Sidney Miller Movies

The bittersweet comedy Memories of Me stars Billy Crystal as Dr. Abbie Polin, a New York heart surgeon, long estranged from his father, Abe (Alan King). When the doctor suffers a mild heart attack, he tries to patch things up with his dad, hoping in this way to bring some equilibrium to his own life. This proves well-nigh impossible; Abe, the self-described "king of the Hollywood extras," is not only a play-actor in Tinseltown but in life itself, refusing to take on any real responsibilities, least of all the responsibility of parenthood. So far as Abe is concerned, his only "family" consists of his fellow extras. Though Abbie is extremely judgmental of his father, he himself is no prize in the commitment department, especially when dealing with his longtime lady friend (JoBeth Williams). Star/co-writer Crystal, co-star/co-producer King, and director Henry Winkler lay on the sentiment in thick, juicy slices toward the end. The final sequence in Memories of Me, a Felliniesque funeral, is very clever but somewhat out of synch with what has gone before. One of the film's highlights is a brief celebrity cameo by one of Alan King's "close personal friends." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Bob Fosse's fact-based tale of Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten's short life and gruesome death focuses less on Stratten (played by Mariel Hemingway) than on her husband/manager, sleazoid pornographer and all-around failure Paul Snider (Eric Roberts, ideally cast). He sees the young beauty as his meal ticket and sets out to pimp her in the adult entertainment business. He marries her and appoints himself her career manager; soon after, she attracts the attention of Playboy executives and wins a spot in the magazine. As her success increases however, so does Snider's alienation as he finds himself left out in the cold. His jealousy begins to consume him; she spurns him on the advice of her new friends; he goes berserk and confronts her. The same murder-suicide inspired the made-for-television Death of a Centerfold. This was choreographer/filmmaker Bob Fosse's final film. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Barbra Streisand returns to the screwball-comedy milieu of What's Up Doc? in the lightweight For Pete's Sake. As a Brooklyn hausfrau named Henry (!), our heroine will do anything to help her cabdriver husband Pete (Michael Sarrazin) get ahead. When Pete begins to play the stock market, Henry borrows three grand from a loan shark, thereby setting off a series of comic catastrophes. Molly Picon is perfection itself as a money-savvy madam who holds the key to Pete and Henry's happiness and well-being. For Pete's Sake was originally titled July Pork Bellies, a curious cognomen that makes perfect sense within the context of the plotline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Several changes are effected for Sigmund and the Sea Monsters as the Saturday-morning Krofft Brothers comedy series enters its second season. The opening episode, "A Genie for Sigmund", introduces zany comedian Rip Taylor as Sheldon, a bumbling genie found hiding in a seashell by the series' title character, lovable pint-sized sea monster Sigmund Ooze (Billy Barty). Also, Johnny Whitaker, cast as Sigmund's human friend Johnny Stuart, curtails his singing sequences this season, though he can still be heard warbling the series' new title song. Plus, Mary Wickes, cast as Johnny and his brother Scott's (Scott Kolden) guardian Aunt Zelda, took a leave of absence to concentrate on her stage work; her replacement is future Gunsmoke regular Fran Ryan, as feisty ex-Marine sergeant Gertrude Gouch. Additionally, the roles of Sigmund's bullying sea-monster brothers Blurp and Slurp, previously essayed by heavily costumed "Krofft Players" Bill Germaine and Fred Spencer, were this year taken over by Larry Larsen and Paul Gale. And finally, the series' production facilities were moved in toto from Samuel Goldwyn Studios to General Services Studios, due to a $2 million fire at Goldwyn which destroyed all of the show's set and most of the props and costumes. This unforeseen disaster also obliged producers Sid and Marty Krofft to cut down the number of episodes taped from 17 to 12. Season Two highlights include the appearance of onetime Brady Bunchkid Eve Plumb in "Now You See 'Em, Now You Don't"; the introduction of Sparky Marcus as Sheldon's bratty nephew genie Shelby in "Cry Uncle", the guest turn by Broadway favorite Peggy Mondo ("The Music Man") as Sheldon's magical mom Shellinor in "Mother Makes Ten", and the pop-up of another familiar Krofft character, H.R. Pufnstuf (here played by Van Snowden), in "Pufnstuf Drops In". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season One of Sid and Marty Krofft's whimsically wacky Saturday-morning series Sigmund and the Sea Monsters begins as young Johnny and Scott Stuart (Johnny Whitaker, Scott Kolden) befriend a green, pint-sized, tentacled sea monster named Sigmund Ooze (Billy Barty), who has been disowned by his monstrous family at Dead Man's Point because he is unable to scare anyone. Hiding Sigmund in their secret clubhouse, the boys go to great lengths to prevent their guardian Aunt Zelda (Mary Wickes) and Zelda's sometime boyfriend, Sheriff Chuck Bevans (Joe Higgins) from finding out about their peculiar house guest. In a handful of episodes, the boys are plagued by snoopy next door neighbor Mrs. Eddels (played by Margaret Hamilton of "Wicked Witch of the West" fame), who like Gladys Kravitz of Bewitched is forever spotting Sigmund but is unable to convince anyone of the fact. Making his first appearance in the episode "Is There a Doctor in the House?" is Dr. Cyclops, the one-eyed, seaweed-covered, absent minded "monster medico" who tended to the needs of the Sea Monster community; this role is played by Walker Edmiston, a frequent contributor to the Krofft Brothers' TV projects. And in "Monster Rock Festival", the recurring role of local DJ Buzzy Berman is introduced in the form of former child actor Sidney Miller. Both Edmiston and Miller also provide the voices for the various costumed characters, among them Sigmund's bullying brothers Blurp and Slurp, portrayed this season by costumed actors Bill Germaine and Fred Spencer. Additionally, a pair of interesting guest performers show up during the series' first 17-episode season. Pamelyn Ferdin, a busy juvenile actress of the period, is seen in "Puppy Love", while Jack Wild, formerly the star of the Kroffts' inaugural Saturday-morning series H.R. Pufnstuf, plays "himself" in "The Wild Weekend." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Woody Allen's in-name-only adaptation of the once notorious sexual reference guide by Dr. David Reuben contains seven episodes based on "helpful" questions answered in the book. In "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?", Allen appears as a court jester who uses a love potion to spark the erotic interests of the Queen (Lynn Redgrave). "What Is Sodomy?" stars Gene Wilder as a doctor who throws away his marriage, career, and position in the community when he falls madly in love with an Armenian sheep named Daisy. "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" is a parody of stylish Italian films of the '60s in which a slick playboy (Woody Allen) discovers his wife (Louise Lasser) can climax only when they make love in public places. In "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?," Sam (Lou Jacobi) has his little secret revealed at a most inopportune moment. "What Are Sex Researchers Actually Accomplishing?" features John Carradine in a great parody of his mad-scientist roles as Dr. Bernardo, whose research into human sexuality has led to a fearsome mutation -- a 50-foot tall female breast! "What Are Sexual Perversions?" takes us to a broadcast of the popular game show What's My Perversion?, in which Jack Barry leads a panel of celebrities (including Regis Philbin and Robert Q. Lewis) in guessing the erotic obsessions of their guests. And "What Happens During Ejaculation?" takes the audience inside the body of a man in the throes of passion; The Brain (Tony Randall) guides the body's functions, with the help of his assistant (Burt Reynolds), while Allen plays a nervous sperm cell not sure if he can make the big jump. While the quality of the episodes is uneven, the best rank with the funniest moments of Allen's career, especially Gene Wilder's touching romance with the sheep ("I think we can make this work, Daisy") and the final sequence inside the male body ("What if he's only masturbating? I'll end up on the ceiling somewhere!"). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Brendan (Jerry Lewis) is an eccentric multimillionaire who is rejected for military service in this misfired comedy. Eager to help the Allies, he gathers a quartet of offbeat irregulars and sails to Italy to join the conflict. Brendan captures a Nazi general and masquerades as the enemy. When Allies arrive, he is mistaken for the real general. Jan Murray, Dack Rambo, John Wood and Steve Franklin help the inept but patriotic Brendan. Also appearing are Kaye Ballard, Neil Hamilton, and George Takei, all allumni of successful television programs from the late 1960s. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Having escaped the clutches of mad scientist Vito Scotti in the previous week's episode "Case of the Missing Monkee," the Monkees find themselves at the mercy of another demented doctor in "I Was a Teenage Monster." This time, the boys are hired by Dr. Mendoza (John Hoyt), who wants them to teach his Monster (a pre-James Bond Richard Kiel) how to dance and sing. When the boys are unable to do so, the Doc prepares to transfer their musical talents into the Monster, with the assistance of his giggling assistant Groot (Byron Foulger). Songs: "Your Auntie Grizelda", "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day", and the series' theme tune. Originally seen on January 16, 1967, "I Was a Teenage Monster" was written by Dave Evans, Gerald Gardner, and Dee Caruso, from a story by Evans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Get Yourself a College Girl tries so desperately to be "hip" that it resembles all those TV comedy sketches where 70-year-old Bob Hope plays a pot-smoking hippie. When it is discovered that prim-and-proper college student Terry (Mary Ann Mobley) writes suggestive folk songs in her spare time, she is expelled. Fortunately, Terry is rescued by pompous senator Hubert Morrison (Willard Waterman), who hopes to attract young voters by aligning himself with the "in crowd." This is the sort of film in which college co-eds are played by the likes of Chris Noel and Nancy Sinatra. The chief saving grace of Get Yourself a College Girl is that it preserves on celluloid such 1960s favorites as The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, The Jimmy Smith Trio and Stan Getz, not to mention such one-hit wonders as Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Martin (Ray Walston) decides to combine business with pleasure by agreeing to go on a picnic with Tim (Bill Bixby) and their pretty neighbor Jennifer Richmond (Kathy Kersh)--not to mention the girl's pesky kid brother Stevie (played by a pre-"Eddie Munster" Butch Patrick). Figuring that Tim will be kept busy with Jennifer, Martin will have plenty of time to hunt for "glink", an element necessary to reactivate his spaceship. But when Stevie manages to get stuck on the top of Thunder Mountain, Martin is saddled with the responsibility of helping Tim (who is deathly afraid of heights) become a hero by rescuing the boy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bank teller Lee Remick is accosted in her garage one dark night by asthmatic psycho Ross Martin. He forces her to go through with an elaborate robbery scheme, threatening to kill Lee's teen-aged sister Stefanie Powers if the police are summoned. FBI agent Glenn Ford suspects that something is amiss and advises Lee to play along with Martin, hoping in this way to capture this dangerous criminal with a minimum of bloodshed. Unfortunately, Martin is as clever as he is deadly, always managing to stay one step ahead of Ford. The now-famous climax of Experiment in Terror finds the feds closing in on Martin during a crowded night baseball game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Experiment in Terror is based on the Gordons' novel Operation Terror. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Disneyland began its fourth season on the air with a gala, all-star "special", essentially designed to promote all three of Disney's network TV series. Pressured by his cartoon creations and the latest crop of Mouseketeers to tell them what's in store for the 1957-58 season, host Walt Disney offers tantalizing glimpses of the new weekly adventure show Zorro, the Disneyland miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett (with Jerome Courtland in the title role) and the newest installments of such Mickey Mouse Club serials as "Spin and Marty." The remainder of the Fourth Anniversary Show is an uncut presentation of the "Peter and the Wolf" segement from the 1946 animated feature Make Mine Music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide