Gwen Arner Movies

Just before all three of them are to be wed to the men of their dreams, longtime friends Monique (Connie Sellecca, Eve (Twiggy) and Teri (Shawnee Smith) flying off to Australia for a pre-nuptual photo shoot. To fully appreciate the episodic events that follow, it should be noted that Monique is a magazine editor engaged to a control freak; Eve is a model whose trail is being dogged by a psychotic ex-suitor; and Teri is a bewitching lass who has not told her fiancé everything he should know about his past. Amidst a sea of romance-on-the-rebound, tense melodrama and deep dark secrets, the audience is afford a few islands of relief vis-à-vis the performance of Dina Merrill as Monique's ailing "old-money" mom. Adapted from the novel by Jillian Karr and Karen Katz,the made-for-TV Something Borrowed, Something Blue made its initial CBS network appearance on March 11, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A U.S. general confronts the struggle of her lifetime when she decides to run for president in this drama. ~ Rovi

Detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) seek out Brutus Walker (Jerome Preston Bates), the chief suspect in the rooftop murder of a cop. Even while the detectives put out a dragnet for Walker, the fugitive's lawyer, Simpson (David Margulies), tries to cut a deal with prosecutors Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks). The key to the outcome of this perplexing case may be in the hands of the dead cop's guilt-ridden partner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

My Town is a one-hour Disney TV movie set in a tranquil American community. Meredith Salenger considers the place "My Town," and prefers that it remain untouched. Thus Salenger is dead set against the urban renewal plans of town banker Glenn Ford--who is also her grandfather. My Town first saw the light of day on May 25, 1986. It was shown back to back with another 60-minute film, The Casebusters, on ABC's Disney Sunday Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A very young Sean Astin co-stars with his mother, Patty Duke, in this powerful drama about child abuse. Unlike most of his friends, who are cheerful and outgoing, eight-year-old Brian Reynolds (Astin) is shy, morose, and withdrawn. Curious as to why Brian behaves the way he does, teenager Nancy Parks (Nancy McKeon) stumbles upon a terrible secret: Brian's divorced, stressed-out mother, Barbara (Patty Duke), takes out her frustrations by savagely beating Brian on a regular basis. So now Nancy knows the reason for Brian's sadness -- but should she tell the authorities or simply mind her own business? Originally produced for the ABC Afterschool Special series, Please Don't Hit Me, Mom made its debut in prime time as one of three ABC Theater for Young Americans presentations; the film finally aired as part of ABC's afternoon schedule on January 19, 1983. ~ Rovi

The second of three TV-movie spinoffs of the long-running series The Waltons, Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain marked the return of actress Michael Learned in the role of Olivia Walton, a part she had relinquished when her contract expired one year before the original series' cancellation in 1981. Still consigned to a tuberculosis sanitorium, Olivia has only a few scenes in the film, though she does return to Walton Mountain in time to help her daughter Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) weather a crisis. It appears as if Mary Ellen, newly wed to longtime beau Jonesy (Richard Gilliland) will be unable to have children, thanks to an auto accident; meanwhile, the rest of the Walton clan has problems of their own, including son Ben's (Eric Wilton) efforts to restore harmony between himself and his own wife Cindy (Leslie Winston). Of the original Waltons cast, only Richard Thomas, Ellen Corby and the late Will Geer were absent from the proceedings. Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain debuted May 9, 1982, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) finds a kindred spirit in the form of the Mountain's new schoolteacher, a brilliant young woman named Hazel (Susan Krebs). Conversely, Corabeth (Ronnie Claire Edwards) is shocked by Hazel's "progressive" ideas, especially her plans to conduct a sex-education class. As it turns out, however, Hazel has a lot more to worry about than Corabeth's outrage. Elsewhere, Ben (Eric Scott) becomes so terrified at the prospect of becoming a father that he goes out and gets roaring drunk -- just when his pregnant wife Cindy (Leslie Winston) needs him most! Virginia Walton, the newest member of the family, makes her first appearance in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Now that John-Boy is a war correspondent for "Stars and Stripes," his brothers Ben (Eric Scott) and Jim-Bob (David W. Harper) are anxious to get into uniform and serve their country as well. On the other hand, brother Jason (Jon Walmsley) is reluctant to enlist, sincerely believing that it is wrong to take the life of a fellow human being. Of course, he could register as a conscientious objector -- but wouldn't such an action forever brand him as a coward? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Corabeth (Ronnie Claire Edwards) "helpfully" lends the pregnant Cindy (Leslie Winston) a book on marriage titled "The Fastidious Wife." Following the advice dispensed in the book, Cindy begins catering to the every whim of her hardworking husband Ben -- and wears herself to a frazzle in the process. Meanwhile, John (Ralph Waite) comes to regret his decision to allow Jeffrey (Keith Mitchell) and Serena (Martha Nix) to adopt a cat named Harold...especially when "he" turns out to be a "she" in a rather dramatic fashion! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Unless John (Ralph Waite) can prove that he has graduated from high school, his lumber company will lose an important Army contract. Unfortunately, John's diploma is nowhere to be found, and thus he is forced to take a difficult equivalency test -- and he's none too happy about virtually returning to his scholar days at the tender age of 43. Elsewhere, new district nurse Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) tangles with a superstitious mountain family which refuses to accept any form of "new fangled" medical treatment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This made-for-TV movie stars Clu Gulager as Cuda Weber, a seafaring loner who has settled down to the life of a beachcomber on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Weber's carefree, rootless existence is considerably altered when he finds himself in charge of five feisty orphan kids from the MacKenzie clan. Actually, Cuda's guardianship is entirely involuntary; it could be said that the MacKenzie children adopted him, rather than the other way around. Originally telecast April 14, 1978, Stickin' Together was the pilot film for what ultimately emerged as the short-lived TV series The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove, which also starred Clu Gulager and featured most of the movie's supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A Question of Love is the deceptively bland title for this controversial made-for-TV film. Gena Rowlands plays a divorced nurse who is doing her best to raise her young sons (Keith Mitchell and Josh Albee) without their dad's help. Rowlands' ex-husband Clu Gulager files for full custody of the children. It isn't that Gulager is selfish or vindictive: the fact is that Rowlands is a lesbian, with a live-in lover (Jane Alexander), and Gulager feels that her lifestyle is not in the boys' best interests. Nothing is cut and dried in William Blinn's intelligent screenplay: there are no heroes and villains, no absolute "right" or "wrong." Extremists and moderates are depicted with equanimity, as are the points in favor of both Rowlands' and Gulager's position. While it has unavoidably dated since its first telecast on November 26, 1978, A Question of Love retains most of his dramatic power even after nearly two decades. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Just as he is about to accept a writing assignment in war-torn London, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) proposes to his erstwhile girlfriend Daisy (Deirdre Lenihan). It turns out, however, that Daisy has neglected to tell John-Boy a few things about herself--specifically, that she is the mother of a three-year-old girl. Elsewhere, Grandpa (Will Geer) tries to improve sales of Elizabeth's lemonade by adding a few drops of a special--er--recipe. This episode marks the final appearance of Richard Thomas on The Waltons, though he would later return as John-Boy in a "reunion" special. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi