Chuck Wagner Movies
Originally broadcast as part of the American Playhouse series on PBS, this video captures a performance by the original cast of the popular Broadway musical. With songs and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, who also directed the stage production, Into the Woods humorously combines a number of classic fairy tales into one over-arching narrative. A baker and his wife are assigned a number of tasks by a nearby witch; only after completing these duties will they be able to give birth. During their quest to fulfill the witches' demands, they encounter Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and numerous other fairy tale figures. The traditional stories are parodied and altered at will, yet the original fairy tales' sense of wonder and, at times, darkness remains intact. The score, winner of Broadway's Tony Award, includes such songs as Children Will Listen, Giants in the Sky, and No One Is Alone. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- R
A group of amazon women are stalked by a ruthless barbarian in the aftermath of nuclear war in this science-fiction action feature. Alee (Rebecca Holden) and Vera (Barbara Hooper) lead the tribe across hostile territory to free their sisters held prisoner in the evil city. The thin veil of feminism is thrown into this routine plot. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca Holden, Chuck Wagner, (more)
- 1986
This future dystopia tale is set in what remains of the U.S.A. 900 years after a nuclear war. People have banded into clans, where women fight and win control over a region while men are held as slaves and divided into functional groups, such as laborers, servants, or those who father children. When the leader of the dominant female clan dies, there is a dispute over her vacated position; two sisters vie for the honor and are challenged by the leader of a another clan. Meanwhile, one of the men has found an old presidential bunker and a stash of weapons. His plan is to use his discovery to free the men at last. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Wagner, Laurene Landon, (more)
- 1985
Every week, six men from various walks of life get together to play music for their own satisfaction. Trombonist Wayne Rogers is a used-car dealer; drummer Daniel Nalbach is a mother-dominated dentist; clarinetist Jerry Matz is a somewhat self-centered music teacher; trumpeter Warren Vache could have been a professional musician, but opted for a socially convenient wealthy marriage; and bass violinist Stan Lachow prefers to keep to himself the rest of the week. What happens to this informal aggregation when the opportunity arises for a paying gig at a Catskills resort forms the heart of this picture. Dissention in the ranks comes about when Lachow can't make the engagement, and is replaced by veteran musician Cleavon Little, who is disdainful of being surrounded by amateurs. The Gig is a model "small" picture, a clear labor of love for writer/ director Frank D. Gilroy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wayne Rogers, Cleavon Little, (more)
- 1983
"Bo and Luke are Back!" trumpeted the TV Guide ads for this episode, in which the series' original stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat return to their familiar roles of Bo and Luke Duke--while at the same time, their temporary replacements Coy and Vance Duke (Byron Cherry,Christopher Mayer) return to the obscurity whence they came. According to the plotline, Bo and Luke have come back to Hazzard after a triumphant NASCAR tour, just as Coy and Vance are forced to leave to care for a sick relative (in real life, the producers had met the monetary demands of Schneider and Wopat, and had welcomed them back to the fold in a last-ditch effort to improve the series' sagging ratings). Once everyone is back where they belong, the plot proper gets under way, as the Dukes try to save their pal Cooter (Ben Jones) from losing his garage to Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke), who hopes to use the property for a mammoth shopping center--named after himself, of course! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
