Barrie Youngfellow Movies
- 1998
Could the death of a 12-year-old quadriplegic, who suffocated in his own home, have been deliberate? The suspects range from the dead boy's parents to his older sister. Once revealed, the perpetrator claims to have been an angel of mercy -- a statement which might actually be a smokescreen for a "thrill killing." Telecast April 24, 1998, "Burden" was one of the few Law & Order episodes to be seen on a Friday evening, rather than its customary mid-week time slot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
This made-for-TV chiller was originally made for younger audiences. Based on a book by Gene DeWeese, it tells the tale of a 13 year-old with a passion for horror movies. One night, while watching an utterly terrifying flick, he finds himself turning into a werewolf. Trouble ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
At the recommendation of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), a young editor heads to Montana, there to organize the unpublished manuscript of the last novel written by a celebrated, recently deceased author. Unable to make heads or tails of the author's notes, the editor concocts a readable volume from his own imagination. Just as he is poised to tell the world that he, and not the late author, penned the novel, the editor is murdered--and from here on in, it's up to Jessica to solve the crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this made-for-TV drama, a Vietnam vet's family life is shattered when the child he fathered during wartime suddenly appears on his doorstep. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wayne Rogers, Bonnie Bedelia, (more)
- 1984
Mickey Rooney stars in this made-for-TV holiday effort as an angel who refuses to renege on his promise to spend one final Christmas with his grandson (Scott Grimes). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Based on a portion of Garson Kanin's book Moviola, The Scarlet O'Hara War mixes fact with fiction in recreating producer David O. Selznick's search for an actress to star in Gone With the Wind. Tony Curtis plays Selznick, who turns his search into a major publicity ploy to sustain interest in his upcoming film. Among the likely candidates for the role of Scarlett O'Hara are Carole Lombard (Sharon Gless), Joan Crawford (Barrie Youngfellow) and Tallulah Bankhead (Carrie Nye). A subplot concerns two bogus talent scouts who pretend to be working for Selznick in order to extract money and sexual favors from would-be Scarlets. As Selznick supervises the "Burning of Atlanta" sequence, he is approached by his brother Myron, who is in the company of the perfect Scarlett O'Hara--Vivien Leigh (Morgan Brittany). The Scarlet O'Hara War was one of three TV films based on Moviola; the other two were The Silent Lovers (all about John Gilbert and Greta Garbo) and This Year's Blonde (the early years of Marilyn Monroe). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Sharon Gless, (more)
- 1979
- R
Six recently divorced males gather 'round a restaurant table and talk about their past lives and their recently failed marriages while trying to piece their lives back together. This drama is somewhat interesting for presenting the topic of life after a divorce from a man's point of view. (And yes, Neil Sedaka sings the smash title song over the final credits - so don't change that dial!) Originally made for television, and broadcast on ABC in two parts - one on Wed., Sep. 5, 1979, and one on Friday, Sep. 7, 1979 -- this film was reissued on video about ten years later to capitalize on Billy Crystal's growing fame. When it arrived on home video, the picture received its first MPAA rating (R) and was edited down from its original running time of 150 minutes to 96 minutes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Taking advantage of The Jeffersons' new later Wednesday-night time slot (9:30 p.m. EST), the producers served up an episode that would never have passed muster in "family hour." Temporarily impotent, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) desperately tries to hide his condition from wife Louise (Isabel Sanford) as he seeks out all manner of "cures," from aphrodisiacs to therapy. This episode was spoofed over 20 years later on The Rerun Show, with former Jeffersons regular Marla Gibbs making a startling guest appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1979
This remarkably chilling made-for-TV horror film plays as equal parts old-fashioned supernatural tale and 1970s-style detective thriller. After the groundbreaking of a San Francisco cathedral disturbs the resting place of an ancient European bloodsucker (professional creeper Richard Lynch), an architect (Jason Miller) joins forces with a retired gumshoe (E.G. Marshall) to hunt down and destroy the undead menace before he claims Miller's girlfriend as his nocturnal mate. Gothic trappings, slick production values, and some creepy night photography lend an effective edge to this modest production, although the frequent lapses into "trendy" disco-era setpieces become a bit annoying. Lynch, whose gravelly voice and sinister looks have typecast him for life, thankfully avoids lapsing into camp, exuding instead a powerful air of controlled sexual menace. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Miller, Richard Lynch, (more)
- 1978
WKRP holds a contest in which deejays Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid) are offered as "prizes." Meanwhile, Andy is reunited with his former girlfriend Linda Taylor (Barrie Youngfellow), a touring rock star who entreats him into leaving radio and joining her on the road. This was originally telecast as the last of WKRP in Cincinnati's eight "test" episodes, whereupon the fledgling series went on hiatus for three months. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
During a horror-film convention in San Francisco, the guests are properly aghast when they discover that one of their favorite film stars, Malakai (Jerry Walter), who plays a vampire onscreen, is the real thing off-camera. Convention guest begin succumbing to him right and left. However, it was probably a bad idea on Malakai's part to come to a horror film convention, because the attendees are unusually well versed in vampire lore, and at least some of what they know turns out to be helpful in ridding the world of the fanged menace. This affectionate spoof of horror films contains many in-jokes which are likely to make sense only to devoted fans of the genre. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerwin Mathews, Jerry Walter, (more)
- 1973
Still at the stage of his career when he was specializing in cold-blooded villainy, Martin Sheen guests in this episode as Dean Knox, a charismatic young man who has several girlfriends at his beck and call. One of these, a "Plain Jane" named Kate Evans (Collin Wilcox-Horne, stumbles onto the fact that Dean is a bank robber. It now falls to Dean to sweet-talk the girl into keeping his secret--or to get rid of her if she won't play along. Famed female impersonator Jim Bailey makes a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
