Jane Webb Movies

Approximately one year before the debut of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, comedian Bill Cosby, the CBS network and the Filmation cartoon firm collaborated on this 30-minute TV special. Cosby appears in the live-action wraparounds as Greek storyspinner Aesop, who talk-sings a brace of songs and narrates animated versions of two fables. In the "Tortoise and the Hare" segment, funnymen John Byner and Larry Storch provide the voices for the title characters, with Byner returning in "The Tortoise Who Wanted to Fly". And in an extended sequence combining live and cartoon action, two youngsters, Joey (Keith Hamilton) and Marta (Jerelyn Fields), lost in an enchanted forest, are guided to safety by the all-wise Aesop. The special was written by Earl Hamner Jr., of The Waltons fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ostensibly a one-shot animated special, Archie and His New Friends was designed not only to promote the popular Saturday-morning The Archie Show, but also to introduce Prime Time viewers to the series' newest character (actually not new at all, since she'd been appearing in comic-book form since 1962), Sabrina the Teenage Witch. In her first major adventure with Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and the rest, newcomer Sabrina tries her best to "fit in" as a typical 15-year-old student at Riverdale High School, but her status as an apprentice witch all but requires her to use magic every once in while--especially during a hotly contested student election. As a balm to the kiddie fans, the special includes performances of several of The Archies' bubble-gum song hits, including "Get on the Line" and "You've Got to Have an Image." While Archie and His New Friends was first broadcast by CBS on September 14, 1969--the day after Sabrina made her initial appearance on The Archie Show--the weekly Sabrina the Teenage Witch series would not appear until September 1, 1971 (it was of course preceded by the hybrid series Sabrina and the Groovie Ghoulies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Expressing dismay over the twins' obsession with violent TV shows, not to mention the bad influence exerted by Cissy's new friend Gwen (Susan Abbott), Bill (Brian Keith) decides it is time to take drastic action. Thus, Bill goes to extreme lengths to show Cissy (Kathy Garver), Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) the value of making one's own choices in life. This project culminates in a memorable buying-and-selling experience for the youngest members of the Davis clan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This film should have been a press agent's dream: Hollywood's two greatest "big mouths," Joe E. Brown and Martha Raye, together in the same picture. Brown and Raye play a show business couple who inherit a near-bankrupt college. They decide to build up the school's scraggly football team in hopes of improving alumni funding; somewhere along the line it is agreed to grant one thousand dollars for every touchdown scored, hence the title. Slapstick opportunities abound, and with the two stars at the helm, the film should have been far funnier than it is. But thanks to uninspired direction and a threadbare budget, $1000 a Touchdown was a disappointment for fans of both Martha Raye and Joe E. Brown. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi