Lesley Ann Warren Movies
Publicity notwithstanding, Lesley Ann Warren did not exactly burst fully grown into the world in 1966 to star in the Rodgers and Hammerstein TV special Cinderella. Trained at New York's Professional Children's School, Lesley Ann studied under Lee Strasberg before making her Broadway debut in 110 in the Shade, the 1964 musical version of The Rainmaker. On the strength of Cinderella, Lesley Ann was signed to a Disney contract; but after starring in The Happiest Millionaire (1966) and The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band, she rebelled against her studio-imposed sweetness-'n'-light image. Upon replacing Barbara Bain in the long-running espionage TVer Mission: Impossible in 1970, Warren publicly emphasized that her character, Dana Lambert, was a "now" person, wise in the ways of sex. She stayed with Mission for only a year, after which she established herself as a leading light in the made-for-TV movie field, frequently cast as an older woman involved romantically with a much-younger man. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her hilarious performance as bleach-blond gangster's moll Norma in Victor/Victoria (1981), then starred in a couple of intriguing Alan Rudolph-directed dramas, Choose Me (1984) and The Songwriter (1986). Her more recent roles include Molly, the homeless woman in Mel Brooks' Life Stinks(1991), who goes into a "death throes" act whenever she feels like it, and the barracuda booking agent for c-and-w star George Strait in Pure Country (1994). For nearly a decade, Lesley Ann Warren was the wife of producer/hairstylist Jon Peters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The daily travails of a Vegas chorus girl provide the fodder for this made-for-television drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Ann Warren, Rita Moreno, (more)
On the verge of starvation in 1930s Paris, erstwhile entertainer Victoria (Julie Andrews) is rescued by gay cabaret performer Toddy (Robert Preston). What she needs to succeed, opines Toddy, is a gimmick. What if she becomes a male impersonator? Better still: what if she becomes a male impersonator, pretending to be a female impersonator? As "Victor/Victoria," s/he becomes the toast of Paree, and an object of fascination for big-time Chicago gangster King Marchan (James Garner), who can't quite understand the teasing sensations he experiences whenever watching her in action-especially since he, like everyone else, assumes that she is a he. Enjoyable though the stars of Blake Edwards' comedy may be, the film is stolen by Lesley Ann Warren, who won an Oscar nomination as King's screechy-voiced moll, and Alex Karras as King's chief henchman, who, assuming that his boss is "that way," literally comes out of the closet. Victor/Victoria was a remake of the 1931 German film Viktor und Viktoria, which had previously be reworked in 1937 as the Jessie Mathews vehicle First a Girl. In 1996, Victor/Victoria was transformed into a Broadway musical, again directed by Edwards and starring Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, James Garner, (more)
- 1981
- PG
Actor David Hemmings made one of his periodic forays into directing with the lightning-paced Race For the Yankee Zephyr. The film pits deer hunters against a group of unscrupulous businessmen. Their mutual goal is a reserve of gold, hidden somewhere in the Australian wilds. Ken Wahl and Leslie Ann Warren are the Hollywood-bred "box office insurance" in this Australian/New Zealand coproduction. Race for the Yankee Zephyr was first shown in America via pay-cable, where it carried no rating but was preceded with a warning vis-a-vis violence and strong language. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Beulah Land is an edited, movie-length version of the three-part TV miniseries adaptation of Lonnie Coleman's multi-part novels. The film is set in the Old South, with a time span ranging from 1827 to the postwar Reconstruction Era. Lesley Ann Warren stars as Sarah Kendrick, young belle of the Beulah Land plantation, who finds herself in love with a "damn Yankee." Sarah must also contend with a weakling brother (Paul Rudd) and a former slave (Dorian Harewood) who demands freedom as a right rather than a privilege. Beulah Land took forever to get before the cameras due to protests from black historical organizations; when it was finally telecast on October 7-9, 1980, NBC conducted a low-pressure ad campaign, as though the network was still fearful of stepping on toes despite the testimonial of a black Yale history professor, who commended the production for its "special sensitivity." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Ann Warren, Michael Sarrazin, (more)
- 1979
This made-for-TV drama tells the story of how a nice young widow becomes a stripper. She only does it because she desperately needs money to support her young son. When her son's grandfather finds out, he immediately starts a custody battle to take the son away from her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Lesley Ann Warren joins hands (paws?) with Doglion for a send-up of "Beauty and the Beast". Meanwhile, The Great Gonzo literally crashes hecklers Statler and Waldorf's box seats, and Miss Piggy commands the Swinetrek. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Ann Warren
- 1978
The second TV-movie to bear the title Betrayal stars Lesley Ann Warren and Rip Torn. Warren plays Julie Roy, a sensitive young woman seeking solace through therapy. Torn co-stars as Julie's psychiatrist Dr. Hartogs. It turns out that the far-from-ethical Hartogs has a hidden agenda: while pretending to minister to Julie's needs, he inveigles her into a sexual relationship. First telecast November 13, 1978, Betrayal was based on an actual case and adapted from a book co-written by the real-life Julie Roy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Adapted by Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant from his own novel, the three-part, six-hour miniseries Pearl inevitably invoked memories of the strikingly similar From Here to Eternity. The focus was on three military couples living in Honolulu in and around the time of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Race, romance, and rank-pulling ran riot in a number of interconnected plot lines, interspersed with stock footage of the attack from the 1970 theatrical feature Tora! Tora! Tora!. Pearl originally aired on ABC during a particularly busy "sweeps week," November 16, 17, and 19, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Dickinson, Robert Wagner, (more)
- 1977
The formal title for this TV mini-series was Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue, just in case you might mistake it for William Makepeace Thackeray's 79 Park Avenue. Originally presented in three parts, this adaptation of the Robbins best-seller stars Lesley Ann Warren as Marja Fludjicki, a Depression-era tenement girl who is accused of murdering her drunken stepfather. Part One details how Marja's "crime" was justifiable; she'd been raped by the bounder. Parts Two and Three would trace Marja's progress from teenaged prostitute to elegant, high-priced Park Avenue Madam--and mob mistress. Forced by circumstance into a life of prostitution, Marja marries Las Vegas high-roller Ross Savitch (Marc Singer). Ross is bumped off by the Syndicate, leaving Marja in the lurch. Marja rebounds from tragedy to become a federal witness against the Mob. 79 Park Avenue was first telecast on October 16, 17, and 18, 1977. Though all the names are changed, it isn't hard to discern the Bugsy Siegel story in this video equivalent to eating a whole box of chocolates in one sitting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- PG
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Harry and Walter Go to New York was born of the theory that, the more stars and money that you throw into a film, the better the film will be. The theory has seldom been proven true, and it certainly wasn't in this case. Harry (James Caan) and Walter (Elliot Gould) are a third-rate vaudeville team, playing tank towns in turn-of-the-century USA. Thrown into the hoosegow on a petty-theft charge, our heroes make the acquaintance of big-time crook Adam Worth (Michael Caine). Once they're sprung, Harry and Walter follow Worth to New York, with the intention of pulling off a huge bank robbery. Lissa Chestnut (Diane Keaton), a bird-brained suffragette, is also mixed up in the proceedings though she never seems certain of who or what her character is from one scene to the next. The film's one tangible asset is its meticulous re-creation of 1890s New York, courtesy of art director Harry Horner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Elliott Gould, (more)
- 1975
Legend of Valentino is a TV-shorthand retelling of the life and loves of legendary silent screen star Rudolph Valentino, here portrayed by Franco Nero. This TV movie was advertised as "romantic fiction," which was just as well since its only nods to the truth are the basic facts of Valentino's enormous screen fame and the national hysteria attending his early death in 1926 of peritonitis. Typical of Legend of Valentino's fabrications is the depiction of Valentino's first meeting with his future mentor, screenwriter June Mathis (played by Suzanne Pleshette). In real life, Mathis discovered Valentino by watching him play a string of supporting roles; in Legend, she confronts him in her living room while he's burglarizing her house! Despite its historical shortcomings, Legend of Valentino is a lot better than the 1951 and 1977 biopics of the "Latin Lover." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzanne Pleshette, Franco Nero, (more)
- 1973
Letters begins with the crash of a U.S. mail plane. One year later, cheerful postman Henry Jones delivers the long-delayed letters. These overdue missives profoundly affect the lives of (a) a man who's deserted his wife; (b) a woman anxious to break up her daughter's romance; and (c) a pianist who'd sell his soul for success. The guest star roster of this TV movie includes John Forsythe, Jane Powell, Lesley Ann Warren, Ida Lupino, Ben Murphy, Pamela Franklin, and Leslie Nielsen. Both Letters and its sequel Letters From Lost Lovers (1973) were intended as pilot films for a never-sold TV anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Joshua Cabe (Buddy Ebsen) is a trapper in the old west. He hopes to set up his own homestead, but new government laws won't allow him any land unless he has a family. Cabe's own daughters refuse to come west to live with their dad, so Joshua hires three "shady ladies" (Karen Valentine, Lesley Ann Warren and Sandra Dee) to pose as his offspring. A made-for-TV movie, Daughters of Joshua Cabe did well enough in the ratings to encourage producer Aaron Spelling to develop a series based on the property. Unfortunately, neither of the two subsequent pilot films--New Daughters of Joshua Cabe and Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return, each with brand-new casts--aroused network or sponsorial interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Scenes of the real Munich are interspersed with shots of studio mockups in Assignment: Munich. Roy Scheider stars as an American expatriate running a saloon in Munich (shades of Casablanca). He agrees to help the US government locate a cache of gold, appropriated by the Nazis during the war. This TV pilot was a long time in getting a network commitment--so long, in fact, that star Roy Scheider took another job in the interim. By the time the series premiered in the fall of 1972, the role played by Scheider had been rewritten several times for several actors; Robert Conrad, who was then "between jobs", ended up playing the part. The city of Munich was also "replaced", and the series was retitled Assignment: Vienna. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- PG
In this counter-culture melodrama, a youthful hitcher teams up with an aging vagabond on a lonely Southwestern road. The two are given a lift by an unemployed rocker. Soon the three find themselves at odds with assorted "establishment" characters until the old hobo has a fatal heart attack. As he dies, he asks to be buried on his old farm. Unfortunately, the newest owner refuses, so the rocker and the hitcher have the old guy cremated. They then scatter his ashes over the farm. Songs include: "Echos of the Road" (Stu Phillips, Bob Stone), "Electric Ethel" (Murphy and Castleman), and "Flowers For My Bed" (Nino Candido). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
To prevent himself from breaking under interrogation, captured enemy spy Colonel Vanin (Frank Marth) has hypnotized himself into forgetting the whereabouts of a top-secret spy roster. The IMF's only key to unlocking Vanin's memory is his wife Olga (Antoinette Bower), who may or may not know the verbal cue that will reveal what is on Vanin's mind. To coerce Olga into cooperating, the IMF agents stage a phony hidden-bomb crisis. Originally seen on March 6, 1971, "The Party" was written by Harold Livingston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
Written by Harold Livingston, "The Merchant" guest-stars George Sanders in one of his final acting roles, as illegal arms dealer Armand Andressarian. To prevent Andressarian from completing an arrangement to sale guns to unfriendly guerilla groups in Africa and the middle East, the IMF swings into action. The success of the mission hinges largely on a fixed poker game, a past speciality of IMF agent Barney Collier. Leonard Nimoy and Lesley Ann Warren make their final series appearances. "The Merchant" originally aired on March 13, 1971, as the last episode of Mission:Impossible's fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
American defector Howard Bainbridge (Frank Farmer) returns to the US for one last reunion with his son Paul (Anthony Norwalk). Unfortunately, Bainbridge gets into an argument with his ultra-right wing father Justin Bainbridge (Andrew Duggan), who ends up killing Howard and burying the body on his huge estate. The IMF's mission is to recover the body--and with it a sample of the deadly contaminated nerve gas that the defector had been working on before he died. Scripted by Ed Adamson and Ken Pettus from a story by Adamson and John D.F. Black, "A Ghost Story" originally aired on February 27 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
While starring on the TV western The High Chapparal, Henry Darrow took time off to play a villain on the Mission: Impossible episode "The Blast." Darrow is cast as revolutionary leader Gregory Tolan, whose group has committed several robberies in hopes of financing a revolution against the United States. It is up to the IMF to trick Tolan into revealing the identity of the mastermind behind the revolutionists, a man known only as Mr. Brice.First telecast on January 30, 1971, "Blast" was written by James L. Henderson and Sam Roeca. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
In order to deactive a satellite armed with thermonculear bombs, the IMF must penetrate a heavily guarded island and destroy the missile's control center. Part of the plan requires Barney to arrive on the island alone via submarine. Alas, something goes wrong, placing Barney--and, by extention, the entire world--in direst jeopardy. Scripted by actor Wesley Lau from a story by Lau and Judy Burns, "The Filed" first aired on January 23, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
Robert DoQui guest-stars as African liberation leader John Darcy, code name Kitara. The IMF must rescue Darcy from the clutches of white supremacist ruler Colonel Alex Kohler (Lawrence Kohler)--and also smash the Colonel's brutally rigid segregationist policies. To accomplish this, the agents utilize a pill that will intensify Kohler's neurotic paranoia. First networcast on February 20, 1971, "Kitara" was written by Mann Rubin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
A seemingly benign nuclear arms treaty threatens to explode into another Cuban Missile Crisis. The IMF is assigned to squelch the treaty before any damage can be done. Their plan requires Paris to pose as both a fugitive and the fugitive's father--a tour de force that won an Emmy Award for makeup artist Bob Dawn. Familiar Mission:Impossible villains John Vernon and Will Kuluva make return appearances, while Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench makes his acting debut as a military guard. Written by Paul Playdon, "The Catafalque" was originally broadcast on February 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
Ken Swofford guest-stars as corrupt political boss Charles Peck, who will stop at nothing to get his hand-picked flunkey Steve Tallman (Lloyd Bochner) elected governor. To accomplish this, Peck stirs up a violent campus riot, for which the gubernatorial incumbent will surely be blamed. The IMF infiltrates the campus to prevent Peck's plan from succeeding. Originally telecast on January 2, 1971 (some eight months after the Kent State debacle!), "The Takeover" was scripted by Arthur Weiss, from a story by Weiss and Jerry Thomas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
This time it's personal for IMF agent Barney Collier: His brother Larry (Marc Hannibal), a crusading newspaper editor has been murdered at the behest of a crooked police chief. Larry had been on the verge of proving the chief's connection with a ghetto gang that is in the employ of the Syndicate. To help Barney avenge Larry's death, the IMF masterminds a trap for the corrupt cop and his Syndicate higher-up. Hari Rhodes and Abbey Lincoln are among the guest stars in "Cat's Paw", which was written by Howard Browne and was first broadcast on January 9, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
- 1971
Enemy agent James Reed (David Sheiner) intends to steal the plans for a new missile guidance system. The IMF is assigned to hoodwink Reed into pilfering a set of bonus plans. Endangering the mission is escaped mental patient Hecker (John Beck), who believes that IMF agent Dana is his former girlfriend. Watch for raspy-voiced cult actor Percy Helton in a typically fleeting role (one of his last). Originally telecast on January 16, 1971, "The Missile" was written by Arthur Weiss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
