Morgan Brittany Movies

Hollywood meets Bollywood in director Lorraine Senna's Pygmalion-like tale of a Tinseltown hanger-on who attempts to transform a Himalayan village belle into an A-list American celebrity. Having recently arrived in America to discover the man she was arranged to marry is far from the man of her dreams, Himalayan girl Shalini (Namrata Singh Gujral) sets out to seek her fortune in a foreign land where anything seems possible. Little does Shalini realize that southern-bred west-coast import Rob (Brad Raider) is attempting to make a name for himself in show-business, and has recently been challenged by the CEO of a Hollywood management company (Beau Bridges) pluck a superstar out of thin air. Now, as Shalini becomes Shelley and Rob does his best to school the culturally inquisitive beauty in the ways of Western society, the opportunity to see the world from an entirely different perspective prompts both to reevaluate their lives as love begins to blossom and the quest for fame takes a back seat to romance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

How would you react if the frontman for your favorite boy band came knocking on your door looking for a place to hide out? It may be more trouble than it's worth, as a star-stricken teen discovers in this comedy that drives home the age-old adage "be careful what you wish for." Chris Trousdale is the singer for Dream Street, the most popular boy band ever to fill an arena. When he opts to take a breather from fame by crashing at the house of his number one fan, her world is turned upside down at the prospect of spending some personal time with her own personal American idol. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this western, Hamilton Monroe's wealthy wife Maria is kidnapped by the treacherous amoral outlaw Billy Van Owen who sticks her in a cave and demands an enormous ransom for her. A chronic philanderer and compulsive gambler, Hamilton has never really loved Maria and rather than spend money on her, offers to free Van Owen's partner Jessup from prison instead. He doesn't know that it was the double-crossing Billy who put Jessup there in the first place. If Jessup can find Billy and bring Maria back, he will be freed. To help with the search, Jessup rounds up a hard-bitten woman, Sandy, a professional scout, Dirty Bob, and a crackshot, Little Swede. Together they ride out to save poor Maria from the evil Billy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Director Anthony Hickox (Waxwork) crafted this entertaining bit of horror-western fusion about the vampiric residents of a remote, dusty desert town who have chosen to derive their sustenance from a plasma-manufacturing plant in an attempt to put aside their monstrous nature and peacefully co-exist with humans. When the plant begins malfunctioning, the town's leaders summon the designer, David Harrison (Jim Metzler), to look into the problem. Soon after Harrison and his wife Sarah (Morgan Brittany) arrive, however, they find themselves in the thick of an escalating rivalry between two vampire factions -- one led by peaceful Count Mardulak (David Carradine), who ordered the blood plant as part of his plan to integrate the dying vampire race into human society; and the old-school bloodsuckers, under the sinister Jefferson (John Ireland), who consider Mardulak and his followers traitors to their predatory heritage. While the Harrisons' fates hang in the balance, the scales are jostled further by the arrival of a man named Van Helsing (Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell, in a surprisingly low-key performance), descendant of the legendary vampire hunter, whose disorganized efforts at wiping out town's undead populace are impeded by his growing attraction to a pretty young vampire (Deborah Foreman). With tongue firmly in cheek, this semi-parody plays off audiences' familiarity with the conventions of the vampire genre, but it seldom sacrifices creepiness and suspense when needed. It marked a creative step forward for Hickox (who would later stumble with Hellraiser III), who clearly tailors his projects to seasoned horror buffs. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Jessica (Angela Lansbury) shows up on Wall Street, there to make her very first personal investment in the stock market. As inevitably as night follows day, Jessica's stockbroker promptly turns up murdered. The police figure that the dead man's secretary is the culprit...but as usual, Jessica doesn't take stock (ouch!) in the conventional wisdom, and sets out to find the real murderer on her own. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The family celebrates "Bundy Day at the Beach" -- with 100 dollars unwittingly provided by neighbor Steve (David Garrison). As the Bundy kids pursue new romances, Al contemplates a rendezvous with an old flame (Morgan Brittany). This episode, which features series star David Faustino's younger brother (Michael Faustino) has been slightly expurgated for syndication -- though the spectacular car-smash scene remains intact. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Randy Quaid avoids caricature and cliché in his multifaceted portrayal of Lyndon Baines Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years. This made-for-TV film chronicles the years 1934 through 1963, tracing the beginnings of Johnson's public career, chronicling his reputation for down-and-dirty politicking, and following his progress from congressman to senator to majority leader to vice president. Staunchly at LBJ's side through thick and thin is faithful-wife Lady Bird (Patti LuPone), whose fidelity remains unshaken even while Johnson dallies with other women. Charles Frank co-stars as John F. Kennedy, whose assassination catapults the reluctant Johnson into the presidency that he'd always wanted to win on his own merits. Less than six days before LBJ: The Early Year premiered on February 1, 1987, author Larry L. King picked apart the film's inaccuracies in a TV Guide article. Audiences cared not for absolute truth, and had a grand old time watching Randy Quaid impersonate the amazing Mr. Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Half-Nelson was a very brief TV cop series which made its bow on March 24, 1985, with a two-hour "special". Joe Pesci, sporting lots and lots of hair, stars as ex-Manhattan cop Rocky Nelson, nicknamed "Half" Nelson because he stands well under six feet. Nelson is now a Beverly Hills security guard who dreams of launching an acting career. Guest star Morgan Brittany shows up just long enough to die along with an old buddy of Nelson's. The official police verdict is suicide, but Nelson suspects foul play. Also showing up in cameo roles are Dean Martin, John Matuszak, Larry Holmes and Jerry Reuss. The Half-Nelson pilot was telecast on a Sunday; the subsequent series settled into a Friday night slot (but not for long). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a Hollywood sex symbol is kidnapped for ransom, the daredevil team, The Fantastic Seven, head to Miami where the filming occurred. ~ Rovi

Based on the beautifully illustrated best-seller by Brian Froud and Alan Lee, this animated tale takes a look at the fantastical, delicate lives of the mythical wee folk. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Old-time Hollywood director Vincent Sherman brings a glossy studio-bound look to The Dream Merchants, a two-part, four-hour adaptation of Harold Robbins' novel. The story follows the career of a pioneer filmmaker (Mark Harmon), who comes to Hollywood in the early 20th century with a pocketful of dreams and helps build the sleepy California orange-grove community into the world's entertainment capital. Typical of the Harold Robbins ouevre, most of the characters are based on real-life movie personalities: Robert Goulet's vainglorious matinee idol is a combination of John Barrymore and Douglas Fairbanks, while Vincent Gardenia's vitriolic mogul can be taken as a low-budget Louis B. Mayer. The film is rife with historical inaccuracies (Goulet is informed that the closeup has "just been invented by D. W. Griffith" as a means to convince him to sign a long-term contract assuring him plenty of closeups!), while the haircuts and speech patterns are firmly locked into the 1980s. All the same, The Dream Merchants was a profitable entry in the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" series of TV specials. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An episode of the television series in which, on his birthday, Buck feels out of place and lonesome for his own time. ~ Rovi

One of two 1979 TV pilot films concerning the exploits of crimefighting movie stuntmen (the other was Stunts Unlimited), Stunt Seven was telecast May 30, 1979. Christopher Connelly heads the cast as ace stunter Hill Singleton. His six-person "team" includes Skip (Christopher Lloyd), Elena (Morgan Brittany), Wally (Bob Seagren), Kenny (Soon Teck Oh), Horatio (Brian Brodsky) and Dinah (Juanin Clay). This time around, "Stunt Seven" must rescue sexy movie star Elke Sommer from the clutches of a well-guarded modern pirate. The fact that the villain is played by Patrick MacNee of Avengers fame should tip one off that Stunt Seven was conceived with tongue firmly in cheek. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi