Sandor Stern Movies
- 1986
Gerald McRaney flies in the face of his likeable Simon and Simon image in the made-for-TV Easy Prey. McRaney plays real-life serial rapist/murderer Christopher Wilder who, in early 1984, abducted a teenaged girl from a California shopping mall. Repeatedly assaulting the girl and keeping her quiet with threats of death, Wilder forced her to accompany him on a crime spree that ranged from one end of the country to another. Shawnee Smith is excellent as Wilder's terrified victim. Filmed in Canada, Easy Prey was first aired on October 26, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this made-for-television drama, a former-CIA agent is called back into to service to stop a megalomaniacal scientist's killer robot from assassinating the President and other major political figures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this exploitation film, the KGB trains a sexy young spy-trainee to become an "all-American" temptress capable of seducing the secrets out of many US officials and businessmen. She will then use the resulting information to blackmail these men into serving her government. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono is fodder for this television biography, which covers the couple's relationship from Lennon's days as a Beatle in 1966 to his 1980 murder on the streets of New York City. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1984
When wealthy businessman Richard Kennerly (Richard Crenna) dies, he leaves behind a great many unresolved issues. More specifically, he leaves behind a wife named Catherine (Joanne Woodward) a mistress named Nina (Lindsay Wagner)--and the children from both liasons. Upon learning of Nina's existence, Catherine gears herself for a confrontation with her romantic rival. Things take an unexpected turn when both women discover that Richard left no provisions in his will for his illegitimate 6-year-old son. Made for television, Passions premiered October 1, 1984 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Made for television, this film chronicles the life and work of real-life New York City undercover policewoman Mary Glatzle, here played by Karen Valentine). A single mom, Ms. Glatzle is in dire need of money to pay for her son's mounting medical expenses. Thus we she joins the NYC police force, Mary makes it known that she will take on any dangerous assignment so long as it fattens her bank account. Providing to be adept at disguises, Mary acts as a decoy for muggers and rapists, posing as everything from a hooker to a little old lady--and in the process, she becomes famous as "Muggable Mary". Though Karen Valentine did most of her own stunts, in certain hazardous sequences she was doubled by Tanya Russell. Muggable Mary: Street Cop made its first CBS network appearance on February 25, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Bionic Woman star Lindsay Wagner is here cast as Joanne Tilford, who six years after attempting suicide, is discharged from an upscale mental clinic. Returning home to care for her husband Howdy (Gerald McRaney), who has suffered a heart attack, Joanne soon discovers that her role in the Tilford family unit has been usurped by housekeeper Louise Lowry (Barbara Babcock), who regards herself as the "second mother" to Joanne's children. Adding to the heroine's woes are her brother Everett (Richard McKenzie) and sister-in-law Rita Jean (Barbara Cason), who fully expect that the still-fragile Joanne will suffer a mental relapse at any moment. Officially based on Zoe Sherburne's novel Stranger in the House, this made-for-TV film also bears a passing resemblance to the 1958 theatrical feature Home Before Dark. Watch for Peter Billingsley, then best known as Messy Marvin on a series of popular TV commercials and soon to be the star of A Christmas Story, in the role of Joanne's son. Memories Never Die made its CBS network bow on December 15, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Richard Thomas plays a single man named David Benjamin in the made-for-TV To Find My Son. While tutoring a speech-impaired young man named Tommy (Justin Dana), David becomes determined to adopt the boy. The Child Welfare people, however, have different ideas. But David will not be dissuaded, tilting at the windmills of bureaucracy for nearly two hours' worth of TV time. To Find My Son debuted October 6, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- PG
Hot on the heels of his Welcome Back Kotter success, Gabe Kaplan starred in this hastily assembled theatrical feature. Kaplan plays David Greene, the coach of a Nevada collegiate basketball team. Inasmuch as the local talent is pretty pathetic, Greene convinces a group of jive-talking New York street kids into playing for the college. Culture-clash jokes abound, with the black cast members usually coming out on top. In keeping with sports-comedy tradition, one of Greene's team members is a girl, and a very attractive one. Though it hasn't an original bone in its body, Fast Break is breezy entertainment, with a particularly thrilling climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabe Kaplan, Harold Sylvester, (more)
- 1979
In this dark drama, a woman allows a human embryo to be implanted in her body and then realizes she has made a terrible mistake. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
"For God's sake, GET OUT!" was the ad campaign for the 1979 shocker The Amityville Horror. The film was based on the allegedly true story of the luckless Lutz family, who move lock, stock, and barrel into a new home, only to find that it is possessed by the demonic spirits of its previous owners. Variations of the Seven Deadly Plagues emanate from virtually every household fixture, while other forms of otherworldly mischief are suffered by the Lutz children. Enter kindly Father Delaney (Rod Steiger), who does his utmost to exorcise the house. The Amityville Horror was frequently greeted with laughs from its first-run audiences, especially after it was discovered that the "actual" events depicted in the film (based on a book by Jay Anson) were complete fabrications. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Brolin, Margot Kidder, (more)
- 1978
The 1978 series pilot True Grit is based on the 1969 John Wayne film of the same name. Warren Oates brings his own characteristic touches to the old Wayne role of Rooster Cogburn, the "one-eyed fat man" (now a one-eyed thin man with a beard) who agrees to help headstrong orphaned teenage girl Mattie Ross (Lisa Pelikan). Mattie wants to get to her relatives in California, but she and Cogburn get off to a bad start when Rooster loses their train fare in a poker game. He tries to recoup their loss by mining for gold in Wyoming, then by riding shotgun on the gold shipments. Had the pilot sold, it would have detailed the further adventures of Cogburn and Mattie (as indicated by the original network title, True Grit: A Further Adventure). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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
Filmed primarily at NASA's Manned Space Center in Houston, the made-for-TV Red Alert is an apocalyptic "man vs. machine" spellbinder. A potentially dangerous explosion at a nuclear power plant near Minneapolis is fortunately kept under control. The huge plant-monitoring computer named Proteus concludes that the explosion was the result of wide-spread sabotage. Security-investigator William Devane concludes instead that only one saboteur was responsible-and that saboteur is trapped in the reactor room, which Proteus is programmed to protect. Devane races against time to find a way into the reactor room to prevent the saboteur from wreaking further havoc. First telecast May 18, 1977, Red Alert was based on Paradigm Red, a novel by Harold King. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In this high seas adventure, a great white shark finds itself pursued by a marine biologist and an oil executive after a $10,000 bounty. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This made-for-TV horror film stars Robert Stack and Vera Miles as a couple whose new home in the country turns out to be inhabited by evil spirits. Director John Llewellyn Moxey (Horror Hotel) manages to raise his share of small-screen chills in this low-key story co-starring L.Q. Jones and Herb Edelman. Fans of the haunted-house subgenre should note that the film was co-written by Sandor Stern, who would go on to script the similar Amityville Horror and direct its third sequel. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In her final acting appearance, Susan Hayward is ironically cast as a research doctor who can no longer face up to the notion of dealing with death on a daily basis. Recently widowed, Dr. Maggie Cole is on the verge of giving up her job and going into seclusion. She is shaken back to reality by crusty but lovable "street doctor" Lou Grazzo (Darren McGavin), who coerces Maggie into accepting a job at a Chicago slum clinic. At first adjusting admirably to her new surroundings, Maggie undergoes a devastating assault to her emotions when she befriends a teenaged leukemia patient. Written by real-life M.D. Sandor Stern and originally telecast by ABC on September 27, 1972, Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole was supposed to have been the pilot for a weekly series, but plans for this project were abandoned after the death of star Susan Hayward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
