Irene Tedrow Movies
Supporting actress Irene Tedrow spent most of her 60-year career on stage, but she also had considerable experience in feature films and on television. Slender and possessing an austere beauty, Tedrow was well suited for the rather prim and moral characters she most often played. After establishing herself on stage in the early '30s, she made her film debut in 1937. She gained fame during the 1940s playing Mrs. Janet Archer in the Meet Corliss Archer film series. She kept the role in the subsequent television series. She played Mrs. Elkins on Dennis the Menace between 1959 and 1963. In 1976, Tedrow earned an Emmy for her performance in Eleanor and Franklin. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1988
A pile of human bones found at a construction site reopens one of Los Angeles' most notorious unsolved murders: the "Black Dahlia" case of 1947. Veteran movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney) is cast as Doyle, the original investigating detective on the case. Once Doyle has come out of retirement to help Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) piece the new clues together, it becomes apparent that the "Black Dahlia" killer is still alive and at large--and that he was also responsible for another unsolved murder on Doyle's watch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
14 Going on 30 starts out like Candida and ends up like Back to the Future. 14-year-old Danny O'Neill (Gabey Olds), carrying a torch for his teacher, Peggy Noble (Daphne Ashbrook), can only suffer in silence as Peggy plans to marry brutish gym instructor "Jackjaw" Kelton (Rick Rossovich). With the help of his nerdy pal Lloyd's (Adam Carl) experimental growth accelerator, Danny becomes an overnight adult (now played by Steve Eckholdt). While in his 30-year-old state, Danny intends to expose Jackjaw as the jerk he is-only to end up in hot water himself. Loretta Swit, Patrick Duffy, Alan Thicke and Dick Van Patten guest-star in this made-for-TV movie, originally presented in two parts (March 6 and 13, 1988) on the Disney Sunday Movie anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
After thirteen years away from home, Magnum (Tom Selleck) returns to Tidewater, Virginia, to attend the funeral of his beloved grandfather. The occasion serves to reopen several old wounds, culminating with Magnum angrily accusing his stepfather Frank (David Huddleston), whom he has always resented, of stealing a precious family heirloom--namely, a letter from Abraham Lincoln. Musical comedy star Gwen Verdon makes her first series appearance as Magnum's mother Katherine; and watch for Tom Selleck's real father Robert Selleck Sr. as "Grandpa Everett" in a brief home-movie sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Maureen Stapleton, Stefanie Powers and Melissa Gilbert represent three generations of women in one family in this made-for-TV movie. Recently widowed, Stapleton invites her divorced daughter Powers, and Powers' illegitimate daughter Gilbert, for a weekend get-together. The catalyst for the film's cascade of bickering, reminiscences, and regrets is Stapleton's announcement that she plans to move from the family home and into a condominium. In addition to starring, Stefanie Powers also came up with the film's premise and functioned as co-producer. A "General Foods Showcase" TV presentation, Family Secrets first aired on May 13, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Quincy (Jack Klugman) prepares to provide expert testimony in the murder trial of mob boss Victor Ramsay (Tige Andrews), determined to prove that Ramsay pressured his victim into having a heart attack. Unfortunately, Ramsay's son Joseph (Peter Virgo Jr.) has carefully arranged for Quincy to be discredited by planting phony evidence near the dead body of the only witness to the crime. Now Quincy has a scant three weeks to restore his reputation and nail the bad guys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
Gene Hackman plays a disgruntled suburbanite who manages the Ultra-Sav, an all-night drugstore. He hates his job, hates his debts and responsibilities, and isn't overly fond of his wife (Diane Ladd) and son (Dennis Quaid). Partly as a form of protest, Hackman enters into an affair with Barbra Streisand, one of his wife's distant relatives (don't ask how she's related - it takes Hackman about thirty seconds to explain it to another character). Streisand doesn't belong in this picture at all, but she can be forgiven her acting excesses because she wasn't the first choice for the role anyway (Lisa Eichhorn dropped out just before shooting began). The best moments in All Night Long involve the steady stream of oddballs and losers who trickle into Hackman's establishment. There is also a cute Apocalypse Now parody involving a battery-operated toy helicopter. The principal attraction of All Night Long is Gene Hackman playing an endearingly recognizable modern type. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, Barbra Streisand, (more)
The crux of this limited, juvenile comedy is a complex game that begins at midnight and ends by morning. Of main interest is the fact that a young Michael J. Fox plays one of the students involved in the game. Leon (Alan Solomon) has spent a year creating the game and practically needs that long to convince his fellow students to play it. Eventually he wins out, and the various teams of classic stereotypes -- the nerd, the well-groomed hero, the obnoxious sorority sister, the easily duped freshman, and others -- all converge on Los Angeles at midnight. Their treks take them through the Griffith Observatory which because of those odd hours astronomers keep, could conceivably be open. Other locales are interestingly open too, apparently Los Angeles never sleeps. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Naughton, Debra Clinger, (more)
- 1980
When one of the twin babies of Madeline and Bill Estes (Tyne Daly, Robert Ginty) dies under mysterious circumstances, the initial evidence points to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But thanks to a small but criticial error in the coroner's office, Dr. Bob Gage (Jonathan Segal) suspects thar Madeline Estes actually murdered his child--and before long, even Madeline's husband Bill thinks that she's guilty. Can Quincy (Jack Klugman) come to the rescue before another tragic blunder occurs? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
When a woman moves into a Victorian home, she finds a dress that, when worn, delivers her back in time in this made-for-television adventure adapted from David William's novel, Second Sight. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Wagner, Marc Singer, (more)
- 1979
An evangelist suspected of financial impropriety is found dead in a motel room, apparently from an overdose of drugs and alcohol. Was it an accident, a suicide, or a murder? Quincy (Jack Klugman) is pressured by the authorities to solve the mystery--a task which may or may not be expedited by Dr. Paul Chase (Stephen Elliott), who insists upon performing a "psychological autopsy" on the victim. This episode was originally scheduled to air on October 25, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As he did in his screenplay for Silver Streak (1974), writer/director Colin Higgins mixes life-and-death melodrama with broad slapstick in Foul Play. Goldie Hawn stars as Gloria Mundy, a recent divorcée whose attempts to start life anew in San Francisco are bollixed up when she is inadvertently swept up in an assassination plot against the Pope. Offering sometimes dubious aid and comfort to Gloria is bumbling federal agent Tony Carlson (Chevy Chase). The film's comedy ranges from the farcical seduction efforts by musician Stanley Tibbets (Dudley Moore) to the zany, gag-filled car-chase finale. Foul Play features character actors Rachel Roberts and Eugene Roche as villains, Burgess Meredith as a martial arts-happy landlord, and Billy Barty as a long-suffering religious bookseller. It also packs in a memorable "throwaway" gag involving a profane Scrabble game played by sweet little old ladies Queenie Smith and Hope Summers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, (more)
- 1978
This heart-warming made-for-television drama chronicles a widowed father's struggle to keep his family intact. He has three sons, and one of them is mentally retarded. The boy has a gift for sports and his father enrolls him in the Special Olympics. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Jim Rockford (James Garner) and rookie private eye Richie Brockelman (Dennis Dugan) continue to investigate the suspicious death of their mutual mentor Joe Tooley. When the trail of clues leads to crooked computer-company CEO Garth McGregor (Jackie Cooper), he uses his influence to frame the two detectives and force them to take it on the lam. Ingredients essential to the outcome of the story are an underground storage silo, a conspiracy involving a corrupt congressman, and a wild helicopter-chase finale. This final episode of The Rockford Files' fourth season served to introduce the character of Richie Brockelman, who was subsequently spun off into his own TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In the first half of a two-part story, Jim (James Garner) investigates the mysterious death of his mentor Joe Tooley (Paul Fix) on the Ventura Freeway. Assisting Jim--in a manner of speaking--is greenhorn detective Richie Brockelman (Dennis Dugan), who likewise suspects that Tooley's demise was no accident. The evidence leads to a crooked city councilman and a sinister data-storage firm called the Credit Computer Centre. This episode and its followup served to introduce the character of Richie Brockelman, soon to be spun off into his own eponymously titled TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
In the '50s, Bert I. Gordon made a career out of sci-fi movies about gigantic mutated insects (Beginning of the End, Earth vs. the Spider), lizards (King Dinosaur, Serpent Island), and even people (The Amazing Colossal Man), and in 1977, he was still up to his old tricks with this picture, loosely adapted from a story by H.G. Wells. Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) is a less than scrupulous businesswoman who is trying to sell shares in a worthless Florida housing development to a group of naive souls. However, both Marilyn and her potential customers have bigger things to worry about than low property values, when they discover that a large stock of nuclear waste was dumped near the development site, and the result is a pack of gigantic mutated ants with a nasty disposition and a taste for human blood. The supporting cast features Robert Lansing, John David Carson, and Albert Salmi. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Collins, Robert Lansing, (more)
- 1977
Quincy (Jack Klugman) is under pressure from an insurance company to determine the time of death of a patient who drowned in a bathtub at the Thalep Clinic, an "alternative" health spa. In the course of his investigation, Quincy uncovers evidence of gross medical negligence--and also butts heads with shifty attorney Walter Kingman (Peter Mark Richman), who specializes in shielding the clinic from negative publicity. Originally scheduled to air on September 30, 1977, this is one of a handful of second-season Quincy,M.E. episodes to be afforded two network rerun showings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Lance Kerwin plays a dual role in this enjoyable ABC Afterschool Special updating of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. Humble delivery boy P.J. (Kerwin) discovers that he is the exact double of Preston (Kerwin again), son of the president of the United States. Each boy is envious of the other's lifestyle -- P.J. would like to be coddled and pampered, Preston yearns to escape the watchful eyes of the CIA -- so they decide to trade identities for a few days. Need we add that chaos ensues? Watch for a young Rosalind Chao in a small role. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lance Kerwin, Milton Selzer, (more)
- 1976
Richard Basehart heads an impressive guest cast as Bishop Tim Farrow, who has fallen victim to a would-be murderer. When Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) question the Bishop, he steadfastly refuses to identify his assailant. Is the guilty party a fanatical atheist who has threatened Bishop Farrow in the past--or is the victim protecting someone close to him? Much of this episode was filmed on location at Mission Dolores, previously seen in the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The two-part opener of Streets of San Francisco's fifth and final season marks a major transition, as SFPD homicide detective Mike Stone (Karl Malden) loses his longtime partner Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) and gains a new one, athletic young inspector Dan Robbins (Richard Hatch). But before Keller can leave the force to launch a teaching career, he and Stone are faced with the daunting task of rescuing a busload of jurors who have been kidnapped by a "family" of dangerously misguided revolutionaries, who demand the release of their imprisoned cohorts. This two-parter is clearly inspired by the Patty Hearst kidnapping, with former Partridge Family regular Susan Dey delivering a shockingly powerful performance. As a publicity ploy, the season opener features fourteen guest stars, including Marion Ross (then appearing regularly on Happy Days, Barry Sullivan, Dick Van Patten, Norman Fell and Doris Roberts--not to mention such stars-to-be as Anthony Geary and Ron Glass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- Add Eleanor and Franklin: The Early Years to QueueAdd Eleanor and Franklin: The Early Years to top of Queue
The winner of 11 Emmy awards, the made-for-TV Eleanor and Franklin stars Edward Herrmann as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jane Alexander as Eleanor Roosevelt. The film traces the first four decades of the lives of cousins Franklin and Eleanor, beginning with their marriage in 1905. Conflicts loom in the form of FDR's domineering mother (Rosemary Murphy) and Eleanor's discovery of an affair between her husband and artist Lucy Mercer (Linda Kelsey). After Franklin is stricken by polio in 1921, Eleanor emerges as a formidable and influential public figure. James Costigan wrote the teleplay for Eleanor and Franklin, which first aired as a two-parter on January 11 and 12, 1976. The film was followed several months later by a multipart sequel, Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Herrmann, Jane Alexander, (more)
- 1976
The Angels find themselves the apparent targets of an unknown assassin. To find out the reason, and to flush out their would-be murderer, our heroines pretend that Sabrina (Kate Jackson) was killed during the attempt on her life. Alas, by the time the Angels realize that the killer's real target is their boss, Charlie Townsend, they've managed to entrap themselves in Charlie's mansion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Kate Jackson, (more)
- 1975
The plot of this episode is feuled by a deadly battle of wits between a 12-year-old girl named Julie Todd (Kim Richards) and phony doctor William F. Dunson (Peter Haskell). Julie knows that Dunson, whose real name is James Cooper, has murdered her mother in order to gain access to a fortune hidden on the dead woman's property. In her relentless efforts to expose the killer, Julie may well be impeding the efforts of Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) to investigate the same murder--and in the process, may also be signing her own death warrant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Richard Fleischer directed this lurid historical drama based on the novel by Kyle Onstott. The story begins on a run-down plantation lorded over by Warren Maxwell (James Mason) and his son Hammond (Perry King). Hammond travels to New Orleans where he buys a top-of-the-line slave, Mede (Ken Norton), at an auction. Hammond is proud of his purchase, hoping to bring in money by training Mede to fight his other slaves. Hammond returns with Mede to the plantation, where he has to contend with his sex-crazed wife Blanche (Susan George). Hammond looks upon Blanche as damaged goods since he discovered her to not be a virgin on their wedding night. Instead, Hammond prefers erotic pursuits with his slave Ellen (Brenda Sykes). Blanche licks her lips at the sight of Mede, and seduces him to get revenge on her husband. Blanche soon becomes pregnant and gives birth to a half-black baby. Enraged, Hammond comes after Blanche, poisons her, and then the child bleed to death before going after Mede. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mason, Susan George, (more)
