Richard A. Colla Movies
Did Greg and Marcia really do the nasty? Was Brady dad Robert Reed a bumbling lush? These and other burning Brady questions are in turn answered and skirted around in Growing up Brady, an account of the torrid machinations at work behind the laughter and polyester lapels of America's 1970s alpha-clan. Maureen McCormick (Kaley Cuoco) uses pouty sexuality to try to lure her TV brother, Barry Williams (Adam Brody) into her amorous clutches, while Florence Henderson (Rebecca Bush) feels more than motherly instincts toward her TV son. Meanwhile, poor Robert Reed (Daniel Hugh Kelly) drinks a lot, and everyone revels in a Brady Bunch of dysfunction. Growing up Brady was co-executive produced by none other than Greg Brady himself, Barry Williams. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Brody, Kaley Cuoco, (more)
- 1999
Bartender Terry Cuff (Yasmine Bleeth) marries a good-looking but slightly disreputable military man named Bobby Woodkin (Richard Grieco). It isn't that Terry is madly in love with Bobby: It is just that she is desperate to have a house and children of her. Bobby, however, is in love with Terry--and quite madly. Having already installed the incredibly naïve and trusting Terry in a "dream home" that doesn't really belong to him, the increasingly unhinged Bobby sets about to secure an adopted baby for Terry. . .even if he has to commit murder! Made for cable, Ultimate Deception first aired January 19, 1999 on the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Dolly Parton stars as an up-and-coming country & western singer (a role that obviously stirred up some memories for her) in this made-for-TV drama. Leanna Taylor (Parton) ran away from home when she was a teenager to escape her abusive family, hoping to find a career in Nashville as a singer. Years later, Leanna still finds herself struggling along the margins of the music business, despite her talent. Leanna's boyfriend and manager, Hank (John Terry), has been with her for the past 15 years, and is still promising that her big break is around the corner. However, Leanna finds herself becoming infatuated with Bobby (Billy Dean), the handsome new guitarist in her backing band. Bobby believes Leanna has the talent to go on to bigger and better things, and urges her to fire Hank as her manager; Hank, however, is certain that if he loses Leanna as a client, he'll lose her as a girlfriend as well. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolly Parton, John Terry, (more)
- 1998
Housewife Tess McCall (Patricia Kalember) knows that her sister's husband is a philanderer, but she can't prove it. With the help of her policeman husband Craig (Tom Irwin), Tess gleans a variety of surveillance and clue-gathering techniques, the better to trap her brother-in-law in the act. She does this so well that she decides to open up her own private detective agency, "I Spy", dedicated to helping other wives get the goods on their errant hubbies. Ultimately, Tess determines that her own husband is cheating on her--but is this information correct, or is she merely being carried away by the euphoria of detection? Reportedly inspired by a true story, When Husbands Cheat was made for the Lifetime cable channel, where it originally aired on February 2, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The small-screen melodrama Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder first premiered on Monday, February 10, 1997 on NBC, and now arrives on home video in this release, under the title Swearing Allegiance. The picture dramatizes the infamous Zamora-Graham 'crime of passion' that unfolded in Fort Worth, Texas in 1995, whereby teen lovers (and soon-to-be naval cadets) Diane Zamora and David Graham viciously murdered Adrianne Jones, a local girl to whom Graham had given himself sexually. The incident inspired numerous articles including a September 1996 New York Times piece by Sam Howe Verhovek, and the cover story of the December 1996 Texas Monthly. The telemovie opens with Jones's body discovered beside a road, dead from gunshots to the head and several blows with a blunt object. The police question numerous suspects, before landing on the two culprits: Zamora (played by Holly Marie Combs) and Graham (portrayed by David Lipper). At the time of the arrest, Zamora and Graham are enrolled, respectively, in the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy. E.T. mom Dee Wallace Stone co-stars as Jones's mother; Richard A. Colla directs, from a script by Steve Johnson. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Holly Marie Combs, David Lipper, (more)
- 1996
Forced into drug rehab by her mother Joanna (Patti LuPone), rebellious teenager Alex Saxen (Kellie Martin) shows few signs of being cured upon her release, and quickly goes back to her wild and uninhibited lifestyle. Thus, when Alex's boyfriend turns up murdered after a party, the police tag her as the most likely suspect. But despite Alex's sordid history with booze and pills and her uncontrollable behavior, her counselor Leslie (Jenna Elfman) is unconvinced of the girl's guilt. Reuniting Life Goes On stars Kellie Martin and Patti LuPone, the made-for-TV Her Last Chance initially aired April 8, 1996 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kellie Martin
Based on a popular novel by Judith Krantz, this sudsy romantic drama features a prominent photographer who heads to Gay Paree, unaware that greedy family members are plotting to bilk her father out of his valuable ranch land. Love blossoms in the City of Light when she encounters a fellow picture taker. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Hartman, Cliff Robertson, (more)
Melissa Gilbert stars in the title role of this made-for-television adaption of the novel by Danielle Steel. Gilbert stars as Zoya, an Russian orphan who flees her homeland and falls in love with an American Army soldier stationed in Paris. The two settle in New York, start a family and all seems well, but the dramatic twists and turns for Zoya have only just begun. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Boxleitner, (more)
A mentally unstable woman's obsession has potentially devastating consequences for the forensic psychiatrist who spurns her. The innocent doctor's ordeal begins when the girl is found murdered and he is left to stand accused of the crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Like its theatrical-feature precursor Not Without My Daughter, the made-for-TV Desperate Rescue is based on a true story, though it would appear that several liberties have been taken. Mariel Hemingway plays a young mother whose daughter Lindsay Haun is abducted by Andrew Masset, Mariel's Jordanian ex-husband. Masset takes the girl back to his native Jordan, beyond the reach of the US authorities. Denied aid and comfort by the American government, Mariel takes matters into her own hands, hiring ex-Delta Force commandos Clancy Brown, Jeff Kober and James Russo to muscle their way into Jordan and rescue Lindsay. Based on an article by David Halevy and Neil C. Livingstone, Desperate Rescue premiered January 18, 1993: its title at that time was Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mariel Hemingway, Clancy Brown, (more)
- 1991
Actress Susan Ruttan, who played the quietly efficient legal secretary on LA Law, does an artistic about-face in the TV movie Deadly Medicine. She plays a Texas pediatrics nurse who may have committed several "mercy killings" of her charges. 43 babies die under mysterious circumstances, with Ms. Ruttan seemingly always lurking in the corridor. When confronted by doctor Veronica Hamel, Susan threatens to accuse Ms. Hamel of the murders--and she does, with astonishing success. Though constructed like a network "mystery of the week", Deadly Medicine is founded on fact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The made-for-television film Storm and Sorrow is based on the true story of Molly Higgins (Lori Singer), a mountain climber who joins a team about to climb a 24,000-foot peak in Russia's Pamir Mountains. On the lengthy climb up the mountain, the team confronts a number of dangers--not only natural disasters, but also conflicts between the members, as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
In this drama, a mayor's political career is threatened by the avaricious land speculators who are trying to force her to give into their demands. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer was based on the best-selling 1987 autobiography of (who else?) Roxanne Pulitzer. Since both the book and the subsequent TV movie were told from Roxanne's point of view, it is to be expected that certain ego-massaging liberties would be taken with the facts behind her sensational divorce from publishing heir Herbert Pulitzer (Perry King), and Herbert's subsequent bitter child custody battle. Thus it is that Roxanne is portrayed as a wide-eyed innocent at the time of her marriage, and Pulitzer is a double-dyed dastard. Those who tuned in to see the sex and drug orgies which permeated the couple's relationship were in for a major letdown: these "hot" elements were soft-pedalled into virtual invisibility. The leading lady of Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer is Chynna Phillips, daughter of another famous star-crossed duo, musicians John and Michelle Phillips. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
This made-for-TV biography chronicles the ugly divorce between publishing magnate Herbert "Pete" Pulitzer and his youthful wife Roxanne. It is based on Roxanne's autobiography. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Victoria Principal plays a deputy District Attorney; that we can believe. James Farentino costars as a judge; this is also believable. Opponents in the courtroom, Principal and Farentino are lovers in bed; okay, we'll buy that. Principal is trying to secure a murder conviction for a pimp/blackmailer; we're still with this. But what Principal doesn't know is that the actual murderer is none other than Judge Farentino. Now you've lost us. Naked Lie was first telecast February 26, 1989, an event deemed worthy of a TV Guide cover; one gets the feeling that Victoria Principal could have gotten a TV Guide cover in 1989 by reading the phone book. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Victoria Principal plays the sightless but extremely independent wife of Stephen Macht, who is murdered by intruders in her presence (a harrowing sequence, even within TV standards). Though she could see nothing, Principal is counting on her sensory and olfactory reminiscences, as well as her own instincts, to help the police track down the murderer. Naturally, this results in the killer stalking the "helpless" Principal, who proves to be nothing of the sort. Victoria Principal not only starred in Blind Witness (working like a demon to make her blindness utterly convincing), but also functioned as the film's co-executive producer. This made-for-TV movie debuted on November 26, 1989, heralded by the requisite TV Guide cover story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Something Is Out There is an expensive (and expansive) sci-fi TV movie in the tradition of the miniseries V and the theatrical picture The Hidden (1988). LA cop Joe Cortese finds himself with an unlikely partner--gorgeous extraterrestrial Maryam D'Abo. Both Earthling and alien are on the hunt for an evil entity called a "xenomorph," which has escaped from D'Abo's spaceship. The xenomorph has the capacity to take over the bodies of humans and to assume any shape (Alien meets The Thing). The creature design is courtesy of makeup maestro Rick Baker, while the special effects are cooked up by Star Wars' John Dykstra. Still, the one element of Something Is Out There that sticks in the memory is also the simplest: Maryam D'Abo is attracted to Joe Cortese because she thinks his hands are beautiful. Too insubstantial to be stretched out over four hours (and two consecutive evenings),it nonetheless resulted in a TV series, which lasted from October to December of 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
This time, the crew of the Enterprise must tackle a double threat: A hostile Ferengi spaceship, and a sudden, debilitating loss of energy. The two opposing sides are forced to declare a truce and work together to locate the cause of the energy loss. The culprit turns out to be a computerized "interrogator," (Darryl Henriques) whose intractable sense of justice doesn't bode well for both crews. First telecast on October 24, 1987, "The Last Outpost" was scripted by Herbert J. Wright from a story by Richard Krzemien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
The word for That Secret Sunday would seem to be "irresponsible." Two party girls are horribly murdered, and the police handle the investigation irresponsibly. The reason is that the four investigating cops are guilty of the murder, which stemmed from their own irresponsible behavior. Investigative reporter James Farentino might have been able to nail the cops, but his newspaper behaves with irresponsibility. Made for television, That Secret Sunday was responsible only in prompting viewers to change the channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
A vicious narcotics supplier has dispatched a Hawaii-based hit man known as "Beach Boy" to bump off those Los Angeles drug dealers who have refused to do business with him. Hunter (Fred Dryer) and McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) are assigned to prevent "Beach Boy" from carrying out his mission--a task that thrusts the two detectives on a deadly odyssey from Malibu to Chinatown. Garrett Morris makes his first series appearance as flamboyant street hustler Sporty James. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hunter (Fred Dryer) steps up his search for escaped cocaine dealer Sally LaPone (Lydia Naff). This assignment morphs into a rescue mission when it becomes clear that Manhattan detective Jackie Molinas (Dennis Franz), Hunter's temporary partner, is a dirty cop, determined to snuff out LaPone before she can rat out her boss, Vic Terranova (Dennis Farina). Meanwhile, McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) continues working undercover as a singer at a Terronava-controlled nightclub--a job that may be fatally terminated when her cover is blown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Created by Stephen J. Cannell, the made-for-TV Stingray combines choice elements from such past successes as Knight Rider, The Lone Ranger, and (stylistically, at least) Miami Vice. Nick Mancuso stars as the title character, a mysterious good samaritan who has apparently named himself after his jazzed-up car. In the course of events, Stingray foils the plans of an insane doctor, scuttles the operation of a drug-and-vice lord, and locates a missing child using ingenuity, brute force, and a variety of disguises. All he asks in return from the people he helps is that they will someday do a favor for him -- at any time, at any place. Robyn Douglass costars as Stingray's lady love, Deputy D.A. Daphne Delgado (who probably sells seashells by the seashore). Originally broadcast July 14, 1985, on NBC, Stingray was blatantly the pilot for a weekly TV series, which ran from March 4, 1986, to July 31, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Mancuso
- 1985
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Hunter travels to the banana republic of Curaguay to exact vengeance against the "Devil Prince" Raoul Mariano (Richard Yniguez), who after committing murder and sexually assaulting McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) was able to escape prosecution by invoking his diplomatic immunity. Hoping to talk sense to the rapist's father General Mariano (Michael Ansara), Hunter is aghast to discover that the old man is even more depraved than his son. Clearly, extreme measures must be taken, and Hunter is the man to take them--and never mind that McCall herself has begged him to drop the case and return home! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) arrives in Hollywood, where her first mystery novel "The Corpse Danced at Midnight" is being made into a movie. Unfortunately, Jessica is displeased by the decision of film producer Jerry Lydecker (John Saxon) to "juice up" her novel with heavy doses of sex and violence, and she makes no secret of her outrage. Thus it is that Jessica ends up on the suspect list when the highly unlikable Lydecker turns up murdered. John Astin, later a series semi-regular in the role of Cabot Cove real estate agent Harry Pierce, is here cast as Ross Hayley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
