Charles Haid Movies
After a goodly number of stage appearances, Charles Haid made his TV-movie bow in 1974's The Execution of Private Slovik. A year later, he was cast in his first weekly-series role, playing the priest/attorney brother of lawyer Anne Meara in Kate McShane; he followed this with a one-year hitch on the detective series Delvecchio. In 1977, he made his big-screen entree in The Choirboys. In 1981, Haid played good-ole-boy police officer Andy Renko in the TV series Hill Street Blues, a role he essayed until the series' cancellation in 1987 (Renko was shot down and presumed killed in the opening episode, but audience reaction to Haid was so positive that he was resurrected in episode #2). Having directed several Hill Street episodes, Haid was well prepared for his feature-length directorial debut, the cable-TV production Cooperstown; Haid has since directed Iron Will (1994), a seriocomedy about dogsledding, for the big screen. Charles Haid is married to actress Deborah Richter. Charles Haid is the cousin of talk-show host Merv Griffin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Made for TV, A Deadly Silence was based on the book by New York Times reporter Dena Kleiman. It is the doleful story of Long Island teenager Cheryl Pierson (Heather Fairfield), who in February of 1986 orchestrated the murder of her electrician father James Pierson (Charles Haid). The film does not argue that Cheryl was innocent. It does, however, delve into the deep waters of "extenuating circumstances". With the utmost taste and discretion, A Deadly Silence reveals that, four at least five years, Cheryl had endured sexual abuse at the hands of her father. Over and above the basic story, the film explores the "deadly silence" of incest-a silence often maintained not only by the victim, but by friends and family members who don't want to cause "trouble". Mike Farrell, Richard Portnow, Jeff Corey and Sally Struther costar, while future Friends regular David Schwimmer essays an important minor role. A Deadly Silence premiered April 16, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Paul Clemens plays the real-life Peter Reilly, who in September of 1973 was charged with the mutilation and murder of his mother. The confused 18-year-old signs a confession after being told that he's flunked a lie detector test. Later renouncing the confession, Reilly demands a reopening of his case. The citizens of Peter's home town of Canaan, CT, who'd been willing to see the boy thrown in jail for life when the case first hit the papers, now rally around the youth, insisting that his constitutional rights have been violated. New evidence uncovered by a sympathetic detective enables Peter to press his case. Stefanie Powers plays Joan Barthel, the Canaan resident and free-lance journalist who chronicled Peter's bid for freedom. The made-for-TV A Death in Canaan was first telecast March 1, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Clemens, Stefanie Powers, (more)
In this 1980 sci-fi horror film, William Hurt plays Eddie Jessup, a scientist obsessed with discovering mankind's true role in the universe. To this end, he submits himself to a series of mind-expanding experiments. By enclosing himself in a sensory-deprivation chamber and taking hallucinogenic drugs, Jessup hopes to explore different levels of human consciousness, but instead is devolved into an apelike monster. Director Ken Russell helmed Altered States from a script by Paddy Chayefsky, who adapted his own novel of the same name. Unhappy with the finished product, Chayefsky had his name replaced with his pseudonym Sydney Aaron. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Blair Brown, (more)
- 1995
Tom Selleck stars in this made-for-television movie about a judicial sting operation. Selleck stars as Judge Timothy Nash, a respected judge who's approached by special agents to take part in an undercover sting to expose a fellow judge's corrupt activities. At first Judge Nash is willing, but as the investigation grows, he gets cold feet and wants out -- only to find that it's too late to back out. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck, Elizabeth McGovern, (more)
- 1998
In this TV drama-comedy, Julie Barber (Allison Smith) hires detective wannabe Bob Jones (Frank Whaley) to track down the legendary private eye Buddy Faro (Dennis Farina), who was once such a name that he was portrayed by an actor (George Hamilton) in a TV series. Now nearly forgotten, Faro has inherited a small fortune, but no one knows where he went. Traveling to the dusty streets of a little town in Mexico, Jones manages to find the booze-soaked Faro lying in the gutter. Rescued by Jones and Julie, Faro returns to Hollywood, where he made his mark 20 years earlier. Things have changed, but the stylish Faro is soon back in business in a big way, confronting criminals in his ultra-cool style, while the Joel McNeely soundtrack provides a jazzy accompaniment. Premiered September 25, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Farina, Frank Whale, (more)
Frank Military and Susan Rhinehart scripted this western, a look back at the post-Civil War Black cavalry troops known as the Buffalo Soldiers, the fierce fighting unit previously covered in a PBS four-parter (1970) and an NBC pilot (1979). In the New Mexico Territory, ex-slave Sgt. Wyatt (Danny Glover) and the Buffalo soldiers arrest Captain Draper (Robert Knott) and other Texas Rangers, but politics mean the Rangers are quietly freed later. Back at Fort Craig, Wyatt reports to anti-black General Pike (Tom Bower) and Col. Grierson (Bob Gunton), a white responsible for assembling and supporting the black regiment. A search is underway for Indian chief Victorio (Harrison Lowe). Indian prophet Nana (Chesley Wilson) is tortured in an effort to get him to reveal Victorio's whereabouts. Determining that Victorio is at Rattlesnake Springs, the Buffalo Soldiers head in that direction for a confrontation. Filmed in the desert of Arizona's Cochise County, Buffalo Soldiers premiered December 7, 1997 on TNT. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Glover, Bob Gunton, (more)
Children in the Crossfire examines the plight of the youngest victims of Northern Ireland's never-ending religious strife. Amidst the speeding bullets and burned-out buildings, a group of Catholic and Protestant children courageously join the Children's Committee 10. This organization is dedicated to mending age-old political and social chasms by having the children spend a summer together in America with host families. Calling themselves "Summertime Yanks", four Belfast children--two boys, two girls--struggle to meet one another halfway in the safe harbor of Southern California. The authenticity of Children in the Crossfire is enhanced by the decision to cast four genuine Belfast kids, with no prior acting experience, in the principal roles. The first telecast December 3, 1984, Children in the Crossfire was produced by George Schafer, who twelve years earlier painted a bleaker portrait of Northern Ireland's sectarian conflict in the made-for-TV A War of Children. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this action movie, a wanderer goes looking for a missing woman's brother and instead gets entangled in a war between two gangs of smugglers along the Arizona-Mexico border. The film is also titled "Dalton." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
This gentle baseball fantasy centers on a former ball player who has spent thirty years bitterly brooding over the fact that he has been overlooked by the Baseball Hall of Fame. He finally decides to take action when his long-lost best friend returns from the dead to talk to him. Just before he died, the friend was inducted into the famous museum. The rest of the story is comprised of touching and sometimes funny vignettes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Based on James Ellroy's novel Blood on the Moon, Cop is a grim, brutally violent, darkly humorous modern-day film noir. Lloyd Hopkins (James Woods), is an obsessive, amoral LAPD police detective investigating a murder he believes to have been the work of a serial killer. Hopkins is cynical and obsessed with the way society fills women's heads with fairy-tale promises of romance. "Innocence kills," he sneers. "I see it every day." His investigation leads him to the bookstore of a writer of feminist poetry (Lesley Ann Warren) who has for some time been receiving gifts of poems and flowers from an unknown admirer. Hopkins, looking through her diaries, realizes that the dates of the gifts correspond to the dates of the murders, and he begins a hunt for the killer which leads to a violent and exciting conclusion. Cop is completely absorbing because of Woods' chillingly effective performance. Few actors can make an amoral, clever, sardonic, and vicious character as appealing as Hopkins. As Hopkins, Woods combines complex contradictions with ease, showing the various sides of his character's personality. Cop, while singularly unpleasant is always insightful and fascinating. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Lesley Ann Warren, (more)
- 1978
Impressive production values can't disguise the painfully dated premise of this TV movie which stars Robert Foxworth as an over-stressed advertising executive whose doctor prescribes a lengthy period of rest and recuperation. Foxworth decides to voyage to Hawaii -- where his grandfather once worked as a missionary -- and soon finds himself the victim of an island curse which the natives first placed upon his grandfather, who then passed it to his son, and so on... until, before he can say "Larry Talbot," Foxworth begins developing an unsightly hair-growth issue by the next full moon. Despite the exotic setting and a rather daring abundance of skin for a TV movie, this is a stodgy and completely unnecessary throwback to low-grade monster films of yore, complete with slow-dissolve transformations and rubber-teeth monster effects. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1982
This superior ABC Theatre of the Month presentation is not so much about the reasons for divorce as it is about the tensions surrounding the actual litigation. Tom Selleck plays a topnotch Seattle divorce lawyer, juggling several delicate cases at once. Arrogantly secure in his legal prowess, Selleck suffers a major ego blow when his own wife (Jane Curtin) files for divorce. In a half-comic, half-serious manner, the travails of Selleck and Curtin are counterpointed with those of Selleck's clients. Donald Wrye and Linda Elstad's high-quality script for Divorce Wars: A Love Story bears a very faint resemblance to the recent movie hits Kramer vs. Kramer and Ordinary People--a resemblance pounced upon and amplified by the print ads for this TV movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Abby (Maura Tierney) has just about reached the end of her rope: Her biploar brother, Eric, has vanished, and her bipolar mother Maggie (Sally Field) has come back into her life. As Carter (Noah Wyle) tries to help Abby cope with her many burdens, a shaken and humbled Kovac (Goran Visnjic) returns to the ER -- albeit only after receiving an ultimatum from Weaver (Laura Innes). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
In a departure from ER's usual format, Greene (Anthony Edwards) heads to San Diego to look after his mother, Ruth (Bonnie Bartlett), whose behavior has become increasingly outlandish after an accident at home. Upon arrival, Greene argues with his taciturn father, David (John Cullum), over proper treatment of Ruth, a confrontation which dredges up unpleasant memories. Making a tense situation even more so is the unexpected appearance of Greene's erstwhile girlfriend Cynthia (Mariska Hargitay). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonnie Bartlett
- 1995
Rule-bound Dr. Kayson (Sam Anderson) again incurs the wrath of Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) when he orders the early release of a heart patient named Vennerback (Michael Monks). But when Vennerback is brought back to the ER in critical condition, it is Lewis who is held responsible for the tragedy that follows. Elsewhere, Benton (Eriq La Salle) adopts a somewhat nasty method to stem the constant complaints of his student, Carter (Noah Wyle); and Lewis' pregnant sister, Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite), announces her intention to move to Texas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Anxious to get his hands on some Demerol, a frustrated patient pulls a gun in the ER waiting room and threatens dire consequences if he isn't serviced immediately. After this crisis passes, an outraged Carter (Noah Wyle) threatens a staff walkout unless efforts are made to step up security at County General. Meanwhile, Abby's (Maura Tierney) brother Eric (Tom Everett Scott), an Air Force traffic controller, drops in for a visit en route to his new assignment in Omaha. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Greene (Anthony Edwards) tries to find a heart transplant for a seriously ill business contractor (Alan Rosenberg) who has already resigned himself to his impending death. Ross (George Clooney) comes to the aid of an asthmatic teenager whose parents can't afford the necessary medication. Greene's wife, Jenn (Christine Harnos), moves out of their home. And Carter (Noah Wyle) worries that his fling with Liz (Liz Vassey) may have exposed him to a sexually transmitted disease. This episode was originally slated to air on October 6, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
The second elderly rape victim in as many weeks arrives at the ER. Elsewhere, things take a personal turn when Anspaugh's (John Aylward) young son Scott (Trevor Morgan), a recovering cancer patient, shows up at County General with stomach pains. Former ER head man Dr. Swift (Michael Ironside) pays a visit in connection with the cost-cutting organization Synergix. And while coping with her no-strings-attached relationship with Ross (George Clooney), Carol (Julianna Margulies) also must deal with disturbing news about one of her patients. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This ecological drama, set in 2017, presents a world where pollution has generated ever more unpredictable weather and rendered large chunks of the planet into disaster zones. After a hurricane destroys everything they've built for themselves, Louisiana shrimp fisherman Drew Morgan (Craig T. Nelson) and his family, including wife Suzanne (Bonnie Bedelia), flee through a series of refugee camps to upstate New York, where Drew's estranged former business partner Larry Richter (Jurgen Prochnow) -- who has designs on Suzanne -- lives in comfort and affluence. Along the way, Drew loses his daughter, Linnie (Ashley Jones), to an agrarian doomsday cult; watches his elderly father (Richard Farnsworth) suffer a stroke; and almost drives away his confused oldest son, Paul (Justin Whalin). When Larry offers to shelter Drew's family if Drew himself will leave, Suzanne and the kids rally behind him. Things go awry, however, when an attempt to smuggle themselves across the border ends with Craig washed up on Canadian shores and the rest of the family stranded and penniless back in America. Originally presented as a two-part miniseries, The Fire Next Time premiered on CBS on April 18 and 20, 1993. The movie has no connection to the James Baldwin book of the same name. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, (more)
- 1989
The terrible crash of Delta Airlines Flight 191 provides the basis of this made-for-TV drama-in-real life. The disaster occurred at Dallas in 1985 and during that fateful night many of the ordinary passengers, crew, and rescue workers became true heroes as they worked together to save lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Haid, Angie Dickinson, (more)
Corporate women launch a bitter courtroom battle when their avaricious employer tells them that they will lose their jobs if they do not get sterilized. The fight takes the women through a disillusioning jungle of government red tape. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Given the title Foster and Laurie and the added fact that the protagonists are two cops, one might deduce that this TV movie was the pilot for a potential series. Not this time: The two leading characters are killed almost before the opening credits fade! In flashback, the film traces the law-enforcement careers of African American Gregory Foster (Dorian Harewood) and Italian American Rocco Laurie (Perry King). Friends as well as partners, Foster and Laurie endeavor to improve community relations in their crime-ridden Lower East Side precinct--which results in their being murdered by three militant extremists, who hope to intimidate the rest of the force (at the time the film was made, this motivation for the crime was still pure speculation). The killings have the opposite effect, as the rest of department rallies against its enemies, inspired by the memory of their fallen comrades. Foster and Laurie was based on the book by Al Silverman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
