Patricia Smith Movies
Lead actress, onscreen from the '50s. ~ All Movie Guide- 1989
Responding to a distress call from the cargo ship USS Lantree, the Enterprise comes upon a space vessel whose crew has contracted a strange degenerative disease. In as much as the dead crew members all appear to be 80 years old, it doesn't take long to deduce the nature of the disease. Risking the possibility of prematurely aging himself, Captain Picard seeks out the cause of the malady, which turns out to be the dreaded and irreversible Thalasian Flu. Bearing echoes of the 1968 Star Trek episode The Deadly Years, "Unnatural Selection" was written by John Mason and Mike Gray, and first aired February 4, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on a novel by Ernest Gann and set in 1928, this story starts out focusing on aviation and then flies in another direction at about three feet worth of altitude. Christopher Reeves is Edgar Anscombe, a pilot of a Stearman biplane running a mail route between the states of Washington and Nevada, when he is obliged to accept Tillie Hansen (Rosanna Arquette) as a passenger one day. Introverted at best, sullen and forbidding at worst, Edgar is struggling with his own trauma after surviving a crash that left him with an ugly scar across his face. Tillie personifies all the worse traits commonly attributed to the rich and spoiled -- and the two are set to joust from the beginning. After they take off, an accident occurs and although the dueling pair survive the crash, they are hard put to survive for long in the desolate mountains. Soon Edgar's friend Jerry (Scott Wilson) is out looking for him, and Tillie's obnoxious father is there at the base airport to put pressure on everyone to find her. Needless to say, Edgar and Tillie, in the meantime, are faced with dangers that make their previous problems seem minor. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Rosanna Arquette, (more)
- 1985
William Windom guest stars as Reverend Stearns, an otherwise above-board minister who has let his personal feelings nearly ruin his life. Because his daughter Marsha (Colleen Maloney) has engaged in an extramarital affair that resulted in an out-of-wedlock baby, Stearns refuses to extend either help or compassion to Marsha now that she is terminally ill. Clearly, this is a matter requiring the immediate attention (and compassion) of probationary angel Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon). ~ All Movie Guide
- 1983
Joan Collins tops the cast of the made-for-TV The Making of a Male Model. No, silly: Joan doesn't play the title role. Rather, she is cast as the barracudalike owner of a top modelling agency, while Jon-Erik Hexum (at the time, a real-life male model) costars as a Nevada rancher whom Joan selects for stardom-or, if you prefer, hunkdom. Watch for Rosemary Stack, the wife of actor Robert Stack, in a juicy cameo as Collins' chief rival. Making of a Male Model was originally telecast October 9, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Ann-Margret is beyond praise in her TV movie debut as the real-life Lucile Frey. A poor, minimally educated rural Iowa mother, Lucile learns on the occasion of the birth of her tenth child in 1952 that she is dying of cancer. Reasoning that her husband (Frederic Forest) is not responsible enough to take care of her children on his own, Lucile takes upon herself the task of finding suitable foster parents for her soon-to-be motherless brood. Not as depressing as it might have been, Who Will Love My Children? closes with the implication that Lucile's children were able to retain their family ties even after being separated for 29 years. The real-life Frey children were showcased the same evening that Who Will Love My Children premiered (February 15, 1983) on an installment of the ABC TV series That's Incredible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
The wife of Quincy's boss Dr. Astin (John S. Ragin) enters the same hospital where veteran nurse Lynn Buchanan (Georgann Johnson) is employed. Having resumed medication on a patient without a doctor's approval (which she was unable to secure due to lack of time and back-up staff), Lynn has been placed on suspension--whereupon all the other nurses go on strike. Though he might be more concerned with the fate of his wife Louise (Cynthia Harris) than in defusing the actual crisis at hand, Astin begs Quincy (Jack Klugman) to determine whether or not Nurse Buchanan acted properly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Quincy (Jack Klugman) is a member of the medical/legal team investigating the crash of an airliner which occurred some 40 miles away from LAX. All 121 passengers and crew members were killed, and Quincy and his staff must perform autopsies on all of them. During this grim assignment, Quincy discovers that one of the victims was travelling under an assumed name--and that this may somehow be linked to the doctor's discovery that the plane was carrying a highly combustible freight. The challenge now is to find out why the dead man was posing as someone else, while simultaneously convincing the airline to cease transporting dangerous fuels. George Gaynes, onetime Broadway musical headliner and future stalwart of the popular Police Academy films, appears as a chemical-company executive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
The first "new" ABC network TV movie of the 1979-80 season, this one was advertised under the slightly more lurid title Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker. Filmed in quasidocumentary fashion, the story chronicles the melancholy tale of rebellious, 17-year-old Trish Thurston (Katy Kurtzman), who, in defiance of her parents' wishes, hangs out with a group of teenagers who enjoyed thumbing rides for kicks. Trish's fascination with the wild, unpredictable side of life leads to a disastrous rendezvous with a crazed killer. Diary of a Hitchhiker originally aired on September 21, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In an episode obviously inspired by the Howard Hughes saga, reclusive billionaire Stanley Appleton Troy is found murdered in his high-rise executive suite, despite being protected by a state-of-the-art security system. There's only one obvious suspect, Ben Mular (Ramon Bieri) and Lt. Monahan (Garry Walberg) wastes no time making an arrest. But as usual, Quincy (Jack Klugman) questions the official police verdict--and he sets about to prove that the hapless Mular was framed by Troy's avaricious business associates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
The plot of this episode is feuled by a deadly battle of wits between a 12-year-old girl named Julie Todd (Kim Richards) and phony doctor William F. Dunson (Peter Haskell). Julie knows that Dunson, whose real name is James Cooper, has murdered her mother in order to gain access to a fortune hidden on the dead woman's property. In her relentless efforts to expose the killer, Julie may well be impeding the efforts of Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) to investigate the same murder--and in the process, may also be signing her own death warrant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
The scene is an exclusive prep school named Armsby, attended by honor student Paul Kincaid (Kristoffer Tabori). Pressured by his ambitious father (Charles Aidman) to succeed at all costs, Kincaid goes into an emotional spiral when he flunks a course for the first time. Confronting the teacher, Paul begs him to change his grade--and when the teacher adamantly refuses to do so, the frenzied Paul grabs a heavy trophy off a shelf...and... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
Examines the death of a turbulent and controversial event, the anti-Vietnam rally featuring musical performances from folk singers and an interview with William Kunstler. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1974
This episode marks the first appearance of Gretchen Corbett as attorney Beth Davenport, erstwhile girlfriend of private eye Jim Rockford (James Garner). Characteristically, Beth has called upon Jim for a teeny-tiny favor: namely, to prove the innocence of her impoverished client Ann Calhoun (Patricia Smith), who is accused of killing her husband. Dutifully, Rockford heads to Parker Arizona, the hometown of Ann's late husband Kevin, in hopes of gathering new evidence. Before long both Jim and Beth find their lives threatened by a certain party who is harboring a sinister secret--in this case, the fact that Kevin Calhoun wasn't Kevin Calhoun at all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Ironside (Raymond Burr) is reunited with his old friend Dr. Juan Domingo (Desi Arnaz), an eccentric Cuban-born doctor currently residing in a small California town. When not being sidetracked by an odd assortment of patients (which include an expectant duck!), Dr. Domingo likes to dabble in crime-solving, much to the dismay of his nurse Big Sue (Linda Foster) and local police chief Cardiff (L.Q. Jones). At the moment, the good doctor is trying to prove that an alleged heart attack victim was actually murdered while flying his own plane. This episode was originally the pilot for a potential Desi Arnaz detective series called Dr. Domingo, which unfortunately failed to make a network sale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Of the two rape-oriented TV movies of the 1973-74 season, A Case of Rape, first telecast February 20, 1974, is far and away the finer film (the other was the compelling but contrived Cry Rape). Elizabeth Montgomery stars as a housewife who is sexually assaulted not once but twice by a so-called family friend (Cliff Potts). The rape is only the beginning of a long cycle of humiliation and self-doubt: the investigating police are dismissive of Montgomery's charges, the female defense attorney (Rosemary Murphy) tries to put the victim on trial, and Montgomery's reputation and marriage (to Ronny Cox) are irrevocably damaged. Though things don't go well for her in the courtroom, Montgomery emerges from the experience a stronger and more self-reliant person, unwilling to allow herself to be destroyed by outside influences. Don't miss the final confrontation between raper and rapist after the trial--an underplayed but bone-chilling vignette. Had not Cicely Tyson sewn up the Emmy with The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Elizabeth Montgomery would certainly have copped the prize with A Case of Rape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Star Jack Lemmon was so eager to see Save the Tiger make it to the big screen that he waived his salary rather than have the film exceed its tiny budget. Lemmon portrays "the great American tragedy" as upwardly mobile garment manufacturer Harry Stoner, whose underhanded business tactics are beginning to catch up with him, and whose keeping-up-appearances lifestyle has forced him into bankruptcy. The script, by producer Steve Shagan, does nothing to endear us to Stoner: he flagrantly cheats on his wife, arranges business deals by servicing his clients with prostitutes, and finally agrees to torch his warehouse to collect the insurance money, all the while paying empty lip service to his lost ideals. Nonetheless, one "feels" for Stoner throughout, especially when he breaks down while giving a speech to his assembled buyers, imagining that the audience is populated by his dead army buddies, who gave up their lives to make the world safe for good-for-nothings like himself. Lemmon's performance won him an Academy Award. Appearing in supporting roles are Jack Gilford as Lemmon's conscience-stricken partner and Thayer David as a smarmy arsonist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, (more)
- 1973
Hope Lange plays Karen Chandler, a 36-year-old wife and mother. After living in quiet desperation for several years, she suddenly decides to leave her family to seek a new life in the cutthroat world of big business. Part of Karen's "liberation" involves (surprise!) a new romance. Earl Holliman plays Lange's husband, while Michael Murphy is her new heartthrob. One of the kindlier efforts in the "finding oneself" genre, the made-for-TV I Love You... Goodbye originally aired February 12, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hope Lange, Earl Holliman, (more)
- 1973
Stone (Karl Malden) and Keller (Michael Douglas) are obliged to track down a perpetrator who under normal circumstances might have been the heroine of the story. Refusing to believe that her baby was stillborn, young mother Barbara Talmadge (Kity Winn) goes on a desperate search for her child, who has been spirited away by a crooked adoption agency. By the time the hapless Barbara catches up with the unwitting couple who have adopted her baby, she has already committed murder--and is willing to kill again if necessary! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
When Cliff Robertson was toasted by Ralph Edwards on the TV series This is Your Life in 1972, Robertson was standing on the set of Ace Eli and Roger of the Skies. This production was announced as an "upcoming release"-though as it turned out, the film lay on the shef for several years thereafter. Robertson plays a barnstorming stunt flyer of the Roaring Twenties. Accompanying him from job to job is his 11-year-old son, Eric Shea. Despite having a child in tow, Robertson has no trouble scoring with the local lovelies wherever they go. 20th Century-Fox had so little faith in Ace Eli and Roger of the Skies that the company changed many of the names in the production credits: producer "Boris Wilson" was really Robert Fryer, director "Bill Sampson" was actually John Erdman and screenwriter "Chips Rosen" was known to friends and family as Claudia Salte. Only poor Cliff Robertson was denied the opportunity to cloak himself in an alias. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Ed Nelson plays the episode's title character, aerospace engineer Walter Swenson. Fired from his job and in desperate need of money, Swenson decides to hack into the "impenetrable" electronically-controlled vault which stores his former employer's most valuable secrets. Though it is certain that many F.B.I. fans were able to catch up with this episode when it entered rerun syndication, when "The Engineer" first aired on October 29, 1972 most viewers were tuned to another channel, watching the network TV debut of Yellow Submarine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Though not the first episode of The Bob Newhart Show to be filmed, "Fly the Unfriendly Skies" was chosen as the series' premiere telecast on September 16, 1972. Bob Hartley's "Fear of Flying" workshop has booked plane passage from Chicago to New York. Emily supportively goes along on her husband Bob's maiden flight, neglecting to mention, until the last moment, that she too is terrified of flying. A pre-Laverne and Shirley Penny Marshall appears as the stewardess. "Fly the Unfriendly Skies" was written by series creators David Davis and Lorenzo Music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1972
Bob's feelings are hurt when he is not invited to speak before Emily's third-grade students on Vocation Day. Though she feels Bob's pain, Emily can't bring herself to admit that she thinks Bob will not be able to "thrill" the kids with his speech. Her fears come to full fruition when Bob is called in to speak at the very last minute. King Moody, best known as "Ronald McDonald" in a series of fast-food commercials, is here cast as a fireman. Written by Carl Gottlieb and George Yanook, "Tracy Grammar School, I'll Lick You Yet" first aired on September 23, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1972
Martha Scott makes the first of several appearances as Bob Hartley's supremely judgmental mother. During Mrs. Hartley's latest visit, Bob would like to tell his mother that he loves her, but the words just won't come out. Emily tries to get to the root of Bob's problems, and even comes up with a logical -- if circuitous -- solution. Written by the comedy team of Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon, "Mom, I L-L-Love You" was first telecast on October 7, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1972
Though Emily does not look forward to a visit from Bob's former girlfriend, Nancy (Penny Fuller), and Nancy's husband, Chuck (Dick Schall), Bob is in a state of anticipatory glee. It seems that Nancy had thrown over Bob in favor of Chuck; now, convinced that Nancy is still carrying a torch for him, Bob wants to have the honor of rejecting her. Future Hill Street Blues co-star James B. Sikking appears as Dick. First telecast on October 21, 1972 (after being pre-empted from its scheduled October 14 playdate), "Goodnight, Nancy" was written by Susan Silver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1972
After attending a party where virtually all the guests are doting parents, Bob and Emily are even more determined to conceive. Finally, they discuss the possibility of adopting a child, and the benefits and drawbacks attending such a decision. The large supporting cast includes Louise Lasser as Mrs. Radford, William Redfield as Arthur Hoover, and M. Emmet Walsh as Jack Hoover. Written by David Davis and Lorenzo Music, "P-I-L-O-T" was originally written to be the pilot episode for the series. After several changes, including Newhart's insistence that he didn't want to be in a show "about kids," the series was held back from release until November 18, 1972, by which time the series was firmly entrenched in the ratings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
