all of Willie's good clothes, repays the favor by ratting on ALF to the Alien Task Force. This episode was evidently intended to be shown in a single one-hour installment, but was instead telecast as a two-parter on two consecutive evenings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
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Ansel Adams chronicles the life and art of one of America's best-loved photographers. Raised by a doting father who encouraged Adams' eccentricities, the young boy focused his intense energy on becoming a concert pianist. Adams discovered his life's work, however, when he visited Yosemite Valley with his family in 1916 and his father presented him with a small camera. His hobby became a vocation when he rejected the sacrifices necessary to become a professional musician. In the late 1920s, he married Virginia Best and in 1930, opened a studio for commercial work. By 1935, Adams had received wide recognition for his photographs of Yosemite, though some critics claimed his work lacked social vision. Environmentalists, however, would later embrace his images of the wilderness. Adams also played a central role in lobbying for the protection of Kings Canyon, which became a National Park in 1940. For the next 15 years, the photographer worked at the height of his powers. In 1980, Adams was presented with the country's highest honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He died on April 22, 1984. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers, Josh Hamilton, (more)
- 1997
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Before there was a Helen Thomas, there was Nellie Bly. Known at "the best reporter in America" in 1890, Bly continuously took great risks to grab the headlines. During the day of the of stunt journalist, Bly had herself committed in order to expose the abuse of the mentally ill. Other guises included a domestic employee, a chorus girl, and an unwed mother. But it was her ultimate feat of daring-do when the then-25-year-old took on the task of circling the globe and outdoing the record set by the fictitious yet legendary character, Phileas Fogg, in the novel Around the World in 80 Days. When she traveled around the world in just 72 days, beating Jules Verne's fictional escapade, she turned herself into a world celebrity. American Experience: Around the World in 72 Days paints a portrait of a remarkably ambitious woman who, in an era of Victorian reserve, would become a household name by doing things a woman wasn't supposed to do. ~ Brooke Hodess, All Movie Guide
- 2002
An outgrowth of historian Donald L. Miller's massive City of the Century, this three-part, 270-minute series traces the history of Chicago from a settlement of only 300 or so transients in 1830, to the heavily populated site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. After synopsizing Chicago's roots as a stopping-off point for explorers Marquette and Joliet in the 17th century, the series focuses on that era of the city's past that has been meticulously chronicled in print and on camera: the Great Fire of 1871, the Haymarket Riot of 1886, the ascension of the meatpacking "barons" to Gold-Coast aristocracy, the dominance of such high-profile figures as Cyrus McCormick, George Pullman, and Marshall Field (described in the narration as "buccaneers"), and the seeds of the social-consciousness movement sown by Jane Addams and her Hull-House. It is shown how the "landed gentry" of Chicago not only scorned the incoming Irish, Polish, and African-American immigrants, but also did everything in their power to expunge these minorities from the social mainstream (for example, the myth that "Mrs. O'Leary's cow" sparked the Chicago Fire is debunked as anti-Irish propaganda); it is also shown how those minorities ultimately battled their way to predominance in Chicago's political machine. Narrated by actor David Ogden Stiers, Chicago: City of the Century was produced for the PBS anthology American Experience in association with Chicago's Historical Society and the city's powerful public-TV outlet WTTW. The series originally aired on January 13, 14, and 15, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2002
"Battle for Chicago" is part three of American Experience: Chicago - City of the Century, based on the book by Don Miller. David Ogden Stiers narrates. After the Haymarket Square incident, the unified work force was defeated and crime was on the rise. The various European immigrants in Chicago created ethnic ghettos in opposition to one another. Prostitution, corruption, and drug use increased. In 1889, social reformer Jane Addams established Hull House, a settlement house in the West Side that offered free social services and education for poor people. Social changes led to the construction of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Auditorium Theater. Chicago was named the site for the 1893 World's Fair. This program was originally broadcast on PBS in January of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2002
"Mudhole to Metropolis" is part one of American Experience: Chicago - City of the Century, based on the book by Don Miller. David Ogden Stiers narrates. The story begins in 1673, when French explorers took a canoe up the Illinois River and found a smelly marshland that the Indians called Chicagoua. The French chose not to settle there and the area was used as a fur trading post until the 1800s. When the Erie Canal was finished, the marsh was a good way to link the Mississippi to the Great Lakes. By 1833, the Potawatomi tribe was forced out and white men from New England bought up the land. Then the Irish immigrants who had dug the Erie Canal arrived looking for work. The city's first mayor, William Butler Ogden, helped make Chicago the world's largest railroad hub, lumber market, and grain port. The city experienced an economic boom until the great Chicago Fire of 1871. Over three miles of the city was destroyed. This program was originally broadcast on PBS in January of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2002
"The Revolution Has Begun" is part two of American Experience: Chicago - City of the Century, based on the book by Don Miller. David Ogden Stiers narrates. After the Chicago Fire of 1871, the city began to rebuild. Marshall Fields opens his dream department store on State Street and Cyrus McCormick rebuilds his reaper plant. But the big industry becomes cattle dealing, led by butcher Gustavus Swift. Immigrants from Eastern Europe flock to the city to work as meatpackers. The immigrants bring socialism with them, helping to jump-start the American labor movement. In 1886, a labor activist rally becomes violent in Chicago's Haymarket Square. Workers on strike from the reaper factory are killed by police during a riot, leading to a bombing. This program was originally broadcast on PBS in January of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2005
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In 1959, when Fidel Castro led a ragtag revolutionary army which miraculously overthrew the corrupt regime of Fulgencio Batista, he was hailed as a hero around the world, though many of the same people who praised him soon became his enemies when Castro installed a Communist government and entered into an alliance with the Soviet Union. Castro seemed to particularly enjoy baiting the United States of America (with his island only 90 miles from the Florida coast), but despite attempts on his life by the CIA, the enmity of a number of American presidents, the fall of the Soviet Union, and an economic stranglehold that threatens to starve his people, Castro remains a tenacious and charismatic leader who rules Cuba with an iron hand, though the man behind the image is known to only a trusted few. The American Experience: Fidel Castro is a documentary produced for PBS which profiles both the public leader and the private man, featuring interviews with family members, friends, political associates, writers, and activists who offer their perspectives on one of the most controversial leaders of the 20th century. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2008
Originally produced as part of the "American Experience" documentary series, this in depth- look at the life and career of the 41st President of the United States draws on new scholarship and recently-conducted interviews with those closest to George H.W. Bush to highlight how an increasingly sluggish economy combined with a broken oath not to raise taxes ultimately prevented him from being elected to a second term in the Oval Office. While a decisive military victory in the Persian Gulf did well to boost Bush's popularity for a short while, the president's subsequent slip in popularity found him looked upon as something of an irrelevant relic of the Cold War era. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
General Douglas MacArthur is considered to be one of the most influential and important military personalities in America's history. American Experience: MacArthur provides a comprehensive biography of the controversial man's life and dramatic role in American military history. The program begins with a glimpse of MacArthur's childhood and education at the U.S. Military Academy, where he graduated with top honors. His graduation and training led to his crucial role in numerous victories during both World War I and World War II. Includes discussion about his involvement in the occupation of postwar Japan and his eventual firing by President Truman for his much publicized criticism of military officials. American Experience presents MacArthur's story with archived news footage and interviews with various historians.
~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The details of the murder trial were considered so sexy and lurid that for a time, by presidential order, news accounts of the scandal were forbidden to be carried in the U.S. mail. Originally televised as an installment of the award-winning PBS series The American Experience, this documentary chronicles the Thaw-White murder and trials of 1906-08. As this program shows, it was the first "trial of the century" of the 20th century. Stanford White, the playboy architect whose firm designed Madison Square Garden, was shot and killed in public by jealous husband Harry Thaw, heir to a railroad fortune. His wife was the beautiful showgirl, Evelyn Nesbit. The program offers a study of early 20th century New York and the full-blown arrival of sensationalized "tabloid journalism." Highlights include commentary by historians, archival photographs, and motion picture footage. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1999
This two-hour documentary uncovers the U.S.-Soviet race to build the hydrogen bomb and describes the fear of destruction that ensued. More powerful than the atomic bomb, the hydrogen fusion (or "super") bomb was used as a political weapon during the Cold War. This documentary also shows the tension among American scientists of the time: Inventor Edward Teller defended the bomb as a deterrent against Soviet attack, while Robert Oppenheimer denounced it purely as a weapon for mass destruction. It was the Americans who, in 1952, tested the first super bomb; its power a thousand times greater than the atomic bomb, it vaporized an entire island in the Pacific. Eighteen months later the Soviet team exploded their first H-bomb. The nuclear arms race had begun. ~ Brooke Hodess, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This lengthy (4 1/2 hours) TV documentary on Ronald Reagan, part of The American Experience series, intercuts film clips, network feeds, home movies, and interviews to survey the life, career, philosophy, and policies of the 40th President of the United States. Interview subjects include Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Ed Meese, Donald Regan, Nancy Reagan, Maureen Reagan, Ron Reagan, Patti Davis, Dr. Helen Caldicott, George Will, and Reagan's official biographer Edmund Morris. Narrated by David Ogden Stiers and filmed by WGBH Boston for PBS, the documentary premiered as a two-parter on 23-24 February 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, (more)
- 2004
The fascinating tale of the structure often called one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World" comes to the screen in a documentary that originally aired as part of PBS's American Experience series. Before the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, harried hustler and energetic self-promoter Joseph Strauss had never designed or even overseen the construction of such a structure, though after 13 years of political red tape and damaging lawsuits, it was finally time to break ground and put his comprehensive plans to the ultimate test. Thanks to a dedicated crew of designers and construction workers, Strauss was finally able to realize his lifelong dream of constructing one of the most massive suspension bridges ever conceived. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The Richest Man In the World is a thoughtful portrait of one of history's most complicated men. Andrew Carnegie was a study in contrasts, a walking contradiction. He was a great philanthropist who endowed nearly 3,000 libraries, but he was also a ruthless businessman who dealt savagely with employee and competitor alike. This video deals with all facets of his puzzling personality in probing and careful fashion, relying both on original sources and testimony from historians and Carnegie's leading biographers. The major events of Carnegie's life are given close attention, from the Homestead Strike to his eventual sell-out to J.P. Morgan. A man such as Carnegie is inseparable from his age, and this volume of the American Experience puts the events of Carnegie's life in proper context. Its sober delivery and balanced tone make it appropriate for the college classroom though its length may preclude its use in this context. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Part one of American Experience: The Rockefellers chronicles the rise of John D. Rockefeller from the son of a gambler to the owner of Standard Oil. Born in 1839, Rockefeller gained his mother's prudent disposition, but learned about the value of money from his unreliable father, nicknamed "Devil Bill." When oil was discovered in Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s, the young commodities trader decided to make money by refining it. At 25, he owned one of the largest oil refineries in the world; at 30, he founded Standard Oil. Rockefeller married the progressive-minded Laura Spellman in 1864 and they raised four children on their country estate on Cleveland's millionaire's row. By 1880, Standard Oil controlled 90% of the world's oil refineries while the Rockefeller fortune grew to over a billion dollars. In 1902, however, Ida Tarbell published an expose in McClure's on the predatory practices Rockefeller had utilized against competitors. John Rockefeller Jr. faced even more intense criticism following the deadly coal strike at a family-owned mine in Ludlow, CO, in 1913. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Movie Guide
- 2005
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Victory in the Pacific documents the ending of the fighting in World War II's Pacific Theater. The film shows how the brutality and fatalities increased, and lays out the timeline of the various choices that led to the dropping of the atomic bomb -- the act that led most directly to the end of WWII. This video is part of the American Experience series. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Edward Asner stars as Saturday Review editor Norman Cousins in this made-for-TV biopic, which first aired May 15, 1984. Stricken with a degenerative spinal illness in 1964, Cousins refuses to accept the prognosis that he must spend the rest of his life as a virtual vegetable. He battles his illness by using the most potent weapons at his disposal--a healthy sense of humor, the love and support of his wife, and confidence that he will endure. This sort of spiritual battle is not that easy to film, and some of the scenes--Cousins laughing at the opening titles of a Marx Brothers film, for example--sorely test the acting skills of Ed Asner. But both Cousins and Asner emerge triumphant from Anatomy of an Illness, which was based on Norman Cousins' own book on the subject. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
