Stella Stevens Movies
Mississippi-born Stella Stevens was a wife, mother, and divorcée before she was 17. While studying medicine at Memphis State College, Stevens became interested in acting and modeling. The notoriety of her nude spread in Playboy magazine was quickly offset by the public's realization that she had genuine talent, particularly in the comedy field. Stevens' many delightful comic characterizations include Apassionata von Climax in the movie version of Li'l Abner (1959), Glenn Ford's drum-playing girlfriend in Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), and the klutzy heroine in the Matt Helm opus The Silencers (1966). She also showed up in a brace of 1960s cult favorites: Elvis Presley's Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and Jerry Lewis' Nutty Professor (1963), her presence in the latter film was celebrated by Lewis' utilization of the Victor Young musical piece "Stella by Starlight." Despite consistently good work, Stevens never achieved the full stardom that she deserved: When she posed again for Playboy in 1968, she admitted that it was purely to get people to attend her films. Stevens worked steadily on television since the late '50s, appearing regularly on the Flamingo Road series from 1981 to 1982. She switched to the other side of cameras in the 1980s, producing the documentary The American Heroine and directing the inexpensive Canadian feature The Ranch (1989). Stella Stevens is the mother of actor Andrew Stevens, and was very briefly the mother-in-law of actress Kate Jackson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1986
Bob Hope makes his first starring film appearance in 14 years in this made-for-TV movie. Hope stars as a seedy private eye, hoping to get one last good case before calling it quits. Don Ameche, a retired art thief reduced to working as a chauffeur, teams with his old friend Hope to solve the mystery of a missing painting. The unknown criminal has a murderous streak, resulting in a few close calls for the octogenarian heroes. Masterpiece of Murder is murder, all right, but definitely no masterpiece. Bob Hope appears to be sleepwalking, while Don Ameche does his utmost to breathe life in the tiresome proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A priest--a former revolutionary--finds himself the target of a manhunt in a small Mexican town. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Telly Savalas, Martin Landau, (more)
- 1964
Union Colonel Brackenby (Melvyn Douglas) and his second-in-command, Captain Heath (Glenn Ford), attempt to command a rather inept cavalry unit during the Civil War. General Willoughby (Jim Backus) heads them out West on assignment rather than allowing them to foul things up where it counts. They soon get involved with Martha Lou, a confederate spy (Stella Stevens) posing as a prostitute, and her boss, Jenny (Joan Blondell) as well as a group of renegades and an Indian chief. In spite of their ridiculous slapstick antics, they manage to carry out their mission. This comedy was based on Company of Cowards, a novel by Jack Schaefer. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens, (more)
- 1987
In this unlikely adventure, a motorcyclist helps an all-girls' school "prisoner" escape her school and together they flee across Europe, chased by the headmistress. To complicate things, the escapee is a mobster's daughter and the motorcycle man, wrongfully accused of a murder, is also being chased. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1960
Approximately 18 months before launching his own sitcom, Dick Van Dyke appears in this episode as Thomas Craig, who finds out that his millionaire uncle intends to leave all his money to his pet dog Casper. As disappointed as Thomas is by this news, Thomas' gold-digging girlfriend Judy (Stella Stevens) is even more so. Upon learning that Thomas will get all the money upon the death of Casper, Judy begins cooking up schemes to bump off the dog, all of which fail miserably -- and worst of all, the unwitting Casper has taken quite a liking to the mercenary Judy! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
This made-for-TV fantasy was directed by former Starsky and Hutch star Paul Michael Glaser. In one of her earliest roles, Madeleine Stowe plays Dr. Sharon Fields, who stumbles upon a secret plot by a covert organization of women to take over the world and execute all the men. The veteran cast of this silly timekiller includes cult favorites Stella Stevens, Tamara Dobson, and William Schallert, as well as more mainstream performers such as Peter Scolari, Nicholas Pryor, and Jennifer Warren. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The Arnold of Arnold, like the Harry of The Trouble With Harry, is stone cold dead from the outset of this film. That doesn't stop Arnold's mistress Stella Stevens from marrying the corpse so as to come into his millions. The trick is to hide the fact that Arnold is indeed stiff as a mackerel. To accomplish this, a series of murders is a necessity. Special guest victims include Stevens' wastrel brother Roddy McDowall, her dotty sister Elsa Lanchester, handyman Jamie Farr, as well as lawyers Farley Granger and Patric Knowles. Also on hand are such dependables as Victor Buono, Shani Wallis, John McGiver and Bernard Fox. The script is by TV-sitcom stalwarts Jameson Brewer and John Fenton Murray. As one-joke films go, Arnold is as good as any. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
This episode stars David Wayne as a reclusive, ill-tempered tycoon. While he doesn't suffer fools (or anyone else) very well, Wayne is devoted to his collection of valuable books. When one of his rarest volumes disappears from a supposedly impervious glass-enclosed case, troubleshooting detective Banacek (George Peppard) is called onto the case. George Lindsey, best known as Goober on The Andy Griffith Show, co-stars as the local constabulary. The Greatest Collection of Them All was the January 10, 1973, installment of the TV series Banacek. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Jim Wynorski directs direct-to-video legend Shannon Tweed in the erotic thriller Body Chemistry 4. Tweed plays Dr. Claire Archer, a sex psychologist who hires defense attorney Simon Mitchell to represent her in court against charges of murder. She seduces him and he soon finds himself losing control of his marriage and his career. He soon realizes that this case may cost him his life. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Stella Stevens guest-stars as Ann Croft, a sheltered deaf-mute girl. Joe Cartwright tries to teach Ann sign language, only to be thwarted by the girl's fiercely overprotective father Albie (Albert Salmi). In the course of John Furia Jr.'s teleplay, Ann ends up saving her father's life, and also falls in love with Joe (the kiss of death for any Bonanza leading lady!) Also appearing are Kenneth McKenna as Sam, James Griffith as the Preacher, Sherwood Price as Eb and Harry Swoger as Tom. Originally telecast on December 10, 1960, "Silent Thunder" was the first of of several Bonanza episodes directed by Robert Altman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
This made-for-cable Western stars Richard Crenna as an aging rancher whose daughter has a son she can no longer control. The boy is sent to live with his grandfather, and as the youngster learns the importance of discipline and hard work, the rancher learns the importance of the bonds of family. By Dawn's Early Light also stars David Carradine, Stella Stevens, and Chris Olivero. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Crenna, Chris Olivero, (more)
- 1983
- R
The B-grade genres of sexploitation, blaxploitation, and jailhouse flicks mixed with this grotesque sex- and violence-filled melodrama. Linda Blair stars as Carol Henderson, a naïve and inexperienced teenager who is sentenced to 18 months in a women's prison after accidentally killing a man. Once she arrives, Carol meets sadistic, perverted Warden Bacman (John Vernon), who keeps a hot tub in his office. She also encounters the two top-dog prisoners, Ericka (Sybil Danning) and Duchess (Tamara Dobson), who are at war with each other, the leaders of factions in the facility's simmering racial tensions. Then there are the drug-dealing lesbian rapists and the prostitutes, who answer to the warden's snugly-outfitted assistant, Captain Taylor (Stella Stevens). In the meantime, Taylor's lover is secretly carrying on an affair with Ericka. It's a cauldron of fear and rage, but when the prison's corrupt management goes too far, race considerations are set aside as black and white convicts band together. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, John Vernon, (more)
- 1977
Nice Night for a Hanging was the feature-length pilot film for the never-sold TV series Charlie Cobb. Clu Gulager stars as Cobb, a private detective operating in the Old West. Our hero comes to California at the behest of a powerful rancher (Ralph Bellamy), and is hired to locate the rancher's long-lost daughter, who was kidnapped in infancy. Cobb runs into resistance from several unsavory characters who have their eyes on his client's fortune. Produced by Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link, Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging premiered June 19, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Originally made for television, the film concerns three divorces and the effect on the varied economic level present in each family. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Feldon, Greg Mullavey, (more)
- 1975
- R
This sequel to the blaxploitation hit Cleopatra Jones mixes in elements of the kung-fu genre and James Bond-styled spy adventures as it sends its colorful heroine to a high-flying adventure in an exotic locale. When fellow operatives (and childhood friends) Matthew Johnson (Albert Popwell) and Melvin Johnson (Caro Kenyatta) disappear during an undercover mission in Hong Kong, Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson) travels there to find them. With the help of local detective Mi Ling (Tanny), Cleopatra discovers that her friends' disappearance has to do with The Dragon Lady (Stella Stevens), a much-feared woman who runs a Macao casino and controls a major chunk of the local drug trade. The finale finds Cleopatra and Mi Ling squaring off against the Dragon Lady and her minions in an explosive casino battle that involves kung-fu, gunplay, and roaring motorcycles. Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold didn't reach the same heights of success of its predecessor, but its colorful barrage of action has made it an enduring favorite amongst blaxploitation aficionados. Director Chuck Bail would go on to bigger success next year with the car-chase hit The Gumball Rally and star Dobson continued to play tough heroines in films like Chained Heat. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tamara Dobson, Magali Noël, (more)
- 1972
The made-for-TV Climb an Angry Mountain revives the reliable "country cop vs city cop" concept, with Fess Parker and Barry Nelson on either side of the argument. New York City officer Nelson wants to use state-of-art methods to track down a fugitive Indian criminal (played by former football star Joe Kapp) who is hiding out on California's Mount Shasta. Local rancher/sheriff Parker wants to handle the case on his own, since his son (Clay O'Brien) is the fugitive's hostage. The rival authority figures eventually come to the "united we stand" understanding in trailing their quarry. Climb an Angry Mountain benefits mightily from extensive location shooting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
This delightfully bad made-for-TV movie throws together an assortment of television stalwarts and movie has-beens for what is essentially a horror version of The Love Boat. The plot involves a vacation cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, during which some of the passengers find an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus in an underwater cavern. Instead of "wasting time" explaining what Egyptian ruins are doing so far from Northern Africa, the writers decide to make things easy by making the coffin's occupant none other than the Devil himself. This stirs things up a bit for the hapless vacationers -- particularly for the fire-and-brimstone preacher (John Forsythe) who happens to be aboard. Cheap, campy, and topped off with a ridiculous ending, the film, at least, is not as boring as most TV movies of the sort. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
In this comedy, defense lawyer Vic Scalia (Andrew Stevens) teams up with the criminals he defends in order to pull off a lucrative robbery. However, Scalia's accomplices are less-than-honorable as they backstab and steal from each other on the way to deliver the loot. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This political drama takes a look at the underground network that helps South American refugees travel safely to the US. The story centers on a freedom fighter from Central America who uses the underground to get to the US and settle in a small town. His wife lies to a restaurant owner, telling him her husband is dead, and gets a job as a waitress. Soon after, the owner's son falls in love with her. Meanwhile a crooked CIA agent leads a death squad in pursuit of the former freedom fighter and things get worse when the local sheriff threatens to reveal his hideout to the hunters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
A nuclear-powered transcontinental train provides the setting for this television pilot from the mystery series Supertrain. The story concerns a shady agent who becomes the prime target for murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The plot in this suspenseful mystery evokes the old westerns while dealing with contemporary issues concerning the further development of the West. It all begins when a stranger rolls into a remote little town and discovers that they are doing their best to keep secret the murder of a civil liberties lawyer who was threatening to prevent developers from exploiting the land. The stranger finds out and takes steps to ensure that justice is done. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Heavener, Martin Landau, (more)
- 1987
This TV pilot film was based on the "Father Dowling" character created (in the tradition of G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown) by Ralph McInery. Tom Bosley plays the good Father, who whiles away his off-hours by reading mystery novels. When a young millionaire entrepreneur turns up dead, the official verdict is suicide, but Father Dowling suspects murder. Dowling's allies include street-smart nun Tracy Nelson and dour housekeeper Mary Wickes; his antagonists include politician Leslie Nielsen and mob functionary Sada Thompson (Sada Thompson? The mob?) Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery was adapted from a McInery original by veteran mystery writer Donald Westlake; the pilot sold, and the resultant Father Dowling Mysteries series ran for two seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Ever anxious to enter the "nighttime serial" market engendered by Dallas, NBC commissioned Flamingo Road, a casual remake of the 1949 Joan Crawford film of the same name. The TV-movie pilot, which aired in May of 1980, introduces the dramatiis personae. Howard Duff plays the corrupt political boss of a small Florida town (a role originated by Sidney Greenstreet in 1949). Cristina Raines is the Crawford counterpart, a faded nightclub singer who wanders into Duff's town and upsets the political and social apple cart by shacking up with a local contract (John Beck). Duff tries to destroy Raines by dredging up her past, to no avail. When Flamingo Road became a series in 1981, it manage to hang by its fingertips in the ratings for eighteen months. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Based on Babs H. Deal's novel The Walls Came Tumbling Down, Friendships, Secrets and Lies is about...just what the title says it's about. An old college building is bulldozed, revealing the skeleton of a newborn baby stuffed in the air shaft. Forensic tests prove that the infant died twenty years earlier, at which time the building had served as a girl's sorority house. Seven students were living in the house at the time of the death, and all currently live in the same city; at least six of these ladies had opportunity, and possibly motive, for the baby's murder. With the notable exception of the director of photography, virtually the entire cast and crew of Friendships, Secrets and Lies was female. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
