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
- 2001
- PG13
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Writer and director Woody Allen returns to the Manhattan of the past with this romantic comedy set in 1940, the era of fedora hats and gumshoe detectives. Allen stars as C.W. Briggs, an insurance investigator whose razor-sharp instincts have just led to the successful conclusion of another case, the recovery of a stolen Picasso. While he's a valued employee, Briggs is under fire from efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt) for his antiquated attitudes and refusal to accept modern crime-solving techniques such as fingerprinting. C.W. claims he puts himself directly into the criminal mind, a skill that will do him no good when he and Betty Ann are hypnotized at a Rainbow Room gathering one night by the magician Volton (David Ogden Stiers). As a parlor trick to entertain their co-workers, Volton makes C.W. and Betty Ann believe they're a couple that's deeply in love. But the performer secretly keeps up the ruse after the party's over, calling C.W. to whisper a magic code word and ordering the detective to rob wealthy homes with security systems that C.W. himself has designed. With no memory of his thieving activities, a frustrated C.W. can't solve the high-profile jewel burglaries, while he and Betty Ann struggle with their odd new attraction for each other, made more complicated by the fact that Betty Ann is romantically involved with their boss (Dan Aykroyd). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
The first Disney cartoon to be produced in the 70 mm format since The Black Cauldron (1985), this blend of traditional animation with computer-generated imagery is a straight adventure tale of the Jules Verne school, eschewing the studio's typical formula of cute critters mixed with song-and-dance routines. Michael J. Fox is the voice of Milo Thatch, a lowly museum employee and linguist in the early 20th century who's determined to continue his late grandfather's search for the lost, sunken empire of Atlantis. Bankrolled by eccentric millionaire Preston Whitmore (John Mahoney), Milo teams up with a diverse crew of mercenaries led by submarine commander Rourke (James Garner). After a sea battle with a giant denizen of the deep, the explorers locate the submerged civilization. Milo falls in love with Princess Kida (Cree Summer), the daughter of Atlantis' aged ruler (Leonard Nimoy), and must choose sides when it's revealed that some of his fellow expedition members intend to steal a mystical energy source from their hosts. Claudia Christian, Mark Hamill, David Ogden Stiers, Don Novello, and the late Jim Varney co-star. Although considered a shoo-in for a nomination in the debut year of the new Oscar category of Best Animated Feature, Atlantis: The Lost Empire faced stiff competition from other non-live-action entertainment in the summer of 2001, including Shrek, Final Fantasy, and Monsters Inc.. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, James Garner, (more)
Master animation director Hayao Miyazaki follows up on his record-breaking 1997 opus Princess Mononoke with this surreal Alice in Wonderland-like tale about a lost little girl. The film opens with ten-year-old Chihiro riding along during a family outing as her father races through remote country roads. When they come upon a blocked tunnel, her parents decide to have a look around -- even though Chihiro finds the place very creepy. When they pass through the tunnel, they discover an abandoned amusement park. As Chihiro's bad vibes continue, her parents discover an empty eatery that smells of fresh food. After her mother and father help themselves to some tasty purloined morsels, they turn into giant pigs. Chihiro understandably freaks out and flees. She learns that this very weird place, where all sorts of bizarre gods and monsters reside, is a holiday resort for the supernatural after their exhausting tour of duty in the human world. Soon after befriending a boy named Haku, Chihiro learns the rules of the land: one, she must work , as laziness of any kind is not tolerated; and two, she must take on the new moniker of Sen. If she forgets her real name, Haku tells her, then she will never be permitted to leave. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, (more)
- 2001
Originally an episode of the PBS television series Nova, this video features a French-led team of researchers as they dive to the depths of the South China Seas to explore a 14th century shipwreck in order to discern its origin and intended destination. In the process, the archaeologists discover a delicate cargo: 12,000 intact pieces of Chinese porcelain from China's "golden age" of ceramic artistry. These priceless blue and white dishes are decorated with mysterious painted symbols. In unraveling the various riddles, the research crew realizes the sunken vessel was traveling a route on one of the world's first international trading networks. ~ Steve Blackburn, 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
While outside appearances indicate that Brian Roberts (Robbie Bryan) has everything -- a beautiful girlfriend (Kelly Ripa), a successful career, and a stellar family, to name a few -- the truth is that he dreams of being an actor. When a college professor urges him to move to New York and work for his goal, it looks as though he may lose his girlfriend in the process. The Stand-In also features Dan Grimaldi, David Ogden Stiers, and Jaid Barrymore. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The "Big Apple" has a colorful, influential, and, at times, tragic history that spans nearly four hundred years. This is the first episode in the epic PBS documentary series about the most populous city in the United States. Originally christened "New Amsterdam" by its Dutch founders, the city is shown in this program to have been a center of commerce from its inception. When the British took over, they gave it the name by which the world knows the city to this day. The first installment of American Experience: New York takes the story as far as the early years of the bustling 19th century, by which time New York belonged to the fledgling United States. Highlights include archival paintings and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including historian Thomas Bender, novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and award-winning novelist E.L. Doctorow. Other features include dramatic readings by some of the guests. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 1999
It was the fire that sparked reform; after 146 people -- mostly women and girls -- died in the ferocious 1911 blaze that gutted the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, it was discovered that the exits had been locked by the management to prevent theft by the workers. At the time, there were no fire laws in the city, and few laws protecting workers. As this fourth episode in the PBS documentary series about New York reveals, citizen anger at the tragedy led to public hearings and a state commission recommending safety reforms such as automatic sprinklers in buildings over seven stories high, more frequent fire inspections, and a shorter, 54-hour week for women. Also covered in this episode is the fledgling motion picture industry led by companies such as Biograph, for which D.W. Griffith shot hundreds of short films; the continued problem of overcrowded slums, a blight exacerbated by the arrival of 10 million new immigrants in just a couple of decades; and the building of modern urban emblems: the subway system and skyscrapers. Highlights include archival motion picture footage, period photographs, archival paintings, and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including Academy award-winning director Martin Scorcese; Ruth J. Abram, founder of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum; novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist); architect Robert A. M. Stern; writer Jean Strouse; and historian John Kuo Wei Tchen. Other features include dramatic readings by guests including Robert Sean Leonard, Frances Sternhagen, Eli Wallach, and George Plimpton. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 1999
New York of the 19th century was already a haven of celebrities; showman P.T. Barnum's museum drew crowds on Broadway, and up the street the great photographer Mathew Brady stayed busy taking "likenesses" of the rich and famous. However, when British author Charles Dickens visited New York in 1842, the poverty and squalor he witnessed in New York appalled him; he noted that it was worse than any of London's. Indeed, as revealed in the second episode of this epic PBS documentary series, New York's rapid growth didn't come without a human cost. Gangs as bad or worse than any in the 20th century roamed the harsh tenement slums. Disparity between rich and poor, American-born and immigrant, culminated in the draft riots during the sweltering summer of July 1863. Angry over the unfairness of the newly instituted Civil War draft (rich men could buy their way out of the military), mobs of men, women, and children rampaged through the streets causing millions of dollars in damage. Several blacks got lynched during the riots, and federal troops had to be called back from the still-smoking battlefields of Gettysburg to restore the peace. Highlights include archival daguerreotypes, paintings, and engravings, as well as commentary by numerous guests including historian Thomas Bender, poet Allen Ginsberg, architect Robert A. M. Stern, and historian Gretchen Sullivan Sorin. Other features include dramatic readings by various people including Frances Sternhagen, Keith David, Spalding Gray, Philip Bosco, Eli Wallach, and George Plimpton. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 1999
Calling Prohibition a "noble experiment," New York congressman Fiorello La Guardia then declared the law unenforceable. Throughout most of New York City, this was the correct assessment. This is the fifth episode of the epic PBS documentary series about the "Big Apple." Also covered in this program is the deportation of pacifist and anarchist Emma Goldman during the "Red Scare" of 1919; the horse-drawn wagon bombing of the Morgan Bank in 1920, which killed 30 people; the change of Harlem from a German-Jewish neighborhood to a mostly black one; the "Harlem Renaissance"; the "Jazz Age"; the rise of radio as entertainment; the invention of the Broadway musical; and the construction of the Empire State Building. Highlights include archival newsreel footage and photographs, as well as commentary from a variety of guests including historian David Levering Lewis, construction consultant Joel Silverman, architect Robert A.M. Stern, historian Ann Douglas, and historian Joshua Freeman. Directed by Ric Burns and narrated by David Ogden Stiers. ~ Steve Blackburn, 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
- 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
- 1999
The Black-Scholes formula of economics promised to revolutionize Wall Street. It was a simple idea that determined the stock price according to mathematical principles. Yet when it hit the trading floor, it caused more damage than good. Nova reexamines the minds behind the money in Nova: The Trillion Dollar Bet. Fischer Black, Myron Scholes, and Robert Merton came up with the model that earned them a Nobel Prize in 1973. After basking in the acclaim and profit from a major award, Scholes and Merton joined a trading group. They intended to market the theory and shake up the marketplace. The success lasted a while until the machine crashed. While the formula took a pounding, the world economy trembled. Nova relives this close call as fortune-telling gets scientific. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1998
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For this animated direct-to-video sequel to Disney's 1995 animated Pocahontas, Irene Bedard returns to the title role -- with Judy Kuhn once again providing Pocahontas' singing voice. The story starts in colonial Jamestown before Pocahontas travels to England to meet with the king in hopes of preventing a British-Indian war. Her guide and companion is royal emissary John Rolfe (Billy Zane). They are attracted to each other, but Pocahontas yearns for John Smith (Donal Gibson, brother of Mel Gibson). After a conflict with the evil Ratcliffe (David Ogden Stiers), the missing Smith is presumed dead. Ratcliffe tells the king that the Jamestown Indians are savages, so Pocahontas enters high society, hoping to prove otherwise by presenting a civilized appearance at the Royal Hunt Ball. Ratcliffe schemes to sabotage Pocahontas' plan. New songs by Marty Panzer and Larry Grossman include the closing-credits tune, Between Two Worlds. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Bedard, Judy Kuhn, (more)
Todd Holland directed this Charlie Peters adaptation of Frank Parkin's novel. Respected anthropologist James Krippendorf (Richard Dreyfuss) and his wife, Jennifer (Barbara Williams), bring their three children along during their failed search in New Guinea for a lost tribe. After Jennifer's death, James reaches a zero point back in the U.S., having spent all his foundation grant money raising the kids as a single parent. Scheduled to lecture at a college and fearful he could be charged with misuse of grant funds, James concocts an imaginary tribe, the Shelmikedmu, and fakes a 16 mm "documentary" film, casting his children as tribe members and editing in footage of a legit New Guinea tribe. Anthropologist Veronica Micelli (Jenna Elfman) contacts cable-TV producer Henry Spivey (David Ogden Stiers), forcing James to continue creating fraudulent footage as the rival Ruth Allen (Lily Tomlin) gets suspicious. It seems a shame this racially insensitive film was made, while the once-announced plans to film anthropologist Kenneth Good's nonfiction Into the Heart (Simon & Schuster, 1991) never led to a production. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Jenna Elfman, (more)
- 1998
Three former college chums are the center of this sitcom, set at a Boston pizza parlor where grad-school roommates Berg (Ryan Reynolds) and Pete (Richard R. Ruccolo) work. Above their apartment lives their friend and neighbor, Sharon (Traylor Howard), sales rep for a chemical company. Berg is an eccentric philosophy major who's also a guinea pig each week for a different new product (nasal spray, talking shoes). Pete's a potential architect with a bubbly girlfriend, Melissa (Jennifer Westfeldt). Bill (Julius Carry) is the boss at the pizzeria, where one of the "wacky" customers is the delusional Mr. Bauer (David Ogden Stiers). Most of Bauer's "adventures" seem to have been filched from the plotlines of JAWS and other movies. The first six episodes of this series were purchased by the Fox network and then sold to ABC, where the show premiered March 11, 1998 on ABC. The New York Times reviewed it as a "charmless comedy." ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Traylor Howard, Ryan Reynolds, (more)
- 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)
Comic Rodney Dangerfield co-wrote and stars in this outrageous comedy. Wally Sparks (Dangerfield) is the host of a sleazy tabloid-style talk show who makes Jerry Springer seem genteel by comparison. Wally's show has become so foul that he's alienated his not-especially-discriminating viewers, and his ratings are taking a nosedive. Lenny Spencer (Burt Reynolds), head of the network carrying Wally's show, gives the host an ultimatum -- he has a week to clean up the show and boost his ratings, or his show gets cancelled. Wally's producer Sandy Gallo (Debi Mazar) comes up with an idea -- Floyd Preston (David Ogden Stiers) is the governor of Georgia and a staunch conservative known for his attacks on the lowbrow content of Wally's show, so what better way to show people that Wally is trying to change his ways than having Preston on the show as a guest? In order to persuade the Governor to appear, Wally attends a reception at Preston's mansion, where he makes the mistake of getting in a drunken game of strip poker with Preston's wife Emily (Cindy Williams) and somehow involving himself in a plot to blackmail the Governor. Meet Wally Sparks is packed with cameos in which noted show business figures play themselves, ranging from Tim Allen, Jay Leno, and Bob Saget to Michael Bolton, Ron Jeremy, and Jerry Springer himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodney Dangerfield, Debi Mazar, (more)
- 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
