Dean Hargrove Movies

Dick Van Dyke draws heavily from both his classic 1960s sitcom and his later detective-series vehicle Diagnosis Murder as star of the made-for-cable whodunit Murder 101. Van Dyke is cast as Dr. Jonathan Maxwell, a retired detective who teaches a course on criminology in a small-town college. Though he tends to trip over his own feet and bump into doors with alarming regularity, Maxwell's deductive skills are as sharp as ever, as proven when he is called upon to prove the innocence of Cheryl Collins (Tracey Needham), an investigative reporter charged with the murder of corrupt CEO Nelson Raymond (Tony Denison). It is clear that Cheryl has been framed, but who did the framing? Was it Raymond's vindictive ex-wife Louise (Lisa Thornhill), or his shady business associates Max Arnholdt (Bradford English) and Karl Larch (Camren Argeniano)--or could it be the proverbial Least Likely Suspect? Dick Van Dyke's son Barry Van Dyke, who previously costarred with his dad in Diagnosis Murder, is seen as private eye Mike Bryant, while Barry's son (and Dick's grandson) Wes Van Dyke shows up briefly as one of Dr. Maxwell's students. Clearly intended as the pilot for an ongoing series of Hallmark Channel TV movies, Murder 101 first aired on January 7, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jane Doe:The Wrong Face is one of several Hallmark Channel TV-movies starring Lea Thompson as Simi Valley housewife and mom Kathy Davis (Lea Thompson), who unbeknownst to her neighbors occasionally moonlights as an undercover special agent and "problem solver" for the NSA. Kathy is summoned by her NSA superior Frank Darnell (Joe Penny) to tackle the mysterious kidnapping of Caroline Raphaelson (Roxanna Zal), wife of crusading prosecutor Phil Raphaelson (John Rubinstein). No one ever saw anyone entering or leaving the room in the health spa from which Caroline, who'd been undergoing cosmetic surgery, was snatched. Still, the fact remains that a ransom demand has been made, said demand being that Caroline's husband arrange for the release of Ray Jackson (Michael Bailey Smith), a shady construction executive being held on a money-laundering rap. Complicating Kathy's investigation is Jackson's staunch insistence that he is innocent and that he completely disapproves of the kidnapping, and the subsequent disappearance of the 16-year-old girl who'd impersonated Caroline while the abduction was allegedly taking place. Jane Doe: The Wrong Face) was originally telecast on June 19, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jane Doe: Vanishing Act is the first of several Hallmark Channel TV-movies starring Lea Thompson as Simi Valley housewife and mom Kathy Davis (Lea Thompson), who unbeknownst to her family occasionally moonlights as an undercover special agent and "problem solver" for the NSA. Having previously worked as a spy, Kathy is pulled out of an 18-year retirement by NSA operative Frank Darnell (Joe Penny) in hopes that she will be able to locate a missing file containing all of America's defense secrets, which was stolen from a plane in flight--along with the computer whiz who created the file. Adhering to her policy of "eliminating the impossible", Kathy--cover name "Jane Doe"--tries to figure out a logical method by which the file was heisted, a task made difficult by the vague recollections (and shady pasts) of the witnesses to the crime. As she gets deeper into the case, Kathy herself is placed in harm's way, to say nothing of her unwitting family. Jane Doe: Vanishing Act originally aired January 21, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Hallmark Channel TV movie is one of a series starring John Larroquette as McBride (no first name), a hard-nosed cop turned compassionate defense lawyer, specializing in "lost causes." On this occasion, McBride's client is one-half of a popular FM radio "shock jock" team, accused of murdering his partner. The cops think they have the suspect dead to rights: Not only did he have motive and opportunity, but a recording exists of the victim's last moments on earth, which were broadcast for all to hear, and which seem to confirm the suspect's guilt. Of course, this being a made-for-cable movie, such airtight evidence can't be trusted--especially when McBride finds out that everyone at the radio station hated the dead man's guts. As in all previous McBride films, the climactic "You done it" scene is staged in flashback form, with McBride himself appearing as a sidelines spectator to the foul play. McBride: Tune In For Murder was first broadcast on August 14, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Hallmark Channel TV movie is one of a series starring John Larroquette as McBride (no first name), a hard-nosed cop turned compassionate defense lawyer, specializing in "lost causes." McBride's client this time is a hitchhiker named Dudley Banks (Devon Gummesall), who had the rotten luck to accept a ride from a beautiful, affluent-looking woman calling herself Whitney (Maeve Quinlan), just before she is found murdered. As he digs into Whitney's past, he finds that there are several men who had good reason to wish her dead--especially the several husbands she accumulated (and robbed blind) while adopting a plethora of false identities! McBride: The Chameleon Murder originally aired January 14, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on the British series of the same name, the UPN network dramedy As If emulated such "reality" programs as The Real World, albeit with professional actors following sketchy, improvisational scenarios. In standard cinéma-vérité fashion, a team of cameramen follow six twentysomethings as they cope with life in the Big City -- and with each other. The neatly compartmentalized characters included the sullen Sooz (played by Emily Corrie, the sole carryover from the original British As If), the egocentric Rob (Chris Engen), the worldly Sasha (Tracie Thoms), the sexually voracious Nicki (Adrienne Wilkinson), the prankish Jamie (Derek Hughes), and the obligatory gay character, Alex (Robin Dunne). The American version of As If premiered March 5, 2002, in tandem with another brand-new UPN series, Random Years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An ex-convict traveling to Las Vegas to visit his son is forced to re-enter the high-stakes world of casino poker in order to win back his family in a tense tale of family loyalty starring Kenny Rogers and Terry O'Quinn. There was a time when John J. "Jack" MacShayne (Rogers) was the best gambler in all of Las Vegas, but upon traveling back to his old haunts the ex-convict discovers that Sin City has been transformed into a homogenized vacation destination for the whole family. When MacShayne is unable to locate his wife and son, ex-policeman Danny Leggett (O'Quinn) offers to reveal the pair's whereabouts if the former gambler agrees to defeat a particularly formidable opponent at the tables. If MacShayne should win, Leggett and his partner will be able to carry out their plan of robbing the casino. Should his opponent win, however, MacShayne stands to lose much more than a simple game of cards. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason takes the case for a TV reporter falsely accused of killing the station's ego-maniacal anchorman. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason listens to the pleas of a 13-year-old girl and helps her father who was falsely accused of murdering a gambler. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason must help a wounded hockey star who has been accused of killing an important sports figure. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Case of the Lost Love was the fourth of the Perry Mason TV movies of the 1980s. Raymond Burr plays Mason (you're surprised?), who while out of town at a lawyer's conference is reunited with Jean Simmons, his lady friend of 30 years past. Simmons has come up in the world, and is about to be nominated for the US senate. Unfortunately, her husband Gene Barry is accused of murdering a blackmailer. The lack of surprise in the denouement is compensated for by the pathos and emotionalism in the final scenes. Back from the previous Mason films is Barbara Hale as Della Street, and Hale's son William Katt as Paul Drake Jr. Despite stiff competition from the Audrey Hepburn-Robert Wagner TV movie Love Among Thieves, Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love swept the ratings when it premiered on February 23, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Following the excellent ratings response to the 1985 "reunion" special Perry Mason Returns, producers Fred Silverman and Dean Hargrove quickly assembled a second two-hour Mason TV movie in 1986. Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun finds Mason (Raymond Burr), now a judge, briefly stepping down from the bench to defend a nun (Michele Greene) accused of murder. The victim was a handsome priest, with whom the nun was allegedly conducting an affair. William Katt plays private detective Paul Drake Jr., who in the tradition of his late father tracks down clues on Mason's behalf--nearly losing his life at every turn. Case of the Notorious Nun was followed in short order by Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star (86). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi