Herb Kenwith Movies

Narrated by Anjelica Huston, this cable-TV documentary offered an up-close and personal look at the life and career of quintessential movie queen Joan Crawford. From her humble beginnings as MGM contract starlet Lucille LaSeuer, Crawford climbed to the top with a heady combination of talent, tenacity, glamour, hard work -- and obsessive, manipulative ruthlessness, both onscreen and off. Written off as "box-office poison" in the early '40s, Crawford confounded her detractors by changing studios and staging a spectacular comeback, winning the Academy Award for her performance in Warner Bros.' Mildred Pierce. She managed to hold on to her stardom well into the 1970s, plunging headlong into the horror genre with such masterworks as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? -- not to mention such dogs as Berserk! and Trog. In private life, Crawford married several times (her union with Pepsi Cola executive Alfred Steele briefly but memorably transformed her into a high-pressure businesswoman) and enjoyed the favors of dozens of men along the way. She also "enjoyed" a reputation as a domestic tyrant, allegedly insisting upon an immaculately clean home and holding her children in the grip of horrified fascination. In addition to excerpts from Crawford's classic (and not-so-classic) films, the documentary includes interviews with such interested parties as the actress' first husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., her directors (George Cukor and Vincent Sherman), her costars (Anita Page and Cliff Robertson), her biographer Bob Thomas -- and, inevitably, her stepdaughter, Christina Crawford, whose warts-and-all biography Mommie Dearest yielded one of the most campily outrageous biopics in movie history. Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star debuted August 1, 2002 over the Turner Classic Movies cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This film's subject is one of the world's most recognizable film artists, Mae West. Mae West was an iconoclast who challenged the sexual mores of her time -- long before Madonna was born and reinvented the idea. She made shrewd choices for her leading men -- such as her favorite, Cary Grant -- on whom she could play off her outrageous character. Her humorous, sexual suggestiveness is exemplified in her famous line, "Why don't you come up and see me sometime?" A major force of the silver screen, by 1935 she was the highest paid performer in America. With photographs, clips from radio and film, and interviews with friends and colleagues, this video presents a look at the woman considered by many to be the greatest sexual icon of the twentieth century.
~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) announces his intention of marrying his new girlfriend, Diana (Debbie Allen). Both sets of parents express strong and noisy objections to this impending union. What no one realizes during this turmoil is that Diana is harboring a disturbing secret: She is addicted to drugs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

J.J. (Jimmie Walker) is informed by a former girlfriend that she has contracted VD -- and that he is the carrier. With his parents out of town, J.J. heads to the local free clinic, hoping to be checked out and "cured" without his mom and dad ever finding out. Future Tonight Show host Jay Leno appears as another of the clinic's anxious clients. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Teddy Wilson makes his first series appearance as menacing neighborhood numbers runner "Sweet Daddy" Williams. J.J. (Jimmie Walker) is delighted when he is commissioned to paint a portrait of Sweet Daddy's girlfriend, especially since he has been promised his own prestigious art display in return. But J.J.'s parents are none too happy with their son's "patron" -- and, as it turns out, they have good reason for their discomfort. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After months of making pie-in-the-sky plans for the future, Thelma's fiancée, Larry (Carl Franklin), is at last presented with a terrific job opportunity. There is only one problem: The new position would require Larry to leave Chicago and move to California. But is Thelma (BernNadette Stanis) willing to make a commitment and accompany Larry to the Golden State, or should she stay behind and remain loyal to her family? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Researching the Evans family tree, Thelma (BernNadette Stanis) makes the startling discovery that her grandfather Henry, the father of James Evans (John Amos), is still alive. Eager to expedite a happy reunion, Thelma invites Henry home for James' surprise birthday party -- only to stand by, mouth agape, when an angry James rejects the old man. Richard Ward makes his first series appearance as Henry Evans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The crime rate in the Evanses' neighborhood is higher than usual, prompting James (John Amos) to buy a gun for his family's protection. Florida (Esther Rolle) hates the idea of a weapon in the house, but hers becomes a moot point when Thelma (BernNadette Stanis) is mugged. Outraged, James heads for the hidden gun -- only to find that it is gone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Michael (Ralph Carter) is bedeviled by a bully named Eddie (Douglas Grant), who has been stealing his lunch money. Macho James (John Amos) advises Michael to duke it out with his young nemesis. But Michael surprises James -- and indeed, the entire family -- when he blithely invites Eddie to spend the weekend in the Evans household. This was the final episode of Good Times' second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Once again, the unemployed James (John Amos) is strapped for cash. Though he needs money in a hurry, the headstrong James is outraged at the prospect of borrowing it from Florida's wealthy cousin Edgar (Percy Rodriguez). As James nurses his ego at the corner bar, Florida (Esther Rolle) learns a few unpleasant truths about her cousin -- mainly, that Edgar is himself broke and out of work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Suffering from a severe pain in her side, Florida (Esther Rolle) hides her condition from her financially strapped husband. When it is revealed that Florida needs a gallbladder operation, James (John Amos) vows to get her the best hospital care possible, and money is no object. But that is before James is told just how much money will be needed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It may have been a political off year when this episode originally aired in 1975, but campaign fever has seized the Evans household all the same. James (John Amos) and J.J. (Jimmie Walker) intend to vote for alderman Fred Davis (Albert Reed), a veteran (and long-winded) politico with only a tenuous grasp on the issues. But Florida (Esther Rolle), Thelma (BernNadette Stanis), and Willona (Ja'net DuBois) have deserted the Davis camp and have cast their lot with the incumbent's aggressive young opponent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide