Antoinette Bower Movies
Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) is understandably distressed when Audrey Martin (Antoinette Bower), the wife of Amos' bucolic deputy Jonathan Martin (Rick Lenz), apparently commits suicide. Further investigation reveals that Audrey was murdered, at which point Amos discovers that the seemingly harmless Jonathan was carrying on extramarital affairs with several of Cabot Cove's most eligible middle-aged ladies! With the help of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), Amos tries to determine if one of Jonathan's conquests could also be a murderess. Among the suspects in this episode are two of Angela Lansbury's former MGM colleagues, Gloria DeHaven and Kathryn Grayson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Robin Williams' comic shtick sabotages any attempt at comic development in Harold Ramis' patchy comedy farce Club Paradise. Williams plays Jack Moniker, a Chicago fireman injured in the line of duty, who uses his disability money to open up a run-down Caribbean resort. Jack eagerly awaits the planeload of tourists who will be his first patrons. This group of low-rent jackanapes include Barry Nye (Rick Moranis) and Barry Steinberg (Eugene Levy), a couple of horny geek bachelors; Phillipa Lloyd (Twiggy) and Terry Hamlin (Joanna Cassidy) as a couple of gals on the make; and Linda White (Andrea Martin), as a bossy American tourist. While the tourists shindig around Jack's ramshackle resort, a revolution is brewing on the island headed by revolutionary Ernest Reed (Jimmy Cliff). Trying to prevent the revolutionary upheaval is the dissipated British governor-general of the island, Governor Anthony Cloyden Hayes (Peter O'Toole), and the pompous Prime Minister Solomon Gundy (Adolph Caesar). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole, (more)
In yet another slick, formulaic Charles Bronson vengeance film (they would continue until the actor was in his mid-70s, still playing the morally insulted friend/husband/lover), Bronson is Holland, an assassin for hire who has just come out of retirement to finish off a Guatemalan thug by the name of Moloch (Joseph Maher). Moloch tortures and terrorizes the good guys and is protected by a misguided American government agency -- though nothing can stop Holland once he starts killing his way to the chief villain. No one except the wife of one of Moloch's victims -- and perhaps a few viewers now and again -- raises any questions about Holland's trail of corpses. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Theresa Saldana, (more)
Originally made for television, this story concerns a champion rodeo rider (Lee Majors) and his romance with a Russian ballerina (Leslie Wing) who is trying to defect. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
In this horror outing, a California archaeologist has obtained the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamen and has taken it to his lab to be x-rayed. Unfortunately, the radiation levels he uses are too high and something begins to happen inside the coffin. Suddenly the mummy within storms out. Inside all the wrappings is an alien creature, the one who killed the king. He begins searching for the crystals he needs to return to his home planet. Frustrated, he begins a killing spree. Unlike movie mummies of old, this fellow is quite agile and can easily capture his human prey. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Murphy, Nina Axelrod, (more)
Blood Song, a horror/slasher film, tells the story of a young woman (Donna Wilkes) who witnesses the murder of a hospital attendant by a psychopath during his escape from a mental institution. The young, handicapped girl, who once was given a blood transfusion from the killer, now is his next intended victim. This is an unusual thriller, with an above-average cast including Antoinette Bower as the girl's mother and Richard Jaeckel as her father. Former teen idol, Frankie Avalon also shows up in a central role. This above-average horror thriller, also released as Dream Slayer is worth a look. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
This low-budget, tongue-in-cheek horror film of the slasher genre -- which had recently been popularized by Halloween (1978) -- stars that film's lead, Jamie Lee Curtis, as Kim Hammond, a prom queen who becomes a scream queen. Six years ago, a little girl was taunted by four classmates and fell to her death from an abandoned schoolhouse. The quartet of kids promised to keep their complicity in the accident a secret. Now it's their prom night and they've got the jitters because they have recently been receiving phone calls and notes from an ominous, unknown individual claiming to have witnessed the girl's death and vowing revenge. At the prom, the four become fatal victims one by one of a mysterious, axe-wielding, masked, and hooded stalker. The many possibilities of the murderer's identity include Kim, who is the little dead girl's sister, her school-principal father (Leslie Nielsen), or her disc-jockey brother, Alex (Michael Tough). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis, (more)
The Joe Paxton referenced in the title is a hotshot photographer (played by Tige Andrews), currently being sued by a former movie queen (Antoinette Bower). When the woman is kidnapped along with her collection of priceless jewels, Paxton is suspected of being involved in the crime. Investigating, Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) unearths an elaborate swindle involving some very colorful (and a few dangerous) characters. Former Laugh-In star Arte Johnson appears in a quirky supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
NBC correspondent Betty Rollin's book about her own mastectomy, First You Cry, was adapted for television by Carmen Culver. Mary Tyler Moore plays Ms. Rollins, who discovers after her breast surgery that her "loving" husband (Anthony Perkins) is a cad who can't withstand the pressure of living with a woman in dire need of emotional support. Thankfully, Ms. Rollins is able to begin a new life with the tender, compassionate man (Richard Crenna) who's loved her all along. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is just as simplistic as its romantic angle. Despite Mary Tyler Moore's consummate performance, First You Cry (originally telecast November 8, 1978) is better read than seen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sibling rivalry gets out of hand in this drama. After working together to kill their father, a scheming brother and his conniving sister begin to plot against each other for the family fortune. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Amanda Price (Edith Atwater) is an aging spinster with suicidal tendencies who keeps herself ensconced in the sprawling house she grew up in. Her brother Edward (Jack Ging) hires a nurse to watch Amanda, choosing Esther (Antoinette Bower), who quit the profession in shame after a scandal involving her marriage to a ninety year old client. He offers to pay Esther $25,000 on top of her salary if she makes sure the next time Amanda attempts suicide is a success. Edward says he wants Amanda out of the way so he can claim the entire family fortune, though it's clear that the Price estate hides more secrets than he's revealing. What exactly were the circumstances of their father's death? Why did favored sister Nell suddenly leave town the day of their father's funeral, and why hasn't anyone heard from her since? Why is Amanda suicidal, and why is she having so many horrible nightmares? The closer Esther gets to the answers, the less she wants to do with Edward's scheme. Meanwhile, the family doctor (Kent Smith) is harboring his own suspicions of the Price legacy, and when he starts investigating, he discovers that jealousy, greed and murder are at the root of the mystery. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
Also known as Death and the Maiden, Hawkins on Murder introduced Jimmy Stewart to the TV-detective genre as folksy sleuth Billy Jim Hawkins (this TV movie was produced by MGM, the studio which gave Stewart his start in the 1930s). Hawkins travels from his West Virginia hometown to investigate a triple murder in Los Angeles. Along for the ride is Strother Martin as Hawkins' somewhat slow cousin/assistant, who would continue in this role when the Hawkins series premiered on a regular basis in the fall of 1973. The Harold Lloyd estate in Beverly Hills provided some of the more lavish backgrounds for this rambling mystery yarn. On the whole, Hawkins on Murder is better than the series that followed, which fell prey to banality and repetition early on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) encounters little difficulty catching up with Ed Benson (Ron Randell) the "inside man" for a $260,000 robbery at the Bayshore Park racetrack. Unfortunately, the Inspector's work is far from over: Benson reveals that he agreed to play along with the robbers only because they are holding his wife Ada (Antoinette Bower) hostage. Thus it is that Erskine once more goes undercover to catch a thief--and his disguise is a beauty! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Superbeast was released on a double bill with Daughters of Satan. Both were filmed in the Philippines. In Superbeast an American doctor has been performing experiments on criminals deep in the Philippine jungle. Once the convicts have grown mad from the doctor's treatment, they are set loose in the jungle so that they can be hunted down by the project's financier. A woman pathologist gets wind of the project, and is held captive, slated for hunting. However, she turns the tables on both the doctor and the hunting financier. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Ironside (Raymond Burr) works in concert with attorney Ken Klaven (Cameron Mitchell) to secure the release of Walter Booth (William Campbell), whom the Chief had sent to prison on a manslaughter charge seven years before. Though now convinced of Booth's innocence, Ironside encounters a great deal of trouble persuading the DA's office. The Chief's only hope is to force a young woman to come forward with testimony she'd withheld during the original trial--but there are mysterious forces who are determined to silence both Ironside and his witness for keeps! Prominent in the supporting cast is Geraldine Brooks, who had played the sniper responsible for the Chief's confinement to a wheelchair in the original 1967 Ironside pilot film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Ironside (Raymond Burr) begins to question his judgment in a manslaughter case which occurred seven years ago. At the time, the Chief rammed through the conviction of chief suspect Walter Booth (William Campbell). Now armed with new evidence, Ironside works hand and glove with Booth's attorney Ken Klaven (Cameron Mitchell) to secure the man's release--despite the formidable opposition of the DA's office, which is determined to keep Booth behind bars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Shelly Winters and John Randolph star in Death of Innocence as distraught small-town parents who learn that their estranged daughter is on trial for murder. They journey to New York City and attend the girl's trial, where the mother learns several details of her daughter's recent life that she'd rather not know. Filmed at the height of the "generation gap" era, Death of Innocence was based on a novel by Zelda Popkin. One of the better TV movies of 1971, the film was first telecast opposite a George Plimpton "wish fulfillment" special, thereby losing out on the large audience it deserved. Casting note: Kim Stanley was to have played the principal juror, but fell ill before shooting. She was replaced by Ann Sothern--the mother of Tisha Sterling, who plays the defendant in the case! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
To prevent himself from breaking under interrogation, captured enemy spy Colonel Vanin (Frank Marth) has hypnotized himself into forgetting the whereabouts of a top-secret spy roster. The IMF's only key to unlocking Vanin's memory is his wife Olga (Antoinette Bower), who may or may not know the verbal cue that will reveal what is on Vanin's mind. To coerce Olga into cooperating, the IMF agents stage a phony hidden-bomb crisis. Originally seen on March 6, 1971, "The Party" was written by Harold Livingston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
Luther Adler guest stars as Leo Vorka, an aging European dictator who intends to purge his country of all young artists and intellectuals. The IMF hopes to topple Vorka from power and install his friendlier deputy Bartzin (Ben Astar) in his place. The mission: To drive Vorka insane and convince his deputies that the old man must be deposed immediately. The success of the scheme hinges upon a cleverly arranged series of "ghostly" visions, courtesy of a rigged closed-circuit TV. Antoinette Bower, who'd played the damsel in distress in the second-season Mission: Impossible story "The Slave", is here cast as IMF agent--and erstwhile phantom--Nora Bennett. Originally broadcast on February 8, 1970, "Phantoms" was written by Laurence Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Leonard Nimoy, (more)
In desperate need of money to square a debt, Neil Stryker (Bradford Dillman) enters into an unholy alliance with Communist spy Bryan Carlson (Wayne Rogers). Stryker agrees to steal top-secret information from the Boston research firm where he works. A discarded cellophane cigar wrapper puts FBI inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) on the trail of the spies, with dire consequences for Stryker and his wife Elaine (Antoinette Bower). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In a variation on the third-season episode "Axis Annie," guest star Antoinette Bower is cast as Nazi radio propagandist Berlin Betty. At first, Hogan's men balk at Betty's invitation to appear on her radio program and deliver speeches imploring the Allies to surrender. But Hogan surprisingly accepts the offer -- intending to transmit coded messages to the Underground. Written by Arthur Julian, "Is There a Traitor in the House?" first aired on December 19, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
Cliff Robertson essays a dual role in the made-for-TV Sunshine Patriot. He portrays a top secret agent as well as an American businessmen; both Robertsons are currently behind the Iron Curtain, both on "business." In order to evade a team of assassins and to smuggle valuable microfilm to the Good Guys, Robertson the spy switches passports and identities with Robertson the businessman. There are two points of particular interest in the moderately entertaining Sunshine Patriot. Donald Sutherland makes his American TV-movie debut in one of the many minor roles he essayed in his pre-MASH days. And, when Robertson goes to the opera in one sequence, we are treated to an extensive excerpt from the 1943 Universal Technicolor epic Phantom of the Opera. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A distant relative of Ben Cartwright, preteen tomboy Samantha Dorcas (Linda Sue Risk is delivered to the Ponderosa in the hope that Ben will be able to "tame" the troublesome girl. Meanwhile, Sam's mother Martha (Antoinette Bower) struggles desperately to escape her existence as a saloon girl. Further complications ensue when Sam's grandfather Calvin (George Mitchell) arrives on the scene. First shown on November 3, 1968, "Little Girl Lost" was written by Michael Fessier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
In order to transfer vital information to the Allies in London, Hogan must convince Klink to take a circuitous trip to "Argentina." This requires the service of underground agent Erika Weidler, who seductively plays up to Klink. At a crucial juncture, Erika's outraged husband (actually Sgt. Carter in disguise) charges in and challenges Klink to a duel -- so naturally, the Commandant is more than willing to allow Hogan to help him escape to the Western hemisphere (or so he thinks). In her second Hogan's Heroes appearance during the series' third season, Antoinette Bower is cast as Erika. Written by Richard M. Powell, "Duel of Honor" first aired on February 3, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
The first multipart adventure of Mission: Impossible's second season, "The Slave" was written by William Read Woodfield and Alan Balter. The scene is the Persian Gulf state of Elkabar, where King Ibn Borca (Joseph Ruskin) supervises a vicious but entirely legal slave ring with the aid of his crony Karl de Groot (Warren Stevens). To depose Borca and end the slave trade in Elkabar, the IMF agents must resort to drastic measures...with the lovely Amara (Antoinette Bower), the wife of Borca's nephew Fasar (David Mauro), as the innocent pawn. Part one of the two-part "The Slave" was first broadcast on October 8, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)



















