Kenneth Welsh Movies

The World War II set romantic drama Above and Beyond concerns a young man and woman who fall in love, but must consider putting country before self in order to do what is right for the world. Richard E. Grant and Jason Priestley star in this tale of love in the RAF. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

While the major American TV networks were jockeying to be the first to present a filmed biography of the late Pope John Paul II, cable's humble Hallmark Channel managed to beat everyone to the punch with the four-hour Karol: A Man Who Became Pope. Actually, this made-for-TV film was a Polish-Italian co-production, debuting on Italian television as Karol, un Uomo Diventato Papa on April 8, 2005, and subsequently released theatrically in Poland. Curiously, it had been filmed in English, so no dubbing was necessary -- thus enabling Hallmark to rush the production onto American screens as early as August 15, 2005. Piotr Adamczyk stars as Karol Wojtyla, whose tireless fight for humanity and basic fundamental rights begins with the German invasion of his native Poland in 1939. Appalled at the brutal treatment afforded his Jewish friends, Karol turns to religion as a means of making a difference in the world, and with the help of several other like-minded individuals mounts a nonviolent, but extremely effective, anti-Nazi resistance. Ordained as a priest at war's end, Karol finds himself fighting another form of godless totalitarianism, this one from the Communists who have overtaken his country. Ultimately, Father Karol Wojtyla's noble mission culminates in his being elected as Pope John Paul II in 1978 -- and it was surely no coincidence that Poland's liberation was now but a matter of time. Although A Man Who Became Pope looks lavish and expensive, it was very economically produced, and had made back its cost many times over before its acquisition by Hallmark. The film is also a "winner" in terms of its straight-on portrayal of the pontiff, and the commendably sincere, unadorned performances of virtually every actor in the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Created by author/entertainer Kay Thompson in 1955, precocious six-year-old Eloise, who lived in the Plaza Hotel with her long-suffering nanny, her dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee, was the heroine of several delightful children's books written by Thompson and whimsically illustrated by Hilary Knight. The charm of the "Eloise" books has proven elusive whenever the property is adapted for another media, as witness a disastrous musical version which aired live on Playhouse 90 in 1956. On this occasion, Eloise came off as a spoiled obstreperous brat, which was as much the fault of the child actress cast in the role (Evelyn Rudie) as the adapters. Disney decided to give little Eloise another chance 47 years later with the location-filmed Eloise at the Plaza, a two-hour movie presentation of ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney anthology. This time around, Sofia Vassilieva played the title role, with Julie Andrews as Eloise's nanny (something of a full-circle for Andrews, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of a rather different nanny in the 1964 Disney theatrical feature Mary Poppins). The plot finds Eloise insisting upon attending a debutante ball at the Plaza and further conniving to have a runaway foreign prince (Denis Akiyama) -- who isn't much older than she is -- as her escort. Our heroine also mends fences between a reluctant teenage deb and the girl's pushy mother. Jeffrey Tambor is typecast as the Plaza's supercilious concierge Mr. Salomone, whose dithering efforts to keep Eloise from nosing into other people's business avail him not one bit. Hilary Knight appears in a cameo role as himself. Eloise at the Plaza first aired April 27, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Matt Frewer stars as Sherlock Holmes in this made-for-TV mystery based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mary Morstan (Sophie Lorain) is a pretty young governess, whose father, serving as an officer with the British Army in India, vanished six years ago while returning to England. Each year on the anniversary of Captain Morstan's disappearance, Mary has received a small but expensive bit of jewelry from an anonymous benefactor, and when one year the gift is sent with a message requesting a meeting, Mary retains the services of detective Sherlock Holmes (Frewer) and his assistant Watson (Kenneth Welsh). Holmes discovers the gifts and the message were sent by Thaddeus Sholto (Marcel Jeannin), whose father served with Captain Morstan in India; while serving as guards at a prison, Major Sholto and Captain Morstan encountered a group of thieves who had stolen a fortune in jewels and murdered the owner. Sholto had the loot shipped back to his estate in England shortly before Morstan went missing, and when Sholto fell ill, he made his son promise to share the fortune with Morstan's daughter. However, now the jewels are gone, and Thaddeus' brother has been murdered, leaving Holmes and Watson to find the loot and the murderer before anyone else is killed. The Sign of Four was the fifth screen adaptation of Doyle's second novel. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An American journalist takes on the dangerous responsibility of rescuing nearly a thousand refugees from a Nazi concentration camp in this two-part made-for-TV movie based on a true story. In the early days of America's involvement in World War II, Ruth Gruber (Natasha Richardson) is a reporter who has been giving particular attention to a recent story: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in violation of United States policies of the day, has announced he will grant asylum in America to 982 European refugees from Nazi labor camps. But someone needs to escort the prisoners to the U.S.; Gruber, of European ancestry and Jewish faith, volunteers for the assignment over the objections of her parents (Anne Bancroft and Martin Landau). Gruber travels to Italy on behalf of Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes (Hal Holbrook), where she helps the refugees board the U.S.S. Henry Gibbins. But Gruber discovers that the American sailors manning the ship regard their passengers as little better than their Nazi jailers, and the State Department declares, upon their arrival in the United States, that all the refugees are to be housed in a camp in Oswego, NY -- even those who have families willing to sponsor them in America. Gruber realizes her work with the refugees is far from done, and she bravely battles against both bureaucracy and prejudice to win both dignity and fair treatment for the new settlers. Haven was originally broadcast on the CBS television network on February 11 and 14, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

From the award-winning children's series The Inventors' Specials, comes this entertaining and educational glimpse into the life and work of Thomas Edison. The series combines fact with fictionalized stories to highlight a key period in the lives of famous inventors. In Edison: The Wizard of Light, the inventor rescues a boy from a truant officer after the boy appears in his lab. Edison decides to take the boy under his wing and share with him the excitement of the inventor's world. The program introduces the concepts of patents and recounts the birth of the movie industry. Other programs in this series designed for youngsters between the ages of eight and 13 are Albert Einstein: Light to the Power of 2, Leonardo: A Dream of Flight, Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants, Marie Curie: More Than Meets the Eye, and Isaac Newton: A Tale of Two Isaacs. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide

Former Max Headroom star Matt Frewer made his first appearance as master detective Sherlock Holmes in this well-appointed adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. On this occasion, Holmes and his chronicler Dr. John Watson (Kenneth Walsh) set about to protect young Sir Henry Baskerville (Jason London) from falling victim to what seems to be an old and inexorable family curse. Eventually the two sleuths converge upon Baskerville Hall, near the dreaded Grimpen Mire, where a huge and voracious hound threatens the wellbeing of all concerned. But who is really behind the sinister plot against Sir Henry -- and is anyone involved in the case truly whom he or she claims to be? Largely filmed on-location at Montacute House in Somerset, England, The Hound of the Baskervilles made its American TV bow over the Odyssey cable network on October 21, 2000, and seven days later debuted in Canada courtesy of CTV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

TV director David Steinberg (Mad About You, Seinfeld) helmed this Canadian comedy satirizing The Fugitive and similar actioners. Cleveland corporate climber Nelson Hibbert (Dave Foley) is confident his promotion to company prez is just around the corner, but when it doesn't happen, he goes postal during a meeting, aiming threats at the boss who passed him over. Later, he barges into the boss' office, finds him dead, and runs from the office holding the bloody weapon. Since this was witnessed by his co-workers, he thinks they have accused him as the killer. Unaware surveillance cameras revealed the real killer, Hibbert hightails it for Mexico, certain that he's a most-wanted fugitive. Made in Toronto in 1996, this film expands on a sketch Foley scripted for Kids in the Hall. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The chief suspect in the disappearance and probable murder of a couple is turned in by his own brother. Once in custody, the suspect refuses to cop an insanity plea -- much to the consternation of his brother, who had hoped to secure medical treatment for his sibling who must now face the emotional burden of a first-degree conviction. Tovah Feldshuh makes another appearance as aggressive defense attorney Danielle Melnick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This chilling sci-fi drama is set in a sun-ravaged world no longer protected by the ozone layer. Human life has managed to continue, but it isn't easy. The tale centers on the insanely brilliant Hank Symes, a scientist who disregards the rules of his laboratory and swipes some biological materials and uses them to build the house he hopes can save humanity. Unfortunately, something goes horribly wrong and he becomes a mutant while the house itself turns into a living, unfriendly organism. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A tense hostage situation erupts when three escaped convicts commandeer a school bus full of deaf children and take them and their courageous teacher (Marlee Matlin) to an abandoned slaughterhouse to negotiate with the cops. No sooner are the crooks and their captives inside the plant than it is surrounded by policemen. An FBI unit led by John Potter (James Garner) arrives. Though a veteran agent, Potter has been laid off since he was accused of botching a bombing situation in Texas. He and the leader of the police force Budd (Kenneth Welsh) are immediately at loggerheads as to how to handle things. The situation is worsened when a publicity hungry assistant D.A. (Charles Martin Smith) shows up with a camera crew. Meanwhile, the clever and determined Melanie devises her own imperfect solution to the problem. Though basically a routine thriller, it does feature a couple of surprising twists at the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide