Jameson Parker Movies
While Beloit College may have been a mere punch line to a joke for the editors of the old National Lampoon, it was Dear Old Alma Mater to actor Jameson Parker. The son of a U.S. diplomat, Parker had wanted to get into Harvard like most of the rest of the men in his family, but his track record of getting kicked out of exclusive schools all over the world hardly worked in his favor. Inaugurating his theatrical career in a touring Passion Play, Parker began showing up on TV in the mid-1970s in miniseries like 79 Park Avenue and Once an Eagle, and in films like The Bell Jar (1979). On the soap-opera circuit, he enjoyed substantial runs as Brad Vernon in One Life to Live and Dale Robinson in Somerset. Jameson Parker's chief claim to fame was the role of clean-cut private eye Andrew Jackson (A.J.) Simon on the long running (1981-88) TV series Simon and Simon. Three years afetr Simon and Simon went off the air Parker made headlines when he was shot by a neighbor during a heated dispute -- an event the actor would later recount in his memoir An Accidental Cowboy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1997
Just before all three of them are to be wed to the men of their dreams, longtime friends Monique (Connie Sellecca, Eve (Twiggy) and Teri (Shawnee Smith) flying off to Australia for a pre-nuptual photo shoot. To fully appreciate the episodic events that follow, it should be noted that Monique is a magazine editor engaged to a control freak; Eve is a model whose trail is being dogged by a psychotic ex-suitor; and Teri is a bewitching lass who has not told her fiancé everything he should know about his past. Amidst a sea of romance-on-the-rebound, tense melodrama and deep dark secrets, the audience is afford a few islands of relief vis-à-vis the performance of Dina Merrill as Monique's ailing "old-money" mom. Adapted from the novel by Jillian Karr and Karen Katz,the made-for-TV Something Borrowed, Something Blue made its initial CBS network appearance on March 11, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1996
In this gripping drama, a mother desperately searches the country for her asthmatic son and the ex-husband who kidnapped him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lisa Hartman, William Russ, (more)
In the tradition of such woman-in-jeopardy nail-biters as Extremities and Sleeping With the Enemy comes the ABC made-for-television pic Dead Before Dawn, starring small-screen vets Cheryl Ladd (Charlie's Angels) and Jameson Parker (Simon & Simon). Though to outsiders' eyes all is well in the life of suburban housewife Linda (Ladd), behind closed doors and shutters her socially impeccable husband, Jeff (Parker), turns into a satanic monster, beating the living hell out of his wife and children. In a desperate move, Linda files for divorce, but the vengeance-starved Jeff -- panic-stricken that Linda's in-court testimonies will decimate his career -- will stop at nothing to shut her up...even homicide. Kim Coates and Hope Lange (Death Wish) co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 1993
- PG13
The search for Ali Baba's fabulous lost treasure provides the framework for this adventure. The seekers are a notorious arms smuggler and beautiful woman who endure many dangers in pursuit of their desired goal. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1991
She Says She's Innocent stars off as a standard "legal issue of the week" TV movie. Katey Sagal refuses to believe that her daughter Charlotte Ross is guilty as charged of murder. Usually this is a cue for a feature-length fight against the legal system: Not so here. Instead, Sagal spends the last 20 minutes of the film playing amateur sleuth to track down the real killer--and in so doing leaves herself open to a near-fatal confrontation. If the name of the director She Says She's Innocent seems familiar, it should; Charles Correll was the grandson of the radio actor of the same name--the man who, with Freeman Gosden, created Amos N Andy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Katey Sagal, David Lascher, (more)
- 1991
Lois Nettleton guest stars as Ginny Blanchard, who is accused of killing her abusive husband, wealthy business executive and dilettante polo player Clark Blanchard (Chad Everett). When it becomes clear that the long-suffering Ginny is not about to defend in court, her friend Jessica (Angela Lansbury) sets about to prove her innocence. Inasmuch as the late Mr. Blanchard would never have qualified for a "mister nice guy" award, the suspect list is a daunting one, including Blanchard's mistress (Lisa Pelikan) and his stepson (Hank Stratton). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1991
In the seventh-season finale of Murder She Wrote, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) joins forces with her old friend, Boston PI Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach), to solve a murder. The victim was Nick Culhane (Pat Harrington Jr.) a former writer turned spokesman for a major beer manufacturing firm. It turns out that at the time of his death, Nick had been working on an expose of dirty doings within the powerful brewing family who had hired him! Featured in the cast is former US Postmaster General Anthony Frank...as a mailman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Spy stars Bruce Greenwood as a defecting CIA agent. Trouble is, Greenwood is privy to classified knowledge about recent atrocities in Central America, masterminded by rogue agents. Knowing that he's a dead man walking the moment he leaves headquarters, Greenwood assumes a new identity and heads for parts unknown. One year after forsaking the espionage business, Greenwood finds himself being stalked...but by whom? An above-average "Who Can You Trust" meller, Spy premiered over the USA cable network on December 27, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Proving that you can never guess what you'll find when you clean out the basement, a man of the cloth discovers that ultimate evil has made a hiding place in his cellar in this tale of terror. Father Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is a priest who discovers a strange object in a church basement -- a canister filled with a swirling and volatile green substance. With the help of Professor Birack (Victor Wong), Loomis discovers the startling truth about his find -- it seems that Satan, who is actually an alien life form, had a son, and the essence of the devil's spawn is trapped inside the canister. The evil spirit has been guarded by a group calling themselves "The Brotherhood of Sleep," but the spirit has the ability to free itself whenever it decides the time is right...and it seems that time is just around the corner. Prince of Darkness was directed by horror master John Carpenter; he also wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Martin Quatermass. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, (more)
- 1986
While visiting his former partner in an Arizona border town, LA cop Jack Lucarelli witnesses a murder. The killer is white slaver Gerald McRaney-who turns out to be one of local sheriff Wilford Brimley's most trusted deputies. Nobody believes Lucarelli's eyewitness account, not even his ex-partner Jameson Parker, another of Brimley's deputies. Eventually, it dawns on Parker that his department is seething with corruption. He and Lucarelli work secretly to put an end to McRaney's activities, leading inexorably to the film's climactic bloodbath. The otherwise eminently forgettable American Justice is interesting for its reteaming of onetime Simon and Simon costars Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney, this time on opposite sides of the law. Parker coproduced the film with costar Lucarelli, while one of the film's supporting actors, Dennis A. Pratt, wrote the script . ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Lucarelli, Gerald McRaney, (more)
- 1986
Who Is Julia? was based on author Barbara H. Harris' "speculative fiction" page-turner. Mary Frances (Mare Winningham) is a dull, drab housewife suffering from brain disease. Julia (Judy Ledford) is a drop-dead-gorgeous model who is killed in a car accident. Out of desperation, the surgeons decide to transplant Julia's brain into Mary Beth's body. The balance of the film involves Julia's distressed reaction to being trapped with the plain features and blue-collar lifestyle of Mary Beth. Sidelines sufferers include Jameson Parker as Julia's husband and Jonathan Banks as Mary Frances' spouse. Who Is Julia? is a farfetched but irresistible made-for-TV effort. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
Helen Hayes plays Agatha Christie's amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple in A Caribbean Mystery. Recuperating from an illness at a resort in the Bahamas, Miss Marple makes the acquaintance of a genial British major (Maurice Evans). When her new friend is murdered, Miss M takes on the case herself. She certainly has a carload of suspects this time, ranging from the near-bankrupt owners of the resort to a secretive hotel doctor. Originally titled Agatha Christie's The Caribbean Mystery, this TV movie first aired October 22, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A little-seen film, suppressed by Paramount studio executives and never released theatrically in the U.S., this drama is a powerful saga about racism. Julie Sawyer (Kristy McNichol) hits a handsome white dog with her car one night and then nurses it back to health. One day, the theretofore mild-mannered dog saves her life by viciously attacking and killing a rapist who breaks into her home. Lucy discovers that the dog has been trained to attack black skin. She consults an animal trainer, Carruthers (Burl Ives), who urges her to have the dog exterminated. But a maverick black trainer, Keys (Paul Winfield), who has tried before to break the training of such dogs but never succeeded, steps in. Director Sam Fuller had made other controversial films, but this one frightened studio executives, who deep-sixed it. It was hailed by critics when it was released in Europe. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kristy McNichol, Paul Winfield, (more)
- 1982
This episode was originally the first half of a two-part crossover with the CBS private-eye series Simon and Simon. At the same time that Magnum (Tom Selleck) is hired to provide security at a high-society antiques charity auction, Mainland detectives A.J. and Rick Simon (Jameson Parker, Gerald McRaney) arrive in Hawaii in search of a priceless artifiact known as the Ki'i Doll. The doll carries with it an ancient curse, which brings death to anyone who touches it--and guess who that includes? Gillian Dobb, later to join the series' cast as Agatha Chumley, is here seen as Mabel. Inasmuch as the followup Simon and Simon episode "Emeralds are Not a Girl's Best Friend" is not included in the syndicated Magnum, P.I. package, "Ki'is Don't Lie" has been provided with an alternate ending which bring closure to the story and swift punishment to the principal villain! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1981
- PG
Lindsay Wagner stars as Callie, who battles her way up the ladder from waitress to fabulously wealthy Texas socialite. The price for her success is her son Randy, played by Jameson Parker. Though wielding great power, Callie is nearly powerless in her efforts to keep Randy away from beautiful young schemer Michelle Pfeiffer. The film's many intrigues result in a sensational murder trial. Made for TV, Callie and Son was originally seen October 13, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Pumped up with energy to spare in its first half, this is an otherwise routine drama about a love triangle set in the turbulent late '60s on the Harvard campus. Harvard takes a remote backseat though, as Leo (Brad Davis) chases after Jessica (Karen Allen) while buddy Nick (Jameson Parker) also nurses a crush on her. Leo is in journalism, or wants to be, Jessica paints but she is leaning toward law school, and Nick is a solid, steady pre-med student. Their relationship takes a serious turn when Leo's number comes up on the Vietnam draft. Nick makes his feelings known to Jessica and whether it seems like a good idea or not, she suggests that the three of them move in together. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brad Davis, Karen Allen, (more)
In this drama, a young woman gives up college and marries her boyfriend, a Marine. Unfortunately, he is killed in Vietnam. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1979
- R
Poet Sylvia Plath wrote an immensely popular roman à clef, The Bell Jar, which chronicles a woman's descent from functioning as a highly educated, motivated, and capable young woman to being completely incapacitated at the hands of mental illness. Sadly, Plath committed suicide at age 30, and did not have a chance to enjoy the success of her novel, which wasn't officially published in the United States until the early '70s. In this tragic tale, Esther Greenwood (Marilyn Hassett) is the central figure, a college student on a publishing internship with a woman's magazine in Manhattan. As she begins to experience psychological difficulties, her troubles are compounded by the incredible insensitivity of the people around her. On one occasion, her boyfriend condescendingly berates her for taking an overdose of pills. Critics complained that this movie, which did not do well at the box office, failed to capture the evocative emotional tone of the novel. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marilyn Hassett, Julie Harris, (more)
- 1979
Women at West Point is a close-order-drill soap opera inspired by the Point's first women cadets, who entered the school as "plebes" in 1976. Unable to dwell upon the lives and times of all 119 women, the film concentrates upon ever-victimized plebe Linda Purl. What could have been an entertaining, informative film spirals downward quickly to the usual "Freshman Hell Week" stuff. The script continually condemns the sexism of the male upperclassmen, but the lascivious dialogue exchanges about underwear, "plumbing" and mammary glands is annoying sexist in itself. More disheartening is the fact that Women at West Point was directed by Hollywood veteran Vincent Sherman, who in happier times had directed some of the best "independent female" films of the 1940s, starring the likes of Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Ida Lupino. The biggest disappointment of all: Women of West Point falls to mention that of the original 119 female plebes, 64 made it to graduation--a fact infinitely more inspiring than anything in this TV movie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Ed Asner dominated the proceedings of the 1977 TV movie The Gathering; inasmuch as Asner's character died at the end of that film, he is absent from the 1979 sequel The Gathering, Part 2. Said sequel could certainly have benefitted from Asner's presence, no matter how illogical that presence might have been. In Part 2, widowed Maureen Stapleton gathers her family together for the first Christmas after the death of her husband. She is being wooed by handsome industrialist Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and the family (Rebecca Balding, Gail Strickland, Bruce Davison et.al.) isn't all that keen on this contingency. Even more so than the first film, The Gathering, Part 2 has the smell of a pilot. It was originally networkcast on December 17, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
The made-for-TV Anatomy of a Seduction was originally telecast May 8, 1979. Susan Flannery plays a divorcee who assuages her loneliness by starting an affair with 20-year-old Jameson Parker. It so happens that Parker is the son of Flannery's best friend Rita Moreno, who doesn't take it well when she finds out what's going on. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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