Sorrell Booke Movies
The son of a Buffalo physician,
Sorrell Booke was encouraged from an early age to entertain his relatives with jokes, songs, and imitations. An inveterate radio fan, young
Booke would send away to the major networks for copies of scripts, then act out all the parts -- a different voice for each character -- in the privacy of his room. He turned his hobby into a vocation after high school, appearing with frequency in locally produced dramatic radio programs. While attending Columbia and Yale,
Booke spent his summers playing old men in various stock companies, then appeared with the Provincetown Playhouse in Massachusetts. During the Korean War,
Booke spent two years in counterintelligence, where his mastery of five languages came in handy. After making his Broadway debut in 1955,
Booke understudied
Tom Bosley in Fiorello! and created the role of bombastic white supremacist Ol' Captain Cotchipee in
Ossie Davis' Purlie Victorious, repeating the latter assignment in the 1963 film version. For all his greyed-up character parts,
Booke's most fondly remembered role of the early '60s was the mentally retarded brother of
Martin Balsam in an episode of TV's Dr. Kildare. Likewise essayed with unexpected subtlety and sensitivity were his characters in the theatrical features
Bye Bye Braverman (1968) and
Up the Down Staircase (1970). But neither subtlety nor sensitivity were required for
Booke's signature role: the lovably larcenous Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg on the weekly adventure series
The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985).
Sorrell Booke's last film assignment was a typically blustery voice-over in the animated feature
Rock-a-Doodle; he died of cancer in 1994, just one month after his 64th birthday. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

- 1992
- G
- Add Rock-A-Doodle to Queue
When Chanticleer the Rooster (Glenn Campbell) is tricked into leaving town to seek fame as an Elvis-style Las Vegas singer, his farm is plunged into eternal darkness. This animated musical from Don Bluth centers on a young farm boy who embarks on a magical journey into the animal world to try and bring Chanticleer home. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Glen Campbell, Ellen Greene, (more)

- 1988
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Having flown to Denver for a Yuletide family reunion, the Tanners are stranded in an airport waiting room by bad weather. This proves to be an unpleasant experience for most of the family members, and a particularly traumatic one for Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin). After all, it's only a few hours before Christmas, and Stephanie is terrified that Santa Claus won't be able to find her. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1985
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The Dukes don't believe in UFOs, but they change their minds in a hurry when they find what seems to be a space alien (played by dwarf actor Felix Silla, formerly The Addams Family's Cousin Itt) hiding in the General Lee. Though the Duke boys make a game effort to pass off the unearthly visitor as their "li'l cousin", Boss Hogg is bent upon capturing the alien and selling him to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, Sheriff Roscoe (James Best) and a pair of out-of-town crooks named Mickey (Dennis Burkley) and Buck (Britt Leach) hatch separate schemes to use "Li'l Cousin" as a cover for their latest scams. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1984
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- Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 07 to Queue
Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 07 to top of Queue
The seventh and final season of Dukes of Hazzard finds the familiar cast back in harness, with the exception of Don Pedro Colley in the recurring role of Chickasaw County Sheriff Ed Little. Once again, hot-rodding cousins Luke and Bo Duke (Tom Wopat, John Schneider), aided and abetted by sexy cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach) and Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle), spend half their time zooming around in their hopped up vehicle "General Lee," and the other half foiling the crooked machinations of County Commissioner Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and the less crooked but no less irksome interferences of Sheriff Coltrane (James Best) and Deputy Enos (Sonny Shroyer). Season Seven begins with a "flashback" episode, in which we learn for the first time how the Dukes came into possession of the General Lee. Subsequent installments feature guest-star turns by singer Waylon Jennings and pro racer Cale Yarborough, not to mention the usual run-ins with crooks, con artists and other assorted nemeses. The series finale, "Opening Night at the Boar's Nest, not only co-stars John Schneider but was also written and directed by him -- a first (and last) for Dukes of Hazzard, though series regulars Denver Pyle, Tom Wopat, Sorrell Booke, and James Best had all previously directed a few episodes here and there. ~ Rovi
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- 1984
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In his own inimitable (and fatheaded) "no questions asked" fashion, Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) hires a trio of crooks to rob a moving boxcar. For this purpose, the crooks intend to knock the boxcar off the train, using remote-control explosives. The Duke boys become intimtately involved in the intrigure when the villians steal the "General Lee" and wire the car to blow up on the railroad tracks, destroying the "money train" and everyone on it in the process! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1984
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Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) produces a document which "proves" that the Duke farm was deeded to his great-grandfather Thaddeus Hogg by Jesse's great-grandfather Jeremiah Duke way back in 1862. Investigating this surprising turn of events, the Dukes refer to a diary left behind by their great-grandma Jenny Duke (Doris Dowling). All this intrigue is merely an excuse to present an extended "Western" flashback spoof, in which the Dukes of Hazzard regulars all show up in cowboy guise as their 19th-century forebears--and run up against the Jesse James gang (somewhat off their own turf) in the bargain! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1983
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Prolific voiceover actor Danny Cooksey appears in this episode as Terry Lee, a dewey-eyed orphan who is anxious to spring a stray basset hound from the local dog pound. The Dukes come to Terry's aid, little realizing that the hound is actually quite valuable, and in fact had previously been kidnapped from a high-class dog show run by John J. Hooper (Joe Dorsey). The plot thickens when the kidnappers mistake the Dukes' own dog Flash for the prize pooch! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1983
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- Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 06 to Queue
Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 06 to top of Queue
Season six of Dukes of Hazzard finds hot-rodding cousins Luke and Bo Duke returning to Hazzard County for good and all, cueing the exit of another set of Duke cousins, Coy and Vance. This is because series stars Tom Wopat and John Schneider, who'd ankled the series during season five in the midst of a contract dispute, made their peace with the producers. Thus, it was back to business, with Luke, Bo, their sexy cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach), their farmer-moonshiner Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) and, of course, their souped up Dodge Charger "General Lee," making life miserable for crooked county commissioner Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and cloddish sheriff Roscoe Coltrane (James Best). As mentioned, Coy and Vance Duke (played during the previous season by Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer) had left for parts unknown. Also absent from the sixth season's 22 episodes are Nedra Voltz as postmistress Miz Emma and Rick Hurst as Deputy Cletus. Making up for this gap in more ways than one is actress Peggy Rea in the off-and-on role of Boss Hogg's hefty wife, Lulu. ~ Rovi
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- 1983
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Future Baywatch costar Shawn Weatherly guest stars as Billie Ann Baxley, a female cop who sidelines as a cycle stunt driver. Coy (Byron Cherry) falls in love with Billie Ann, little suspecting that she is half of a team of crooked hijackers (there's ANOTHER kind of hijackers?) When Vance (Christopher Mayer) figures out what the girl is up to, he tells Coy--who not only refuses to believe his cousin, but also angrily stomps off the Duke farm, apparently for good! This episode was directed by series regular Sorrell Booke (Boss Hogg). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1983
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Season Eight of Alice begins with the series' first-ever "crossover" episode. Sorrell Booke and Sonny Shroyer show up at Mel's Diner as Boss Hogg and Enos Strait, the characters they'd introduced on another Warner Bros.-produced TV series, Dukes of Hazzard. True to form, the larcenous Hogg stoops mighty low to force Mel (Vic Tayback) to relinquish the lease on his diner, the better to make room for a new establishment (owned by guess who?) called "Boar's Nest West." Will Alice (Linda Lavin put up her dukes--or maybe her "Daisy Dukes"--to save the day? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1982
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- Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 05 to Queue
Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 05 to top of Queue
There are many Dukes of Hazzard fans who would just as soon pretend that the series' fifth season never existed. Although perennial co-stars Catherine Bach, Denver Pyle, Sorrell Booke, and James Best are back, and Sonny Shroyer has returned in his familiar role as Deputy Enos Strate (after a brief sabbatical on his own TV series), conspicuous by their absences are leading men Tom Wopat and John Schneider) as hot-rodding cousins Luke and Bo Duke. The two actors had walked off the series over a monetary dispute, obliging the producers to replace them with two more branches from the Duke family tree: cousins Coy Duke (Byron Cherry) and Vance Duke (Christopher Mayer), who according to the scriptwriters had come back to Hazzard country after a six-year absence to help Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle run his farm while Luke and Bo were tooling around the NASCAR circuit. To put it as nicely as possible, diehard Dukes fans did not warm up to Coy and Vance. Fortunately, Tom Wopat and John Schneider patched up their difference with the producers and returned to the series in the middle of season five. The "other" two Dukes hung on until season's end, then disappeared so totally that they might as well have never been born. ~ Rovi
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- 1981
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- Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 04 to Queue
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The Dukes of Hazzard spends most of its fourth season entertainingly covering ground already traveled during the series' previous three seasons. Cousins Luke and Bo Duke (Tom Wopat, John Schneider) continue burning up the byways of Hazzard County in "The General Lee," their souped-up Dodge Charger; Luke and Bo's attractive cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach) continues to provide eye candy in her form-fitting short shorts--and to pursue her own car-racing career; their Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) persists in returning to the moonshining game, just to keep his hand in; and crooked country commissioner Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) never tires of cooking up new get-rich-quick schemes or devising ways to toss the Dukes into the pokey with the aid of non-villainous lawmen Roscoe Coltrane (James Best) and Deputy Cletus (Rick Hurst). Carryovers from season three include a brace of new semi-regulars, postmistress Miz Emma Tisdale (Nedra Voltz) and Chickasaw County Sheriff Little (Don Pedro Colley). Added to the cast lineup during season four are Lila Kent as Laverne and Charlie Dell as Emery Potter. Of the many guest stars appearing in the the 27 Dukes of Hazzard fourth-season episodes, special mention should be made of country & western impresario Mickey Gilley, adroitly cast as "himself" in the episode "The Sound of Music - Hazzard Style." ~ Rovi
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- 1980
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Sorrell Booke plays a dual role as the flamboyantly larcenous Boss Hogg and Boss' scrupulously honest and virtuous twin brother Abe. Arriving in Hazzard County after a long absence, Abe Hogg hopes to claim some valuable land willed to him by his aunt--only to find out that Boss has declared Abe legally dead so that he can snatch up the property himself. The Duke clan comes to Abe's rescue, a task made difficult when they find themselves unable to determine which twin is which! John Schneider (Bo Duke), who was filming a TV movie at the time, does not appear in this episode, leaving Abe Hogg's salvation in the hands of Luke (Tom Wopat) and Daisy (Catherine Bach). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1980
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- Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 03 to Queue
Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 03 to top of Queue
Season three of Dukes of Hazzard is substantially the same as season two, with cousins Luke and Bo Duke (Tom Wopat, John Schneider) manning their hopped up hot rod "The General Lee" in order to confound and confuse crooked county commissioner Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and dumb-bumb sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (James Best), and the boys' sexy cousin Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) and moonshiner Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) occasionally going along for the ride. The most significant third-season change was the promotion from recurring to regular character of Rick Hurst as Deputy Sheriff Cletus, all the better to fill the gap left when Sonny Shroyer, aka Deputy Enos Strate, left Dukes to star in his own TV series Enos -- the pilot of which found Daisy Duke in the clutches of kidnappers. This season opened with the two-part episode, "Carnival of Thrills," in which the machinations of carnival-owner Diane Benson (Robin Mattson) threatens to drive a wedge between Duke and Bo (the two parts were originally shown as a single "special," but have since been re-divided for syndication purposes). In the course of the next 20 installments, Dukes of Hazzard fans made the acquaintance of two new semi-regular characters: motorcycle-riding postmistress Miz Emma Tizdale (Nedra Voltz), and Chickasaw County Sheriff Edward Thomas "Big Ed" Little (Don Pedro Colley). ~ Rovi
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- 1979
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Wildly popular during its six-season run on CBS, The Dukes of Hazzard focused on the ongoing adventures of Bo Duke (John Schneider) and Luke Duke (Tom Wopat), two cousins living in Hazzard County in the Deep South. Jefferson Davis Hogg (Sorrell Booke) is a corrupt local political bigwig who has long had it in for the Duke boys, as well as their moonshine-brewing Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) and their sexy cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach). Roughly once a week, "Boss" Hogg and the corrupt but inept local law enforcement officials under his command, led by Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (James Best) and Deputy Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer), would made trouble for the Dukes and/or their friends, and Bo and Luke would be forced to take the law into their own hands, usually with their help of their souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger, the General Lee. Country music legend Waylon Jennings sang the show's theme song, as well as serving as narrator. Wopat and Schneider briefly left the series due to a pay dispute in 1982; their characters were written out of the show, and Coy Duke (Byron Cherry) and Vance Duke (Christopher Mayer), two cousins previously never discussed on the show, stepped in to take their place, but Bo and Luke were back by the end of the season in 1983. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Tom Wopat, John Schneider, (more)

- 1979
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- Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 01 to Queue
Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 01 to top of Queue
Introduced as a mid-season replacement on CBS' Friday-night schedule, Dukes of Hazzard spends most of its first season establishing, reestablishing, and then re-reestablishing the ongoing battle of wills and wits between Hazzard County hot rodders (and cousins) Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) and Bo Duke (John Schneider) and comically corrupt county commissioner Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke), dimwitted Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (James Best), and doltish deputy Enos Strate (Sonny Strait). When not zooming around the countryside in their souped up Dodge Charger, "The General Lee", Luke and Bo can be found in the company of moonshiner Uncle Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle) or their wholesomely sexy cousin, Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach). Although the plotlines of the individual episodes are the least important element of Dukes of Hazzard, it can be noted that the Duke boys' first-season adventures involve the hijacking of slot machines in order to pay the bills at a local orphanage, a desperate flight from angry mobsters in search of a hundred grand in stolen money, an attempt to convert moonshine whiskey into engine fuel, a stopover at the popular and illegal annual Hazzard Obstacle Derby, the theft of the Presidential Limousine from under the noses of the CIA, and a pair of incompetent crooks wearing Laurel & Hardy masks. ~ Rovi
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- 1979
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- Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 02 to Queue
Add The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 02 to top of Queue
So popular were the first 13 episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard that CBS ordered a full complement of 24 hour-long installments for the series' second season. Thematically, little changed from season one to season two: Hot-rodding cousins Luke and Bo Duke (Tom Wopat, John Schneider) continue manning the controls of their souped up Dodge Charger, "The General Lee," the better to foil the various crooked schemes of country commissioner Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and to keep one step ahead of Hogg's dopey henchmen, Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane (James Best) and Deputy Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer) -- and on occasion, Coltrane's reserve deputy, Cletus (Rick Hurst). Meanwhile, the Dukes' sexy cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach) and moonshiner Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) continue cheering the boys' exploits from the sidelines, occasionally getting into the thick of things themselves. With so much fast action and rowdy slapstick going on, who needs plotlines? Well, actually, quite a lot happens during Dukes of Hazzard's second year on the air. Highlights include a grudge race between longtime rivals (and former partners-in-crime) Boss Hogg and Uncle Jesse, a con game involving three million dollars in phony gold bars, a misdelivered consignment of stolen TV sets, an encounter with elderly counterfeiter Granny Annie (played by veteran radio actress Lurene Tuttle), a visit from the Dukes' "veddy" British cousin Gaylord (Simon MacCorkindale), a Smokey and the Bandit-like entanglement with a runaway heiress (Suzy Holmes), and a brief and embarrassing period in which Daisy Duke "jumps the fence" and becomes a deputy sheriff. Probably the most famous second- season episode is "Find Loretta Lynn," in which the eponymous country & western singer is kidnapped by a trio of stupid outlaws demanding a ransom of 1136.15 dollars! ~ Rovi
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- 1978
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Good Times moved from Wednesday to Monday evening with this episode, in which J.J. (Jimmy Carter) loses out on a job promotion. Another employee at the ad agency intimates that J.J. would have gotten the move-up had he been a different color. The result: J.J. has a dream in which he has turned white, whereupon series regular Jimmie Walker relinquishes his customary role to Caucasian comic actor Dennis Howard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1978
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On the day of Charles and Caroline Ingalls' wedding anniversary, Charles (Michael Landon) is unable to come home on schedule due to a broken wagon wheel. While everyone waits for the festivities to commence, Caroline (Karen Grassle) regales her children with a story about her youthful romance with Charles -- or, to be more specific, Charles' utter refusal to reveal his romantic inclinations. Nicolas Coster is seen as Charles' father, Lansford, a role originated by Arthur Hill in the third-season episode "Journey in the Spring," while Matthew Laborteaux, who would soon appear regularly on the series as the Ingalls' adopted son, Albert, is here cast as the young Charles. Katy Kurtzman, who played Anna Gillberg in the previous season's "The Music Box," appears as the young Caroline. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)

- 1978
- PG
This lighthearted, tuneful and youth-oriented comedy is set in a record store and chronicles the zany exploits of its employees. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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- 1978
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Rocky (Noah Beery Jr.) is not the only person in the trailer park who is annoyed by his new neighbors Nodzak (Luke Andreas) and Conigliaro (Greg Antonacci), who not only throw wild and noisy parties every night, but threaten to beat up anyone who complains. Jim (James Garner) takes it upon himself to confront the two troublemakers, only to end up being charged with murder. With his new attorney (Sorrell Booke) too busy to devote his full time to Jim's plight, the detective places his fate in the hands of the estimable John Cooper (Bob Hopkins in his first series appearance), a disbarred lawyer-turned-legal researcher. Unexpected complications ensue, involving the sister of a notorious mobster. . .not to mention another murder which is still in the planning stages. This episode and its sixth-season followup "Just a Coupla Guys" were written by David Chase, who later parlayed his fascination with the Mob into the groundbreaking cable-TV series The Sopranos. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1977
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- Add The Amazing Howard Hughes to Queue
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Taking over the already profitable Hughes tool company from his deceased father, the teenaged Howard Hughes (Tommy Lee Jones) turns the operation into a billion-dollar business. Along the way, he dabbles in film production, romancing such Hollywood lovelies as Katharine Hepburn (Tovah Feldshuh) and Billie Dove (Lee Purcell). Fame becomes notoreity as Hughes embarks on such projects as the "bosom western" The Outlaw and the "Spruce Goose." He also defiantly stands up to the HUAC-only to become one of America's most virulent anti-Communists. In his twilight years, the fabulously wealthy but increasingly paranoid Hughes lives like a down-and-out hermit in his high-rise Las Vegas suite, communicating only with his trusted associate Noah Dietrich (Ed Flanders), and then not even with him. Adapted from the memoirs of Noah Dietrich, The Amazing Howard Hughes originally aired April 13 and 14, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1977
- R
- Add The Other Side of Midnight to Queue
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One woman's life of love and larceny is recounted in this soapy drama based on the best-selling novel by Sidney Sheldon. In the midst of WWII, innocent French girl Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with dashing American pilot Larry Douglas (John Beck). When Larry is given new orders taking him back to America, he tells Noelle that he'll come back for her -- when he doesn't, she becomes bitter and pledges to use men for their money and power, not for love. Noelle goes on to become a famous actress and weds Constantin Demeris (Raf Vallone), a Greek multi-millionaire. But she can't shake her passion for Larry, and eventually she hires him to work as her personal pilot. While at first he does not recognize her, soon Larry and Noelle are once again involved in a torrid affair, and when Larry's wife Catherine (Susan Sarandon) refuses to give him a divorce, he and Noelle begin planning a scheme to arrange an "accidental" death for Catherine. The Other Side of Midnight marked the American debut of actress Marie-France Pisier, following her role in the international success Cousin, Cousine. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, (more)

- 1977
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Preparing the grand opening of "Archie Bunker's Place," Archie discovers that being an employer can be just as vexing as working for wages. As one argument segues into another, Archie's entire staff walks out on him. There is nothing else for Archie to do but press Edith, Mike, and Gloria into service as temporary help -- and one can well imagine Mike's efficiency as a convivial bartender. Originally telecast on October 30, 1977, "Archie's Grand Opening" was written by Larry Rhine and Mel Tolkin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)

- 1977
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The seemingly lighthearted title of this made-for-TV movie obscures the film's somber overtones. Good Times star Jimmie Walker was past 30 when he starred as teenaged athlete Morris Bird III in The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened. Stricken with leukemia, Morris nonetheless intends to play in an upcoming basketball tournament. His own personal tragedy is compounded by the surprisingly aloof behavior of his father (James Earl Jones). Set during the 1950s, the film admirably evokes its time-frame without hitting the audience over the head with its attention to period detail. Based on a novel by Don Robertson, The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened was first aired October 26, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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