Norman Alden Movies

In this sci-fi adventure, beautiful women don in-line skates to thwart the plans of a malicious mutant. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Soap opera queen Susan Lucci stars as an orphan adopted by a mobster family who grows up to be a star attorney, but still dreams of getting revenge on the killers who murdered her parents. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In this droll derivation of "Arsenic and Old Lace", former 1940s film ingénues Teresa Wright and Joan Leslie are cast as the spinsterish Appletree sisters, Cabot Cove's resident eccentrics. With the annual flower show coming up, it looks as though dear old Helen and Lillian Appletree are going to win first prize with their chrysanthemums, which have bloomed beautifully and beyond all expectations. What no one else in town knows is that the ladies have come upon a wonderful new "fertiziler"--namely, the body of one Morris Penroy (Henry Jones), whom they have buried beneath their flower bed. When a second corpse pops up at the Appletree house, Cabot Cove's new sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak, making his first appearance in this recurring role) cannot help but suspect that the old biddies have committed murder--but as usual, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) has concluded that someone else is responsible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Along with her friends Amos (Tom Bosley) and Seth (William Windom), Jessica (Angela Lansbury) decides to sample the cooking at Cabot Cove's newest tourist attraction, the Joshua Peabody Inn. Casting a pall over the evening is a batch of spoiled strawberry preserves, causing several patrons to become seriously ill. When one of these patrons subsequently dies, Jessica begins to suspect that the "accidental" poisoning was deliberately contrived. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hunter (Fred Dryer) continues to search for the link between a Russian defector and the woman he found murdered in his home (whose body immediately disappeared after its discovery!) When a gang of thugs attack him and steal a valuable piece of evidence, Hunter knows he's on the wrong track. The problem now is to stay alive long enough to prove it--and this means butting heads not only with Russian secret agents but also the representatives of a shady Federal spy agency. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The career of boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini is the subject of the made-for-TV biopic. Doug McKeon plays Mancini, while Robert Blake co-stars as his father, Lenny Mancini. An excellent pugilist in his own right, Lenny's career is cut short by his wartime service. Son Ray carries on the tradition into the 1980s, battling his way towards the WBA crown. Heart of a Champion's executive producer was Rocky star Sylvester Stallone, who (it says here) staged the boxing sequences. This heartwarming "do it for the old man" effort was first telecast May 1, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The A-Team surfaces in Los Angeles to take on a corrupt police S.W.A.T. unit which hires itself out for private assassinations. Though Hannibal (George Peppard) and company are as usual resourceful, they find themselves up against a crack squad of well-trained villains armed with powerful magnums--who always manage to be one step ahead of the "good guys." Adding to the dilemma is the plight of Ed Maloney (Norman Alden), the clean cop who has blown the whistle on the S.W.A.T. men, thereby placing his family in direst peril. Jack Ging, who later became an A-Team regular in the role of General Harlan Fulbright, is here cast as sadistic S.W.A.T. leader Captain Stark. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV film, a high-school counselor (Joyce Brothers) faces ineffectual help from administration in combating drugs, so she recruits several students to help in the battle. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

A pair of pool hustlers steal the "General Lee" while Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) are skinnydipping. Chasing after the "General", Sheriff Roscoe (James Best) sees the car crash into a local pond, and becomes convinced that the Duke boys have drowned. Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) takes advantage of this "tragedy" by claiming that Bo and Luke had stolen his watch before their untimely demise--all the while keeping the timepiece locked in his own safe so he can collect the insurance. Once the boys find out what Boss is up to, they decide to get even by "haunting" the billious Boss, using a few splashes of luminous paint to transform themselves and the "General" into phantoms! (Trivia note: this is series star John Schneider's favorite episode). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The major difference between the original Hanna-Barbera/DC Comics cartoon series Super Friends and its successor The All-New Superfriends Hour is the latter series' expanded cast. Old Justice League of America favorites Superman, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman are back in harness, along with a pair of brand-new junior members: the Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna, who had the ability to morph into icelike statues, in case the job at hand required such a talent. During the series' first (and only) season, each major Superfriend appeared in his or her own adventures, usually in the company of a "guest" superhero, with all the main characters rallying together for a climactic "League of Justice" component. Four different stories are presented per episode, bearing such titles as "Invasion of the Earthors," "The Brain Machine," "City in a Bottle," "The Marsh Monster," "Doctor Fright," "Super Friends vs. Super Friends," "Planet of the Neanderthals," "Attack of the Giant Squid," "The Tiny World of Terror," and "The Mummy of Nanza." All told, the single season of All-New Superfriends Hour features 14 thrill-packed sixty minute installments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alice (Linda Lavin) manages to land an extra job as a nightclub singer. Unfortunately, our heroine's foray into moonlighting takes its toll on her day job at Mel's Diner. Before long, the other staffers must cover for Alice, who can barely stay awake long enough to walk across the floor. Legendary "joke machine" and Dick Van Dyke Show regular Morey Amsterdam appears as Herman in this episode, in which star Linda Lavin sings "But Not For Me". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There's a new man in the life of Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin). Unfortunately, the new man isn't really new at all--at least not so far as Alice's coworker Flo (Polly Holliday) is concerned. Seems that the man in question is "Big Daddy" Dawson (Norman Alden), Flo's first husband, a race-car driver whom she is thinking of rewedding--despite his reputation for being just as "fast" off the track as on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of Adam-12's two-part series finale, Officer Jim Reed has earned the Medal of Valor for putting his life on the line. Worried that Jim's luck is running out, his wife Jean (Kristin Nelson) urges him to give up his prowl-car duties and take the investigator's exam, which would assure him permanent desk duty. Meanwhile, Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner), slowly recovering from a serious wound, is none too happy with the prospect of losing his longtime partner Reed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide