Than Wyenn Movies

"I'm in love with a mermaid!" read the opening line of Leonard Maltin's original review for Splash. And with the delightful Darryl Hannah in the lead, who could fault Maltin for his public declaration of ardor? The story begins in 1959, when a young boy is rescued from a watery grave by an adolescent mermaid. Twenty-five years later, the boy has grown up--and lo and behold, it's Tom Hanks. Meanwhile, the mermaid, likewise grown up, has surfaced in search of Hanks, her long-lost love. On dry land, the mermaid is able to walk about on legs; any contact with salt water, and she reverts to her half-fish form. Adopting the name of Madison from a New York street sign, the girl manages to win Hanks' heart. Alas, a secret government lab, populated by such smarmy types as Richard B. Shull and Eugene Levy, captures Madison for research purposes--and possible vivisection. Egged on by his brother John Candy, Hanks rescues his beloved, joining her in the ocean depths as a mer-man (mer-fellow? mer-guy?) A captivating confection from the peerless creative team of director Ron Howard and screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, Splash was a winner all the way--especially at the box office, where the $11 million film racked up a huge profit. Historical sidebar: Splash was the first release from Disney's Touchstone Pictures division. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Chaim Sigerski (Martin Balsam), an Auschwitz survivor who runs a Holocaust museum, is convinced that his old friend Isaac (Than Wyenn) did not die in a traffic accident, but was instead deliberately murdered by a fugitive Nazi war criminal. Finding the authorities indifferent to his suspicions, Chaim turns to medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman) for help. As a result, Quincy ends up butting heads with Cornelius Sumner (Norman Lloyd), a wealthy and influential activist who denies that the Holocaust ever happened. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When an "ancient" mummy goes under the X-Ray machine, it turns out that the wrapped-up corpse has been dead only a few weeks--and that a fortune in jewels has been stashed on the body. U.S. Customs agents Brice (John Karlen) and Niven (Edward Grover) consult medical examiner Quincy (Jack Klugman), who puts the pieces together and determines that the mummy was being used in a smuggling operation headquartered in Cairo. Before the intrigue plays itself out, several other people have died at the hands of a group of Nazi war criminals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV "roman a clef", Joe Don Baker stars as Tommy Vanda, a Hoffa-esque labor leader. Told in flashback, the film recounts Vanda's humble beginnings on the Chicago docks, where he gains fame and notoreity amongst his coworkers and his bosses by spearheading a wildcat strike. Rising to top dog of the Cartage Union, Tommy doesn't care whon he has to crush on the way up the ladder. Inevitably, Tommy's peccadilloes catch up with him, resulting in federal charges, an arrest, and (remember who he's supposed to be) a mysterious disappearance in the night. Written by Ernest Tidyman of The French Connection fame, Power was telecast in two two-hour installments by NBC on January 14 and 15, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One woman's life of love and larceny is recounted in this soapy drama based on the best-selling novel by Sidney Sheldon. In the midst of WWII, innocent French girl Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with dashing American pilot Larry Douglas (John Beck). When Larry is given new orders taking him back to America, he tells Noelle that he'll come back for her -- when he doesn't, she becomes bitter and pledges to use men for their money and power, not for love. Noelle goes on to become a famous actress and weds Constantin Demeris (Raf Vallone), a Greek multi-millionaire. But she can't shake her passion for Larry, and eventually she hires him to work as her personal pilot. While at first he does not recognize her, soon Larry and Noelle are once again involved in a torrid affair, and when Larry's wife Catherine (Susan Sarandon) refuses to give him a divorce, he and Noelle begin planning a scheme to arrange an "accidental" death for Catherine. The Other Side of Midnight marked the American debut of actress Marie-France Pisier, following her role in the international success Cousin, Cousine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Shortly after being involved in a hit-and-run outside of Danny's bar, stewardess Robbie Parker is found murdered. Quincy (Jack Klugman) becomes involved in the situation for two reasons: Danny (Val Bisoglio) may be facing charges for serving Robin too many drinks, and the dead woman was a friend of Quincy's current amour Janet Martin (Renne Jarrett). Conducting an investigation, Quincy figures out that Robbi has had extensive plastic surgery as part of an effort to completely change her identity--and that her past was strange and sordid indeed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar guest stars as an accident victim who turns out to be too tall to be removed from his damaged car by the emergency team. In another incident, a fraternity pledge's life is jeopardized by a misfire party prank. And back at the station house, head nurse Dixie (Julie London) is forced to take a heavy workload due to budget cuts, while Dr. Early (Bobby Troup) suffers from a horrendous case of hiccups. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eve (Barbara Anderson) investigates when an old friend, the female member of a folksinging trio consisting of two brothers and a sister, disappears during a San Francisco concert tour. Could this disappearance be linked with the murder of another girl--to say nothing of a sinister drug ring? The key to solving the mystery is a curious geometric configuration called "the quincunx." Cast as the singing Roberts brothers, David Carradine and Michael Blodgett perform "Lonesome Stranger", "I Stepped on a Flower" and "Sorrow of the Singing Tree". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Colby (William Reynolds) go undercover as dockworkers during a bitter fisherman's strike. It is obvious that the Mob is stirring up all the trouble, the better to take over the fisherman's union. A key player in the intrigue is ruthless labor leader Big Julio, played by veteran movie heavy Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No). Much of this episode was filmed on location at Inyo Habor near Fort Bragg, California. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After several police drug busts go bad thanks to premature tip-offs, suspicion falls upon Ironside (Raymond Burr) who has been identified as a Syndicate informer by a captured dope pusher. A bad situation gets worse when Sgt. Ed Brown (Don Galloway) ordered to launch an investigation targetting Ironside. Though the rest of the Chief's team--especially Eve (Barbara Anderson)--are upset by this turn of events, Ironside himself remains surprisingly cool, calm and collected...almost as if he knows something that no one else does. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Guest stars Torin Thatcher and May Britt are cast as Rados and Eva Gollan, respectively the exiled dictator of a South American nation and his ambitious wife. In preparation for regaining power, Gollan has deposited millions in a Swiss bank account. In order to get the account's number, the IMF must convince Gollan that World War III has started. Lee Meriwether makes her first appearance as IMF agent Tracey, here impersonating a nurse in an elaborate "simulated disease" scam. First broadcast October 5, 1969, "The Numbers Game" (aka "The Key") was written by Leigh Vance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When wealthy landowner John Sullivan, Sr. Arch Johnson and his airplane pilot are reported missing in Brazil, Sullivan's three sons (Martin Milner, Linden Chiles, and Don Quine) begin to search for the missing men in the wilds of the Amazon jungle. They battle headhunters, jungle animals, and sinister revolutionary forces trying to topple the government. The film is a Universal pilot for a proposed television series that never materialized, and it is apparent why the series never took off after watching the forgettable feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Accidentally striking the Munster Koach, female motorist Mrs. Kingsley (Dorothy Green) takes one look at Herman (Fred Gwynne) and assumes that he's been horribly disfigured in the "accident". The guilt-ridden woman sends an insurance man to the Munster Mansion, hoping to settle out of court for $10,000. But Herman misunderstands the situation and thinks that he is being sued by Mrs. Kingsley--and rather than see his family disgraced, he runs away from home! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide