Glenn Jordan Movies
Yale Drama School graduate and Café La Mama veteran Glenn Jordan has been an "A"-list TV director since his work on the 1971 PBS production Hogan's Goat. Jordan's many prestigious TV-movie assignments have included Frankenstein (1973), Les Miserables (1978), Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal (1982) and Barbarians at the Gate (1992) He has also helmed such two-part dramatic specials as Dress Gray (1985) and Echoes of the Darkness (1987). Jordan's shining hour was the 1991 Hallmark Hall of Fame offering Sarah Plain and Tall, a winner of nine Emmy Awards; earlier, Jordan had personally picked up two Emmies for producing and directing the memorable James Garner/James Woods TV movie Promise (1986). He has also won the Directors Guild of America award for his work on the late-1970s TV series Family, as well as several Peabody awards for other projects. Surprisingly, Glenn Jordan has directed only three theatrical features, the best of which was 1984's Mass Appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2003
From the same production team responsible for the highly regarded 2000 Judy Garland TV biopic comes this equally elaborate and very thorough (if not 100-percent accurate) filmed biography of Lucille Ball. Using the 1960 breakup of the marriage between Lucy and her husband/co-star Desi Arnaz, the film covers 40 years in the life of America's favorite redheaded gal, beginning with her early dramatic aspirations as an acting student (one of her fellow aspirants is Bette Davis) and her emergence as a platinum-blonde chorus girl in such film extravaganzas as Eddie Cantor's Roman Scandals. Once Hollywood is convinced of Lucy's fierce work ethic, and her willingness to do anything -- even allow herself to be caked in mud -- for the good of the picture, RKO Radio inaugurates a star build-up, though poor Lucy never quite gets beyond the B-list of leading ladies. In 1940, she falls madly in love with Desi Arnaz, a sexy Cuban bandleader and scion of an aristocratic family. Despite Desi's imperious nature, and his self-proclaimed "entitlement" to savor the favors of as many ladies as possible, Lucy and Desi are wed. Moving from RKO Radio to MGM during the war years, Lucy becomes a redhead to take better advantage of the studio's Technicolor cameras, and also learns the rudiments of broad slapstick comedy from such masters as Buster Keaton and Red Skelton. Even so, she is considered washed-up in Hollywood by the end of the 1940s, and her union with the constitutionally faithless Arnaz is on the rocks. Coming to the rescue of both Lucy's career and marriage is a new medium called television: With Desi as her creative Svengali, Lucy scales the heights of superstardom as star of the top-rated weekly sitcom I Love Lucy. Alas, the more popular Lucy becomes, the more her marriage to Desi suffers, and the film is unsparing in showing how fame and fortune can be fatal to domestic happiness. In the title role, musical comedy actress Rachel York doesn't resemble the real Lucy all that much, though she gamely recreates such classic I Love Lucy moments as the "Vitameatavegamin" commercial and the grape-stomping orgy. Far better cast is Danny Pino as Desi Arnaz, depicted as an enigmatic blend of Latin charm, filmmaking genius, and sociopathic serial philandering. While the teleplay is an acceptable overview of the subject's life and career, there is little in the film that is not common knowledge to Lucy buffs, save for a re-enactment of the childhood tragedy which left the heroine a mass of insecurities, and Lucy's morbid fear of birds (yes, birds). The three-hour Lucy first aired on May 4, 2003, telecast by Lucy's old home network, CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel York, Danny Pino, (more)
- 2001
The made-for-cable feature Midwives was based on the Oprah Book Club selection by Christopher A. Bohjalian. Set in the 1980s, the films stars Sissy Spacek as Sibyl Danforth, a midwife in the town of Reddington, VT. Already under fire for pursuing an obsolete profession, Sibyl finds herself on trial for the murder of one of her patients. The husband of the dead woman refuses to believe that Sibyl performed an emergency C-section only after concluding that the woman had already died of a stroke; he is determined to put Sibyl behind bars for involuntary manslaughter, and by extension virtually eliminate the position of midwife from the community. The story is told from the viewpoint of Sibyl's 14-year-old daughter, Connie (Alison Pill), who in the course of the trial, realizes how much she truly loves her mother, and how important Sibyl's calling is to the world. Also in the cast is Sissy Spacek's Carrie co-star Piper Laurie as Sibyl's midwife mentor, Cheryl Visco. Midwives made its Lifetime Network debut on April 2, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
This follow-up to the acclaimed made-for-TV movies Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark finds Sarah (Glenn Close) and her husband Jacob (Christopher Walken) dealing with the trials of life on their Kansas farm in 1918. Jacob must contend with the unexpected arrival of John (Jack Palance), his father, who left him and his mother behind many years ago, while Sarah is worried about her eldest daughter Anna (Lexi Randall), who has left home to help treat the victims of the influenza epidemic. Anna, meanwhile, has worries of her own, as her boyfriend has just shipped out to fight in WWI. Based on the novel by Patricia MacLachlan, Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End was produced as part of the award-winning anthology series Hallmark Hall of Fame. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, (more)
75-year-old retired cabinetmaker Thomas Gerrin (Jack Lemmon) has been a widower for three years, during which time his well-meaning children have insisted upon treating him as a helpless invalid. Determined to prove that the spark of life still burns within him, Thomas impulsively cashes his most recent pension check and heads off for Monterey, California, there to touch base with an old flame (Betty Garrett) whom he hasn't seen in fifty years. En route, he befriends a free-spirted young graduate student named Leanne Bossert (Sarah Paulson). Both agree that any sort of romance would be out of the question: Nonetheless, Leanne is the catalyst for Thomas' new lease on life--and as his children franctically search for their fugitive dad, the May-December "odd couple" encounter all manner of breathtaking adventures and colorful characters. Based on Thomas Guerin, Retraite a 1978 French TV movie starring Charles Vanel, The Long Way Home was produced for the CBS television network, where it was first broadcast on March 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Sarah Paulson, (more)
Made by and for the TNT cable network, this sharp, satirical courtroom drama skewers the increasingly symbiotic relationship between the judicial system and popular media. The story centers on the trial of a famous model (Gina Gershon) who has been accused of murder. The media touts it "the trial of the century," a notion notorious celebrity lawyer Norman Keane (James Garner) does nothing to dispel. He also doesn't seem to be concerned about the myriad of rumors flying through the airwaves. Reporter Brenda Whitlas (Kathleen Turner) is not as easily fooled as the public and tries to ferret out the truth. Meanwhile a rookie lawyer involved in the case tries desperately to stay afloat amidst the confusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Gina Gershon, (more)
Made for television, A Christmas Memory is adapted from the wistful short story by Truman Capote, previously filmed in 1967 as a one-hour episode of ABC Stage 67. Capote himself narrated the original version, in which he recalled his lonely childhood and the strong bond between himself and his simple-minded older cousin Sook, a role brilliantly essayed in 1967 by Geraldine Page. The remake stars Patty Duke as Sook, with whom young Buddy (Eric Lloyd) (the Capote character) lives during one memorable Depression Christmas while his divorced (and detached) mother and father are otherwise occupied. Looked after by her unmarried sisters Jennie (Piper Laurie) and Callie (Anita Gillette), the warm, unfailingly cheerful Sook busies herself with preparing Christmas fruitcakes for everyone she can think of--including President Roosevelt and Jean Harlow!--and, with the innocence of the eternal child, she allows the impressionable Buddy into her own private world. When the time comes for Sook and Buddy to be separated, he prefers to remain with her. . .a decision, alas, that is not his to make. Bereft of Capote's eloquent narration, and including several subplot intrigues not to be found in the original short story, A Christmas Memory is a game effort, but in the end falls short of the 1967 classic. The remake aired December 21, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Lloyd, Patty Duke, (more)
- 1996
To their friends and neighbors, the Stapps were the "perfect" family--at least until, for no apparent reason, 18-year-old Jimmy Stapp (Peter Fanicelli) committed suicide. The focus in this heartwrenching made-for-TV movie is not on Jimmy but on the "survivors",who painfully attempt to put their own lives back together in the wake of the inexplicable tragedy. Worst hit by Jimmy's death is his mother Maggie (Meredith Baxter), who for the first time in her life must reach out to her loved ones for emotional support rather than the other way around. The film is at its best when detailing the vacillating mental state of Jimmy between the time he decides to take his own life and the time he actually does it; less effective is the death scene itself, which is all too reminiscent of the "baptismal bloodbath" in The Godfather (the boy shoots himself with his dad's gun while the rest of his family sing a hymn in church). Produced for the CBS network, After Jimmy originally aired September 24, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meredith Baxter
- 1996
This provocative made-for-television drama centers on a community's reaction when an aging widow becomes emotionally attached to a slightly retarded young man. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candice Bergen, Thomas McCarthy, (more)
Assembled by the same team responsible for "The Hallmark Hall of Fame", this TV adaptation of Neil Simon's hit play Jake's Woman stars Alan Alda, recreating his Broadway role as Simon-esque writer Jake. Mired in an unhappy marriage with current spouse Maggie (Anne Archer), Jake tries to cope with his wife's insistence on a trial separation by conjuring up images of the other women in his life: his late wife Julie (Mira Sorvino), his confused daughter Molly (Kimberly Williams), his neurotic sister Karen (Julie Kavner) and his analyst Edith (Joyce Van Patten). Putting his literary skills to good use, Jake carries on imaginary conversations with these ladies, hoping that they will help him sort out his problems. The trouble begins when the spectres of Jake's Women begin showing up without his bidding, insisting upon debating and arguing with the poor fellow even as he tries to pursue a new romance with his current flame Sheila (Lolita Davidovich). Neil Simon's Jake's Women (the official title) first aired March 3, 1996 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Alda, Anne Archer, (more)
- 1995
This production presents the complete text of A Streetcar Named Desire, the 1947 Tennessee Williams masterpiece. The story centers on the destruction of a lonely Mississippi widow, Blanche DuBois (Jessica Lange), by her brutally outspoken brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski (Alec Baldwin). The play begins when Blanche arrives in New Orleans from Laurel, Mississippi, at the squalid apartment of her pregnant sister, Stella, and Stella's husband, Kowalski. After announcing that she is on leave from a teaching position, Blanche discloses that creditors have expropriated the family estate, Belle Reve. Consequently, sister Stella will never receive a penny of her share in the property. Skeptical, Stanley angrily demands documented proof of the property loss. Blanche provides it. The lingering animosity from this incident then builds relentlessly over several months. To protect herself from Stanley and his crude working-class world, Blanche cocoons herself in a delusional world of Old South ideals. She is ever the aristocratic belle. Truculent Stanley, however, seizes every opportunity to bullyrag dainty Blanche. He despises her elegant ways, her put-on airs. In turn, she shudders at his rudeness and vulgarity. But deep in her lonely soul--deep in the instinctual id that drove her to promiscuity in Laurel--she harbors a perverse attraction for Stanley. Her mental state, meanwhile, verges on insanity; one day her prince will come, an Old South cavalier with a gleaming sword. When Stanley's friend Mitch woos her, Stanley sabotages the romance after digging into Blanche's past and tattling to Mitch about her affairs. Stella goes into labor and gives birth. When proud papa Stanley returns from the hospital, Blanche is swilling liquor. Stanley gulps a few and rapes Blanche. She then steps across the border between the real and the unreal as the play draws to a conclusion. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Lange, Alec Baldwin, (more)
A man facing AIDS has to deal with the personal and social ramifications of the disease in this made-for-television movie. John Lithgow was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of twin brothers, one of whom is a teacher diagnosed with AIDS. The film shows how his small town rallies to support him after one courageous woman speaks out and refuses to ostracize him. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1994
When an elderly woman dies, she decides to take possession of a stray dog's body so as to keep an eye on her widowed husband in this wonderful tale based on the novel by Terry Kay. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
This TV movie recounts the true-life story of a corporate takeover in the greed-driven 1980s. James Garner is F. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR-Nabisco. Having just been burned by an expensive failure of a smokeless cigarette product, Johnson doesn't wish to incur the wrath of the stockholders. He begins drawing up plans to buy RJR-Nabisco outright so he'll have no one to answer to but himself. Unfortunately for Johnson, his company is also being coveted by sharkish "buyout king" Henry Kravis (Jonathan Pryce), who turns out to have $25 billion at his beck and call. Barbarians at the Gate was adapted by Larry Gelbart from the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. Advertised as a "docucomedy", the film premiered March 20, 1993, over the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
- 1991
The Boys is an "a clef" celebration of the famed script writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link, the creators of Columbo, Murder She Wrote and so many other stellar TV projects. William Link himself wrote this story about two lifelong collaborator/friends named Walter (James Woods) and Artie (John Lithgow). Though Artie is a chain-smoker, it is Walter who contacts terminal lung cancer--the actual fate of the late Richard Levinson. Some observers have suggested that Link penned this tale more out of guilt than friendship; whatever the case, he wisely avoids overloading the material with sentiment, allowing the "boys" to kid around and squabble as much as they ever had. As a bonus, there's a Columbo-style mystery angle in the proceedings to keep the hard-core Levinson/Link fans happy. The Boys was produced for television and originally shown in April of 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- PG
Based on the Willa Cather novel, this Hallmark Hall of Fame telefilm stars Jessica Lange as Alexandra Bergson, a single woman who inherits her family farm, much to the dismay of her siblings. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Lange, David Strathairn, (more)
- 1991
The made-for-television film Sarah, Plain & Tall is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production about a single New England schoolteacher (Glenn Close) who responds to an advertisement by a Midwestern widower, who is asking for a bride to help him raise his two children. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Walken
Aftermath: A Test of Love begins where most TV movies end. Based on fact (as recorded in Gary Kinder's book Victim), the story revolves around the family of Richard Chamberlain, an aloof obstetrician. The family falls victim to a violent, random crime, depicted in gruesome detail. Chamberlain's wife is murdered, and one of his sons is seriously wounded. Surviving this ordeal, Chamberlain must now try to hold his remaining loved ones together emotionally and attempt to reassemble his own battered psyche. The true events which inspired Aftermath: A Test of Love occurred in the 1970s in Ogden, Utah, where this TV movie was partially filmed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Made for television, The Challenger is at once a tribute and a eulogy to the seven courageous souls who perished when the Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986. Though all of the crew members are given three-dimensional, balanced treatment, the one we all remember is schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. As played by Karen Allen, McAuliffe is neither superwoman nor saint: just an average human being with an insatiable thirst to learn more about the universe around her. The other members of the ill-fated crew are Cmdr. Francis R. Scobee (Barry Bostwick), Captain Michael J. Smith (Brian Kerwin), Dr. Judith A. Resnik (Julie Fulton), Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka (Keone Young), Dr. Ronald E. McNair (Joe Morton) and Gregory B. Jarvis (Richard Jenkins). Wisely, the film concentrates on the crew's training, ending before the tragic real-life denoument. Filmed on location at the Johnson Space Center, the 3-hour The Challenger was originally telecast February 25, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Allen, Barry Bostwick, (more)
In this drama, set in a small town in Georgia, a curmudgeonly, strongly opinionated local editor is upset by the changes wrought by the end of WW II. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- PG
This fact-based TV movie is an account of a small-town nurse who is arrested for caring for her desert neighbors without a medical license. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Remick, Scott Wilson, (more)
- 1987
Based on a best-selling book by Joseph Wambaugh, this is the story of the investigation of the murder of a Philadelphia school teacher and the search for her missing children, which eventually leads the police to two rather eccentric colleagues involved in the dead woman's life. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A made for TV movie which serves as much a condemnation of the military establishment as a murder mystery, this film revolves around an upper classman who is falsely accused of responsibility for the death of a student when he begins to investigate the mysterious demise of the young gay cadet. Part of a two-part series, the crux for the upper classman is whether he is willing to jeopardize the future of his own military career to investigate the death of the freshman cadet at this prestigious military academy. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Something in Common is a made-for-television comedy about a middle-aged, widowed career woman (Ellen Burstyn) who discovers that her grown son is having a love affair with a woman (Tuesday Weld) her own age. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Promise represented the first of several momentous TV-movie teamings of James Garner and James Woods. Garner plays an affable middle-aged salesman. When his mother dies, Garner is compelled to fulfill his long-ago promise to her: to look after his schizophrenic younger brother Woods. What begins as a fitfully painful experience for both men culminates with an unexpected, powerful climax, predicated by a memory-laden fishing trip. Piper Laurie co-stars as an old flame of Garner who finds herself a compassionate spectator to the troubled and bizarrely touching relationship between the two long-estranged brothers. Written by Richard Friedenberg, The Promise premiered December 14, 1986. Emmy awards were bestowed upon James Woods, Piper Laurie, Richard Friedenberg, director Glenn Jordan, and the film itself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This made-for-TV drama was inspired by the real-life Toughlove program, set up to help parents of kids with severe alcohol, drug and behavior problems. Lee Remick and Bruce Dern star as a middle-aged couple who have completely lost control of their teen-aged son Jason Patric. When all else fails, the couple joins Toughlove, adhering to the organization's policy of being cruel (but not abusive) in order to be kind. Their story alternates with the travails of Toughlove member Piper Laurie and her suicidal daughter DeDee Pfeiffer (sister of Michelle). Toughlove was originally telecast October 13, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
