Elmarie Wendel Movies

Moonlighting as the bodyguard for eccentric Mrs. Hornby (Elmarie Wendel), Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) suspects that the old woman is being ripped off by her business advisor. In other cases, the squad is plagued by the ubiquitous presence of a woman posing as a cop -- a subplot which thickens when the woman's horrible secret is revealed. Pisano (Lenny Venito), the snitch who previously led the 15th to the body of Danny Sorenson, may be the key to solving a robbery-murder at a restaurant. And on a personal level, Andy is not too convincing when he expresses indifference to Connie's (Charlotte Ross) blind date. Also, Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) continues to suffer from the jealousy of her husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A series of holdups in massage parlors culminates in murder, with several precincts working together to crack the case before things get worse. As result, John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is forced to team with his estranged father, John Clark Sr. (Joe Spano), bringing the bad blood between John Sr. and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) to a boil. In another case, a gang of thieves posing as exterminators prey upon elderly victims. After working hours, Andy tries to resist becoming permanent bodyguard for the eccentric Mrs. Hornby (Elmarie Wendel); Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) grows closer to Andy's son, Theo (Austin Majors); Valerie Haywood (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) is pregnant, and Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons) is the father; and more ominously, new squad member Det. Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) is harassed by her possessive husband, ADA Don Harrison (Stan Cahill). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Compared to the zany opening episodes of previous seasons, the sixth and final season of the fantasy sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun boasts a rather innocuous opener, with alien-in-human-form Dick Solomon (John Lithgow) helping his human-in-human form fiancée Mary Albright (Jane Curtin) teach a lesson to Mary's imperious sister Renata (Megan Mullaly). In a subsequent episode, extraterrestrial scientist Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), trapped in the body of a gawky 18-year-old boy, tries to choose a college appropriate to his advanced intelligence--thus compelling Harry and his second-in-command Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnson) to interview a host of potential alien replacements for Tommy. Later still, the Solomons toy with the idea of becoming American citizens (after all, you can't get more "alien" than they already are!); a psychic threatens to reveal Dick's true identity; and the strained relationship between Mary and her overbearing mother (Elaine Stritch) becomes even more so when Dick becomes fond of the old lady. The series ends with a brace of two-part stories. In "Mary Loves Scootchie", John Cleese returns as Dick's otherworldly romantic rival Dr. Liam Neesam--only to be transformed into a monkey by the disgruntled Dick, whereupon Mary at long last figures out that her fiancée is from WAY out of town! And in the two-part series finale "The Thing That Wouldn't Die", Mary seriously considers accompanying Dick as he and the other Solomons return to their home planet, while Elvis Costello performs at the family's farewell party (Money, of course, is no object--how can Costello send a bill to a PO Box that's millions of light years away?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Resolving the cliffhanger ending of Season Three, Season Four of 3rd From the Sun finds the Solomon family--actually a team of aliens who've assumed human form while on a fact-finding mission on Planet Earth--desperately searching for their kidnapped colleague Harry Solomon (French Stewart), handicapped by the loss of their extraterrestrial powers at the behest of their disgruntled leader The Big Giant Head. Once this crisis is resolved, we have time enough to become acquainted with the newest member of the cast, Larisa Oleynik, cast as Alissa Strudwick, the new human girlfriend of alien scientist Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) (who is still confined to his teenaged body despite his advancing years). The off-and-on romance between group leader Dick Solomon (John Lithgow), who has taken a job as a teacher at Pendleton College, and Dick's colleague Dr. Mary Albright (Jane Curtin), undergoes more "offs" than "ons" this season. That's because Mary has been promoted to college dean, making her Dick's boss--and he doesn't like the situation one teeny tiny bit. Season Four's better episodes include "Collect Call for Dick", a broad spoof of the current Beanie Babies craze in which Dick becomes obsessed to the point of addiction over accumulating a huge collection of "Fuzzy Buddy" toys; "I Am Dick Pentameter", featuring Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne) as an airheaded eccentric who comes between Dick and Mary; "Indecent Dick", wherein Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnson) has become so comfortably in her earthly "female" form that she's willing to pose for a nudie magazine, much to the chagrin of her human beau Officer Don (Wayne Knight); and "Two Faced Dick", an all-stops-out laff riot in which Sally requests a "gender reassignment" and is allowed to exchange bodies with Dick. Also: The Solomons are threatened with being exposed as aliens when forced to file their first IRS form in "Dick and Taxes"; another near-exposure occurs in "Alien Hunter", with Kathy Bates playing the highly suspicious title character; and as the "family" comes to face to face with the Internet for the first time, Harry Solomon and his human sweetie Vicki discuss the possibility of having children, in "Y2dicK". The fourth season ends with the long-awaited arrival on earth of the Big Giant Head, who calls himself "Stone Philips" but whose human form very closely resembles that of William Shatner. Having shown up to rake the Solomons over the coals for failing to fulfill their mission, the Big Giant Head not only demotes Dick as high commander, but also manages to impregnate the hapless Vicki--who, in the process, becomes the first human on the series to tumble to the Solomons' alien status. 3rd Rock from the Sun wrapped up its fourth year on the air with two more Emmy Awards, as John Lithgow collected his third statuette and Kristen Johnson received her second. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Upon assuming human form, the team of extraterrestrials calling themselves the Solomon family begin developing human emotions and character faults, as Season One of the fantasy sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun begins its first season. Despite the difficulties inherent in adjusting themselves to their new bodies (for one thing, they no longer swivel their heads to lick their backs!), the Solomons immediately go to work on their intelligence-gathering mission on Earth on behalf of their home-planet leader, the omnipotent Big Giant Head. "High Commander" Dick Solomon (John Lithgow) manages to land a job teaching at Pendleton College, where he finds himself strangely attracted to his colleague Dr. Mary Albright (Jane Curtin), who has nary a clue as to Dick's "alien" status. The team's scientific genius Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a middle-aged alien trapped in the body of an adolescent earthling, must endure his first childhood disease, and also begins dating a pre-teen girl named August (Shay Astar). Military officer Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnson)--outwardly a girl, inwardly gosh-knows-what--suddenly and to her initial embarrassment develops a yen for men and seeks the advice of Dick's sarcastic secretary Nina (Simba Khali). And dimwitted alien crew member Harry Solomon (French Stewart) develops a fondness for liquor and other such guilty pleasures. And although they're under orders to kill any human who might come close to learning their true identities, the Solomons find themselves incapable of doing so: Earthlings may be dull, backward jerks, but they make great company! Season One ends on a cliffhanger (the first of many), as the "higher-ups" on the Solomons' home planet decide that they've failed in their mission and demand that they return home--and Dick suddenly develops a split personality! During its inaugural season on the air, 3rd Rock from the Sun was nominated for several Emmy Awards, with John Lithgow copping the prize as "outstanding lead actor in a comedy series." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While attending a celebrity-studded party held by the editor of a Beverly Hills gossip magazine, Jessica (Angea Lansbury) begins formulating the plot of her next mystery novel. The principal ingredients include a trendy florist with a roster of A-list clients who is secretly helping an unscrupulous writer dig up dirt for a series of scandalous articles. The florist soon turns up dead, and virtually every member of the Beverly Hills "in crowd" falls under suspicion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Navy spoof, a mismatched bunch of sailors are sent to sea as the incompetent crew of the U. S. S. Substandard, a faulty, unfinished submarine. Little does the crew of the Substandard know that the government doesn't intend for them to make it back to shore, as they encounter all kinds of crazy problems. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Louise (Isabel Sanford) is upset by the new tenant in 12-C, a young, slim "swinger" named Robin (played by future E.R. regular Kathleen Wilhoite). Her tranquility shattered by Robin's round-the-clock partying, Louise tries to rally her fellow tenants to lodge a formal complaint. She succeeds only in being labelled an "old killjoy" -- and the worst of it is, she's convinced that the accusation is right on target. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide