Robert Fisher Movies
- 1918
The Charleston and the Roaring Twenties weren't even part of 1918 sensibilities and already somebody was producing an expose on the evils of dance. Whether this drama proved its point is questionable. When a businessman (Robert Cummings) discovers that his pretty young stenographer (Lillian Cook) has a fondness for dancing, he starts taking her out to cabarets. Of course, he has ulterior motives, and the girl finally has to leap out a window to evade his grasp. When she arrives home, she finds her invalid mother dead. Later, the businessman has a heart attacks and he too dies. His son (Harry Spingler) gets out of college and almost immediately gets involved with a vamp (Vera Michelene). Because of her increasing financial demands, the boy steals money from the bank where he works and is sent to prison. The vamp returns to the wealthy man she had temporarily discarded, and when the boy finishes his time, he returns to his old mother and marries the girl who had worked for his father. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- 1919
Dick Farrington (Arthur Ashley) is the son of an English nobleman and an American mother. His father sends him on a visit to the States where he meets Betty Winthrop (Dorothy Green), a young society girl who swears she would rather marry an American burglar than an English lord. Dick's efforts to prove himself worthy of Betty's love wind up taking him to a logging camp, where he foils a bombing plot. Along the way he does get accused of burglary and eventually wins Betty's heart. Unfortunately, what could have been a charming little programmer was marred by poor directing and bad casting choices. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- 1921
When Miriam Cooper read William J. Locke's Idols, she begged her husband, director Raoul Walsh, to make a film of it with her in the lead. Playboy Hugh Coleman (Conway Tearle) is disconsolate when he discovers that Irene Lansing (Anna Q. Nilsson) is engaged to his best friend, Gerald Merriam (illustrator Henry Clive, who occasionally liked to act). To ease his depression, Coleman secretly marries Minna Hart (Cooper), the daughter of a Jewish banker (Robert Fischer). When Coleman runs through his money, the banker gives him a loan. Minna urges him to talk to her father about their relationship, but it turns out that Hart does not want his daughter marrying a Christian. Coleman does not put up an argument, and Minna is furious. When he comes up to her room, she tells him they are through, and makes him swear to never reveal the marriage to anyone. The next day Hart is found dead. Since Coleman refuses to reveal his whereabouts at the time of the murder -- because he was with Minna -- he looks like the guilty party. Minna refuses to reveal anything either. Finally Irene comes forth and claims that Coleman was with her. Eventually Minna and Coleman resolve their differences. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miriam Cooper, Conway Tearle, (more)
- 1922
John Barrymore's impressive performance in this picture is a testament to the strength of his talent, because it had a lot to overcome -- according to director Albert Parker, the famed thespian was on a bender for much of the shoot. This version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories (adapted from the play by William Gillette) was shot on location in London and Switzerland; when the crew headed back to the States to complete shooting, Parker pleaded with Barrymore to quit drinking. Surprisingly, Barrymore obliged, and was sober for the rest of production. The storyline follows the play pretty closely, including Holmes' early days, in which he decided to study criminology after college graduation. Along with his faithful assistant, Dr. Watson (Roland Young), Holmes comes face to face with arch criminal Professor Moriarty (Gustav von Seyffertitz). Moriarty is causing trouble for Prince Alexis (Reginald Denny), and Holmes craftily outwits the villain. This excellent picture had only a few faults -- one was its lengthy subtitles. The other noticeable gaffe was casting Carol Dempster (who was borrowed from D.W. Griffith) to play the romantic interest, Alice Faulkner -- her performance is only passable. A young William Powell has a small supporting role. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Barrymore, Roland Young, (more)
- 1972
Edith is in a panic when she loses a valuable locket. Archie, however, is less concerned about the locket than in its long-range value. Hoping to purchase a new color TV set, Archie tries to persuade Edith to claim that the locket was stolen so he can collect a huge insurance settlement. Written by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx (son of Groucho Marx), "The Locket" was originally scheduled to air on December 23, 1972, but was instead moved up to November 25. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 1972
- G
The title of this Bob Hope vehicle Cancel My Reservation is a multiple pun, referring to elements in the story. The ever-youthful Hope plays Dan Bartlett, a late-night TV talk show host. Frazzled, he takes a much-needed vacation in Arizona. There, he stumbles upon a murder and a conspiracy by local rancher, John Ed (Ralph Bellamy) to defraud a local Native American group of part of its reservation. Dan is a suspect in the murder, and must investigate in order to clear his name. Though the story is rather light, celebrities of all sorts have either small parts or cameos in this film, and much of the film's entertainment value comes from spotting them. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1975
The Jeffersons' wedding anniversary gets off on the wrong foot when overbearing Mother Jefferson (Zara Cully) pays the couple a visit. Things go from worse to worser when George (Sherman Hemsley) is involved in a bicycle accident. He demands that his wife, Louise (Isabel Sanford), lie to the authorities so that he won't be held responsible for the mishap -- but she flatly refuses. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1975
Michael (Ralph Carter) tries to help the Evanses' elderly neighbor Mrs. Vinson (Frances Foster), whose Social Security payments are so pitifully small that the old woman may be subsisting on dog food. Out of gratitude for their assistance, Mrs. Vinson cooks a lovely meatloaf dinner for the Evans family. Armed with foreknowledge of Mrs. Vinson's eating habits, Michael conspicuously loses his appetite when the meal is served. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
What would a 1970s sitcom be without the obligatory "Man Who Came to Dinner" episode? In this case, it is Mel (Vic Tayback) who is incapacitated by a back injury, and it is Alice (Linda Lavin) who must endure Mel's presence as an unwelcome house guest. "That Old Back Magic" was the first of several Alice episodes written by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx, the same team responsible for the Broadway hit "The Impossible Years" (and incidentally, Marx was the son of the one and only Groucho Marx). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
In this classic episode, Alice (Linda Lavin) is willing to make a profound sacrifice to cure Mel (Vic Tayback) of his gambling habit. A deal is struck: if Mel will give up his favorite vice, all the other diner workers will do likewise for 48 hours. This proves difficult when Alice's yen for chocolate, Flo's (Polly Holliday) desire for coffee and Vera's (Beth Howland) craving for tobacco get the better of them, culminating in a wild game of "gotcha" in Alice's apartment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Desi Arnaz and Janis Paige respectively guest-star as a philandering Cuban photographer and his long-suffering wife. When the photographer makes a play for Alice (Linda Lavin), his wife jumps to the erroneous conclusion that our heroine is the latest "other woman." It falls to Alice to act as counselor between the tempestuous couple. (Factoid: Alice was at this time produced by Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, who had previously spent several lucrative years in the employ of Desi Arnaz as head writers of I Love Lucy). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
The focus in this first episode of Alice's third season is on Tommy (Patrick McKeon), the 14-year-old son of single mom/waitress/aspiring singer Alice Hyatt (Linda Lavin). By Alice's account, Tommy is currently passing "from puberty to impossible", and she's at her wit's end. When her bombastic boss Mel (Vic Tayback) claims that he'd do a better job raising Tommy than she, Alice gets even by taking him up on his "offer"--and the result is literally painful for at least one of the principal characters. This episode, in which Alice spends a goodly portion of time posing as "Sam Butler", was one of several Alice installments directed by Bewitched veteran William Asher. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Alice (Linda Lavin) and Flo (Polly Holliday) need "wheels", so Mel (Vic Tayback) offers to sell them his battered old Volkswagen. Unfortunately, the car has a few minor technical deficiencies--for example, it won't start. The plot thickens when Mel gets a better offer for the car and tries to buy it back, only to meet with some unexpected resistance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
This episode is founded upon the barely plausible premise that when she was ten years old, Flo (Polly Holliday) babysat a 4-year-old boy named Jerry Reed. Now, of course, Reed is an all-grown-up country superstar (who plays himself in this episode), and Flo is not reluctant to brag about her brush with celebrity. But things turn sour for the wacky waitress when everyone in and out of Mel's Diner demands that she get them free tickets for Jerry's upcoming Phoenix concert. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Brad Gorman appears as Stretch Parker, a high school basketball star whom Tommy idolizes. Unfortunately, Stretch takes advantage of Tommy's idolatry by making a pass at the boy's mother Alice (Linda Lavin)! Originally shown as a "special" Tuesday-night episode (outside the series' usual Sunday-night slot), "Love is a Free Throw marks the first appearance of Marvin Kaplan in the recurring role of Henry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
After an argument at the diner, Alice (Linda Lavin) suggests a psychological experiment that will allow the employees to air their petty differences. The plan involves "role reversal", with Alice pretending to be Flo (Polly Holliday), Mel (Vic Tayback) pretending to be Vera (Beth Howland) and so on. As a result, what began as a minor skirmish ends up as full-scale warfare! (Note: although the original TV Guide synopsis lists Avery Schreiber in the role of Dr. Turner, Schreiber does not appear). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
The problem: the overhead at Mel's diner is exceeding the profits. The solution: Mel (Vic Tayback) must fire one of the three waitresses. The dilemma: Which one of three will be axed: Alice (Linda Lavin), Flo (Polly Holliday) or Vera (Beth Howland). Among other things, this episode allows viewers their first glimpse of Mel's apartment (Yecccccchhh!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Vain Flo (Beth Howland) refuses to wear eyeglasses, concerned that everyone will call her Old Four Eyes. But after a few days of bumbling and stumbling blindly around the diner, she must bow to the inevitable. Outfitted with contact lenses, Flo sees the world in a whole new light--but this may not be a step in the right direction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Once again, Alice (Linda Lavin) finds a second job in a show-business vein; this time, she is hired to deliver singing telegrams. And once again, Alice's moonlighting takes a toll on her regular job at Mel's Diner; this time, she shows up for work four hours late. The episode's highlight is Alice's excuse for her tardiness, a tissue of lies that isn't to be sneezed at! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Alice (Linda Lavin) begins dating Jim Thornton (Gary Collins), principal of the high school attended by her son Tommy (Philip McKeon). Instead of approving the match, Tommy is dead set against his mom seeing "Old Thorny"--and not necessarily for the obvious reasons. Originally scheduled to air on October 15, 1978, this episode affords us the first full view of the trailer inhabited by Alice's co-worker Flo (Polly Holliday)--and the first sighting of Flo's much-talked-about boyfriend Bubba (Lou Frizzell). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Evidently still working for the same children's-theater company depicted in the previous episode "If the Shoe Fits", Vera (Beth Howland) receives glowing reviews for her portrayal of Cinderella. In fact, Vera is so impressive that a TV producer offers her the opportunity to star in a supermarket commercial. Suffice to say the results indicate that Vera had better hold on to her day job! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Telly Savalas takes time off from his Kojak duties to appear as himself in this first episode of Alice's fourth season. All agog when Telly stops over at the diner for a quick bite to eat, starry-eyed Vera (Beth Howland)--who happens to be the only one on duty--can't wait to tell her co-workers. Unfortunately, no one, not even Alice (Linda Lavin), believes Vera's story, and this disbelief snowballs into a near-disaster. Also showing up in a guest bit is Telly Savalas' brother George Savalas, who likewise appeared on Kojak, billed as "Demosthenes". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Mel (Vic Tayback) is so intent upon wedding his girlfriend Marie (Victoria Carroll) that he purchases a very expensive engagement ring. Marie is impressed, but she's not about to give in so quickly. Before any wedding bells will ring, Marie demands that Mel sign a prenuptual agreement which she has drawn up with the help of resident legal expert Earl (Dave Madden). The contract turns out to be so draconian that Mel may well remain a bachelor til the end of his days! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Richard B. Schull appears as Barney of Barney's Burger Barn, the much-maligned (but hitherto unseen) chief competitor of Mel's Diner. Barney glides into Mel's and sweeps Flo (Polly Holliday) off her feet, declaring his undying love. But Mel (Vic Tayback) smells a rat: His chili has just been named "Best in the West" by a local magazine, and he strongly suspects that Barney is using Flo to get his mitts on Mel's top-secret recipe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Having been rejected by his "dream girl" Debbie (Annrae Walterhouse), Tommy (Philip McKeon) tries to polish up his social graces. To this end, he submits to dancing lessons, with Vera (Beth Howland) as his teacher. A few lessons later, and Tommy has again fallen in love--with the nonplussed Vera, who is old enough to be his...uh...well, she's old enough! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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