Lou Antonio Movies
Stage actor Lou Antonio was billed seventh as "Abdul" in his first film, Elia Kazan's America America (1963). Antonio's sandpaper features resurfaced in such subsequent films as Hawaii (1966) and Cool Hand Luke (1967); thereafter, he worked almost exclusively in television. He co-starred in the weekly series The Snoop Sisters and Dog and Cat, and was top-billed as Det. Sgt. Jack Ramsey in Dog and Cat (1977). By the late 1980s, Antonio had virtually abandoned acting in favor of directing: he helmed such TV movies as Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story (1979), The Star Maker (1981), Agatha Christie's 13 at Dinner (1985) and Mayflower Madam (1987), as well as the 1978 theatrical feature Gypsy Warriors. Lou Antonio is the brother of actor Jim Antonio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideA human bone found in the desert leads to the discovery of several other bone fragments. Working on the theory that the skeleton was sliced up with a saw and scattered all over a mountain, Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Grissom (William L. Petersen) literally have their work cut out for them. Meanwhile, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Sarah (Jorja Fox) investigate the murder of a male stripper during a wedding party. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Early evidence indicates that the man found killed at a pottery store died while attempting to rob the establishment. But Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) soon discovers a link between this death and an unsolved kidnapping 16 years before. And, in another development, Sara (Jorja Fox) is convinced that a woman has died of spontaneous combustion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of several government-espionage series unveiled during the 2001-2002 TV season, UC: Undercover detailed the exploits of the Special Operations Group, an elite five-person team answerable only to the Justice Department. Using up-to-date technology and advanced martial arts skills, the Group was dedicated to tracking down and capturing supercriminals and terrorists (though several episodes dealing with the latter were toned down in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy). Described by several observers as the Wiseguy of the early 21st century, the series found its regulars adopting all manner of disguises and new identities in order to infiltrate the illicit organizations which they'd targeted for extinction. Originally cast as group leader John Keller, Grant Show was replaced in the second episode by new leader Frank Donovan (Oded Fehr); other regulars included Jon Seda as Jake, Vera Farmiga as Alex, Bruklin Harris as Monica, and Jarrad Paul as Cody. Executive produced by Steve Salerno (one of the writers of the movie hit Armageddon), UC: Undercover began its weekly, 60-minute NBC run on September 30, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Farmiga, Oded Fehr, (more)
The CSI unit investigates when the naked corpse of a teenaged male is found in the desert -- with no solid evidence pointing to cause of death. The body of a woman recently interred in a cemetery is unceremoniously "relocated" to a dumpster. And when the dean of a private school is murdered, the killer seems to have a logical reason -- if indeed she is the killer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
With Bailey (Scott Wolf) back on the road to sobriety, fun-loving Callie (Alexondra Lee) resents the fact that Bailey seems to prefer Sarah's company to hers, even though Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is no longer in love with him. Unable to cope with the situation, Callie takes drastic--and self-destructive--action. Meanwhile, Julia's (Neve Campbell) relationship with Griffin (Jeremy London) is having a negative effect on her schoolwork, forcing Griffin to be the "grownup". And Claudia (Lacey Chabert) resorts to telling a spectacular lie to prove to Charlie (Matthew Fox) that Grace (Tamara Taylor) cares more for her political campaign than she does for the Salingers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV thriller stars Ben Gazzara as a publishing magnate framed for murdering the call girl with whom he was having an affair. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
A lawyer whose wife is missing becomes obsessed with the below that a woman he has seen is his wife. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jaclyn Smith, Christopher Reeve, (more)
Two rich boys decide to try their hands at manual labor and so get summer jobs working on a Texas offshore oil rig in this taut thriller. They look forward to it until they encounter a mean-spirited boss who resents them because of their wealth. He mercilessly picks upon them and they wonder if they will survive until helpful Bo Landry shows up. Bo seems to be such a good person and the boys are glad to have him on their side. Unfortunately, things are not what they seem and soon their lives are really in danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this ironic drama, a hard working, devoted doctor finds herself accused of murder after the man who raped her dies under her care. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
When a pair of teen-aged boys break away from their summer camp to lose their virginity to an infamous hooker (Sonia Braga), they discover that she's since gone straight to become a rancher. After hiring on as stable boys, they learn about the real meaning of love and sex. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
The 1990 made-for-cable remake of Graham Greene's This Gun for Hire stars Robert Wagner as a professional assassin who is tricked into killing a politician who he thought was a New Orleans gangster. On the run, the assassin takes a stripper as a hostage; she happens to be the fiance of the FBI agent on his trail. The assassin and the stripper fall in love and manage to outwit the FBI and police. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Wagner, Nancy Everhard, (more)
Face to Face stars real-life companions Elizabeth Montgomery and Robert Foxworth as a headstrong pair who clash in the Cradle of Civilization. Montgomery is a paleontologist, searching for the oldest fossil of man yet to be unearthed. Foxworth is a meerschaum miner, to whom the Kenyan government has accidentally issued a permit to dig on Montgomery's archeological site. They bicker, mutter dark oaths, throw mud at one another, and eventually fall in love as the sun sets over the northern Kenya horizon. Made for television, Face to Face was first telecast as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This drama, based on a true story, chronicles the terrifying experiences of an American divorcee who went on vacation to Turkey. As she tried to leave she found herself wrongfully accused of smuggling antiques. To her horror, she is sent to a dreaded Turkish prison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
William Blinn's teleplay for The Outside Woman smacks of the most exaggerated of contrivances--but it's all based on truth. Sharon Gless, who tries really hard to look dowdy, stars as a Southern mill worker. Highly susceptible to the possibility of romance, Gless falls for the smooth line of Scott Glenn--a convict at Los Angeles state prison. Her common sense clouded by love, Gless agrees to help hijack a helicopter in order to bust Glenn and a fellow convict out of the slammer. Made for television, The Outside Woman was perhaps deliberately slated for its premiere just before Valentine's Day of 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The "pals" of the title, played by Don Ameche and George C. Scott, are Army chums living a sedentary retirement. Occasionally the twosome becomes a threesome when Scott's mother Sylvia Sidney shows up. All three are resigned to living out their lives on fixed incomes in a Georgia trailer park-and then, Ameche and Scott discover a large sum of money in an abandoned car. Well, "large" is putting it mildly: they find nearly four million bucks. They also find a heap of trouble when mobster James Greene, who'd stashed the cash in the first place, starts nosing around. The made-for-TV Pals was originally telecast February 28, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on the life of Sydney Biddle Barrows, this TV movie features Barrows (Candice Bergen) as a former debutante seeking to make money with an escort service for wealthy businessman and foreign dignitaries. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Chris Sarandon, (more)
In this teen drama, a courageous high school girl accuses her well-respected coach of improper conduct. Despite severe ostracism from her peers and the faculty, the brave girl refuses to back down until justice is done. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Agatha Christie's famous Belgian fussbudget detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) is called in after a beautiful American actress (Faye Dunaway) claims that her husband, a prominent British lord, was murdered by a woman who looks just like her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Faye Dunaway, (more)
Advertised as a "return" to the spirit of the old Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn films (not all of which were that spirited--try watching Keeper of the Flame sometime), the made-for-TV Good Sport is essentially a reworking of 1941's Woman of the Year. Ralph Waite plays a gritty sports columnist who enters reluctantly into the world of "haute courte" fashions to do a story on an ex-athlete turned clothes designer. He meets Lee Remick, an elegant fashion designer, and it's oil-and-water time for the next twenty minutes or so. Waite and Remick become friends, vowing to keep things strictly platonic. It doesn't take a PhD to ascertain what will happen next. For another slant on the premise of A Good Sport, catch the superior 1957 Gregory Peck/Lauren Bacall vehicle Designing Woman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this thriller, based on a novel by Caroline B. Crosney, an insane escaped convict evades cops by hijacking a car and holding the female driver and her baby hostage. He then takes off through rural South Carolina. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Micki (Ann Reinking) is the wife of Rob (Dudley Moore), an airheaded TV talk show host. Maude (Amy Irving) is an attractive musician who is unaware of Micki's existence, and with whom Rob falls in love. Rob is a guy who can't say no, thus when Maude announces that she's pregnant, Rob obligingly marries her. Trouble is, he's still married to Micki who is also pregnant. To make matters worse, Rob's wives are due to give birth on the same day, forcing the double dealer to work doubly hard to keep both demanding women happy. Matters reach their comical climax when the Big Day arrives and Rob is expected to attend both births at the same time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Amy Irving, (more)
In this drama, a man from the Midwest moves to the Big Apple after he separates from his wife. While in the big city an old college buddy gets him involved in a complicated love triangle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Collins, Deborah Raffin, (more)
One of television's most beloved commedians and one of Hollywood's greatest love goddesses appear together for the first time in this made-for-cable comedy drama. Mary Catherine Castelli (Carol Burnett) is a fifty-year-old real estage agent whose husband left her for a younger woman; since then she's been making up for lost time with short term relationships with a number of men, some of whom happen to be married. Deborah Shapiro (Elizabeth Taylor) is also middle-aged and freshly divorced, through she is still coming to terms with being single again and has had little luck finding a new beau. Mary and Deborah meet literally by accident when they get into a fender-bender outside Mary's office, but the two soon strike up a friendship after Deborah asks Mary to help her sell her house. Together, Mary and Deborah help each other deal with their new lives as single women, the difficulty of getting back into the dating pool, and the mildly terrifying onset of middle age and menopause. Based on a novel by Shelly List (who produced this film), Between Friends was produced for the permium cable network HBO. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Something So Right was a November 1982 entry in CBS' series of GE Theatre movie specials. Ricky Schroder plays the trouble-prone son of divorcee Patty Duke Astin. Upset that his idolized football-jock father is gone, Schroder has developed into a petty thief. Unable to handle the boy herself, Duke enrolls Schroder in a Big Brother program--where, much to his dismay, he is paired up with inept, unathletic James Farentino (decked out in a convincing "paunchy" bodysuit and a bald wig). Gradually, Schroder grows close to his new "Big Brother"--only to feel deserted again when Farentino, also divorced, falls in love with Schroder's mom. Something So Right is one of those few and far between TV movies that assumes an audience is intelligent enough to digest a story based on genuine human emotions rather than car chases, serial killings or diseases of the week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The infamous casting couch is the center point of this Hollywood behind-the-scenes drama that chronicles the exploits of a movie mogul and the actresses he turns into stars. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

















