John Fiedler Movies
American actor John Fiedler did his first professional work in his native Wisconsin. Fiedler's many Broadway appearances included the 1960 play A Raisin in the Sun, in which he was the only Caucasian in a virtually all-black cast. His first film role was as the supplicative Juror No. 2 in Twelve Angry Men (1957). Fiedler's stock in trade was the meek-looking soul who compensated for his demeanor with a nasty temper or sadistic streak. In this capacity, he was often seen as vindictive school principals, obstreperous civil servants or combative psychiatric patients (vide TV's The Bob Newhart Show). Incredibly prolific in films and on television, John Fiedler's best-known role was Vinnie, Oscar Madison's card-playing crony in both the stage and screen versions of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two fantasy novels by Margery Sharp were combined for in the Disney animated feature The Rescuers. The title characters are a pair of mice, Bernard and Miss Bianca. A little girl named Penny has been kidnapped by Miss Medusa. When the human law enforcement officials fail to locate the child, Bernard and Miss Bianca take over with the help of several colorful animal companions. In classic Disney tradition, the comedy element is offset by moments of genuine terror. Voices are provided by Bob Newhart (Bernard), Eva Gabor (Miss Bianca), Geraldine Page (Madame Medusa), Jim "Fibber McGee" Jordan, John McIntire, George "Goober" Lindsay, Joe Flynn (who died in 1974, not long into the four-year production), and a host of others. It scored at the box office, more than compensating for the $8 million investment and the half-decade of work it took to complete the film. In fact, The Rescuers remains one of the most popular of the Disney cartoon films produced after the death of Uncle Walt. A heavily-computerized sequel, The Rescuers Down Under, appeared in 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Show-business hopeful Alice (Linda Lavin) is convinced that her big break has come when she is chosen to sing and dance in a commercial for Mel's Diner. Alas, the assignment requires Alice to hide much of her talent--and most of her body--under a huge, idiotic-looking hamburger costume. Though filmed as the third episode of Alice, this entry was held back until mid-March of 1977, ultimately airing as the Season One finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Hoping to lighten his workload, Bob interviews several candidates for the job of his assistant. When his efforts fail to yield fruit (most of the candidates, alas, are unable to diagnose a hangnail, much less a neurosis), Bob turns to his former college professor, Alan Dreesen (guest star Ralph Bellamy), who has volunteered for the job. Not unexpectedly, Bob lives to regret taking Dr. Dreesen into his practice. First telecast on November 19, 1977, "You're Fired, Mr. Chips" was written by Lloyd Garver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
With the help of Bob and a bottle, henpecked Mr. Petersen (John Fiedler) stands up to his wife. The consequences are enormous, not only for the Petersens, but also for Bob. Toni Lamond appears as the much-discussed but seldom-seen Doris Petersen, while Larry Goldman is cast as the cop. Scripted by Glen and Les Charles and directed by the series' comedy consultant, Dick Martin, "Who Was That Masked Man?" first aired on October 15, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
For only the second time in five years, Bob is forced to raise his rates. Likewise for the second time in five years, his patients react unfavorably to the increase; not only do they boycott his Christmas party, but also Mr. Carlin puts out a "contract" on Bob by hiring a professional pie thrower (Rik Pierce). Meanwhile, Jerry and Howard are likewise having trouble entering into the spirit of the season, due to an argument sparked by a misguided hockey puck. The supporting cast features Ben Freedman as a Santa named Saul. First telecast on December 24, 1977, " 'Twas the Pie Before Christmas" was written by Phil Davis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1977
- G
- Add The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to QueueAdd The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to top of Queue
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an hour-long compendium of the three Disney "Winnie" animated short subjects produced between 1966 and 1974. Sterling Holloway provides the voice of A.A. Milne's whimsical pooh-bear in all three cartoons, the first two of which are directed by Wolfgang Reithermann and the last by John Lounsbery. The program consists of Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974). The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was originally prepared in 1977 for theatrical release, and has since been available primarily in home-video form. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Robert Stevenson, Walt Disney Productions' house director, cobbled together his 19th family film for the organization with this slapstick sequel to the Disney comedy The Shaggy Dog (produced 17 years after the fact). Dean Jones plays Wilby Daniels, a lawyer running against the villainous John Slade (Keenan Wynn) for district attorney. His campaign is cast into doubt when he comes upon an ancient ring that transforms him into a fat sheepdog. But the campaign progresses on a level playing field when the unscrupulous Slade finds himself also turned into a canine -- a disgruntled bulldog. Another sequel, The Return of the Shaggy Dog, followed. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Tim Conway, (more)
- 1976
Future WKRP in Cincinnati regular Howard Hesseman makes a return appearance on The Bob Newhart Show, this time in the role of Bob's new patient, Mr. Plager. Described as "mildly neurotic with compulsive tendencies," Plager is welcomed by the rest of Bob's therapy group with open arms. Alas, those arms quickly fold up when it is learned that Plager is gay. Written by Patricia Jones, "Some of My Best Friends Are..." first aired on October 16, 1976, as the series' 100th episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1976
The impressionable Vera (Beth Howland) has fallen in love again. This time the lucky man is Jerry (Tom Poston), a middle-aged mortician. But things may not be as idyllic as Vera imagines they are: there's a strong likelihood that Jerry is already married. Once Alice (Linda Lavin) is in possession of what she thinks are all the facts, she must figure out a way to gently break the news without once more breaking Vera's notoriously fragile heart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Bob turns amateur detective when his expensive new tape recorder turns up missing. Deducing that there's a thief at large, Bob places everyone -- friends and family members alike -- under suspicion. But the solution to the mystery is embarrassingly close to home. Originally shown over the CBS network on November 13, 1976, "A Crime Most Foul" was one of several Bob Newhart Show episodes written by veteran comedy scrivener, Sy Rosen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1975
Bob's plans to hold a surprise party for his therapy group are messed up by the non-arrival of one patient, Mr. Gianini. Somewhat miffed, Bob exiles Gianini in absentia. Expressing long-withheld hostility towards the missing member, the rest of the group applauds Bob's action, but they quickly change their tune (and the target for their animosity!) when they discover that Gianini has been killed in a freak accident -- buried under a ton of zucchini. Written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, "Death of a Fruitman" originally aired on September 27, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1975
The still-unsolved Black Dahlia murder case, fictionalized in the 1981 theatrical feature True Confessions, is handled on a more factual level in this made-for-TV movie. Lucie Arnaz plays Elizabeth Short, an aspiring starlet of questionable morals, who in 1947 was murdered by person or persons unknown. What made the case particularly unsettling was the fact that Elizabeth's body was sliced neatly in two, with every ounce of blood drained from her body. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. costars as the Los Angeles detective who ends up dedicating a lifetime to tracking down Elizabeth's killer. Who is the Black Dahlia? debuted March 1, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucie Arnaz, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., (more)
- 1975
- PG
Three's a crowd in Mike Nichols's period caper comedy -- or is it? To dodge the 1920s Mann Act barring the transport of women across state lines for "immoral purposes," not-yet-divorced Nicky (Warren Beatty) has felonious buddy Oscar (Jack Nicholson) marry Nicky's runaway heiress sweetheart Freddy (Stockard Channing) so they can all escape New York for Los Angeles. The three set up house together, but trouble starts brewing when odd man out Oscar decides to get Nicky's attention by exercising his rights as a husband to Freddy. Exasperated with being stuck in the middle of the bickering pair, Freddy threatens to donate her impending inheritance to charity, inciting Oscar and Nicky to hatch a plan to bump her off and keep the money. But Freddy just will not die, prompting the three to reconsider the whole arrangement. With a period setting and pair of stellar lead actors similar to the 1973 blockbuster The Sting, a screenplay by Five Easy Pieces author Carol Eastman (under the name Adrien Joyce), and deft comedy director Nichols, The Fortune seemed like a can't-miss proposition. But it resoundingly flopped, as audiences preferred to see Beatty in his earlier 1975 starring role as a racy L.A. hairdresser in Shampoo, and to wait for Nicholson's later 1975 incarnation as an archetypal iconoclast in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. As with other late '60s-early '70s period films like Beatty's own Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Fortune lends an updated sensibility to its old-fashioned milieu, complete with a very modern happy ending. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, (more)
- 1974
In an acting tour de force that earned him critical acclaim back in 1974, John Davidson guest stars as professional female impersonator Ken Scott. The highlight of Scott's nightclub act is his dead-on imitation of legendary 1930s movie star Carol Marlowe. Unfortunately, the entertainer's schizophrenia overwhelms him, and soon he is carrying over his "Carol Marlowe" persona into real life--and murdering any man who is unlucky enough to be attracted to "Carol." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
"Bad" Ronald (Scott Jacoby) has been in hiding in a secret room ever since going off the deep end and killing a teenaged girl who'd made fun of him. Ronald's mother (Kim Hunter) helps her son to remain hidden, even when the house in which he is sequestered is rented by a family. As luck would have it, three of the family members are nubile young girls--perfect targets for the lonely, and looney, Ronald. In the original John Holbrook Vance novel on which this TV-movie is based, Ronald abducts, repeatedly rapes and ultimately kills two women. The video version of Bad Ronald is heavily laundered, but no less terrifying. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott, (more)
- 1974
Filmed as the opening episode of The Bob Newhart Show's third season, "The Battle of the Groups" ended up as the season's second installment, on September 21, 1974. Stuck with two contentious therapy groups, Bob does not relish the notion of taking both groups to a mountain retreat for a marathon therapy session. He should have exercised his better judgment: The weekend turns out to be a cacophonous symphony of complaints, bruised feelings, and teeth-gritting "conversations" between Bob and Emily. Among the supporting players is future Hill Street Blues star Dan Travanty as Mr. Gianelli. "The Battle of the Groups" was written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1973
The ever-rising cost of living has forced Bob to increase his rates. Unfortunately, he chooses the worst possible time to inform his therapy group that he's raising their fees. The group rebels en masse -- and that's hardly the end of Bob's dilemma. In addition to the usual aggregation of "patients," Henry Corden appears as Mr. Nenn. Written by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, "Mutiny on the Hartley" first aired on November 10, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1973
Bob and Emily are looking forward to their first Christmas Eve "alone together." Unfortunately, they'll have to continue looking; Bob has been trapped in his office by a power failure, capping a long and daunting list of frustrations. Gene Blakely appears as Dr. Ralph Tetzi. Appropriately making its network premiere on December 22, 1973, "I'm Dreaming of a Slight Christmas" was written by comedians Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
Robin Hood is one of the first animated films produced by the Walt Disney Company after Walt Disney's death in 1967. For the film, the studio's animators took the Disney tradition of adding human-like animal sidekicks to established tales (Cinderella, Pinnochio) a step further by making Robin Hood's legendary characters creatures themselves. Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) is a wily fox; Maid Marian (Monica Evans) is a beautiful vixen; Little John (Phil Harris) is a burly bear; Friar Tuck (Andy Devine) is a soft-spoken badger; the Sheriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram) is a greedy wolf; and the scheming Prince John (Peter Ustinov) is a sniveling, groveling, thumb-sucking undersized lion with a serpent sidekick named Sir Hiss (Terry Thomas). The film begins after Prince John and Sir Hiss have tricked the true King into leaving the country on a phony crusade. With the help of the Sheriff of Nottingham, they tax the life out of Nottingham's peasants, leaving them all penniless but with the courageous Robin Hood as their only hope. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Bedford, Andy Devine, (more)
- 1973
It goes without saying that the 1973 TV-movie version of Double Indemnity doesn't come within shouting distance of the classic 1944 theatrical-movie version. Still, the basic story is a solid one, and the actors are eager to please. Richard Crenna plays the old Fred MacMurray role of Walter Neff, the slightly larcenous insurance salesman inveigled into an elaborate murder/fraud scheme by sexy Phyllis Dietrichson (Samantha Eggar, replacing the 1944 version's Barbara Stanwyck). The scheme almost goes off without a hitch, but Walter's boss Barton Keyes (Lee J. Cobb; originally Edward G. Robinson) has this "stinking" hunch-and besides, you can't trust Phyllis as far as you can throw her. Originally telecast October 13, 1973, Double Indemnity is based on the Raymond Chandler-Billy Wilder script for the 1944 film, which in turn was adapted from James M. Cain's Three of a Kind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In this crime drama, corporate thieves, plan to steal an experimental car that is being sent to Boston via rail. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Bob's secretary, Carol, wants to move in with her new boyfriend, Roger Dixon (Eugene Troobnick), who has recently separated from his wife. All Carol needs for her own peace of mind is Bob's approval -- but that approval is not forthcoming. As a result, Carol's work performance suffers spectacularly, forcing Bob and Emily to break their self-promise not to meddle in other people's romantic affairs. This episode is the first appearance of Emil Peterson (John Fiedler). Written by Jerry Mayer, "Come Live With Me" first aired on October 28, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1972
- PG
A charismatic long-haired vampire finds himself becoming a guru for a gang of Southern California flower children in this hippie-dippy horror movie. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Sky Terror is the reissue title for Skyjacked, a 1972 MGM all-star adventure based on a novel by David Harper. Charlton Heston mans the controls of a Los Angeles-bound commercial airliner which is hijacked to Russia by an unknown miscreant. Even when the skyjacker, revealed to be passenger James Brolin, is subsequently subdued, the crew must contend with a hidden time bomb. The film is graced with a who's who of MGM contractees past and present, including Yvette Mimieux, Walter Pidgeon and Mike Henry. A flashback sequence contains one of the first examples of an American film coming to grips with how rudely our Vietnam veterans were ignored upon returning home; alas, this compassion quickly degenerates into the odious "crazed Vietnam vet" cliche. Footnote: The first network showing of Skyjacked was boycotted by TV stations owned by the Storer Corporation, which had a hard and fast rule against screening any film concerning a hijacked plane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, (more)
- 1971
William Conrad stars as corpulent private eye Frank Cannon in this 2-hour pilot for the subsequent Cannon series. He responds to a plea for assistance from ex-flame Vera Miles (an actress who was in practically every pilot film made between 1965 and 1975). She is the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, and has also become the target of vicious anonymous phone calls. Cannon's investigation unearths a hotbed of small-town corruption. Cannon was first telecast March 26, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Conrad
