Heather Brown Movies
- 1996
The seventh and final season of Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea) brings shocking news to Felicity King (Gema Zamprogna): her erstwhile fiancé Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen) has been reported killed in a shipwreck in the Caribbean. As she wrestles with her grief, Felicity turns to "good works," establishing the Avonlea Foundling Home. In other developments, Felicity's brother Felix (Zachary Bennett) is on the outs with his girlfriend, Izzy Pettibone (Heather Brown). And Jasper Dale (R.H. Thompson), the husband of Felix's aunt Olivia (Mag Ruffman), returns from a brief teaching assignment in England, only to discover that the size of his family has increased in his absence. Olivia has taken in a single mother named Lottie Cooper (Katherine Ashby), who works in the cannery owned by the Dales, and Lottie's young daughter; this situation will get a bit sticky when the cannery burns down and the now-unemployed Lottie takes a powder, leaving her kid with Jasper and Olivia. In the episode "Woman of Importance," Dianne Wiest guest stars as Izzy Pettibone's aunt Lillian, allegedly a woman of vast wealth who turns out to have quite a surprise for her family. And in "King of the Great White Way," Eugene Levy and Sheila McCarthy are cast as a Broadway songwriting team who raise a ruckus in Avonlea when they decide to transform Felicity and Felix's nonplussed farmer father, Alec (Cedric Smith), into a singing sensation. Meanwhile, Alec's sister Hetty King (Jackie Burroughs) announces plans to marry her new business partner, Simon Tremayne (Ian D. Clark) -- only to decide at the last minute that she and Simon are better friends than lovers. The series comes to an end as the presumed-dead Gus returns to Avonlea, now blinded and with a major surprise that bids fair to resolve many of the series' long-standing problems. This occasion also provides an opportunity for Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley) to make her own return appearance to Avonlea, thereby bringing full circle a TV series that began when a much-younger Sara first set foot in the tightly knit Prince Edward Island community. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Burroughs, Mag Ruffman, (more)
- 1995
Season six of Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea) begins not in the titular Prince Edward Island village but instead in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Felicity King (Gema Zamprogna) has defied the standard gender expectations of early 20th century Canada by enrolling in medical school. While walking to class one day, Felicity is unexpectedly reunited with her hometown boyfriend, Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen) -- who in turn is accosted by a derelict woman who turns out to be his long-lost mother. This sobering discovery obliges Gus to leave Canada and head to the Caribbean with his mom -- but not before popping the question to Felicity for the umpteenth time. Back in Avonlea, Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley), fresh out of finishing school, pays a return visit, only to announce that she intends to leave again immediately to study in Paris -- which fact does not sit well with her aunt Hetty (Jackie Burroughs) nor her old nanny, Louisa (Frances Hyland). In other developments, Felicity King's brother Felix (Zachary Bennett) has fallen in love with Izzy (Heather Brown), daughter of widowed schoolteacher Clive Pettibone (David Fox) -- who in turn has proposed to school superintendent Muriel Stacey (Marilyn Lightstone), much to Izzy's dismay; and orphaned siblings Davey (Kyle Labine) and Dora Keith (Lindsay Murrell) are taken in by Hetty after their guardian, Rachel Lynde (Patricia Hamilton) -- with whom Hetty has never gotten along -- suffers a series of debilitating strokes.
This season marks the introduction of Molly Atkinson in the role of Felicity and Felix's kid sister, Cecily King, a role hitherto played by child actress Harmony Cramp. Having been diagnosed with tuberculosis during the previous season, Cecily is now living in a New York sanitarium, anxiously awaiting the day that she is cured and will be allowed to return to her family. And speaking of new cast members, watch for Faye Dunaway and Maureen Stapleton, both making their one and only Road to Avonlea appearances in a story involving the simultaneous arrival in town of a glamorous European countess and a disheveled old lady who claims to be the mother of the local hotel owner -- and as it turns out, these two ladies have a lot more in common than one might think. As the season draws to a close, Felicity returns to Avonlea to serve her apprenticeship under Dr. Snow, an experience that proves so unnerving that she drops out of medical school. And Cecily has recovered sufficiently to return to her family -- only to dash off again with a disgruntled Felicity in hopes of catching up with Gus Pike, who at last report was still somewhere in the Caribbean. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This season marks the introduction of Molly Atkinson in the role of Felicity and Felix's kid sister, Cecily King, a role hitherto played by child actress Harmony Cramp. Having been diagnosed with tuberculosis during the previous season, Cecily is now living in a New York sanitarium, anxiously awaiting the day that she is cured and will be allowed to return to her family. And speaking of new cast members, watch for Faye Dunaway and Maureen Stapleton, both making their one and only Road to Avonlea appearances in a story involving the simultaneous arrival in town of a glamorous European countess and a disheveled old lady who claims to be the mother of the local hotel owner -- and as it turns out, these two ladies have a lot more in common than one might think. As the season draws to a close, Felicity returns to Avonlea to serve her apprenticeship under Dr. Snow, an experience that proves so unnerving that she drops out of medical school. And Cecily has recovered sufficiently to return to her family -- only to dash off again with a disgruntled Felicity in hopes of catching up with Gus Pike, who at last report was still somewhere in the Caribbean. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
- 1994
Felix King (Zachary Bennett) finds himself torn between holding on to his job at Avonlea's White Plains Hotel and upholding family tradition by becoming a farmer like his dad, Alec (Cedric Smith), in "Fathers and Sons," the fifth-season opener of the popular Canadian drama series Road to Avonlea. Soon thereafter, the 50th birthday celebration of Alec's sister Hetty King (Jackie Burroughs) is tarnished by the likelihood that she will lose her job -- to say nothing of a sudden appendicitis attack. Later on, Hetty helps arrange for her sister Olivia (Mag Ruffman) and her eccentric, slightly impractical brother-in-law, Jasper (R.H. Thomson), to take charge of the local lobster cannery. And as for Hetty's city-bred niece, Sara (Sarah Polley), she does her bit for the greater good by coming to the aid of a young boy who has managed to coast through school without ever learning to read or write. Also, Alec courts trouble when he hires a mysterious farmhand, played by guest star Bruce Greenwood; and another guest performer, the highly respected Canadian character actor Gordon Pinsent, is cast as a noted politician whom Alec idolizes -- until the truth about the politician's clay feet is revealed. Elsewhere, Alec's daughter Felicity (Gema Zamprogna) receives the first of several marriage proposals from Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen), a former drifter now gainfully employed; however, Felicity has her heart set on attending medical school, an extremely lofty goal for a young girl in early 20th century Canada. Other developments include the arrival of a new minister and his wife, Viola (guest star Stockard Channing), who exhibits some mighty peculiar behavior -- and for a mighty disturbing reason; and the concerted efforts by certain interested parties to play matchmaker for widowed schoolteacher Clive Pettibone (David Fox) and provincial school superintendent Muriel Stacey (Marilyn Lightstone). By far the most crucial development during season five is the revelation that Alec and Janet King's youngest daughter, Cecily (Harmony Cramp), is suffering from tuberculosis -- and must be bundled off to a more healthy climate if she ever hopes to recover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
- 1994
After the body of former homicide detective Steve Crosetti is found floating in a river, Bolander (Ned Beatty) arrives at the sad conclusion that his late colleague has committed suicide. Crosetti's ex-partner Lewis (Clark Johnson) refuses to accept this verdict, and launches an after-hours investigation of his own. As several members of the department draw up separate funeral arrangements for Crosetti, they are deluged by a steady stream of bad news, reopening several old and festering sores. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1993
Season four of Road to Avonlea (aka Tales From Avonlea) serves to introduce the Pettibone family, specifically widower Clive Pettibone (David Fox), the new schoolteacher hired to replace the semi-retired Hetty King (Jackie Burroughs); Clive's son, Arthur (Zachary Ansley), a talented veterinarian; and Clive's brilliant but oversensitive daughter, Isolde (Heather Brown), better known as "Izzy." The season opener finds an uncharacteristically nervous Hetty lending a helping hand when her pregnant sister, Olivia (Mag Ruffman), who the previous year had wed eccentric would-be inventor Jasper Dale (R.H. Thompson), goes into premature labor. In a subsequent episode, Hetty forms an unexpected bond with her successor, Clive Pettibone, when they discover that they are both writing children's books under assumed names. Later, Meg Tilly guest stars as Evelyn, the wife of an old school chum of Hetty's brother Alec (Cedric Smith), who, when she suddenly becomes a widow during a visit to Avonlea, turns to the married Alec for comfort -- and sets gossipy tongues a-wagging in the process. Also contributing a guest appearance is Treat Williams as traveling showman Zak Morgan, on whom Hetty's city-bred niece, Sara (Sarah Polley), develops a disturbingly serious crush. And the episode "The Disappearance" boasts two guest stars, Robby Benson and Diana Rigg, in the story of a young antiques collector who may or may not be heir to a vast fortune. In other plotlines, earthy but naïve Gus Pike (Michael Mahonen) continues to court the haughty but likable Felicity King (Gema Zamprogna) -- only to find himself in competition with newcomer Arthur Pettibone; Felicity's enterprising brother, Felix (Zachary Bennett), unexpectedly becomes a hero when he takes a job at the local White Sands Hotel; and Hetty and Jasper team up to make a home movie (this in 1906 or thereabouts) to prevent a covetous industrialist from taking over Avonlea. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Jackie Burroughs, (more)
Arthur Hiller directed this comedy/drama concerning three couples, thrown together by fate, who become friendly and help each other through their marriage difficulties. Claire (Cybill Shepherd) and Leo (Ron Silver) are a wealthy couple having trouble with a daughter from a previous marriage. John (Beau Bridges) and Iris (Stockard Channing) are a couple from the '60s who have weathered a relationship involving sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Chuck (Robert Sean Leonard), a securities analyst, and Nina (Mary Stuart Masterson), a child psychologist, are newlyweds needing guidance through the pitfalls of married life. The couples meet on a committee formed at a PTA meeting. They find they like each other and invite each other to dinner parties. As they meet and talk with one another, they reveal their problems and help each other. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beau Bridges, Stockard Channing, (more)
- 1992
- PG13
Based on the book by Meg Wolitzer, This Is My Life is the directorial debut for Nora Ephron, who adapted the script with sister, Delia Ephron. Dottie Engels (Julie Kavner) is a single mother with aspirations of becoming a standup comedian. When her Aunt Harriet dies, Dottie gets an apartment in Manhattan with her daughters, teenaged Erica (Samantha Mathis) and ten-year-old Opal (Gaby Hoffmann). Soon, Dottie's career is taking off and her agent, Claudia Curtis (Carrie Fisher), gets her on a comedy tour. Everything seems to work out well for Dottie, except that her daughters are left without a mother. Erica, who has just started dating Jordan (Danny Zorn) gets especially mad when she hears Dottie talking about her personal information on a talk show. The two girls are further upset with their mother's choice for a boyfriend, Arnold Moss (Dan Aykroyd). Eventually, Erica and Opal try to track down their real father, Norm (Louis di Banco), in upstate New York. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Kavner, Samantha Mathis, (more)
