Beverly Todd Movies
Chicago-born actress Beverly Todd began her acting career on-stage, appearing in plays such as Deep Are the Roots and No Strings in New York and London. She embarked upon her film career in the '70s, immediately making a major impact with a string of memorable roles in films like The Lost Man, They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, and Brother John, as well as in the legendary miniseries Roots. As the '80s began, Todd's roles became more varied, as she exploring her comedic side in movies like Baby Boom and Moving. This trend continued throughout the '90s and 2000s, as Todd enjoyed working on projects that fell all over the spectrum, from the high-school docudrama Lean on Me to a guest role on the sitcom A Different World and a recurring part on the hit HBO series Six Feet Under to the Oscar-winning Crash. In 2007, she had a supporting role in the Morgan Freeman/Jack Nicholson vehicle The Bucket List. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide- 1969
The made-for-TV Deadlock stars Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Sam Danforth (since this is long before the Police Squad era, Nielsen plays it straight). The white Danforth finds himself at ideological loggerheads with black district attorney Leslie Washburn (Hari Rhodes). Racial tensions are escalated when a black ghetto kid is killed by a cop, and a white reporter covering the case also turns up dead. Future stars Fred Williamson and James McEachin show up in supporting roles. First telecast February 22, 1969, Deadlock served as the pilot episode for The Professionals, a single-season component of NBC's rotating series The Bold Ones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- PG
Jason Higgs (Sidney Poitier) is an angry black man who plans to rob a factory payroll. With the help of his accomplices Dennis (Al Freeman Jr.) and his white girlfriend Cathy (Joanna Shimkus), a racially motivated demonstration diverts attention from the crooks while they rob the safe. Jason is somewhat of a modern-day Robin Hood who wishes to use the money to help the children of incarcerated soul brothers. He only places his hope in the youth who have not been sullied or scalded by the hatred of racial prejudice. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Sidney Poitier stars as John Kane, a heavenly emissary who pays a visit to the Alabama town where he was born. Making it his mission to purge the community of all hatred and prejudice, "Brother John" is nothing less than the Messiah returned to earth. Trouble is, he's black, and it's Alabama-so who's going to pay attention? Will Greer costars as a local town doctor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sidney Poitier reprises his role as Virgil Tibbs in this crime drama, a story unrelated to that of the earlier film In the Heat of the Night. Once again, he is a veteran homicide detective and is currently investigating the murder of a prostitute. The primary suspect is San Francisco political activist Reverend Logan Sharpe (Martin Landau), the last person seen with the victim. Tibbs and Sharpe are friends, and Tibbs would like to believe the priest is not guilty. Sharpe admits to Tibbs he has slept with the late hooker, and the detective intensifies his focus on his friend, and in one climactic scene, Virgil interrupts a city-council meeting where the priest is campaigning for political reform. On the home front, after dealing with dope peddlers, pimps, murderers and other crooks all day, Virgil returns home to his wife Valeri (Barbara McNair) and his two children, only to be firmly chided for being late for dinner and spending too much time on the job. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Martin Landau, (more)
- 1976
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Directed by Stacy Keach, this 1976 made-for-television movie features a performance of Nobel Prize-winner Luigi Pirandello's fantastical drama Six Characters in Search of an Author. Starring Andy Griffith, the play takes place on the set of a made-for-television adaptation of Pirandello's The Rules of the Game and finds the cast and crew questioning their reality when six strangers magically appear. Also starring John Houseman, Julie Adams, Beverly Todd, and James Keach, the program was released as part of Kultur's Broadway Theatre Archive series. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1978
This third entry in the made-for-TV Having Babies saga was first telecast March 3, 1978. Susan Sullivan heads the cast as Dr. Julie Farr, presiding over three impending births. In true soap-opera fashion, Dr. Farr cannot help but get involved in the lives of her troubled patients. Marnie Bridges (Jamie Smith Jackson) must not only cope with parenthood, but with a faithless husband (Michael Lembeck); Gloria Miles (Rue McClanahan), left alone with her two children, suddenly goes into labor miles from the hospital; and Leslie Wexler (Patty Duke Astin), Dr. Farr's best friend, must decide whether or not to postpone a crucial mastectomy to have her baby. Having Babies III became a weekly TV series on March 7, 1978, again starring Susan Sullivan. Shortly thereafter, the title was changed to Julie Farr, MD. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Based on a book by John C. Fuller, the made-for-TV Ghost of Flight 401 is predicated on the "actual events" surrounding a real-life plane crash. In December of 1972, Flight 401 nose-dived into the Florida Everglades, killing its flight officer (played herein by Ernest Borgnine). Though damaged beyond repair, the plane is cannibalized for its parts, which are recycled to newly built aircraft. On each of these new planes, it is reported that the ghost of 401's flight officer has made unexpected appearances, to warn the crews of impending disasters. OoooOOOOOOoooooooo..... Those who dared first watched The Ghost of Flight 401 on February 18, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Director Michael Mann co-wrote the teleplay for The Jericho Mile with Patrick J. Nolan. Peter Strauss stars as "Rain" Murphy, serving a life sentence in Folsom Prison for first-degree murder. To break up the boredom of prison life, Murphy begins running laps around the prison recreation track. Prison officials take notice when Murphy runs a mile in less than four minutes. They lobby to enter Murphy into the Olympics, an act of largesse that not only pulls Murphy out of his misanthropy but also helps to unify his racially divided fellow prisoners. Originally telecast March 18, 1979, The Jericho Mile was filmed on location at Folsom Prison, with several inmates playing small roles--and talking the talk of prisoners, never mind the TV censors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
After a teenager suffering from Tourette's Syndrome dies in a fall, Dr. Arthur Ciotti (Michael Constantine) shows up in the autopsy lab and makes an unusual request of medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman). Ciotti wants to take possession of the dead boy's brain in hopes of finding a cure for Tourette's. It turns out that Ciotti has been campaigning for years to persuade the pharamaceutical company which employs him to finance similar research, but to no avail; there simply isn't enough "profit" in something as rare as Tourette's. As the story progresses, Quincy becomes a staunch crusader on behalf of government-funded research for "orphan" diseases. This episode and its eighth-season followup "ive Me Your Weak" were instrumental in the ultimate passage of the real-life Orphan Drugs Act. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
This TV-movie biography of legendary black ballplayer Leroy "Satchel" Paige unfortunately whitewashes and hokes up his fascinating story. Louis Gossett Jr. stars as Paige, who spends virtually his entire professional career in the Negro leagues because of the "gentlemen's agreement" barring African-Americans from the Majors. Paige's prowess as a pitcher is so famous that he becomes the highest-paid player in the Negro leagues -- but as for joining the mainstream teams, the answer is always the same: "If only you were white." When Jackie Robinson is signed by the Dodgers in 1946, the doors open for other black ballplayers; thus it is that in 1948, Satchel Paige becomes the first black pitcher in the American leagues...at the tender age of 42. Don't Look Back down-pedals Satchel Paige's tempestuous private life (his two marriages are combined into one, for example), and tends to shortchange the viewer in the crucial ball-playing scenes. Its saving grace is the towering performance by star Louis Gossett Jr., who struggles manfully to overcome the script's shortcomings. When the film was first telecast on May 31, 1981, the real Satchel Paige appeared in the prologue; one year later, Paige was dead at the (reported) age of 76. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
A very young Sean Astin co-stars with his mother, Patty Duke, in this powerful drama about child abuse. Unlike most of his friends, who are cheerful and outgoing, eight-year-old Brian Reynolds (Astin) is shy, morose, and withdrawn. Curious as to why Brian behaves the way he does, teenager Nancy Parks (Nancy McKeon) stumbles upon a terrible secret: Brian's divorced, stressed-out mother, Barbara (Patty Duke), takes out her frustrations by savagely beating Brian on a regular basis. So now Nancy knows the reason for Brian's sadness -- but should she tell the authorities or simply mind her own business? Originally produced for the ABC Afterschool Special series, Please Don't Hit Me, Mom made its debut in prime time as one of three ABC Theater for Young Americans presentations; the film finally aired as part of ABC's afternoon schedule on January 19, 1983. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Astin, Patty Duke, (more)
Michael Morgan stars as a teen obsessed with losing his virginity, and who gets his wish with Joan Collins, the mother of one of his best friends. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Collins, Michael Morgan, (more)
When pimp Ramrod (Wings Hauser) is wanted by the police for murder, an undercover detective, Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson), enlists the aid of prostitute Princess (Season Hubley), a loving mother struggling to support her kid, to help capture the fiend. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Season Hubley, Gary Swanson, (more)
- 1984
In this drama, a lady lawyer's campaign to become state attorney general is jeopardized by a scandal involving a gigolo, extortion and even murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
To publicize his latest novel, Robin Masters stages a million-dollar treasure hunt, with the clues adroitly hidden with the pages of his book. Unfortunately, one of the contestants doesn't see the need to play fair, and before the day is over Magnum (Tom Selleck) and the other treasure-hunters (among them several of the series' regulars) are being held at gunpoint on the edge of a steep cliff. In fact, the episode begins with this perilous situation, then works itself backward in the form of tantalizing flashbacks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
A rare attempt by a female director to attack the issue of rape from a woman's perspective, this drama is sure to cause varied reactions. A sense of the film's perspective can be garnered from paraphrasing its publicity: "Rapists have two problems and the 'Ladies Club' is about to remove them both." Statistics of the time note that a woman was raped every seven minutes while the conviction rate was an incredibly low 2%. A policewoman who was brutally raped and the sister of a rape victim who was incurably traumatized band together for a surgical attack on the offenders, aided by a physician whose own tragedy inspires her to lend her skill with a scalpel to the cause. The encounters with rapists, court hearings, and sneaking through police files to identify the men who got away bring suspense to this crusade for justice. Comic relief crops up now and again to leaven the seriousness of the topic. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Austin, Diana Scarwid, (more)
- 1987
- R
John DeBello, the man who brought you The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes back in 1978, was responsible for the 1987 fantasy farce Happy Hour. The premise: a Coors-like beer manufacturer stumbles onto a secret ingredient that compels the guzzlers of America to consume its product exclusively. The complication: the magic formula has been stolen by a rival brewery. The original beermeisters send Rich Little out to steal back the formula, while the rival company dispatches Jamie Farr to prevent Little from completing his mission. Upon meeting one another, Rich and Jamie discover that they're old college chums and former student activists. Together, Little and Farr attempt to foil the mercenary machinations of both beer companies. Is Happy Hour as funny as John DeBello imagined it to be? Let us merely observe that the film's high point is a shot of a group of six-year-olds chugging beer, and that the closing image is of a pretty blonde who chastises the audience for not being smart enough to follow the plot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gilliland, Jamie Farr, (more)
Management consultant Diane Keaton has no time in her life for anything except her high-profile job. All this changes when she inherits a 14-month-old infant from a pair of recently deceased-and very distant-relatives. Intending to put the child up for adoption, she discovers that she has grown fond of the kid and has begun to thrive on the responsibilities of motherhood. All of this, of course, jeopardizes Keaton's love life and professional standing, but all turns out well when the baby inadvertently leads to a whole new moneymaking agenda for our heroine. Capraesque in concept, Baby Boom avoids phony sentiment and obvious humor, emerging as one of the singular comic delights of the late 1980s. On great bit has Keaton "celebrating" a major business coup by surreptiously performing an under-the-table jig (a bit of business that dates back to the 1924 Reginald Denny comedy Skinner's Dress Suit). Baby Boom was spun off into a TV sitcom in 1989, with Kate Jackson filling Diane Keaton's designer shoes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Harold Ramis, (more)
- 1987
Anne Archer stars in the made-for-TV movie A Different Affair--and, surprise, she doesn't play a long-suffering victim. Anne is cast as a chic radio psychologist who has lived alone and liked it since the death of her husband. All this changes when the plot requires that she take in a troublesome 12-year-old foster child, played by Bobby Jacoby. Tony Roberts fills the standard best friend/lover/severest critic role, while other parts are essayed by Stuart Pankin and Alan Fudge. Filmed in 1985, A Different Affair didn't land an airdate until March 24, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Archer, Tony Roberts, (more)
- 1988
- R
A transit engineer and his family must face the gargantuan task of moving from New Jersey to Boise, Idaho in this lively comedy starring Richard Pryor. It all begins after he gets a really great job out West. Unfortunately, his family is less than thrilled with the prospect. The furniture movers, who prove to be crooks, and their crazy neighbors conspire to make matters all the worse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Beverly Todd, (more)
- 1988
- PG13
In this sentimental coming-of-age drama, directed by Richard Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) and written by Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God), Whoopi Goldberg plays Clara Mayfield, whom Leona Hart (Kathleen Quinlan) meets up with in Jamaica, where Leona retreats to mourn the death of her baby daughter. Leona comes from a rich Maryland family and she leaves her husband, Bill (Michael Ontkean), and her young son, David (Neil Patrick Harris), back in the States in order to achieve some personal healing. She tells Clara she is in mourning and Clara responds knowingly, "I knew the fact, but not the substance." Hearing this kind of cryptic Charlie Chan-like aphorism, Leona can't resist Clara and hires her as her maid, taking her back with her, like a pet, to Maryland. "Come meet the most wonderful person," she tells her husband, and, to be sure, Clara is out-of-this-world wonderful, and since David's self-absorbed parents are neglecting him for their own private flirtations and obsessions, Clara takes up the slack and becomes, in effect, David's family. Clara dispenses worldly advice and has him spend weekends with her in the inner-city Jamaican community, where David learns how the other half lives. But just as David is letting his guard down and permitting Clara to become his 30-year-old buddy, Clara reveals a chilling past life that includes rape, incest, and suicide. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Ontkean, (more)
After earning rave notices for powerful supporting turns as a pimp in Street Smart (1987) and an alcohol abuse counselor in Clean and Sober (1988), actor Morgan Freeman began his ascent to stardom with this, his first lead role in a major motion picture. Freeman is real-life high school principal Joe Clark, a tough, harsh educator and administrator who in 1987 is given a nearly impossible task by his old friend, school superintendent Dr. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume). Clark is asked to reform inner city Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, a hotbed of delinquent kids and drug dealers. Considered the worst school in New Jersey, the state is threatening to take control of Eastside away from the local school board. If Clark can straighten out Eastside in time to get the school's basic-skills test scores up, he can have the job permanently. Although Clark's tyrannical approach and hard-line policies alienate many members of the staff and the community, his uncompromising campaign gets results and even makes him famous, much to the chagrin of his powerful enemies. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Robert Guillaume, (more)
- 1991
Whitley (Jasmine Guy recommends that E.H. Wright engage the services of the new temp agency run by Jaleesa (Dawnn Wright)--and that, boys and girls, is how Freddie (Cree Summer) ends up working as a secretary. Unfortunately, an argument over Affirmative Action gets Freddie fired, and at the same time casts a very negative light on both Whitley and Jaleesa--and also involves Jaleesa's husband Col. Taylor (Glynn Turman) in the brouhaha. Elsewhere, Terrence (Cory Tyler) and Lena (Jada Pinkett) try to make sense of Shakespeare. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Needles figure prominently in this blood-soaked entry in the slasher genre. It begins as psycho scientist Dr. Stein begins implanting things in baboons. Dr. Theresa McCann, a colleague at the hospital where they both work is suspicious as to the nature of the perverse professors experiments. Those suspicions increase when one of the apes suddenly dies. Then Stein steals one of her patients. When that patient is found murdered, with only a lollipop left as a clue, McCann gets blamed and suspended. When McCann spies the abandoned sucker she suddenly realizes it belongs to Dr. Matar, an ex-lover in search of revenge against her because she squealed on him and his illicit experiments in tissue regrowth. Matar goes on a killing spree and now only she and her new lover Hendricks can stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabel Glasser, James Remar, (more)
Shown on the Fox network, this made-for-TV biopic stars David Ramsey as legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, whose story is told largely in flashbacks. Beginning with Ali's childhood, when he was known as Cassius Clay, Ali: An American Hero traces the boxer's career, love life, and eventual devotion to Islam. Joe Morton appears as Malcolm X, and the cast also features the talents of Vondie Curtis Hall and Clarence Williams III, the latter as Ali's father Marcellus Clay. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ramsey, Clarence Williams III, (more)
