Joanna Lee Movies
Whether writing, producing, directing, or appearing onscreen in such camp classics as The Brain Eaters and Plan 9 From Outer Space, Joanna Lee always gave her all. A Newark, NJ, native who relocated to California with her divorced mother at the age of 12, Lee got her first taste of fame on the small screen with appearances on such notable television shows as Leave It to Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, and Death Valley Days, where audiences caught a glimpse of a young actress who possessed not only a refreshing onscreen beauty, but undeniable talent, as well. As her career progressed with feature appearances and numerous other film roles, Lee wrote episodes of Petticoat Junction, Gilligan's Island, and The Waltons, the latter of which earned her an Emmy in 1974. She was nominated for a second Emmy the following year for her work on the television biopic Babe, and although that award eluded her, the movie provided Lee with her first credit as a producer. She moved into the director's chair in 1979 with the made-for-TV feature Mirror, Mirror, and as the Disco Decade gave way to the Me Decade, Lee was producing nearly every project on which she served as screenwriter. Especially adept at tackling social issues, Lee fought racial stereotypes as late as 1980, when she struggled to cast actress Kim Fields as an Olympic gymnast. Despite the producer's claim that there "are no black Olympic gymnasts," Lee stuck to her guns. and the film broke new ground for both television and minority athletes. Although Lee's final writer/producer/director duties came with the 1989 television drama My Dad Can't Be Crazy, Can He?, her legacy lived on through the work of her sons, actors Craig Lee and Christopher Ciampa. Joanna Lee died of bone cancer October 24, 2003, in Santa Monica, CA. She was 72. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi- 2010
In 2005, director and screenwriter Johanna Lee was between projects and at the urging of a friend, she took a job at the New York Board of Trade. Lee suddenly had a ringside seat for one of the most dramatic and frenetic scenes in the global economic system, as each day handfuls of men and women shouted orders at one another on the trading floor, hoping to corner a market while it stays hot and move their shares before they lose value. Fascinated by the ferocity of the environment and the unusual characters who work in it, Lee began making a film about the world of commodities trading, where Ivy League graduates and regular guys with guts and a hunch work side by side in the most competitive environment on Earth. In The Pit, Lee presents an insider's look at the New York Board of Trade and its people, as well as chronicling the business in a period of transition, as electronic trading makes the old style of trading obsolete. The Pit was an official selection at the 2010 Cinequest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The half-hour Italian TV cartoon series Winx Club was set in a magical nether world where various colorfully garbed witches, warriors and fairies carried on a neverending good-evil battle. Created by the brilliant but slightly off-kilter Professor Polonium, the Winx Club consisted of good female fairies. Members of the club, who represented their world's Fairy Side included red-headed, compassionate Bloom, yellow-haired sweetie pie Stella, level-headed but insecure Flora, blue-haired, musically inclined Musa, pink-haired technogeek Techna The Winx Club trained at the Cloud Academy side by side with the representatives of the "Warrior Side", among them youthful warrior Prince Sky (who was sweet on Stella), warrior-in-the-making Brandon (who liked Bloom), resident nerd Timmy and obligatory "rebel" Riven. The villains of the piece were the Senior Witches, each endowed with element-controlling powers: blue-haired Icy, brown-haired and psychic Darcy, a black-haired Stormy. Others in the cast were Professor Gryffin, the former teacher of the Senior Witches, who regretted ever showing them how to use their powers; Mr. Knut, the Witches' much-put-upon servant; and Kikko, Bloom's cute little pet bunny (a character obviously inspired by Pokemon's Pikachu). While fast action was the main bill of fare on the series, there was also an abundance of peppy musical numbers. In America, Winx Club was picked up by the Fox network and run on its Saturday-morning schedule beginning June 19, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Liza Kaplan, Michael Sinterniklaas, (more)
- 1980
Originally made for television, the film concerns three divorces and the effect on the varied economic level present in each family. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barbara Feldon, Greg Mullavey, (more)
- 1979
The miracle of plastic surgery is the unifying factor for this made-for-TV movie. Three women, all "of a certain age," are having problems with the men in their life. Rich widow Millie Gorman (Janet Leigh) is convinced that her sex appeal has waned along with her looks and youth; bored housewife Sandy McLaren (Loretta Swit) is none too pleased that her husband regards her more as a pal than a lover; and former model Vanessa Wagner (Lee Meriwether) fears that her much-younger sweetheart will begin seeking out a partner his own age. As the story progresses, Sandy gets a breast implant which has precisely the opposite of the desired effect on her husband; Vanessa gets an eye-lift, only to find out that her lover isn't worth the trouble; and Millie suffers the consequences of one too many face-lifts. Mirror, Mirror first aired October 10, 1979, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Valerie Mahaffey plays a 19-year-old girl who nervously knocks at the door of middle-aged housewife Barbara Barrie. Barrie had given Valerie up for adoption at birth, and the girl wants to know why. By her mere presence, Mahffey threatens to tear apart Barrie's family, most of whom have no knowledge of her earlier indiscretion. Arthur Hill costars as Barrie's husband, while Barnard Hughes appears as her uncle, who is the only one who shares her secret. Tell Me My Name was originally telecast as a 90-minute GE Theater Special on December 20, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night stars Susan Dey as a young mother with a history of mistreating her 3 year old daughter. Ms. Dey's erratic behavior is rooted in her own unhappy childhood and her failed marriage. Tricia O'Neil plays the doctor who endeavors to help both Dey and her daughter, despite the interference of well-meaning bureaucrats. Joanna Lee's script for this TV movie would have been twice as effective had it not relied so heavily on character stereotypes. The title character of Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night was played by little Natasha Ryan, who portrayed several battered children during her short career. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
In the short-lived TV series Mulligan's Stew, high school football coach Michael Mulligan (Lawrence Pressman) and his wife Jane (Elinor Donahue), already the parents of three children, suddenly find their family unit increased from five to nine. This occurs when Michael's sister and brother-in-law, whose name was Friedman, perish in a plane crash, whereupon the dead couple's four youngsters move into the already crowded Mulligan manse in Birchfield, California. Much of the drama (and humor) revolve around the culture clashes between the laid-back Mulligan kids and their three urban "step-siblings"--not to mention Kimmy (Sunshine Lee), a Korean war orphan adopted by the late Mr. and Mrs. Friedman. Add to this the fact that Michael's salary can hardly cover the needs of his "real" family, and the viewer has a stew indeed. The pilot for Mulligan's Stew aired June 20, 1977, on NBC; the series proper was broadcast by the same network from October 25 to December 13, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lawrence Pressman, Elinor Donahue, (more)
- 1976
I Want to Keep My Baby is a cautionary TV movie starring Mariel Hemingway as a pregnant 15-year-old girl. She is pressured by her mother (Susan Anspach) to keep her baby, despite the warnings of a social worker (Rhea Perlman) that the girl is emotionally and financially unable to care for the child. Taking a defiant attitude, Hemingway insists upon setting herself up as a single parent. It is only after a few harrowing months of unassisted motherhood--and a brief temper flare-up in which Hemingway comes dangerously close to injuring her child--that the girl bows to logic and puts the baby up for adoption. I Want to Keep My Baby would have been more effective without such melodramatic setpieces as a rape attempt and a chance encounter between the girl and a pair of adoptive parents. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Susan Clark won an Emmy for her performance as legendary woman athlete Babe Didrickson (1916-1956). The film starts in Port Arthur, Texas, with teenaged Babe depriving herself of a social life in order to excel at track and field. Her well-honed skills and fierce competitive spirit win Babe a slot at the Los Angeles-based 1932 Olympics. Able to excel in practically any sport, Babe becomes a pro golfer, tennis player and billiard champ. In 1940, she meets and marries roughhewn ex-wrestler George Zaharias (played by Alex Karras, Clark's real-life future husband), who becomes her mentor and manager. Despite the anticipated career and personal conflicts, George stays by Babe's side for the next sixteen years, ultimately buoying her spirits during her three-year ordeal with terminal cancer. Babe was adapted by Emmy nominee Joanna Lee from Babe Didrickson Zaharias' autobiography This Life I've Led. Footnote: for a glance at the real Babe Zaharias in action on the golf links, see the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn vehicle Pat and Mike (52). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Susan Dey inaugurated her long and successful campaign to shuck her Partridge Family image in the made-for-TV Cage Without a Key. Dey plays a teenager mistakenly convicted for murder (some mistake!) She is sentenced to a grim woman's penal institution straight out of a Linda Blair movie. As she struggles against the iniquities of prison life, her friends and relatives on the outside fight for justice. A shockingly substandard effort from accomplished TV director Buzz Kulik, Cage Without a Key is credible only in its exterior scenes, filmed at Las Palmas School for Girls in City of Commerce, California. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
Feeling somewhat confined and limited on Walton's Mountain, John (Ralph Waite) briefly takes leave of his family and accepts a shipyard job in faraway Norfolk. He finds temporary lodging in a boarding house managed by an attractive widow, Mrs. Champion (Joanna Moore). He also finds unexpected trouble when another of the male boarders jealously jumps to the conclusion that John "has designs" on his landlady! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
No sooner has Olivia (Michael Learned) taken a job as a door-to-door salesman to help make ends meet in the Walton home than she discovers she is pregnant...again. As John (Ralph Waite) wonders if the family can afford another child, his youngest daughter Elizabeth (Kami Cotler) makes no secret of her disappointment over being supplanted as the "baby" of the family. Ultimately, the family comes to accept what seems to be The Inevitable--and then an unexpected plot twist puts the situation in a whole new light. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
Although she is becoming increasingly infirm and hard of hearing, Grandma Walton (Ellen Corby) stubbornly refuses to see a doctor. Grandma's intractability is more or less mirrored by 14-year-old Mary Ellen Walton (Judy Norton-Taylor), who wakes up one morning determined never again to be treated like a child. Unfortunately, Mary Ellen's declaration of independence may have negative results when she falls in love with a much-older college boy (James Carroll Jordan). The episode's closing narration clues us in to what the future holds in store for Mary Ellen--information which completely contradicts what will actually occur in such later Waltons episodes and TV-movies like Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Seeking solitude to write his stories, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) takes a hike into the mountains. But peace and quiet is not on his schedule when he comes across his friend Sarah Simmonds (Sissy Spacek in her second series appearance), who has run away from her husband--and who is very pregnant and very, very ill. This chance meeting occurs not long after an earlier encounter between John-Boy and elderly mountain dweller Granny Ketchum (Frances Williams), who in repayment for a favor had supplied him with a home-made medicinal potion. When Sarah downs the potion, she suddenly goes into labor...and John-Boy is the only person within miles who can help her! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
In the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), John-Boy (Richard Thomas) is afforded the opportunity to qualify for a scholarship at Boatwright University--and, as icing on the cake, his former girlfriend Jenny (Sian Barbara Allen) is paying a return visit to Walton's Mountain. But joy turns to despair when John-Boy is injured in an accident, which may render him permanently blind. Meanwhile, Jason (Jon Walmsley) is beginning to have second thoughts about accepting a job from the dithery Baldwin Sisters (Mary Jackson, Helen Kleeb). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-part episode), John-Boy (Richard Thomas) refuses to reveal the seriousness of his accident, terrified that he will no longer qualify for a scholarship at Boatwright University. As John-Boy's eyesight grows weaker with each passing day, it is painfully obvious that the only way he can prevent permanent blindness is to undergo surgery. . .if it isn't already too late. Elsewhere, Olivia (Michael Learned) is outraged to discover that Jason (Jon Walsmley) has been dragooned into helping the Baldwin Sisters cook up their intoxicating "recipe"; and Ben (Eric Scott) and Grandpa (Will Geer) continue hunting for the family's Thanksgiving turkey. This episode earned an Emmy Award for scriptwriter Joanna Lee. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
After a trip to the moon, Tony (Larry Hagman), Roger (Bill Daily) and Cmdr. Wingate (Robert Hogan) must spend 21 days in a decontamination chamber. Feeling lonely, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) blinks herself into the chamber, whereupon Wingate becomes convinced that he has witnessed an alien invasion. And that's not the only problem: In order to leave the chamber without being exposed as a genie, Jeannie transforms herself into a gold statue--then accidentally takes too many sleeping pills, rendering her unable to reverse the spell! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
Now that she is engaged to Tony (Larry Hagman), Jeannie (Barbara Eden) is determined to befriend the neurotic Amanda Bellows (Emmaline Henry),the wife of Tony's perennial nemesis Dr. Bellows (Hayden Rorke). Jeannie's first step is to present Amanda with a magical beauty cream which transforms the middle-aged psychiatrist's wife into a gorgeous young woman (played by Laraine Stephens). The plan backfires when Roger (Bill Daily) falls madly in love with the "new" Amanda, blissfully unaware of her husband's identity. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
"Emancipated" Bobbie Jo (Lori Saunders) strikes out on her own to become a professional woman. After a number of dead-end jobs, she finds what she thinks is her true calling as a journalist. Unfortunately, Bobbie's article about Dr. Janet Craig (June Lockhart), falsely depicting the lady MD as an insufferable snob, nearly wrecks Janet's career--and doesn't do Bobbie much good either! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1967
This is the much-anticipated episode in which Betty Jo Bradley (Linda Kaye) is married to Steve Elliott (Mike Minor). But it's still a sitcom episode, meaning that a few complications must ensue before the happy moment. Especially vexing to Betty Jo is the fact that her well-meaning friends and relatives have presented her with four different wedding gowns...meaning that, if she chooses one gown over the other, she risks offending a good portion of the wedding party! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
A couple of phony miners sucker Fred and Barney into purchasing a fraudulent gold claim. Hoping to get their husband's money back, Wilma and Betty cook up a sting operation whereby they will convince the crooks that the mine is valuable after all. Unfortunately, Fred and Barney fall for their wives' prevaracations as well, and they refuse to sell back the mine at any price! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
Logic is not the strong suit in this episode, in which a foreign spy who has been surgically altered to look just like Gilligan (Bob Denver) washes up on the island. As part of his secret mission, the Gilligan lookalike (also played by Bob Denver, albeit with a dubbed voice) begins spreading trouble and dissension amongst the other Castaways. Naturally, the real Gilligan is blamed for all the skullduggery--but unfortunately, he can't convince anyone that there are two of him on the same island (after all, isn't one Gilligan enough?) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
The Flintstones ends its six-year run with a lengthy flashback sequence, obviously inspired by the popular comic-strip exploits of Snoopy and the Red Baron. Coming upon the diary of his grandfather Rocky Flintstones, a flying hero of Stone World War One, Fred imagines himself back to the wartime era, "casting" himself as Rocky, his pal Barney as copilot Lt. Reggie Vanderock, and his wife Wilma as slinky spy Mata Harrock. The villain of the piece is Baron von Rickenrock--and as it turns out at the end, the passage of time has not lessened the great rivalry between Rocky and the Baron. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
Gidget (Sally Field) and Larue (Lynette Winter) organize a folk-singing group along with a couple of guys, one of whom is named Ringo--Ringo Feinberg, that is. A big opportunity comes the girls' way when local deejay Rick Farmer (Sandy Kenyon) holds a singing contest. Unfortunately, the contest is open only to rock 'n' rollers--obliging Gidget and company to switch musical gears literally overnight. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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