Robby Benson Movies
When 13-year-old Robby Benson appeared with "Josephine the Plumber" (Jane Withers) in a well-circulated TV commercial of the late 1960s, he was already a ten-year veteran of show business. The son of a writer and a stage actress, Benson went from the straw-hat theater circuit to the leading role of Oliver in a 1964 Japanese touring production. At fourteen he made his Broadway debut, and at that same time became the first of five actors to play the role of Bruce Carson on the TV daytime drama Search for Tomorrow. In films from 1972, Benson specialized in playing sensitive teenagers with severe emotional and/or physical problems. He also was frequently co-starred in romantic roles with young actress Glynnis O'Connor, notably in the 1973 film Jeremy and the 1977 TV production of Our Town. While his early theatrical films were generally okay, Benson was better served in made-for-TV movies: he was excellent as the dying son of author John Gunther in Death Be Not Proud (1975) and as George Burns' mentally retarded grandson in Two of a Kind (83). Benson endured an awkward period in the 1980s when, except for such career highlights as The Chosen (1981), he seemed to be pulling out the same bag of acting tricks in role after role. An effort to establish himself as a producer resulted in the unsuccessful Die Laughing (1979). He backed away from show business in 1984 when he underwent delicate open-heart surgery; the ordeal seemed to strengthen his resolve to broaden his performing skills. He starred as a tough Chicago cop in a brief TV series Tough Cookies (1986), and in 1988 directed his first film, Crack in the Mirror. Benson's most successful film project of recent years was one in which his face was never seen: as the growling, deep-voiced Beast in the Disney cartoon feature Beauty and the Beast (though touted in some articles as his voiceover debut, Benson had actually been dubbing TV cartoons for several years, notably the 1991 series Pirates of Dark Water). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV rural horror film from director Burt Kennedy benefits from a fine cast and a tense Clyde Ware screenplay. Samantha Eggar and Stacy Keach play motorists held prisoner by a family of seven sweet-faced young orphans and their savage guard dogs. The children only want a mother and father but are willing to kill anyone who rejects them. Jon Savage co-stars with Robby Benson, who sang the theme song. All the Kind Strangers was initially telecast November 12, 1974. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Based on Joan Taylor's novel Asking for It, the made-for-TV An Invasion of Privacy stars Valerie Harper as recently divorced book illustrator Kate Bianchi. Moving into a remote, cloistered island community in Maine, Kate has barely arrived when she is raped by a local handyman. The hostile, inbred locals immediately turn against Kate when she presses charges, leaving only the town's college-educated police chief (Cliff De Young) to champion her cause. Jerry Orbach and Tammy Grimes took time off from their roles in the Broadway musical 42nd Street to show up in cameo roles. Filmed on Long Island Sound, An Invasion of Privacy first aired January 12, 1983, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Area 51: The Alien Interview fuels the debate as to whether aliens are authentic and seek contact with humankind. Area 51 is a top-secret underground military base in the middle of Nevada whose existence government officials long denied. Some believe Area 51 is the center of the U.S. government's clandestine UFO research. Edwards Air Force Base, famous as a test center for classified aircraft and other exotic weapons, controls the strange site. Area 51: The Alien Interview features footage allegedly smuggled out of Area 51 by a mysterious character known only as Victor. Taken through a one-way mirror, the footage depicts an alien creature being questioned by a United States general and his telepathic aide. Viewers will decide for themselves whether this striking film is a true documentation of government efforts to communicate with aliens or an intriguing hoax. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide
Beauty and the Beast is widely considered the best animated Disney feature of the studio's 1980s/1990s renewal of the form. Based on the classic French fairy tale, it tells the story of Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara), an intelligent young woman scorned by her townspeople for being a bookworm, weary of fighting off the advances of the arrogant Gaston (Richard White), and dreaming of escape. When her father gets lost in the woods and captured by the forbidding Beast (Robby Benson), a once-handsome prince turned into a monster by a witch, Belle goes off to rescue him. Taken with her, the Beast agrees to release Belle's father if she agrees to stay with him forever. Initially repulsed, Belle soon finds much to appreciate in the Beast's hidden, tender nature. The Beast's servants -- a clock (David Ogden Stiers), a teapot (Angela Lansbury), and a candlestick (Jerry Orbach) -- see Belle as their salvation: if the Beast and a woman fall in love before his 21st birthday, he will be free from the curse. The songs are first-class, the tale is told with sincerity but not sentimentality, and the characters of Belle and the Beast, complex individuals who defy stereotyping and change over the course of the story, are more three-dimensional than in most live-action movies. The eye-popping animation is beautifully rendered, and Beauty and the Beast certainly deserves its place amongst Disney's animated classics. In 2002, a special 89-minute edition of the film was released in IMAX theaters with the addition of a newly animated song, ""Human Again."" ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, (more)
- 1997
Belle and the other characters from Disney's Beauty and the Beast return in this three-part story. Belle and the Beast learn a lesson about how to forgive and forget in "The Perfect Word"; a romantic evening takes a wrong turn -- down a step hill -- in "Fifi's Folly"; and the Beast gives a pet bird its freedom in "Broken Wing." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robby Benson, Paige O'Hara, (more)
- 1992
Divorcee Helen Slater doesn't mind single life, but she doesn't like being alone either. Her best pal Kelly LeBrock dutifully sets up a blind date. Outwardly charming doctor Billy Zane is Slater's companion for the evening, and things couldn't be rosier. But it turns out that neither Zane nor LeBrock are dealing from the top of the deck, and before long Slater and her daughter Heather Lind are embroiled in a life- threatening situation. This reasonably involving thriller was scripted by actor Robby Benson. Featured in the cast are Harvey Korman and Alan Thicke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- PG
He remains one of the true icons of late 20th and early 21st century evangelism. But what of his early years -- the years that led him into full-time ministry? As scripted and directed by acclaimed actor Robby Benson (The Chosen), this fact-based historical drama depicts Billy Graham (here played by Armie Hammer) as an earnest young man whose life is irrevocably changed via his interaction with another up-and-coming follower of God, Charles Templeton. Though fast friends, the men reach a crossroads and fork off in opposing directions when Templeton's faith buckles beneath the weight of the scientific revolution and the evidence that he perceives as an unshakable threat to Christianity. The disbelief that Templeton demonstrates, in turn, convinces Graham to take the altar call in the Depression-era South, in an effort to bring people to God who find themselves mired in agnosticism and atheism. Martin Landau portrays Charles Templeton as an old man, Josh Turner plays George Beverly Shea, and Stefanie Butler co-stars as Graham's wife, Ruth Bell Graham. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armie Hammer Jr., Stefanie Butler, (more)
- 1984
The thin storyline for this film is that three young women hope to gain a foothold in the acting profession, so they perform nude in front of the window of the disk jockey (Mad Man Jack played by Al Music) who is running a contest that would launch their careers. Along with many songs by a wide variety of groups -- from The Police to Blondie -- are crowds of young women cheerleading, doing aerobics, hang gliding, wind-surfing, and performing any number of physical feats. Other than music and nubile women in sporting events, the film has little to say and was never released theatrically. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Music, Lantz Douglas, (more)
This bleak post-apocalyptic science fiction actioner substitutes a plague instead of a bomb as the reason for civilization's demise but the result is the same -- grizzly motorcycle gangs with a ton of gasoline to burn. In City Limits the older generation has been wiped out by the plague, and the younger generation lives in a state of anarchy in a world controlled by biker gangs. The gangs live by rules discovered in pre-apocalyptic comic books. Two rival biker gangs, the Clippers and the DAs, have taken to dividing up a city amongst themselves and live under a fragile truce. Utilizing a comic-strip version of medieval times, a code has been established for violations of the pact between the gangs -- competitive jousting or acts of reciprocal retaliation. When a person dies, like a post-Holocaust Viking funeral, he is cremated along with his motorcycle. But this shaky peace between the bike gangs is threatened when the fascistic Sunya Corporation attempts to take over the city with the cooperation of the DA bike gang. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darrell Larson, John Stockwell, (more)
- 1987
- R
In this drama, a New York professional finally agrees to assist a local crack dealer and finds himself embroiled in the seamy world of drugs. The film is also titled "White Hot." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
An alcoholic, world-weary has-been Jewish reporter heads out for revenge against the white-supremacists who murdered his father in this grim political thriller. As the detective assigned to the case isn't very effective, the reporter begins his own investigation with the help of his lover, the enigmatic radio correspondent Rita. Their digging unearths evidence that the killing was really part of a conspiracy to kill another Jewish fellow who is running for the Senate on an anti-military platform. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
A teenage boy battles courageously against brain cancer in this moving made-for-television drama that is based on John Gunther's 1949 autobiographical account of his son's terrible illness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- PG
In this black comedy, a humble cab driver spends his days daydreaming of becoming a rock-star. His blissful reverie is one day interrupted when ends up inadvertently blamed for the assassination of a world-renowned nuclear scientist. Soon afterward he finds that he has a stowaway, the late scientist's chimpanzee, the only one who knows his master's secret formula, which if ever written down could cause the destruction of the world. Now the hapless taxi driver must evade both the cops and two villainous Russian Spies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robby Benson, Linda Grovenor, (more)
While knights usually slay dragons, a would-be hero tries to save the world by keeping a dragon alive in this adventure fantasy. In ancient times, Geoff (Christopher Masterson), a young man who works as a stable boy, wants to prove himself by becoming a knight. Geoff trains on his own, diligently but with little success. However, he gets an unexpected assist when he discovers Drake (Voice of Robby Benson), a young dragon, trapped in a dungeon. Drake teaches the aspiring knight a few lessons about bravery and loyalty, and in turn, Geoff gives Drake a few tips on how to fly. But an evil knight with dreams of ruling the world discovers a magic formula that will make him all powerful -- and the only ingredient he lacks is the heart of a dragon. Now Geoff and a pair of Chinese travelers steeped in dragon lore must protect Drake before his heart can fall into the wrong hands. Dragonheart: A New Beginning, a direct-to-video sequel to 1996's Dragonheart, was also promoted under the title Dragonheart II. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Masterson, Robby Benson, (more)
- 1997
Tom Selleck returns as Dr. Richard Burke, ex-beau of the much-younger Monica (Courteney Cox). Chancing to meet Richard at the video store, Monica is determined to keep all future encounters on a platonic basis. Meanwhile, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) girds up her courage to read The Shining (provided that Joey [Matt LeBlanc] can wade through Little Women). And Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) latest boyfriend favors shorts that are way, way too short. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Disgruntled Ross (David Schwimmer) thinks that Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) new co-worker Mark (Steven Eckholdt) is a bit too friendly, while Rachel's former boss Gunther (James Michael Tyler) gets all moony-eyed. Monica (Courteney Cox) dates a poetic and somewhat xenophobic busboy named Julio (Carlos Gomez). And Joey (Matt LeBlanc), anxious to land a job in a Broadway musical, claims on his resumé that he is an expert dancer -- with disastrous results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Sherilyn Fenn guest stars as Chandler's (Matthew Perry) new girlfriend Ginger, who has an artificial leg and a low gross-out threshold. Meanwhile, Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) former singing partner Leslie (Elizabeth Daily) wants to stir up a promotional blitz for their deathless composition "Smelly Cat." And Ross (David Schwimmer) has still not adjusted to Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) new job -- or her new co-worker Mark (Steven Eckholdt). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Monica (Courteney Cox) discovers that her new boyfriend, Ethan (Stan Kirsch), is only a high school senior. Unfortunately, she finds out a bit too late to gently break off the relationship. Meanwhile, Ross (David Schwimmer) is both appalled and let down when he hears about Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) sexual fantasies, and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) discovers that not everyone likes Chandler (Matthew Perry) as much as she does. Somehow or other, everyone winds up in the hospital. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Having gone back to smoking, Chandler (Matthew Perry) tries all sorts of things to quit, including a hypnosis tape (from the episode of the same title). Meanwhile, Monica's (Courteney Cox) date yields unexpected results. And Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) finds out that her half-brother Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi) is in love -- and she's none too pleased with the woman in his life. Jon Favreau and Debra Jo Rupp make their first series appearances as Pete and Alice, respectively. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Pete (Jon Favreau) enters a grueling "ultimate fight," leading to a lot of hurt and a fateful decision by Monica (Courteney Cox). Ross' (David Schwimmer) new date Bonnie (Christine Taylor) once had a hair problem -- mainly, she didn't have any. Chandler's (Matthew Perry) new boss gives a whole new meaning to the word forceful. And yes, those two guys in the park are just who you think they are. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In this animated children's feature, the beloved Bible stories of "David and Goliath" and "The Story of Gideon" are told. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- Add Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible: David and Goliath to QueueAdd Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible: David and Goliath to top of Queue
From Hanna-Barbera's animated series depicting the tales of the bible, "David and Goliath" tells the tale of David's leadership and determination to follow his God. David uses the strength he finds in his faith and a mere slingshot in defense against the brute Goliath, and is thus able to prevent the people of Israel from becoming enslaved. The video is recommended for older children, along with parental guidance. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG
Harry (Paul Newman), a middle-aged hardhat, has trouble communicating with his teenaged son Howard (Robby Benson). While Harry wants Howard to find a bread-and-butter job, the sensitive boy would rather pursue a writing career. Howard tries his best to please his dad, but ultimately realizes that he must march to his own beat if he's to find lasting happiness. The best scenes in this by-the-numbers domestic drama are those between Howard and his pregnant girlfriend (Ellen Barkin). Adapted from The Lost King, a novel by Don Capite, Harry and Son represents one of the rare occasions that star Paul Newman directed himself (at least officially!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Robby Benson, (more)
- 1992
Scientist Robby Benson creates the ultimate home appliance, a computer that handles every conceivable household chore. However, the machine becomes so enamored of its creator that it sets out to murder his wife. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
