Vanna White Movies
A native of Myrtle Beach, SC, longtime Wheel of Fortune hostess and letter-turner Vanna White attended the Atlanta School of Fashion Design and worked as a print model in the Atlanta area, then moved to Hollywood and landed bit roles in B-grade productions including Michael Crichton's Looker and the slasher outing Graduation Day (both 1981). In 1982, she was selected by Merv Griffin to co-host Wheel with Chuck Woolery successor Pat Sajak and remained with the program for decades, as did Sajak. Meanwhile, on the side, White became something of a national phenomenon and a pop-culture icon -- authoring and publishing a best-selling autobiography, emceeing her own exercise video in 1987, and landing cameo roles (often as herself) in outings including NBC's action adventure series The A-Team (in 1986) and the big-screen features Double Dragon and The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (both 1994). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Directed by actor D.B. Sweeney, Two Tickets to Paradise tells the story of three lifelong friends who are each facing problems of their own. Mark has developed a serious gambling problem that is beginning to hamper his marriage, as well as his relationship with his child. McGriff can't shed his dreams of becoming a famous rock star even though he has a loving and supportive wife. Jason refuses to grow up, and still lives with his parents. When the three men escape their various responsibilities to go see a big college football game, their trip teaches them lessons about the maturing they each need to do. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John C. McGinley, D.B. Sweeney, (more)
- 1994
In what may be the series' most surreal episode, DJ (Candace Cameron) is a walking dictionary definition of "nervous" as she prepares to take her SAT exams. The well-meaning advice and consul from the other family members serves only to increase DJ's terror level.. Comes the day of the exam, and it is truly a nightmare--perhaps literally so. Wheel of Fortune letter-turner Vanna White appears as herself, so to speak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- PG13
- Add The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult to QueueAdd The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult to top of Queue
The further misadventures of bumbling Los Angeles police Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) are chronicled in this third installment in the popular Naked Gun comedy series. This by-the-numbers entry begins with Drebin as a happily retired house-husband called back into action when an evil terrorist organization threatens Los Angeles. As in the other Naked Gun films, this plot is merely an excuse for an unhinged, rapid-fire succession of gags, ranging from satirical lampoons of cop movies to broad slapstick, all played with a perfectly straight face. Nielsen provides his familiar combination of complete witlessness and oblivious dignity as Drebin, and the film attempts to match the earlier Naked Gun films -- and the Police Squad! television series that inspired them -- in the number of jokes. However, the film proved less successful than its predecessors, as some viewers found that the freewheeling comic style of the earlier films had solidified into its own formula, now mildly entertaining but disappointingly predictable. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, (more)
- 1994
- PG13
In this futuristic martial arts drama based on a popular video game, Los Angeles has been transformed into a watery New Angeles after a long-threatened earthquake devastates the West Coast. Billy Lee (Scott Wolf) and his brother Jimmy (Mark Dacascos) are two martial arts experts who were raised by a woman named Satori (Julia Nickson) after the death of their parents. Satori has come into possession of one half of a magic amulet; if joined with the other half, it gives whomever possesses it remarkable powers. However, the other half of the charm is now held by Koga Shuko (Robert Patrick), a martial arts master and business tycoon who is obsessed with ruling New Angeles. Satori gives her half of the amulet to Billy and Jimmy, hoping they can keep it safe while trying to win the other half away from the unscrupulous Koga Shuko. In their adventures, the brothers encounter Marian (Alyssa Milano), the leader of a gang called "The Power Corps," and Linda Lash (Kristina Malandro Wagner), Koga Shuko's beautiful but deadly female bodyguard. George Hamilton and Vanna White appear in cameos as themselves, and Andy Dick has a small role as the Smogcaster. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Patrick, Mark Dacascos, (more)
- 1993
In this spoof of the theatrical feature Indecent Proposal, Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White guest stars as Al Bundy's former high school classmate Helen Granowitter. Now known to the World as zillionaire cosmetics executive "Coco", Helen is willing to pay Peg Bundy (Katey Sagal) half a million dollars in exchange for one night of unbridled passion with Al (Ed O'Neill)--which, as it turns out, includes eating cheese from his chin! This is the final episode of Married. . .With Children's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Gypsy Angels stars Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White -- sort of. The title characters are a group of Atlanta-based stunt pilots in search of adventure and romance. What they find is several impressively constructed stripteasers. Most of the film -- including White's fleeting topless scenes -- was culled from a long-shelved action flick made sometime in the early 1980s. The name of "Alan Smithee" in the director's credits is a dead giveaway that the genuine director (or directors) had no wish to be associated with this T&A pastiche. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Happy Birthday, Bugs: 50 Looney Years is a television special celebrating 50 years of Bugs Bunny cartoons, complete with testimonials from various celebrities and a terrific end-piece "50 Years of Bugs in 3 Minutes," which features a manic collection of highlights compiled by Academy Award-winner Chuck Workman (he won for his animated short, Precious Images). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1988
This comedy focuses on the troubles an heiress has with her boisterous family who disrupts high society. ~ All Movie Guide
First airing on television, this campy romantic fantasy stars Vanna White (best known as the "letter turner" on the long-running TV game show Wheel of Fortune) as Venus, the goddess of love. Normally she lives in Mount Olympus with the other Grecian gods, but when a hairdresser accidentally revives her statue, Venus has no choice but to return to the mortal plane. Once there, she must earn the love of a modern man or else she will be forever banished from Mount Olympus. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
America is obsessed with health, diet and appearance. Everyone is searching, reviewing, and studying the best effect ways to improve their physique and overall general health. Television personality Vanna White presents her personal weight-loss and exercise regimen. Vanna focuses on the pursuit of a balanced diet with a basic food plan that's easy to start, follow and maintain with a week-long program to sample. Plus, Vanna reviews the various techniques and helpful tips on exercising, nutrition and ways to initiate personal motivation and keep that motivation up and continuous. Vanna presents her diet and exercise program in a fun and relaxed manner that's designed for the viewer to get slim and stay slim. ~ Forrest Spencer, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Pat Sajak and Vanna White appear as themselves in this episode, in which Murdock (Dwight Schultz) goes on Wheel of Fortune and wins $28,000 and a Hawaiian vacation. Unfortunately, he won't have a lot of time to enjoy his winnings--not after being abducted by a group of mean claiming to be CIA operatives, who want to recruit Murdock for a top-secret mission. When the rest of the A-Team finds out that Murdock is being hornswoggled by a gang of crooks out to steal a Soviet gunner, it's off to Las Vegas for a bang-pow finale at the Silver Horse Casino. (Trivia note: One of the other Wheel of Fortune contestants is played by Bill Nuss, who wrote this episode!). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In a shocking bit of counter-casting, Melissa Sue Anderson stars in this TV-movie shocker as Vivian Sotherland, a beautiful -- and wholly evil -- teenaged witch. Accustomed to eliminating anyone who gets in her way, Vivian has lovingly made certain that her sweetheart David Sterling (Patrick Cassidy) will not flunk out of high school through the simple expedient of killing all his teachers. Alas, the clueless David throws Vivian over in favor of a new girl in school, Robin Prentiss (Mary Beth McDonough). Fully prepared to add Robin to her ever-growing list of victims, Vivian is rather put out to discover that her romantic rival possesses a few supernatural powers of her own. Midnight Offerings was first broadcast February 27, 1981, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Sue Anderson, Mary McDonough, (more)
This fun, silly thriller written and directed by Michael Crichton manages to combine the dramatic murders of beautiful models, a secret conspiracy to use TV commercials for mind-control, and an unusual seeing-eye device which makes the wearer invisible. Plastic surgeon Larry Roberts (Albert Finney) becomes the prime suspect after two models on whom he operated are killed. Larry becomes suspicious because both of the women came into his office asking for very precise and seemingly unnecessary physical alterations. Agreeing to operate, because the women's jobs depended on the surgery, Larry must now clear his own name and save his life and career. With the aid of a friend and model Cindy (Susan Dey), Larry discovers and foils the plot led by corporation-head John Reston (James Coburn). Larry must then fight for his life against Reston's thugs who are equipped with the devices, called "Lookers." This is good, if silly fun and Albert Finney does his best with a somewhat implausible script. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, James Coburn, (more)
- 1981
- R
This standard formula slasher-thriller involves an equal-opportunity psycho busily pitchforking both male and female members of a high-school track team. The killer's motivation is supposedly linked to a similar murder which occurred 40 years ago at an ill-fated graduation dance. This tedious time-waster scores a few brownie points by way of creative casting (be sure to catch Vanna White as one of the toothsome victims), but that's about it. Slasher movie completists may note the plot's strong resemblance to that of The Prowler, a lesser-known but far more stylish film released the same year. Future scream-queen-in-training Linnea Quigley appears in a small doomed-teen role. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher George, Patch MacKenzie, (more)
