Lee Rich Movies
- 1971
- R
This exploitative melodrama is set in northern Michigan where an exclusive private hunting club is located. There some of the country's richest, most powerful men come to relax and get closer to nature. Unfortunately, that means that they become engaged in debauchery and become brutal, amoral killers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV drama, based on the book by Earl Hamner Jr., was the basis for the popular long-running television series The Waltons. In this opening installment, the Waltons, led by matriarch Olivia Walton (Patricia Neal), spend an anxious 1933 Christmas Eve together as they await the arrival of their father during a snowstorm. The film won the Golden Globe Award for "Best TV-Movie" that year, and Neal won the "Best Actress" award for her performance. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1972
A million-dollar cast was assembled for this high-gloss TV movie. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Rosalind Russell play a pair of ageing con artists, plying their trade with the members of a lonely hearts club managed by Maureen O'Sullivan. Complicating the schemes of the tricky duo is the presence of a mystery killer who preys upon wealthy widows. Advertised as "A Delightful Tale of Murder", The Crooked Hearts was based on the novel Miss Lonelyhearts 4122 by Colin Watson. The film proved to be the last screen appearance of Rosalind Russell, who fell ill shortly after its telecast and died three years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Rod Serling, a master of speculative scriptwriting, penned the screenplay of The Man. Set a few days into the future, the story contrives to kill off the President, the vice president, and virtually everyone in line of succession in a bizarre accident. This turn of events elevates African-American senator James Earl Jones directly into the Oval Office. Based on a novel by Irving Wallace, The Man was originally intended as TV movie, but released theatrically because most sponsors were afraid of its supposed controversial content. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Earl Jones, Martin Balsam, (more)
In this thriller, adapted from the novel Binary by John Lange and directed by Michael Crichton, a federal agent played by Ben Gazzara must stop a madman before he can unleash a toxic nerve gas upon an unwitting political convention. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1972
The surprise hit of the 1972-1973 TV season, The Waltons is one of a handful of weekly, hour-long dramatic series that can truly qualify as "wholesome family entertainment" -- and one of the very few that succeeded spectacularly on those terms. The Waltons was created by Earl Hamner Jr., who based the series on his own experiences while growing up in the South during the 1920s and 1930s. Hamner had previously written an autobiographical novel with a similar theme, Spencer's Mountain, which was filmed in 1963 with Henry Fonda in the lead. Eight years later, Hamner wrote the screenplay for the TV movie The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, again adapted from his own novel, in which he introduced the Walton family of Jefferson County, VA, who lived and worked on a "mountain" bearing the family's name in the Depression Years. Patricia Neal and Andrew Duggan starred as Olivia and John Walton, with Edgar Bergen and Ellen Corby as Grandpa and Grandma Walton, Richard Thomas as oldest son John-Boy Walton (Earl Hamner's "alter ego"), and Judy Norton-Taylor, Mary Beth McDonough, Kami Cotler, Eric Scott, David W. Harper and Jon Walmsley, respectively, as the other Walton children, Mary Ellen, Erin , Elizabeth, Ben, Jim-Bob, and Jason. A huge ratings success, The Homecoming was spun off into the weekly CBS series The Waltons, beginning September 14, 1972. All of the actors who'd played the Walton children in the movie repeated their roles, as did Ellen Corby as Grandma Walton; however, appearing as John Walton in the series was Ralph Waite while Michael Learned was cast as Olivia Walton, and Will Geer played Grandpa.
During its nine-season network run, The Waltons covered the years 1934 through 1945. Although the series started in the depths of the Depression, the Walton family remained relatively solvent thanks to the lumber mill run by John and Grandpa. As in the movie, the character of John-Boy Walton remained the "eyes" of series creator Earl Hamner Jr., who narrated each episode. Richard Thomas remained in the role of John-Boy until the series' sixth season, maturing from high-school student to college scholar, ever in pursuit of a professional writing career (at one point, John-Boy set up his own local newspaper, "The Blue Ridge Chronicle"). When Thomas left the series, it was explained that he had become a war correspondent in Paris, had been reported missing from action, and had returned seriously injured and in coma. Upon "awakening", John-Boy was more or less reborn in the form of actor Robert Wightman, who stayed with the series until its cancellation. There were several other personnel changes in the course of the series' run. In 1977, Ellen Corby suffered a stroke which rendered her inactive; accordingly, Grandma Walton was also felled by a stroke, and remained off-camera until her dramatic return at the end of the sixth season, in which she turned to Grandpa and said her first words since her illness: "You old fool." Sadly, Will Geer died shortly after this episode was filmed, thus Grandma became a widow at the beginning of season six. In another development that year, Olivia Walton was diagnosed with tuberculosis and bundled off to a sanitarium; this plot device was created to accommodate actress Michael Learned, who had decided not to return to the series as a regular once her contract had expired. Olivia would make occasional return visits thereafter, but only in a "guest star" capacity.
During Olivia's absence, her cousin Rose Burton (Peggy Rea) took over her duties in the Walton household. As the series rolled along, the Walton kids matured and tried to find their purpose and place in the outside world. Mary Ellen became a nurse and married doctor Curtis Willard (Tom Bower), who was reported killed in the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor (it turned out that the report was erroneous, and Mary Ellen and Curtis were reunited in the final season); just before the war, however, Mary Ellen gave birth to a son named John Curtis. Elsewhere, Ben Walton eloped with a girl named Cindy Brunson (Leslie Winston) and later became the father of a daughter named Virginia. And Jason, who, like the rest of the Walton boys, had enlisted to serve in WW2, became engaged to a WAC named Toni Hazelton (played by Lisa Harrison, the real-life wife of the actor playing Jason, Jon Walmsley). Though The Waltons ended its CBS run on August 20, 1981, the property was revived with a trio of made-for-TV movies in 1982 and 1983, in which several loose plot strands were neatly knotted up; there was also a brace of specials in 1993 (A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion) and 1995 (A Walton Wedding). As big a hit in syndication as it had been on the network, The Waltons has in recent years been rebroadcast on the family-oriented PAX television network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
During its nine-season network run, The Waltons covered the years 1934 through 1945. Although the series started in the depths of the Depression, the Walton family remained relatively solvent thanks to the lumber mill run by John and Grandpa. As in the movie, the character of John-Boy Walton remained the "eyes" of series creator Earl Hamner Jr., who narrated each episode. Richard Thomas remained in the role of John-Boy until the series' sixth season, maturing from high-school student to college scholar, ever in pursuit of a professional writing career (at one point, John-Boy set up his own local newspaper, "The Blue Ridge Chronicle"). When Thomas left the series, it was explained that he had become a war correspondent in Paris, had been reported missing from action, and had returned seriously injured and in coma. Upon "awakening", John-Boy was more or less reborn in the form of actor Robert Wightman, who stayed with the series until its cancellation. There were several other personnel changes in the course of the series' run. In 1977, Ellen Corby suffered a stroke which rendered her inactive; accordingly, Grandma Walton was also felled by a stroke, and remained off-camera until her dramatic return at the end of the sixth season, in which she turned to Grandpa and said her first words since her illness: "You old fool." Sadly, Will Geer died shortly after this episode was filmed, thus Grandma became a widow at the beginning of season six. In another development that year, Olivia Walton was diagnosed with tuberculosis and bundled off to a sanitarium; this plot device was created to accommodate actress Michael Learned, who had decided not to return to the series as a regular once her contract had expired. Olivia would make occasional return visits thereafter, but only in a "guest star" capacity.
During Olivia's absence, her cousin Rose Burton (Peggy Rea) took over her duties in the Walton household. As the series rolled along, the Walton kids matured and tried to find their purpose and place in the outside world. Mary Ellen became a nurse and married doctor Curtis Willard (Tom Bower), who was reported killed in the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor (it turned out that the report was erroneous, and Mary Ellen and Curtis were reunited in the final season); just before the war, however, Mary Ellen gave birth to a son named John Curtis. Elsewhere, Ben Walton eloped with a girl named Cindy Brunson (Leslie Winston) and later became the father of a daughter named Virginia. And Jason, who, like the rest of the Walton boys, had enlisted to serve in WW2, became engaged to a WAC named Toni Hazelton (played by Lisa Harrison, the real-life wife of the actor playing Jason, Jon Walmsley). Though The Waltons ended its CBS run on August 20, 1981, the property was revived with a trio of made-for-TV movies in 1982 and 1983, in which several loose plot strands were neatly knotted up; there was also a brace of specials in 1993 (A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion) and 1995 (A Walton Wedding). As big a hit in syndication as it had been on the network, The Waltons has in recent years been rebroadcast on the family-oriented PAX television network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Joseph Wambaugh, the ex-cop turned novelist whose Police Story began its TV run in 1973, was responsible for the like-vintage TV miniseries The Blue Knight. William Holden stars as Bumper Morgan, a 50 year old cop on the verge of mandatory retirement. Morgan's last four days with the LAPD are packed with incident, notably the trackdown of the brutal murderer of a prostitute. Lee Remick plays Morgan's faithful lady friend, who is anxious for her man to retire but who will tolerate no criticism from anyone of the job the police are doing. Emmies went to William Holden, director Robert Butler and editors Marjorie and Gene Fowler Jr., while Lee Remick received an Emmy nomination. The film itself is derivative at times (one chunk of dialogue is lifted bodily from the Jane Fonda vehicle Klute), but otherwise is as realistic a portrayal of police work as TV censors would allow in 1973. Originally telecast in four one-hour installments, Blue Knight was cut to 103 minutes for syndication; a second Blue Knight TV movie, filmed in 1975 and starring George Kennedy as Bumper Morgan, served as the pilot for a short-lived TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Made for television, Girls of Huntington House stars Shirley Jones as schoolteacher Anne Baldwin. Working at a school for unwed mothers, Anne finds she can't keep her professional life and personal life separate. With no children of her own, she becomes deeply involved in the trials and tribulations of her students. This leads to profound emotional difficulties for all concerned. Adapted from a novel by Blossom Elfman, The Girls of Huntington House first aired February 14, 1973, as an ABC Movie of the Week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Ranking with Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror as one of the spookiest made-for-TV horror films of the 1970's, this atmospheric monster chiller stars Kim Darby and Jim Hutton as a comfortable, reasonably happy young couple who inherit the archetypal "Old Dark House" from the wife Sally's deceased aunt. While renovating the creepy mansion, they enter a previously-sealed room, which features a securely bricked-up fireplace. Despite the insistence of a local contractor (My Three Sons' William Demarest) that they leave the room undisturbed, Sally's husband manages to open the flue, releasing a horde of shriveled mini-monsters imprisoned there for decades. The little demons immediately fixate their malevolent attention on Sally in an effort to claim her soul, a mission which can only be averted by the love of her husband -- which, in light of his self-centered careerism, means poor Sally's pretty much on her own. Director John Newland manages to pull off this one-note premise with some effective, frightening scenes -- especially when he chooses to show as little of the goofy-looking monsters as possible -- but it's hard to sustain this level of suspense for a full 90 minutes. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Created by Earl Hamner, A Dream for Christmas is set in the 1950s. African-American minister Will Douglas (Hari Rhodes) moves his family from Arkansas to the Watts section of Los Angeles to take charge of an impoverished church. The attendance, at least at first, is as poor as the congregation. Worse still, the church is slated to be demolished. But it's close to Christmas, a time when miracles have been known to happen. Featured in the all-black cast are Beah Richards, Lynn Hamilton, Robert Do'Qui, Juanita Moore, and Clarence Muse. Appropriately enough, A Dream for Christmas originally aired on December 24, 1973. It was originally designed as the pilot for a never-sold TV series titled The Douglas Family. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
"Bad" Ronald (Scott Jacoby) has been in hiding in a secret room ever since going off the deep end and killing a teenaged girl who'd made fun of him. Ronald's mother (Kim Hunter) helps her son to remain hidden, even when the house in which he is sequestered is rented by a family. As luck would have it, three of the family members are nubile young girls--perfect targets for the lonely, and looney, Ronald. In the original John Holbrook Vance novel on which this TV-movie is based, Ronald abducts, repeatedly rapes and ultimately kills two women. The video version of Bad Ronald is heavily laundered, but no less terrifying. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott, (more)
- 1975
In this feature-length pilot for an unsold TV series, Bo Hopkins, Tim Matheson and Jim Davis star as Ezel, Owens, and Buckshot, three men carving out a living as the owners of a Mississippi river tugboat. Balancing comedy with melodrama, the story manages to involve our heroes with a gang of hijackers and kidnappers. The film originally aired March 24, 1975, on NBC. For its subsequent overseas release, The Runaway Barge was retitled River Bandits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Based on a Joseph Wambaugh story, this police drama centers on tough, aging cop Bumper Morgan's search for the man who killed his partner. His investigation leads him deep into the bowels of the drug world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Returning Home attempts to do in 72 minutes what the Oscar-winning 1946 film The Best Years of Our Lives did in 172. This TV movie is a potted remake of that classic film, tracing the lives of three returning World War II servicemen. Dabney Coleman plays the Fredric March role as a married banker with two grown children. Tom Selleck fills Dana Andrews' shoes as a decorated ex-pilot who is grounded in peacetime by a dead end job and an unhappy marriage. And James Miller is a sailor who has lost both arms in the war, a fact that his family and fiancee struggle to come to grips with. Just as in the case of Best Years of Our Lives' Harold Russell, James Miller is a genuine amputee who'd been wounded in Vietnam. Why did Returning Home try to pack so much plot and so many characters into so short a running time? Because it was the pilot for an unsold TV series...titled The Best Years of Our Lives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Mixing humor and melodrama, this curiosity has a husband-and-wife detective duo investigating Satanic goings on in an American suburb, all the while bickering about their in-laws and other domestic problems. ~ Mark Hockley, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In this fact-based made-for-TV tearjerker, the promising life of a talented teenage athlete is suddenly destroyed when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Despite the bad news, the boy does all he can to fight the disease. His devoted mother supports him to the bitter, inevitable end. The story is based on the experiences of Doris Lund, the late Eric's mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Based on the best-selling Vincent Bugliosi book of the same name, Helter Skelter is a made-for-TV account of the investigation and prosecution of Charles Manson (Steve Railsback), who was convicted of leading a group of followers (known as "The Family") to murder seven people in California, including actress Sharon Tate. The film takes a Law & Order-like approach, starting with the discovery of the murders, which leads to the police gathering snippets of evidence that they eventually connect to the bigger picture. The second half of the movie concentrates on how District Attorney Bugliosi (George DiCenzo) attains a conviction despite the enormous amount of press coverage the case received. Nancy Wolfe, Christina Hart, and Cathey Paine portray the three loyal Manson Family members who were the co-defendants at his trial. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, (more)
- 1977
In this made-for-TV thriller, a group of tourists aboard a cruise ship must be quarantined after they become afflicted with a lethal virus. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1977
In most respects, the extended-length pilot episode of Eight is Enough bears a close resemblance to the series that follows, with Sacramento columnist Tom Bradford (Dick Van Patten) presiding over a rambunctious but loving brood of eight independent-minded children. Also, the series wastes no time plunging the Bradford clan into a maelstrom of crises: oldest son David has a fight with his father and moves out of the house, youngest son Nicholas needs his tonsils removed, and daughter Elizabeth is arrested on a drug-possession charge! Appearing in the pilot are Mark Hamill as 23-year-old David Bradford, Kimberly Beck as 18-year-old Nancy Bradford and Chris English as 14-year-old Tommy Bradford. But by the time the series' first season "officially" began one week after its debut, Grant Goodeve had taken over as David, Dianne Kay as Nancy and Willie Aames as Tommy. The rest of the series' younger actors were carried over from the pilot, including Lani O'Grady as 21-year-old Mary, Laurie Walters as 20-year-old Joannie, Susan Richardson as 19-year-old Susan, Connie Needham as 15-year-old Elizabeth and Adam Rich as 8-year-old Nicholas. Also retained from the pilot is Diana Hyland as the Bradford children's mother Joan. Tragically, Hyland died on March 27, 1977, after filming only four episodes; her last appearances in the episodes "Pieces of Eight" and "Turnabout" were telecast posthumously. To explain her absence from the remainder of the season, the writers contrived to have Joan "away" from the family on an extended visit; the character would not be officially declared deceased until the opening episode of Season Two. Among those showing up in guest roles during the first season of Eight is Enough are Janis Paige as Tom's freewheeling sister Vivian, an "Auntie Mame" clone; Adrienne Barbeau as an older woman with whom David Bradford becomes briefly infatuated; and Charlene Tilton as Tommy's "dream girl" Wendy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Patten, Diana Hyland, (more)
- 1977
Acknowledging the death of series regular Diana Hyland during the previous season of Eight is Enough, Season Two opens with Sacramento columnist Tom Bradford (Dick Van Patten) being identified as a widower, whose wife Joan has been deceased for nearly one year. While this time passage makes it respectable for Tom to re-enter the dating scene, it does not explain the fact that his eight children have only aged a few months since last we saw them at the end of Season One! But Tom does not remain unattached for long. In the season's second episode, Betty Buckley joins the cast as Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott, a widowed teacher hired to tutor Tom's son Tommy (Willie Aames) while the boy is healing from a sports injury (in the same episode, daughter Mary [Lani O'Grady] defiantly moves out of the Bradford home to set up housekeeping with her boyfriend, played by no less than Don Johnson). The subsequent romance between Tom and Abby leads swiftly to the altar, as they become man and wife in the two-hour episode "Children of the Room", originally telecast November 9, 1977 (which is the same day that they wed in the context of the episode!) The following week, the entire family honeymoons in Hawaii, where the younger Bradfords characteristically stir up as much trouble as possible. Later on, an emotional high point is reached when the children celebrate their first Christmas without their "real" mom. In other episodes, daughter Joannie (Laurie Walters) precipitates a crisis when she agrees to appear nude in a stage play; Mary despairs when she is rejected from medical school; Tom is strongarmed into writing a newspaper advice column as "Ms. Dinah"; Tommy (Willie Aames) resorts to cheating in order to pass his English class; and when Abby suffers a serious concussion, the kids keep her awake until the doctor comes by describing highlights from past episodes (yes, it's a "clip show"). The season finale "Who's on First" takes place during a community talent show, permitting Broadway veteran Betty Buckley to show off her spending singing voice (no, she doesn't sing her signature tune from "Cats", mainly because it hadn't been written yet). Guest stars during Season Two include Sylvia Sidney, Robin Williams, Will Geer, Danny Bonaduce, Stepfanie Kramer, and Dick Van Patten's own sons Jimmy and Timmy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Patten, Betty Buckley, (more)
- 1977
- R
Loosely based on former policeman Joseph Wambaugh's humorous novel, The Choirboys determinedly explores the stunted interior lives of a large crew of callous, bigoted L.A. policemen. These men get together to lend one another emotional support. However, the means they choose for this do not enhance their sensitivity or their judgement. When one of them has a really bad day, he asks his buddies to come to "choir practice," and they get together for alcoholic benders of fairly epic proportions. When one of them accidentally shoots a homosexual teen cruising a city park, everyone (including higher-ups) gets called on to help with the cover-up. The Choirboys, which was a critical and box-office failure, had an impressive cast list, including such well-known performers as Blair Brown, James Woods, Randy Quaid, Lou Gossett Jr., Perry King and Charles Durning. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Durning, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
- 1978
Stephanie Zimbalist stars as the brilliant, athletic teen-aged daughter of Cloris Leachman and Michael Connors. Stephanie's perfect world is shattered when she is caught in the middle of a bus-train collision. She survives, but suffers severe brain damage and the loss of a leg. Zimbalist must make the "long journey back" to recovering her health and self-esteem, with her parents and friends helping every step of the way. Originally telecast December 15, 1978, Long Journey Back was adapted for television by Audrey Davis Levin from a true story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Dallas begins its original five-week trial run as Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), youngest son of Texas oil millionaire Jock Ewing (James Davis), shows up at Southfork, his family's estate, with new bride Pamela Barnes (Victoria Principal) in tow. "Your folks are gonna throw me off the ranch" worries Pam, and not without good reason: her father is former wildcatter "Digger" Barnes (David Wayne), once the partner of Jock Ewing, but now his bitterest enemy. It seems that years ago, Jock had bamboozled Digger out of his share of the valuable strike that would serve as foundation for the Ewing Oil empire -- and worse still, Jock had married Digger's girl, Ellen Southworth (aka "Miss Ellie," played by Barbara Bel Geddes). Carrying on the family vendetta is Pam's politically ambitious brother, lawyer Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), who has made it his mission in life to destroy the most ruthless and disreputable members of the Ewing clan: namely, the infamous J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), Jock and Miss Ellie's eldest son. Meanwhile, J.R. wheels and deals to force Lucy Ewing (Charlene Tilton), daughter of his seldom-seen brother Gary, out of Southfork, lest Gary return and claim his share of the Ewing millions. All the while, J.R.'s long-suffering wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), seeks shelter from her husband's connivances and extramarital peccadillos by crawling deeper and deeper into a booze bottle. Lurking in the background like a man carrying a deep, dark secret is the Ewings' ranch foreman Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), with whom Lucy has one of her many sexual flings. Quite a lot happens in those first five Dallas episodes beyond the traditional maneuvering and backstabbing, including an unexpected hostage crisis and a season-ending family barbecue that abruptly culminates in tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
Having proven itself as a viewer magnet during its five-episode trial in the spring of 1978, the multi-plotted prime-time serial Dallas launched its second season (and its first "full" one) in the fall of that same year, though it would not be until the series was moved from Saturday to Friday night that it would begin its rapid upward climb in the ratings. Already established as the series' antihero is the charming but thoroughly untrustworthy J.R. Ewing, eldest son of Texas oil millionaire Jock Ewing (Jim Davis) and his wife, Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes). Throughout the second season, J.R. carries on a two-pronged battle, not only feuding with the politically ambitious Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), the son of Jock's hated rival Digger Barnes (played briefly by David Wayne before the role is taken over by Keenan Wynn), but also engaging in a fierce power struggle over control of Ewing Oil with his honest younger brother, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) -- who happens to be married to Cliff's sister, Pam (Victoria Principal). This season marks the first appearance by J.R. and Bobby's other brother, Gary, played in the first three episodes of the year by David Ackroyd, who would be replaced by Ted Shackelford when it was decided to spin Gary and his wife, Valene (Joan Van Ark), into their own series, Knots Landing.
Perceiving Gary as a threat, J.R. connives to get Gary's daughter Lucy (Charlene Tilton) to move out of the family mansion, Southfork; however, many of his schemes come a cropper, such as his plan to marry off Lucy to millionaire Kit Mainwaring (Mark Wheeler) -- who turns out to be gay. J.R. also does his best to undermine Bobby by trying to break up his marriage to Pamela. This may not be too difficult, inasmuch as Bobby is considerably put out when he discovers that Pam was married before, to Vietnam veteran Ed Haynes (Robin Clarke). Meanwhile, J.R.'s troubled wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), worried that Pam will bear a child before she will, embarks upon a "conception race" with her sister-in-law. Also, the viewer is introduced to Pam's mother, Patricia (Martha Scott), and her younger sister Kristin, played in two episodes this season by Colleen Camp (the role would be taken over on a permanent basis by Mary Crosby in season three). Almost immediately upon arrival, Kristin makes a play for Bobby -- which of course delights the devious J.R. In other developments, Morgan Fairchild makes her one and only appearance as Bobby's old flame Jenna Wade, a role that would ultimately be played, as a "regular," by Priscilla Presley. Miss Ellie faces a crisis when her presumed-dead brother, Garrison (Gene Evans), shows up, insisting that he is rightful owner of Southfork; Susan Howard is introduced as the politically well-connected Donna Culver, who proceeds to cheat on her husband with Southfork's sullen and secretive manager, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly); and after facing political ruin at the hands of J.R., Cliff Barnes steps up his vendetta against the "man you love to hate." As the season rushes to a close, a pregnant Sue Ellen is rushed to the hospital to bear a son, John Ross Ewing III -- but J.R., who doesn't trust his wife any farther than he can throw her (he's already tried to have her locked away in a sanitarium), is convinced that his rival Cliff is the baby's father! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Perceiving Gary as a threat, J.R. connives to get Gary's daughter Lucy (Charlene Tilton) to move out of the family mansion, Southfork; however, many of his schemes come a cropper, such as his plan to marry off Lucy to millionaire Kit Mainwaring (Mark Wheeler) -- who turns out to be gay. J.R. also does his best to undermine Bobby by trying to break up his marriage to Pamela. This may not be too difficult, inasmuch as Bobby is considerably put out when he discovers that Pam was married before, to Vietnam veteran Ed Haynes (Robin Clarke). Meanwhile, J.R.'s troubled wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), worried that Pam will bear a child before she will, embarks upon a "conception race" with her sister-in-law. Also, the viewer is introduced to Pam's mother, Patricia (Martha Scott), and her younger sister Kristin, played in two episodes this season by Colleen Camp (the role would be taken over on a permanent basis by Mary Crosby in season three). Almost immediately upon arrival, Kristin makes a play for Bobby -- which of course delights the devious J.R. In other developments, Morgan Fairchild makes her one and only appearance as Bobby's old flame Jenna Wade, a role that would ultimately be played, as a "regular," by Priscilla Presley. Miss Ellie faces a crisis when her presumed-dead brother, Garrison (Gene Evans), shows up, insisting that he is rightful owner of Southfork; Susan Howard is introduced as the politically well-connected Donna Culver, who proceeds to cheat on her husband with Southfork's sullen and secretive manager, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly); and after facing political ruin at the hands of J.R., Cliff Barnes steps up his vendetta against the "man you love to hate." As the season rushes to a close, a pregnant Sue Ellen is rushed to the hospital to bear a son, John Ross Ewing III -- but J.R., who doesn't trust his wife any farther than he can throw her (he's already tried to have her locked away in a sanitarium), is convinced that his rival Cliff is the baby's father! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, (more)
- 1978
Season Three of Eight is Enough finds Abby Bradford (Betty Buckley) fully accepted as the second wife of Sacramento columnist Tom Bradford (Tom Bosley) by Tom's extremely judgemental brood of eight children, who now range in age from 10 to 25. Also, recurring actress Jennifer Darling has been promoted to "regular" status in the role of Tom's hardworking secretary Donna. The realm of "Higher Education" figures prominently in this season's episodes, as Mary Bradford (Lani O'Grady) contends with male chauvinism during her first year of medical school, Nancy Bradford (Dianne Kay) flunks out of college, Elizabeth Bradford (Connie Needham) tries to win a dance scholarship, and Susan Bradford (Susan Bradford) entertains the notion of training to be a policewoman. In other developments, Abby thinks she's pregnant, and later despairs when she learns her parents are divorcing; Nicholas Bradford (Adam Rich) has his first kiss, and also invites Vice President Mondale to have Thanksgiving dinner with the Bradfords (though the VP accepts, we never see him!); on a dark and stormy night, Nancy brings home a blind date (Larry Gilman who bears a frightening resemblance to Anthony Perkinsin Psycho); Nancy, Susan and their sister Joannie (Laurie Walters) defiantly move out their parents' house and into their own apartment; and in a foretaste of a plot development which will occur in the series' final season, Tommy Bradford (Willie Aames) offers to wed his pregnant girlfriend (played by a young Rosanna Arquette), even though he's not the father. The biggest news this season concerns oldest Bradford son David (Grant Goodeve), who falls in love with an attractive attorney named Janet (Joan Prather. By the time the season finale rolls around, David and Janet have embarked on a cross-country vacation to celebrate their engagement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Patten, Betty Buckley, (more)
