Jessica Walter Movies
Learning the ropes at the Bucks County Playhouse and New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, Jessica Walter made her Broadway debut in 1961's Advise and Consent. The raven-haired leading lady was then seen on a regular basis in several Manhattan-based TV programs, including the daytimer Love of Life and the 1965 nighttime series For the People. In films from 1964, Jessica was one of eight young female "newcomers" (Candice Bergen, Elizabeth Hartman, Joanna Pettet et. al.) who went on to greater things after appearing en masse in Sidney Lumet's The Group (1966). Her flashiest screen role was as the dangerously possessive "number one fan" Evelyn Draper in Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me (1971). Of her many weekly-TV assignments, Walter's title role in the mid-'70s cop series Amy Prentiss garnered her the most attention; that is, until recently, when Walter found late-career acclaim on the award-winning sitcom Arrested Development. As the insensitive, materialistic matriarch of the Bluth family, Walter garnered a plum comedic role, and Emmy attention to boot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1974
Chief of detectives Amy Prentiss (Jessica Walter) tries to get to the bottom of a seemingly open-and-shut murder case. An alcoholic (Don Murray) behaves horribly at a party, then passes out. He awakens the next morning to find an unidentified dead girl in his apartment. Homicide detective Andrew Prine is convinced that the drunk is the killer, but Mrs. Prentiss is unsatisfied with this instant deduction. Originally telecast December 22, 1974, the 2-hour The Desperate World of Jane Doe was the second installment in the Amy Prentiss TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The made-for-TV Hurricane was based on William C. Anderson's novel Hurricane Hunters, which, in turn, was inspired by events surrounding Hurricane Camille in 1969. The scene is Cassler, MS, where a pair of hurricane chasers, patrol-plane pilot Major Stoddard (Martin Milner) and seafarer Paul Damon (Larry Hagman) do their best to rescue the citizens of the community from a devastating storm. Other key characters include: feminist TV weatherperson Lee Jackson (Michael Learned); old-fashioned (but shrewd) meteorologist Dr. McCutcheon (Will Geer); Damon's imperiled wife, Louise (Jessica Walter); and oblivious Bert Pearson (Frank Sutton in his final movie role). Hurricane originally aired September 10, 1974, as the first installment of a brand-new ABC Movie of the Week season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
One suspects that this episode was a case of combining business with pleasure for F.B.I star Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) On assignment for the FBI, Inspector Lew Erskine (Zimbalist) grabs his clubs and heads to an expensive golf course. The purpose: to trap a group of affluent thieves who have stolen a diamond worth $300,000. Featured in the cast is Quinn Redeker, who later forsook acting to become a screenwriter, sharing an Oscar for 1978's The Deer Hunter. Much of this episode was filmed on location at various golf clubs along the Monterey Peninsula. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The Two Million Clams of Cap'n Jack--actually $2 million dollars in engraved stock-certificate plates--are missing. The guard went into the special security elevator with the plates; moments later, the elevator arrived empty. Cap'n Jack (Andrew Duggan) is furious; detective Banacek (George Peppard) is curious. And he gets curiouser and curiouser as he interviews such suspects as Jessica Walter and Linden Chiles. This 90-minute episode of Banacek originally aired on February 7, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
In this drama a detective must guard the new diamond collection at a Tony department store that was recently robbed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Earl Holliman plays one of two disreputable insurance agents involved in a deadly scam. A wealthy philatelist has been murdered, an 1850 Guyana stamp worth $300,000 has been stolen, and the crooks are trying to turn a huge profit on a counterfeit of the missing stamp. Also prominent in the proceedings is Jessica Walter, fresh from her bravura villainy in Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
When their aging father (Walter Brennan) is convinced his second wife is out to kill him, his four adult daughters gather over the holidays to help make things right, only to find themselves terrorized by a pitchfork-wielding maniac. This made-for-TV thriller was also released as Deadly Desires. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1971
They Call It Murder was the pilot for a potential TV series based on the "Doug Selby" character created by Perry Mason mentor Earl Stanley Gardner. Inspired by Gardner's 1969 novel The DA Draws a Circle, the film finds district attorney Selby (Jim Hutton) probing the mystery of a corpse in a swimming pool. It is obvious from the outset that the dead man did not drown, but was killed elsewhere and then unceremoniously dumped in the chlorine. Selby traces the chain of events to a car accident and an insurance scam. Originally telecast December 17, 1971, They Call It Murder was given a network rerun in the Spring of 1973--on a particularly bloodthirsty evening in which the competition included the woman-in-jeopardy TV movie The Bait and a murder-trial episode of Hawaii 5-0! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
The made-for-TV Women in Chains is strictly for those who enjoy knowing what's coming next. Lois Nettelton stars as a probation officer investigating prison conditions. To better facilitate her studies, she adopts an assumed name and has herself thrown into jail as a convict. Ida Lupino (but of course) is the sadistic head of the prison. The only outside person who knows of Lois' subterfuge dies, leaving the hapless heroine at the mercy of Lupino and the vicious female cons. Typical of the "realism" inherent in Women in Chains is the casting of ebullient young actress Judy Strangis as a strung-out junkie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
A famous gunfight is chronicled in this lively western. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This documentary about the life and career of Clint Eastwood includes exclusive footage and interviews with a number of his colleagues and co-stars, including Geneviève Bujold, Frances Fisher, Gene Hackman, and Marsha Mason. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Perennial TV villain Monte Markham is up to his old tricks as James Devlin, a ski instructor who moonlights as a bank robber. Planning to pull off his biggest heist thus far, Devlin must first head East to link up with former girlfriend--and potential accomplice--Gilliam Norbury (Jessica Walter). Dogging Devlin's trail is, as always, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) of the FBI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Play Misty for Me marked Clint Eastwood's debut as a director, and it gave him the then-unusual opportunity to play a regular contemporary guy in a thriller about sex, obsession, and stalking. Eastwood's Dave Garver is a self-centered California jazz disc jockey struggling with the idea of committing to his on-again, off-again girlfriend Tobie (Donna Mills). One night he meets the mini-skirted Evelyn (Jessica Walters) in a bar, and he goes home with her for what he assumes is a one-night stand. Dave discovers, however, that Evelyn has repeatedly called his show requesting that he "play 'Misty' for me," and she is not about to go gently into the night now that she has bedded him. Even though it touches on the early-'70s flashpoints of sexual liberation, studio execs expressed doubts about why anyone would want to see a movie featuring Eastwood as a deejay. Eastwood reportedly answered that he was not sure either, but he thought it was a good suspense story, and he offered his services as director for free. Play Misty for Me wound up making five times more than it cost and is a precursor to such erotic thrillers as Fatal Attraction (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992). Eastwood mentor Don Siegel appears early on as a bartender. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, (more)
- 1970
The IMF has a mere 48 hours to prevent an elusive enemy assassin from striking again. Posing as a drug-addicted defector, Phelps gains the confidence of the shadowy killer's contact man Eric Bergmann (Albert Paulsen). Also crucial to the success of the IMF is "guest" agent Valerie, played by Jessica Walter). Though the identity of the assassin has been revealed in other sources, it will remain a secret in this synopsis. Written by Paul Playdon, "Orpheus" was origianlly telecast on March 1, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1969
- PG
Ron Catlin (Charleton Heston) is a pro-football player who realizes his playing skills have eroded. His actions on the field have slowed to the point where retirement looms. His wife Julie (Jessica Walter) has her own fashion-designing business and his former teammate Richie (Bruce Dern) has parlayed his football heroics into a successful auto-leasing company. As "The Cat" loses his legendary quickness, he finds himself ill-suited to join the real world after his pampered isolation in the NFL. He takes to the bottle and to the lure of an illicit affair with Ann (Diana Muldaur). John Randolph plays a realistic coach who can't rely on this fading player's past heroics to win the next big game. Trumpeter Al Hirt and members of the New Orleans Saints appear as themselves. Bobby Troupe plays a local businessman who offers Catlin a job. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Jessica Walter, (more)
- 1969
For some reason, the made-for-TV Three's a Crowd was rerun to death in the early 1970s. Perhaps it's because local TV station managers couldn't get ahold of the 1940 theatrical features My Favorite Wife or Too Many Husbands, the plotlines of which are strikingly similar to Three's a Crowd. Larry Hagman plays a pilot who disappears and is presumed dead by his wife. Seven years later, however, Hagman pops up in another city, married to someone else. Jessica Parker and E. J. Peaker costar as the pilot's two brides. The film's title tune was written by Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce, the same team responsible for several of the Monkees' 1960s hits. Three's a Crowd debuted December 2, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The Immortal is the pilot film for a TV series that reversed the concept of Run For Your Life: Instead of a hero with only a few years to live, the hero of The Immortal can never die! Injected with an experimental serum, Christopher George finds that his blood system has built up an immunity to all diseases and that his ageing process has been halted. That should have been the end of the story, but a dying millionaire (Barry Sullivan) hopes to drain George of his blood and transfuse it to his own body. George is forced to go into hiding; in the subsequent series, he did the "Fugitive" bit, travelling from town to town and touching the lives of the citizens therein. The Immortal was based on a novel by James Gunn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Bye Bye Braverman is a bittersweet adaptation of Wallace Markfield's coldly cynical novel To an Early Grave. Braverman, an idealistic minor author, dies; his four best friends, writers who in one way or another have all sold out, decide to attend his funeral. The foursome includes a disenchanted magazine writer (George Segal), a poet (Jack Warden), a book reviewer (Sorrell Booke), and an embittered bellyacher (Joseph Wiseman). Taking a picaresque journey from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn, the quartet never quite gets to the funeral, but their odyssey unearths many a self-revelation and previously unspoken truth. Like its four leading characters, Bye Bye Braverman loses its way towards the end, bringing this otherwise insightful comedy/drama to a muddied conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal, Jack Warden, (more)
- 1968
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) gets to show off his tennis prowess when he goes undercover to end the criminal activities of suave racketeer John Harris (Joseph Campanella). The elusive Harris has ordered the killing of a Federal agent, and Erskine hopes to trap the man into incriminating himself. Meanwhile, Harris' paid assassin prepares to eliminate the only witness to the killing, a lonely teenage girl named Barbara (Brooke Bundy). Featured in a villainous role is future Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti, here billed as "Dan Travanty." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Donning mustache and horn-rimmed glasses, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) poses as Carl Jordan, a courier for the Reds who had been shot during an attempt to smuggle valuable information out of the US. Erskine hopes to retrace Jordan's steps and locate an elusive spy boss known only as "Alexander." But things take an unexpected turn when the Inspector finds himself in the middle of a deadly turf war between the Russians and the Chinese. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
A series of truck hijackings has coincided with the appearance of stolen American cargoes behind the Iron Curtain. Investigating, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) follows the trail of clues to Manning Fryes (Peter Graves), an outwardly respectable businessman who is harboring a terrible secret. In a rare American TV appearance, Louis Jordan is unforgettable as a charming but cold-blooded master spy who uses beautiful women and vulnerable men as his helpless pawns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Based on the novel by Mary McCarthy, The Group was one of the slickest, and most highly publicized, cinematic soap operas of the 1960s. Filmed largely in New York, the story charts the exploits of eight young women, all of whom graduate from an exclusive Vassar-ish college in the middle of the Depression. Among the talented young actresses making their screen debuts herein are Candice Bergen as Lakey, the group's resident Lesbian; Joan Hackett as Dottie, a repressed socialite who takes up with bohemian artist Dick Brown (Richard Mulligan); Joanna Pettet as Kay, who marries philandering playwright Harald Peterson (Larry Hagman); and Kathleen Widdoes as Helena, the wealthiest of the girls who insists upon proving her value in the workplace. The other girls are Pokey (Marin-Robin Redd), who seems happiest when pregnant; Jessica Walter as Libby, the group's viper-tongued gossip and the darling of the Manhattan literary set (some have suggested that McCarthy based this character on herself); Elizabeth Hartman as Priss, the requisite heart-on-sleeve liberal; and Shirley Knight as Polly, whose bumpy love life culminates in a very colorful engagement party. Hal Holbrook, likewise making his first screen appearance, plays Gus LeRoy. Sumptuously produced, The Group is a bit empty dramatically, though the sheer volume of continuing characters manages to sustain audience interest. (Incidentally, here's a note for "blooper" spotters: wasn't the Pan Am building constructed in the 1950s? ) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett, (more)
There's a few million dollars' worth of star power and a nickel's worth of plot in the lavish race-car melodrama Grand Prix. Among the participants in this annual cross-continent competition are characters played by James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, and Antonio Sabato. Interested parties include Toshiro Mifune (his voice dubbed by Paul Frees), Adolfo Celi, and Claude Dauphin, while the women who agonize on the sidelines include Eva Marie Saint, Jessica Walter, and Françoise Hardy. The racing sequences are top-rank, cleverly utilizing those 1960s devices of helicopter angles and multiple screens. Oscars went to editor Frederic Steinkamp (among others) and the sound-effects supervisor Franklin E. Milton. Filmed on location, Grand Prix made back its cost about half a week into its run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, (more)
- 1966
During a flight from New York to Seattle, a passenger identifying himself as Ernest Putnam (Arthur Hill) hijacks the plane and demands to be flown to Manchuria. Inspector Erskine learns that "Putnam" is actually a scientist named Charles King, and that he is in possession of vital government information that must not fall into the hands of the Red Chinese. In a desperate effort to stop King and rescue the passengers, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) tries to intercept the plane during a refueling stopover in Alaska--but the situation is far from resolved! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
