Rod Browning Movies
Georges Mihalka directs this psychological thriller about a serial killer who befriends an unsuspecting brother and sister who are still reeling from the death of their father. Adam Turrell (Tom Berenger) takes up residence in a small Oregon burg and pretends he is an English teacher currently writing his debut novel. He is actually a madman who is methodically selecting his next victim. Kate and Mike (Rachel Hayward and Tygh Runyan) must work past their grief and the trust they have developed in Turrell to stay alive.Cruel and Unusual is also known by the title Watchtower. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger
- 1986
Peter Ustinov stars once more as Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's insufferably brilliant Belgian detective. Unlike many of Ustinov's earlier Poirot vehicles, which were set in the 1930s, the made-for-TV Dead Man's Folly takes place in contemporary England. Jean Stapleton costars as an American mystery novelist who organizes a "murder hunt" at a sprawling English manor. It isn't long before several of the guests are also sprawling--on the ground, stone cold dead. American-born British stage star Constance Cummings makes a rare TV appearance as a mysterious noblewoman. Dead Man's Folly was lensed on location at West Wycombe Park in Buckinhamshire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov
- 1985
First Steps was inspired by a widely-seen, enthusiastically received 1982 piece on 60 Minutes. Amy Steel plays Nan Davis, a young woman totally paralyzed in an auto accident. Judd Hirsch costars as Dr. Jerold Petrovsky, a bioengineer who attaches computerized electrodes to Nan to enable her to reclaim her muscle power. After many torturous months, this state-of-art physical therapy works magnificently, and Nan is able to take ten steps on her own at her college graduation. While the technique was still rather controversial at the time First Steps was telecast, there was no denying that it had worked in the case of Nan Davis, who eventually became the subject of two 60 Minutes follow-ups and reams of upbeat magazine articles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judd Hirsch, Amy Steel, (more)
- 1985
Agatha Christie's famous Belgian fussbudget detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) is called in after a beautiful American actress (Faye Dunaway) claims that her husband, a prominent British lord, was murdered by a woman who looks just like her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Faye Dunaway, (more)
- 1983
This fact-based youth-oriented drama chronicles the courage and determination of a teenage girl who stands tall in the face of sexist traditionalism and fights for her right to play on the varsity football team. Not only does she succeed, she also manages to become the homecoming queen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Hunt, Don Murray, (more)
- 1982
Made for television, When Hell Was in Session is the true story of Navy commander Jonathan Denton Jr., here played by Hal Holbrook. Shot down during a bombing mission over Vietnam in 1965, Denton endured nearly eight horrendous years as a POW. The plot details Denton's efforts to organize a resistance movement among his fellow prisoners. The film concludes with a powerful re-enactment of Denton's homecoming, as originally seen by millions of American televiewers in 1973. Based on the book by Denton and Ed Brandt, When Hell Was in Session debuted October 8, 1979 ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Any comedy should be suspect when the lead character, in this case Benjamin Browning, is played both by an actor (Chevy Chase) and a lovable dog (Benji). Private eye Browning is in London tracking down a sexual scandal in British political circles when he is murdered. His karma is canine in form and gets him rebirth as a dog. Fortunately for him, the dog's owner is Jackie Howard (Jane Seymour), a magazine reporter who does not realize that there is a rather lustful man inside her innocent pooch. Benji supplies the few moments of humor in this uneven film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Benji, (more)
Alfred Hitchcock fans need not be reminded that "The McGuffin" is Hitchcock's term for the gimmicks (missing papers, stolen gems, uranium deposits) that motivate the plots of his thrillers. This much is explained by narrator Orson Welles at the beginning of the family-oriented The Double McGuffin. Hitchcock in-jokes abound in this innocuous adventure yarn, which stars Ernest Borgnine as an international terrorist (it's that kind of film). A bunch of kids in a sleepy Southern town tumble to Borgnine's scheme to assassinate a foreign prime minister, but of course the authorities don't believe a word. The kids decide to take matters into their own hands, which includes staging their own kidnapping to arouse the attention of the police. The film comes to a noisy climax during a school assembly, where the targeted prime minister is a keynote speaker. Like Ernest Borgnine, co-stars George Kennedy and Elke Sommer play their scenes straight, allowing full scope to the Saturday-matinee antics of the younger actors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1979
In the latest in a long line of outlandish get-rich-quick schemes, Angel (Stuart Margolin) poses as a hit man named "Mr. Jones" and accepts a $10,000 contract. Of course, Angel has no intention of killing anyone, and every intention of absconding with the money. But things quickly go sour when Angel's would-be victim is apparently murdered by someone else. Once again forced to extricate Angel from the mess he's gotten himself into, Jim (James Garner) discovers that both the US Navy and the Russian KGB have taken a special interest in the murder--and while he's trying to figure out why, Jim must also solve the mystery of his dad's stolen blue jeans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Mel (Vic Tayback) battens down the hatches and gets ready for a big-business bonanza when a busload of hungry customers are slated to arrive at the diner. But the event turns into something less than festive when the bus driver speeds off, leaving his passengers stranded. Contrary to several published reports, this episode was not originally telecast on March 26, 1978; on that occasion, CBS was running the first part of a week-long network retrospective. The actual debut date has been obscured by the fact that "The Bus" is shown out of sequence in the current Alice syndication package (it might have been seen on March 28, as a last-minute replacement for the cancelled variety series Shields and Yarnell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
For the benefit of those who weren't around in 1977, this episode was inspired by President Jimmy Carter's real-life habit of visiting "average Americans" at random. George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) calls up 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, hoping that President Carter will accept an invitation to dine at the Jeffersons' apartment. Alas, George loses his temper with a White House operator -- causing the Secret Service to conclude that our hero somehow poses a threat to the Chief Executive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, (more)
- 1977
Andrew Robinson, best remembered by Clint Eastwood fans as the maniacal serial killer in the original Dirty Harry, essays another odiously villainous role in this episode. The son of a gangster, Ron Maguire (Robinson) not only steals $250,000 from the Mob, but also murders a fellow hood and a cop in the process. With both the mobsters and the SFPD hot on his trail, the conscienceless Maguire tries to get off the hook by offering his services as a material witness against his own father! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Most of this episode is related in flashbacks, as undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) reads a suicide note left behind by a close friend. The bulk of the story concerns policewoman Pat Harley (Anjanette Comer), who had teamed up with Baretta to investigate the death of her husband, likewise a police officer. The investigation dredges up frustrating memories of Pat's private turmoils, culminating in a shattering climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1974
- R
Feeling like losers, the bank manager and a boardinghouse manager in a small Vermont town discover a common bond and together plan a heinous crime. They intend to rob the bank of a large payroll which is due, at the same time killing another manager's girlfriend in order to frame him for the murder and the robbery. Things don't work out quite the way they plan, and the consequences are horrible. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
