Michael Talbott Movies
In this fifth TV movie based on the character of incorruptible Chicago detective Jack Reed, Brian Dennehy once again wears two hats as both star and director. A multiple murder has occurred in a suburban cemetery in broad daylight. Most of the victims are Russian immigrants, whose friends and relatives refuse to cooperate in the investigation conducted by Jack Reed (Dennehy). As he pursues the case, Reed learns that the central figure in the mystery is a militant Russian who is organizing several of his fellow émigrés into his own army. Meanwhile, Reed must also contend with influential mayoral candidate Gordon Thomas (Joe Morton), whose minions are strong-arming the department to drop vehicular homicide charges against his son. Despite his tawdry surroundings, Reed retains his patented wicked sense of humor, especially when reciting the required Miranda rights while cuffing perpetrators ("You've got the right to cable TV, and the right to free counseling by Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.") Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance made its NBC debut on November 17, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Charles S. Dutton, (more)
- 1993
In this behind-the-scenes thriller, a movie actress finds herself accused of hacking up her producer. She tries to flee with two lovers preparing to marry. The three get into all sorts of trouble that ends with the death of the fiancee. Once again, the actress finds herself accused of the crime, but did she do it? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Fiorentino, C. Thomas Howell, (more)
- 1993
In this sequel to the 1992 made-for-TV crime drama Deadly Matrimony, police detective Reed (Brian Dennehy) returns, this time to bring in a murderous sociopath. He soon discovers, however, that this routine case is complicated by the U.S. government as they are using the killer as an informant and are therefore willing to go to great lengths to protect him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Susan Ruttan, (more)
- 1991
Based on a true story, the made-for-television movie Runaway Father is about a husband who fakes his death so he can abandon his family. After surviving 20 years of poverty, his wife discovers he is still alive, and she sues him to collect 17 years of back child support. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donna Mills, Jack Scalia, (more)
- 1988
"It's the craziest wedding of the year!" promised the ads for the TV movie Going to the Chapel. Well, maybe not the craziest, but certainly the silliest. The thinnish plot concerns the roadblocks standing in the way of the impending wedding of Scott Valentine and Michelle Greene. As a means to sustain audience interest, the producers populated the supporting cast with a veritable village full of top TV names: Cloris Leachman, John Ratzenberger, Max Wright, Dick Van Patten, Eileen Brennan and Barbara Billingsley. First shown October 9, 1988, Going to the Chapel died in the ratings opposite the blockbuster biopic Liberace: Behind the Music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The fifth and final season of the ultrahip crime series Miami Vice opens with a 2-parter resolving the incredible cliffhanger from Season Four. A blow on the head had caused Dade County vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) to assume the identity of his undercover alter ego Sonny Burnett, and while in this "role" he foments a deadly turf war between two crime families. Though Crockett's memory will return, his partner Det. Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) worries that Sonny has passed the point of no return--and may have to be destroyed! This of course doesn't happen, and a few episodes later it's business as usual for the two cops. However, there are more personal crises in the offing for both Sonny and Tubbs--especially the latter when, while undercover, he falls in love with the widow of a murdered drug lord. The series' trademarked utilization of offbeat guest stars has fallen off a bit this season, with the supporting players cast along more traditional lines. A noteworthy exception is the young John Leguizamo, who, after making an indelible impression during the first few seasons as the chief "wiseguy" in the vicious Calderone crime clan, re-emerges in an entirely different role in the fifth-season episode "Victim of Circumstance" Highlights this year include the two-part episode "Freefall", in which Crockett and Tubbs virtually sign their own death warrants when they agree to protect the brutal dictator of "Costa Morada" (played with a florid Latino accent by Ian McShane!). And in "World of Trouble" the detectives are confronted with a ghost from the past as mob boss Al Lombard (Dennis Farina), presumed killed in the series' first-season finale, suddenly pops up as if nothing had happened. The series officially ends it run with Episode #110, "Leap of Faith", featuring Laura San Giacomo. There was, however, still one episode in the hopper. "Too Much Too Late" was never seen during Miami Vice's NBC run, but instead made its debut over cable's USA network on January 25, 1990, six months after the series' over-the-air cancellation. This poignant episode reunites Tubbs with his former love Valerie Gordon (Pam Grier), who unfortunately must keep Tubbs at arm's length as she protects an old friend from a homicidal drug dealer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
Season Four of Miami Vice marks the first of several appearances by singer Sheena Easton in the role of recording star Caitlin Davies, with whom Dade County undercover vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) falls in love in the episode "Like a Hurricane"--and to whom he is abruptly wed in the very next episode "Rising Sun of Death." This star-crossed romance inaugurates a story thread that will eventually build to the 2-part season finale, in which an amnesiac Sonny part of an ongoing story thread that will build up to the 2-part season finale, in which an an amnesiac Sonny believes himself to be his undercover alter-ego, a drug kingpin named Sonny Burnett, and accordingly ties up with a Colombian crime boss! No, the scripters did not forget costar Philip Michael Thomas as Crockett's partner Ricardo Tubbs, even though it would be Don Johnson who commanded much of the audience's attention this season. As usual, one of the key selling points of Miami Vice (besides its hip dialogue, MTV-style editing and wall-to-wall background music) is the series' intelligent and offbeat utilization of guest stars. Examples include comedian Ben Stiller and character actor Brian Dennehy in "Amen. . .Send Money"; Miguel Ferrer, Penelope Ann Miller and a pre-CSI Paul Guilfoyle in "Death and the Lady"; the versatile Alfred Molina in "The Big Thaw"; up-and-coming Ving Rhames and soul-music icon Isaac Hayes in "Child's Play"; hard-working James Brown and brash youngster Chris Rock in "Missing Hours"; and the multitalented Harry Shearer in (and we're not making this up) "The Cows of October". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
Season Three of the too-hip-for-the-room crime series Miami Vice opens with a bang as the beloved Ferrari of Dade County undercover vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) is accidentally blown up. This, however, proves easier to take than the jolt delivered to Crockett's partner Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) in a later episode, in which Tubb's mercurial ex-partner Izzy Moreno (Martin Ferrero) frames him on a kidnapping charge. Nor are the two cops' colleagues spared anxiety this season, as witness the shock and awe experience by Det. Gina Calabrese (Sandra Santiago) is handed evidence that her current lover is an IRA terrorist, in an episode featuring a young Liam Neeson. The worst is reserved for Det. Larry Zito (John Diehl), a regular since the series' inception, when Zito is abruptly killed in the line of duty in the two-part episode "Down for the Count". This installment also upholds the Miami Vice tradition of showcasing quirky guest stars, in this instance boxing promoter Don King. Other prominent players showing up this season include Laurence Fishburne as a corrupt prison guard in "Walk Alone", Willie Nelson as the bedraggled title character in "El Viejo", which also features Steve Buscemi; Stanley Tucci as an adoption racketeer in "Baby Blues"; Wesley Snipes as a smooth hoodlum named Silk in "Street Wise"; andHang S. Ngor, the former Cambodian doctor whose real-life persecution at the hands of the Pol Pot regime were re-enacted in the theatrical feature The Killing Fields, as a Vietnamese detective in "Duty and Honor". This last-named episode also introduces Helena Bonham-Carter as Theresa, a heroin-addicted doctor with whom Crockett briefly falls in love. Also: John Leguizamo returns as the slimy head of the Calderon crime family in "The Afternoon Plane"; onetime Star Trek-er George Takei is seen along with Miami Vice star Don Johnson's then-wife Melanie Griffith in "By Hooker By Crook"; future Oscar winner Benicio del Toro pays his acting dues as a minor heavy in "Everybody's in Showbiz"; and the great Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbe figures prominently in the Season Three finale, "Heroes of the Revolution." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), Dade County's coolest undercover vice cops, are back for more MTV-influenced adventures as Miami Vice begins its second season. Though there'd been friction between the two main characters in season one, their teaming is a fait accompli by now, and they fit together like and hand in glove. Even glowering Lt. Castillo (Edward James Olmos) has become accustomed to, and more tolerant of, Crockett and Tubbs' highly unorthodox methods. The season's two-part opener finds the pair leaving Miami's sunny climes for the chilly streets of Manhattan, in search of Colombian drug dealers. Emphasis here as elsewhere is, of course, on Crockett and Tubbs, though the other cast members will be given their moments to shine. Detective Trudy Joplin (Olivia Brown) is the focal point in the episode "The Dutch Oven", in which she learns that her lover's best friend is tied in with a cocaine ring; Det. Gina Calabrese (Saundra Santiago) devotes most of the episode "Bought and Paid For" to go after a wealthy, well-connected rapist; and Det. Stan Switek (Michell Talbott) is for all intents and purposes the star of "Phil the Shill", even though the title character is played by guest star Phil Collins. Singer Collins is but one of many offbeat guest performers who, attracted to the popularity and hipness of Miami Vice, will pop up this season in variety of colorful characterizations. Former Nixon associate and federal prisoner G. Gordon Liddy is seen as the duplicitous Captain Real Estate in "Back in the World"; 1950s pop idol and future Broadway favorite Nathan Lane show up in "Buddies"; sultry songstress Eartha Kitt shares air time with the contemporary rock group Power Station in "Whatever Works"; musician and pro-gun advocate Ted Nugent is in "Definitely Miami"; The Fat Boys do their thing in "Florence Italy"; poet Leonard Cohen is featured in "Back in the World", Torch Song Trilogy playwright Harvey Fierstein guests in "The Fix"; jazz icon Miles Davis appears in "Junk Love"; rock legend Frank Zappa delivers lines in "Payback"; celebrity spouse Bianca Jagger emotes in "Free Verse"; and iconoclastic comic actors Tommy Chong and Richard Belzer are both in "Trust Fund Pirates." The season ends with "Sons and Lovers", bringing Crockett and Tubbs face to face once more with the vicious, self-destructive Calderone crime family, whose head man is played by a young John Leguizamo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
- 1984
The singing group Sister Sledge guest stars as the Satin Sisters, a gospel quartet befriended by Florence (Marla Gibbs). Much against his will, George is persuaded by Florence to act as manager for the melodious Satins. Unfortunately, the first booking George arranges is a tough country & western bar where the redneck patrons "don't cotton" to gospel singers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
Season one of Miami Vice finds New York-bred vice cop Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) newly arrived at the Miami-Dade PD, in pursuit of the drug kingpin who murdered his brother. Reluctantly teamed with maverick undercover detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson), Tubbs is not a little surprised at how well and effectively they work together. In subsequent episodes, Crockett and Tubbs try to get to the bottom of an allegation that a rogue FBI agent has sold them out; Tubbs rescues Crockett's family from an Argentinean hit man; Lt. Martin Castillo (Edward James Olmos) joins the force as the boys' new, no-nonsense superior officer; a recreational speedboat racer is revealed to be a dangerous drug-runner; and the son of a wealthy industrialist is set up as a decoy to catch a few big-timers in the heroin trade. In addition, Sonny and "Rico" pose as corrupt hotel security guards to thwart a prostitution ring and end up halting a robbery; Castillo solicits the boys' help in freeing his kidnapped wife; Tubbs himself is abducted because of the gung-ho tactics of a revenge-seeking police officer; and Crockett comes face to face with a dark figure from his past during an ATM bust of an arms dealer. The season wraps up with a tense cat-and-mouse game between Crockett and Tubbs and the gunmen who intend to murder their prisoner, a mob witness. Though Miami Vice would not crack the Top 30 TV shows during its maiden season, word of mouth would elevate the show to ninth place in the overall ratings for season two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, (more)
- 1984
The title of The Seduction of Gina is the most tawdry of come-ons: this TV movie was better served (though perhaps not as attractive to the casual viewer) under its original title, Another High Roller. Gina (Valerie Bertinelli), married to a feckless intern, is shy and withdrawn. Upon receiving a $30,000 inheritance, Gina decides to vacation in Tahoe. While at the casino's gaming tables, Gina finds she really enjoys gambling. As the evenings wear on, she also discovers that she can't stop; she has been "seduced" by the gambling bug. In keeping with the film's steamy title, Seduction of Gina was advertised with the full-page image of Valerie Bertinelli in the arms of Michael Brandon, who plays the casino's lawyer (and Gina's erstwhile lover). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valerie Bertinelli, Michael Brandon, (more)
- 1983
In this made-for-TV film, Mike Farrell stars as an attorney who finds himself at the center of a surprise reunion with the veterans of his platoon from Vietnam, including Robert Walden and Edward Herrmann. The reunion stirs up painful memories and disturbing secrets for all involved. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Amber Waves is the tale of two radically different personalities, united by crisis. Dennis Weaver plays a midwestern wheat harvester, coarsened by his lifelong struggle with poverty and the elements. Kurt Russell plays an obnoxious Manhattan-based male model, who has coasted through life on his charm and has never gotten his hands dirty. When Russell finds himself facially disfigured and penniless, he takes a job on Weaver's farm. Though the two men dislike each other at first, they reach a common ground when Weaver suffers a serious personal dilemma. Beautifully lensed in Alberta, Canada, Amber Waves was one of the high points of the 1979-80 TV movie season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In this drama, the life of a TV reporter is jeopardized during her investigation of a series of murdered nurses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This sequel to Every Which Way But Loose finds Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) on the road, orangutan companion Clyde in tow, as he makes his way as a bare-knuckle fighter. The action begins with Philo punching out a new victim while Clyde relieves himself on the seat of a police car, setting the tone for the rest of the story. From there, Philo and Clyde return home, where Philo, who still lives with Ma (Ruth Gordon), is offered a contest with Jack Wilson (William Smith), the Mafia-sponsored East Coast bare-knuckle champ. Philo inadvertently saves Wilson's life, but then the Mafia kidnaps his girlfriend (Sondra Locke) to force him to go ahead with the match. Philo and Wilson team up to battle the Mob, but somehow they end up fighting anyway in a grueling climactic sequence. Country music, bikers, the Mafia, an orangutan, pick-up trucks, defecation jokes, fighting, drinking, and swearing -- it's all here in this lowbrow comic stew. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, (more)
- 1980
The autobiography of Harold Krent, Butterflies Are Free, is the basis for this made-for-television drama about a blind collegian and his struggle to be treated like any other law student. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Paul Clemens plays the real-life Peter Reilly, who in September of 1973 was charged with the mutilation and murder of his mother. The confused 18-year-old signs a confession after being told that he's flunked a lie detector test. Later renouncing the confession, Reilly demands a reopening of his case. The citizens of Peter's home town of Canaan, CT, who'd been willing to see the boy thrown in jail for life when the case first hit the papers, now rally around the youth, insisting that his constitutional rights have been violated. New evidence uncovered by a sympathetic detective enables Peter to press his case. Stefanie Powers plays Joan Barthel, the Canaan resident and free-lance journalist who chronicled Peter's bid for freedom. The made-for-TV A Death in Canaan was first telecast March 1, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Clemens, Stefanie Powers, (more)
- 1978
In this made-for-TV shocker, a young sorority pledge (Kay Lenz) gets even for being humiliated in a hazing prank. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Jan-Michael Vincent plays a self-destructive beach bum to whom surfing is a Zen experience. We first meet Vincent in the devil-may-care 1960s, in the company of his carefree buddies William Katt and Gary Busey. The boys reunite ten years later, after one has served time in Vietnam. The beach is still there, the waves still break upon the shore, and towards the end of the film, the characters become people that we truly care about. Barbara Hale, the real-life mother of costar William Katt, makes a piquant supporting appearance. Cut from 129 minutes to 104 for its pay-cable release, Big Wednesday is also known as Summer of Innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, (more)
- 1977
Taking the advice of his idol Hawkeye (Alan Alda), Radar (Gary Burghoff) heads off for a weekend of whoopee at the Pink Pagoda in Seoul. When Radar is wounded en route, Hawkeye is consumed by guilt, so much so that he is unable to do his job to the best of his abilities. The disappointed Radar reprimands Hawkeye for his behavior, thereby sparking a war of words that seriously threatens the future relationship of these longtime friends. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Police inspector Irene Elliott (Carol Rossen) is successful at her job, but less successful as a parent. As an act of rebellion, Irene's son Bob (Mark Wheeler) prowls around San Francisco, sticking up taxicabs just for kicks. But the "fun and games" are over for both Irene and Bob when, during one of the boy's holdups, an undercover cop is killed. This episode was written by Star Trek veteran D.C. Fontana. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Feeling out of place and neglected, Grady (Whitman Mayo) decides to move out of his old Watts neighborhood. He is immediately installed in the fashionable Westwood home of his daughter Ellie (Carol Cole), his son-in-law Hal (Joe Morton), and his grandchildren Laurie (Rosanne Katon) and Haywood (Haywood Nelson). The result: Poor Grady feels even more like a "fifth wheel" than ever before. Originally telecast as the final episode of Sanford and Son's fourth season, "The Family Man" was actually the pilot for Whitman Mayo's short-lived spin-off series Grady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, (more)
Angie Dickinson essays the title role in Big Bad Mama. This Depression-era crime caper casts the future star of Police Woman as sexy Ma Barker type Wilma McClatchie, who forces her nubile daughters (Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee) into participating in a robbery/kidnapping/murder spree. Wilma seems to be as motivated by the erotic thrill of lawbreaking as she is by the financial gains. She evens hops in the sack with her daughters, as does her common-law husband, played by William Shatner. A sequel appeared in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, (more)
- 1974
Joseph Bottoms plays a 17-year-old high school boy who gets his girl friend Kay Lenz pregnant. The girl wants to put the baby up for adoption, but Bottoms decides to take on the parental responsibilities himself. He battles in court to gain custody of the child, even after being apprised of the heavy financial and personal burdens he's about to assume. Made for TV, Unwed Father has a good concept defeated by poor execution. One wonders whether the boy or the girl would have been the "good guy" had this film been made ten years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
